Spotlight: Destinations
Japan’s Tourism Economy to Stage Full Recovery in 2012
March 10, 2012
Japan’s Travel & Tourism industry is forecast to stage a complete recovery following last year’s earthquake and tsunami during the first half of 2012. A new report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), its fourth and final report since the earthquake of 11 March 2011, forecasts the full recovery of international tourism demand during the first half of 2012, having initially fallen 62% in April 2011. According to WTTC, Japan’s Travel & Tourism industry is set to directly contribute JPY10,276 billion ($129 billion) in 2012, marginally above the JPY10,246 billion ($128.5 billion) in 2010. This followed a fall of 3.9% in 2011 due to the earthquake and tsunami. David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC said: “Japan is the third largest Travel & Tourism economy in the world so its health is of crucial importance to our industry across the globe. Japan’s Travel & Tourism recovery has been much better than anyone could have anticipated 12 months ago. With... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
German Travel & Tourism to Stagnate in 2012
March 10, 2012
German’s Travel & Tourism industry is set to stagnate in 2012 as sluggish economic growth takes its toll on the industry. Figures released today at ITB in Berlin by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) show that the overall size of Germany’s Travel & Tourism industry will remain at €41.9 billion in 2012, the same size as in 2011. By contrast the global Travel & Tourism industry will grow by 2.8% this year. In 2011, the German industry directly supported 731,000 jobs, but this is forecast to fall by 1.1% in 2012 to 723,000 jobs. When the wider economic impacts of the industry are taken into account, Travel & Tourism’s contribution to the wider Germany economy is expected to fall by 1.8% in 2012 to $115.5 billion and the number of people employed will fall by 2.9% from 2 million to 1.9 million. David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC, said: “Germany’s Travel & Tourism industry is set for a difficult year. The overall size of the industry will remain... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Brits Set to Shift Vacation Habits from Summer to Spring
February 13, 2012
The traditional ‘summer’ holiday may be a thing of the past, with more Britons set to take their vacations in the spring this year. New findings from savings provider ING Direct reveals that 13 million Brits will take a ‘Maycation’ (holiday in spring) this year, overtaking summer as the main season when we go on holiday. This increase (24 per cent) is being driven by the huge cost of taking the family away in the summer holidays, but is also being influenced by the occurrence of the London Olympics. By taking a ‘spring break’ (during the school term) rather than one in the peak summer period, the typical family is able to save nearly £900, according to the bank’s research. The rise of the Maycation correlates with the dramatic decline of the summer holiday over the last few years, with the number of Brits holidaying in summer falling from from 13.2 million in 2009 to a predicted 11.9 million in 2012. ING Direct CEO Richard Doe said: “It’s... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Mexico and EU Sign Pact to Boost Tourism
February 13, 2012
Mexico City – According to an article in the Latin American Herald Tribune, Mexico and the European Union have signed an agreement designed to strengthen bilateral tourism: “Tourism is an activity that has the ability to generate economic growth, development and employment, as well as social integration. Therefore, we must acknowledge the benefits of promoting tourism cooperation between Mexico and Europe,” a joint EU-Mexican government statement said. The pact calls for the adoption of measures to ease the flow of visitors between Europe and Mexico, boost travel promotion, bolster the use of existing airlines and improve the availability of lodging. For more information, read the entire article. Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
President Obama Takes Actions to Increase Travel and Tourism in the United States
January 23, 2012
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following statement from the United State’s White House press office was released on January 19th 2012. This morning, President Obama will sign an Executive Order and announce new initiatives to significantly increase travel and tourism in the United States. The U.S. tourism and travel industry is a substantial component of U.S. GDP and employment, representing 2.7% of GDP and 7.5 million jobs in 2010 – with international travel to the United States supporting 1.2 million jobs alone. The travel and tourism industry projects that more than 1 million American jobs could be created over the next decade if the U.S. increased its share of the international travel market. Today’s announcement offers important steps to bolster job creation through a range of steps to better promote the United States as a tourism destination and improve secure visa processing. This is the most recent of a series of executive actions the President has announced to put... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
UK Tour Operators Face ‘Make or Break’ 2012, Says KPMG
January 18, 2012
According to an article on InAudit.com, tax audit and advisory conglomerate KPMG has warned that many United Kingdom tour operators will go under this year unless they make undertake big strategic changes in their business models. Such changes would be in response to a challenging market environment where money-pinched consumers are flocking to low cost carriers and online bookings, and are to see increases in fuel and air surcharges. Richard Hathaway, KPMG’s Head of Travel, Leisure and Tourism, said: The traditional high-volume tour operating model based on customers pre-booking flights and accommodation packages well in advance is in long term decline as more and more travellers opt for self-packaging online and niche solutions. To survive, operators must ensure that they are flexible and in a position of financial strength. Operators who do not adapt their business model to meet the demands of today’s holidaymakers will face increased risks in the next year, including takeover or... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Zimbabwe: Introduce Dual Pricing System, Mzembi Tells Tour Operators
January 17, 2012
According to an article on All Africa by Patrick Chitumba, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Zimbabwe, Walter Mzembi, has indicated that tour operators must introduce a dual pricing system for domestic and international tourists or face government regulation, as locals are being pushed out of the industry due to high prices. Recently, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority local entry fees of US$7, as opposed to the regular US$30. However, adventure operators maintain prices unreasonable for local families to afford: Rates for both locals and international tourists per person charged by operators include sunset boat cruise US$40, walk with the lions US$90, elephant ride US$90, bungee jumping US$120, game drive US$110, airport transfer to town US$20 one way. Mzembi stated: Locals do not have excess income like regional or international tourists and the fact that they were beginning to understand and appreciate tourism means there is a need to give them... 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
U.S. Travel Applauds Western Governors Association Support of Visa Reform
December 13, 2011
Support continues to build nationwide among policymakers to reform the U.S. visa system in order to welcome more international visitors, create millions of American jobs and add billions to the U.S. economy. The Western Governors Council, an organization representing the Governors of 19 states and three U.S.-Flag Pacific islands, adopted a resolution to improve visa approval procedures for international travelers visiting the United States. The resolution supports visa reform advocated by the U.S. Travel Association, including: Setting a visa processing standard of two weeks and using visa fees to hire enough State Department personnel to focus only on processing travel visas while maintaining the same strict security standards; Introducing videoconferencing to conduct visa interviews in key markets; Expanding the Visa Waiver Program to new countries; and Granting Chinese travelers visas that are valid for at least five years versus the current one-year visa. “During a time of high... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Pancakes with the President: Iceland Tourism Gets Creative
November 15, 2011
According to a recent article by cnbc.com, Iceland is engaging in a unique campaign to revive its faltering tourism industry, which has yet to fully recover from the the volcanic ash cloud last year that so badly disrupted both air travel and further impaired the country’s economic woes since 2008. The small country is now advertsiing “Inspired by Iceland,” a project initiated by President Ólafur Grímsson and revolves around engaging tourists with Icelanders – locals, including politicians are opening their homes up for homestays as well as other colorful social attractions: If you have interest in pancakes with a president, sushi with a mayor, or a footbath with a government minister, this may be the time to make a trip to Iceland… “We want visitors to our country to become Icelanders, to ‘be Icelandic.’ The ash cloud last year made us think really hard about what coming to Iceland meant,” said Katrín Júlíusdóttir, minister for tourism. To... Read More →
