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  • Intense heat wave ushers in tourism to NJ beach towns

    “The Shore is OPEN,” the official tourism website of latest Jersey touts, assuring tourists that the Sandy-battered coastline is back up and running after months of recovery.

    As parts of the East endure the fourth heat wave of 2013, tourists are flocking to New Jersey’s coastline to chill off inside the ocean and revel in newly reconstructed parks, water rides and concessions.

    Images of the boardwalk in pieces, the famous Jet Star coaster submerged inside the salty ocean water and Restore the Shore promotions airing across local radio stations had residents and businesses worried that tourists would go elsewhere in 2013.

    But it was a double-edged sword—the promotions brought in significant financial aid for reconstruction.

    2012 had set a record year for the state’s tourism industry, generating $34.7 billion of the state GDP, amounting to 7 percent of your complete state economy.

    With 10 percent of all New Jersey jobs regarding travel and tourism, Superstorm Sandy put shore communities in a precarious position.

    Despite concerns, the Garden State’s summer tourism season is progressing positively, the recent Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism says.

    “We are optimistic concerning the future,” in accordance with Executive Director of the brand new Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, Grace Hanlon.

    “While the Jersey Shore saw a slow start with the elements Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July weekend brought spectacular weather and crowds all along our 130 miles and the momentum is continuous.”

    As the East enters its hottest days of summer, business owners are noticing the sweltering conditions driving crowds to the beaches and the insides in their businesses.

    “Weather is unquestionably probably the most critical factors. We’re pleased that visitors are coming to go to the Jersey Shore to work out for themselves the incredible recovery and rebuilding that has taken place during the last couple of months and to do their part in helping these shore town economies,” Hanlon said.

    Though Mother Nature showed no mercy last October, her high heat, humidity and sunshine are yielding the kind of summer New Jersey tourism thrives on.

    This week will remain stifling for far of the East because the heat wave peaks, before easing back slightly by Monday. Ocean temperatures have finally pushed into the 70s, after days of unseasonable lows within the 50s.

    “High daytime and nighttime temperatures, high humidity, intense sunshine and shortage of wind will make the world look like the center of the tropics,” in keeping with AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

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  • News: Dollar Rent A Car, Thrifty Car Rental partner with Allied Business Network

    Allied Business Network (ABN Save) announces the addition of 2 new car rental discount partners geared toward meeting the purposes of the cost conscience driver – Dollar Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rentals. These two new partners are a very good compliment to the Hertz program already in place for ABN Save members. The Hertz program for ABN Save members offers a Business Rewards Program that gives loyal Hertz renters the opportunity to save lots of as much as 20% on transactions and earn free rental vouchers. These are only some of the many perks of the Hertz rental car program geared towards businesses. The Dollar and Thrifty discount programs are geared more towards leisure and/or cost conscience consumers. Now members of ABN Save can favor to rent a car at a reduced rate in accordance with their business or personal needs from any of those three companies quickly and simply.

    The partnerships between Dollar and Thrifty offer ABN Save members the risk to avoid wasting 5% off reservations made online or by phone with each respective partner. The Dollar Rent a Car discount and Thrifty Car Rentals discount are both available by using Corporate Discount numbers (often referred to as CD #s). Dollar CD # TB7086 and Thrifty CD # 0010230792 activate the 5% discount for renters.

    Dollar Car Rental has over 1,500 locations the world over and might often be found near airports and other suburban locations, offering convenient and accessible locations to choose up or drop off a rental. Thrifty Car Rentals has greater than 1,000 locations worldwide..

    President of ABN Save, Jack Bergman, had this to claim in regards to the new partnerships with Dollar and Thrifty:

    “We’re more than happy and excited to announce Dollar Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rentals because the newest discount partners inside the ABN Save membership network. The addition of those two partners solidifies our reputation because the largest business network available for entrepreneurs and small and medium sized business owners.”

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  • Turkish destination management company goes green

    Turkey’s leading Destination Management Company, ODS, has demonstrated a compassion for our surroundings and responsible actions for decades. The corporate has developed a whole lot of innovative concepts, promoting awareness among suppliers, clients, and staff – integrating a “green concept” into all levels of the business. Those efforts recently earned Green Globe certification.

    “Our entire ODS Turkey team is incredibly proud to attain this prestigious recognition,” said Sadik Caglar, Managing Director at ODS. “It is our philosophy to advertise and actively live sustainability, and with the fairway Globe award our competency is now made official. We will be able to continue to enhance our performance, and it’ll be the duty of every our team member to guard and enhance our environment, contributing to an improved future for generations to return.”

    ODS has implemented quite a number eco-friendly and effort-saving measures: LED lighting is installed at the first floor of the building, all electrical appliances on the office are rated “A class” with regards to energy consumption, a strict recycling policy is in place, and recycled products are purchased wherever possible. To be sure quality sustainability, ODS has developed their very own exclusive system called Treecom. All ODS projects are monitored through this technique and taken to life.

    “We feel the Responsibility” is the motto here, and ODS Turkey is immersed in different activities and foundations that give back to the community and environment. The corporate makes regular contributions to TEGV, the learning Volunteers Foundation of Turkey, supporting the elemental education of youngsters to assist them gaining life skills for a brighter future. Every year, a set percentage of the profit is allocated to fund a ramification of Turkish local and regional non-profit organisations. Clients are invited to take part with a trip and even an activity including a particular charity of their events. ODS makes a speciality of Morcati – a women’s shelter foundation, LOSEV – a foundation for youngsters with leukemia, and WWF – the area Wildlife Fund.

    ODS is obsessed on organising fundraisers and volunteer events that benefit the area people. These types of events include repairing school buildings, planting trees, or organising clean-up days, especially in underprivileged neighborhoods. Clients and suppliers are always encouraged to sign up for the ODS team at any of these events.

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  • News: Tourism leaders unite to unveil Tricentennial Plan

    On Monday, April 22, New Orleans tourism industry leaders and civic stakeholders gathered to announce the formation in their alliance because the Tricentennial Consortium, and present their Tricentennial Plan, a strong holistic vision to be implemented inside the next five years, a good way to create thousands of jobs, generate greatly increased tourism demand, spur economic development and make sure the continued growth of recent Orleans’ economy for many years to come back.  The unified plan was under development for the past three years to support the goals of The Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) 2010 Strategic Master Plan for the tourism and hospitality industry of the town of latest Orleans.

    It is now culminating with the alignment of key components for execution over the subsequent five years to profit a better quarter century.  The overarching goals are to draw 13.7 million visitors, create $11 billion in direct spending, 33,000 additional jobs and $700 million in tax revenue by the city’s 300th anniversary in 2018.

    The Tricentennial Plan for these next five years leading as much as the city’s 2018 300th birthday involves several legislative and infrastructure initiatives and two major public policy positions:

    1. The united industry (Consortium) is against a rise in sales tax impacting hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, attractions and retailers in New Orleans. We deeply appreciate our legislature deferring these taxes.

    2. The united industry (Consortium) is strongly against any transfer or other use of Morial Convention Center financial reserves, that are made out of revenues generated by taxes proposed by the hot Orleans hotel and restaurant industry and that were collected and dedicated by law solely to convention center and hospitality infrastructure development. We consider any reallocations or taking to violate sound public and monetary policy, and to be violative of all agreements with the hotel and restaurant industry that brought about the enactment of the taxes, and really likely the law besides.

    3. The united industry (Consortium) strongly supports a main Convention Center Vision Plan that comes with the riverfront and Convention Center Boulevard, the building, and the expansive Phase IV property, the financial and legal underpinnings of which can be supported in HB516 (Leger). This many faceted development of demand generators is intimately connected to and tied in with….

    4. A united industry effort filed by the Consortium to create a brand new vision for an iconic demand generator, world class facility, architectural edifice, landscape or like stunning public use of the present World Trade Center Property in a fashion that has huge public and civic buy-in and broad public appeal. (The Wednesday filing by the Tricentennial Consortium to the city’s RFP.)

    5. The united industry (Consortium) strongly supports an optional hotel assessment (not a tax, not a district, and no relation to last year’s bill) to boost new funds for marketing and promotion of recent Orleans as a destination for special events, corporate and association meetings, business, and leisure travel, both domestically and internationally. This optional hotel assessment program would go a ways to catching up our destination with our competitors in marketing capacity, and should immediately create hundreds of millions of bucks of impact on our city economy and create thousands of recent jobs. Here’s provided in SB 242 by Murray and Leger.

    6. The united industry (Consortium) applauds and supports the Mayor’s recent announcement to construct a brand new world class airport. The event of the brand new facility is the ultimate piece in transforming our hospitality infrastructure and is necessary to our brand and world competitiveness.
    These six public policy announcements and initiatives are united and indivisible and every is needed to put the groundwork for a quantum leap in economic development, infrastructure modernization, demand generator creation, tourism growth, job creation and the generation of recent tax revenues to handle our city.

    The announcement was made today by Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO Ron Forman ; New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation Chair Darryl Berger and President and CEO Mark Romig ; New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau Chairman Gregory Rusovich and President & CEO Stephen Perry ; New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network President Toni Rice ; Louisiana Restaurant Association CEO Stan Harris , SMG Senior Vp Doug Thornton ; New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Chair Melvin Rodrigue and President Bob Johnson ; and bigger New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association officer and Area General Manager of Marriott Corp. Robert Bray .

    This plan was formed to shape the conversation and public debate of hopes, dreams and aspirations for our great city, preparing New Orleans for a better century, and approaching the tricentennial five year plan as a unified group with a unified voice, strong public policy positions, and an action plan of projects and legislation to execute.

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  • Hilton Worldwide reveals major growth in Middle East

    Hilton Worldwide has revealed the level of its growth across Middle East and Africa with the disclosing of figures showing a 440 per cent increase to its pipeline from 2007 to offer day.

    Reinforcing the company’s position because the pre-eminent international hospitality company inside the region, the information, which was taken from December 31st 2007 to March 31st 2013, sets out the company’s pipeline expansion in 2007 from 13 hotels with 3,570 rooms to today’s figure of nearly 60 properties, representing nearly 20,000 rooms that are now in development across MEA.

    Commenting at the announcement, Rudi Jagersbacher, president, Hilton Worldwide, MEA, said: “The figures speak for themselves and obviously validate just how rapidly we’re expanding and, possibly more significant, just how important this region is to Hilton Worldwide.

    “We were operating inside the Middle East for over 50 years and we’ve developed a singular insight into the varied and distinct requirements of the region and the desires of its visitors.

    “I believe the appeal of our brands is underpinned by this deep understanding allowing us to deliver exceptional service standards, efficient operations and unwavering commitment to our partners, and the local communities wherein we operate.”

    To meet the demands of the region’s hospitality requirements, Hilton Worldwide Middle East & Africa has developed quite a lot of brands to serve a broad cross component to traveller needs and preferences from luxury brands akin to Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts to full service brands including Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton and the mid-market hotel brand, Hilton Garden Inn.

    Throughout 2013, Hilton Worldwide will continue its bold and determined expansion introducing two of its leading luxury brands, Conrad Dubai and Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, into the UAE for the primary time.

    In addition, the corporate increases its presence in Qatar and expects to open two DoubleTree by Hilton properties in Dubai.

    “We are on target to double our Middle East & Africa portfolio in the next three years.

    “We already boast the most important and most active hotel pipeline within the region and we’re working hard to implement strategies to recruit and train the thousands of latest staff members so we can be had to service this growth,” Jagersbacher added.

    “Our plan for the following couple of years is to keep growing our presence and establish Hilton Worldwide because the leading hospitality brand within the region and become the number 1 choice for travellers and guests, owners and investors and, equally important, become valued members of the numerous local communities wherein we operate,” concluded Jagersbacher.