WorldNomads.com free iPhone and iPod Touch Language Guides
August 31, 2009
The WorldNomads.com free iPhone and iPod Touch language guides have been a HUGE hit with travelers all over the world, with over 610,000 downloads from iTunes in the 9 months since launch! Now the media loves them too. This week the language guides were voted ŒBest Freebie¹ by MSNBC!
Available in 22 languages including Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, Thai and Turkish (see Worldnomads.com for a full list and details) each guide includes a few dozen basic travel phrases organized by category (such as ‘transport’, ‘food & eating’ and ‘directions’). Tap a category, select a phrase and a native speaker pronounces the phrase. As the MSNBC reviews says “a high-end feature we’re surprised to find in a free app.” For the full review see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32464923/ns/travel-tips/
World Nomads has always taken a different approach to travel insurance by providing not just great insurance coverage and travel safety services, but also other tools to keep you traveling safely. This includes free online travel journals, travel scholarships, competitions, and a monthly e-newsletter with safety articles, safety advice and tips, and destination of the month spotlights (for this month’s newsletter http://tinyurl.com/lhj7bx).
To learn more about WorldNomads.com visit: http://worldnomads.com
For more on World Nomads Language Guides, visit: http://journals.worldnomads.com/language-guides/
The First World Masters Rowing Competition to be Held in Finland in July 2010
August 28, 2009
Sulkava, Finland plays host to the world event from July 8-11, 2010. Open to national and club teams from all over the world and using the distinctive Finnish “churchboats,” the competition will be held on Lake Saimaa, the largest of Finland’s 200,000 lakes and the fourth largest lake in Europe.
The competition will feature two events: a short race of 2,000 meters in front of the Sulkava Rowing Stadium and a long race of 60 kilometers around Partala Island, the largest island in Lake Saimaa. The competition will be held jointly with Finland´s largest rowing event, the Sulkava Rowing Race, which has 8,000 participants annually.
The World Masters Rowing Competition will be run with traditional Finnish 12-meter wooden churchboats which have sliding benches and 14 oars. “Churchboats” are long rowing boats, sometimes called Sulkava boats or Viking boats, which the Finnish people once used to travel to holy mass on Sundays and were based on models from Viking days.
The church has required maintenance of the boats since the Reformation in the seventh century.
The Masters in Rowing is open to national and club teams from all around the world. Each crew consists of 14 rowers and a coxswain, with single-sex or mixed-sex crews. The first three crews will be awarded medals, diplomas, and a cash prize. The organizers offer a variety of packages for accommodations, transportation, and other services. Between races, teams enjoy the region’s nature and culture and indulge in the renowned Finnish sauna.
For more information about World Master Rowing 2010 visit www.wmrowing-sulkava.fi
Coastal Tourism Executives & Experts to Gather at Stanford University For First-ever Innovator’s Symposium
August 28, 2009
(Standford, Calif.) — Over one hundred innovators in coastal and marine tourism development will gather at Stanford University from January 20-22, 2010 for a first-ever Executive Symposium. They include the ‘thought-leaders’ and pioneers who are breaking the mold of cookie-cutter hotels and vacation homes, and forging new, sustainable, approaches to coastal tourism development. The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) and the Center for Global Business at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business will bring together the executives behind the development of responsible resorts, vacation homes, marinas, golf courses, and other tourism facilities and activities. Together with Stanford faculty and a range of other experts, they will explore ways to overcome the barriers that are preventing sustainable design from becoming standard practice. Particular attention will be paid to the impacts of both climate change and the global economic crisis on coastal tourism projects.
Over the last decade, the rapid pace of resort and vacation home developments, particularly along coastlines and on islands within a day’s reach of the North American market, has contributed to a variety of environmental and social problems. With a geographic focus of coastal areas in the Americas, the Symposium will facilitate dialogue among ‘green’ developers and financiers. They will discuss the main obstacles and challenges they are facing, give a voice to leading experts in social and environmental sustainability, and help solidify the participating innovators into a more cohesive network.
“Through our research and field projects on coastal and cruise tourism, CREST has identified a growing number of developers, hoteliers, financiers, architects, and others tourism executives who are on the cutting edge of green design and social responsibility. This Symposium seeks to bring them together in an intimate professional setting, designed to facilitate frank dialogue and cross-pollination of ideas,” explains Dr. William H. Durham, CREST Co-Director and Bing Professor in Human Biology at Stanford University.
Registration for the Symposium is now open. For more information and to register, please visit www.crestconference.org.
About the organizers:
Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is a policy-oriented research institute affiliated with Stanford University. It is committed to using tourism as a tool for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation. CREST’s network of experts provides interdisciplinary analysis and innovative solutions through consultancies, research and field projects, publications, conferences and courses. Core programs include Coastal and Marine Tourism, market Research, Travelers’ Philanthropy, Ecotourism and Certification.
An official invitation committee is organizing speakers and participants for the Innovator’s Symposium. The committee includes: David Sklar, CEO and visionary behind Star Island, The Bahamas; Antonio Pares, designer and principal, Mithun Architecture, San Francisco and Seattle; Mark Spalding, President, Ocean Foundation and its Resort Partnership Funds; Roger Lang, President Sun Ranch Group, and Founder, Sun Ranch Institute; William Barnett, the Siebel Professor in Business Leadership, Strategy, & Organizations, Stanford GSB.
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Contact: David Krantz
Phone: +1 (202) 347-9203 ext 417
Email: dkrantz@responsibletravel.org
Teva/ATTA Partnership Highlighted in Brandweek
August 28, 2009
The new Tour Operator Scholarship Program was recently highlighted in an article in Brandweek. Read more: Teva Gets in Touch With ‘The Naturist’
ATTA President Quoted on www.WorldChanging.com
August 28, 2009
ATTA President Shannon Stowell was quoted from his speech at the Vacation Matters Summit in Seattle. Read the article: See it Before it Disappears: Reconciling and Regulating Disaster Tourism
First ISO Adventure Tourism Working Group Meeting Set for October 23, Adjacent to 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit in Québec, Canada
August 26, 2009
Summit Gains Traction as Organizers Schedule Around ATTA’s Annual Conference
(SEATTLE) – Led by two authoritative standards organizations – Brazil’s Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT) and the United Kingdom’s BSI, endorsed by the global Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and backed by a 27-country ISO vote, the newly formed ISO Adventure Tourism Working Group (ISO TC 228) has scheduled its first meeting adjacent to the 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit October 19-22 in Charlevoix, Québec, Canada.
The ISO group’s October 23rd meeting coincides with other specialized tourism entities that are scheduling meetings and events throughout the ATTA’s annual fall Summit. For 2009, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), VAST (Virtuoso Active & Specialty Travel), ABETA – the Adventure and Ecotourism Association of Brazil, and Trusted Adventures, a collection of U.S.-based tour operators, each will collaborate with the ATTA in assembling co-located meetings and activities. Increasingly, the ATTA is fielding special requests for Summit adjacency meetings so that complementary organizations may take advantage of the annual assembly of hundreds of adventure tourism industry professionals.
Created as a forum to discuss and establish standards to key issues that affect tourism industry competitiveness and development in the long term, the ISO TC 228, together with the Brazilian and U.K. standards organizations, invite delegates and experts from all over the world to contribute to this meeting. It is the first time that “Adventure Tourism” is being recognized by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization – www.iso.org), the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards.
Global standardization in the field of adventure tourism is designed to promote good practices and improve the quality, safety and services within the adventure tourism sector. In recent years, many different countries have developed various initiatives to organize and develop standards for adventure tourism. The very existence of the multiplicity of solutions in the global market led to broad industry support for the pursuit of consensus-based International Standards.
Proposed by the national standards bodies (NSBs) of Brazil and the United Kingdom (ABNT & BSI), the new Working Group on Adventure Tourism will focus on developing working plans that lead to three new areas of International Standards including:
- Safety management requirements (including a glossary of terms),
- Leader/guide competence/cies, and
- Minimum information provided to clients.
In addition to Summit delegates, countries forming the TC228 will invite their respective experts and delegates to the inaugural meeting. The overall approach proposed for this new standard has the potential to lead to improved coordination and enhancement of the application of standards for specific activities in each country through the provision of a common, fundamental approach to risk assessment and management. Lead NSBs include: ABNT – the Brazilian Standardization Body, responsible for the development of the Brazilian national standards and responsible for represent Brazil at the international level in regional and global standardization discussions; and BSI – a U.K.-based global independent business services organization providing standard-based solutions in more than 120 countries.
To align expectations from all participants, the ISO TC 228 is beginning to establish the meeting agenda with all the stakeholders For more information about the ISO TC 228 Adventure Tourism Working Group meeting, contact Janaina Zonzin, ABETA Public Relations Coordinator, 55 31 3261 5707, janaina@abeta.com.br.
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About the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO, the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards, is a network of the national standards institutes of 162 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. Therefore, ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society.
About the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA): Established in 1990, the ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive trade conferences, the ATTA also makes possible www.Adventure.Travel, the traveler’s hub of physical, cultural and nature-based adventure travel and guide to trusted tour operators from around the globe.
Eddie Bauer Sponsors Adventure Travel Trade Association, 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit
August 25, 2009
(SEATTLE) – (August 24, 2009) – Forty-six years ago, Jim Whittaker, donning Eddie Bauer mountaineering gear, became the first American to summit Mount Everest.
Today, Eddie Bauer is in the midst of its significant launch of a new adventure and mountaineering gear and apparel line. To reclaim its mountaineering heritage, Eddie Bauer has launched major promotional efforts, including a year-long Key Sponsorship of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and its 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS).
Cooperative marketing exchanges are central to the Eddie Bauer-ATTA agreement, which includes financial backing for the ATTA and cross-promotion. The partnership provides Eddie Bauer with branding exposure and direct access to the association’s trade network, which includes hundreds of outfitters and agents worldwide who serve millions of adventure travelers annually.
For its part, the ATTA receives branding exposure for its consumer initiatives such as www.adventure.travel within the retailer’s print and online distribution channels. The exposure includes Adventure.Travel exposure in Eddie Bauer’s fall 2009 catalog, which is distributed to more than 2.1 million households.
In support of the ATTA’s October 19-22, 2009 ATWS in Charlevoix, Quebec Province, Canada, Eddie Bauer is the presenting sponsor of the ATWS opening Day of Adventure on Oct. 19 ahead of the event’s opening ceremonies. ATTA’s Summit Day of Adventures, presented annually, sees hundreds of Summit delegates participating in physical, cultural and nature-based adventures. In addition to brand exposure, Eddie Bauer will deliver product demonstrations and give away First Ascent and Eddie Bauer product to the hundreds of adventure travel industry professionals attending the ATTA’s global conference.
In a bold return to its heritage, Eddie Bauer recently partnered with a highly accomplished group of mountaineers to build a new line of outerwear and gear called First Ascent. First Ascent combines Eddie Bauer’s legacy as the original expedition outfitter with the expertise of some of today’s most renowned mountain guides and climbers, including Everest veterans Peter Whittaker, Ed Viesturs and Dave Hahn.
“Eddie was an authentic adventurer. A champion of many adventurous pursuits, he also outfitted everyone from world-class mountaineers to archaeologists on major expeditions around the world,” said Eddie Bauer President and Chief Executive Officer Neil Fiske. “With the launch of our new First Ascent line of gear, we return to our roots as a premier adventure outfitter.”
The First Ascent Guide Team is led by Peter Whittaker, son of acclaimed mountaineer Lou Whittaker and nephew of Jim Whittaker. Also part of the team is Emeritus ATTA Advisory Board Member Ed Viesturs, the only American to summit all fourteen 8000-meter peaks without bottled oxygen, and Dave Hahn, who has summited Everest eleven times, more than any non-Sherpa. Joining Whittaker, Viesturs and Hahn are three accomplished guides from Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI).
“ATTA’s leadership brings more than 40 years of experience from within the outdoor industry, including years of direct experience with Eddie Bauer, Ed Viesturs and Jim Whittaker,” said ATTA President Mr. Shannon Stowell. “The integrity of the Eddie Bauer brand, its leadership and deep connection to worldwide travel, adventure and mountaineering, combined with its support of guides and travelers, makes this a promising partnership.”
Prominent active gear brands including ExOfficio, Eagle Creek, Teva, Keen and Osprey in recent years have stepped up efforts to harness the influence and market potential of the adventure tourism sector. Outdoor and adventure travel segment collaboration is designed to provide productive cross-selling environments for retailers, manufacturers and travel companies, which, in the end, brings more value to our businesses, outdoor enthusiasts and travelers.
Forthcoming efforts to back the strategic alignment of the outdoor and adventure travel industries includes the first ever dedicated adventure travel presence within the Nielsen Business Media Sports Group (NBM). At NBM’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in 2010 the ATTA will introduce and establish innovative adventure travel-oriented conference content, exhibitions and sponsorship initiatives.
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About Eddie Bauer
Established in 1920 in Seattle, Eddie Bauer is a specialty retailer that sells outerwear, apparel and accessories for the active outdoor lifestyle. The Eddie Bauer brand is a nationally recognized brand that stands for high quality, innovation, style and customer service. Eddie Bauer products are available at approximately 370 stores throughout the United States and Canada, through catalog sales and online at www.eddiebauer.com. Eddie Bauer participates in a joint venture in Japan and has licensing agreements across a variety of product categories.
About the Adventure Travel Trade Association
Established in 1990, the Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive trade conferences (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com), the ATTA also makes possible www.Adventure.Travel, the traveler’s hub of physical, cultural and nature-based adventure travel and guide to trusted tour operators from around the globe.
TIES Joins the ATTA’s 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit to Co-Lead Sustainable Tourism Trade Forums
August 25, 2009
(SEATTLE) – (August 25, 2009) – Two newly featured forums scheduled for the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit, both addressing sustainable tourism, will gain heightened conservation expertise and perspectives through the first-time conference collaboration between the ATTA and The International Ecotourism Society (TIES).
ATTA and TIES, which for years have together explored common interests in promoting responsible tourism and sustainable practices, are co-developing and will co-lead the Meeting of the Minds and Collaborative Learning interactive forums. The ATTA’s trade-only Adventure Travel World Summit is set for October 19-22 in Charlevoix, Québec Province, Canada.
“Tackling matters such as sustainable tourism requires the best minds,” said ATTA President Shannon Stowell. “The Summit offers a timely and high quality setting to join minds, debate openly, share resources, bring common visions together, and to ensure these discussions continue long after conference. With the ATTA and TIES collaborating, we’ve got an incredible opportunity to create the perfect forum for the subject.”
ATTA and TIES guided, the two-part Meeting of the Minds “Sustainability” forums will address key challenges and opportunities concerning a variety of topics (e.g., carbon offsets, voluntourism, education, outreach, training, etc.) brought forth by the global adventure travel industry for collective brainstorming, dialogue and debate. Whereas the Meeting of the Minds “think-tank” forums will focus on broad industry matters, the two Collaborative Learning “Sustainable Tourism in Emerging Destinations” forums will provide delegates the chance to share and explore their own real-world case studies to build understanding, to gain practical tools, insights and action plans for organizational implementation.
“Participating in the ATTA’s Adventure Travel World Summit is a great opportunity for our two organizations to visibly convey our shared interests in sustainability initiatives,” said TIES Chair Dr. Kelly Bricker. “We’re thrilled to represent TIES global network at the Summit, where sustainability is at the forefront of innovative and interactive discussions. TIES will be able to contribute to and help strengthen the industry-wide efforts to mainstream sustainability through education, collaboration and proactive outreach.”
Others actively contributing sustainability expertise to these forums include;
- Dr. Rachel Dodds – Icarus Foundation
- Richard Edwards – Planeterra
- Megan Epler Wood – EplerWood International
- Sarah Fazendin – The Fazendin Portfolio
- Christina Heyniger – Xola Consulting
- Nadia LeBon – Mountain Lodges of Peru
- Brad Nahill – SEE Turtles
- Wallace J Nichols – OceanRevolution.org
- Daniella Ruby Papi – PepyRide
- Valere Tjolle – VISION on Sustainable Tourism
Adventure Travel World Summit sponsors include: Host Destination Tourisme Québec and Aventure Ecotourisme Québec; Major Sponsors ExOfficio and Men’s Journal; and Key Sponsors Alpine Tourist Commission, Archaeology Magazine, Best of the Alps, Brazil, Tourism Promotion Corporation of Chile, Eddie Bauer, Innovation Norway, and National Geographic Adventure. Summit registration: www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com.
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About The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) (www.ecotourism.org) is a non-profit association committed to promoting ecotourism, which is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people” (TIES, 1990), through outreach, education, and collaboration. TIES’ global network supports and is supported by members from over 90 countries, who are leading the vital efforts to make travel and tourism more sustainable. A global source of knowledge and advocacy, TIES’ Your Travel Choice Blog (www.yourtravelchoice.org) offers an interactive platform to engage, educate and inspire everyone to make travel choices that make a difference.
About the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)
Established in 1990, the ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive trade conferences, the ATTA also makes possible www.Adventure.Travel, the traveler’s hub of physical, cultural and nature-based adventure travel and guide to trusted tour operators from around the globe.
ATTA & Teva Partnership Highlighted in FOX Business
August 21, 2009
Click here to read the story on FOX Business.
PEAK 15 Releases First Tour Operator Software to Incorporate Microsoft Dynamics CRM
August 21, 2009
CARLSBAD, CA —PEAK 15 Systems, Inc. today released the first software application for tour operators, outfitters and travel suppliers to include the world-class customer relationship management tools of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. PEAK 15 Version 4 brings together the trip planning tools and Intuit QuickBooks accounting integration in earlier versions of the web-based service with Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s customer management and marketing tools—all while delivering an unprecedented level of flexibility and affordability.
“I believe the adage that travel transforms lives,” said James O’Leonard, CEO at PEAK 15 Systems. “Similarly, PEAK 15 Version 4 is transforming the travel industry by offering tour operators, outfitters and travel suppliers the flexible and affordable tools they need to succeed. We are thrilled that more than one hundred companies of all types and sizes are already using PEAK 15 today to increase sales, save time and make better decisions.”
Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s customer relationship management platform provides PEAK 15 with the familiar Microsoft Office Outlook interface, tight integration with Microsoft Office Word and Excel, and the flexibility to be tailored to the unique needs of each customer.
“No two businesses are alike, in any industry,” said Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM at Microsoft. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM is designed to allow our partners and customers to adapt CRM to their industries, business processes, and their other mission critical systems with point-and-click configuration – a simple idea that has been out of reach for most organizations. We are excited to be working with partners like PEAK 15 to create productivity gains and business efficiencies for the travel industry at a time when it is needed most.”
PEAK 15 Version 4 was made available earlier this year to a select group of companies including Austin Lehman Adventures and Geographic Expeditions, #1 and #8 respectively on Travel & Leisure Magazine’s 2009 Worlds Best Tour Operator list.
“Austin Lehman Adventures has long been known for our incredible trips and customer service but the current economy has left everyone in the industry with a heightened awareness of the importance of marketing and sales,” said Dan Austin, Director at Austin Lehman Adventures. “PEAK 15 Version 4 has helped us understand our existing clients better, attract new clients and serve them all more effectively.”
“Fifteen years ago, Geographic Expeditions envisioned a system that would integrate all the back office, marketing, sales and financial information that is the life blood of our business …the holy grail for the travel industry,” said James Sano, President of Geographic Expeditions. “PEAK 15 Version 4 has made that vision a reality.”
PEAK 15 Version 4.0 is currently available in Entry Edition and Standard Edition and starts at $99 per user per month with no setup fees. Companies can visit www.peak15systems.com for more information and to request a personalized, guided tour.
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Founded in 2005, PEAK 15 Systems, Inc. provides tour operators, outfitters and travel suppliers with integrated trip planning, marketing, booking/reservations, operations and accounting automation as an easy-to-use and affordable online service. PEAK 15 Systems is a Registered Microsoft Partner and member of the Microsoft Startup Accelerator Program, which identifies high-potential startups developing software on the Microsoft platform and fosters their success. PEAK 15 is also a founding member of the Open Travel Alliance Tour Operator Working Group (www.opentravel.org), which develops technical standards to allow Tour Operators to participate in the global online travel ecosystem.
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