Industry Partner News
PATA Carries Forward Pledge to the Complete Visitor Economy
May 20, 2013
UNTWO and private sector support goals of the ‘CVE’. Advancing the complete visitor economy to boost jobs and social development should also be consistent with environmental care. ‘”We need to tread likely as we develop,” said PATA CEO Martin Craigs. “We have a duty to energize and motivate and do as little harm as possible.” Bangkok – The PATA CEO Martin Craigs this week wrote to attendees and speakers of the PATA Annual Summit to pledge the association’s ongoing support for the complete visitor economy. The concept of the complete visitor economy was endorsed by private and public sector speakers including Taleb Rifai Secretary General of the UNWTO, which has entered into a strategic partnership with PATA to boost tourism’s profile in Asia Pacific. Mr Rifai told the PATA Summit in Bangkok on April 26: “We have before us a crucial, and maybe unique, opportunity to advance tourism’s contribution to a fairer... Read More →
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IGLTA and ACTE Join ECPAT’s Fight Against The Sexual Exploitation of Children by Sign The Code
May 20, 2013
By Garth Reckers, ATTA’s Web Developer At the 2012 Adventure Travel World Summit, the Adventure Travel Trade Association became the first U.S. association to sign The Code. Now, the ATTA is thrilled to welcome two American travel organizations, The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, to the fight against child sex tourism and trafficking. The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, ECPAT’s initiative to prevent and bring awareness to the sexual exploitation of children, has over 1,200 signatories internationally. With the United Nations estimation that 1.2 million children are trafficked each year, gaining the support of two companies with a combined 55 years experience is a major step forward in ending this global epidemic. By signing the Code, IGLTA and ACTE agree to: Establish a policy and procedures against sexual exploitation of children. Train employees in children’s rights, the prevention of sexual... Read More →
Industry Partner News
Global Sustainable Tourism Council Signs Landmark Memorandum of Understanding with Pacific Asia Travel Association
April 30, 2013
Washington, D.C. - The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce a partnership as undersigned in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), a not-for-profit trade membership association headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. PATA Chief Executive Officer Martin Craigs and GSTC Board Member Guy Chester signed the MoU on April 26 during the PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok. The MoU details three main areas of cooperation between the two organizations: PATA’s support and endorsement of GSTC’s sustainability criteria, joint advocacy and policy development, and collaborative awareness efforts regarding sustainability practices. Among the various collaborative efforts currently being planned, the GSTC is developing a webinar about the GSTC’s recognized standards that will be presented to PATA’s members at the Bangkok headquarters in July. The GSTC’s standards are the only global sustainable tourism criteria in the world recognized... Read More →
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UN Tourism and Crime Bodies to Call on Tourists to Play a Role in Reducing Illicit Trafficking
April 16, 2013
In the presence of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today agreed to launch a new public awareness campaign calling on tourists to help reduce demand for illicit goods and services linked to transnational organized crime. Preparations for the campaign were set in motion during the Spring Meeting of the Chief Executive Board of the United Nations in Madrid. A Cooperation Agreement was signed between UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov in the presence of United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The joint campaign, to be launched later this year, aims to raise awareness among international tourists about the types of illicit goods and services to which they are often exposed during their travels and which directly or indirectly fund organized crime groups. Travellers can play a key role in reducing demand for these products through ethical... Read More →
Industry Partner News
National Geographic Traveler Selects the 2013 Tours of a Lifetime
April 16, 2013
Assistant Editor’s Note: The ATTA is proud to note that thirty-five of the fifty winners are Members. We have highlighted them in blue below. Congratulations to them all! Washington, D.C. — Track butterflies and whales in Mexico. Run the Inca Trail in Peru. Circumnavigate the globe by freighter. Take the kids to Turkey. Cycle Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. These are just some of the 50 guided tours selected by National Geographic Traveler in its eighth annual “Tours of a Lifetime” list featured in the magazine’s May 2013 issue. Look for it in print, on digital tablets, and on the web (live April 11 ). On social channels, look for #besttours @natgeotraveler. The editorial team combed the world to find the most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours. “This year marks the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society. The tours we selected capture that spirit of exploration,” says executive editor Norie Quintos. “They... Read More →
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And The Winners For This Year’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Are…
April 16, 2013
Businesses and destinations that are leading the way in sustainable tourism have been recognised at WTTC’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Ceremony. The Ceremony is being held at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi this evening as part of WTTC’s 13th Global Summit. The Awards showcase and celebrate Travel & Tourism businesses and destinations around the world, who are successfully balancing people, planet and profits. The four 2013 Tourism for Tomorrow Award winners are: Destination Stewardship Award winner: Peaks of the Balkans – Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro Following conflict and civil war, representatives from the countries of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro united to create the Peaks of the Balkans transnational hiking trail, with the goal of opening both minds and borders. The initiative provides a framework for recovery, in an area once driven by conflict, by preserving the natural, cultural and spiritual heritage of the region as well as restoring mutual trust, collaboration,... Read More →
Industry Partner News
TripAdvisor Acquires Jetsetter.com
April 16, 2013
Newton, MA. - TripAdvisor®, Inc. today announced it has acquired Jetsetter.com, a leading members-only private sale site for hotel bookings. The Jetsetter brand will continue to operate out of New York City and will be incorporated into Smarter Travel Media. “Jetsetter is an outstanding brand and I am absolutely delighted to welcome the Jetsetter team to the TripAdvisor family,” said Steve Kaufer, co-founder and CEO TripAdvisor, Inc. “With Jetsetter and our own SniqueAway brand, we now have two leading travel private sale sites under one roof. We are excited by the opportunities this provides to continually help drive amazing value for our travelers staying at some of the world’s most highly-rated hotels.” “In a short span of time, Jetsetter has emerged as a premier player in the travel space, and we are proud of what the team has accomplished,” said Michelle Peluso, CEO, Gilt. “There are strong synergies between Jetsetter and TripAdvisor... Read More →
Industry Partner News
ASTA: Agencies Report Stronger Revenue and Sales for 2012 When Compared to 2011
April 12, 2013
Alexandria, VA - ASTA announces that travel agency members reported that, for most agencies, 2012 performance was better than 2011. In response to a recent survey, ASTA found that that almost half of member agencies saw stronger revenue and transaction volume in 2012 as well as an increase in the number of clients. “Despite the ongoing challenges facing the global economy, ASTA members benefitted from the traveling public’s appetite for travel,” said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby. “Some improvement can be attributed to consumers’ evolving view of travel as a ‘right.’ Recent consumer surveys report that consumer travel behavior and patterns are less tied to current economic conditions.” Retail Leisure agencies reported the strongest performance gains in 2012. Fifty-four percent reported increased revenues as compared to 2011. Independent Agents reported the lowest increased revenue (still strong at forty-five percent). When asked about sales per travel segment,... Read More →
Industry Partner News Oceania
World Indigenous Tourism Alliance Supports Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference
April 3, 2013
On the first anniversary of the Larrakia Declaration which was announced on 30 March 2012, the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) has declared its support for the Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference (AITC) 2013. The 7th AITC will take place in Alice Springs from 9 to 11 October 2013 and will focus on the theme of Strong Business; Strong Culture and the empowerment of Australian Indigenous people through tourism. The decision taken by WINTA to support the AITC 2013 follows WINTA’s establishment on the eve of the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference (PAITC) 2012 in Darwin, on Larrakia Country. Kimberley man and Inaugural WINTA Chairman, Mr Neville Poelina, said “the formation of WINTA by Indigenous tourism organisations from Australia, Canada, Nepal, New Zealand, the Sápmi Lands and the United States marked a major milestone in the development of international Indigenous tourism. The establishment of WINTA in 2012 enabled international Indigenous tourism leaders to... Read More →
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Chile and Peru Pilot New Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria for Destinations
April 3, 2013
South America Takes Center Stage, Other Destinations to be Announced Soon Washington, D.C. - The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has selected the Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu corridor in Peru, and the shores of Lake Llanquihue, Puerto Varas, and Frutillar in the Lakes Region of Chile for the second round of its pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. These new Early Adopters are the first South American destinations to participate. Overseen by GSTC’s Destination Working Group and managed by NGO partner Sustainable Travel International, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Criteria for Destinations are designed to orient destination managers, communities, and businesses toward the steps that are needed to sustain their natural and cultural assets, while benefitting local communities. The Destination Criteria complement the existing GSTC Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, which have become the worldwide sustainability standard... Read More →
