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United Nations to Fight Exploitation and Human Trafficking in Tourism
May 7, 2012
VIENNA – Taking a firm stand against human trafficking, especially child trafficking, in the tourism sector, the heads of two United Nations bodies today pledged to stamp out this hidden scourge through joint efforts. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), also called for concerted global action at every level of society. “Today, our two organizations are conveying a strong message to the world that we will not be party to activities that exploit women and children,” said Mr. Fedotov at an event taking place this week during the 21st United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). Mr. Rifai said: “We are here to reiterate the tourism sector’s commitment to combating human trafficking, an unacceptable affront to human rights and dignity, and to set out clear steps for stronger cooperation in fighting one... Read More →
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Celebrity Shay Mitchell’s ATTA-Supported Ireland Adventure Generates 28+ Million Impressions
April 17, 2012
Generating Massive Digital Footprints…and Worthy New Narratives By Chris Doyle, Editor, Nicole Petrak, Assistant Editor, AdventureTravelNews.com Mitchell kayaking in Ireland. Adventure tourism can benefit directly from the extraordinary influence that today’s celebrities bring to the world of social media, many of whom have literally millions of followers. In its foray with Hollywood in March 2012, the ATTA learned just how quickly the celebrity world spins: In less than a month, Pretty Little Liars’ young actress, Shay Mitchell’s adventure in Ireland generated 28+ million impressions. And, that’s just the first phase of the effort. Destinations hosting film production crews is not new to tourism. It is widely believed throughout the history of film that movie locations, along with stars in them, can significantly influence travelers’ destination interests. Prime examples being Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings filmed in New Zealand, or the legendary classic, Lawrence... Read More →
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Dynamic Hispanic Market Draws Attention of Tour Operators and Travel Agents
April 15, 2012
In a historic partnership between two visionary travel industry organizations, the NTA-ASTA Hispanic Business Development Task Force met for the first time in conjunction with Tianguis Turistico Mexico and developed a strategic plan to capture the undertapped U.S. Hispanic travel market. “Because tourism creates jobs and the Hispanic market represents 16 percent of the U.S. population, there is an unprecedented opportunity for growth,” said Olga Ramudo, a member of both NTA and ASTA. “We want to ensure this market is serviced, captured and has a voice in our industry. “NTA and ASTA are creating a home for travel professionals specializing in Hispanic travel with a ‘Mi casa es su casa’ approach,” said Ramudo, who chairs the task force. “We are honored and excited to have hosted the first meeting of this task force in Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit, Mexico,” said Jose Barquin, director, Mexico Tourism Board, Miami office, and a member of... Read More →
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TripAdvisor Launches $1.5 Million Creative Add Challenge
April 15, 2012
London, UK. – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, is challenging travel brands and advertising agencies to design a creative ad campaign that will run on TripAdvisor, reaching millions of travellers. The total prize fund is USD $1.5 million, with the winning entry on the TripAdvisor UK site receiving USD $300k in equivalent CPM advertising media value. The 2012 TripAdvisor Creative Ad Challenge gives the industry the unique opportunity to showcase their creativity and talent through the highly interactive medium of online ad display and the chance to impact a global audience of travellers, who are looking for inspiration while planning their next trip. When this creative is combined with TripAdvisor’s market leading targeting opportunities it allows advertisers to communicate with an extremely engaged and relevant audience, maximizing their brand impact and media budgets. Martin Verdon-Roe, VP Display Sales EMEAA for TripAdvisor said, “The 2012 Creative Challenge gives... Read More →
New & DifferentU.S. Travel Association Announces Support for Jobs Originated through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act
April 12, 2012
Dow’s Congressional Testimony Urges Expansion of Visa Waiver Program Washington, DCThe U.S. Travel Association today announced support for the Jobs Originated through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. In his remarks, Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, urged codification of a two-week visa processing standard and expansion of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). “The foreign press has had a field day, literally at our expense, by retelling horror stories of foreign visitors unable to come to the United States,” said Dow. “The global travel market is booming, for both leisure and business travel. As demand rises, especially in key emerging markets, prospective travelers have choices about their global destinations. Interest in visiting the United States remains strong, but potential visitors are discouraged by real and perceived hassles in our visa... Read More →
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Hotels: Juggling Connectivity Cost and Consumer Demand
April 12, 2012
According to an article by Brendan Manley on HotelNewsNow.com, hoteliers are finding themselves in a quandary as high-speed Internet expectations among guests evolve. He explains as more people are able to afford high levels of bandwith and unlimited streaming content at home, they arrive to hotels with smartphones, iPads, laptops, and various other mobile devices and expect to be able to run them at high speeds – and for free. “Universally, I can look at my guest satisfaction scores, and I can say that people generally are going to comment about three things overall: They don’t like paying for Internet, the speed is too slow, or they have difficulty connecting,” said John Czarnecki, IT program director for Hyatt Hotels Corporation. “If you want to really, really hack off the guest—and I mean seriously, where they hit Twitter and slag off your hotel—give him a room with no Wi-Fi,” said Derek Wood, a Bristol, United Kingdom-based consultant and member of Hospitality Financial... Read More →
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Indigenous Tourism Organisations from Six Countries Have Agreed to Form a World Indigenous Tourism Alliance
March 27, 2012
Neville Poelina Indigenous tourism organisations from Australia, Canada, Nepal, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States have collectively endorsed the formation of a World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WITA). Mr. Neville Poelina Chairperson of WAITOC, the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council, said that the combined decision to proceed with the formation of WITA marks the culmination of years of discussions by Indigenous tourism organisations in many different parts of the world. “We share the same belief that Indigenous values provide the opportunity for improved global social, environmental and economic outcomes, not just for Indigenous peoples but for all peoples,” said Mr. Poelina. The announcement of the formation of WITA comes at the time that the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference 2012 is about to take place in Darwin. A number of representatives from WITA Indigenous tourism organisations will be participating at the conference. Mr. Poelina... Read More →
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10 Ways Technology Will Change Travel by 2020
March 22, 2012
The way you travel today will not be the way you travel tomorrow. Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article by Jason Wire was originally published on the Matador Network and is re-posted here with their permission. Photo: euzesio (seldom here) IT WAS 2006. I was a freshman. Facebook was huge. Full-length movies streamed instantly to my computer. My cell phone took 1.2 MP pictures. In other words, technology had never been more advanced. And that’s just it: by any measurement, we’re constantly living within the most advanced technological era of all time. Yet by the long list of aspirational technologies you’re about to read, you’d never know it. To an outsider, it must seem like 21st-century humans believe they’re always living a decade or three in the past, and that the future and its inevitable entourage of flying cars, teleportation, and other really cool stuff we haven’t even thought about is as much a part of the human narrative as the fireplace, the automobile,... Read More →
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New “Destination Awards” to Honor Travel and Tourism PR and Marketing Programs
February 22, 2012
WORLDCOM Public Relations Group To Launch Awards Program To Spotlight Excellence Within The Travel/Tourism Industry — Globally New York, NY — The world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, WORLDCOM Public Relations Group, announced today that it is launching a Destination Awards program. Developed by Worldcom’s Travel and Tourism Practice Group, the professional awards will honor public relations and marketing programs that demonstrate the highest standards within the international travel and tourism industry. “Worldcom’s Destination Awards will put a spotlight on great international marketing and PR programs within this industry” Winning organizations will be selected from the following six distinct categories: events with budgets of less than $100K; events with budgets of more than $100K; programs of less than $200K; programs of more than $200K; crisis management; and originality in public relations. Those that wish to... Read More →
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Amadeus-commissioned Global Study Identifies Trend-setting Travelers’ Online Shopping Behavior and Future Motivations
February 22, 2012
“Empowering Inspiration: the future of travel search” highlights that for the destination, shopping and booking process, consumers in emerging markets are more frustrated than their developed country counterparts due to information overload and a lack of confidence that they are getting a good deal MADRID — Cross-market comparisons show that younger, savvy consumers in emerging markets are mastering social media and mobile travel information more than most developed markets. A new industry study released today, Empowering inspiration: the future of travel search, identifies trend-setting consumers’ behavior and motivations when shopping for travel online and identifies their experience during the destination selection, shopping and booking processes. The study also details the key trends and predictions for how consumers want to be able to search for travel online in the future. The Amadeus-commissioned study, conducted by travel industry research authority PhoCusWright... Read More →
