Middle East
ATTA Etches ‘Triple Win’ for Partners in ‘Brand FAM’
June 19, 2013
A Tri-Partner FAM experiment aims to bring multiple wins to all involved Notes from the Field by Kristen Gill, award-winning travel writer & photographer. Having spent some time lately in the Middle East, she now prefers camels to cars. The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) recently facilitated a joint partnership between Columbia Sportswear and the Jordan Tourism Board which resulted in The Jordan Expedition, a challenging 10 day itinerary in May which hosted select members of outdoor media to test out Columbia’s new line of gear and to learn about adventure travel opportunities in the destination. Their joint goal was to provide fresh and exciting content for journalists, leading to visually rich media hits online, enhanced relationships, and more personalized social reviews. Janine Jervis, Marketing and Communications Manager for Jordan Tourism Board, North America, worked closely with Andy Nordhoff, Public Relations Manager for Columbia Sportswear, to plan... Read More →
By the NumbersSpain, France, Australia & Cuba Arrivals Strong; Egypt & Greece Continue to be Popular
February 19, 2013
Outbound British visitors continue to favor European destinations, with Spain in the lead, and are making the most of decreased airfares to America, giving the U.S. a small inbound boost. The British also remain interested in Greek and Egyptian holidays, despite the bumpy fiscal and political environments in those destinations. Meanwhile, Australian inbound tourism has been buoyed by a 14 percent increase in overseas visitation from China since November 2012. The bump is due to increased flight routes and capacity to Shanghai, illustrating the power that infrastructure towards inbound Chinese tourism can make. China now represents Australia’s third largest market, after New Zealand and the United Kingdom. While shifting their destination marketing to online channels and putting more funds toward marketing to Asia, authorities in Australia stated they plan to maintain a “balanced” marketing plan, including improvements in marketing towards the youth market, which... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Domestic Tourism Keeping Egypt’s Industry Afloat; Radicals Threaten Antiquities
December 5, 2012
Photo: Some rights reserved by S J Pinkney / Flickr According to a recent Reuters article on Al Arabiya News, before the Arab spring events of early 2011, more than 10 percent of Egypt’s GDP came from the tourism industry. Civil unrest has remained sporadic, resulting in little to no rebound in the almost 4.7 million international visitor decrease since the political stress began. However, domestic tourism has recently been a more reliable source of income – while domestic tourists spend less overall, they’re traveling in greater numbers due to higher flight costs internationally and struggles to get foreign visas. Local industry operators were quoted in the article with debating viewpoints on which type of tourist is better for the industry, but the consensus was that local travelers are providing a necessary lifeline while international tourists stay away. Meanwhile, even as the Egyptian Tourist Association is striving to bring back foreign tourists, another article... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Jordan’s Surprise Luxury Tourism Trend
November 14, 2012
Despite the recent regional turbulence of the Arab Spring, Jordan has seen increases in its luxury travel market in the last two years, according to a recent Forbes.com article by Joseph Reaney. Reaney asserts that both private and government forces are working in concert to boost this sector of tourism while downplaying “mass appeal” “Jordan doesn’t wish to be a volume-driven attraction like Egypt,” says Sean Cullen, director of sales and marketing at Mövenpick Resort Petra, a luxury resort located near the entrance of Petra. “It’s an exclusive destination. The current visitor profile is over 40, financially sound, widely traveled, interested in history and culture, and seeking out a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Multiple high-end multi-national hotel and transportation chains have been increasing their development in Jordan, and the government has supported both luxury and ecotourism expansion via financing and legislation: More than $30 million has been... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
UAE Looks to Gain Major Boost as Global Tour Operators Look to Off-set Losses from ‘Arab Spring’ Movements
December 13, 2011
Thomas Cook, Europe’s second-largest tour operator, will bolster its tour offerings to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2012 to try and offset almost £20m in losses after it had to cancel trips to Egypt and Tunisia in response to the unrest caused by the Arab Spring – a move likely to be echoed by other major industry players, according to an article by Shane McGinley in ArabianBusiness.com. Egypt alone had previously accounted for seven percent of Thomas Cook’s profit, and the company had to obtain a rescue loan due to assisting vacationers affected by the events. McGinley elaborated on the toll in the region: The Arab Spring has taken a toll on tourism in cash-strapped nations from Jordan and Egypt to Morocco and Tunisia, costing the region more than $7bn, according to the Arab Tourism Organization in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia… Tourist arrivals to the Middle East are predicted to fall six percent across 2011 due to the impact of regional political unrest, the World Travel... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Middle Eastern Travel Growing Stronger, IATA Reports
October 11, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has issued a report around the growth of Middle Eastern aviation market share, published here as it is of interest to our members in terms of global travel trends and shifts. Investment in Middle East infrastructure has proved a wise decision, with the region’s global aviation market share growing from 4% to 11% in the past decade. That figure is likely to rise given that the region is spending some $200 billion on new aircraft in the next 15 years. About $100 billion has been committed to airport expansion. Dubai has become the figurehead for the region’s progress. Aside from Dubai International, the emirate has opened Dubai World Central, which will become the world’s largest airport, ultimately handling 160 million passengers a year and 12 million tonnes of cargo. “If London Heathrow had a third runway, would we have seen the BA-Iberia merger?” asks Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “We... Read More →
By the Numbers
Tourists from Mideast, Europe Are Crowding into Turkey
September 15, 2011
Inbound Turkish tourism is undergoing a major boom, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Joe Parkinson, due to the country’s weak currency and its stability compared to neighboring countries in the region, which have been economically disturbed by various forms of political unrest. Istanbul hotels are reporting the highest occupancy in all of Europe, and many conference halls and beach resorts are booked between one and two years out. The latest data on Turkey’s $25 billion tourism industry show the number of tourists—local and foreign—increased by almost 11% in the first seven months of this year compared with the same period in 2010, according to the Ministry of Tourism. And 2010 was a bumper year. The visitors include record numbers arriving from Europe and the Mideast. The crowds are bringing with them a welcome injection of foreign currency. A heavy increase of Middle Eastern tourists has also been noted, with Iran falling close behind Germany and the... Read More →
Members "In the News"
An Unexpected Friday in Iraqi Kurdistan
August 12, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article from Iraq-Business News features member Kurdistan Adventures and is re-published here with their permission. It’s early Friday morning and I’m in a SUV travelling from Sulymaniya to the picturesque border town of Ahmad Awa. But it’s not the SUV I expected to find myself in when I first visited Iraq, or more accurately the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The only green I see is the grass covered mountains we’re slowly winding up into. The only gun in sight is on a t-shirt of the young driver, also in charge of the music and obviously a fan of American rap. The only helmet I can see dangles unused from the handlebars of a local boy’s bike, who has been playing tag with our vehicle and waving to us. I’m in Kurdistan, northern Iraq and I am off to a barbecue. Every weekend, thousands of people jump in their vehicles, pile their picnic gear in the back and head up into the mountains for food, music, dancing and sheesha. The locals are... Read More →
Member Press Releases
VolunTourism Jordan Workshops and Familiarization Experiences Wrap-Up in Amman
July 26, 2011
Following a set of workshops and familiarization experiences in the North (Ajloun) and in the South (Petra) of Jordan, the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) concluded a three-part educational series on its most recent initiative – - VolunTourism Jordan – - for tour operators, community-based organizations (CBOs) and NGOs in Amman this past weekend. On Saturday morning, JITOA Member Services Director, Mahmoud Al Arab, delivered a compelling presentation on the potential of VolunTourism for the Hashemite Kingdom. He spoke specifically about the connection between tourism (Siyaha) and volunteering (Tatawo) and the significant role that CBOs and NGOs will play in the development of this initiative throughout Jordan. This workshop was followed by a session specifically directed to the tourism sector. David Clemmons, Founder of VolunTourism.org, explained the necessity for cooperation and collaboration between the tourism sector and the social sector and how such partnerships... Read More →
Member Press Releases
‘VolunTourism Jordan’ – Addressing the Increasing Global Adoption of Voluntary Service and Travel in the Hashemite Kingdom
July 18, 2011
JITOA, through the support of the European Commission (EU) funded – Jordan Service Modernisation Programme (JSMP)/JEDCO, is in the process of developing a national initiative: ‘VolunTourism Jordan’. “In response to a growing global emphasis on volunteering and service, tourism professionals in Jordan recognize the importance of creating itineraries that include both volunteering and tourism,” says Nizar Al Adarbeh, executive director of JITOA. “Here at JITOA, we are developing a national initiative, ‘VolunTourism Jordan’, to address this.” In 2010, JITOA invited David Clemmons, Founder of VolunTourism.org, to the Hashemite Kingdom in order to conduct a series of workshops on VolunTourism with NGOs, community-based organizations, tour operators, and local, regional, and national governmental figures. The primary focus was to provide a basic introduction to VolunTourism and to answer general questions on the subject. Expanding on these first, successful discussions and interactions... Read More →
