BILLION DOLLAR NEWS CAPSULES – TOURISM

Andhra Pradesh has bagged the best state award for comprehensive development of tourism in the rest of India category of National Tourism Award 2011-12. The Best Heritage city award has gone to Warangal of Andhra Pradesh. Amritsar Heritage Walk and Delhi Heritage Walk have been declared joint winner of the best Heritage Walk Award. Union Tourism Minister of India, Mr. Chiranjeevi said every year the categories of awards are reviewed with new categories being added to recognize excellence in diverse fields, in accordance with the requirements of changing times. He said it is an ongoing endeavour of the Ministry to diversify the tourism products of the country by developing and promoting new niche segments, so as to attract different categories of tourists with diverse interests and to promote India as a year-round destination. In keeping with this thrust of the Ministry, new categories of awards for “Medical Tourism Facilities” and for “Tour Operators Promoting Niche segments” had been introduced in 2011.

airberlin announced flights to 150 destinations to assist travelers and exhibitors from many countries to come to Berlin. From 6th to 10th March visitors from all over the world will be converging on Berlin for the International Travel Trade Show, ITB Berlin. Germany’s second largest airline, airberlin operates flights connecting 150 destinations in 40 countries.

ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers’ fourth meeting (4th M-ATM+India) was held on 21 January 2013 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013 (ATF 2013). In 2011, the number of tourist arrivals between ASEAN and India recorded steady growth, with the total number of tourist arrivals from India to ASEAN recorded a total of 2.7 million arrivals and arrivals from ASEAN to India recorded a total of 521,755. The Ministers welcomed the adoption of the Vision Statement of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held on 20 December 2012 in New Delhi, India, particularly on enhancing the ASEAN Connectivity through supporting the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. The Ministers also supported the close collaboration of ASEAN and India to enhance air, sea and land connectivity within ASEAN and between ASEAN and India through ASEAN-India connectivity project.

Australian Tourism Minister Mr. Martin Ferguson has called for direct air connectivity between India and Australia to boost tourism. Both the Ministers of tourism of Australia and India expressed their resolve to strengthen bilateral tourism cooperation. Referring to the recent road shows organized by India Tourism in Australia, the tourism minister of India Mr. Chiranjeevi expressed the hope that such shows will contribute to more tourist inflow from Australia.

ASTA is praising the House of Representatives for its unanimous passage of The No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012 to eliminate duplicative baggage screening for passengers arriving in the U.S. from so-called “preclearance” airports connecting to domestic flights. The bill, sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) in the Senate and Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) in the House, had passed the Senate (also unanimously) on November 29, and now heads to President Obama’s desk.

Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) is organising its 10th Annual Convention in Guwahati, from January 20-22, 2013. The theme of the convention this year is – “India’s Unexplored Paradise”. ATOAI seeks to use the convention as a meaningful and useful platform to showcase North-East India as an adventure destination to both domestic as well as the international tourism fraternity. The convention will focus on creating a platform for the travel fraternity for new networking opportunities and providing an environment for learning workshops. The convention will also provide knowledge exchange and brain storming sessions for the delegates to enhance efficiency levels and providing enhanced infrastructure for the adventure tourism industry.

ASTA praised the California Legislature and commended its California members for their efforts to secure passage of a bill (AB 2354) that permits travel agents to offer and disseminate travel insurance under the license of the “limited lines” insurance producer it works with, as long as certain consumer protections are followed. The bill, signed into law by the Governor and effective from Jan. 1, 2013, significantly reduces excessive burden on California travel agencies while offering greater transparency for consumers.

ASTA is praising its members for their grassroots efforts after a decision by the Massachusetts Legislature not to move forward with two bills that would have had a negative impact on the state’s travel agencies before the end of its formal sessions on July 31. The fact that the Legislature backed off these bills is due in large part to the Massachusetts travel agents who answered ASTA’s grassroots calls to action, as well as the hard work of the leadership of ASTA’s New England Chapter, including President Gabe Garavanian and Immediate Past President and Chapter ASTAPAC Chairman Mike Spinelli. “Fighting punitive bills like these and preventing discriminatory, burdensome regulation from being applied to travel agents is one of ASTA’s top priorities,” said ASTA President and Chair Nina Meyer. “On behalf of the thousands of travel agency small-business owners in Massachusetts and across the country, ASTA commends the Legislature for its decision and stand ready to work with state legislators toward a stronger travel industry and safe, affordable and enjoyable travel experiences for the American public.” Meyer added.

AVIAREPS, the world leader in tourism and airline management, has been appointed by VISIT FLORIDA as its representative in India. With immediate effect, AVIAREPS will be responsible for carrying out all Sales, Marketing and Public Relations activities in India on behalf of the state’s official tourism marketing corporation.

Abacus International, Asia Pacific’s leading provider of travel solutions and services has entered into a partnership arrangement with Kabul Star Technologies to gain entry into the Afghanistan market. Afghanistan will be the 31st market for Abacus.

ASTA’s Travel Retailing & Destination Expo (ASTA-LA) will deliver a fresh approach to traditional travel trade shows, combining targeted, revenue-boosting sessions and the opportunity for high-level networking to provide travel agents a combination of new business contacts and enhanced sales skills to help them better run their businesses. Agents may choose from a series of high-level educational courses, including three courses taught by Microsoft-certified expert trainers, each providing agents with real-life skills they can use to control expenses, balance their bottom line and fuel new business opportunities.

Amaya Resorts & Spas has introduced a new camping site inside the park where travelers and tourists gets to experience the wild in all its element creating an opportunity for wild life enthusiast to enjoy Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park in all its glory.

Amadeus and Expedia, Inc. signed a multi-year content and technology agreement for North America. The agreement provides Expedia with Amadeus’ fare search technologies for air travel among other products, as well as access to global travel supplier content through the Amadeus system.

ASTA announced a new enhancement to its ongoing educational programming–a series of webcasts hosted by Microsoft, each designed to strengthen and enhance user knowledge and understanding of Microsoft Office System tools. “These webcasts are designed to give agents hands-on business productivity training, taught by Microsoft experts,” said ASTA CEO Tony Gonchar. “We also are working with Microsoft to develop additional content for the Travel Retailing & Destination Expo in Los Angeles this September, as well as other initiatives that will be announced shortly.”

Amadeus has signed a five-year agreement with UNIGLOBE Travel, the world’s largest single-brand travel franchise, to provide content distribution services and IT solutions worldwide. This five year contract renewal will extend UNIGLOBE TMC access to Amadeus inventory of 430 bookable airlines, over 110,000 hotel properties, 30 car rental companies and 22 of the world’s cruise lines.

ASTA joined the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in opposition to a proposed increase in the UK Air Passenger Duty. The tax, while expected to add £2.8 billion ($4.4 billion) in additional taxes to UK government coffers, is also forecast to dampen the demand for travel and ultimately would harm not only the UK economy but also those countries to which the British travel most frequently, including the United States and Caribbean nations.

ASTA continued its record of success in its fight against anti-travel agent tax provisions at the state level with the defeat of the “Oregon SB 1519.” This bill, had it passed, would have imposed occupancy taxes on service fees charged by travel agents and other intermediaries for hotel bookings made in the state.

Abacus International now boasts the largest Low Cost Carrier (LCC), Hybrid and Regional airline portfolio in Asia Pacific. With a year-on-year growth of 27 per cent in 2011 against 2010, Abacus expects growth in this portfolio to continue.

ASTA’s eighth annual International Destination Expo (IDE) in Dubai, is scheduled for April 3-7, 2013. Through its International Destination Expo, ASTA continues its global push to provide certified destination training with the vital skills to market their business and increase sales.

ANA relies on myIDTravel, Lufthansa Systems’ integrated ID travel management solution for staff travel. With the integrated ID travel management solution, ANA can introduce self-service e-ticketing for flights of staff members between ANA and other airlines.

Amadeus IT Holding, S.A., parent company of the Amadeus Group, a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry, has announced its profit for the full year increased 20.7% to reach €487.2 million. This was backed by growth in like-for-like revenue of 5.8% to €2,712.0 million and a 6.4% improvement in EBITDA to €1,039.0 million.

American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) announced the creation of the Joining Forces Travel Industry Coalition. As part of a national initiative to honor, recognize and support military families, led by First Lady Michelle Obama, this ASTA-led coalition will aggregate veteran and military-spouse hiring commitments from travel industry firms.

ASTA released the results of its 2011 Global Distribution System (GDS) Report, a 63-page study designed to assist agencies in evaluating their current GDS contracts and help industry suppliers gain insight into the travel agency distribution channel. Among its key findings, the study found that for the first time since 2008, the percentage of agencies reporting increased bookings (34%) through their GDS was higher than those seeing a decrease (24%), a signal of a sustained economic recovery. This report also confirms the value of the GDS distribution to the travel agency industry.

Assam grows by 11% in domestic tourism; receives 45 lakh domestic tourists in 2011 against 40 lakh in 2010. There has been a spurt of domestic tourists in Assam. Last year the state received 45 lakh domestic tourists and 15,000 foreign tourists compared to the 40,50,924 number in domestic tourists.

ASTA released the results of its exclusive 2011 Technology and Web Usage Report, which found that a substantial number of travel agents are using elements of Web 2.0 to enhance their networking and marketing efforts. Now in its seventh year, the survey is the only report of its kind that specifically looks at online booking revenue, Internet usage, Web 2.0 marketing, and website development from the agency’s’ point of view.

ASTA announced that it has released its sixth annual Supplier-Travel Agent Marketing Report. Among the key findings, 94 percent of respondents ranked “reputation/quality of product” as the most important factor when selecting a preferred supplier.

Amadeus and American Airlines have reached a medium-term agreement to extend the previous agreement for full content. Under the medium-term agreement, Amadeus travel agencies will continue to have access to American Airlines fares and inventory with no change from the previous agreement.

Amadeus announced that it has reached a new multi-year extension agreement with United Airlines into 2013 which guarantees that their full range of content will be available for sale through the Amadeus system and includes distribution of the carrier’s Economy Plus seating.

American Express has announced two new benefits to the American Express Corporate Platinum Card to help business travelers get through airports quickly and stay connected during flights.

Amadeus announced nine distribution agreements implemented in 2011 with low-cost and hybrid carriers that improve travel agents’ access to the inventory, schedules and fares of over 74 million seats sold annually by these nine airlines. Amadeus has signed distribution agreements with Air Arabia (Maroc), Air Méditerranée, flydubai, Porter Airlines and Vision Airlines.

ASTA members expect to see a stronger profit in 2011 and 2012–on par with 2008 profit levels—according to an ASTA survey conducted this summer, which asked travel agency members about their revenue and transaction volume, sales per travel segment, and their expected profits. “The good news is that most agencies are on track to realize a stronger 2011 than prior year. Market weakness is still apparent, as recent upheaval in the stock market evidenced, however travel agencies have proven themselves to be extremely resilient and adept at adapting to changing forces,” said Tony Gonchar, ASTA CEO.

ASTA’s recent Travel Retailing & Destination Expo in Las Vegas saw the travel industry’s best and brightest come together at ASTA’s annual black-tie Advocacy Dinner, sponsored by Sabre Travel Network. The event, which celebrates ASTA’s influence in shaping the policies affecting the retail travel business, continues to build upon its success as was evidenced by the fact that this year’s event saw a 54-percent rise in attendance by top travel industry executives from 159 to 245. “Each and every day, ASTA demonstrates its ability to positively influence key legislators and policymakers on issues affecting the retail travel marketplace, but it is through events such as these that we are able to bring the agency industry’s collective fire-power under one roof and thank them for their support of ASTA and our initiatives,” said Tony Gonchar, ASTA CEO.

American Express Global Business Travel announced the launch of Mobile Communications Management (MCM), a dynamic, visual traveler tracking and integrated two-way messaging solution. This new capability can assist companies in promptly locating employee travelers and communicating to them on the spot to offer direct assistance in times of travel disruption.

ASTA’s Travel Retailing & Destination Expo (Las Vegas, Sept 11-13) will be the place to be when the travel’s best and brightest come together at two select events—ASTA’s annual black-tie Advocacy Dinner, sponsored by Sabre Travel Network, which celebrates ASTA’s influence in shaping the policies affecting the retail travel business, and the new, invitation-only Leadership Luncheon, sponsored by Hertz Rent-a-Car, which will recognize the industry’s leading entities and ASTA’s strongest supporters.

Amer Group Egyptian real estate company has established new companies in Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia to focus on tourism and property development. The companies, which are 99 percent owned by Amer Group Holding, will include two in Egypt, one in Saudi Arabia and one in Syria Pyramids, with capital worth EGP5 million Egyptian pounds (USD$838,900), will develop a 102,000 square-metre project including 240 residential villas near the Pyramids of Giza.

Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga has scooped the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2011 for Best Small Hotel and Best Sustainable Hotel in both the Thailand and Asia Pacific categories in another milestone achievement for the luxury boutique resort.

ASTA is offering U.S and international travel agents the chance to become an ASTA member and take $50 off their first year’s membership dues. “This is a terrific chance for travel agents to experience all that ASTA provides to its members and save a little money in the process. This membership offer is just one of the many ways in which Marriott demonstrates its understanding of the value travel agents provide consumers and suppliers alike,” said ASTA President and Chair Chris Russo.

ACCOR, the European leader in hotels, has signed an agreement with India’s leading general sales agent, Connect-Worldwide to strengthen its distribution in India. Connect-Worldwide will be responsible for increasing sales among Retail Travel Agents and Small and Medium Enterprises. Accor has also introduced a call centre number for Travel Agents, 1860 500 1010 and has optimized the websites www.travelagencies.accorhotels.com and www.businesstravel.accorhotels.com for ease of use. These initiatives will lend support to the existing booking channel of accorhotels.com. Accor is keen to further develop domestic sales in India to accompany the development target of opening 90 hotels by 2015 in the country.

ASTA, said that the final rules announced by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections rulemaking were, with two important exceptions, a triumph for air travelers and those who sell to them.

Amadeus, announced that it has agreed to dissolve a contract under which United Airlines previously planned to migrate onto the Amadeus Altéa Suite in 2013.

ASTA asked its travel agent members for their best honeymoon destination recommendations Hawaii and the Caribbean came out on top. Not surprisingly, the top five ranked destinations all offer sunshine, tropical beaches and the promise of adventure.

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has identified 5 sites including Kadem, Brahmasagar, Gundlakamma, Yeleru and Priyadarshini Jurala, for creating facilities like jetties & boating, food courts, accommodation and other ancillary facilities under the public private partnership

format.

Amadeus, a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry, today announced that it has agreed to dissolve a contract under which United Airlines previously planned to migrate onto the Amadeus Altéa Suite in 2013. Following United Airlines’ decision to merge with Continental Airlines, and as part of its overall integration efforts, the airline has decided to migrate to Continental Airlines’ existing IT system and will review its alternatives for a long-term IT solution in due course. Therefore, United will not be continuing with its planned implementation of the Amadeus Altéa Suite. United Airlines will make a one-time payment to Amadeus in consideration of the change in plans. The two companies intend to continue working closely together to pursue opportunities for partnership in the future.

Accor North America (ANA), one of the largest hotel chain owner and operators in North America, announces changes to its leadership structure. Olivier Poirot, CEO of Accor North America, Motel 6 and Studio6, will assume responsibility for the Novotel network in Canada and for Accor operations in Mexico

American Express Global Business Travel announces a new traveler information enhancement to its leading compliance tool Pre-Trip Auditor (PTA). The PTA solution offers companies various options of enforcing traveler compliance through methods such as automatically sending notifications to travelers when they’ve booked out of policy, to having itineraries sent to a traveler’s manager for approval before the trip is ticketed. Now, for travelers, it will also send relevant trip notifications by pushing information related, but not limited to visa/passport information for international travel, company incentives or programs, industry advisories on high-risk destinations, recommendations for virtual meeting options, and how to utilize enterprise mobile applications while on trip.

Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest carrier, swung to a 2010 net loss of of EUR€23.3 million (USD$32.5 million), hit by the country’s debt crisis and recession. “Weak domestic demand conditions, the subsequent significant reduction in average fare and the rise in the price of fuel were the main contributors to the loss,” it said.Aegean’s 2010 revenue fell 5 percent to EUR€591 million.

Amadeus has released version 14.0 of its flagship e-Travel Management solution, the self-booking tool for corporations. The new version, which is available globally, includes a range of enhanced features including the new Travel Arranger Workspace.

ASTA has extended an exclusive offer to Puerto Rico travel agents to attend the International Destination Expo on Saturday, April 16.

Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, and Germanwings, one of the most successful low cost airlines in Europe, announced the launch of a new distribution solution that will enable Germanwings to offer travel agencies more flexible travel options as well as comprehensive ticketing services.

Axis Bank, India’s third largest private bank recently announced the launch of India Travel Card, India’s first and only Indian Currency prepaid travel card for foreign nationals and non-resident Indians travelling to India.

Axis Bank, announced the launch of INDIA TRAVEL CARD, India’s first and only Indian Currency prepaid travel card for foreign nationals and non-resident Indians travelling to India. The India Travel Card will initially be available at select Axis Bank branches in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai as well as a large network of money changers.

Abercrombie & Kent, India, recently announced two strategic outbound divisions. The A&K India Private Travel, mainly focussing on the B2B segment, has been set up to introduce A&K’s global luxury offerings to the experience seekers and high profile travelers from India. Whereas the MICE division will cater to the demands of fast growing outbound MICE movements from India.

ASTA announced that it has completed an extensive update to its popular Green Guides for travel agents and suppliers to reflect ongoing changes in the eco-friendly travel arena. “The travel industry continues to evolve quickly when it comes to sustainability, and many suppliers have developed a strong ‘green’ program.

American Express Global Business Travel has won through November 2010 more than $2.3 bn in new managed travel business with clients spanning from small and mid-sized companies to large market, multinational and global businesses worldwide. Transaction volumes are also on the rise and have seen double-digit growth globally. For client contracts up for re-signing, it was also reported that renewed client business accounted for $3.2 billion year-to-date

Air New Zealand and Sabre Travel Network have introduced Sabre Branded Fares to Sabre Connected travel agents who can now shop and book the airline’s branded fares. This enables the airline to market its products consistently with its own website.

ASTA’s latest research study, the 2009 Travel Agency Service Fee Report, found that 41 percent of responding agencies are charging consultation fees for some type of custom travel, and a much smaller percentage is also charging fees for information given over the phone (12 percent) or in an e-mail (17 percent).

Amadeus IT has seen year-on-year profits jump by a third in the first nine months of 2010. Net profit hit €355mn driven by higher sales from the company’s IT Solutions arm while distribution used by airlines to relay ticket information to travel agencies and customers, saw a 10 percent rise in sales to above €1.5bn.

American Express is launching a new travel rewards Card – the Blue Sky Preferred Credit Card. The new Card is the first to offer travelers an annual $100 Airline Allowance to cover fees such as checked baggage, in-flight meals, entertainment or Wi-Fi purchases on any airline spending. Amadeus has introduced Amadeus OneClick, an online application that enables corporate users to quickly locate and contact travelling employees in the event of an emergency, travel disruption or for an important corporate message.

Abacus International, gained further ground in Kazakhstan by signing an exclusive agreement with Sapsan Air. In the first quarter of 2011, Abacus-connected travel agents can look forward to the ability to book and ticket Sapsan Air content through an integrated user-friendly guided workflow.

American Express Canada made a major play in the Canadian travel rewards landscape with the launch of the American Express Gold Rewards Card. The Card represents a new concept in the travel rewards marketplace and is designed to give Cardmembers more choice and freedom from the limitations associated with other programs. “We designed the Card to be the solution to the frustrations people have when it comes to redeeming points,” says Trevor Van Nest, Vice President, Consumer Marketing for American Express Canada. “We’ve taken the best elements of the various choices of reward programs in Canada, paired them with a very rich points earning rate and then put it all into one Card. This way, consumers get the benefits of rewards travel and none of the hassle when using or transferring their points.”

Atlas Travel International expects to streamline processes, eliminate manual work and increase reservation processing time dramatically by implementing GDSX’s COMPLEAT and CETAS software. The COMPLEAT and CETAS programs by GDSX, Ltd. Allow agents and business travelers to work together more efficiently and save money on travel costs. Atlas plans to use COMPLEAT not just for its standard functionality but to use some functionality that other TMCs don’t.

Atlas Travel International will soon offer its business travel clients a smartphone-based itinerary and productivity application through an agreement with Concur, a technology provider whose on-demand services help companies increase efficiency and manage employee spend. Concur announced the agreement at the 2010 National Business Travel Association (NBTA) Convention in Houston. This is the first time Atlas has offered services that can be received via smartphones.

ASTA presented its Allied Member of the Year Award to Julius Robinson, vice president of global sales intermediaries for Marriott International and Chairman of Marriott’s Innovention Network for his outstanding contributions to the travel industry. Each year, ASTA acknowledges one of its Allied members for having positively impacted the travel agency community.

Abacus, recently announced its new tie up with Net Trans to offer travel agencies a total solution for the collection; recovery and reconciliation of hotel commissions that may see travel agencies increase their revenues from hotel commissions between 30-50 per cent within a year. By partnering Net Trans, Abacus will help travel agencies outsource this task to a professional company with the expertise and market knowledge to methodically follow up with the hotels. With this system in place, travel agencies have the peace of mind to devote their time and energy on providing superior travel experiences to their customers and boosting their bottom line.

Atout France, France tourism development agency, launched its first French Specialist training sessions in six major cities in July 2010 to widen the knowledge of Indian travel agents about France as a tourist destination. The training programme conducted by Atout France in association with Amadeus India, also had four partners on board including Air France, Rail Europe, Accor Hospitality and the Rhône Alpes Regional Tourist Board.

Abacus, a leading provider of travel solutions and services, has announced its partnership with ACE Travel Insurance to distribute insurance products to all Abacus-connected travel agents. During the first phase, travel agents across the Asia region, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Thailand will be able to access the content via Abacus’ fully integrated travel insurance booking solution, Abacus TravelSecure. In the second phase, the insurance product will be available to other Asia Pacific markets as well.

American travel and tourism products organized an interactive travel trade seminar ‘Destination USA 2010: Travel Trade Seminar’ on July 7th, 2010 at the Marriott Courtyard in Ahmedabad in an effort to showcase the United States of America as a top notch tourist destination. The seminar witnessed informative presentations by NYC & Company – the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Disney Cruise Lines Continental airlines, Globus – Cosmos family of brands and Marriott International.

Abacus, Asia’s leading provider of travel solutions and services, had announced the launch of the enhanced Abacus TicketingExpress, an automated pricing and ticketing solution that allows travel agencies to manage pricing and ticket issuance more efficiently.

Amadeus is launching a new car booking tool which uses cutting-edge technology to power a user-friendly interface. Travel agents using the Amadeus Selling Platform will be able to access Cars Plus in any one of the 10 languages supported by our global booking solution.

ASTA has and will continue to work closely with the TSA to notify members through member alerts and updates, of upcoming changes and deadlines that impact the travel agency community and the traveling public.

AVIA, the new boutique hotel collection with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Napa and Long Beach, California; and The Woodlands, an area just north of Houston, Texas, is offering a radiant summer escape – AVIA Shines – now through September 6.

ASTA released the results of its 2009 Global Distribution System (GDS) Report. A major trend in GDS contracts, the report found, is the movement of agencies away from fixed-rate based contracts to “no-minimum” and productivity-based contracts, allowing agencies greater flexibility in how and when they use their GDS for booking. The report is the only one of its kind that specifically examines GDS usage, contracts and distribution trends from the agencies’ point of view and takes a close look at the reasons agencies use GDSs.

Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, announced record performance of its airline IT business and strategy highlights for 2010. Amadeus’ airline IT division has seen a strong uptake of its flagship solution, the Altéa Suite, which enables airlines to seamlessly manage their customers from their shopping experience to check-in. Over the course of 2009, Amadeus’ data centre processed 238 million passengers boarded from airlines using Altéa, 23% more than in the previous year. This represents 11% of the world’s air traffic .

Abacus, the leading GDS provider, has recently unveiled the latest version of Abacus Whiz in India, with an objective to provide travel agencies with greater automation and efficiencies in work processes. According to the company sources, Abacus Whiz is a Windows-based system that gives travel consultants easy access to Abacus’ GDS and other travel content. The new version of Abacus Whiz consists of new features such as the enhanced re-issue mask that automates re-pricing and calculates the difference in fares and taxes automatically.

ASTA announced the names of featured debaters and discussion leaders for the 2010 Retail Travel Leadership Summit (Sept. 13, 8:00 a.m.-11 a.m.). The summit will be held at this year’s THETRADESHOW (Orlando, Sept. 12-14). The exclusive audience of senior level executives, select media and industry representatives will hear debates on such topics as whether cross-selling enriches or harms a business, the employee model versus the independent contractor business model and what the impact of airline unbundling will be on the future of travel distribution. “This year’s roster of panelists, in addition to the controversial subject matter, will no doubt lead to a lively debate,” said Chris Russo, ASTA president and chair. “This group of experienced travel professionals will shed light on some of the industry’s most challenging issues. I, for one, am looking forward to learning more about each of these issues.”

ASTA has come out in strong support of the announcement by iTrek—the Australian travel insurance provider that had launched a much-decried ‘Travel Agents Are Dead’ film contest—that it would stop its negative marketing campaign.

Andhra Pradesh has launched an Approach Paper for rural tourism to educate tour operators and travel agents so as to enable them to market rural tourism products most effectively. Further, for promotion of rural tourism and marketing it both at the domestic and international level, the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) will take initiatives at the centre to have better inter-ministerial coordination.

Amadeus and Iberia, the leading airline in Spain and the European-Latin American market, have agreed to extend their full content agreement until 2014. The agreement guarantees travel agents worldwide access to the entire range of Iberia content through Amadeus.

Amadeus has recently announced the launch of the Amadeus Ticket Changer. According to Ankur Bhatia, managing director, Amadeus India, Amadeus Ticket Changer is a multi-carrier international solution that gives customers a flexibility and reactivity to all their itinerary change needs.

Abacus International has announced the introductions of four innovative solutions – ButterFly, Web Office, Bargain Finder Max and eServices in Taiwan to give Abacus-connected agencies a head start in the recovering travel industry.

American Express Business Travel announced the results of its 2009 European Barometer, during its 19th Espace Voyages Professionnels (EVP) in Paris, the leading business travel event in Europe. The Barometer highlights the impact of the global economic crisis has had on business travel expenditure, revealing an 18% fall in budgets reported on average. Sixty-six percent of companies report a reduction (-31%) of their travel budgets, 23% have witnessed no change and a mere 11% have noted an increase (of +23%).

Accor, Vietnam’s largest international hotel operator, has announced the development of the Novotel Saigon Centre. The 350 room hotel is to be built in the city centre in District 1 and is scheduled to open in 2012.

ADTOI (Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India) has decided to theme its forthcoming convention as domestic tourism – foundation of incredible India. The convention is scheduled to be held from March 19-20 at Ashok hotel in New Delhi. Subhash Verma, vice-president, ADTOI has been appointed as the convention chairman.

ASTA announced the release of a research report with the National Association of Career Travel Agents (NACTA), examining the ins and outs of the independent travel agency market. Among its findings, the 2009 NACTA Independent Agents Report shows several shifts in the independent agent population, namely an increasing number of independent agents who work out of their home, a figure which has grown from 77.9 percent in 2006 in to 85.1 percent in 2009.

ASTA is praising the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bill to accelerate the implementation of earlier legislation to protect consumers from abusive and misleading credit card policies. The bill, H.R. 3639, the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, would move up the effective date of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act from Feb. 10, 2010, to Dec. 1, 2009. President Obama signed the original legislation into law on May 22, 2009. The earlier Credit CARD Act contains a host of reforms to credit card lending practices, including new disclosure requirements for fees and account terms; a ban on retroactive rate increases; and new rules concerning promotional rates.

ASTA is working with the Weather Channel to spread travel tips and advice to an even wider audience of consumers. Visitors to the Weather.com site looking for sage advice on a holiday travel will now be able to read articles from ASTA’s consumer Web site, TravelSense.org, on such subjects as Road Tips for Road Trips, 10 Winter & Holiday Travel Tips to Melt Your Worries Away and Happy Holiday Travel with Kids in Tow.

American Express has announced the launch of the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, a new Charge Card for U.S.-based consumers that provides generous rewards on airfare, gas and grocery purchases through the

Goibibo is India’s fastest online travel solutions provider and continues to stay ahead of the curve with its association with channel manager AxisRooms, which is a single platform for hotels to manage inventory and pricing. AxisRooms is the first channel manager to launch the XML API (Application Program Interface) with Goibibo.com. The platform helps hotels increase their distribution and revenue.

Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) will take place this year at the Macau Tower and Convention Center on September 17 – 19, 2013. Hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government, Cheong U, and co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism under the auspices of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, the theme for this year’s conference is “Regenerate our Economies: Invest in Travel and Tourism” to highlight the critical nature of tourism investment in today’s economic climate.

Goa Tourism Department has adopted a new marketing strategy to promote Goa nationally and internationally. Dilip Parulekar, tourism minister of Goa informed about the new methods of marketing used for promoting Goa by his department. The tourism department will release advertisements in print and electronic media in India and abroad to market and promote Goa. Conventionally, tourism department participated in domestic and overseas events such as road shows and international trade fairs to project Goa as world class tourist destination. However, it has now also started using social net working sites such as facebook and twitter. A brand consultant will be appointed to develop brand architecture, work out creative options and implement a brand strategy for Goa tourism.

Greek tourism revenues are expected to bounce back this year to pre-crisis levels, the industry informed following the return of political stability to the country. Visitors from Germany, Britain and Russia are expected back. The Mediterranean country has pinned its hopes on its sun-drenched beaches and ancient monuments to pull itself out of a deep recession. Tourism is the Greek economy’s biggest cash-earner, accounting for about 17 percent of output. Andreas Andreadis, head of Greece’s main tourism body SETE, said tourism revenues are seen rising by up to 10 percent this year to 11 billion euros on the back of an expected record 17 million visitors.

Goibibo.com, India’s fastest growing online travel site launches Flight Advice – a recommendation engine for international flights. Traditionally flights are sorted based on lowest prices. “Goibibo Flight Advise” learns from user search pattern and then ranks the flights based on its cancellation policy, duration taken, stops, fares etc to deliver the most relevant results thereby recommending the least agonizing flights that are not just based on price.

Goibibo.com, India’s online travel site has released its monthly travel report, derived from live buyer data. The latest report covers insights on Hotel bookings on the internet in India. Based on the observations, it has been found that 3 star hotels drive 50% bookings online in India within the tariff slab of USD 30-70. The affordable average price point and online availability are the key reasons for travellers opting for this category of hotels. The report also shares insights on average price points of various star rated hotels; break down of leisure versus business hotels booked online; customer segments and top destinations for business hotel bookings.

Hawaii, according to the Preliminary Statistics released by Hawaii Tourism Authority, earned a total of $1.3 billion through expenditure by the visitors during June 2013, recording an increase of 7 percent as compared to June 2012. Total arrivals, which have shown continuous growth since September 2011, rose 5.5 percent to 716,577 visitors in June 2013. In the first half of 2013, total visitor expenditures rose 6.9 percent to $7.4 billion and total arrivals grew 5.6 percent to 4,155,868 visitors.

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan Tourism Bureau) jointly organised a press conference which also included a signing ceremony to announce that they will step up their collaboration to promote cruise tourism in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as the region at large. It was also announced that the two organisations have reached an agreement with Royal Caribbean International to schedule two deployments of cruise liner Mariner of the Seas to Hong Kong and Taiwan on 29 October and 2 November this year.Hong Kong will be the home port of the ship for both deployments.

Hitachi Ltd has received an order to build Vietnam’s first urban railway in Ho Chi Minh city for 37 billion yen ($373.2 million), the Japanese infrastructure company said. Hitachi informed that it will be delivering trains, ticketing machines, communication systems and other facilities for the new railway that is set to start operating in early 2018 in the Ho Chi Minh city area.

Hoi An, the ancient town of, located some 650 km south of Hanoi, over the past few years, is now becoming a favorite tourist destination in Vietnam. Hoi An, which used to be an international trading port in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam province, has exceptionally well- preserved architectural wonders that include old houses, temples, pagodas, and other structures that have been built from the 15th to the 19th century. In 1999, the old town was recognized as a World Heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO).

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced that a Hyatt affiliate has signed management agreements with affiliates of Constellation Hotels Holding Ltd., adding four hotels in France and more than doubling the number of Hyatt locations in the country. The agreements will enable Hyatt to establish and enhance brand representation in highly visible locations in some of Europe’s key high-barrier-to-entry markets, consistent with the company’s strategy of increasing the long-term presence of its brands in gateway cities.

Hilton Worldwide announced the opening of Hilton Sharjah, the company’s 11th branded hotel in the UAE and its first in the Emirate of Sharjah. The 259-room Hilton Sharjah, a conversion property previously known as Corniche Al Buhaira Hotel, is a visually striking property, ideally positioned on the picturesque Corniche Road and overlooking Sharjah’s biggest lagoon.

Hilton Worldwide signed a management agreement with Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. to manage Hilton Manila in Newport City in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The agreement will bring the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotel to Manila. Scheduled to open in 2014, the 350-room Hilton Manila is located on Newport Boulevard next to Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and is 3.5 kilometers away from Manila’s central business district, Makati.

Indian visitors to the United States rose by an impressive 11.9 per cent in 2014, over the 2013 figures. As many as 961,790 went to see the attractions of the Big Apple last year, making India the 11th largest market for the US.

Ireland’s visitor numbers up by nine per cent in 2014 and further increases expected this year, the Dublin Pass, a sightseeing card which helps visitors save time and money, has been relaunched to make the capital city more convenient and accessible for tourists.

Irish tourism industry is aiming to draw 10million visitors to Ireland in 2025, contributing €5billion to the economy and helping to sustain about 250,000 jobs. Following on the success of 2014, the tourism industry aims to build on this growth with a target of 7.74million visitors into Ireland in 2015, beating the previous record set in 2007.

Indian tourism industry grew by 10 percent year-on-year in the year ending 2014, according to Indian tourism minister Mahesh Sharma. Sharma also stated that they are planning to draw 11 million overseas tourists in 2015.The 11 million figure is 1 percent of the global 1.1 billion international tourist arrivals.

India is looking for more tourists from Oman following the launch of Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) – the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) facility for Omani nationals. In this regard, the Indian Embassy in Muscat conducted a presentation on ‘Tourist Visa on Arrival’ facility for citizens at the Embassy of India Auditorium, Al Khuwair where a large number of travel agents and senior government officials were present.

India’s survey on the travel preferences of Indian holiday goers were released. Mumbai rules the roost, coming in at the 1st position with an overall rating of 4.4/5, topping the food (4.5) and shopping (4.8) categories. Mumbai was also 2nd in the nightlife (4.6) and transport (4.5) categories while it came 9th in the sightseeing category (4.3).Mumbai was followed by Goa (4.3), Delhi (4.1), Jaipur (4), and Jaisalmer (3.8) in the overall rankings.

India is set to lift ban on satellite phones for adventure tourism. Tourism Ministry has finalised a scheme for procurement, registration and use of satellite phones by tour operators which has been concurred to by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lok Sabha was told.

Indian travel and tourism industry is set to witness a huge surge as the Union government of India announced the launch of the much awaited online visa or e-visa facility for 43 countries. The e-visa facility for inbound travelers to India includes the citizens of US, Australia, Japan, Israel, Germany, Singapore. Therefore, global travelers can apply for a visa from the comfort of their homes and avail the same within a span of 72 hours.

International Air Transport Association and a Coalition of National Travel Agent Associations (The Group) are collaborating on a study to look at options that could benefit travel agents as the New Distribution Capability (NDC) XML standard is considered for implementation by airlines and technology providers. The study will be conducted by an independent consultant to be appointed jointly by The Group and IATA.

Iran’s Tourism and Handicrafts Organization will invest 7 trillion rials (about $220 million) to implement 30 projects to promote tourism in the country. The investments will be made to build hotels, guest houses, and accommodation camps across the country, the IRNA news agency quoted CHTHO Director Masoud Soltanifar said.

India greeted about 6.6 million international travelers in 2012 and 2013 witnessed a steady growth to 6.9 million. The U.S. is the largest source market for India in terms of international visitors accounting to 15.8 percent.

Indian Government has extended ‘visa on arrival’ for US citizens to boost tourism as US citizens happen to be the topmost spenders among foreign tourists to India.

International Renewable Energy Agency and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) the United Nations specialized agency for tourism, have joined forces to promote the use of renewable energies in Islands.

Incredible India is among the ten nominees for the World Travel Awards (WTA) for Asia under Asia’s Leading Tourism Board 2014 category. Among the other Indian travel companies that are making their presence felt is Air India, that has been nominated under five different categories as well as the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi that has been nominated under Asia’s Leading Airport 2014.

India set to introduce e-visa system. Ministry of tourism in India is taking fast and effective measures to boost international tourism in India.ixigo has launched its award-winning app on the Windows Phone Store. The app allows users to not only search and compare the cheapest flight ticket fares but also get best hotel rates, compare best available buses and train fares for free.

India is one among the top five medical tourist spots in the world having hosted nearly 166,000 medical tourists from across the globe in 2012, said a PHD Chamber’s Medical and Wellness Tourism Report. The medical tourism industry in India is expected to reach an estimated value of $6 billion (`36,060 crore) by 2018, it added.

India’s foreign tourist visit showed a positive growth of 12.5 percent in Northern Eastern States of India during 2012 over 2011, which further rose by more than 100 percent to register a growth of 27.9 percent during 2013 over 2012. .

International Finance Corporation got together with the Ministry of Tourism, government of India, and the state governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, plus members of the private the sector, to promote “Investing in the Buddhist Circuit” in India.

Israel, according to its Central Bureau of Statistics, had a record number of tourists during 2013. Tourist arrivals rose 0.5 percent to 3.53 million in 2013 as against the 3.52 million recorded in 2012. Tourist arrival by air rose 4 percent to 2.58 million during the year as against the 2.48 million recorded in 2012, although arrivals by direct flights to Eilat fell to 58,500 from 59,500. The US was the largest source of tourists during the year, with 623,000 entries, followed by Russia with 603,000. France was in third place, with 316,000 tourists followed by Germany, with 254,000, the UK with 217,000, and Italy with 160,000.

International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) called on its 109 member tourism boards and their stakeholders to express solidarity with the Philippines. ICTP also called to contribute to the Philippine Red Cross. “In the wake of the horrific typhoon, the International Coalition of Tourism Partners sends its sympathy to the country and its tourism stakeholders” read a statement released by the ICTP Executive Board.

Indonesia’s Central Bureau of Statistics announced that tourist arrivals to Indonesia in September increased by a significant 12.7%, due to the large number of international events and conventions held in the country, including the Miss World pageant, meetings of APEC in Bali , Sail Komodo etc. Major market shares remained consistent, topped by Singapore with 15.11%, followed by Malaysia with 13.86%, Australia with 11.42%, China with 9.85% and Japan with 5.78% share.While total tourist arrivals to the country during January–September 2013 increased by 8.8% year on year to a total of 6.41 million visitors as compared to the 5.9 million recorded during the previous year.

IATA, with the unbundling of airline services like preferred seats, meals and baggage in India, has started a pilot project to display all such facilities on ticket booking sites to allow passengers to choose what they want.

Indonesia’s number of foreign tourist arrivals in May, according to its National Statistics Bureau, rose by 7.65 percent to 700,700 on a yearly basis. The government targets 9 million foreign holiday-makers this year, compared with 8.04 million last year. The government is striving to encourage more foreign holiday- makers to visit the country by luring more Muslim tourists particularly and boosting health tourism.

India’s Tourism Ministry has proposed Visa-on- Arrival provision for Chinese Nationals. The proposal is mooted with a view to ease travel facilities for Chinese nationals as it would pave way for huge potential for exchanges in this sector.

India’s Foreign tourist arrivals grew by about 4.5% from 6.30 million in 2011 to 6.57 million in 2012. Whilst it indicates a sharp drop from the about 9% growth that was seen in 2011 as compared to 2010, it is still twice the world average according to latest data from the Bureau of Immigration. Tourists outflow from India have registered a significant decline of up to 20 per cent during the months of April and May owing to weakening rupee against dollar, a survey has conducted by “Assocham”, which is an industry body, opined.

International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) announced the IIPT/Skål Peace Town project, a joint partnering initiative with Skål international. A goal has been set for the dedication of 300 Peace Towns and Villages in the first year of the project, each committed to building a culture of peace in their respective communities. Each IIPT/Skål Peace Town or Village will support a positive and dynamic concept of peace that goes beyond the traditional passive notion of peace as simply the absence of conflict.

IATO will host its 29th annual convention in Kochi from September 8-11 at the Le Meridien Cochin Resort and Convention Centre. This is for the second time that IATO will be hosting the convention in Kochi, the last time being in 2005. The information was provided by Lally Mathews, Honorary Secretary, IATO. Arun Anand, Honorary Treasurer, IATO will be the Convention Chairman while E M Najeeb, Chairman-Kerala Chapter, IATO and Mathews will be Co-chairmen.

India’s Working Group on Tourism for 12th Five Year Plan, set up by the Planning Commission, has recommended a target growth in domestic tourism of about 12% per annum during the 12th Five Year Plan period. The Working Group has also recommended to increase India’s share of International Tourist arrivals to at least 1% by end of 12th Plan – requiring an annual growth of about 12%. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India grew from 5.17 million in 2007–08 to 6.50 million (provisional) in 2011–12 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.88%, during the 11th Five Year Plan. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism in India grew from USD 9.10 bn in 2007-08 to USD 16.72 bn (provisional) in 2011–12 at a CAGR of 16.41%, during the 11th Five Year Plan.

India Government announced that visa on arrival scheme registered a growth of 54 percent During the month of February 2013. A total of 1,947 Visa on Arrival(VoA) were issued during the month as compared to 1,259 VoAs during the month of February 2012, registering a growth of 54.6%.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and UNWTO signed a special Joint Statement on Aviation and Tourism, acknowledging the intention of the two UN agencies to begin cooperating more closely on issues of common priority. The Joint Statement was signed by ICAO Secretary General, Raymond Benjamin, and UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, on the occasion of the official opening of the ICAO Sixth Worldwide Air Transport Conference (ATConf/6). Visa facilitation, taxation, the modernization of aviation regulations and the development of convergent rules for traveller and enterprise protection were stressed in the Statement as key areas for improved collaboration.

Indian Union Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi has welcomed the decision of Reserve Bank of India to allow Indian companies in the hotel sector to avail benefits under the ECB (External Commercial Borrowings) scheme to repay their outstanding rupee loans and or to finance fresh capital expenditure. Through a statement issued the Minister said “amended guidelines which came into force with immediate effect will greatly help the Indian companies in the hotel sector as they would now be eligible to borrow under this scheme for projects costing USD 0.05 bn or more irrespective of geographical location which would make the implementation of hotel projects in the country more viable and cost effective”.

Indian Union Minister for Tourism Chiranjeevi met the Secretary General of UNWTO Mr. Taleb Rifai in Madrid, Spain. They discussed diverse issues relating to the tourism cooperation between India and the world. During the talks, the Secretary General and the Tourism Minister emphasized on the proactive approach to make tourism an important global political and economic agenda. The Minister also informed Secretary General about the efforts taken by the Indian Government towards easing the visa regime in India.

IHG, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, has been ranked third in The Sunday Times’ list of the 25 Best Big Companies to Work for in 2013. IHG was awarded ‘Best Improver’ for jumping 11 places in the Best Companies employee survey and ‘Excellence in Learning and Development’, for having a workforce that feels they are provided with the opportunity for growth and progression, supported by structured training and personal development.

International Tourism Mart, organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India was held at Guwahati, Assam from 18 to 20 January 2013 successfully showcasing the unique and diverse tourism potential of the North-east in the domestic and international markets. Through the event, the Government of India planned for aggressive marketing of this region as a major tourist destination across the globe with the Ministry of Tourism getting around 85 buyers from 23 countries to participate in the event.

India Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism during the year 2012 showed an increase of 21.8% as compared to FEEs of 2011. Foreign Tourist Arrivals ( FTAs) in the country also registered an increase of 5.4% during the year 2012 as compared to FTAs of 2011. FEEs from tourism in rupee terms during 2012 were Rs.94,487 crore with a growth of 21.8% as compared to the FEEs of Rs.77,591 crore with a growth of 19.6% during the year 2011 over 2010. FEEs during the month of December 2012 were Rs.10,549 crore as compared to Rs.8,870 crore in December 2011 and Rs.7,039 crore in December 2010. The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms in December 2012 over December 2011 was 18.9% . FEEs from tourism in terms of US$ during 2012 were US$ 17.74 billion with a growth of 7.1% over 2011.

India bagged three prestigious awards at the World Travel Awards (WTA). The respective awards are World’s Leading Destination – India, World’s Leading Tourist Board – Incredible India and World’s Leading Tourist Attraction – Taj Mahal. K Chiranjeevi, Minister for State, Tourism (independent charge) received the awards. The Tourism Minister said that the Ministry has prepared a multi-pronged strategy to increase India’s share in World Tourist Arrivals at the Award ceremony.

Indian Ministery of Tourism working Group on Tourism for 12th Five Year Plan, set up by the Planning Commission, has recommended various strategies for promotion of tourism Industry to increase India’s share of International Tourist arrivals to at least 1% by end of 12th Plan from the level of 0.64% in 2011 and to provide adequate facilities for domestic tourism to sustain the growth of over 12% during 12th Plan.

Indian Government has decided to lift the restriction of the two-month gap on re-entry of foreign nationals coming to India except in the case of nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, foreigners of Pakistan and Bangladesh origins and Stateless persons. The Tourism Minister of India said that this decision has addressed a long pending demand of the travel industry and would facilitate tourists visiting the country.

Ministry of Tourism and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), with the support of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), has forwarded a proposal to organise the 3rd edition of The Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar (GDTB) from September 27- 29, 2013. The inauguration of the Bazaar will be held at The Lalit, New Delhi on September 27, 2013. The exhibition, with pre-scheduled B2B meetings and also opportunities for on the spot B2C interactions, will be organised on September 28 and 29 at FICCI KK Birla Auditorium Lawns, New Delhi.

Mauritius Tourism Revenues, which show a decline of arrivals during Q1 of 2013 by 12.4 percent, have caused a storm of outrage across the island’s tourism sector, and from calls and emails it is clear that the knives are now out for those thought responsible for the reverse of fortunes of the Indian Ocean’s erstwhile tourism giant. While arrivals for the same period are still up by 1.5 percent, according to the same sources, it is clear that those tourists coming to Mauritius are not the heavy spenders compared to the island’s European core markets, which have again declined by a staggering 7.5 percent vis-a-vis the first quarter of 2012.

Marriott International will be featured in a one-hour TV special: “Hotel: Behind Closed Doors at Marriott.” The global hospitality leader invited CNBC into the “heart-of-the-house” over a 6-month period for a rare glimpse at the inner workings of the hotel business.

New Zealand Tourism Chief Executive Kevin Bowler has welcomed the Tourism Industry Association’s new framework “Tourism 2025 – Growing Value Together”. The framework was launched at the Tourism Industry Association’s annual summit in Wellington. Kevin considers that the framework provides direction and a focused approach for the industry, critical to achieving its common objective of long-term, enduring, value-based growth.

Nepal’s total tourist arrivals from the European market in the first seven months of this year decreased by 15.6%. In the first seven months, a total of 66,535 European tourists visited the country as against 78,828 tourists in the same period last year.

NTA (National Tour Association) and ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents), the tour operator and travel agent professional associations, respectively, plan to host a second Hispanics in Travel Caucus at the NTA Annual Convention to be held Jan. 22 in Orlando in conjunction with the United Motorcoach Association (UMA).

Philippines achieved a double-digit growth of almost 39 percent of Indian visitor arrivals in September 2014 as compared to the same on 2013. The country is involved in dynamic marketing campaign and promoting the destination in the Indian market.

Princess Cruises and Holland America Line have joined forces to donate $1 million to the University of Alaska Foundation. The donation would provide funding in three main areas i.e. research and education critical to the health of the sea, training programs that prepare Alaskans for the tourism and hospitality industry and scholarships that support Alaskans seeking higher education at the University of Alaska.

Pacific Asia Travel Association reports that the surge in Asia Pacific international visitors continues. International visitor arrivals into Asia and the Pacific grew by six percent in June 2013, the latest month for which comprehensive pan-regional results are available. The figures for June are among the strongest year-on-year growth performances so far this year. Southeast Asia set the pace once again with a solid double-digit gain, but all sub-regions reported good percentage growth performances during the month.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced the winners of the 2013 PATA Gold Awards. Proudly supported and sponsored by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), for the last 18 years, this year’s awards recognize the achievements of 22 separate organizations and individuals. PATA will present 26 Grand and Gold Awards, including awards to Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, Rottnest Island Authority, Korea Tourism Organization and Travel+Leisure magazine etc.

PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) 2013 Annual Summit (2013PAS) scheduled to be held Bangok during April 25-28, 2013 will be attended by the Leaders of the Complete Visitor Economy. The PATA Youth Forum will commence on Thursday, April 25, followed by the one-day summit on Friday April 26, and the PATA Board meetings and AGM on April 27-28, respectively.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will hold the 2013 PATA Annual Summit (2013PAS) in Bangkok during April 25-28, 2013. The PATA Youth Forum will commence on Thursday, April 25, followed by the one-day summit on Friday April 26, and the PATA Board meetings and AGM on April 27-28 respectively. Under the theme “Embracing the Complete Visitor Economy”, speakers from the public and private sector at the summit will discuss the considerable impact and social and economic reach of the complete visitor economy.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) welcomed Amadeus as a PATA Premier Partner. Amadeus, one of the world’s leading providers of technology solutions to the travel industry, now assumes the highest level of PATA membership, along with fellow PATA Premier Partner, Visa. PATA and Amadeus will work together to the grow Asia Pacific visitor economy in a responsible way. They will leverage data from their joint resources, including Amadeus’ Total Demand airline passenger database. PATA and Amadeus will collaborate on joint initiatives, including air passenger service development for destinations. Amadeus’ Total Demand data will be available on PATAmPOWER, the Association’s mobile data platform for members.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) officially launched its Rapid Recovery Task Force (PRRT) at the association’s Engagement Hub at its head office in Bangkok. The PRRT is a standing task force of the PATA CEO and seven volunteers who will collectively try to help PATA member destinations during and after times of crisis, such as SARS, floods, tsunamis, disease outbreaks and terrorist incidents, all of which have had a massive impact on Asia Pacific destinations in the last 10 years or so. The objective is to help destinations return to ‘normal’ as quickly as possible.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced Travel Channel International as a new PATA Preferred Partner. Owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, the Travel Channel is the world’s leading international travel broadcaster, transmitting 24 hours a day in 21 languages to 130 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It is based in London. The partnership will enable PATA and Travel Channel International to collaborate on brand-building opportunities at major events such as PATA Annual Conference, PATA Travel Mart and PATA Hub City Forums. The partnership allows both parties to share data including research, statistics and analysis and to develop joint consumer and industry surveys and reports.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), through its recently released Preliminary Results, announced that the International visitor arrivals into Asia between January and September 2012 showed a collective increase of 5.5% year-on-year. During the first nine months of the year, the 4.7% collective growth rate for Northeast Asia was somewhat lower than the Asia average. However this percentage increase was translated to around 7.8 million additional international visitor arrivals to the sub-region. Intra-regional flows remained the key force behind this growth in both volume and percentage gain terms for the period. China (-2%) and Macau SAR (+1%) saw relatively weak results while the remaining destinations, Japan (+41%), Chinese Taipei (+24%), Korea (ROK) (+19%) and Hong Kong SAR (+16%), performed strongly with each destination posting double-digit growth over the period.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced TripAdvisor will become a new PATA Strategic Partner. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools.

Peru is aiming to attract 6 million tourists by 2016, according to Carlos Canales, head of the National Chamber of Tourism. This year, he said, Peru saw 2.9 million tourists, who generated $3.3 billion in revenue for the country’s tourism industry.

Royal Caribbean International’s $300 million fleet wide revitalization program integrating the latest innovations and highest guest-rated programs from the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ships (The Oasis Class vessels) is nearing its completion. Recent enhancements on the refreshed and rejuvenated ships will offer guests a greater variety of new onboard dining and entertainment options, new staterooms, pervasive Wi-Fi, Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, digital way-finding systems, interactive flat-panel televisions in staterooms, i-pod docking stations and lots more.

 

US Embassy in Yerevan announced that the United States will begin issuing 10-year tourist and business visas to qualified Armenians. The Embassy previously announced that the United States would begin issuing visas in accordance with a new reciprocal arrangement.

US International visitors have spent $185.1 billion on US travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date (January through October), an increase of 4 percent when compared to the same period last year.

UK’s tourist spending is said to touch a record of £22.2bn in 2015 according to forecasts made by Visit Britain’s Culture Secretary Sajid Javid. In 2013 people spent £20bn and 2014 saw a promising growth of £21.3bn.

UK & Ireland sign an MoU for joint visa scheme. Travellers from outside the European Union (EU) can now move freely between UK and Ireland on a single permit. Tourists from India and China will be the first beneficiaries of the scheme.

US tourist or business visas also called B1 & B2 visas are now free according to the US Department of state.

UNWTO Executive Council has brought new governance models to foster closer cooperation between tourism and culture in order to advance the sustainable development of cultural tourism.

UNESCO, according to reports from Arusha, has apparently suggested that the area around Ol Doinyo Lengai, one of Tanzania’s active volcanoes and the country’s third highest mountain, be turned into a World Heritage Site (geographical). Adjoining the Ngorongoro Crater area, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ol Doinyo Lengai and its slopes is a destination of growing importance for adventure tourists who eagerly explore areas outside the national parks of exceptional scenic and natural beauty. Tanzania is home to several UNESCO WHS sites but has, of late, had a checkered relationship with the Paris based organization and some years ago in an almost unprecedented way withdrew at the very last moment an application for the recognition of the Eastern Arc Mountains apparently to pave the way for logging and mining in the ecologically sensitive water tower area of the sprawling East African country.

UNWTO and the AU (African Union)announced that the organizations will be signing an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to consolidate their partnership in matters related to the development and consolidation of the tourism industry in Africa. According to Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Tourism Minister, who tabled the proposal for the MOU is hopeful that that the grouping of African Member States into an ‘Africa Brand of Tourism’ should work with and alongside the UNWTO. The Minister further expressed his hope that the ‘Africa Brand of Tourism’ would enhance the cooperation between UNWTO and Africa, and that the ‘Africa Brand of Tourism’ could also become a UNWTO Affiliate Member.

US travel to overseas markets totaled 3.3 million, up two percent in June and flat for the year at 14.5 million. Regional results indicates that Europe recorded 1.5 million travelers, up three percent Caribbean, 676,000 travelers, up nearly one percent Asia, 394,000 travelers, down three percent Central America, 279,000 travelers, up six percent South America, 172,000 travelers, up one percent Middle East, 168,000 travelers, up two percent Oceania, 46,000 travelers, flat Africa, 39,000 travelers, down almost six percent U.S. travel to other North American totaled 3.2 million and was up two percent as compared to compared to June 2012.

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) intimated that a total of 298 million international tourists traveled worldwide between January and April 2013, 12 million more than in the same period last year. Prospects for the current tourism peak season remain positive with some 435 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the May-August period. International tourist arrivals grew by 4.3% in the first four months of 2013 to reach a total of 298 million, up from 286 million, despite a challenging global economic environment.

U.S. News & World Report has named Marriott Rewards the top hotel loyalty program in its recent survey of hotel and airline frequent travel programs. Cited for having no blackout dates and a portfolio of more than3,700 hotels across 14 distinctive brands around the world, Marriott Rewards received the highest score among 16 major hotel programs.

USA is set to introduce visa application interview per electronic video conference .Travel and tourism to the United States adds nearly $2.0 trillion per year to the U.S. economy. The US Government is in the process for a pilot program using secure, remote videoconferencing technology to conduct interviews with those applying for a tourist or business visa to the US. The growing economies in countries like Brazil, China and India require new visa process mechanisms to address the high visa demand, including videoconferencing.

UNWTO signed an agreement with Spanish engineering company ISDEFE (Ingeniería de Sistemas para la Defensa de España. Whilst Research, best practices and new methodologies for tourism development are at the centre of an agreement, it aims at developing pilot projects based on a range of subjects including connectivity, energy in tourism, among others.

University of British Columbia says in its global analysis that shark watching is a major economic driver for dozens of countries, generating $314 million annually. Citing the study’s projections that shark-related tourism could more than double within 20 years, generating over $780 million annually.

UK holidaymakers aged 25 and older are expected to spend more than £27 billion on hotel stays this summer, whether it be for UK destinations, short or long haul travel. The average traveller is planning to book an average of ten room nights during the main summer holiday period according to a new survey released by Room Key, hotel search engine built by hoteliers.

UNWTO World Tourism Barometer reported that international tourism receipts hit a new record in 2012, reaching an estimated US$ 1075 billion (euro 837 billion) worldwide, up 4% in real terms, from US$ 1042 billion (euro 749 billion) in 2011. “It is encouraging to see that the growth in international tourist arrivals was equalled by a comparable increase in spending in spite of continued economic challenges” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. By regions, the Americas (+7%) recorded the largest increase in receipts, followed by Asia and the Pacific (+6%), Africa (+5%) and Europe (2%). Receipts in the Middle East were still down (-2%); yet report a steady improvement compared to the decline recorded in 2011. In absolute values, Europe saw US$ 457 billion in tourism earnings (euro 356 bn) equivalent to 43% of the world’s total tourism receipts, the largest share by region. Destinations in Asia and the Pacific (US$ 323 billion or euro 251 bn) account for 30% of international tourism receipts and the Americas (US$ 215 billion or euro 167 bn) for 20%. In the Middle East (4% share) total tourism receipts reached US$ 47 billion (euro 36 bn) and in Africa (3% share) US$ 34 billion (euro 26 bn).

UNWTO, the Government of Morocco and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement to support the Ministry of Tourism of Morocco in the implementation of a new classification system for tourism accommodation establishments. The project will build capacity within the Ministry of Tourism to set up a new classification system for the accommodation establishments, a central part of Morocco’s tourism strategy «Vision 2020». The new system should elevate the competitiveness of the hotel industry in Morocco according to international standards while creating a true culture of quality among the accommodation industry. The agreement contemplates furthermore actions to raise awareness among tourism accommodation establishments and relevant stakeholders of the need for a new classification system, in order to ensure its sustainable implementation.«This initiative will contribute to the economic and social development of Morocco as it creates opportunities to advance the quality of its tourism sector», said UNWTO Executive Director for Programme and Coordination, Fréderic Pierret, in signing the agreement on behalf of UNWTO. The project, financed by the Government of Morocco, will be implemented by UNWTO who will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Tourism between 2013 and 2018.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejoined the Organization 26 years after having left UNWTO. The announcement was made during the UNWTO & Arabian Travel Market Ministerial Forum on Tourism and Aviation .”The Middle East is one of the fastest growing tourism regions in the world in spite of facing countless challenges; much of this dynamism has been led by the strong political commitment awarded to tourism in the region and the vision that tourism is a key pillar of development in the Middle East of which the UAE is a perfect example” said Mr. Rifai.

Union Tourism Minister of India Mr. K Chiranjeevi has urged the corporate world to join hands with Ministry of Tourism to promote Campaign clean India. During an Interaction with CII Tourism Committee Members, the Minister announced setting up of six MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) centers in the country. He also said that world class culinary institutes will be set up at Tirupati, Kolkata and Noida by the end of this year. Mr. Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism briefed the delegation about the developments in Tourism sector. Mr. Nakul Anand, Chairman, CII National Committee on Tourism, & Executive Director, ITC Ltd. emphasized that while there have been achievements at the centre, the effort at the centre must be dovetailed with the activities at the States.

UNWTO welcomed Jamaica’s decision to waive visa requirements for Eastern European nationals and to extend indefinitely the current visa waiver system for some Latin American nationals. These important policy steps are in line with UNWTO’s call for countries worldwide to revise their visa regulations and procedures underscoring the close links between visa facilitation and economic growth through tourism. The visa waiver for tourists from Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine visiting Jamaica for up to thirty days was announced on 6 March 2013 together with the indefinite extension of the visa waiver in place for nationals of Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela.

UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) revealed that one billion tourists have travelled the world in 2012, marking a new record for international tourism – a sector that accounts for one in every 12 jobs and 30% of the world’s services exports. On the symbolic arrival date of the one-billionth tourist (13 December 2012), UNWTO kept the general tourist informed of the actions they can take to ensure that their trips benefit the people and places they visit, as voted by the public.

Vietnam will hold a major international tourism fair to boost tourism in which a phenomenal 450 domestic and international tourism companies are expected to attend. The event, jointly organised by the Vietnam Tourism Association, the General Department of Tourism, and the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM 2014), at Hanoi’s Vietnam Exhibition Fair Centre from April 3–6 is the second of its kind and is expected to welcome 50,000 attendees. The fair will be oriented around “Tourism promotion – new destination, new opportunity, and travelling for sustainable development”.

Visa on Arrival(VoA)Scheme of India recorded a growth of 26.5 percent in the number of tourists utilised the facility during the period January to November, 2013. A total of 17,594 ‘visa on arrival’ have been issued during this period as compared to 13,903 ‘visa on arrival’ recorded during the corresponding period of 2012, registering a growth of 26.5 percent.

Virginia and the Petersburg region, according to a report prepared by the United States Travel Association, saw a four percent increase in tourism spending in 2012 as compared to the previous year. The increase in tourism spending for the Petersburg, Florida region in 2012 matched the increase recorded statewide. Overall, visitors spent $328.9 million in 2012 in the six localities – Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George counties and the cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell – that comprise the Petersburg Area Regional Tourism. Each of the six PART localities saw increases in expenditures ranging from 3.1 percent to 6.1 percent.

Vietnam, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT ), received more than 677,000 foreign arrivals in the early days of August, registering a 22% increase against the same month last year. The August figure raised the total number of foreign visitors since early this year to nearly 4.9 million, registering an increase of 7.9% compared to last year’s same period. Most of the visitors came from Russia (up 63.1%), China (33.1%), Indonesia (25.6%), Thailand (24.2%) and New Zealand (21.9%). The tourism sector has achieved nearly 68% of the set target of 7.2 million for the whole year.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), intimated that the there were over 3.54 million international tourist arrivals in the January-June period indicating a year-on-year increase of 2.6%, considered to be the lowest growth rate in three years. However, this situation is not considered too bad view the rebound in June, whilst the number of international tourists recorded in the January-May period dropped by 1.4% year-on-year.

 

World Tourism Organization and AVIAREPS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show being held at the Berlin Messe. As part of the agreement the two organisations will join forces to promote international tourism to various destinations around the world in need of destination marketing assistance.

World Tourism Organization and AVIAREPS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show being held at the Berlin Messe. As part of the agreement the two organisations will join forces to promote international tourism to various destinations around the world in need of destination marketing assistance.

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), while welcoming the Indian government’s decision to ease visa restrictions by implementing Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), urged the government to ensure “effective roll-out” of the initiative without delay prior to the commencement of the next the next tourism season in November. The Council believes that the initiative will provide the much-needed boost to Inbound Tourism and offer “competitive advantage” to the destination in comparison to other destinations in South Asia and Middle East.

World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) would cooperate with each other with a view to develop plans and programs to give practical expression, through tourism, to Indigenous rights. The Guiding principles for the venture will be drawn from the relevant portions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The agreement is the outcome of the common focus of both the parties in fostering tourism developments consistent with the principles of the Larrakia Declaration that were promulgated on March 30, 2012 at the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference 2012 held at Australia. The Larrakia Declaration has also been supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) are of the opinion that visa facilitation could create up to 2.6 million new jobs in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies by 2016. The report was presented on the occasion of the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Travel Facilitation held at Bali, Indonesia. The report ‘The Impact of Visa Facilitation in APEC Economies’ indicates that although there has been successful collaboration and advances across the APEC region to facilitate visas, including progressive approaches to implement new visa policies.

World Travel Market 2012, the leading global event for the travel industry, is expected to generate more than £585 million for exhibitors from Americas & The Caribbean, marking an impressive increase of 30% as compared to WTM 2011.

Wyndham Hotel Group announced the signing of an exclusive development agreement with İlbak Turizm İşletmeleri Ve Yatirim A.Ş. for 20 Super 8 hotels in Turkey over the next 10 years.

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed to launch a new public awareness campaign calling on tourists to help reduce demand for illicit goods and services linked to transnational organized crime. Preparations for the campaign were set in motion during the Spring Meeting of the Chief Executive Board of the United Nations in Madrid. A Cooperation Agreement was signed between UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov in the presence of United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The joint campaign, to be launched later this year, aims to raise awareness among international tourists about the types of illicit goods and services to which they are often exposed during their travels and which directly or indirectly fund organized crime groups. Travellers can play a key role in reducing demand for these products through ethical consumer choices. The campaign will encourage tourists to make informed decisions and help reduce demand for trafficking in persons, cultural artefacts, wildlife, fauna and flora such as ivory products, as well as counterfeit goods, and illicit drugs.

 

 

Zambia witnessed a surge in French tourist arrivals in 2014 by 27.37 percent, First Secretary for Tourism at the Zambian Embassy in France Percy Ngwira has said. Ngwira, who is also Zambia’s Liaison Officer to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), said the increase had been attributed to the strategic marketing efforts by the Zambian Embassy in Paris working with the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB).

Zimbabwe’s tourism sector is increasingly adopting a universal approach to gain new source markets from both the East and the West. Zimbabwe registered a 1 percent increase in tourist arrivals to 867 163 compared to 860 995 in the same period last year.

Zanzibar may in the near future be the best tourist destination in the Indian Ocean region. While moving a motion for legislators to deliberate and approve a 10.4bn/- budget for the Ministry of Information, Culture, Tourism and Sports, Minister Said Ali Mbarouk informed the House that “all is going on well” to achieve the objective. In addition the Minister also intimated that strategies to make Zanzibar the leading tourism destination included improving services and the working environment for staff in the tourism commission, and advertising abroad.

Zimbabwe plans to aggressively promote its tourism to Chinese tourists by relaxing visa restrictions, and also by giving a boost to air connectivity to grab a bigger share of the world’s largest outbound tourist market, the country’s tourism chief intimated.

Zambia’s Minister of Tourism, Walter Mzembi, stated that land had been allocated for a new Victoria Falls City. The city would be modeled on Niagara Falls City and be home to hotels, theme parks, and casinos. 1,200 has been allocated to the project on the road to the airport. There are also plans to develop Kariba and Masvingo for tourism.