All Entries Tagged With: "education"
Oracle OpenWorld 2010. It all starts here.
Oracle OpenWorld is the world’s largest and most important conference for Oracle technologists, business users, and partners. This annual gathering is the best place to meet live and in person with experts, enthusiasts, business leaders, and innovators from every industry around the globe to network, learn, and celebrate your role in the technology that runs your business.
With more than 1,800 sessions, 400 partner exhibits, almost 400 Oracle demos, keynotes from the world’s technology leaders, hands-on labs, several special networking events, and more, Oracle OpenWorld San Francisco is best to find relevant, useful information about how to use technology to drive your business forward.
Oracle is transforming the industry with a complete technology stack, from applications to disk, engineered to work together. And Oracle OpenWorld is your chance not only to hear Oracle’s strategy and roadmap from the experts who are engineering the products but to gain firsthand experience with the hardware and software built to optimize your business from end to end.
Five days of education. Insights and connections that will transform your career—and your business.
World Travel Market announces Technology and Online Travel seminar line up
British Airways, lastminute.com, Google, Yahoo! and Wayn all to speak at WTM 2010
World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, has expanded its Technology and Online Travel event programme with a number of leading organisations taking part including British Airways, lastminute.com, TUI Travel, Google, Yahoo! and WAYN.
The comprehensive seven-session programme, organised by travel technology consultancy Genesys, takes place over Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 November covering all aspects of technology and online travel including social media, mobile technology and search engine marketing.
British Airways Manager BA.com & Mobile Innovations Chris Carmichael and lastminute.com Head of Innovation Marko Balabanovic will answer the question Does Mobile Matter? on Tuesday 9 November.
They are joined on the panel by user centred design consultancy cxpartners Manager Director Giles Colborne and marketing consultancy Crosscap Chief Marketing Officer Kerry Harris.
Where Are You Now (WAYN) Director Jerome Touze will talk about the social media revolution and how travel companies can capitalise on facebook, twitter, Youtube, blogs and other digital platforms.
On Wednesday 9 November Tui Travel Director Web Strategy & Business Development Sandra Leonhard gives her expert advice on website content in the session Customers Need Content she will be joined by Frommer’s Unlimited, EMEA Director, Giles Longhurst.
Furthermore, Google, Yahoo! and Bing (Microsoft) travel industry bosses Nate Bucholz, Tracey Cheffey and Caroline Mastoras will answer questions on search engine marketing and how best to utilise the search engines.
World Travel Market Exhibition Director Simon Press said: “The Technology and Online Travel region of World Travel Market is the fastest growing in the exhibition so its event programme has increased in 2010 to reflect this.
“The thought-provoking and practical Technology and Online Travel programme is a great service to our expanding exhibitor and visitor bases.”
ZURICH, NEW YORK, TOKYO: “EF Global Intern 2010″ winner Anna Bulycheva starts her truly global internship
Zurich, 26 July /PRNewswire/ — Anna Bulycheva from Russia, will start the first part of her international adventure this week in Zurich, Switzerland. Her EF internship will then take her across the globe to New York, USA followed by Tokyo, Japan.
Out of 17,000 contestants Anna managed to impress the jury of the “EF Global Intern 2010” contest with her resume and personal video. After much consideration she was selected as the individual who best encapsulates the ideals of today’s youth: open mindedness, curiosity about the world and an adventurous spirit.
Anna, who is a student of journalism in Russia, says in her video; “I want to learn something new every day, every minute”. Her positive attitude and ambition to develop into a global citizen will be an ideal stepping stone for Anna’s global internship in different marketing areas at EF Education First, of which she will be reporting via the EF Global Intern website at www.ef.com/globalintern.
When Anna learned that she had been selected as the winner, she was absolutely thrilled saying “My emotions are very hard to describe in words”. And as the winner of this year’s contest, she will become a member of the jury of the upcoming “EF Global Intern 2011” contest, which will start with local selections in 60 countries in October 2010.
As Anna states; “I like the feeling of being part of the world” and now thanks to EF she’s about to explore it.
IMEX pushes thought leadership by making latest show seminars and webcasts available online
For meetings industry professionals keen to extend their learning or who missed out on key seminars and workshops during this year’s IMEX, the show’s organisers have made 53 presentations available for free download on the IMEX website (www.imex-frankfurt.com/seminarpresentations10.html), including all the German language seminars, which were organised by IMEX founding partners, the German Convention Bureau (GCB).
For the first time a selection of six IMEX presentations were also recorded by webcast service company, Multiwebcasts. The company specialises in transforming regular webcasts into content-rich online educational activities. Available webcasts include: “A clear pond has no fish – Is transparency the enemy of profit” – by Roslyn McLeod, Managing Director, arinex pty ltd and Philippe Fournier Vice President of IAPCO and Managing Director of MCI, Paris; “The impact and implications of the Iceland volcano eruption”, by Martin Sirk CEO of ICCA; and “Emerging Destinations – How to establish and build a CVB.” This DMAI presentation was extremely popular and attracted a standing room only audience of over 100 people during the show.
A Women’s Forum session entitled “Develop your personal branding” and presented by Mary Power, Executive Director of the Human Resource Certification Institute is also available as a webcast. In addition, Rohit Talwar, CEO of Fast Future Research, can be seen presenting the first phase findings of groundbreaking new research study, Convention 2020 – The Future of Meetings, Venues and Destinations. For those interested in extending their cross cultural education, a presentation by Michael Gates, Managing Director of Richard Lewis Communications, IMEX’s Cross Cultural Partner, can also be viewed as a webcast – “Getting competitive advantage from culture in the meetings market”.
Each of the webcasts is quick and simple to view and does not require any special technology other than Adobe Flash Player.
For the second year running IMEX hosted buyers and visitors could save any of the more than 200 seminars and exhbitor events into their online show diaries, enabling them to plan their time better and make the most of the show’s extensive educational programme. All IMEX education sessions are provided free of charge and with no need to book.
Drop-in 30 minute ‘Power’ sessions on the IMEX Corporate Responsibility Centre also proved a major success at this year’s show. Managed by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), the Centre aims to give both exhibitors and visitors the chance to increase their awareness and knowledge of environmental and social responsibility.
Speaking about a growing demand for green meetings information and education, Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group said, “Although IMEX has been promoting environmental education and awareness through a number of initiatives, such as our Green Awards, for several years; this year there was an increased desire to both find out more and actually do more in terms of green meetings and specific environmental targets. Our Power sessions were the perfect solution – half-hour bites of information from experts who understand how daunting it can be to even make a start in this area.”
A total of 10 CSR Power Session presentations are available for download or reference on the IMEX website.
As a result of its own environmental and waste reduction objectives, IMEX 2010 reduced waste output by 30 tonnes compared to 2009. Paper waste was reduced by 8 tonnes and cardboard waste by 7.5 tonnes. Both measures were helped by the new IMEX Green Ribbon Scheme which incentivised exhibitors to minimise paper usage during the show as well as encouraging them to ship unused print materials back home afterwards.
JOIN MPI IN VANCOUVER!
With the excitement of Vancouver hosting Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress (MPI WEC) July 24 – 27, 2010 everyone is getting in on the action! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHyAnVxHs4A
Held this year in the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West Building, MPI WEC is the largest annual gathering of meeting and event professionals that offers attendees extensive learning opportunities to build their professional skills and enhance their career within the industry. With an expected attendance of more than 3,500 meeting professionals – over 40 percent of which are projected to be meeting planners – WEC is an extraordinary opportunity to tap into the energy of the meeting and event industry’s fast-paced decision-makers.
Learn more about how you can join in on the excitement by visiting MPI’s website at www.mpiweb.org/Events/WEC2010/SaveTheDate.aspx.
ESNEP Registration Now Open
Porto, Portugal for ESNEP 2010!
A charity fundraising Fashion Show at Alpine College dazzles the crowd!
Tuesday 19 January 2010—On Saturday 16 January, students enrolled on the Events & Conventions Management course at Alpine College demonstrated their management, leadership and transferable skills by organising an outstanding charity fundraising Fashion Show at Alpine’s campus in Glyfada. Led by a student enrolled on the Master’s programme in International Hospitality & Tourism Leadership, the event demonstrated true leadership and commitment to excellence, coupled with a community spirit, as the proceeds of the evening were given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organisation that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Fitur 2010 will be the location for an International Seminar which will debate the UNWTO’s Roadmap for Recovery
Following last year’s successful Seminar on responding to the new challenges in the global economy, on 21 January 2010, the UNWTO Affiliate Members Secretariat will bring together a diverse representation of the global tourism sector to examine and debate solutions for two of the principal recommendations in the Roadmap for Recovery.
UK’S LEADING PROVIDER OF EDUCATIONAL LANGUAGE & ACTIVITY PRODUCTS COME TO SPAIN
Education Travel Group, the UK’s leading provider of educational language and activity products come to Spain where the portfolio of Kingswood Educational Activity Centres, Camp Beaumont Summer Camps, Grosvenor Hall and UK Connection will be presented. Education Travel Group will be exhibiting with Visit Britain at Fitur between January 20th to 24th 2010 in Madrid.
Meeting Planner: As one of the 50 best careers of 2010, this should have strong growth over the next decade
By U.S. News Staff
Minube organises a “Travellers Meetup” at Fitur 2010, 23 January, travel social network is holding a Meetup at the trade fair
The MINUBE travellers’ social network will be hosting a “Meetup” at FITUR on 23 January for lovers of travelling. Between 12.00 and 14.00 hours, in hall 10 of the Feria de Madrid, travellers will have the opportunity to Exchange experiences with other lovers of travel. There will also be a talk in which travellers can hear the different impressions and opinions of other travellers: from the more adventurous; followers of solidarity tourism or backpackers, to lovers of gastronomical or cultural routes. Furthermore, participants will be encouraged to enter a contest to win 10 enological trips in Castile-La Mancha, the region sponsoring the event. Visitors will be treated to a glass of Manchego wine and a typical regional tapa at the end of the meeting.
MINUBE experts will also be offering the public personalised advice before entering the trade fair, between 23 and 24 January. Two information points will be located at the North and South entrances of IFEMA for visitors to freely consult which FITUR destinations, or type of travel products they are seeking and once the relevant stands have been located, visitors can plan the most appropriate route of the trade fair and optimise their time spent there.
Start the year with Prospects for 2010!
The Christmas holidays are just a few days away now and it will be January before you know it! Start the year off with ‘Prospects’ the Tourism Society’s first event of the year, which looks at what the future will hold in the tourism industry for year ahead and beyond. Anyone interested in the future of the global tourism industry should attend this event.
It brings together a panel of industry experts to predict the trends for the tourism industry from the viewpoints of inbound, outbound and domestic tourism with special consideration for the cruise and aviation sectors.
Programme:
6.00-6.30pm Arrival & Registration
6.30-6.40pm Chairman’s welcome Geoffrey Lipman FTS Assistant Secretary General, UNWTO
6.40-8.00pm Presentations from the panel
Jo Rzymowska, Associate Vice President & General Manager UK & Ireland,
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
David Edwards FTS, Head of Research and Forecasting, VisitBritain
Stephanie Draper, Director Change Strategies, Forum for the Future
Roger Wiltshire, Secretary General, British Air Transport Association
Colin Heal, Chairman, World Choice UK Limited
8.00-8.30pm Open Forum
8.30-9.30pm Networking with refreshments
Tickets Venue
Members price £35 For the address, map and directions please click here
Non-members £55
Bruised Asian Travel Industry Recovering Slowly
ITB World Travel Trends Report says Asian travel demand will perk up in 2010, but spending is likely to lag
Berlin, 21 December 2009. – Asian travel demand will close 5% 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.
Travel demand for 2010 is likely to pick up, but spending is likely to lag at around 2005-2006 levels. Prospects for 2010 will be greatly determined by any return of consumer confidence in Japan and China.
These are just some of the key trends highlighted in the latest ITB World Travel Trends Report, commissioned by Messe Berlin, the organisers of ITB Berlin, and compiled by IPK International. The full report is now available free online at www.itb-berlin.com/media centre/publications.
The ITB World Travel Trends Report findings show that Asian travel demand averaged a more than a 10% decline January-June. However, some market recovery has been recorded since July 2009, indicating that the Asian travel industry is over the worst. IPK forecasts of a total-year decline of 5%.
While intra-Asian trip volume fell by only 5% from January through August 2009, travel to Europe (14% of total trips) was down 10%. Asian travel to the Americas (9% of all Asian trips) slumped by a more hurtful 15%.
The report notes that Chinese travellers may be more recession-proof than the Japanese, but they don’t spend as much. In Europe, for example, the total spend by Chinese tourists on transport, accommodation, food and beverages and incidentals (i.e. excluding shopping) was €240 per night, as against €320 for Japanese, €185 for Koreans and €180 for Taiwanese.
In 2009, destinations dependent on Chinese travellers were also disappointed for different reasons. The Chinese government issued an edict earlier in the year stating that no Chinese government employee could travel abroad in 2009.
The biggest decline so far in 2009, in terms of outbound travel, has come from South Korea, down more than 10% over the same period in 2008 – a decline due in large part to exchange rates. In the six months from September 2008, the won went through a period of great volatility, involving massive depreciations. The report notes that South Korea was already weak as an outbound travel market in 2008 following several years of consistently strong growth.
Even within Asia, the once high-flying low cost airline sector suffered in 2009. Despite rock-bottom airfares, the sector has experienced capacity cuts, which resulted in lower seat availability and, inevitably, rising airfares.
According to Dr Martin Buck, Vice President CompetenceCenter Travel & Logistics, at Messe Berlin, the big question now is, how sustainable are the first signs of recovery in Asia? “Analysts are divided,” he said. “Some see a 2nd dip into recession. Others think government stimulus packages have got us through the worst of it. The price of oil and the threat of H1N1 are unknown factors.”
He added: “The report predicts a modest increase in outbound trip volume for Asia, but expenditure and yield levels will still be at pre-2008 levels. Within Asia we can still expect to see shorter, cheaper trips, closer to home and at off-peak times.”
The report also predicts that, globally, business travel will stay flat, with many companies saying they had introduced stricter travel policies. One consequence is likely to be a rise in the price of economy tickets as airlines losing money at the front end of the plane raise economy class tickets to compensate.
The findings in the ITB World Travel Trends Report were based on the assessments of 60 tourism experts from 30 countries, on a special IPK International trend analysis undertaken in leading source markets, and on core data supplied by the World Travel Monitor®, recognised as the largest ongoing survey of global travel trends in some 60 source countries.
The report concludes: “There are currently too many uncertainties to be able to predict with any real confidence the likely trends in terms of travel and tourism demand from the world’s leading source regions. For the time being, pending developments over the next few months, the best ‘guesstimates’ suggest that neither Europe nor North America will do better than achieve a flat year in terms of growth, unless the economic recovery is much stronger in the USA than currently expected. But Asia Pacific should see at least a modest increase in outbound trip volume – mainly for intra-regional destinations – a trend also forecast for South America and the Middle East.”
The ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009/2010 can be downloaded free of charge from www.itb-berlin.com, media centre under publications.
Polish foster home to benefit from first ever IMEX Challenge 2010
Details of the first ever ‘IMEX Challenge‘ have been announced today by organisers of the annual worldwide meetings, incentive travel and events exhibition in Frankfurt.
The IMEX Challenge is a new initiative designed to give meetings industry professionals the chance to work side by side in a physical challenge that will benefit a host community.
The decision to undertake the first ever IMEX Challenge in Poland in autumn 2010 means that 20 individuals will have the chance to help non-governmental organisation, OUR HOME, to refurbish and renovate the garden of a foster family in Warsaw. Established in 1991, the charity has become the most important organisation dealing with the problems of orphaned and neglected children in Poland.
The chosen foster family is currently responsible for the well-being of seven children, all under 12 years old. The IMEX Challenge Poland team will be tasked with creating a safe and enjoyable area for the children to play and relax in. This will require landscaping the whole area and supplying and fitting a range of play facilities. The Challenge will also aim to create funding for the ongoing upkeep of the garden and play area and the long-term educational development and care of the children who live with the foster family.
Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO, explains: “We are not simply building a single playground and garden for one family here but improving the property for the long-term benefit of many young children in the future. The IMEX Challenge Poland team will leave behind an important legacy and we hope our efforts will also raise awareness countrywide, increase interest and, of course, encourage others to get involved in as many ways as possible. At the same time, the Challenge will promote the destination as well as the partners and sponsors to the wider global meetings industry”.
“Aside from developing an humanitarian event that will have a positive impact on a local community, these IMEX Challenges will aim to stretch the individuals involved, giving them the chance to leave behind a very physical demonstration of their commitment. Rather than simply donating money, they will donate sweat, probably a few blisters and a lot of heart,” says Bauer.
IMEX has created two sponsorship categories to support the Challenge: local partners and volunteer sponsors. To date, Polish conference and incentive organisers, Meeting Designers, and the Convention Bureau of Poland which is a part of Polish Tourist Organisation, have committed to becoming local partners. IMEX is looking for an additional 10 companies to each sponsor a volunteer of their choice to support the Challenge.
The 2010 IMEX Challenge Poland will run from 13th to 15th September. The Challenge itself will last a total of three days, although participants will need to arrive a day earlier for briefings. Each participant will need to pay their full travel costs to Warsaw, although all accommodation, food and drink will be provided on site.
Future IMEX Challenges will be held every two years.
For more information, please contact Jon Bradshaw, Business Development Director of IMEX Jon.bradshaw@imex-frankfurt.com; +44 (0)1273 224955 Mobile +44 (0)7834 967367 or visit http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/imexchallenge.html.
Krzysztof Celuch – Manager Convention Bureau of Poland, PTO krzysztof.celuch@pot.gov.pl; +48 (0) 22 5367042 www.poland-convention.pl
Inaugural Future You Conference is a success at World Travel Market
The inaugural Future You Conference at World Travel Market 2009 was a massive success with more than 300 students attending.
The conference, organised by the leading membership associations for travel and tourism professionals the Institute of Travel & Tourism and the Tourism Society, took place on the Thursday morning of WTM 2009 (12 November).
This half-day event, the successor to the popular ASPIRE Conference, offered essential information and advice to tourism students and graduates from experts across the travel and tourism industry including CV and interview tips, where to go for jobs, what extra training is available and who to contact.
Speakers included:
- Elizabeth Hegarty, Community Relations Manager from London City Airport who spoke on the undergraduate schemes it is currently running. Using a combination of case studies and statistics, Hegarty explained the courses available and personal development skills that can be achieved by taking part.
- Go Skills is the lead body for skills, workforce development and labour market data for the passenger transport sector. Development Manager, Sally Mawson discussed possible careers within passenger transport and how to go about moving skills forward.
- Sam Biggs, Sales and Marketing Manager for Ripley’s Believe It or Not Attractions addressed the audience with a presentation specific to his field ‘Graduating into Tourism Attractions’.
- Project Abroad – the leading volunteering abroad organisation – Recruitment Director Ian Birbeck spoke of his experiences and life changing moments in the travel industry in a presentation titled ‘From Gap Year Volunteer to Recruitment Director’.
- New Frontiers, Travel Industry Recruitment Agency Operations Director, Bruce Martin gave an informative and helpful presentation on how students can stand out from the crowd and get the job they truly deserve with a ‘Travel C.V. Health Check’.
World Travel Market Head of Marketing and Communications Micaela Juarez said: “World Travel Market was delighted to be able to offer travel and tourism students such a comprehensive and practical programme to help them secure their perfect job in the industry when they graduate.
“The current financial downturn means future graduates are facing the toughest jobs market in generations. World Travel Market, the ITT and the Tourism Society were pleased to be able to help students fulfil their potential and give them their first break into one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industry’s in the world.”
ITT Director and Chair of Education and Training Claire Steiner said: “Pressure on tourism graduates is increasing; the event provided aspiring students with a unique opportunity to hear from industry leaders on how to make the most of employment opportunities in the UK’s fifth biggest industry.”
The Tourism Society MTS Executive Director Mark Miller commented; “We are absolutely delighted that the Future You event was the best attended event during WTM.”
“We certainly look forward to making Future You a regular feature in our annual events calendar and hope we can once again work in collaboration with ITT on this and other related events. This type of forum not only highlights the varied and different sectors and specialisms within the tourism sector but offers students dedicated career advice within this varied industry.”
ITT Chairman Steven Freudmann said “With more travel and tourism graduates and fewer jobs to fight over, it is more important than ever to get proper careers advice direct from the industry”.
Tourism Society Chairman Alison Cryer said “The attendance figures speak for themselves there is a genuine need for this type of event. It is the career development of the youth and future of our industry that has united the two leading associations in one common goal.”
Trend-setting themes and leading experts at the world’s largest tourism convention
Global travel industry’s leading think tank highlights effects of the financial crisis and changing society – more than 200 high-ranking speakers to discuss trends, innovative strategies and key topics at around 100 events. New: ITB Marketing and Distribution Day plus ITB Global Future Summit – ITB Destination Days and China Outbound Tourism Marketing Forum discuss zero-carbon luxury hotels
Berlin, 14 December 2009 – Featuring an outstanding programme of events and high-ranking speakers, the ITB Berlin Convention 2010 will highlight the effects of the financial and economic crisis on tourism, the structural changes in society, and shifts in travel patterns. From 10 to 12 March 2010 more than 200 leading speakers and panel guests from science, politics and with practical experience will present topics and discuss the future of travel at around 100 events. Over a period of three days the focus at the world’s largest tourism convention will be on quality discussion and the latest industry knowledge. Admission is free for all trade visitors.
ITB Marketing and Distribution Day
The ITB Marketing and Distribution Day will take place at the world’s leading travel trade show, with debate focusing on the marked changes in consumer booking patterns and information needs. Experts taking part in a discussion round entitled “personalised package tours“ will point out that the much talked about paradigm shift towards longtail services has already taken place. The internet will also come in for close examination, as a way to occupy attractive market niches and personally address customers. A further panel will discuss strategies for the growing gay and lesbian tourism market. The day’s highlight will be the ITB Media Summit 2010. Together, the recession and completely new attitudes towards media usage have undermined established media forms. Magazine titles are disappearing from the shelves and readers are migrating to the internet. The confidence of the travel industry has been shaken. The questions its members are asking are “How can we reach the consumer?” and “What opportunities do Facebook and Twitter etc. offer?”. Leading speakers, among them former Minister of Economics Wolfgang Clement, will be taking part in and answering questions at a round table discussion.
“Theme Days“ – latest developments and background information
The convention opens with the ITB Future Day. The first ITB Global Future Summit will analyse the main trends in demographics, climate change, natural resources, technology and consumer behaviour. Afterwards Rolf Freitag, CEO of IPK International, will present the latest forecasts of the ITB World Travel Trends Report. Based on 500,000 interviews, the world’s largest travel survey provides indispensable information for decision-makers from the tourism industry. “Web 2.0 and Social Media“ will discuss future ways to gain customers and secure their loyalty, as well as mobile travel solutions for business and leisure travellers. The final programme event is the ITB Tourism and Climate Panel which will analyse climate change and ecology, the biggest challenges of this century.
Against the backdrop of a changing climate the ITB Hospitality Day will discuss what new services hotels should offer. At the CEO panel discussion three high-ranking executives from leading hotel chains will speak about the market and their survival strategies. Under the unconventional heading of “Ways to change boring hotels“ they will be motivating audiences to become more creative in this field. Distributors of online applications and hotel owners will discuss how mobile phones with internet access are changing hotel booking patterns. Taking as their slogan “What are the challenges facing the industry?“ leading executives heading hotel chains in America, Europe and Asia will debate the various concepts of budget hotels.
The ITB Aviation Day is recognised as the leading event for the global air transport industry. Key topics certain to spark controversy are the future of aviation alliances and a discussion on the strategies and concepts of budget airlines, the winners in this recession. Will they reap long-term benefits from the crisis? These are just some of the urgent issues that will be raised in interviews with financial experts from low-cost carriers. At the global CEO panel discussion members will give their opinions on the future of commercial aviation around the world. A discussion under the heading of “A revolution in airline prices, the recession as an innovative force in the absence of premium customers“ will highlight a number of progressive business models. According to many experts, public acceptance of airlines as a mode of transport has been in crisis for some time. A panel discussion with numerous analysts, among them Dr. Stefan Schulte, Chairman of the Board of Fraport AG, and Prof. Dr. Rainer Schwarz, Management Spokesman of Berliner Flughäfen, will discuss which measures hold particular promise for future success.
Following its successful debut last year the ITB Corporate Social Responsibility Day has become an integral part of the ITB Berlin Convention. A high-level government representative of the Federal Republic of Germany will highlight the significance of CSR in economic and social terms. Keynote speeches and panel discussions will debate examples of the role which CSR can occupy in tourism. This is the first time that GfK is presenting a survey undertaken exclusively for ITB Berlin, entitled “Leading CSR companies from the vantage point of the customer“. High-ranking members will be attending the cruise holiday session. In her keynote the world-famous adventurer and explorer Céline Cousteau will be asking “Marine protection and tourism, are they friends or foes?” Afterwards, leading experts, among them Prof. Dr. Martin Visbeck from the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel, will examine whether the expanding cruise market is having a negative effect on the environment.
Discussions on the first day of the ITB Destination Days will focus on the challenges posed by efforts to create sustainable tourism destinations. Vural Öger, owner of the Öger Group, will deliver a keynote speech. Representatives from Essen/Ruhr, Istanbul and Pécs, cities designated “European Capital of Culture” in 2010, will summarise the developments to date. The subsequent discussion as to whether the title of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site is a curse or a blessing is certain to reveal fascinating insights. On Thursday and Friday experts will devote themselves to the topic of sustainability in tourism. Brazil and Ecuador will present their successful concepts at the South America Forum, and at the Africa Forum experts will discuss how important tourism is in combating poverty. Turkey, this year’s partner country at ITB Berlin, will show how to achieve success with cultural tourism. The findings of the latest conference of the German Society for Tourism Research will be made public, highlighting potential business opportunities for investors exploring the market niches of spirituality and tourism. The China Outbound Tourism Marketing Forum@ITB Berlin 2010 will talk about ways to make destinations more appealing to tourists from China. Zero-carbon luxury hotels are both a significant topic and elements of a vision of future tourism. Two speakers from Masdar City, planned as the world’s first zero-carbon city, will talk about their progress to date.
The ITB Business Travel Forum will take place on all three days of the convention. Workshops, panel discussions and keynote speeches at the MICE Day, Strategy Day and Hands-On Day (with a focus on economics) will provide opportunities for exchanging opinion and furthering one’s knowledge on business travel and events management. From 10 to 11 March decision-makers from all walks of the global tourism industry can find out about the latest technology trends at the Travel Technology Conference PhoCusWright@ITB. A conference under the heading of “E-Travel Success Across Europe” will highlight the significance of travel technology, addressing experts involved in sales, marketing and business promotion.
No prior registration is necessary to visit the convention. Holders of a trade visitor ticket to ITB Berlin may attend any of the events free of charge, with the exception of the Travel Technology Convention PhoCusWright@ITB. PhoCusWright@ITB will be held in English. Simultaneous interpreting into English and German is available at all other lectures and discussions. Information and programme details: www.itb-convention.com/program. A trade visitor pass with unlimited admission to ITB Berlin costs EUR 46. If purchased by 31 January admission tickets to PhoCusWright@ITB cost EUR 300, thereafter 350 EUR per person. All tickets are available online .
EIBTM 2009 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND MARKET SHARE REPORT
VALUE AND SERVICE KEY TO MEETINGS INDUSTRY IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
Industry turning to technological solutions/China growth area
The annual EIBTM Industry Trends and Market Share Report was launched (Tuesday 1 December) at EIBTM in Barcelona. The report compiled by Rob Davidson, Senior Lecturer in Business Travel and Tourism at The University of Westminster in London and EIBTM Industry Analyst identifies the key trends for the meeting and incentives markets over the past 12 months.
Rob discloses from the report findings that “in a challenging environment, the winners in 2010 will be those suppliers who offer exceptional value and service and those destinations that target a diversified business base where downturns in one area of the meetings industry can be compensated for with opportunities in other areas.
“The more the industry does to promote itself as excellent value, with no compromise in quality, the more likely it is to emerge stronger than before.”
Key findings
General economic context
· Convincing signs that the global recovery is now underway, road back to a buoyant economy will be slow and bumpy
· Many developed economies have suffered; emerging markets have continued to prosper and grow
· Emerging markets in 1999 represented about 20% of global GDP; but should account for closer to 50% by 2010. They account for 80% of the world’s population, 70% of global foreign exchange reserves and half of world exports
· Economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) have seen a strong and broad-based rebound in business confidence
· In Europe, the picture is more mixed. Business confidence has rebounded and many national economies have emerged from the recession, but job losses across the continent are set to continue, particularly in manufacturing
· The unemployment rate in the US rose to 10.2% in October – its highest rate since April 1983. Fears of further job losses were compounded by concerns over the burgeoning budget deficit in the US which hit a record US$1.4 trillion in the year to 30 September.
Meetings and events trends
· Corporate meetings and events, including incentive travel, have been hardest hit
· As corporate profits have fallen in most countries, companies have reacted with an array of cost-cutting measures related to their employees’ business travel and their participation in meetings and business events.
The Industry has seen:
- Ever shorter lead times
- Clients shopping around more and comparing prices for facilities and services
- Greater use of one-day events to reduce the number of overnight stays
- Reduction in the number of suppliers they use, to increase the potential for economies of scale.
· As supply outstrips demand in most countries, it is clearly a buyers’ market
· The Association sector has been far less affected than the corporate sector
· Demand is buoyant, boosted by the number of new association events created (ICCA database of international association events grew by over 10% this year)
· The SMERF market (Social, Military, Educational, Religious and Fraternal market) has seen demand growing
· Fewer meetings being held in resorts, and more in hotels and in dedicated conference centres.
World Regions
· Europe maintains its clear lead where most international association meetings are held, even if this lead is being gradually eroded as a growing number of cities beyond the frontiers of Europe enter the market
· The US remains the world’s number one country in terms of the number of meetings of international associations it hosts, but overall, 2009 saw shrinking budgets, fewer participants, shorter events and increased cancellations and postponements of meetings
· China’s potential as an expanding and highly lucrative market for other countries has made it a prime target for the marketing efforts of many destinations beyond it borders
· In China, the ongoing march towards equipping the country as a leading international meetings and events destination continues; China National Convention Center (CNCC) in Beijing opened in October 2009 for its originally intended function – providing international standard, purpose-built convention and exhibition facilities.
· High-profile wins in Middle East such as the International Bar Association’s decision to hold its 2011 annual conference in Dubai’s World Trade Centre
· On the supply side, investment goes on unabated. Bahrain announced the development of its new Expo City, increasing the size of the existing Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) by around 10 times
Technology Trends
· Many corporate buyers have sought a technological solution to help them cut costs
· Greater use of alternative meeting methods, including webinars, videoconferencing and web-based learning tools, as a way to control meeting and travel costs
· Growing use of social media for meetings; becoming an integral part of making an event successful both from a marketing and networking/learning enhancement perspective, and some of the earliest adopters have been associations.
CSR Trends
· Corporate Social Responsibility continues to shape the way in which meetings and events are held
· Economic downturn has not significantly reduced companies’ concern to consider the impacts that all of their operations, including meetings, have on the environment
· An important step towards the adoption of uniform measurable standards of environmental performance in meetings planning was taken in August, when the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) Panel on Green Meeting and Event Practices released the final draft standards for review and comment by the meetings industry
· Growing interest in the potential for industry to leave a social legacy in the destinations it uses
Future outlook
· Trend towards a more positive business outlook
· Business confidence will most probably pursue a moderate but cautious path to recovery, and the meetings and events industry will follow
· More organisations showing signs of increased bookings in 2010
· Organisations will continue to select destinations and venues not considered extravagant or luxurious
· Number of business trips projected to move upward in second half of 2010, gathering more momentum in 2011
· Continued strong demand for face to face meetings
The research will be available in print format from the EIBTM press office immediately after the presentation on Tuesday 1 December and downloadable on the EIBTM website www.eibtm.com from Thursday 3 December.
EIBTM – 21st YEAR OF DELIVERING BUSINESS
54,255 pre registered appointments – up 4% on 2009
The 21st EIBTM opened in Barcelona, Tuesday 1 December, the international meetings event where the world meets for best business, networking and professional education.
This year´s event has attracted over 3,300 suppliers representing 80 countries. 3,800 international Hosted Buyers from 71 countries have registered to attend the show and a record breaking 54,255 appointments have been pre-scheduled between exhibitors and Hosted Buyer – 4% up on last year. Numbers of pre registered trade visitors have topped the 6,300 mark.
Additionally, the event has seen a 70% increase in those registering to attend the Association Programme and a 43% increase in registrations to the corporate programme.
Exhibitors
First time exhibitors this year come from hotel groups, technology companies, tourist boards, CVBs and venues. These include Tiara Hotels, Zaragoza CVB, Essence of Bali, Oberoi Hotels, Mozambique, Venezuela – INATUR, Seoul Convention Bureau, Senegal, Poznan and Centre de Congressos de Andorra.
Whilst New Zealand, Croatia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Jordan, Costa Rica, Canadian Tourism Commission, Las Vegas, Taiwan, Shanghai, Beijing, Trinidad and Tobago and Madrid CVB, Barcelona Convention Bureau, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Beijing, Jordan have all increased their stand space.
Education matters
This year´s education programme targeted at corporates, associations, agencies and suppliers features 43 sessions which includes the event´s largest ever bespoke Spanish programme.
As in previous years, the programme has received the support of leading industry associations such as ICCA, MPI, SITE, PCMA and ASAE.
Key educational highlights will be Rob Davidson, senior lecturer in business travel and tourism, University of Westminster, facilitating a seminar entitled ‘Motivating Generation Y – how you can design meetings and use technology to involve them?’ This forms part of the daily dedicated Technology Hour programme. He will also be presenting the annual EIBTM Industry Trends and Market Share Report.
Other highlights include sessions during the Technology Hour on social media and the hottest technology products; CSR Symposium tackling key developments relating to making the industry more sustainable and seminars covering creativity, ROI, meetings architecture, trends and business and market development.
Additionally, for the first time The Convention Industry Council (CIC) has chosen the event as an additional CMP exam location for international candidates and are awarding CMP accredited points for all educational sessions.
New networking hour
A new initiative has evolved from post event research undertaken after last year’s event when over 50 per cent of exhibitors requested additional networking opportunities to maximise return on investment. This has led to the exhibition remaining open for an extra hour on Wednesday to give exhibitors the chance to hold affordable, business and networking functions for Hosted Buyers and visitors on their stands.
The importance of EIBTM to the industry
Summing up the importance of EIBTM to the international meetings industry Exhibition Director Mandy Torrens comments “EIBTM delivers what it has always done – best business, best education and best networking. It is truly representative of what is happening internationally in the meetings industry on future trends, opportunities and developments.
“Our role is to act as a business, education and networking catalyst – to provide an environment and forum for the industry to end 2009 optimistically and uplifted; having come away with new and firm business leads, established new relationships and gained valuable insights into how to develop their businesses in the future.”
ICCA, IMEX and Fast Future Announce Launch of Ground Breaking Global Study on the Future of Meetings, Venues and Meeting Destinations
Future research methods to be adopted to create a wake-up call, challenge old assumptions and drive new thinking across the industry
ICCA – The International Congress and Convention Association, the IMEX Group and Fast Future Research announced the formal launch of Convention 2020 – a groundbreaking research study looking at the future of live events, venues and meeting destinations. All three organisations have become founder sponsors of the study. Discussions are underway with a number of other potential sponsors.
The study is being conducted by Fast Future Research and will explore the underlying trends and drivers that could shape the industry over the next decade. The aim is to develop a range of models and scenarios for how live meetings might evolve over that time period. The study will centre on understanding the ‘meeting experience’ and the changing needs of live event attendees. These insights will help drive new thinking on event design, facilitate innovation in business models and highlight the strategic implications for venues, destinations and industry suppliers.
Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA and Ray Bloom chairman of the IMEX Group – the founding sponsors of the study – explained that “We agreed to support Fast Future’s study because of their track record in doing high quality futures work, the innovative and comprehensive nature of the proposed study and their willingness to contribute their own funds to support a study for the benefit of the entire industry.”
Sirk went to say that “the research programme is designed to answer very practical questions such as what will attendees want from live events, how will they maximise their learning and how can they ensure a worthwhile return on their investment of time and energy. For event owners, venues and suppliers it will help them consider how events could be funded and the implications for the design, services, technology platforms and business models required for successful meetings and venues.
Finally it will help meeting destinations think through the strategic implications for developing and promoting themselves in a fast changing world.”
The study is also designed to ensure that the industry’s responds to the current downturn and future shocks in a strategic manner that ensures long term success. Bloom explained that “The economic downturn has highlighted the importance of thinking ahead and preparing for an uncertain future. We all believe in the importance of live meetings – but belief is not a strategy. We need to challenge our assumptions, develop real insight into what the future may hold, and rethink our event designs and business models to help all members of the meetings industry prepare for the decade ahead and ensure they stay competitive.”
The study concepts were tested on attendees at the ICCA Congress in Florence on November 9th and 10th 2009. “The Response was phenomenal”, said Rohit Talwar– CEO of Fast Future Research – co-sponsors and research leaders of the project. Talwar went on to add that “The interest in becoming a sponsor was overwhelming. Meetings companies, venues, destinations and industry suppliers from around the world all recognised the strategic value of the insights the study would provide. They could also see the benefits to their brand from being associated with such a comprehensive and forward-looking piece of work that would receive global distribution and widespread coverage.”
Sirk explained that “We are at a crucial turning point for the meetings industry. The sector faces major challenges and opportunities arising from changing political attitudes to the meetings sector, technological advances, economic power shifts, environmental pressures, a deepening understanding of how we learn and evolving social attitudes. The research is designed to kick start new thinking across the meetings industry and engage people at every level in coming up with strateiges, ideas and solutions that will work in their local markets.”
The study will have three main deliverables – a report on a global survey on the future of meetings to be published in January 2010, a report on the ‘Future Meeting Experience’ to be launched at IMEX in Frankfurt in May 2010 and a final report on ‘Tomorrow’s Convention Centre’ to be launched at the ICCA Congress in Hyderabad India in October 2010.
The study will provide a number of web-based mechanisms to encourage participation and a number of workshops and seminars will be held around the world to provide input. Expert input is also a critical component of the study design. Bloom explained “A key feature of the study is the involvement of a large number of the industry’s leading experts in helping to shape the study and ensure the outputs stretch the boundaries of our thinking. We felt it was critical that we combined ‘outside-in’ thinking with real engagement from professionals and the leading thinkers across the sector. We are delighted that those on the cutting edge of industry thinking in areas such as event design, learning, business models, technology, event strategy and sustainability have all given their full support and commitment to participate.”
The intention is to create a ‘living and growing’ online body of knowledge, case studies and ideas which will continue to expand and develop even after the study completes in October 2010. Talwar added that “The aim is to go beyond traditional forecasting and use a range of highly participative futures methods to engage both event attendees and those in the industry to think imaginatively about the future of the sector in a fast changing world. We will make full use of both traditional futures methods such as trend scanning, scenario planning and expert interviews along with new tools such as social media dialogues and crowdsourcing to generate ideas and stimulate new thinking.”
Full details on the study and sponsorship opportunity are available from convention2020@fastfuture.com. The survey on the future of meetings can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ICCA2020.
Results of the International Investigation Done by Zoover Holiday Reviews Website : “International Tourists Think France is the Least Hospitable Country”
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, November /PRNewswire/ — The investigation carried out by Zoover International concerning hospitality, in the course of which thousands of people have voted, proves in which country tourists are truly treated in the most hospitable way. From the International results it appears that Thailand, with a large majority, is chosen to be the country with the most hospitable people. France scores worst with 4% of all votes.
The participants were able to choose from countries spread over the whole world.
One out of four choose Thailand to be the most hospitable country
From the selection of countries spread over the world, International tourists have shown their favor for the Thai people when it comes to hospitality. Thailand took a remarkably large lead over the other countries. Thailand has been declared winner by 26% of the voters, while Turkey and Greece were left quite far behind with “only” 19% and 13% of the votes.
France scores badly
From the International results can be concluded that, compared to the Thai hospitality, the hospitality of the French is not good at all. With 4% of the votes the conclusion can be drawn that the International tourists think of the French as the least hospitable people when visiting their country. The Russians are not known for their hospitality either with a score of 5% in the International results of the investigation.
The results
Thailand 26%
Turkey 19%
Greece 13%
Spain 10%
Italy 9%
Germany 8%
Mexico 6%
Russia 5%
France 4%
The total number of International votes received was 24.301
Zoover.com
According to the Results of an Investigation Done by Zoover Holiday Reviews Website it Appears That: “British Tourists Think France is the Least Hospitable Country”
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, November /PRNewswire/ — The investigation carried out by Zoover.co.uk holiday website concerning hospitality, in the course of which thousands of people have voted, proves in which country tourists are truly treated in the most hospitable way. From the British results it appears that Thailand, with a large majority, is chosen to be the country with the most hospitable people. France scores worst with 2% of all votes.
The participants were able to choose from countries spread over the whole world.
The Brits choose Thailand to be the most hospitable country
From the selection of countries spread over the world, the Brits have shown their favor for the Thai people when it comes to hospitality. Thailand took a remarkably large lead over the other countries. Thailand has been declared winner by 25% of the voters, while Australia and Greece were left quite far behind with “only” 19% and 14% of the votes.
France scores badly
From the British results can be concluded that, compared to the Thai hospitality, the hospitality of the French is not good at all. With 2% of the votes the conclusion can be drawn that the Brits think of the French as the least hospitable people when visiting their country. The Russians, Egyptians and Mexicans are not known for their hospitality either with a score of 4% each in the British results of the investigation.
The results
Thailand 25%
Australia 19%
Greece 14%
England 12%
USA 11%
Croats 5%
Egypt 4%
Mexico 4%
Russia 4%
France 2%
1.412 people voted on the poll in Great Britain. The total number of votes of all international polls is 24.301
International results
The results of the investigation carried out in sixteen countries in total, reveal that Thailand, with a large majority of the votes, has been chosen to be the holiday destination with the most hospitable people. In more than half of all investigations it scores first place and an average of 26% of the votes. Turkey and Greece follow at quite a distance. They received 19% and 14% of the votes respectively.
The country that is considered to be the holiday destination with the least hospitable people is France. It received 4% of the votes. Russia is not known for its hospitable people either. It scored second last, with 5% of the votes.
Zoover.co.uk
EIBTM’S CSR SYMPOSIUM – SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THE EVENTS INDUSTRY
First chance for industry to engage in new international sustainability initiatives
EIBTM (www.eibtm.com), taking place from 1st to 3rd December in Barcelona, achieved BS8901 3rd party certification in 2008, and continues to show leadership, by giving the industry its first chance to shape the future of sustainability during this year’s EIBTM CSR Symposium, part of the event’s comprehensive Education Programme.
The EIBTM CSR Symposium will take place on 2nd December 2009 from 14:00 to 16:30 in Conference Room 4.1
The interactive sessions will give the industry their first opportunity to provide input into two initiatives, which are shaping the event industry’s implementation and reporting on sustainability.
Firstly, as BS8901 starts its journey to become an international standard (ISO), attendees will learn how they can get involved with this process.
Secondly, The Global Reporting Initiative are developing a reporting framework for the event industry and attendees will take part in a interactive session to gather their ideas and opinions related to this project.
Attendees will also hear how The Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), an initiative of the Convention Industry Council, has developed over the past 12 months, and hear case studies from EIBTM and the COP 15 United Nations Climate Change Conference which both demonstrate leadership in sustainability.
Mandy Torrens, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director says: “Last year BS8901, the British Standard for Sustainable Event Management, was conferred on EIBTM as a formal and independent endorsement of the event’s intent and business practices, which are helping to lead the way within the meetings industry. It is particularly appropriate that this year’s event is providing the first forum to harness industry opinion and to shape the future of sustainability.”
For further details on the EIBTM CSR Symposium please contact the chair of the session Alex Hall on info@positiveimpact.co.uk
For further information on EIBTM and the event’s full seminar programme and to pre register for EIBTM log onto www.eibtm.com
European Future Energy Forum moves to London in 2010
UK Trade & Investment wins bid to host the next European Future Energy Forum
Following the success of the first European Future Energy Forum in Bilbao in June 2009, the organisers are pleased to announce that a memorandum of understanding has now been signed with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to bring EFEF2010 to ExCeL London, 19-21 October 2010 despite fierce competition from other venues within Europe.
Continuing in the footsteps of its parent event the World Future Energy Summit held annually at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), this European spin-off has shown that there is a large demand for high-level debate surrounding future energy solutions and EFEF2010 will build on the support already shown by UK leaders in debating the many issues and opportunities that exist within this growing market.
With previous Future Energy event speakers including HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH the Duke of York, Former PM Tony Blair, Lord Foster, Lord Browne, Lady Judge and Jonathan Porritt CBE, we are confident of the level of support and debate that will be achieved by bringing the European Future Energy Forum to London next year’ says Richard Hease, Chairman of organiser’s Turret Middle East.
The UK government has set ambitious targets and is set to make major strides in decreasing its global carbon footprint. By bringing EFEF2010 to the UK we will create a vibrant environment where high-level debate can take place as well as knowledge exchanging workshops, small round table discussions and international networking and business meetings.’ He adds.
The European Future Energy Forum is an initiative developed with Masdar (Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialisation of innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies), who have already invested heavily in the European renewables market including their commitment to the London Array Offshore Wind Project.
In the last two years, the World Future Energy Summit has driven collaboration and dialogue around renewable energy policy, investment and innovation”, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar. “We now look forward to building on this platform in the UK in October 2010, where we will take the opportunity to share knowledge, advance solutions and explore partnerships within a European market.”
Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business, Lord Davies said:
In exactly one year from now, UK Trade & Investment will stage the second European Energy Forum in London. This is a huge coup not only for London but for the UK, the world’s second largest investment location for renewable energy firms.
The Forum offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase the UK’s low carbon excellence and to promote the UK as the destination of choice for low carbon trade and investment.”
Commenting on the decision to stage the event at ExCeL London, Simon Horgan, Group CEO of ADNEC, the owners of ExCeL London said, “ADNEC is committed to providing a world-class network of venues to the global events industry. The relocation of the European Future Energy Forum to ExCeL London shows the benefits of this strategy; this is good news for London and good news for Abu Dhabi.”
David Pegler, MD, ExCeL London: “We are extremely proud to have won the contract to host the European Energy Forum. ExCeL London is committed to tackling the challenges of sustainable development and operating as a sustainable business, so as thought leaders in our industry and having hosted the first carbon neutral exhibition last month, we are delighted to be hosting such a prestigious event. Our partnership with our owners, ADNEC, means that working together we can provide international events a network of world class venues which showcase best practice for the conference & events industry. With the opening of the International Convention Centre in May 2010, ExCeL will be able to offer a seated auditorium for up to 5,000 delegates and further conference facilities.”
For more information see www.EuropeanFutureEnergyForum.com
A First for EIBTM – Online Education Evaluation
A first for EIBTM this year sees educational seminars over the three days of the show being evaluated using MeetingMetrics’ online survey and reporting tools.
Those attending any of the 30+ educational sessions will be asked for their comments on speaker and topic content by logging onto www.eibtm.com/surveys <http://www.eibtm.com/surveys> .
Participants are encouraged to log onto the system as soon after each educational session ends through PDAs, notebooks and PCs.
This initiative, working with MeetingMetrics, winner of last year’s EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch, offers a unique self administered set of online tools for maximising meeting effectiveness, measuring meeting results and demonstrating value and return on investment.
Commenting on the evaluation tools Ira Kerns, Managing Director of MeetingMetrics said: “We have created a set of easy to use, professional tools that greatly simplifies, speeds and lowers costs of collecting and reporting participants’ session feedback. A full selection of key analytical reports including session, speaker, learning effectiveness rating reports plus CEU reports are automatically produced ready to save print or email directly from the system in minutes.”
Mandy Torrens, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director comments: “We are delighted to be working on this online education evaluation initiative with MeetingMetrics, not just because they are winners of our WorldWide Technology Watch last year, but because they have created a sustainable tool that is of real benefit to the industry.”
GREECE’s new Acropolis Museum comes to FITUR 2010
The Greek National Tourism Organisation comes to FITUR this year with the brand new Athens Acropolis Museum. This masterwork by the Franco-Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi will impress any visitor with its amazing geometry and vast glass walls that allow the building to be flooded with sunlight and enable visitors to admire the exhibits from all possible angles while moving freely across the nine halls.
Visitors to the fair will have a chance to obtain a wealth of information about the new ultra-modern-design museum, which offers the best possible conditions for the display of more than four thousand pieces of classical Hellenic art, most of them over 2,500 years old. A walk through the museum’s immense galleries immerses the visitor into ancient Athens in an experience of incalculable historical value.
As visitors to the stand will be able to see for themselves, the museum is a three-storey building where the collections have been divided according to the historical age to which they belong into two large groups: Archaic and Classical. The monuments that visitors to the museum have been able to see since its opening last June are fundamentally the elements of the classical Athens Acropolis: the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike and the Erecteion, as well as other treasures of the immensely rich Greek heritage.
In addition to its cultural and architectural richness, GREECE is also a modern country with a lot to offer by way of the friendliness of its people, its gastronomy, villages and areas of outstanding natural beauty. With 140 inhabited islands, a total of 16,000 km of coastline, a mild climate all the year round and a fantastic offer of boating activities, GREECE is set to prove its status at FITUR 2010 as a unique tourist destination at the international level.
Hall 6, Stand 6B04.
www.gnto.gr/www.theacropolismuseum.gr
IMEX Association Day takes shape for 2010
Organisers of the IMEX Association Day 2010 in Frankfurt have announced a diverse and topical programme intended to provide association executives with unrivalled educational insight in a day of intensive learning and networking.
Association Day 2010 will take place on Monday 24 May in Frankfurt and is organised by IMEX in partnership with ICCA.
Martin Sirk, ICCA CEO, will lead the line-up of the day’s speakers with an examination of the critical factors involved in deciding where to hold international congresses. The presentation will cover how to make the selection process more efficient, transparent and aligned with strategic objectives.
Chief Knowledge and Strategy Officer of ASAE (American Society of Association Executives), Greta Kotler, CAE, will moderate a panel which includes Chip Deale, Head of Global Society Relations, CFA Institute and Helga Severeyns, Senior Director of UITP (International Association of Public Transport). Together they will review the variety of global planning strategies available to associations and also discuss success practices for boosting membership numbers and revenues. The panel session will also look at how associations can increase their influence and develop and market their services in line with corporate mission and goals.
In addition, Pol Van De Perre, Association Director of MCI Brussels, will offer tips and guidance on how to leverage conference content by using online tools and facilities. His session will explore ways in which data, ideas and even full meeting sessions can be captured, shared, co-created and archived for the maximum long-term benefit of association members.
Tailor-made German workshops
Global business and communications company, MCI Germany, will also be running a concurrent German presentation and the German Convention Bureau (GCB), IMEX’s strategic partner, will run two German language seminars tailored to meet the specific needs of German association delegates on the following day, Tuesday 25 May.
Carina Bauer, IMEX marketing and operations director, explains: “We welcome over 3,500 international suppliers from over 150 different countries to IMEX every year, creating a great opportunity for delegates to discover new destinations, products and services and, of course, do business. Through Association Day we provide a forum for thought leadership specifically for association executives, where the latest industry news and ideas are communicated via a comprehensive programme of presentations and seminars. Delegates also appreciate the opportunity to learn from and network with each other.”
The Association Day evening reception, now a recognised highlight of the international meetings industry calendar, will take place at the Westin Hotel in Frankfurt. It offers the chance for association members to network among a 700-plus guest list of exhibitors, industry suppliers and hosted buyers.
Carina Bauer continued: “We have worked hard to ensure that the delegate experience at Association Day is as productive and enjoyable as possible. Tools such as the IMEX online diary system and messaging service also make meeting up and setting business appointments easy to dovetail with educational sessions.”
Research supports positive sentiment
Recent research into the association market by IMEX and ICCA shows the enduring strength of the sector. Said Martin Sirk, ICCA CEO, “Our latest quantitative results match up to the numerous anecdotal stories we are hearing from our members and from other international association executives. The economic downturn has had an impact, of course, but it has been far less serious than for other market sectors of the meetings industry. The fact that so many associations are experiencing rising delegate numbers and revenue during this period would be remarkable were it not for the case that international associations have been consistently demonstrating this resilience for many, many years.”
Entry to the Association Day and Evening programme is by registration only. Registration is free of charge and available from December 2009 – contact Carina Bauer (carina.bauer@imex-frankfurt.com) for more information. The 2010 programme can be viewed online at www.imex-frankfurt.com.
Deloitte Holiday and Winter Travel Survey Suggests Cautious Optimism
Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Sector May Stabilize as Signs of an Economic Recovery Take Hold
NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ — While the tourism, hospitality and leisure (THL) sector continues to be challenged by current economic conditions, a new survey from Deloitte suggests reason for cautious optimism heading into the holiday and winter travel season.
Deloitte’s survey of 2,000 consumers in the United States revealed that almost half (45 percent) will take a vacation or leisure trip that involves staying overnight in a lodging facility, such as a hotel, motel or a timeshare, from the beginning of Thanksgiving week through March of next year.
Additionally, the survey showed:
18 percent will travel overnight and stay at a lodging facility during the Thanksgiving week and weekend
22 percent will travel overnight and stay at a lodging facility during December through New Year’s Day
32 percent will travel overnight and stay at a lodging facility after New Year’s Day through March
When asked to compare their overnight travel plans for the same time period a year ago, 45 percent of respondents said they will take the same amount of trips this year involving an overnight stay at a lodging facility, while 25 percent said they will take more and 28 percent said they will take fewer trips.
“Conditions appear to be stabilizing in the travel industry as signs of an economic recovery take hold. Room rates are still low, which is impacting revenue, but consumers are finding special offers and incentives on hotel accommodations which is helping to increase occupancy,” said Adam Weissenberg, U.S. Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure leader, Deloitte LLP.
Weissenberg added, “Hotel companies should continue focusing on driving demand and building long-term customer relationships with their guests through innovative marketing and loyalty programs. When business travel gets back on track, the industry will see further improvement leading to a more complete recovery.”
Survey results also suggest that some respondents may still have concerns about economic conditions, with 64 percent saying they are more cost-conscious when traveling. With the economy only in the early stages of a turnaround, respondents appear to remain cautious and are fairly evenly divided on spending plans. Almost a third (35 percent) report they will spend less this year; 37 percent expect to spend the same amount; and 27 percent plan to spend more money while traveling. As might be expected, those planning on spending less were younger, with lower incomes, and more likely to have children in the household.
“This season, spending likely won’t return to levels that the industry enjoyed prior to the recession, but some segments of the population are showing more confidence in the economy,” said Weissenberg. “This could lead to some improvement over the near-term for hospitality companies and restaurants and should translate to improved long-term conditions as the economy strengthens further.”
Reflecting on activities planned during the holiday/winter travel season, the majority of respondents will travel domestically and visit family and friends.
Additional survey results include:
70 percent of travelers will visit a U.S. state and/or city
74 percent will visit relatives or friends
16 percent will visit a foreign country
38 percent will spend at least one vacation doing warm-weather activities (swimming or golf)
18 percent will take a ski vacation or do other cold-weather activities
34 percent will visit a historic site or a national park
22 percent will visit an entertainment park or facility
8 percent plan to do philanthropic or environmental work while traveling
Additional Key Findings
The Digital Traveler
Fifty-seven percent of respondents say they often read consumer-written reviews or comments online related to travel. Interest was high across all age groups except retirees, 65 years-old and older. Further, 41 percent have used mobile devices for travel-related assistance, such as reservations or obtaining information. More than a quarter, 26 percent, have visited a travel-related company’s social media fan page. Upper income households were the most active group among all three activities.
Customer Loyalty Programs
Forty percent of travelers say they currently belong to at least one rewards or customer loyalty program from a hotel or other lodging facility. Travelers with the highest income levels were most likely to belong to a program.
“With 60 percent of travelers not belonging to any loyalty program there is an opportunity for hotel companies to build new relationships with these travelers through programs that create long-term brand loyalty and drive repeat business,” said Weissenberg.
Sustainability Remains Important
Being green may still be an important factor to respondents who are traveling, with 59 percent saying they try to be environmentally conscious when traveling. Almost half, 45 percent, said they generally think that lodging facilities are acting responsibly with regard to green issues.
“Hotel companies are continuing to pursue sustainability initiatives that are reducing operational costs through increased energy and water efficiency,” said Rod Millott, sustainability leader for Deloitte’s Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure sector. “There are also significant tax credits and incentives available that are making these initiatives more financially attractive. Many of these initiatives are backend and not visible to guests, so there is a real opportunity for hotel brands to communicate their sustainability success and build loyalty with their guests as environmental stewardship continues to be important.”
About the Survey
The survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted via telephone interviews by Opinion Research Corporation between October 22 and November 2, 2009. The survey polled a sample of 2,000 consumers and has a margin of error for the entire sample of plus or minus two percentage points.
About Deloitte
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte LLP and Deloitte Services LP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
Leading think tank of the global travel industry
Berlin, 16 November 2009. As the world’s leading travel industry platform ITB Berlin 2010 takes a first look at a future which in the long term will be marked by the financial and economic crisis as well as by structural changes and changing travel behaviour. One of the highlights of ITB Berlin, which takes place from 10 to 14 March 2010, is the world’s largest travel industry convention.
ITB Berlin has been holding its travel industry convention since 2004, an event with an unparalleled success story. Over the last six years 50,000 professionals from all tourism source markets and destinations from around the world have visited the ITB Berlin Convention. Each year the ITB Berlin Convention was able to build on its position as the leading think tank of the global tourism industry and in 2009 recorded its highest attendance to date. At 12,000 participants the number of visitors increased by 10 per cent over 2008.
The ITB Berlin Convention is the ideal platform for dialogue with the tourism industry. Decision-makers from all walks of the global tourism industry enjoy networking opportunities among professionals to discuss the latest industry trends as well as pressing issues and market topics among leading experts. High-ranking speakers from tourism and industry have already announced their participation in the ITB Berlin Convention 2010.
As the event hosting the industry’s leading forums the Theme Days highlight the latest trends and background developments. Innovators and futurists will be presenting global mega trends at the ITB Berlin Future Day. The challenges facing the hotel industry will be discussed at the ITB Berlin Hospitality Day. The ITB Aviation Day is recognised as the leading event for the global air transport industry and discusses key issues concerning the latest developments in the airline and airport industries. With its ITB Corporate Social Responsibility Day, which celebrated a successful debut last year, the ITB Berlin is again organising a definitive forum comprising experts in travel matters. Corporate social responsibility is becoming an increasingly important topic in the tourism industry.
Forward-looking destination management concepts from selected regions will be presented at the ITB Berlin Destination Days. The ITB Business Travel Days will also be taking place on all three days of the convention. Workshops focusing on practical issues, podium discussions and keynotes will provide opportunities for exchanging opinion and furthering one’s knowledge on business travel and events. The Travel Technology Convention PhoCusWright@ITB focuses on the latest technology trends and the complex world of travel technology.
THE MEETING ARCHITECTURE MANIFESTO: EIBTM AND RTE BACK CALL FOR NEW MEETING MANAGEMENT DISCIPLINE
For the past year, Reed Travel Exhibitions have been part of a global group of respected meeting professionals working with Maarten Vanneste, CEO Abbit Meeting Support, to create “The Meeting Architecture Manifesto” – a call for a discipline around the content, design and format of meetings.
Meetings have taken place in Copenhagen, Denmark and California with over 30 leading players representing all sectors of the meetings industry. The meetings and discussions have resulted in the Manifesto – a focussed and innovative vision for the meetings industry.
The Manifesto calls for the establishment of the Meeting Architecture 2011 project to plan for the longer-term development and implementation of this new meeting management discipline.
Commenting on the initiative, Maarten Vanneste said: “This Meeting Manifesto aims to start a new era for the meetings industry, moving from a primary focus on hospitality and logistics towards designing, executing and measuring meeting contents and formats that has a purposeful impact on participants.
“By designing meetings to support information, Networking and Motivation objectives, participant behaviour will as a consequence provide more value for stakeholders.”
To download the Manifesto and/or to contribute to the development of this new discipline log onto www.meetingarchitecture.org.
The topic of Meetings Architecture will be discussed as part of the professional education programme at EIBTM, 1-3 December, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona. For further information on the event and to pre –register log onto www.eibtm.com
Sarawak Wins Bid to Host A Major Medical Conference in 2012
Kuching, Sarawak has won the right to host the prestigious Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) International Scientific Meeting in 2012. This will be the 10th since they started in 1990 and it is an honour that the 10th anniversary should be in Kuching. The three-day event is expected to generate a revenue of over RM2.7 million for the local hospitality and tourism sectors.
The winning bid is a credit to the collaborative efforts of the Malaysian team comprising of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia and the Sarawak Convention Bureau.
RCOG International Scientific Meeting 2012 will see the gathering of some 1,500 national and international participants at the new Borneo Convention Centre Kuching in early June 2012.
Dr. R. Gunasegaran, Chairman, Organising Committee RCOG 2012 and a past President of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM) said “This International scientific meeting will create an opportunity and platform for all of us to contribute and give to the people of Malaysia especially in Sarawak. This meeting also will have direct impact on the people at large, and the knowledge and skills will make their health better”.
“My committee and I know that the contrast between traditional and contemporary Sarawak will appeal to delegates who attend the scientific meeting. Kuching is a city on the move with a new international airport, State-of-the-Art convention centre and impressive new hotels,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mrs Jill Henry, CEO of the Sarawak Convention Bureau added “Winning this prestigious event will help add to the credibility of Sarawak as a new hub for medical association conventions. Our unique destination offers rainforest side by side with a booming export economy means that professional delegates will have a memorable and productive meeting.”
For the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia, organising large conferences is nothing new. The committee has successfully organised the FIGO 2006 World Congress in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in Kuala Lumpur and is looking forward to planning the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists International Scientific Meeting 2012 in Kuching, Sarawak.
WOMEN-ONLY ACCOMMODATION CONCEPTS TO GROW ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND
Women-only hotels are opening up across the Middle East as hoteliers capitalise on the region’s growing young female population, reveals the World Travel Market Global Trends Report 2009 today (Monday 9 November).
The concept of women-only hotels is an expansion of some operators, hoteliers and other suppliers offering single sex packages and products such as female floors in hotels and women-only tours.
The growing young and female population in the Middle East is encouraging suppliers to target this market with culturally acceptable and tailored concepts. Saudi Arabia is leading the way with the first women-only hotel, Luthan Hotel & Spa.
Egypt and Iran are also key target markets for female-only concepts especially with women accounting for almost half of the total population in 2008. In destinations such as these, where cultures are conservative, women-only concepts are likely to appeal to Middle-Eastern Women and Westerners, who want the additional reassurance, the World Travel Market Global Trends Report, in association with Euromonitor International, reveals.
The report predicts the concept could be broadened in appeal in less conservative destinations by linking it to health and wellness and including the spa element. Additional opportunities also lie in medical tourism as well as backpacking and adventure tourism for both regional tourists and Westerners in destinations such as Oman, Yemen, Jordan and Syria.
World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “It’s amazing to see new and innovative concepts rise up out of changing consumer trends. The women-only trend could really catch-on for many people who are travelling on business, looking for the health and wellness element or just want some time away from hectic lives balancing work and home lives.”
Euromonitor International Global Travel and Tourism Research Manager Caroline Bremner said: “Saudi Arabia has 30 million domestic tourists with women more likely to travel internally because of the perception of it being risky to travel alone as well as being frowned upon for religious and cultural reason.”
PRAGUE CONFERENCE DRAWS LEADERS IN GLOBAL BUSINESS TRAVEL
Alexandria, VA (6 November 2009) – The leaders in the global business travel industry came together in Prague, 25 -27 October for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) 2009 Global Education Conference. Titled, “Finding the Tailwinds to Lift a Global Industry,” the conference featured a corporate buyer percentage of 37%, with 97% of buyers holding the title of Manager or above. In addition participants represented over 40 countries worldwide.
“ACTE’s primary mission is to provide a platform for global and regional leaders to advance the industry through an exchange of knowledge,” said Richard Crum, ACTE President, “And, that is exactly what we saw in Prague – business travel executives from all over the world coming together to find new ways to improve their travel programs through new ideas and relationships.”
The over 800 registered attendees were able to participate in interactive educational sessions, learn from dynamic keynote presentations, share best practices with their peers during roundtable discussions, and engage in a wide range of networking opportunities aimed at senior-level business travel industry practitioners.
“During the current difficult economic times I personally feel that being part of professional association like ACTE is even more beneficial than ever before.” said Pascal Struyve, Global Travel, Fleet & Meeting Services Director, Ingersoll Rand Enterprise Services, “As we are all confronted with an environment which is new to us sharing best practice and solutions is key in demonstrating the added value the travel department can bring to an organization. Delivering efficient solutions fast has become the key and therefore learning from each other rather than inventing everything ourselves is important.”
“ACTE for me is a rich resource of information. The website is always up to date with the latest industry changes and challenges complete with white papers and benchmarking.” stated Richard Veenstra, Travel Manager, Tommy Hilfiger Europe B.V., “Furthermore you have the opportunity to meet the leading individuals in the travel industry during the ACTE Global Education Conferences.”
The association has 14 educational events scheduled for the remainder of 2009 and will post its 2010 global education calendar shortly. However, during the conference, ACTE did announce the dates and locations for their 2010 Global Education Conferences. The first will be in Chicago, Illinois, United States, 18-20 May. The second will be in Berlin, Germany, 3-5 October. For more information about ACTE’s global educational programmes please visit www.acte.org.
Leisure Visitors provide boost to London’s tourism
Despite this year’s difficult financial climate, Visit London reveals that leisure visitors to the capital are determined not to cut back on their holiday spend.
London’s museums, galleries and attractions felt the benefits from the buoyant leisure sector and witnessed an increase in visitor numbers of over 6% in September 2009 compared with the same period in 2008*. The main boost in September attendances came from paid-for attractions, where visits increased by 10.7%.
The Provisional International Passenger Survey (IPS) figures for Q2 also indicate that expenditure by all visitors was up by £2.1 billion, an increase of 3.1% on the previous year. It means that average visitor spend increased from £540 to £574. Travel expenditure among leisure visitors increased 44% in Q2 compared to the same period a year ago indicating that sterling’s depreciation has established London as a top-value destination.
The number of holiday visitors actually increased 6% in the quarter, continuing an upwards trend established in Q1. This means that holiday visitors now comprise 52% of the market (Q2 2008 47%).
Elsewhere, data from Visit London’s Hotel Development Monitor suggests that the accommodation sector is proving more resilient than initially thought.
The weaker pound allied to London’s world class status have combined to attract a greater proportion of leisure traffic to the Capital. As a result, demand for accommodation has effectively replaced the reduction in business-related room demand.
The report suggests that some of the gloomy forecasts have proved ill-founded. While some industry analysts were anticipating RevPar reductions as high as 40% for 2009, the resilience in the market has led to a considerably more modest reduction in the order of 9%.
Sally Chatterjee, Visit London Interim CEO commented
“This has been a challenging year but it is really encouraging to see that while times are tough, visitors do not want to hold back when it comes to their leisure time. London is a great value destination and visitors can enjoy all the free attractions on offer as well as paying to enjoy the capital’s incredible range of paid for attractions, hotels and restaurants.”
Confidence in Tourism Sector Gradually picking Up
Madrid, Spain, 6 November 2009 – The decline in international tourism may have started to bottom out, according to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals declined by 7% between January and August 2009, but the rate of decline has eased in the past few months. These results, as well as the most recent economic data, confirm UNWTO’s initial forecast of a 5% decline in international tourist arrivals for the full year 2009. For 2010, UNWTO expects a moderate growth.
DECLINE IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM EASING IN RECENT MONTHS
International tourist arrivals worldwide are estimated to have declined by 7% between January and August 2009. Destinations worldwide recorded a total of 600 million arrivals, down from 643 million in the same period of 2008.
Nevertheless, the downward trend that started in September last year may have begun to bottom out. Arrivals in the two high-season months of July and August declined by 3% compared with a decrease of 8% in the first half of the year, and data available for September points to a continuation of this upward trend.
The UNWTO Confidence Index is also improving after two periods at a historic low. The more than 330 experts surveyed worldwide by UNWTO confirm that confidence is picking up. In the latest survey, the percentage of experts with a negative outlook for the next four months has decreased from 62% to 42% while, for 30% of experts, prospects are ‘equal’, and for 28% they are ‘better’ or ‘much better’.
“Throughout this year, the world’s tourism industry was faced with a large number of challenges, led by the global economic crisis, the credit crunch and rising unemployment, not to mention the influenza pandemic. Seldom in recorded tourism history has the industry had to contend with so many different issues at the same time,” said UNWTO Secretary-General a.i. Taleb Rifai. “However, the negative trend that emerged during the second half of 2008 and intensified in 2009 is starting to show signs of receding,” he added.
TOURISM EARNINGS SUFFER SOMEWHAT MORE THAN ARRIVALS
Within the aim of offering closer market monitoring during these challenging times, this is the first time UNWTO presents an estimate on international tourism receipts for the current year.
As experienced in previous crises, tourism earnings have suffered somewhat more than arrivals as consumers tend to trade down, stay closer to home and travel for shorter periods of time. Receipts from international tourism are estimated to have contracted in real terms by 9% to 10% in the first six months of 2009, i.e. 1 to 2 percentage points below the decline in international arrivals during that period (-8%).
REGIONAL PANORAMA
Results for the first eight months of 2009 show that international tourist arrivals declined in all world regions, except in Africa, which bucked the global trend. Europe, the Middle East and the Americas were the hardest hit:
- In Europe (-8%), destinations in Central and Eastern Europe were the most affected, but results for all other subregions were close to the average.
- Asia and the Pacific (-5%) shows the clearest signs of improvement with growth already positive in August driven by the encouraging results of North-East Asia.
- In the Americas (-7%) there are still no clear signs of a reversal in the current decline trend. Growth continued to be fairly negative during the second quarter as well as in the months of July and August. South America has shown the best performance so far (-1%).
- The Middle East (-8%), though still well down on the growth levels of previous years, already saw a shift to positive growth between June and September (data for the region is fairly volatile due to the influence of major religious events in tourism flows).
- Africa’s growth (+4%) was very positive given the current difficult environment.
MODERATE RECOVERY FORECAST FOR 2010
The softening in the rate of decline seen in the last months is expected to continue during the remainder of the year. As this is in line with the UNWTO’s initial projection, for the full year the forecast for international tourist arrivals is maintained at between -6% to -4%.
Given the high level of correlation between arrivals’ and receipts’ growth, for the whole of 2009 receipts are expected to decrease by 6 to 8%.
UNWTO’s initial forecast for 2010 indicates that international tourist arrivals are likely to witness a moderate recovery next year, with growth at +1% to +3%. This outlook reflects the gradual improvement of international tourism figures in recent months, as well as the better-than-expected economic indicators in some major source markets.
Asia will show the strongest rebound, while Europe and the Americas will probably take longer to recover. Africa is forecast to continue in positive territory as in 2009, with an extra boost from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Growth is also expected to return to the Middle East.
The end of the recession in a number of key markets is welcome news. But 2010 will still be a difficult year. The risks associated with the A(H1N1) influenza virus remain on the horizon and the pace of economic recovery is expected to be modest. The IMF projects economic growth worldwide at +3.1%, but this will still be fairly sluggish for advanced economies (+1.3%) and stronger for emerging ones (+5.1%). Unemployment, as a lagging indicator, is still expected to increase in many countries this year and throughout 2010. Stimulus measures are likely to be phased out and, in a number of advanced economies, potential increases in taxation may put extra pressure on household budgets. On the positive side, consumer confidence is giving signs of picking up, and interest rates and inflation are expected to remain at low levels.
What Trends Will Emerge Over The Next 30 Years Of Travel?
Underwater travel and portable hotels are predicted by senior industry figures.
World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is this year celebrating its 30th event.
The industry has changed dramatically since World Travel Market first opened its doors way back in 1980, and its set to evolve at an even quicker pace over the next 30 years.
World Travel has asked some of the worldwide travel industry’s most senior executives to predict the next three decades of the travel and tourism industry.
Here they predict a number of trends for the next three decades, which include underwater travel, portable hotels, home stays and sports tourism.
South African Tourism Chief Operating Officer and Acting Chief Executive Didi Moyle said: “Sports tourism will play a major role over the next 30 years. One of our objectives is to secure major sporting events post the 2010 football World Cup.
“This is aimed at attracting tourists all year round, increasing arrivals, spend, GDP and improving the lives of all South Africans.”
Brazil’s largest travel agent CVC Group founder and Chairman Guilherme Paulus added: “In the long-term tourism is one of the biggest potential growth areas for the Brazilian economy. Hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup will help both the tourism industry and the economy as a whole.”
World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery agreed: “Sports tourism is now really taking off and in the next 30 years I believe we will see this sector aggressively marketed.”
Sweden’s leading upmarket tour operator Select World Travel founder and Chief Executive Leila Graf said: “Authentic luxury will be a trend of the next 30 years where the destination is experienced for real.
“Some international luxury hotels have already adopted this philosophy, for example recruiting their chef from the simplest local restaurant rather than a renowned Michelin starred establishment.”
UK’s leading self-catering specialist Hoseasons Chief Executive Richard Carrick predicted: “There will be more collapses and consolidations. The nature of the competition will also change. The most telling thing is that it will become more expensive and difficult to get the customer at the right time.”
Thomas Cook Chief Executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: “I’d like to see the technology developed which would allow us to see the beautiful worlds beneath the sea. There’s a whole world largely unexplored under water, just think of the opportunities that would open up.
Caribbean Tourism Organization UK and Europe Marketing Director Carol Hay revealed: “Home stay is something that we are looking to expand over the next 30 years. We want to encourage locals to open up their homes for visitors, as it will be great for the local economy and should appeal to ethically-minded travellers.
World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “Hotels could be temporary, licensed, prefabricated, self-sustaining and easily transportable, erected on sites where establishing a traditional holiday resort would be environmentally unacceptable and perhaps, even politically.”
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts President Onno Poortier added: “In 30 years times above all else guests will be looking for more personal attention and recognition.”
Marriott International President and Managing Director Ed Fuller agreed: “Holidaymakers will be more demanding of the services they are offered, they will want hotel experiences to be more tailored to their interests and will want the latest technology to be readily accessible.”
Cunard Managing Director Carol Marlow said: “We will continue to make sure cruising offers better value for money than land-based packages. Some prices may even come down as cruise companies look to drive volumes, which will increase the value even more.”
Italy’s largest tour operator Alpitour World President John Winteler suggested: “There will be an increase in market niches, which will lead to more customisation and the development of many new different types of tourism.”
Travel industry IT provider Amadeus Vice President Global Sales Development EMEA Julia Sattell said a common platform for all airline was the company’s long-term goal.
“The idea is to develop a common IT platform for our airline customers to use. An airline can suggest a new feature, and if other airlines using the feature are interested we will add it, with the development costs shared by the community.
“It might appear as if competitors are sharing their ideas with each other, but the airline industry is about getting passengers from A to B, and not about developing technology your rivals do not have.”
KEEPING LUXURY RELEVANT – SHAPING THE FUTURE OF LUXURY TRAVEL
A who’s who of the luxury travel market join ILTM in Cannes
Keynote address by Apollo astronaut Dr Buzz Aldrin
New initiatives in ILTM Ultratravel Forum and ILTM ultra.travel Awards
‘Keeping Luxury Relevant’ and ‘The Future of Luxury Travel’ are the key themes the world of luxury travel will be tackling at this year’s ILTM in Cannes 7-10 December 2009.
Now in its eighth year, ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market – www.iltm.net) has attracted a who’s who of the industry.
ILTM Ultratravel Forum
The event, having assembled the world’s definitive collection of luxury experiences and prestigious luxury travel products, has brought together a heavyweight panel of the industry’s movers and shakers to discuss the event’s two key themes.
Sitting on the two panels at the ILTM Ultratravel Forum will be:
Paul Jones, President One & Only Hotels and Resorts
Katie Taylor, President and COO Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Brett Butcher, CEO Langham Hotels
John Gianquitto, Chairman and Chief Executive The Appointment Group
Sonu Shivdasani, CEO Six Senses Resort and Spa
Amerigo Perasso, President and COO Silversea Cruises
Glen Pushelberg, YabuPushelberg
Tom Storey, President Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Tom Shelley, Vice President Marketing Space Adventures
Tom Marchant, Director & Co Founder Black Tomato
Melissa Biggs Bradley, Founder and CEO Indagare Travel Inc.
Andrés Ergas, President Nomads of the Seas
Guy Crawford, CEO Jumeirah Group
Kristi Jones, President Virtuoso,
Daniel Levine, Founder & Executive Director The Avant-Guide Institute
Jennifer Fox, Chief Operating Officer – Europe InterContinental Hotels Group.
Keynote address: Apollo 11 Astronaut, Dr Buzz Aldrin – together with Neil Armstrong the first humans to set foot on the Moon in 1969 – will be delivering ILTM’s keynote address at the Forum.
“We are absolutely delighted that Dr Buzz Aldrin, an icon of the golden age of space travel, will be reminiscing on his experiences with Apollo and his moonwalk whilst looking ahead to the future of space travel.
“It is also particularly pleasing that ILTM has attracted such a prestigious panel that represents a cross section of the international luxury travel market. It is rare to bring together in one place on one stage such a distinguished group of industry leaders,” said Debbie Joslin, Group Exhibition Director ILTM.
Inaugural ILTM ultra.travel Awards
The ILTM Ultratravel Forum will be followed by the inaugural ILTM ultra.travel Awards recognising the best luxury travel experiences from around the world, as voted for by the users of luxury travel community www.ultra.travel and the participants of International Luxury Travel Market www.iltm.net. Voting for the five awards is still open at www.iltm.com/ultratravelawards and will close on 30th October.
The event looks forward to once again showcasing a variety of the most prestigious luxury travel products and services to the most discerning international luxury travel buyers – confirming the importance the event plays in the luxury travel market calendar.
For further information on ILTM visit www.iltm.net
