Editors Note World View Asia-Pacific Scene Indian Panorama Kerala Traveller Aviation Face to Face 10 Questions Woman of the Month Hospitality Columns Bookshelf Variety Quiz Back Issues asian traveller :: home :: World View W orld View World Tourism Day 2010 to Celebrate Tourism and Biodiversity This year’s World Tourism Day celebrations will be officially hosted by China and will take place under the theme “Tourism and Bio Diversity” at Guangdong Province in China on September 27. The theme provides a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role of sustainable tourism in the conservation of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a key tourism asset and fundamental to its sustained growth. Intact and healthy ecosystems form the cornerstone of thousands of tourist enterprises and products worldwide, attracting hundreds of millions of tourists each year. As a leading economic activity, sustainable tourism has an important role and responsibility in managing and conserving biological nat... read story Public-Private Partnerships Key in Recovery: UNWTO While growth is returning to international tourism, led to a large extent by Asia and the Pacific, public and private bodies in the region must continue to work together on responses to the crisis to ensure a sustained recovery. This was the main conclusion that emerged from the 22nd Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the preceding Conference on the Socio-Economic Benefits of Tourism, organized in collaboration with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism at Hanoi in Vietnam from May 10 to12 this year. “Following one of the toughest years for the tourism sector, Asia and the Pacific has emerged a star performer and is expected to show the strongest rebound given its renewed economic dynamism”, said UNWTO Secret... read story International Tourism First Results of 2010 Confirm Upward Trend International tourism is steadily gaining momentum following an extremely challenging 2009. International tourist arrivals grew by seven per cent in the first two months of 2010 worldwide, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Growth was particularly strong in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow by three per cent to four per cent in 2010.This follows the upturn already registered in the last quarter of 2009 when arrivals grew by two per cent after 14 consecutive months of negative results. Though data for March is still limited, countries with data already reported confirm that this positive trend is set to continue.Growth was positive in all world regions during the first two months ... read story ATM 2010 Echoes Renewed Strength of Travel and Tourism Industry Arabian Travel Market 2010, Middle East’s premier four-day travel and tourism event closed on May 7 on a high note. It clearly reflected the industry’s built-up momentum for growth. With significantly increased numberof participants and visitors maximising every opportunity at further developing renewed business opportunities, brought about by steadily recovering economies previously affected by unfavourable global economic conditions, the show lived up to its billing as the most important to date, according a press release.Onsite statistics recorded an overall visitor increase of three percent; Arabian Travel Market also witnessed an increase in GCC visitors. Turkey registered the largest visitor increase amongst participating countries. Most impor... read story Annual Tourism Meeting of Hong Kong and Macau Held Third annual meeting between the tourism authorities of Hong Kong and Macau SARs has been held in Macau. Commissioner for Tourism of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Philip Yung led the Hong Kong delegation Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U hosted a luncheon for th... read story ITB Asia 2010 Enhances Its Buyers Programme Messe Berlin has announced details of its enhanced hosted buyers' programme for ITB Asia 2010. New filtering techniques are being introduced. The aim is to ensure that only high quality buyers will enter the pre-scheduled appointment system to meet exhibitors. ITB Asia takes place in Singapore during October 20-22.“We want to focus on quality over quantity,” said ITB Asia Executive Director, Nino Gruettke, who leads the ITB Asia team in Singapore. “We will limit the number of hosted buyers to 700 and make sure these are the best we can get,” he said.Three additional changes are being made. First, buyers will only be allowed to register during three periods: 12 to 30 April, 3 to 21 May, and 5 to 23 July. “Only allowing three ... read story DTCM to Showcase Dubai in 46 Exhibitions, Road Shows As part of the efforts of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) continues its aggressive marketing and promotional drive in 2010 and will be highlighting the strengths and attraction of the emirate’s vibrant tourism industry in 36 overseas travel exhibitions and hosting exclusive road shows and workshops in 10 countries. Four new countries added to the promotional tours calendar while the major travel fairs WTM, ITB, MITT and IMEX will have a stronger Dubai presence from this year.Khalid A bin Sulayem, DTCM Director General, said the promotional tours have been finalized taking to account the developments in the established and emerging source markets for Dubai tourism industry. All aspects of Dubai’s tourism facilities, expa... read story MGTO Director Elected as PATA Vice Chairman, Chairman-Elect MGTO Director Elected as PATA Vice Chairman, Chairman-ElectThe Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), João Manuel Costa Antunes has been elected as Vice Chairman of PATA for the year 2010-2012. He is also Chairman-Elect for the next term.... read story Dubai Is Ready For ATM 2010 Dubai is all set for the Arabian Travel Market 2010. The 17th edition of Middle East’s premier travel and tourism show will begin on May 4 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and conclude four days later on May 7. Arabian Travel Market is the travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Tourism destinations from the Middle East and around the world showcase a diverse range of accommodation options, breathtaking tourism attracti... read story Taleb Rifai Calls Upon the Tourism Sector to Speak with One Voice Tourism sector should work together to ensure that global policies are supportive of the sustainable growth of tourism and position travel and tourism as one industry speaking with one voice, said Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General. He was speaking on the occasion of the opening of ITB 2010 in Berlin, Germany. “Though there are positive signs emerging from the global economy, we all recognize that recovery is still weak, uneven, easily reversible and that many downside risks remain”, said Rifai. “It is therefore key to devise ways for tourism to be well positioned in any new economic cycle”, he added.At the same time, Rifai highlighted the lessons learned from the UNWTO Roadmap for Recovery process: countries which were quick in... read story ITB Berlin Expands Role as Global Market Leader ITB Berlin has emphatically confirmed its status as the leading travel trade show in the world. A slight rise in exhibitor attendance and stable trade visitor numbers from both Germany and abroad ensured the trade fair was a success. The recently concluded 44th edition of ITB Berlin had 180, 000 visitors and six billion euros in orders.Though the number of foreign trade visitors was stable the numbers Asia showed growth. The latest edition also had the highest number of senior executives and leading politicians to date at ITB Berlin. Approximately 7,200 journalists from around the world landed in Berlin to cover the trade show. read story World Tourism Players Vow to Boost Cooperation !/tbody> Representatives from more than 50 countries and regions, who attended the 2010 Boao International Tourism Forum in Sanya, southern China’s Hainan Province have vowed to promote cooperation to deal with incidents with negative impacts on tourism. Given the industry’s sensitive characteristics, the world’s tourism industry should establish cooperation and development mechanisms to jointly respond to natural disasters, disease outbreaks, as well as economic crises and other sudden occurrences, according to the Hainan Tourism Declaration. Focusing on the theme “Reform on the tourism industry in the post-crisis era,” participants exchanged ideas on measures and experiences of different countries in coping with the impact of the global financial... read story International Visitors to Asia Pacific Improves - PATA As per the preliminary figures available from Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the numbers of international visitors to the Asia Pacific region grew by three per cent year-on-year in November 2009. According to the report, all the sub-regions, with exception of the Americas, recorded growth in arrivals for the month. Southeast Asia led the Asia Pacific region’s recovery with a 15 per cent increase in arrivals, boosted by 11 per cent growth to followed by Singapore (eight per cent), Thailand (26 per cent) and Vietnam (37 per cent).According to Kris Lim, Director, PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) said, tourism world over is regaining some of the lost ground as travel demand continues to pick up in the last few months of 2009. “T... read story WTTC Announces 12 Finalists for 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the 12 finalists for the 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The 12 finalists were selected by an international team of independent judges in each of the four award categories for having successfully demonstrated Sustainable Tourism practices, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage, social and economic benefits to local people and environmentally friendly operations.The 2010 Finalists are:Destination Stewardship Award: Botswana Tourism Board, Botswana; Ministry of Tourism, Montenegro and Mount Huangshan Scenic Site, ChinaConservation Award: Emirates Hotels & Resorts, UAE; Inkaterra Perú SAC, Peru, and Singita Grumeti Reserves, Tanzania Community Ben... read story Bruised Asian Travel Industry Recovering Slowly !/tbody> Asian travel demand will close five per cent down for 2009 in part due to sharp declines in travellers from South Korea. Longhaul destinations such as Europe are being hit hardest as Japanese, Chinese, Indians and Thais also choose to stay home or travel within Asia. Dr Martin BuckDirector-Competence CenterTravel & Logistics, Messe Berlin Travel demand for 2010 is likely to pick up, but spending is likely to lag at around... read story World Tourism on Track for a Rebound in 2010 !/tbody> The global tourist industry should recover strongly in 2010 after the economic crisis and the swine flu pandemic produced “one of the most difficult years" for the sector, said UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai in a press conference in World Tourism Organisation. Growth returned to international tourism in the last quarter of  2009 contributing to better than expected full-year results, according to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. According to annual World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals fell by an estimated 4.0 per cent in 2009 but should rebound to grow by 3.0 to 4.0 per cent in 2010. It said growth in the sector returned in the last quarter of 2009 contributing to better than expected full-year resu... read story New York City Most Popular U.S. Tourist Destination New York City was the most popular tourist destination in the United States in 2009 for the first time since 1990. The 45.25 million tourists exceeded projections, declining just 3.9 percent from 2008 versus the 10 percent expected. A 3.2 percent increase in tourism, with an estimated 46.7 million visitors, is expected in 2010. This was announced by Michael R Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City, Robert C. Lieber, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and George Fertitta, CEO, NYC & Company.  Employment in the leisure and hospitality sector has fully rebounded and surpassed pre-recession levels. New York City remains the most popular destination in the nation for international visitors with 8.6 million international tourists in 2009 – twi... read story Parramasala Festival Announced !/tbody> The New South Wales Government, Australia has announced a new week-long Indian Festival in Parramatta called ‘Parramasala’ - The Australian Festival of South Asian Arts in Western Sydney. Parramasala – the Australian Festival of South Asian Arts is an exciting international festival to be held annually in the centre of Parramatta City. This inaugural festival in 2010 will begin development of the concept, with the festival expanding to reach its full scale by 2012. This festival follows the NSW Government’s plan to establish a round-table meeting of Ministers, agencies and Indian leaders to address the safety concerns of international students and the Indian community. Playing on the Hindi word masala, which means mix, Parramasala will be held i... read story World Luxury Hotel Awards The 2009 World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala Dinner will take place at lebua at State Tower Hotel - Bangkok, Thailand on November 27. Accepted as the pinnacle of achievement for Luxury Hotels worldwide, WLHA was established as a celebration of ultimate achievement in hoteliering. It is about congratulating hotels that have taken the extra step to make themselves “exceptional hotels”.The World Luxury Hotel Awards accounts for all categories in the Luxury Hotel industry and the award winners set the benchmark for luxury hotels in ac... read story Season of Hope Dawns The world tourism has started showing signs of recovery if the preliminary international tourism figures until August this year is anything to go buy. All signs are that the worst is over for global tourism but an imminent recovery is not yet assured. The United Nations World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) says data shows some moderation in declining international arrivals by air for the first half of this year. It said conditions in the market were starting to indicate stronger prospects for a recovery in 2010. The organization said international arrivals declined by 4 per cent in July, a relative improvement when compared with a 10 per cent decrease in May and 7 per cent in June.These observations were made at a meeting of tourism leaders from 142 countries ... read story Increasing Confidence in 2010 Recovery for the Tourism Sector !/tbody> The conditions of the tourism market are starting to indicate stronger prospects for a recovery in 2010. These include macroeconomic upward revisions from the IMF together with preliminary international tourism figures until August this year. This suggests some moderation in the declining results of the first half of this year. In addition, the UNWTO Panel of Experts Confidence Index reflects stronger confidence in market conditions. International arrivals declined by 4 per cent in July this year, a relative improvement when compared to decreases of 10 per cent in May and 7 per cent in June. Many destinations show a similar pattern of a gradual change for the better, particularly in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The negative trend in international tourism th... read story UNWTO Bracing up for the Challenges Ahead In view of the current influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, UNWTO held a two-day review and preparation exercise on 'Travel and Tourism under Pandemic Conditions' in Madrid during the last week of August. The workshop was convened to anticipate the challenges the virus will bring over the next few months and ensure that the travel and tourism sector is fully prepared for the evolving pandemic.The event brought together representatives from 33 public administrations, the private sector and relevant International Organizations to increase preparedness for the second wave of the pandemic, expected to coincide with the beginning of the flu season in the Northern Hemisphere this coming fall. The participants discussed actions undertaken by the sector in the c... read story PATA Grand Awards 2009 r> Education and Employment Assistance Programme / Bintan Resorts, SingaporeWith the aim of elevating the standard of education of the local students, the scheme provides scholarships and bursaries to students from the seven selected villages. This is an avenue for promising youths to continue and/or pursue higher education, to attain better employments opportunities and to focus upon the importance of an individual's contribution to the travel industry. As of 2008 more than 4,600 local students from various levels of institutions have benefited directly from the scheme.EnvironmentSpice Village and the Community / Spice Village, Thekkady , IndiaSet in the Periyar forest region, in Kerala, India with ... read story India, Hong Kong, Korea Shine at PATA Awards The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the winners of the 2009 PATA Gold Awards. For 2009 there are 23 PATA Gold Awards to be presented, with multiple awards going to Hong Kong Tourism Board, Korea Tourism Organization and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. PATA Grand Awards have been awarded in Marketing, Education and Training, Environment and Heritage. This year the Grand Awards go to Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited (Marketing); Bintan Resorts (Education and Training), Spice Village Thekkady, India (Environment) and Temple Tree, Malaysia (Heritage). The winners of PATA Gold Awards 2009 in different categories are Marketing - Primary Government Destination: 2008 Korea, Sparkling Campaign, Korea ... read story Uncork World-Class Wines Along the Niagara Wine Trail In Niagara USA, there's more to experience than just the Falls. In this "all American" destination, history, romance, family attractions and gaming combine to form the ideal vacation, group and meetings destination.Wine in Niagara USA doesn't flow quite as rapidly as the Falls, but the region certainly has no shortage of spirits. From pinot noir to fruity selections to ice wines, Niagara USA's wineries-nestled between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario-are gaining distinction for their delectable offerings. Thirteen family-owned wineries comprise the Niagara Wine Trail. Traversing the trail by car, visitors can discover they varying techniques for winemaking, taste the offerings of the vintners and meet the families that run the operations th... read story Indian Tourism Sector Registers Positive Growth in July 2009 There has been an improvement in the growth rate of foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) to India in July 2009 (0.6 per cent) as compared to June 2009 (0.2 per cent) FTAs during July 2009 were 4.32 lakh as compared to FTAs of 4.29 lakh during the same month last year and 4.0 lakh in July 2007. The improvement in the growth rate of FTAs in July 2009 has been 0.6 per cent as compared to June 2009 which was 0.2 per cent.Positive growth in the monthly FTAs, though nominal, has been witnessed for the second time during the year 2009, the Tourism Ministry said. FTAs during January-July 2009 stood at 28.99 lakh as compared to 31.49 lakh in January-July 2008. Foreign exchange earnings (FEE) from tourism during July 2009 were Rs.49.83bn compared to Rs 38.7b... read story Union Tourism Ministry Asks States for Timely Implementation of Mega Tourism Projects Union Secretary of Tourism Sujit Banerjee has urged the States and Union Territories for speedy implementation and monitoring of the projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism.  He was talking at a conference of tourism secretaries from state and Union Territories. He said several mega projects have been sanctioned during the last two years. This is our flagship programme for holistic development of destinations and circuits. We therefore, need to monitor the progress of these projects on a regular basis to ensure their timely implementation, Banerjee added.The objective of the Conference was to interact with the States and Union Territories and share the experiences on innovative projects, initiatives and best practices adopted by the S... read story India Will Account for 50 Million Outbound Tourists by 2020: UNWTO According to the predictions of the UNWTO India will supply about 50 Million Outbound Tourists by 2020. About 20 per cent of these departures will account for Europe. As per the statistics India is one of the fastest-growing outbound travel markets in the world with a record growth of 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million in 2007 and international tourism expenditures have increased from USD 1.3 billion in 1997 to USD 8.2 billion in 2008. In the research conducted by the European Travel Commission and the UNWTO on the Indian Outbound market; The Indian outbound travel market with special insight into the image of europe as a destination, covers issues such as travellers' behaviour and patterns - destination choice, purpose of travel, spending, holiday activities, mark... read story The End of Growth for Emerging Countries /tr> Since March this year we have been experiencing an unbelievable rally on the stock markets which is unique and never seen before in most Asian countries. While most stock markets in Europe and in the USA gained about 40 per cent, the so called emerging markets gained between 45(Brazil) and 130(Russia) per cent. What is the reason for this difference? The answer is pretty simple: Growth. Economies in Europe and North America are still in trouble. Germany for example expects a decline of their GDP by approximately six per cent this year. Emerging countries however are already on their way back to growth figures of good old times. India for example expects an economic growth of about seven per cent in 2009. How is this possible? It is not only cheap labo... read story A New Era Has Dawned for Sri Lanka Tourism The defeat of terrorism and successful end of war in Sri Lanka has certainly lifted the spirits of all and sundry. People are beginning to breathe fresh air of tranquility after the guns went silent in the North. The country’s private sector has seen its confidence being regained and new optimism blossoming. Since the end of the war the country has seen an unprecedented wave of jubilation and patriotism.There is new hope, says an official release of the Srilanka Tourism. All Sri Lankans are eager to embrace a new dawn where Singhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and all races, religions and creeds unite as one around an undivided island.Despite the conflict, Sri Lanka has continued to remain one of the most attractive travel destinations in the world... read story Thailand Unveils Marketing Strategy to Attract Business Events The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled three strategic initiatives to boost awareness and confidence in Thailand as a dynamic business event destination. The "Meetings More Memorable and Meetings Plus" campaign will target smaller groups of 25-50 delegates from longhaul markets by offering value added golf, spa, welcome receptions and cultural shows. Secondly, a new cluster marketing drive will aggressively promote the advantages of holding events in five distinct geographical areas of Thailand: Bangkok/Pattaya, Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai, Nakon Ratchasima/Khon Kaen, Cha-am/Hua Hin, and Phuket/Krabi/Phangnga. To support the initiative, TCEB has produced a new 174-page "Venue Variety" directory with full information about b... read story TAT to Tap Wedding Tourism Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has aggressive plans to tap the Wedding Tourism segment from India. TAT India has formulated a special scheme to be launched specially for the Wedding Tourism segment. Under this scheme, if the couple gets married in Thailand, TAT... read story Sri Lanka Benefits From Using .travel The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is witnessing the benefits of using the .travel domain name with www.srilanka.travel. Since its launch in 2007, the srilanka.travel site has received over 1.6 million page views, over 600,000 w... read story Global Travel & Tourism Summit Ends on an Optimistic Note The recently concluded 9th Global Travel & Tourism Summit by the World Travel & Tourism Council held in Florianópolis, Brazil has once again reaffirmed its integral role in today's business of travel and tourism. There was a high number of delegate participation and the event endorsed the recommendations of WHO and TERN with regard to the influenza A (H1N1) epidemic. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) called for an urgent review of the WHO terminology and its classification system. "Every effort should be made to ensure we avoid unnecessary alarm," said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC's President & CEO. "One of the main problems is that we are not getting a clear and consistent message across to reassure travellers,... read story WTTC Announces Winners of Tourism for Tomorrow Awards The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards was presented at the annual Global Travel & Tourism Summit, held in Florianopolis, capital of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The 2009 winners are Grupo PUNTACANA, Dominican Republic - Destination Stewardship Award, NatureAir, Costa Rica - Conservation Award, Zakoura Foundation for Micro-Credits, Morocco for Community Benefit Award and Marriott International Inc, USA and Global won the Global Tourism Business Award. The award instituted by World Travel & Tourism Council for the past five years, recognise and promote best practice in sustainable tourism development all over the world. This year's Tourism for Tomorrow Award winners represent a more diverse group of businesses, organisations and destinations that... read story Hiran Cooray, Chairman-Elect of PATA for 2010-11 The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced Hiran Cooray, the Chairman of the JETWING brand as its Chairman Elect for 2010-11. Hiran Cooray has been bestowed this honour at the Annual General Meeting of PATA, held in April. This is the first time a Sri Lankan wil... read story World Tourism in the Face of Global Economic Crisis and Influenza Threat International tourism demand has deteriorated further due to the impact of the global economic recession. International tourist arrivals declined at a rate of 8 per cent between January and February this year, leaving the overall volume at the same level as recorded in 2007. At the same time, influenza A(H1N1) is starting to affect the sector. Its impact is being closely monitored by UNWTO in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). UNWTO follows the WHO's advice as it is the leading UN agency in matters relating to health. WHO does not recommend travel restrictions at this point. read story ATM Concludes on an Optimistic Note Arabian Travel Market 2009 the Middle East's premier travel and tourism event has ended with senior industry figures predicting the region would defy current global economic conditions to buck world-wide trends and international downturns in travel to record solid growth.Arabian Travel Market 2009 boasted more than 2,100 exhibitors and stand-sharers, from 69 countries, including 70 new-to-market representatives, as well nearly 60 national tourist bodies representing six continents, including debutants from the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania and Nigeria, as well as first-time representation from the Ecuadorian, Slovenian and San Marino private sectors. ... read story UNWTO Gets New Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Tourism Minister of Jordan, has been elected as new Secretary. General of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at the executive council meeting of the organization held in Mali. He has been elected by majority vote in the 31-member counc... read story Dubai Ready for ATM Dubai Ready for ATM The 16th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2009), the Middle East's premier travel and tourism exhibition, will be held from 5 to 8 May at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The event's signature awards scheme, the New Frontiers Awards, will be staged for the fourth time in 2009. Presented to a destination that has made a remarkable recovery and positive contribution to tourism development in the face of the overwhelming adversity, the award, which is chosen by a panel of judges consisting of regional and international industry professionals, is one of the show's highlights.The 2008 event - which marked ... read story Three Finalists Announced for New Frontiers Awards Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organizers of ATM 2009, has announced China, Mumbai and Palestine as the top three finalists for the 2009 New Frontiers Awards.Voted for by industry experts and professionals including global travel and tourism associations, the prestigious award is designed to recognise destinations that make an outstanding contribution to tourism development in the face of staggering adversity.The solidarity and unyielding spirit of the Chinese who hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics just three months after the Sichuan earthquake - which claimed nearly 70,000 lives, left 18,000 missing and destroyed the homes of 10 million people - undoubtedly warranted a place in the top three.Mumbai also made the shortlist due to its exceptional resil... read story ITB Berlin 2009 > The 2009 edition of ITB Berlin which concluded in Berlin on March 15 saw 110,000 trade visitors, of which 42 per cent were from abroad. The industry experts think that in times of crisis more market players are making increasing use of the world's leading platform for the industry. From 11 to 15 March 11,098 companies from 187 countries (compared with 11,147 companies from 186 countries in 2008) exhibited their products and services and discussed their future market strategies. Of the 110,857 trade visitors who attended, 42 per cent came from abroad, an increase of four per cent over last year. "More market players visited the leading platform of the international travel industry than ever before. In times of rapid structural changes and highly comp... read story Singapore Ranked Top in Asia r> Singapore has been ranked as the highest-ranked country in Asia, and 10th out of 133 countries measured for the attractiveness of their environments in developing the travel and tourism industry, according to the World Economic Forum’s latest Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009. “We are pleased to have improved our ranking in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 to be among the top 10 countries globally and the only Asian country in the top 10 out of 133 countries. This is an indication of Singapore’s strengths in its tourism management and infrastructure. It will in turn strengthen our efforts to ride out the current downturn and position ourselves for future growth”, sai... read story ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009   Asia's final outbound travel figures for 2008 and prospects for 2009 have been revealed in the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009 which was presented at ITB Future Day on March 11, 2009. Internet bookings will surge, demand for online virtual, meetings will gather pace, domestic travel will stay stable or grow, as will demand for low cost flights. Destinations adjacent to big travel markets will do not so bad, long haul travel will fall sharply and the most pain will be felt in the business travel and MICE sec... read story WTTC Unveils 2009 Economic Impact Report The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed the results of its 2009 Economic Impact Research at its annual ITB Berlin press conference in the presence of industry leaders from different sectors of travel and tourism - high-level government representatives, and its research partner Oxford Economics. "This year, the task of assessing travel and tourism trends and drawing up forecasts has been more challenging than ever because of all the uncertainties," said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President and CEO, WTTC. Given the significant deterioration in travel and tourism activity through the second half of 2008 and the bleak macro-economic forecast for 2009, WTTC's latest research shows that the travel and tourism economy GDP will shrink... read story WTM to Run Summer Travel Conference World Travel Market will be hosting a summer conference focusing on the global travel market in June at Portland Place, London. The half day WTM Vision event will incorporate a worldwide industry overview, debates on responsible tourism and a comprehensive review of the UK o... read story TAAI Managing Committee Visits Dubai The management committee team of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) have visited Dubai on a three-day familiarization tour aimed at further promoting Dubai as a value-for-money destination targeting the Indian outbound travellers.The visit of the 24-member delegation to the emirate has been organised by DTCM’s India representative office with support from The Atlantis - The Palm, Movenpick Hotel and Lama Group. From 198,383 Indian guests that Dubai hotel establishments hosted in 1999, the number of Indian hotel guests... read story ITB Berlin Expected to Set New Attendance Record ITB Berlin will provide impressive confirmation of its significance as the global travel industry's leading trade show. The fair which will take place from March11 to 15 this year, the fair management is expecting some 11,000 exhibiting companies and organisations from more than 180 countries in the 26 halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Despite the difficult economic situation around the world. Messe Berlin is expecting even larger numbers of international trade visitors at the ITB Berlin Convention, the world's largest meeting of this kind, which is taking place at the same time. Dr. Martin Buck, Director ITB Berlin,"Major international trade shows are a reliable indicator of the state of the industries that they represent. Against the back... read story WTTC Announces Finalists for 2009 Awards The World Travel and Tourism Council recently announced the 12 finalists for the 2009 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The Awards recognize best practices in sustainable tourism in four different categories - Destination Stewardship, Conservation, Community Benefit and Global Tourism Business. A record number of entries were received this year from over 40 countries and six continents. The 12 finalists were selected by an international team of independent judges in each of the four award categories for having successfully demonstrated sustainable tourism practices, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage, social and economic benefits to local people, and environmentally-friendly operations."The outstanding quality of this year's e... read story IT&CM China 2009 Draws Biggest Chinese Participation IT&CM (Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings) China returns to Shanghai in April for the third year with a bigger Chinese contingent. Show organisers - TTG Asia Media and MP International, have confirmed the participation of four of China’s tourism hotspots in the all-encompassing MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) tradeshow.Themed as “Promoting China to the World and the World to China”, IT&CM China 2009 will be held from 15 to 17 April 2009 at the ShanghaiMart Expo. More than 2,000 leading industry professionals from China and the rest of the world will attend the event and experience the winning elements of China as “The Next MICE Powerhouse”.This year, the Shanghai Municipal Touri... read story C urrent Issue O ther Stories World Tourism Day 2010 to Celebrate Tourism and Biodiversity Public-Private Partnerships Key in Recovery: UNWTO International Tourism First Results of 2010 Confirm Upward Trend ATM 2010 Echoes Renewed Strength of Travel and Tourism Industry Annual Tourism Meeting of Hong Kong and Macau Held ITB Asia 2010 Enhances Its Buyers Programme DTCM to Showcase Dubai in 46 Exhibitions, Road Shows MGTO Director Elected as PATA Vice Chairman, Chairman-Elect Dubai Is Ready For ATM 2010 Taleb Rifai Calls Upon the Tourism Sector to Speak with One Voice ITB Berlin Expands Role as Global Market Leader World Tourism Players Vow to Boost Cooperation International Visitors to Asia Pacific Improves - PATA WTTC Announces 12 Finalists for 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Bruised Asian Travel Industry Recovering Slowly World Tourism on Track for a Rebound in 2010 New York City Most Popular U.S. Tourist Destination Parramasala Festival Announced World Luxury Hotel Awards Season of Hope Dawns Increasing Confidence in 2010 Recovery for the Tourism Sector UNWTO Bracing up for the Challenges Ahead PATA Grand Awards 2009 India, Hong Kong, Korea Shine at PATA Awards Uncork World-Class Wines Along the Niagara Wine Trail Indian Tourism Sector Registers Positive Growth in July 2009 Union Tourism Ministry Asks States for Timely Implementation of Mega Tourism Projects India Will Account for 50 Million Outbound Tourists by 2020: UNWTO The End of Growth for Emerging Countries A New Era Has Dawned for Sri Lanka Tourism Thailand Unveils Marketing Strategy to Attract Business Events TAT to Tap Wedding Tourism Sri Lanka Benefits From Using .travel Global Travel & Tourism Summit Ends on an Optimistic Note WTTC Announces Winners of Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Hiran Cooray, Chairman-Elect of PATA for 2010-11 World Tourism in the Face of Global Economic Crisis and Influenza Threat ATM Concludes on an Optimistic Note UNWTO Gets New Secretary General Dubai Ready for ATM Three Finalists Announced for New Frontiers Awards ITB Berlin 2009 Singapore Ranked Top in Asia ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009 WTTC Unveils 2009 Economic Impact Report WTM to Run Summer Travel Conference TAAI Managing Committee Visits Dubai ITB Berlin Expected to Set New Attendance Record WTTC Announces Finalists for 2009 Awards IT&CM China 2009 Draws Biggest Chinese Participation To place your advertisements in this space please contact Marketing, Mediastepsindia home | about us | advertise with us | subscribe | contact us | team support : colorvibes The news items and Advertisements published herein have been collected from various source, which are considered to be reliable. Readers are however requested to verify the facts before making business decisions using the same. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2009