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  • UNWTO welcomes Azerbaijan’s new e-visa system

    UNWTO welcomes Azerbaijan´s implementation of a brand new e-visa system streamlining visa applications into an electronic format, aimed to draw more international tourists into the rustic.

    The electronic visa system, operational since March 2013, was administered upon the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, to facilitate visa procedures for foreigners traveling to the rustic. The measure enables document facilitation and reduction of visa costs and processing times.

    “Azerbaijan’s decision is the popularity of the way visa facilitation is really a key measure to advertise tourism in a rustic. This new system encourages travel to Azerbaijan and can result in further development of the country´s tourism sector during the increase of international tourism flows,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

    Currently, there are 25 travel companies operating within the country which might be authorized to issue e-visas to international tourists, and initiatives are being undertaken to extend this number. Concurrent with the implementation of the system, border checkpoints can be improved consistent with the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku to ease entrance of international tourists into Azerbaijan.

    Visa facilitation is proven to be a key measure to advertise tourism’s growth and its impact on economic growth and job creation. A UNWTO/WTTC report prepared for the G20 shows that the implementation of visa facilitation measures among the many G20 economies could generate up to an 5.1 million jobs and additional US$ 200 million extra in exports from international tourism between 2013 and 2015.

  • News: IATA reorganises regional structures

    The International Air Transport Association has announced an organisational restructuring of its main divisions and regional operations to even better address the wishes of its 240 member airlines.

    Senior management changes were also announced to support the hot structure.

    All changes will take effect from July 1st 2013.

    A key tenet of the restructuring is the idea of ‘Global Development, Regional Delivery’.

    “IATA is changing to deliver even greater value to its members.

    “Strengthening our regional structures where we’re closest to our members may help us to realize and meet their needs better. 

    “We have also regrouped activities that experience grown organically through the years with the goal of being more intuitive to these we tackle.

    “This will optimize our ability to develop, modernize and deliver the worldwide standards that are the inspiration of aviation-enabled global connectivity,” said Tony Tyler, IATA director general.

    IATA’s regional operations would be consolidated from seven regional structures into five.

    These can be based across the five hubs (Amman, Beijing, Madrid, Miami and Singapore) where IATA has already been amalgamating activities linked to its industry financial systems.

    Each region remains to be led by a regional vp who’s accountable for driving all activities within their region, while maintaining the consistency of IATA’s global standards and positions.

    To ensure effective regional input to IATA’s leadership, RVPs will report back to the director general. 

    Under the plans North and South America should be consolidated into an Americas region and based in Miami.

    The combined region may be led by Peter Cerda who’s promoted from regional director for safety, operations and infrastructure for the Americas to RVP for the Americas.

    Africa and Middle East North Africa would be combined into one region to be called Africa and Middle East.

    Hussein Dabbas, from IATA’s Amman regional office, will lead the region as RVP.

    Asia-Pacific, North Asia and Europe will continue to serve members in those regions as inside the current structure with regional offices in Singapore, Beijing and Madrid.

    The RVPs leading these regions stay Maunu Von Lueders, Zhang Baojian and Rafael Schvartzman, respectively.

  • Club Carlson to decide to global carbon offsetting initiative

    Club CarlsonSM, the worldwide loyalty programme for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, announced yesterday, Earth Day, that Club Carlson has become the 1st loyalty programme within the hospitality industry to decide to a world carbon offsetting initiative. Carlson Rezidor will offset meetings for all Club Carlson For Planners meetings and events around the group’s six global hotel brands totalling 1,077 hotels in operation worldwide.

    The carbon offsetting – a free service for the meeting planners – shall be managed through Carlson Rezidor’s new partner, Carbon Footprint Ltd. Each contribution should be used to speculate in renewable energy in India; and should be combined with the planting of 1 tree for each ton of carbon offset through Club Carlson For Planners events inside the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.

    “Carlson Rezidor takes sustainability seriously. In keeping with the United Nations World Tourism Organization-United National Environment Program (UNWTO-UNEP), hotels generate about 20 percent of tourism’s total carbon footprint. This innovative offsetting solution is a distinct service of Club Carlson, and should help to cut back our hotels’ and our customers’ carbon footprint”, said Suzanne Riesterer, Chief Commercial Officer. “In addition to Club Carlson For Planners members, individual Club Carlson members may have the chance to redeem their Gold Points to offset the carbon in their personal travel and to support the wind farms in India and the tree planting in Kenya.”

    The initiative launched on the end of 2012 at Radisson Blu hotels in Europe, the center East and Africa caused 433 tons being offset and 433 trees planted in Kenya. It’s element of Carlson Rezidor’s award winning Responsible Business Program that specialize in a discounted negative impact at the environment, health and safety for staff and guests, and respect for social and ethical issues in the company and community.

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  • News: New appointment for Fairmont Hotels

    Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has named Carmen Lam as vp, hotel sales and marketing, Asia Pacific. Lam, who would be based in Shanghai, joins Fairmont on this newly created role to offer sales and marketing direction to Fairmont’s impressive hotels in Asia Pacific and support to the luxurious operator’s burgeoning pipeline of regional development.

    “We’re quickly growing our footprint in Asia and are very fortunate to be adding a pacesetter of Carmen’s caliber to our regional management team,” said, Jeff Doane, Fairmont’s vp, hotel sales and marketing. “With her wealth of hotel related experience and firm understanding of the regional marketplace, she’s ideally positioned to lead our sales, marketing and branding activity throughout Asia.”

    With six hotels open and operating in Asia, including three in China, Lam will focus on maximizing results and driving performance for this dynamic mixture of resort and town center properties. She’ll even be answerable for executing Fairmont’s regional sales strategy, regional brand management, and awareness and marketing activity for brand new hotels including announced Fairmont projects in Jakarta, Bali and several other cities in China.

    Lam arrives at Fairmont having previously served as senior vp, leisure & brand sales and marketing for Hong Kong/Macau-based Melco Crown Entertainment. Over the process a career that has spanned greater than 20 years, Lam has also held a sequence of management positions with leading brands in Asia including roles with Shangri-La Hotels and InterContinental Hotels Group.

    Lam holds an Executive MBA from Canada’s Richard Ivey School of economic – University of Western, a Bachelor of industrial Administration from the University of Hawaii and an Executive Leadership designation from Cornell University. Lam can be pursuing a Doctorate on the School of Hotel and Tourism Management on the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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  • Smash-hit figures for UK visitors to Germany

    With the beginning of Wimbledon, tennis fans may be concentrating on the united kingdom and the world’s most famed tennis tournament for 2 weeks of high-speed skill and world-ranking sportsmanship.

    It seems the UK’s latest figures for overnight stays of tourists to Germany also are world-ranking! No faults here – it’s a transparent win, due to an increase of +16.3% for the month of April 2013, compared with the identical period in 2012.  The equally impressive overall figures for 2013 January-April, make it a grand-slam: +11.2% when compared with this time in 2012.

    Whether your passion is for sport and outdoor living, superb food and wine, the relaxing surroundings of the German countryside or the attractions of young and colourful youth travel in Germany’s towns and cities – UK visitors have discovered that Germany offers excellent value for money, a lot of choice and the warmest welcome; it’s a winning combination.

    Klaus Lohmann, Director GNTO UK and Ireland said: “Germany has enjoyed great success at Wimbledon, because of players like Boris Becker and Steffi Graf -sport generally has encouraged a lot of visitors from the united kingdom to find Germany for themselves.  As these latest visitor figures show, it’s increasing in popularity year on year and we’re delighted to determine that with each visit, individuals are finding Germany serves up quite a few reasons for a return match!”.

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