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  • New tourism strategy from VisitBritain

    Culture Secretary Maria Miller today launched a tourism partnership strategy for Britain which demands the travel industry and the govt, consisting of key private and non-private sector bodies, to unite behind a protracted-term ambition for growth that may see Britain welcome 40 million overseas visitors by 2020, spending £31.5 billion and supporting another 200,000 jobs around the country.

    Tourism is an industry that already employs 2.6 million people a year – supporting one in twelve jobs within the UK.

    In the past two years a 3rd of all new jobs created were in tourism.

    And tourism offers jobs across all skills levels and age ranges, particularly offering opportunities for teenagers – 40 per cent of these employed in tourism are under 40.

    International tourism is already an industry at which Britain competes well. 

    Last year Britain welcomed 31 million international visitors who spent £18.6 billion – a record amount.

    The aim of this partnership strategy is to deliver an additional 29 per cent growth in visits by 2020, that increase would deliver an extra £8.7 billion in foreign currency echange earnings.

    The growth strategy is built around four key objectives:

    • Building on Britain’s improved international image.
    • Increasing engagement with the travel trade.
    • Broadening the product range on offer for inbound tourists.
    • Making it easier to get to Britain.

    VisitBritain’s GREAT activity for 2013/14 will seek to keep up the attention and image boost created by London 2012.

    The campaign will target strongly performing growth markets, Brazil, China, India and the Gulf together with established markets USA, France and Germany.

    Over the last two years, VisitBritain’s marketing programme has directly contributed £900 million to the united kingdom tourism industry, a return on investment of 18 to at least one.

    VisitBritain has up to now secured £24 million in match-funding from the non-public sector, doubling the govt. investment.

    Emirates

    And today VisitBritain is announcing a £2 million, two-year partnership with Emirates to advertise Britain overseas.

    The deal will include a mixture of promoting in kind and cash payments.

    Emirates cover a limiteless network of routes and destinations across South East Asia, Australia, India and the GCC and offer regional gateways across Britain.

    The GCC region now signifies great potential for inbound visits to Britain.

    By 2016 we forecast that 700,000 visitors can be welcomed representing a 32 per cent increase.

    As portion of the expansion strategy the organisation announces its new regional hub in Dubai as a way to enable it to arrive around the GCC including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait City and Qatar.

    VisitBritain – that is already on the forefront of partnership working – will take a look at creative ways that existing resources, platforms and promotional material may be used by other organisations.

    This is predicted to incorporate private sector partners and public diplomacy teams in source markets reminiscent of Mexico and South Korea.

    Reflecting the responses from the consultation, the method reiterates the significance of commercial tourism and the facility of major events to extend visitor numbers, VisitBritain will build at the work already being executed on this area – particularly in supporting major event bids, and using its overseas network to supply key insights and trade engagement.

    Miller said: “Tourism is central to the Government’s economic growth strategy.

    “It’s worth £115 billion to our economy a year and we have to ensure we retain a competitive edge and might compete with other destinations around the globe.

    “With the good campaign we’re selling the simplest of england, building on strengths to spice up tourism income right around the country.”

  • News: Vivid Sydney 2013 lights up Australia’s harbour city

    The world’s creative industries are set to flock to Sydney with the announcement of the yearly Vivid Sydney program if you want to transform the town right into a colourful canvas of sunshine, music and concepts from 24 May to ten June.

    Now in its fifth year, Vivid Sydney is a longtime international event and could showcase its largest program thus far, featuring greater than 60 vibrant lighting installations around Sydney Harbour , over 100 creative industry workshops and seminars, and live music performances at Sydney Opera House.

    Owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Vivid Sydney is the biggest light and music festival within the Southern Hemisphere, with over 500,000 people attending in 2012.

    Australian creative innovators, The Spinifex Group, will design the centrepiece of Vivid Sydney, the lighting of the enduring Sydney Opera House sails, showcasing a playfully projected journey that celebrates the development in an immersive new way.

    Announced today by NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner , Vivid Sydney returns with the longest ever Light Walk featuring interactive light installations, illuminated skyscrapers and massive-scale 3D mapped projections around Sydney Harbour ‘s iconic foreshore. Light installations from Germany, France, Italy, Uk, USA, South Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand will feature alongside Australian works.

    Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House will feature local and international artists, including German electronic music legends Kraftwerk and the the sector premiere album show of Australia’s Empire of the Sun.

    Vivid Ideas will explore new creative ideas and collaborations with over 100 industry and business events. Keynote speakers include renowned comedic visual artist David Shrigley (UK), digital artist and storyteller Jonathan Harris (USA), award-winning streetwear entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes (USA) and concrete design guru David Sim (UK).

    Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase , said year-on-year increase in festival attendance was testament to Vivid Sydney’s success and recognition with local and international audiences.

    “With greater than 45,000 people from interstate and overseas finally year’s event, Vivid Sydney has proven itself as a significant drawcard for creative industry practitioners, visitors and families who immerse themselves in light, music and concepts,” said Ms Chipchase.

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  • Banyan Tree Chongqing Beibei set for summer opening

    Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is decided to be the primary international hotel operator to launch a hot spring resort in Chongqing, China that embraces the natural healing waters of the North Hot Springs. Banyan Tree Chongqing Beibei will open to guests in the summertime of 2013 and every of its 107 suites and villas will feature private hot spring pools so guests can benefit from the water’s healing benefits in privacy and luxury.

  • Ryanair proposes plan to rescue Greek tourism and aviation

    Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-less costly carrier (ULCC), has presented a Greek tourism rescue plan to the Transport Minister Kostas Chatzidakis that could see Ryanair grow its Greek traffic to 10m passengers p.a. by 2016, at the day Ryanair opened its 1st Greek base (and 57th in total) at Chania.

    Ryanair has carried over 2m passengers to/from Greece in not up to 3 years since its first flight arrived to Kos from Frankfurt Hahn in May 2010. Ryanair’s summer 2013 schedule will offer 85 Greek routes from 10 airports (including 2 new airports at Kalamata and Zakynthos), delivering over 1.4m passengers p.a. and supporting 1,400* Greek jobs.

    Unfortunately, Athens continues to overlook out on Ryanair’s traffic growth and the tourism jobs it brings a result of airport operator’s refusal to have interaction with Ryanair, at a time when Athens’ passenger traffic has fallen by 22%, from 16.4m in 2008 to only 12.8m in 2012, its lowest figure in a decade. Ryanair could deliver as much as 4m passengers p.a. if a pragmatic low-cost deal were made available at Athens Airport, with one other 2m passengers at Thessaloniki and 4m passengers across Ryanair’s 10 other Greek airports.

    To celebrate our biggest-ever Greek summer schedule, Ryanair is launching a 100,000 seat sale across its entire European network, with prices ranging from just €15.99 for travel in May and June, that are available for booking until midnight (24:00hrs) Mon (29 Apr).

    In Athens, Ryanair’s Michael Cawley said:

    “In 2013, Ryanair will carry over 1.4m passengers through Greek airports, sustaining 1,400* jobs and underlining Ryanair’s commitment to Greece’s tourism industry. Today, Ryanair presented its Greek rescue plan, that could deliver over 10m passengers and €4.5bn tourism revenue p.a. by 2016 and support 10,000* Greek jobs.

    Tourism is among the few industries that could quickly provide the industrial boost that Greece so badly needs with new jobs and high-spending international tourists. Ryanair has carried over 2m passengers to/from Greece with these passengers saving over €140m by switching to Ryanair’s low fares. However, while our 10 Greek airports keep growing, traffic at Athens continues to say no because it misses out on Ryanair’s traffic and tourism jobs growth, in addition to Ryanair’s low fares, while its management refuses to have interaction with Ryanair.

    To celebrate the launch of our biggest-ever Greek summer schedule, the hole of our first Greek base at Chania, and the launch of 2 new Greek airports, at Kalamata and Zakynthos, we’re releasing a 100,000 seat sale with fares ranging from €15.99 for travel across Europe in May and June, that are available for booking until midnight Monday (29 Apr). Since seats at these crazy low prices might be snapped up quickly, we urge passengers to book them immediately on www.ryanair.com.”

  • News: Viking River Cruises sets world record

    River cruising is the most popular segment of travel instantly, and in a fitting feat for the world’s leading river cruise line, Viking River Cruises today set an international record with the christening of 10 new Viking LongshipsTM. The primary-of-its-kind simultaneous christening ceremony in Amsterdam debuted the ships – Viking Aegir, Viking Atla, Viking Bragi, Viking Embla, Viking Forseti, Viking Jarl, Viking Rinda, Viking Skadi, Viking Tor and Viking Var – and was certified by a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ adjudicator as ‘The Most Ships Inaugurated in a single Day by One Company.’ Playing an integral role within the event were 10 distinguished women from world wide, representing the secret Viking brand pillars of history, art, education, exploration and discovery, to function ceremonial godmothers for the hot ships.

    “Today is a proud day for Viking and for river cruising. We’re honored to showcase 10 of our revolutionary new Longships and to have had this kind of celebrated group of ladies helping us christen them,” said Torstein Hagen , Chairman of Viking Cruises. “Our guests are explorers, like the ancient Vikings of our Norse heritage, that is why we deliver authentic and enriching travel experiences like no other cruise line.”

    Guests on the christening ceremony enjoyed remarks by each godmother and a presentation at the growth of river cruising by Hagen. A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator also presented Hagen with an official recognition of the record breaking achievement, ‘The Most Ships Inaugurated in a single Day by One Company’ – eight* – breaking the former record of 2 ships. a primary in modern history, four of the christenings befell in front of a crowd of roughly 700 in Amsterdam, and the remainder six were conducted live via satellite from the Neptun shipyard in Germany. The celebration concluded with an onboard dinner and maiden voyage cruise round the Amsterdam harbor.

    Viking Godmothers

    With cultural enrichment and privileged access on the heart of each experience Viking offers its guests, 10 women of eminence from around the globe were selected to honor that spotlight and function ceremonial godmothers for the hot ships. They included:

    *  Lady Fiona Carnarvon , Godmother of Viking Skadi, is the wife of George Herbert , 8th Earl of Carnarvon. A former auditor at Coopers & Lybrand, Lady Carnarvon ran her own fashion label, Azur, and now successfully manages affairs on the Castle, including many special events which includes the Egyptian Exhibition. Curious about Highclere’s rich history, Lady Carnarvon recently authored the hot York Times Bestseller “Lady Almina and the genuine Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere.” Together with Lady Carnarvon , Viking has created its Oxford & Highclere Castle land extension with a privileged access tour of the Castle and its grounds.

    *  Agapi Stassinopoulos , Godmother of Viking Rinda, was born and raised in Athens, Greece. While collaborating along with her sister, Arianna Huffington , on research for her book in regards to the Greek gods, Stassinopoulos’ love for the gods and goddesses was ignited and resulted in two books of her own – “Conversations with the Goddesses” and “Gods and Goddesses in Love” – in addition to a one-woman show and a PBS special. She also co-produced and co-hosted a documentary called “Quest for the Gods,” shot on location in Greece. Stassinopoulos speaks and conducts seminars all over the world, and her latest book is the bestseller “Unbinding the guts.” She could also be a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post.

    *  Alexandra Lobkowicz , Godmother of Viking Forseti, is the chairman of the nonprofit that oversees the preservation of the vast Lobkowicz collections including thousands of artistic endeavors, a major library and family archive spanning eight centuries. Further, she oversees dozens of international loans, festivals, restoration projects and ongoing educational programs relevant to the collections. A former teacher, Lobkowicz also established educational programs on the Lobkowicz museums to assist raise funding for Czech schools. With personal input from Alexandra and William Lobkowicz , Viking has introduced a privileged access tour to Lobkowicz Palace in Prague.

    *  Zhang Ling , Godmother of Viking Embla, is a dedicated educator at Cen He elementary school within the city of Jinzhou, Hubei Province, China – a college sponsored by Viking River Cruises . As one of the dedicated teachers she feels fortunate to have won recognition as an “excellent educator,” “excellent educator of ethics” and “excellent mentor for young pioneers.” She also coaches the children’s orchestra, which has proudly performed for the thousands of Viking’s Yangtze River cruise guests who’ve visited in the past seven years.

    *  Marit Barstad , Godmother of Viking Tor, is the sister of Viking’s chairman Torstein Hagen . Marit started her working life as an individual assistant to the chairman of Oivind Lorentzen AS, an organization that during the late 1960’s built two of the ships that subsequently became Princess Cruises. She is now a manager inside the health services sector in Ski, a town outside Oslo where she has lived with Odd Barstad, her husband for over 40 years.

    *  Dertje Meijer, Godmother of Viking Bragi, is President and CEO of the Port of Amsterdam, that is the fourth largest port in Europe, hosting greater than 100 sea cruise ships and 1,300 river cruises ships, and handling greater than 75 million loads of cargo each year. Ahead of Meijer’s career on the port, she worked for 15 years in business development projects at one of the crucial world’s great transportation hubs, Schiphol Airport.

    *  Geraldine Norman , Godmother of Viking Var, is founding father of the days-Sotheby index of art prices and best-known for her discovery of the art forger Tom Keating . A professional within the history of The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Norman also authored “The Hermitage: The Biography of an excellent Museum.” Since, Norman was engaged on international outreach for the Hermitage, starting The Hermitage Magazine and assisting within the establish the Hermitage Rooms exhibition space in London. Additionally, Norman co-created Viking’s successful week-long “Glories of the Hermitage” tour and “Hermitage Behind Closed Doors” excursion, offering Viking guests privileged access to at least one of the world’s greatest museums.

    *  Sabine Rhabek, Godmother of Viking Jarl, is a founding member of the emergency room team on the General Hospital (AKH) in Vienna and a former nurse on the United Nations Mission Hospital in Iran, where she provided remedy to thousands of Kurdish refugees throughout the first Gulf War. Following her time on the Mission Hospital, Rhabek transitioned into medical technology, providing tech support for users of implanted defibrillators and pacemakers.

    *  Birgit Brandner-Wallner , Godmother of Viking Atla, is the co-owner of a Brandner Gmbh subsidiary that operates 38 piers in Austria and Hungary in addition to two passenger ships, MS Austria and MS Austria Princess. In 1997, Brandner-Wallner was the primary woman in Austria to procure her ship’s captain certification.

    *  Eszter Volner , Godmother of Viking Aegir, is a Budapest native, and lives at the Danube’s shore. Daughter of Dr. Pal Volner, secretary of the Hungarian State Ministry of National Development, she studies tourism and catering in addition to her past love, music, including voice and violin, and appears forward to a future within the classical singing field.

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