Category: Latest Travel News

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – September 21, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has this year said that World Tourism Day places focus on Innovation & Digital Transformation. They said that “The importance of digital technologies in tourism, providing opportunities for innovation and preparing the sector for the future of work, is at the centre of World Tourism Day 2018”.

World Tourism Day, celebrated every 27th September around the world, is a unique opportunity to raise awareness on tourism’s actual and potential contribution to sustainable development.

This year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) will help to put the opportunities provided to tourism, by technological advances including big data, artificial intelligence and digital platforms, on the map of sustainable development. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) sees digital advances and innovation as part of the solution to the challenge of marrying continued growth with a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector.

“Harnessing innovation and digital advances provides tourism with opportunities to improve inclusiveness, local community empowerment and efficient resource management, amongst other objectives within the wider sustainable development agenda”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Seychelles has used World Tourism Day 2018 to launch a Tourism Festival and it should help echo the importance of tourism for the islands and for each and every Seychellois.

Taking recognition of the importance of tourism, and understanding tourism is a constant challenge. This is why a moment of reflection during the World Tourism Day Celebrations to assess the successes and the challenges is also important. Today the tourism trade are using the Club Liberte Casino for their casual evening out amongst friends and colleagues and using it as their networking venue. World Tourism Day is also the opportunity for the Government to take stock of their key players. recognising the Seychellois in the industry is an important start to ensure that the public / private sector partnership continues with new vigour.

The Seychellois tourism entrepreneurs like Kathy Mason or Joe Albert, William Rose or Mary Geers, Robert Payet or Danny Loizeau, Christopher Gill or Jean Weeling or Sylvie Cardon amongst others are all partners of the country’s tourism industry and as such assets for the country. They lead the front line team n Seychelles and have the success barometer firmly in their hands. Staying connected and holding conducive dialogues with them all is a must and no longer an option.

2017 World Tourism Day

Minister Maurice Loustau-Lalanne presents a Certificate of Appreciation. In 2017, during the Seychelles Tourism Board’s annual Tourism Ball organised as part of Tourism Week and in the presence of representatives from various sectors of the Seychelles tourism industry the then Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Port and Marine, Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne said there is much to ponder upon as the country looks set to achieve a new record in terms of visitor arrivals and its corresponding expenditure. He noted that this is indeed testament of the hard work by all actors in the industry to ensure that the product and services are everything that they can be in this very competitive arena.

“I salute you because without your commitment we would not be talking about records and we at the Ministry and the Seychelles Tourism Board look forward to another year of working together and contributing towards the continued success of the industry,” said Minister Loustau-Lalanne. It was during that ceremony that Minister Loustau-Lalanne presented me with a certificate of recognition for the contribution made while leading this primary sector of the economy as Minister responsible for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine and also for my continued contribution towards the betterment of this industry.

At the same ceremony that the names of Sir James Mancham, the founding President of Seychelles and first Minister of Tourism, Louis D’Offay, the long time Chairman of the Tourism Industry Association, Maryse Eichler and Zita Monthy were also added to the tourism pioneers list alongside the 2017 additions namely Adrien Michel, John de Matta Mascarenhas, Richard Mancham and Raymonde Delorie.

1st Seychelles Tourism Festival 2018

In a recent press point, the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley has unveiled the program of activities marking the annual tourism week in Seychelles. The annual Tourism Week in Seychelles is an extension of the annual World Tourism Day celebrated on September 27 and initiated by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This year’s celebration comes earlier on the calendar; the festivities will be launched in an official ceremony at the Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa on September 15 and will last until September 22.

The organizing committee under the leadership of the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley, constituted of the Tourism related agencies including the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA), Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), Seychelles Hotel Tourism Association (SHTA), the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) alongside the private sector, all working together to revamp the event. Minister Dogley explained that objective of this year’s organising committee is to revamp the event by elevating the event’s profile. “This year’s event is very important to me; it will be my first participation in this key event. I believe that it is important while we celebrate the tourism industry and its achievement; we also raise awareness about its importance for the country,“ Said Minister Dogley.

As part of giving another dimension to the event, the department has decided to emphasis on the participation of local public and visitors alike. The thinking behind engaging the public is to raise awareness about the importance of the tourism industry to the local economy, the festival will be carried under the umbrella of the Seychelles Hotel Tourism Association (SHTA) campaign launched in 2017, “We are Tourism”.

Talking about the activities the Principal Secretary for Tourism Mrs. Anne Lafortune, explained that the tourism festival would bring to the public a plethora of activities merging education, information and pleasure to the calendar of events. Minister Dogley expressed his satisfaction to have succeeded in getting the support of various partners for the various activities. “We depend on tourism and we need to take care of it. The tourism festival is not only about the serious elements of tourism but also about having our stakeholders having fun. It is going to be an exciting experience for the local tourism industry,“ said Minister Dogley.

For this year’s edition, the committee’s effort has focused on service and standards besides raising awareness on the value and contribution of the Tourism as the main pillar of our economy.

Seychelles Tourism Festival 2018 launched by Minister Didier Dogley

Minister Didier Dogley, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine launched the 1st. Edition of the Tourism Festival 2018 at Beau Vallon accompanied by his PS for Tourism Anne Lafortune.

The week long Festival will also see a Waiters Race, a Food Fiesta on both Praslin and La Digue islands as well as the annual Tourism Ball of Saturday the 22nd September.

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 21, 2018 (travelindex) – TAT is organizing an activity to promote tourism and create a good relation of Local Lover people through personnel in the organization with the activity called “Thailand Local Big Fan“.

Tourism Authority of Thailand is in process of the path to becoming a leading state-owned enterprise. The corporate development to promote tourism and create a good relation of Local Lover people by the internal activity called “Thailand Local Big Fan” which is a part of the “TAT 360” project.

This online activity is persuading the personnel in TAT organization to share their photos of tourism in Thailand by uploading onto the website and describe how beautiful Thailand is and to create the lively photo gallery together.

TAT hopes that this activity may promote tourism awareness and a good relation between the Local Lover people through personnel in the organization which is a leading tourism promotion organization of Thailand.

In the future, TAT is planning on continuously proceeding the activities to stimulate tourism of Thailand. See more details at www.tourismthailand.org/tatcgcsr or Facebook Fanpage: TAT CG & CSR

Seoul (Republic of Korea) – September 21, 2018 (travelindex.com) – A new World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) report aims to help manage growing urban tourism flows and their impact on cities and residents. ‘Overtourism’? Understanding and managing urban tourism growth beyond perceptions’, was launched today during the 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, in Seoul, Republic of Korea (16-19 September 2018).

The report examines how to manage tourism in urban destinations to the benefit of visitors and residents alike. It proposes eleven strategies and 68 measures to help understand and manage visitor growth. The report is the result of collaboration between UNWTO, the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH), Breda University of Applied Sciencesm and the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI) of NHL Stenden University of Applied sciences.

The recent growth of urban tourism requires the sector to ensure sustainable policies and practices that minimize adverse effects of tourism on the use of natural resources, infrastructure, mobility and congestion, as well as its socio-cultural impact. Increased reports of negative attitudes among local populations towards visitors, due to perceived overcrowding, noise and other issues, have led to the spread of terms such as ‘overtourism’ and ‘tourismphobia’ in the media.

“Governance is key. Addressing the challenges facing urban tourism today is a much more complex issue than is commonly recognized. We need to set a sustainable roadmap for urban tourism and place tourism in the wider urban agenda,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “We must also ensure local communities see and benefit from the positive aspects of tourism”, he added.

To better understand visitor management challenges in urban contexts, particularly the relationship between residents and visitors, the report includes an analysis of residents’ perceptions towards tourism in eight European cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Munich, Salzburg and Tallinn.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to deal with overtourism. Instead tourism needs to be part of a city-wide strategy for sustainable development”, Dr. Ko Koens of the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH) and Breda University of Applied Sciences concludes. The report recommends a common strategic vision among all stakeholders involved, bringing residents and visitors together and adopting careful planning which respects the limits of capacity and the specificities of each destination. “The involvement and support of local residents is key in achieving sustainable tourism”, Professor Albert Postma of CELTH and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences explains. “Building shared responsibility amongst stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in tourism development is a key for ensuring long-term sustainability”, involved researcher Bernadett Papp concludes.

Contacts:
CELTH
Tel: (+31) 76 533 2325 / info@celth.nl
UNWTO Communications Department
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@unwto.org

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 21, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The 26th IT&CMA and 21st CTW Asia-Pacific kicked off today in Bangkok, Thailand and welcomed some 3,000 delegates, including over 500 hosted buyers and media, from more than 50 territories and countries over the course of the 3-day event from 18 to 20 September 2018.

This year’s budding programme includes a record 29 networking functions and hosted activities and a solid education line up of 21 knowledge sessions helmed by over 50 industry thought-leaders from government bodies, related associations, corporate organisations, and industry professions. The next 2 days of the exhibition and business components will feature some 316 destinations and corporates, the largest showings to date with a 35% increase in booth take up and expansion.

Said TTG Asia Media Managing Director, Darren Ng, “We have an extremely robust 2018 line up for all our delegates this year. Business objectives remain the main focus of IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific in providing MICE and Corporate Travel-centric opportunities for all our exhibiting suppliers and buyers to achieve their goals for the region. The advocacy of knowledge-based sharing is also a key pillar at our events in advancing the intellect and innovation within our growing industry and we are happy to see so many destinations and brands take up captive social functions to personally get to know their audience.”

Today kicked off one of the strongest education series in the show’s history, with sessions crafted closely to address current market trends, challenges, and shifts in priorities. The main keynote presented by Martin Nydegger, CEO, Switzerland Tourism; Oscar Cerezales, COO, MCI Asia-Pacific; Nichapa Yoswee, Senior Vice President – Business, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB); and Daniel Chua, Vice President – Meetings & Incentives, Singapore Associations of Conventions and Exhibition Organisers (SACEOS), set the tone towards the transformation of audience engagement as the demand to stand out and being top-of-mind becomes more competitive.

Another two stellar sessions took place this morning. The first ICCA-TTG Passionate Breakfast themed “Graceful Powers” celebrated the journey of women and diversity in the workforce, with inspiring sharings by incredible female achievers who have made their mark in the industry. The inaugural Asian MICE Cruise Conference, helmed by TTGmice, debuted with a half-day programme attended by close to 400 major cruise players and stakeholders in the region.

Insights centred on the industry’s burgeoning demand for MICE onboard cruises and the kinds of incentives and initiatives present to meet this potential. Star speakers across both sessions included: Angie Stephen, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Steve Bloss, Co-Founder and President, Worldwide Cruise Associates; Michael Goh, Director, Star Cruise Travel Service Pte Ltd and Senior Vice President – International Sales, Genting Cruise Lines; Farriek Tawfik, Southeast Asia Director, Princess Cruises; and Svend Dalgaard, Conference Cruise Designer, #CruiserByHeart – Conferences at Sea.

Royal Caribbean Managing Director, Angie Stephen, dived into the importance of such conferences for the region, “Cruising provides great value to MICE groups that they might not yet be aware of right now. The popularity of cruise is just now starting to grow in the region and it is important for all of us to come together with key stakeholders to continue to fuel that growth. This is why we see major players here today to heighten that awareness.”

Pairach Piboonrungroj, Associate Dean of College of Maritime Studies and Management, Chiang Mai University which supported the MICE Onboard 2 track, said, “Supporting the first Asian MICE Cruise Conference is an important step for us because developing Maritime and Cruise education in Thailand is a current priority. Current negotiations are underway with the government to nurture this high-value industry that has immense potential economic impact. We aim to do even more for future editions of the conference.”

Over the next 2 days, the all-new Experiential Marketing Forums and Incentive Travel Forums will explore new and innovative ways to design ‘wow’ experiences while the coveted Association Days in partnership with GainingEdge, IAPCO, ICCA, SITE, and World PCO Alliance will revolve around long-term impacts on host destinations, examining how GDPR may affect the way associations manage member data, and a hot debate between proposers and opposers of PCOs. Not forgetting 8 of the year’s most relevant CTW Asia-Pacific forum sessions revolving around the best of corporate travel challenges, solutions, and best practices. Partner event with IMEX, MPI, and MCI, the Future Leaders Forum, returns to IT&CMA 2018, nurturing selected students from universities in Thailand to craft their future and interest in MICE.

Targeted outreach and sponsorship is also at a high this year, with companies like Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, Busan, Desaru Coast, Dubai, Japan Airlines and American Airlines, Japan by JTB, Princess Cruises, and Taiwan, taking up exclusive functions to reach out to select buyers. The CTW Asia-Pacific pre-show networking event from 15 to 17 September at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park and the returning Meet-Your-Peers session concluded today, allowing corporate travel managers to mingle and build their peer-to-peer connections beyond the show. Pre- and post-show Thailand FAM tours by TCEB, as well as post-show tours by Osaka and the Philippines have drawn high demand amongst buyers.

TCEB’s Senior Vice President for Business, Nichapa Yoswee, affirmed, “TCEB is proud to showcase Thailand at IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific this year through a variety of high-impact activities, new pre- and post-tour destinations, strong exhibitor display and extraordinary pavilion expansion to showcase innovation that is sure to fulfil the needs of buyers planning for exceptional MICE events in our Land of Smiles. One highlight of this year is the launch of our new brand Thailand: Redefine Your Business Events to project Thailand as a co-creator in delivering exceptional experience for MICE travellers when our industry redefines its way of thinking and action to meet shifting business demands and the Thailand 4.0 policy, which will make Thailand stay ahead of the competition.”

TCEB hosted the Official Opening Ceremony & Welcome Reception themed “Thailand Limited” that rounded off Day 1 of activities at the GMM Live House at CentralWorld, featuring a colourful night of uniquely Thai entertainment, local cuisine, and hospitality.

About IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2018
18 to 20 September | Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand
Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) and Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific is The Asia-Pacific’s Only Doublebill Event in MICE and Corporate Travel. Both events have been co-locating since 2004, offering its delegates an unparalleled platform to do business, learn and network.

Established in 1993, IT&CMA is at the forefront of fostering MICE growth opportunities for the Asia-Pacific and beyond. Its multi-faceted programme engages regional and international industry suppliers and buyers in the realms of business, education and networking. IT&CMA also features dedicated platforms designed around the interests of valuable MICE niche segments, enabling the event to consistently deliver a delegate profile that is both relevant and dynamic. IT&CMA remains uniquely positioned as the only global event with the largest exhibition showcase of Asia-Pacific MICE suppliers. The show has been incorporating Luxury Travel since 2012, and is part of the IT&CM Events series.

Launched in 1998, CTW Asia-Pacific is dedicated to cultivating Travel and Entertainment (T&E) best practices among Asia-Pacific’s corporate travel professionals. Influencers, planners and decision makers of corporate travel functions in their organisation attend the annual conference and exhibition to keep themselves abreast of the latest trends and knowledge that enable them to get the most out of their T&E decisions.

IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific is organised by TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media.

IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2019
Date: 24 to 26 September 2019
Venue: Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand

Contact information:
TTG Events
A Business Group of TTG Asia Media
1 Science Park Road, #04-07, The Capricorn
Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117528
Tel: (65) 6395 7575
Fax:(65) 6536 0896

London (Great Britain) – September 20, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce a new media partnership agreement with National Geographic Traveller (UK), the UK edition of National Geographic Traveler (US) — one of the most widely read magazines in the world. The UK magazine is one of 18 international editions in 15 languages that together reach more than 32 countries.

PATA CEO Mario Hardy said, “National Geographic has delivered some of the most engaging and educational stories for many readers across the world. This partnership with National Geographic Traveller (UK) provides greater exposure for the Asia Pacific region and our members, and I look forward to working with them in showcasing the unique cultures and heritages of the region and telling stories that celebrate that experience and authenticity.”

As part of the agreement, PATA members and the editorial teams of both National Geographic Traveller (UK) (print and digital) and the Travel Trends series of publications will work together to create editorial content covering this region. It will be produced by APL Media, the publisher under license of National Geographic Traveller (UK). During World Travel Market, PATA members will have the opportunity to meet with the editorial team and pitch ideas for stories.

Jo Fletcher Cross, associate editor, National Geographic Traveller (UK) said, “We’re looking forward to working together with PATA to best showcase the region in a way that will excite, inform and inspire our readers.”

About PATA
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 98 government, state and city tourism bodies, 19 international airlines and airports, 91 hospitality organisations and 70 educational institutions, as well as over a hundred young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism our 36 Chapters and 20 Student Chapters across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 20 PATA student chapters globally. The chapters and student chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership in Uniting Travel, a coalition of the world’s major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with one voice and acts in unison on the major issues and includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London.

About National Geographic Traveller (UK)
National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published under license by APL Media Limited, from National Geographic Partners LLC in Washington, D.C. The 180-page travel and lifestyle magazine was launched in December 2010, and is packed full of you-are-there photography, authentic travel experiences and inspiring narratives.

About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education.

About APL Media Limited
APL Media Limited works across the travel and lifestyle sectors in a number of media, from print through to events. APL Media produces the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK), Postcards, Worldwide Destination Guide for ASTA and a series of lifestyle newspaper supplements, apps and websites.

Contact information:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Director – Communications
+66 (02) 658-2000
communications@PATA.org | Bangkok, Thailand

National Geographic Traveller & Travel Trends
Jo Fletcher-Cross
Associate Editor
+44 (0) 20 7253 9906
jo.fletcher-cross@aplmedia.co.uk

Matthew Jackson
Managing Director
+44 (0)20 7253 9009
matthew.jackson@natgeotraveller.co.uk

Langkawi (Malaysia) – September 19, 2018 (travelindex) – On the 14th of September 2018 at the biggest travel fair of the South-East-Asian Region, the PATA Travel Mart on the island of Langkawi (Malaysia), a new association of international twin cities was founded with the aim to support and foster exchange and face-to-face encounter of citizens. With this event the “Twin Cities World Tourism Association (TCWTA)” started its activities.

Thomas-Peter Binder was elected “Founding President” of the TCWTA. The Swiss citizen residing in the town of Gossau-Zürich offers long-term experience as President of the Association of Public Services of the Zürich Kanton and also of Switzerland and is also well acquainted with international twin city relations. Binder expounds the goals of the TCWTA with the words: “Partnerships of towns and cities offer many opportunities because both partners are able to profit from this relation and also are able to learn a lot from each other. This is why the TCWTA has set itself the target to promote twin city partnerships and to support existing and new ones with a multitude of programs and services.”

The well-known tourism expert Hüseyin Baraner was appointed General Secretary of the TCWTA. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Director of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, will lead the Department Chinese Region, whereas the marketing expert Enrique Lepehne will offer his vast experience in the Latin American Region. Support for PR activities of active twin cities will be offered by the journalist Christopher Kubaseck as Chief Press Officer TCWTA. Kubaseck will also be responsible for the management of global communication for TCWTA.

At the forum on the stand of TCWTA on the PATA Travel Mart on Langkawi (Malaysia) participants stressed the fact that collaboration between twin cities could be developed even further than the level reached so far. This is also the case concerning exchange and personal encounters of the citizens of both cities by way of travel and tourism.

With these thoughts in mind Thomas-Peter Binder, the newly elected Founding President of the TCWTA, underlined that he does not only plan to promote the establishment of new twin city partnerships, but also will campaign for more exchange and an increase of the number of visitors on both sides of twin city partnerships.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt on the other hand emphasised that he feels honoured to be one of the founders of TCWTA and touched on the situation in China: “In China many cities have partnership relations with cities abroad and are very interested to use these partnerships in order to develop tourism activities on both sides. China is the biggest source for travel and tourism world wide. As a member of the “Expert Committee of the World Tourism Cities Federation“ with its headquarters in Beijing (China) I will strife towards creating a good start for the Department Chinese Region of the TCWTA within the framework of its global strategy.”

Enrique Lepehne expressed his joy to be responsible for the Region Latin America on behalf of the TCWTA: “I am glad to be able to create a new channel for contacts between towns and cities in South America and their partners in Europe and Asia. In this context I think it is very important to create opportunities for citizens to meet with each other during their mutual visits and to exchange experiences. I am happy to offer my marketing experience also for tourism marketing projects entered into jointly by twin cities.”

Günter Ihlau, the former long-term TUI manager and today Vice President UNWTO Affiliate Members, has taken up the responsibility as TCWTA Director International Relations. He stresses that existing partnership relations between twin cities should be filled with life: “The main goal to support tourism between the cities has to be professionalised by introducing and maintaining tourism standards. This can be achieved by exchanging expertise, know-how and later on by the implementation of adequate steps.”

Hüseyin Baraner, the general secretary of TCWTA, puts the focus of his activities on the establishment and upgrading of tourism infrastructure aimed at enabling citizens and NGOs of twin cities to meet: “I think it is very important that travelling activities between twin cities are organised by local travel and incoming agencies in order to create business for local economies. There are many opportunities to offer group tours for senior community members, youths, disabled persons, and also for occupational groups and associations to further the exchange of ideas, experiences and concepts. As TCWTA we will be present at the PATA next year, but also at annual meetings of other tourism associations. On the 18th of January 2019 we expect to meet with a number of mayors of important cities at the “Volkshaus Zürich” in order to converse about our mutual topics.”

To this Thomas-Peter Binder added: “Even now we witness a big interest in our planned meeting in Zürich, with numerous towns and cities from Europa and overseas telling us they plan to join. We will meet with all of them on the 18th of January 2019 in Zürich in order to talk about steps we will take in the future to increase the number of travel movements between twin cities.”

The Forum for the foundation of the TCWTA on the island of Langkawi was sponsored by the Turkish-Netherlands Airlines Corendon and the Turkish City of Mersin. Burhanettin Kocamaz, the Lord Mayor of Mersin, was elected Honorary President of the TCWTA as one of the Initiators of the idea to found this association. In his statement for the foundation of the TCWTA he emphasised: “In our time no city in any part of the world is able to survive economically without tourism. This is why I am glad to be able to make a contribution to further tourism relations between twin cities.”

For further information:
Christopher Kubaseck
Chief Press Officer TCWTA
Mainzer Str. 13
55270 Jugenheim/Rhh.
GSM: +49/163/985 06 94
Email: ckubaseck@ttmail.com

Langkawi (Malaysia) – September 18, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 18, held in Langkawi, Malaysia on September 14, saw the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) receive reward for its exemplary work in tourism industry marketing for the Pacific Asia region.

Winning its second PATA Gold award, the MTCO was recognised for Mekong Moments, a consumer social marketing and travel inspiration platform. The web platform – powered by ENWOKE, a social commerce management solution operated by Chameleon Strategies (Thailand) – collaboratively promotes the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as a single tourism destination in addition to driving direct business to individual business outlets through social commerce.

“Mekong Moments is a testament that true collaborative marketing is possible, and powerful to inspire people via shared experience to visit destinations,” said Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the MTCO.

Working with the public-private partnership framework Destination Mekong, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) has driven the esteemed initiative since Mekong Moments became public in 2017. Its booming user participation and successful supporting campaigns has resulted in the MTCO receiving its award for industry marketing excellence, a great honour for all people and organisations involved said Thraenhart.

“We thank our member countries and the private sector for embracing this new and innovative concept and approach,” he added. “Mekong Moments is an effective catalyst to drive visitor dispersion and as such drive sustainable tourism development by improving destination management and avoiding over-tourism.”

The MTCO was on the winning shortlist gleaned from over 200 entries from 87 separate organisations and individuals worldwide. All winners were carefully selected by an independent judging committee consisting of 14 senior executives from the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.

The Mekong Moments platform exemplifies the true values of our Association in working towards a more responsible travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region, said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said, “This year’s PATA Gold Awards winners present us with yet another wide array of remarkable accomplishments in the different branches of the tourism industry.”

For the MTCO, the award is yet another accolade earned for the work done on the Mekong Moments platform. The coordinating office also won the prestigious “Golden Citygate Award” for its Mekong Moments’ campaign video at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin in 2017.

Additionally, Mekong Moments has been showcased by both the UNWTO and the European Travel Commission as an exemplary solution for destinations to engage and build capacity for local businesses as well as inspire travellers around the world. Just this week, PATA and Tourism Economics – an Oxford economics company, with the support of Google – published a new research report titled ‘Data & Digital Platforms: Driving Tourism Growth in Asia Pacific’, featuring Mekong Moments as a best-practice case study, among companies such as Airbnb, Grab, and Klook

About Mekong Moments
Mekong Moments is a globally unique and pioneering visual consumer marketing campaign and travel inspiration platform that collaboratively promotes the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as a single tourism destination in addition to driving direct business to individual businesses through social commerce. Regardless of type and size, businesses have encouraged their guests, staff, and stakeholders to share their experiences via their own social media accounts by tagging #MekongMoments as well as the respective hashtag of the experience (hotel, restaurant, destination, attraction, event, tour, shop, etc.). All properly tagged user-generated content is aggregated, which in effect, directs traffic to the corresponding websites of the experiences and/or businesses.

Mekong Moments has been carefully planned over two years to meet the requirements of a public-private partnership agreement between six tourism ministries and six companies including IHG, Small Luxury Hotels, Khiri Travel, and Odyssey Tours China with a purpose to create a sustainable and efficient tourism program for the GMS. The initiative is aligned with the Experience Mekong Tourism Marketing Strategy 2015-2020 and the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy 2016-2025. UNWTO Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies used their web-development technology ENWOKE to build Mekong Moments platform and used significant input from the travel and tourism industry to refine its function and overall purpose.

About the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), located in Bangkok, was set up with funding from the governments of the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries – Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The MTCO, which operates on annual financial contributions from each GMS country, acts as the secretariat for the GMS Tourism Working Group, comprising of senior officials of the six GMS countries’ National Tourism Organizations, to coordinate and facilitate sustainable tourism development of the GMS in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and promotion of the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination, in collaboration with the public and private sectors. The MTCO manages its award-winning digital platform as a one-stop platform to promote responsible and sustainable tourism in the region, as well as the annual Mekong Tourism Forum, whose hosting is rotated among GMS countries.

About Destination Mekong
Destination Mekong was created in 2017 to promote the Mekong region, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam as a single tourism destination to stimulate responsible and sustainable development and investment, and drive inclusive growth. Endorsed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and aligned with the mandate of the regional collaborative tourism framework of the six-member governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion, Destination Mekong executes targeted projects and initiatives via public-private partnership investment structures, including Mekong Moments and Mekong Trends, led by UNWTO Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies.

Langkawi (Malaysia) – September 16, 2018 (travelindex) – Travelindex in collaboration with Snap Productions launched their website www.VisitLangkawi.net at the PATA Travel Mart 2018 here in Langkawi today. A website devoted to providing travellers accurate information and inspiring stories about the Magical Island of Langkawi.

The website is aimed to provide a comprehensive and current travel information current to the public and it will serve as a platform where visitors can find as much content as they can on just one website. Developed and designed in house, its features include: mobile – first responsive design to optimise user experience, increased video presence , high impact visuals and real time response to trending topics and to aid visitors with their trip planning.

The new VisitLangkawi.net website is leveraging the Travelindex platform one of the world’s largest content marketing ecosystem that owns 80 over travel related websites, integrating hotels, restaurants and tour options all under one roof with direct contact details complete with photos and videos. Combined with an extensive social media platform, the network reaches over 11 million travellers and decision makers in the tourism industry monthly.

“Travelindex has a global travel network and we believe that this website will enhance not only travellers wanting to visit the island but will definitely boost the Langkawi travel industry players as well. We deliver the webs most concentrated audience and to inspires travellers and buyers at every stage of the purchase cycle.” said Bernard Metzger, founder of Travelindex.

The website provides business profile pages and is broken down respectively into key search criteria for visitors to access easily, current news and communications will be distributed to relevant websites and social media handles such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Sasha Aru of Snap Productions stated “VisitLangkawi.net aims to become the most innovative, trusted travel guide and reference source on Langkawi which is currently lacking for the island unfortunately. Especially now that we are living in an age where there is a constant need to provide data, the website will serve as a platform for travellers and business owners alike. The strategy is to build something that will benefit the local industry players as well.”

In Malaysia, Travelindex has joint forces with Snap Productions who runs social media campaigns for tourism boards and travel associated business, as it has extensive knowledge of the local market and is closer to the needs of tourism professionals helping them reach their target audience.

“With this strong synergy between the two companies, we hope to bring a fresh, creative and an interactive website for the Magical island of Langkawi” Bernard added.

The launch during the PATA Travel Mart 2018 in Langkawi was presided by Ybhg. Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin, CEO of LADA and Mr. Anthony Wong, Group Managing Director of Frangipani Hotels and Resorts.

The website is currently running and is in the initial development stages but already has some resourceful content to start planning for that holiday in Langkawi, Malaysia.

For further information please contact:
Sasha Aru
Email : sasha@snapproductions.com.my
Mobile : +60123165010

Bernard Metzger
Email : contact@travelindex.com
Mobile : +66800518151

Langkawi (Malaysia) – September 16, 2018 (travelendex.com) – The PATA Youth Symposium, hosted by the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) and the Alumni Association of UiTM Students’ Representative Council (PIMPIN) in collaboration with the PATA Malaysia Chapter, Tourism Malaysia and Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark, took place on September 12, 2018 on the first day of PATA Travel Mart 2018 with the theme ‘Inspiring Tourism Leaders of Tomorrow’.

Organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Human Capital Development Committee, the highly successful event welcomed 210 local and international students from 17 universities with participants coming from Bangladesh, Canada, Nepal, Philippines and Singapore.

In his opening remarks, Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin, CEO, Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), said, “Thank you for all the support from PIMPIN, the PATA Malaysia Chapter, Tourism Malaysia and Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark to be able to welcome 210 students from 17 universities from Malaysia and worldwide. On behalf of LADA, I humbly welcome everyone to the PATA Youth Symposium on the first day of PTM, which is one the of most important and long-lasting travel trade events. Thank you also to PATA for the opportunity to Langkawi to host of this significant event.”

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “One of the biggest achievements of PATA is the activities we have organised for students in the region. Through these activities, they can learn from us and we can learn from them about the future of our industry. I take inspiration from them and see great hope for the future potential to make the world the better place. The youth of today are great source of inspiration for us all.”

During the opening ceremony the Honourable YB Tuan Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, also thanked the hosts and added, “Student should be well prepared to lead the tourism industry. A great way for overseas students to gain further experience in the industry is to try a Malaysian homestay programme and immerse themselves in the Malaysian culture. I wish everybody great success for today’s event.”

The programme was developed with guidance from Dr. Markus Schuckert, Chairman of the PATA Human Capital Development Committee and Assistant Professor at the School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

In his address to the students and delegates, Dr. Schuckert said, “The PATA Youth Symposium aims to provide students participants that opportunity to be inspired and to create networks within the industry.”

The keynote address on ‘Inspiring Stories: Bringing Concepts to Reality’ was delivered by Ms. Kartini Ariffin, Co-Founder of Dbilique, Malaysia, who told the participants, “Set goals that are meaningful and purposeful. Practice this. Dream hard, wish big, and chase your dream. It can’t be done by anyone else. Nobody will do it for you.”

Professor Martin Barth, President and CEO of the World Tourism Forum Lucerne, provided a second keynote address on “Inspiring Connections: Linking Interests for success in the tourism industry” where he stated, “What you learn today might not be important tomorrow to sustain and be relevant in the industry. Try to do internship, to connect, to sell yourself, to build up network, to write interesting academic papers relevant to the industry and learn as many languages as possible.”

The third keynoted address was delivered by Dr Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean, Faculty of Hospitality, Food and Leisure Management, Taylor’s University and President, ASEAN Tourism Research Association (ATRA).

“We are in the fourth industrial revolution focusing on automation, AI, and machine learning. Many jobs will be replaced by machines. As the next generation of tourism professionals, you need to be prepared to learn skills that cannot replaced by robots, being employable rather than just being employed,” added Dr. Ragavan.

During the ‘Inspiring Leadership: Groom and Grow into an Industry Leadership Role?’ panel discussion, the participants heard from Rika Jean-François, Commissioner, ITB Corporate Social Responsibility, Competence Centre, Travel & Logistics, ITB Berlin, and Dmitri Cooray, Manager Operations, Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka. The speakers noted that the travel and tourism industry is in the business of people, networking and peer to peer work. They also noted that a good leader needed to have confidence, learn from their mistakes, gather tasks and responsibilities with both hands, and be able to adjust to the rapid growth of the industry. Most importantly, they told the student delegates that in order to change the perception of the industry towards young graduates, they need to be persistent but respectful.

During the event, Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor of Travel Impact Newswire, Thailand spoke about the ‘First Global Essay competition on How Travel and Tourism can Contribute
to the UN SDGs’.

The symposium also featured an interactive roundtable discussion on ‘What inspires you to contribute toward a successful tourism industry?’.

In addition, PATA Young Tourism Professional Ambassador, Ms. JC Wong, provided participants information on ‘The PATA D.N.A. – Empowering you for your future’.

Ms Wong emphasized that 64.5million new jobs could be created by year 2028 in the Asia Pacific region. The leaders of tomorrow should get themselves exposed, connected and involved with industry leaders in their early age to empower them for their future career development. More importantly, striking their dream career. She shared a list of PATA Youth Activation initiatives for student delegates to kickstart their journey, including internships, sponsorships and workshops.

In recent years the PATA Human Capital Development Committee has organised successful educational events at various institutions including UCSI University Sarawak Campus (April 2010), Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) (September 2010), Beijing International Studies University (April 2011), Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur (April 2012), Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila (September 2012), Thammasat University, Bangkok (April 2013), Chengdu Polytechnic, Huayuan Campus, China (September 2013), Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Campus, China (May 2014), Royal University of Phnom Penh (September 2014), Sichuan Tourism School, Chengdu (April 2015), Christ University, Bangalore (September 2015), University of Guam, USA (May 2016), President University, BSD-Serpong (September 2016), Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (May 2017), Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) (September 2017), and Gangneung-Wonju National University, Korea (ROK) (May 2018).

For further information, please email HCD@PATA.org.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 98 government, state and city tourism bodies, 19 international airlines and airports, 91 hospitality organisations and 70 educational institutions, as well as over a hundred young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism our 36 Chapters and 20 Student Chapters across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 20 PATA student chapters globally. The chapters and student chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership in Uniting Travel, a coalition of the world’s major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with one voice and acts in unison on the major issues and includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London. Visit www.PATA.org.

Contact information:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Director – Communications
+66 (02) 658-2000
communications@PATA.org

Langkawi (Malaysia) – September 146, 2018 (travelindex.com) – For the 3rd time, World Tourism Forum Lucerne organized the WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp, this year integrated in PATA Travel Mart 2018, with the aim of finding revolutionary and innovative ideas in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. After two evaluation rounds, the 15 most innovative Start-Ups have been chosen as finalists and invited to present their business models at WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp on 12 September in Langkawi. Finally, the international jury rewarded the winner in each of the five application categories: Destination, Hospitality, Mobility, Impact and Transaction.

The five category winners of WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp 2018 defeated more than 200 competitors from 54 different countries with their game-changing ideas for the better travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The winners coming from Namibia, Singapore, France and Philippines convinced the jury with the five-minute elevator pitch during the WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp in Langkawi.

Here are the winners of the WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp 2018:

Category Destination – rainmaker (Namibia)
VISTA Destination Network Open Platform and Ecosystem democratizes technology and creates competitive advantages for Hospitality and Tourism Businesses, leaving more tourism spend in the Destination.
rainmaker.travel

Category Hospitality – Igloohome (Singapore)
Igloohome designs smart access solutions for smart management of properties and infrastructure. We are an official partner of major homesharing platforms such as Airbnb and have sold our products to over 80 countries.
igloohome.co

Category Mobility – Wingly (France)
Wingly is the leading flight sharing platform, connecting private pilots with passengers to share their flights, passion and costs.
wingly.io

Category Impact – Good For Food (Singapore)
Good For Food’s Smart Dustbin empowers hotels with data analytics to reduce their food waste, cost and environmental footprint.
goodforfood.sg

Category Transaction – TripClub (Philippines)
TripClub is a technology-powered concierge currently focused on the high growth blockchain and tech markets.
trip.club

Each winner received a cash check of 15’000 USD and also gets a 2-year coaching programme with an experienced industry executive, a free ticket to World Tourism Forum Lucerne 2019 next May in Switzerland, as well as countless networking opportunities within the WTFL Start-Up community and valuable advice from renowned business leaders and investors.

“The competition was tough – not just because of the quantity of applications and wide spectrum of nationalities, but because of the quality and strength of innovative thinking among the young entrepreneurs from the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. We shouldn’t forget that innovation is a major force for sustainable growth, development and healthy competitiveness in our industry,” says the WTFL Chairman of the Jury Roland Zeller, a leading entrepreneur and business angel.

WTFL President & CEO Martin Barth is convinced that “new and disruptive business models are essential for the development of our industry. The yearly WTFL Start-up Innovation Camps are platforms that play a vital role in finding these models and giving them a chance to present their ideas in front of the international investors, industry executives and media in order to increase their exposure and build their networks in the industry.” Innovation, exchange of ideas between different generations, diversity and the concern for the sustainable development in our industry are the core pillars of World Tourism Forum Lucerne’s identity. “In the next half year we will make even a step further – we will launch an online deal-flow tool in order for start-ups and investors to find each other, which will complete our activities around innovation and entrepreneurship,” concludes Martin Barth.

The successful Camp was able to count on the expertise and support of the Start-Up Innovation Partners, namely The Alpina Resort & Spa, TAK, DSH Caribbean Star, The Travel Corporation, Munich Airport, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the host Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). “It was inspiring for our delegates and myself to hear from the 15 finalists at the WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp 2018 during PATA Travel Mart 2018 in Langkawi, Malaysia. Their entrepreneurial spirit and transformative mindsets need to be fully embraced by the industry as we work towards the development of a responsible travel and tourism industry. I would like to congratulate all the winners and look forward to seeing their businesses further develop in the future,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 98 government, state and city tourism bodies, 19 international airlines and airports, 91 hospitality organisations and 70 educational institutions, as well as over a hundred young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism our 36 Chapters and 20 Student Chapters across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 20 PATA student chapters globally. The chapters and student chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership in Uniting Travel, a coalition of the world’s major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with one voice and acts in unison on the major issues and includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London.

About World Tourism Forum Lucerne
World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL) is a unique platform for CEOs, Ministers, Academia, Investors, Start-Ups and representatives of tomorrow’s generation to actively exchange, share, and address the future challenges of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry and to shape a more sustainable future.

Contact information:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Director – Communications
+66 (02) 658-2000 | communications@PATA.org | Bangkok, Thailand

World Tourism Forum Lucerne
Martin Barth
President & CEO
+41 41 228 41 71 | martin.barth@wtflucerne.org | www.wtflucerne.org