Author: Alicia

  • News: World Travel Awards reveals Caribbean & North America nominees

    Online voting has now opened sooner than the arena Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony, scheduled to happen in Antigua later this year.

    The organisers of the awards are encouraging both members of the travel trade and consumers to submit their votes on the way to discover which organisations truly excel in travel, tourism and hospitality within the region.

    World Travel Awards is celebrating a landmark 20th year because the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ in 2013, with events occurring all over the world.

    The ceremonies are widely thought to be one of the best networking opportunities within the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international media.

    For the Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony, travel, tourism and hospitality organisations from 22 countries will compete for these prestigious top accolades culminating in a glittering presentation.

    The 2013 Caribbean & North America nominees were published here.

    Votes might be cast here.

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  • News: PATA predicts continued growth in regional travel

    Officials on the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel & Tourism Management released their joint publication, the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017.

    The new forecasts at the complete visitor economy will make it easier for tourism organisations to anticipate demand trends and manage supply.

    The annual and quarterly forecasts cover a five-year horizon and include price elasticity variables for many of the destinations covered.

    High-level snapshots from the forecasts show that visitor arrivals to the Asia Pacific region will keep growing with a median annual growth rate of four.1 per cent over the period 2013-2017 and reach 581 million by 2017.

    At an identical time, north-east Asia will maintain a dominant position within the inbound market of Asia Pacific, and its market share will reach 53 per cent by 2017./

    China will remain the pinnacle inbound destination within the Asia Pacific, peaking at 147.4 million visitors in 2017.

    Visitor arrivals to the Asia Pacific from China will exceed 100 million by 2015
    Cambodia, the Maldives, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan and Mongolia are the head five fastest growing destinations when it comes to visitor arrivals over the period 2013-2017.

    Taken together these projections provide essential information for tourism planners and operators alike.

    The forecasts aim to aid destinations set strategy for the arrival years by supporting the entire visitor economy in both long-term decision and policy making by predicting arrivals, tourism receipts and departures consistent with country/region of origins for 41 destinations.

    “I am delighted to recommend these next generation forecasts to PATA members and colleagues. The scope and quality of the forecasts will add value to our a variety of members across 17 time zones and plenty of different functional groups,” said Martin J Craigs, PATA chief executive.

    Published annually with a quarterly breakdown, the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2013-2017 will include details about visitor arrivals to choose PATA member economies from key source markets, visitor expenditures in PATA member economies, and visitor departures of member economies.

    The annual edition of the forecasts may even feature reports analysing the forecasts and their implications, bearing in mind particular trends for certain regions.

    Though it’s clear that demand for inbound and outbound travel in Asia Pacific is growing, it’s the details shown by forecasts of travel demand with a purpose to guide the visitor economy within the measurement of tourist arrivals and expenditure.

    Forecasts may help justify decision-making on the subject of planning investments in visitor infrastructure, human resource management, marketing resource allocation decisions and new product development.

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  • Mantis opens operations on seventh continent

    Mantis, a family-run selection of award-winning, privately-owned, five-star properties is now the sole hotel group on the planet to have a presence on all seven continents.

    The group has signed with a set of unique bush camps in Australia, called Wild Bush Luxury, giving Mantis its seventh continental footprint.

    Mantis prides itself on working with hotels that represent the best example in their kind and celebrate the culture, gastronomy, architecture and nature of the locations within which they’re found.

    In-the-know travellers can enjoy diverse experiences including quintessentially British stays at London’s Draycott Hotel and 16th century country house-hotel Ellenborough Park within the Cotswolds.

    Moving further into Europe guests can witness the natural wonder of the Northern Lights on the ICEHOTEL and Lapland Resorts, or if journeying to Africa can enjoy unique river-based game viewing aboard the Zambezi Queen.

    Mantis also offers guests incredible experiential journeys including exploring the varied scenery of South America with explora, or an expensive adventure to Antarctica at White Desert.

    Continuing to expand their brand under the vision of “unearthing the exceptional” this year has also seen Mantis embark at the development of a five star hotel at the island of St. Helena, within the South Atlantic Ocean, 2,000km from the closest major land mass.

    The island is currently only accessed by the last commercially operating Royal Mail Ship, but might be opening its own airport in January 2016.

    Mantis has also recently partnered with ICS Group in India forming a three way partnership ‘Ayana Hospitality’ targeting providing hospitality services to high-end boutique hotels and lodges, primarily in nature destinations.

    To be sure that Mantis continues to provide member properties the perfect sales, marketing and management solutions, Mantis has also formed a partnership with global boutique hotel specialist, Mr & Mrs Smith.

    The partnership sees Mantis’ new booking engine channel being powered by Mr & Mrs Smith’s proprietary technology.

    The business also is developing into other areas having identified a chance within the adventure travel market.

    In September 2012 it launched the Bear Grylls Survival Academy as a part of Worldwide Experience, allowing clients to experience extreme activities inside the group.

  • Brits find holiday build-up distressing

    Jetting off on holiday have to be the perfect thing on earth. However, in accordance with recent research by Holiday Extras, a mix of worries concerning the journey, anxiety about passports, flight delays and uncertainty over excess luggage fees, spoils the beginning of the getaway for 94% of British holidaymakers.

    The survey revealed that the largest worries before jetting off on holiday for 87% of holidaymakers are traffic and transport issues so that it will the airport, and flight delays.

    Three quarters of these surveyed said that they discovered early morning flights and strict baggage rules spoil the beginning of the vacation. Half (48 per cent) of Brits are anxious about where to depart their car and whether they’re getting the right currency rate.

    Another cause for concern is the way to keep children happy and entertained at the journey – 64% of British parents worry that their children gets bored whilst travelling.

    Women’s anxiety: packing light!
    More than three quarters of girls struggle to adhere to packing only the vacation essentials and keep inside the strict airline luggage allowances; many ladies would like to cram in half their summer wardrobe! Men find packing less of a challenge – 68% of fellows found including everything they feel they wish, and staying inside the weight limit, stressful.

    “I’ve got mine, where’s yours”

    Men don’t find checking, renewing and remembering to pack the trusty passport before a vacation as bothersome, either. 63% of British women surveyed found this one of the nerve-racking elements of holiday preparation, in comparison to 59% of guys.

    Too busy to appear forward to a holiday
    The survey also shows that plenty of people don’t give themselves enough time to get fascinated with their holidays; only 40% of Brits feel that they’re entering into the vacation mood before keeping off.

    “It’s important to begin your holiday inside the right state of mind and planning on your holiday can give you a better chance to experience the positive feelings linked to the lead as much as a vacation,” advises Honey Langcaster-James, psychologist and life coach. “The busy, high-pressure lives that folks are leading today mean that taking a vacation for a formal break is much more important in your health and well-being.”

    Anthony Clarke-Cowell, Holiday Extras’ Communications Director, said, “The excellent news is that, except flight delays, holidaymakers can easily avoid most UK-based stress-triggers with a bit planning.  Pre-booking airport parking, an overnight stay at a hotel and straightforward travel money with a FairFX card can be sure that travellers avoid the tension triggers that stop them enjoying their holiday from the off.”

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  • News: ITB Berlin set to launch new advertising campaign to reinforce position

    ITB Berlin can be strengthening its image because the world’s leading travel trade exhibition with the launch of a brand new advertising campaign.

    The creative team of Daniel Freier und Robert Körtge of the Berlin-based branding agency kleiner und bold was liable for developing this strategy and new undertaking.

    The main objective of the hot campaign is to put “experience and experts”.

    Every year, decision-makers from the international tourism industry gather on the trade event at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds to replace information at the latest developments and trends.

    Numerous lectures, workshops and seminars on the ITB Berlin Convention and eTravel World, as an instance, offer valuable information to these present.

    Year after year, this permits annual visitors to ITB Berlin to realize an enormous advantage in relation to knowledge.

    In future, stylised pictograms will symbolise ITB Berlin’s pioneering role in tourism and visually positiat the show in its leading role for the tourism industry.

    With new motifs on the homepage of the show’s website, in its newsletters and on social networking sites the world’s largest travel trade extravaganza will make it easy for visitors to discover their way around.

    Comprising several icons, the pictograms cover quite a lot of content and specifically target individual topics, related information and audiences.

    ITB Berlin 2014 might be occurring from Wednesday 5th to Sunday March 9th, and from Wednesday to Friday would be open to trade visitors only.

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