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  • News: Concur sees travel management momentum from U.S. government agencies

    Concur, the worldwide leader in integrated travel and expense management, today announced that increasingly more federal agencies have signed up for the company’s E-Gov Travel Service 2 (ETS2) option to help them realise the price savings, compliance benefits, and reporting capabilities that result from using an integrated travel and voucher management service to higher manage the complete cost of a visit. GSA’s core mission is to deliver cost savings to federal agencies and ETS2 is a necessary tool for federal agencies for efficient, cost-effective travel management strategies and delivery of real savings to the taxpayer.

    The Concur solution – selected in June of 2012 to power the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) innovative program for managing online bookings, travel authorisations and voucher processing is currently being implemented by right here agencies:
    *  Department of Agriculture
    *  Department of Commerce: Patent and Trademark Office
    *  Department of Energy
    *  Department of Energy: Bonneville Power Administration
    *  Department of Health and Human Services
    *  Department of Homeland Security: Federal Emergency Management Agency
    *  Department of Homeland Security: Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
    *  Department of Interior
    *  Department of Interior: Interior Business Center
    *  Department of Treasury: Bureau of the general public Debt
    *  Department of Treasury: Internal Revenue Service
    *  Environmental Protection Agency
    *  National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    *  Nuclear Regulatory Commission
    *  National Science Foundation
    *  Small Business Administration
    *  Smithsonian Institution
    *  U.S. General Services Administration

    “We understand GSA’s core mission is to deliver cost savings to federal agencies and as one in all our largest customers we believe that our integrated travel and expense solution may also help federal agencies who’re seeking the ideal Trip experience find the pricetag savings they’re in search of,” said Steve Singh , chairman and CEO of Concur. “We stay up for helping those we’ve already signed rise up and running quickly if you want to experience a similar benefits our existing clients enjoy.”

  • British government urged to develop music tourism strategy

    A cross party group of influential peers has called at the British government develop a brand new way to support music-based tourism and help grow the united kingdom economy.

    The call was made during a home of Lords debate at the impact of music on tourism.

    The debate’s sponsor, Liberal Democrat Lord Storey said music festivals were attracting unprecedented numbers of overseas visitors and feature been pouring money into local economies. 

    He argued that the world’s “evident love” of the UK’s musical heritage should now be harnessed and used to support music tourism.

    A 2011 report estimated music tourists spend £1.4 billion and sustain over 20,000 jobs. 

    “I have seen first-hand the positive impact music could make on local tourist economies.

    “But, we also needs to consider the impact music could have at the country as a complete,” Lord Storey said. 

    “Great Britain simply has an excessive amount of potential for musical tourism for the federal government to face idly by. 

    “I strongly urge the federal government to think about how best to implement a well defined music strategy.”

    Storey suggested that to draw more overseas music tourists, government should emphasise and have interaction with existing tourist bodies and authorities across Britain and help them market themselves as music tourist destinations.

    Storey’s stance was supported by Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, who’s also a non-executive director of the national tourism agency VisitBritain. 

    “We aren’t doing in addition to shall we for music tourism,” she explained.

    “We should have more resource behind promoting our music tourism,” she argued, adding that it was important to cultivate the overseas music visitor because although they simply make up a minority of music tourists, they account for almost 20 per cent of music tourism spend.

    “We have the talent, the determination and the global focus.  Allow us to make this a key pillar of our tourism strategy into the longer term.”

  • News: It’s a jumbo job at British Airways

    Ever wondered what it takes to get a jumbo jet off the ground  British Airways has created an image of the enduring aircraft, using a jumbo variety of items from the aircraft to indicate the size of its operation.

    From toilet rolls to teaspoons, British Airways loads thousands of individual items directly to each jumbo jet before it takes to the skies. With a combined weight of 6,120 kg, the items must be unloaded and re-loaded before every take-off.

    On a common jumbo jet, right here items are loaded:

              1,263 items of metal cutlery
              1,291 items of china crockery
              538 meal trays
              735 glasses
              650 paper cups
              34 metal teapots
              220 drinks stirrers
              500 coasters
              233 toothpicks
              2,000 ice cubes
              99 full bottles and 326 quarter bottles of wine
              700 small cans of fizzy drinks
              164 bags of nuts in Club World
              337 cushions and pillows
              337 sets of headphones
              337 headrest covers
              435 air sickness bags
              58 toilet rolls
              40 extension seatbelts for children
              340 safety cards
              337 copies of High Life magazine
              40 skyflyer packs for children
              5 first aid kits

    Employees from around the airline came together to create the picture, which

    was drawn directly to the ground of an aircraft hangar. Aspects of the photograph

    include:

    *  Clouds – created using pillowcases, toilet roll, hand towels and napkins.
    *  Sky – created using Club World blankets and blue roll (kitchen roll.)
    *  Aircraft – created using pillowcases, cabin crew sleeping bags, First blankets, china, headrest covers, Skyflyer bags for youngsters and headrest covers.
    *  Aircraft windows – created using bags of nuts.
    *  Aircraft tailfin – the red parts are created using headset bags and extension seatbelts for kids.
    *  London Eye (London skyline) – created using a teapot, metal cutlery, china and socks.
    *  The Shard (London skyline) – created using tea and low bags.
    *  The Gherkin (London skyline) – created using First cushion covers and socks.
    *  Tower Bridge (London skyline) – created using First slippers and Club World washbags
    *  Big Ben’s Tower (London skyline) – created using air sickness bags, a plate and metal cutlery (clock face)
    *  Buildings (London skyline) – created using oven trays, glasses, safety cards, tongs and copies of High Life magazine.

    Rod Green, British Airways’ head global supply chain said: “It’s an enormous job getting a jumbo in to the air, not to mention a fleet of 52 daily. There are teams around the airline working together one year a year with the intention that all 27,260 items are delivered on time and to the suitable place to make certain our customers benefit from the preferrred travel experience. Once we receive our new aircraft, the challenge would be even greater.”

    It’s been 42 years for the reason that first British Airways (formerly BOAC) jumbo jet took to the skies and in July 2013 when it takes delivery of its first A380, the variety of items loaded directly to a plane increases by approximately 10,000 to cater for 2 full decks of consumers.

    British Airways has 52 jumbo jet aircraft in its fleet.

    A time-lapse video of the art coming together are available at: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=PTU_sOWgKho

  • Abu Dhabi boosts social media presence

    Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority has added two new social media initiatives to its VisitAbuDhabi.ae online destination resource.

    A new Instagram account invites the emirate’s visitors and residents to share their best Abu Dhabi photos, while a Facebook ‘Discover Abu Dhabi’ App gives users in-depth content at the destination’s happenings.

    The Visit Abu Dhabi Instagram account is the destination’s first official digital channel with 100 per cent user-generated content.

    Visitors and residents can capture the perfect of Abu Dhabi on their mobile devices and share them with the area using the hashtag #snapabudhabi.

    The ‘Discover Abu Dhabi’ App gives Facebook followers expanded, blog-style content, in English and Arabic, at the destination’s top events and initiatives, in addition to an extra digital platform to aggregate Twitter and multimedia content on specific topics. Launched with three components – SummerFest Abu Dhabi, Golf in Abu Dhabi and F1 in Abu Dhabi – the app should be expanded to mirror further compelling happenings – including Gourmet Abu Dhabi and National Day celebrations.

    The App categorises users in line with their specific preferences and posts they read, directing targeted messages that allows you to receive relevant information at the emirate’s future events and initiatives.

  • Free trial offer as Ecompter announces compatibility with HCMI

    Ecompter’s Sustainability Service for hotels, that features continuous CO2 management reporting and an internet CO2 calculator for the hotel guests, is the primary service to be in response to the brand new hotel industry agreed common method for measuring and communicating carbon emissions – the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI 1.0).

    The HCMI 1.0 methodology was developed by the area Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), in consultation with 23 leading hotel groups and KPMG.  Ecompter was one of many companies consulted at the methodology during its second phase of development.

    To support the adoption of the HCMI standard and to enable the hotel community to start with a uniform way of CO2 reporting, Ecompter is offering a brand new free 6 month trial of the service.

    Ecompter’s sustainability service also features an effortless-to-digest summary of the hotel’s environmental initiatives and results, plus an interactive image of the hotel room to teach guests how they could cut their energy use during their stay (eg by utilizing the room’s shower rather than bath).

    Mr. Ville Valorinta, Managing Director of Ecompter says; ”Through Ecompter we wish to help raise awareness and understanding of ways unbiased and standardized CO2 reporting and inter-active communication can be utilized to regulate and monitor the environmental initiatives and have interaction both staff and guests to be aware of the consumption.”

    Fran Hughes, Head of Programmes at ITP say; “We are working hard to embed the methodology and accomplish maximum take in. We are hoping to extend the ‘supply’ of knowledge by reaching out to other hotel groups about HCMI, in addition to to travel management companies and global distribution systems to make sure they’re aware that carbon footprint information is offered and ensuring it could be provided to the buyer within the simplest format.”