Industry Partner News
Virtuoso Luxe Report Reveals Luxury Travel Trends in the World
May 2, 2012
The year of 2011 may mark the end of the “staycation” as travelers once again embrace the opportunity to explore the world. Leading luxury travel network, Virtuoso, says its clientele increased their travel purchases by 36 percent from 2009 to 2010, with luxury international leisure trips being the dominant choice according to the 2011 Virtuoso Luxe Report released today. More than 90 percent of Virtuoso’s elite travel agency membership lent their insight to the annual survey, which tracks trends in travel destinations, comparisons to travel in 2010, and above all, forecasts the travel decisions and motivating factors of some of the most upscale travelers in the United States and Canada. This year’s report shows international travel is slated to be the most popular type of trip in 2011, with 57 percent of respondents reporting clients reserving international trips of eight days or longer. To where will these international travelers be venturing? Italy, France and South... Read More →
Industry Partner News
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council Seeks Input on Global Criteria for Sustainable Destinations
May 2, 2012
Interested Parties from Emerging and Developed Destinations Encouraged to Comment Portland, OR - The Global Sustainable Tourism Council announces the release of its new Destination Criteria. Through a consultancy led by Sustainable Travel International (STI), the GSTC is soliciting input and comments from all travel and tourism stakeholders on this exciting project, ensuring diverse feedback is collected as the project evolves. The GSTC is also requesting support in reaching out to other parties which might be interested in participating. The Destination Criteria are a set of guiding principles and performance indicators designed to lead destination managers, communities, and businesses on a path to sustainability: maximizing social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits while minimizing negative impacts. The Destination Criteria complement the existing GSTC Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, which have become a worldwide standard for tourism sustainability. “While many... Read More →
Industry Partner News
Amadeus and Expedia Sign Multi-Year Agreement in North America
May 1, 2012
Partnership strengthens Amadeus’ footprint in U.S. and Canada Madrid, Spain - Amadeus, a leading travel technology provider and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, and Expedia, Inc., the world’s largest online travel company, today announced they have signed a multi-year content and technology agreement for North America. The agreement provides Expedia with Amadeus’ fare search technologies for air travel among other products, as well as access to global travel supplier content through the Amadeus system. Expedia, Inc. is the largest travel enterprise in the world in terms of air volumes, offering airfare search and reservation capabilities to travellers in over 25 countries through its portfolio of international brands that provide full service and corporate travel offerings, including Expedia®, Egencia® and Hotwire®. Expedia’s proprietary Best Fare Search airfare shopping technology combined with Amadeus’ airline connectivity and robust functionality... Read More →
Industry Partner News
2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Winners Unveiled
April 23, 2012
Three companies and one destination, from four continents, have been recognised for their best practices in sustainable tourism at this year’s WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards winners hail from South America, North America, Europe, and Asia. These diverse set of winners and emerged as victors over 150 entries from more than 60 countries. For all the latest photos and footage form the Awards ceremony please check www.wttc.org. Community Benefit Award – Saunders Hotel Group, USA This local family-owned hotel group has been a leader in sustainable tourism practices as far back as the early 1980s, when they converted an old police building in Boston, Massachusetts into an historic hotel and worked with local community partners to build affordable housing in the same area. Through initiatives that are driven and supported by all levels of their staff, the group supports dozens of local charity and non-profit groups with a combination of financial... Read More →
Industry Partner News
National Geographic’s ‘Digital Nomad’ Andrew Evans Embarks on 2-City Tour of South Africa
April 20, 2012
Washington, D.C. – Andrew Evans, National Geographic Traveler magazine’s “Digital Nomad,” has embarked on a South African adventure to explore Durban and Cape Town. For the next three weeks, Evans will tweet, blog, vlog and “Instagram” his travels on NationalGeographic.com’s Digital Nomad blog, his Twitter feed @WheresAndrew and his Where’s Andrew Facebook page. “I am thrilled to be exploring urban Africa, especially these two vibrant global cities of Durban and Cape Town,” Evans said. “No place on Earth has so many centuries of global culture packed into such rare and beautiful coastlines.” Evans will be filming a documentary for the National Geographic Channel along the way, focusing on the broad multiculturalism in both cities. As part of the documentary, he will interview some of South Africa’s young and aspiring leaders, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson Kweku Mandela and architect Luyanda Mpahlwa.... Read More →
Industry Partner News Members "In the News"
National Geographic Traveler selects the 2012 Tours of a Lifetime
April 15, 2012
Assistant Editor’s Note: The ATTA is proud to note that over half of the tours selected are run by ATTA members. The twenty-eight member companies are in bold below. Washington, D.C. — Track lemurs in Madagascar. Bike, hike, and scuba dive in the Holy Land. Become a space cadet in Russia. Take the kids to Iceland. Cycle Civil War battlefields in the Mid-Atlantic. These are just some of the 50 guided tours selected by National Geographic Traveler in its seventh annual “Tours of a Lifetime” list featured in the magazine’s May 2012 issue. Look for it in print, on digital tablets, and on the web (live May 11 http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/tours/ ) The editorial team combed the world to find the most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours. “Our theme this year was transformation. The outfitters we selected are experts at creating trips that have the power to change lives—the lives of the traveler as well as the residents... Read More →
Industry Partner News
Special Needs Group’s Industry-First Certified Accessible Travel Advocate Program Provides Unprecedented Success to Travel Professionals
April 15, 2012
Through the Unparalleled Course, Over 425 Travel Professionals Have Been Certified to Date, Allowing Them to Tap Into the Fastest-Growing Segment in Travel – the Accessible Travel Market Dania Beach, FL.- Since Special Needs Group launched its industry-first Accessible Travel Advocate course in November 2011, over 425 travel professionals have achieved the SNG Certified Accessible Travel Advocate™ designation, giving them a distinct advantage to tap into the accessible travel market – the fastest-growing segment in travel. The powerful online Accessible Travel Advocate course is the travel industry’s first eLearning curriculum that allows travel professionals to become conversant with the accessible travel market segment through online study and testing. This groundbreaking initiative is not only leading to a more accessible world, but also providing increased success for travel professionals. Here’s what travel professionals who have achieved the SNG Certified... Read More →
Industry Partner News
PATA Launches Mobile Travel Data Platform
April 15, 2012
Bangkok: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) today released PATAmPOWER, a real-time travel data platform that travel industry professionals can use on their mobile devices. PATAmPOWER, which was created in HTML5, can be used on tablets such as the iPad, smart phones and on personal and desktop computers. The latest information such as aviation passenger flows, flight capacity and frequency, hotel occupancy, social data and consumer trends is now available through PATAmPOWER. The data can be shared with fellow employees and colleagues through social media and email. Travel professionals can export PATAmPOWER graphics into reports and presentations. Users can download or print the info-graphics and data to create their own analysis and reports. “Speed is a competitive advantage,” said PATA CEO, Martin Craigs. “No one else in the travel industry in Asia Pacific offers such a mobile yet fully integrated platform of updated travel information. mPOWER exemplifies our commitment to... Read More →
Industry Partner News
Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2012 – Last Stage of Winner Selection
April 12, 2012
The Winner Selection Committee is due to sit down and decide the winners, based on applications and the on-site evaluations, which have now all been successfully completed. The 2012 winners will be announced on 17 April at this year’s WTTC Global Summit in Tokyo from 16-19 April 2012, during the Opening Reception and Welcome Dinner. In addition to Costas Christ, Chairman of the Judges, the 2012 Winner Selection Judges are Hon Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism, South Africa; H.E. Sergio Díaz-Granados, Minister of Trade & Tourism, Colombia; Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market & Just A Drop; and Keith Bellows, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Traveler. Finalist videos to launch soon The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards media partner National Geographic Channel is currently putting together the 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards finalist videos. These videos will showcase the incredible projects, initiatives and operations that our finalists are achieving.... Read More →
Industry Partner News
UNWTO and ETC Advance Cooperation on Tourism Issues
March 8, 2012
UNWTO and the European Travel Commission (ETC) have signed an agreement committing to advance their joint efforts to address major issues facing the tourism sector (Berlin, Germany, 7 March 2012). “Global challenges demand increased cooperation. Today’s agreement emphasizes the strong synergy between the work of our two organizations and is a step forward towards maximizing our efforts,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai. “Since 2001, UNWTO and ETC have been working closely together to monitor trends in the ever changing tourism marketplace and help their Member countries to be more competitive. Under this new agreement, I am confident we can better respond to the needs of our Members and the tourism sector at large.” “We have made significant steps towards increasing competitiveness in tourism over the course of more than ten years of joint research carried out between ETC and UNWTO,” said ETC President, Mrs. Petra Hedorfer. “With a shift in global... Read More →
