Media Buzz
New Breed of Chinese Traveller Can Be Targeted by Niche Travel Companies
November 15, 2011
A new type of Chinese traveller more interested in a quality travel experience than simply ticking off the sights is emerging. Speaking Tuesday 8 November at World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, China Outbound Tourism Research Institute Director Professor Doctor Wolfgang Georg Arlt said the new type of tourist is far more likely to be interested in niche product than before. He added: “Now for the first time you have a chance to get hold of extra Chinese customers who might be more interested in your product if you package it right and sell it right.” Arlt said the new consumers were emerging as a result of the country’s increasing wealth with many now simply wanting to relax, have an enjoyable experience and do things like shopping rather than simply join large groups of sightseers. Dragon Trail Co-Founder and President Jens Thraenhart agreed, adding: “Chinese consumers are being moved towards an experience-based model rather than a price-based... Read More →
Media Buzz
UNWTO Conference Forges Closer Relationship Between Tourism and the Media
September 15, 2011
Focusing on the people behind the tourism numbers and maintaining an honest and open relationship with the media: these are among the main recommendations to emerge from discussions between media representatives and tourism officials attending the first UNWTO International Conference on Tourism and the Media (12-13 September, Zagreb, Croatia). Under the title ‘Tourism in the Headlines’ and in partnership with the Government of Croatia and the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers (FIJET), the conference aimed to analyze the relationship between tourism and the media and address why, despite being one of the world’s largest economic sectors, tourism is not sufficiently featured in the political, business or financial news. Opening the conference, Croatian Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor, stressed the relevance of tourism as “an engine of economic growth and one of the most effective creators of new jobs,” pointing to the need to reflect this message in the media. This... Read More →
Media Buzz
The Rising Prominence of Adventure Tourism and Its Staying Power
August 15, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in the August 2011 issue of Leisure Group Travel Magazine as a guest post by ATTA Vice President Christopher Doyle and Christina Heyniger. By: Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), Christina Heyniger, Strategic Accounts at Vital Wave Consulting, and the 2010-11 Adventure Tourism Development Index Tourism continues to occupy an important position in the global economy. It has been called the greatest voluntary transfer of wealth from rich to poor countries (Ashley, 2009). And, in both developed and developing countries, the sector commands attention as a means of sustainable economic development. For example: Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa’s 2011 goal is to see tourism become the chief source of income (over oil) for the country, and in the United States, President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act, the first-ever national travel promotion and communications program to attract more international... Read More →
Media Buzz
Europe Bets on Tourism to Spur Economic Rebound
July 18, 2011
Leeds, England (Flickr Creative Commons: Matt Gorecki) A recent Reuters article on msnbc.com poses tourism as the answer to some of the economic woes hitting the European Union, both as a driver for jobs and as a source of income from visitors. With almost ten million EU citizens working in tourism, and another ten million in related fields, the industry drives more than 500 billion euros to the regions gross domestic product. This amount is doubled when related industries such as transportation and construction are taken into view. The EU seems to be moving away from an internally competitive tourism environment to one that recognizes the need to increase resources supporting tourism and market the region as a “unified destination” to better compete for the increasingly diverse global traveler. The European Commission and the Parliament’s tourism committee are working in conjunction towards this “European Label,” as a key driver to restoring the local economy. In... Read More →
Media Buzz
A First for the TODAY show (NBC): The TODAY show heads to Québec
July 18, 2011
New York, NY – For the first time in its history, the fourth hour of the popular American show TODAY will be taped outside the United States. Québec, specifically Montréal, will play host to the filming of two episodes of this daily morning show. The initiatives undertaken by the Ministère du Tourisme, through its Destination Québec office in New York, as well as the Canadian Tourism Commission, in collaboration with Tourisme Montréal, have succeeded in attracting the star hosts, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, along with some 60 members of their production team. Of the two shows filmed in Montréal, one will be broadcast live from Place Jacques-Cartier on July 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The hosts will take this opportunity to spotlight the charms and various attractions that make Québec a treasured destination among American tourists. Guests will also be received on the set to share their passion for Québec with some four million faithful viewers. “We’re extremely... Read More →
Media Buzz
Travelmole: Thumbs Up for Mexico Travel
June 14, 2011
Trekking in Sierra Norte. Photo: The Muddy Boot. Travelmole reports that despite continued media attention around drug violence and U.S. travel warnings, travel to Mexico continues to increase – as an example, bookings to the region made through Expedia are up almost a quarter in the last year while Visa noted that inbound visitor spending has increased by $.04 billion since 2009. The article noted: Mexico’s Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo also said that the country had “made real and sustained progress in making Mexico safe and secure,” which has been its biggest problem in recent months. Its beautiful beaches and rich cultural heritage remain its major attractions for visitors, maintains Max Katz of Baja Real Estate Group. “With the extra dollars being invested into safety and security, we are looking forward to a more prosperous year ahead of us,” he said. For more details, including the top five safest travel destinations in Mexico, read... Read More →
Media Buzz
Get Set for This Year’s Adventure Travel Film Festival
May 25, 2011
The following information is published here from Wanderlust. Escape the confines of a dark, dingy cinema this summer and travel to Devon for an alternative, thrill-seeking movie-watching experience The Adventure Travel Film Festival will be screening some of the finest travel films this June against the picturesque backdrop of Appledore, Devon. Curated by film-maker Austin Vince and travel author Lois Pryce, the festival will host a weekend of camping, outdoor activities and inspirational travel cinema. Spanning the last 70 years, the films screening at the festival cover every continent and all modes of transport, from buses to canoes. Amongst them is the 1958 Oxford and Cambridge expedition to Singapore First Overland and, more recently, The Yenisey River, which documents the endeavours of Colin Angus’ watery adventure through Mongolia and Siberia. Festival goers are encouraged to make the most of their glorious surroundings with optional organised activities and courses... Read More →
Media Buzz
A New Addition to the Mankin “Family”
May 13, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: Don Mankin is a long-time friend of the ATTA and his new endeavors may prove quite interesting to ATTA Members serving Baby Boomers. Author Don Mankin Dear Friends, No, not a baby, nor even a dog or cat, but a new outlet for my stories of adventure and occasional indolence. As of today I will be the regular travel writer for the new publication, Vibrant Living, to be published every other month in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. My first article, which can be found athttp://www.vibrantlivingmagazine.com/Vibrant-Living-Magazine-May-June-2011/#?page=40 and on subsequent pages, is a slightly longer version of the “Last Frontier of Costa Rica” article published in Active Over 50 a couple of months ago. If you did not get a chance to read it then, you have another chance, and if you have already read it, there are a few additional photos that did not appear with the earlier article. You will note the reappearance of the unmistakeable photo of me... Read More →
Media Buzz
National Geographic Traveler selects the 2011 Tours of a Lifetime
April 20, 2011
Washington, D.C. — Track white “spirit” bears in British Columbia. Saddle up for the Inca Trail in Peru. Hike and make pasta in Italy. Take the kids to Vietnam. Visit Civil War battlefields in the Mid-Atlantic. These are just some of the 50 guided tours selected by National Geographic Traveler in its sixth annual “Tours of a Lifetime” list featured in the magazine’s May/June 2011 issue. The editorial team combed the world to find the most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours. “The outfitters we selected continue to find new ways for travelers to connect with places and people,” notes senior editor Norie Quintos, who headed up the project. “More and more, it’s about human interaction.” Part of that human interaction is the guide. This year the magazine also highlighted 10 great guides who exemplify the new model of guiding. “Where once they were walking encyclopedias, today’s great guides are often a little like life... Read More →
Media Buzz
Travel Deals Abound on Social Media Sites
March 30, 2011
The following excerpts are part of a longer article, Travel deals abound on social-media sites, published on The Arizona Republic. PhoCusWright’s Quinby said the sales and marketing trend is in its infancy. The deals aren’t tailored enough to broadly change the way travel is booked. “It’s very much spray and pray,” he said. Another obstacle: Many people don’t want to wade through a pile of e-mail offers to save a few bucks on a vacation. “There’s enormous potential, but enormous unrealized potential,” he said. Quinby predicts the day when people receive personalized offers from online travel agencies, local-deals providers, social-media sites and others that team up to send deals to travelers based on their booked itineraries. People who check in at an airport on Facebook or FourSquare, for example, might receive an offer for the airport bar if they are headed for a vacation or a Starbucks special if they have an early flight... Read More →
