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  • VisitBritain hails tourism success of London 2012 Olympic Games

    Britain received 31.1 million visitors last year, a one per cent increase at the figure for 2011, making it the perfect year for inbound tourism since 2008.

    Those visitors that did come also spent more, with some £18.6 billion changing hands, a four per cent increase on 2011 and a record high in nominal terms.

    Despite this, VisitBritain recorded a five per cent slip in visitor numbers during August last year, largely thanks to holidaymakers who didn’t have tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games deciding to delay or cancel trips.

    Sports fans who did make the adventure to the united kingdom were happy to spend money, however, with the organisation recording a nine per cent increase in tourism revenue in August last year, despite the autumn in visitor numbers.

    VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe was also quick to hail the success of the Olympics in changing perceptions of the united kingdom in international markets.

    “The Olympic Games worked as an incredible advert for the uk and its tourism industry.

    “It was everything shall we have wished for in that respect,” said Dawe.

    Momentum was also maintained into 2013, added Dawe, with “double digit” increases in spending recorded within the first four months of the year.

    Sport seems set to continue to dominate the agenda, with the Ryder Cup coming to Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, followed by the Rugby League World Cup in 2015 and the Commonwealth Games in 2017.

    VisitBritain hopes to draw 40 million international visitors per year by 2020, with a concurrent nine per cent increase in total spend.

    However, despite recent successes, VisitBritain saw its budget cut by five per cent yesterday.

  • News: International cyclists take Tour of recent Zealand

    New Zealand’s cycle-friendly landscapes have attracted a robust international contingent of cyclists for an ambitious eight-day cycling adventure that sets off on 20 April.

    Tour of latest Zealand, which travels the length of latest Zealand, is designed to attract cyclists of all abilities – from serious competitors in for the race to social cyclists on a leisurely tour. Participants ride as individuals or in teams.

    Director Peter Yarrell says that entries for the 2013 edition include greater than 30 overseas competitors from Australia, Hong Kong, Texas, the united kingdom, Russia and Japan. About 220 cyclists could be at the place to begin for Stage One.

    Unique cycling event
    Inaugurated in 2012, Tour of recent Zealand offers a brand new tackle cycling events because it is more in regards to the journey than the race. It passes through a few of New Zealand’s outstanding landscapes and provides contestants the chance to ride at their very own level.

    Teams or individuals can opt to ride through either the North or South Island and, at the final day, all of the competitors arrive on the mid-point in Wellington to race during the grounds of recent Zealand’s Parliament Buildings.

    The race starts simultaneously at both ends of recent Zealand. North Island cyclists begin at Cape Reinga on the tip of the North Island while South Island cyclists spark off from Bluff following a 700km path to Wellington.
    Route highlights

    The tour is promoted as “the most visually dramatic, accessible multi-day cycling stage race ever held in New Zealand” and every itinerary offers different highlights and sundry experiences, Yarrell says.

    Travelling a number of New Zealand’s best country roads, the tour will go through the South Island’s alpine resorts of Queenstown, Wanaka and Lake Tekapo, and the central North Island’s distinctive Waitomo limestone country, active volcanic and world heritage conservation areas.

    Cyclists at the North Island itinerary would begin their journey with a standard Maori farewell on the famed lighthouse at Cape Reinga – a sacred spot in Maori tradition – while the South Island contingent would receive a send-off from “Invercargill’s inimitable Mayor Tim Shadbolt”.

    On Anzac Day (25 April) riders can have the chance to enroll in dawn services commemorating past sacrifices of the NZ Military – at National Park (North Island) and Hanmer Springs (South Island) – before setting off at the day’s ride.

    Riders completing all seven stages will each carry a pebble taken from the southernmost point of recent Zealand to the finish in Wellington, where the pebbles might be combined with sand from the north as a symbolic presentation.

    Celebration of recent Zealand
    Yarrell sees the tour as “a celebration – not just of cycling, but of all New Zealand has to present.

    The routes take riders through a number New Zealand scenery, stopping at iconic spots and country towns for off-road diversions.

    In the South Island, cyclists will pedal past mountains and farmland, conquer high country passes, glimpsing the iridescent blues of the Southern Lakes within the daytime and the dark skies above at night. The North Island route swoops through ancient kauri forests, beside northern beaches, around the volcanic heartland, and the Whanganui River via kilometres of remote native bush.

    The race timetable allows three to 6 hours cycling each morning with free time inside the afternoons and evenings for exploring the destinations, meeting the locals and enjoying the Kiwi hospitality experience.

    On the eighth day, the riders will meet for a head-to-head criterium inside the grounds of Wellington’s iconic Beehive to come to a decision the winners in each category. This final blast across the 1.5km criterium course will start and finish at the steps of Parliament.
    Cyclists

    The entrants represent a large choice of cyclists, and Yarrell says that the development is not just about speed and competition.

    Individual participants are just required to do one stage to join the development. They are able to also choose whether to hurry with the intense racers or dawdle their way trying out “the amazing backdrops.”

    Teams must field as much as five cyclists on each stage but substitute riders are permitted at any stage because the goal is to get the team colours to Wellington.
    Each day there’ll be $1000-worth of spot prizes distributed.

    Participants may have the chance to elevate funds through sponsorship for his or her chosen charities while school teams will raise money for his or her school sports programmes. Charities supported by Tour riders include the guts Foundation, St Johns Ambulance Services, Halberg Disability Trust and the Hikurangi Foundation for the ‘Bikes in School’ programme.

    The 2012 tour riders raised NZ$75,000 for charity.

    Tour of latest Zealand is now a biennial event. New routes can be introduced for the 2015 edition.

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  • News: Hotelrez announced as latest GTMC partner

    The GTMC, the UK’s leading professional industry body representing travel management companies, has welcomed global hotel representation company HotelREZ as a partner.  The corporate provides hotel GDS distribution and internet distribution, revenue, sales and marketing support to over 1,000 independent hotels and small groups of hotels.

    GTMC chief executive Paul Wait said: “The GTMC is growing in strength both with an expanding membership and with its partnerships with key, quality industry suppliers.  HotelREZ has the advantage of being our only hotel representation partner, giving the corporate unique access to a convincing group of travel management companies with formidable buying power.”

    HotelREZ executive director Daniel Simmons said:  “HotelREZ, as an expanding hotel representation company, is delighted to be an official partner of the UK’s leading professional body for travel management companies, The Guild of Travel Management Companies. This relationship outlines our commitment to the company travel industry and our goal is to constantly improve the experience and repair offered to the agents and travelers.”

    The GTMC now has thirty partners drawn from a various range of suppliers including airlines, hotel companies, rail and car rental companies, technology companies and some of ancillary service providers.

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  • MGM Resorts launches new corporate social responsibility website

    As a part of its longstanding commitment to sustainability and its communities, MGM Resorts International has launched a brand new corporate social responsibility (CSR) website today – Earth Day.  Branded to coalesce with MGM’s powerful CSR initiative, “Inspiring Our World”, the web site details the Company’s advancements in diversity, community engagement and environmental responsibility.

    “Our new CSR website serves as an outstanding forum to have interaction guests, customers and partners in our efforts to ‘Inspire our World,’” said Jim Murren , Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. “Customers, today, have an interest not just within the exceptional service a business provides, but additionally whether it serves the community and planet with the identical enthusiasm. We would like them to grasp that we’re obsessed with both.”

    Since the Company’s founding, MGM Resorts has shown a robust commitment to the elemental principles of social responsibility.
    Serving as a web portal for normal MGM updates, the recent website will chronicle the newest in Company CSR news, published reports and achievements. Highlights featured include:
    Diversity & Inclusion – MGM Resorts has increased and maintained the entire representation of girls (greater than 40 percent) and minorities (greater than 30 percent) inside the diversity profile of its management team for greater than 1/2 the past decade. Additionally, in the course of the decade following the creation of its Supplier and Construction Diversity programs in 2001, the corporate spent a cumulative total of nearly $3 billion with minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises. MGM Resorts have been recognized a number of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc Magazine; 40 Best Companies for Diversity by Black Enterprise Magazine; Best Companies for Latina Employees by Latina Style Magazine; and the “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

    Philanthropy & Community Engagement – Since 2002, The MGM Resorts Foundation has donated nearly $50 million to nonprofit organizations. Additionally, Company employees logged greater than 113,000 volunteer hours last year to assist greater than 850 nonprofit agencies meet community needs. In light of its volunteer efforts, MGM Resorts earned the Nevada Governor’s Points of sunshine Award earlier this year.

    Environmental Sustainability – During the last five years, MGM Resorts has achieved a complete savings of greater than 300 million kilowatt hours of electricity, 500,000 MMBtu of natural gas and 1.9 billion gallons of water; and increased its recycling rate by greater than 420 percent. Additionally, MGM Resorts’ properties have achieved six LEED® Gold certifications and 15 Green Key Global Eco-Ratings; at greater than 18 million square feet, CityCenter is the most important LEED® Gold certified new development on the planet. MGM Resorts is recognized because the highest ranking company within the casino resort industry among Newsweek Magazine’s most environmentally responsible companies.

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  • Seychelles Tourism Board sees appointment of recent CEO to make sure continuity

    The Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange, and the outgoing Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Elsia Grandcourt, met with staff of the Tourism Board last Monday to announce new changes that were to occur in the organisation.

    Minister St.Ange, who personally chaired the employees meeting, made the official announcement of the resignation of Mrs. Elsia Grandcourt from the post of CEO of the Tourism Board and revealed that she was nominated for a high-level position in a global organisation.

    Minister St.Ange congratulated Mrs. Grandcourt for this posting and said it will likely be an excellent chance for Seychelles. “Her work will continue to earn recognition for Seychelles on the planet of tourism,” Minister St.Ange said.

    The Seychelles Minister championed Mrs. Grandcourt’s appointment as “a proud and historic moment for Seychelles” and said “our country prides itself to peer one in all its professionals holding a high-level position within a global organisation.”

    Minister St.Ange said it was important for him to reassure all staff that it’d be a smooth transition when the recent CEO takes up office, and that the brand new person will “ensure the continuity of labor being done by the Seychelles Tourism Board.”

    “Mrs. Grandcourt and myself discussed the chance of a Seychellois taking up this key position on the earth of tourism, and we both agreed that it was an outstanding plus for Seychelles. Today we’re happy that Mrs. Grandcourt was the company’s choice, and we would like her well,” said Minister Alain St.Ange.

    Mrs. Grandcourt was appointed CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board in March 2012, and he or she rose to become a well-respected professional within the Seychelles tourism industry and among trade partners both locally and overseas. She inherited the art of discussion from her Minister St.Ange, her predecessor and mentor, and was credited for maintaining confidence within the trade along with her determination and tough work to work out this industry move forward. Her appointment to work with a global organisation reflects the manner her work is perceived in the international arena and how Seychelles is today respected as a rustic it really is developing its own brand of tourism with success.

    The Seychelles President, Mr. James Michel, later that week announced that Mrs. Sherin Naiken, formerly Principal Secretary for Tourism, will replace Mrs. Grandcourt as CEO of the Tourism Board. Her appointment takes effect July 1, 2013.

    Anne Lafortune, formerly CEO of the general public Officer Ethics Commission, have been appointed because the new Principal Secretary for Tourism.

    Looking forward to the brand new challenges of her new post, Ms. Naiken referred to continuity in positioning Seychelles as among the top tourism destinations on the earth.

    “Our tourism industry was very dynamic during the last few years. I fully intend to uphold a similar level of commitment as my predecessor and build at the success of the past to make certain the industry’s expectations are met. In spite of everything, their success might be my success,” said Ms. Naiken.

    Seychelles Tourism Board has also announced that they’re finalising details for a suggestion to be made to Mrs. Rose-Marie Hoareau because the new Director of selling in September 2013. Mrs. Hoareau is the present Manager of Qatar Airways in Seychelles.