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Gold awarded to Hotel Okura Amsterdam

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The luxurious five-star Hotel Okura Amsterdam was recently awarded Green Globe Gold Status marking five consecutive years of certification.

Emmy Stoel, General Manager at the hotel said, “We are very proud of achieving Gold Status and look forward to continued improvements in our sustainable performance.”

A major project has just started at the hotel as part of a master plan for more sustainable mechanical processes to be introduced at the property. Construction began on a chiller plant that integrates thermal (heat/cold) energy storage last week. Preliminary research has been conducted into thermal storage options by means of underground aquifers, which are accessed by two mono boreholes.

“The benefits from the additional investment and from the energetic aspects as well as the environmental aspects are evident. Not only will it reduce CO2 emissions and positively contribute to the local community, it also means annual savings in energy consumption and therefore cost savings in the long run,” added Ms. Stoel.

Other energy saving measures that utilize existing water near the property include ‘TegenStroom Aggregaat’ (TSA), a system where cold water from the canals is used for cooling water, and air conditioning units that utilize water as a means to cool air.

In line with its carbon emissions reduction strategy, Hotel Okura Amsterdam encourages guests to rent bikes. In addition, the majority of recommended boat companies use electric driven boats while e-vehicles for airport transfers are promoted. Guests can also use the two electric charging stations in the garage.

Hotel Okura Amsterdam supports charitable causes in the community including sponsorship of the Sint Maarten charity lunch and working in co-operation with Emma Kinderziekenhuis Academic Children’s Hospital (AMC). The hotel regularly contributes toward CSR initiatives ranging from hosting the biennial Bio-Gala, an event that raises money for the Bio Foundation which supports children who have undergone epilepsy or suffer from cerebral palsy and spina bifida to donating 300 retired duvets to Human Aid in Greece.

About Green Globe Certification

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). For information, please click here.

MEDIA CONTACT: Bradley Cox, Director Communications, Green Globe Certification, 5959 W. Century Blvd., Suite 610, Los Angeles, California 90045 U.S.A., Tel +1-310-337-3000, Fax +1-310-626-9982, skype bradleygcox, email: bcox@greenglobe.com

New Board Member for the African Tourism Board: Ghana Minister of Tourism

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The Hon. Catherine Ablema Afeku, Minister of Tourism for Ghana, recently joined the African Tourism Board (ATB) as a board member.

Founded in 2018 as a project of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) , the African Tourism Board is an association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to and from the African region.

The Hon. Afeku is a member of the New Patriotic Party and a Member of Parliament for the Evalue Gwira Constituency in the Western Region.

She was born at Axim and obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in the year 2000.

The African Tourism Board provides aligned advocacy, insightful research, and innovative events to its members. In partnership with private and public sector members, ATB enhances the sustainable growth, value, and quality of travel and tourism to, from, and within Africa.

The association provides leadership and counsel on an individual and collective basis to its member organizations and is expanding on opportunities for marketing, public relations, investments, branding, promoting, and establishing niche markets.

The ATB is currently involved in tourism security and wellness summit in member countries, PR and marketing, media outreach, trade show participation, road shows, webinars, and MICE Africa.

The official launch of the organization is planned for later this year.

To learn more about the African Tourism Board, how to join and get involved, go to

https://africantourismboard.com/

 

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Travelport survey shows U.S. business travelers happy to pay for conveniences, even if giving up personal data, privacy

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ATLANTA — August 9, 2018 –   A majority of U.S. business travelers are willing to spend their own money to pay for non-travel policy conveniences like upgraded hotels, faster hotel WiFi and airline seat upgrades  according to the  “U.S. Business Traveler & Travel Policy 2018” survey published today by Travelport (NYSE:TVPT), a leading travel commerce platform.

The survey also shows business travelers are deeply divided—with 55 percent agreeing and 45 percent disagreeing—over whether to allow their employers to use GPS tracking solutions to monitor their movements and location while on business trips.

The willingness of business travelers to trade personal privacy for enhanced corporate security reflects their readiness to make sacrifices in return for other benefits. For example, 70 percent of travelers are willing to offer their personal data in return for personalized ads that are relevant to them when booking business travel online.

Other trends revealed in the survey include:

 

  • Time is money: Convenience is the motivating factor when choosing an airline for business travel. Forty eight percent of respondents prioritized factors like flight departure and arrival times, as well as direct flights, while only 12 percent cited company cost-savings and keeping a work/life balance.
  • Booking flexibility could improve: While compliant with policies, travelers want more freedom to self-service flights and manage their own expense reports. While almost 100 percent of travelers comply with their company’s travel policies, more than 80 percent agree they would like to work for an organization that allows them to book travel directly and which allows automated, digital expense reporting.
  • Travel budgets are up: Company resources available for travelers to do their jobs. Fifty-seven percent of respondents say their 2018 business travel budget is larger than their 2017 travel budget.
  • Business travel is a perk: Approximately four out of five travelers like to travel for business. 40 percent definitely agree they would like to work for an organization that asks them to travel frequently and almost 90 percent are allowed to keep for themselves the loyalty points accrued during business travel.

Commenting on the survey, Erika Moore, Travelport’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Sales said, “The survey suggests standard corporate travel practices may be falling short of business travelers’ expectations while on the road. Convenience and a familiar consumer experience are important to business travelers when planning and managing their journeys. That’s why our mobile solutions, such as Travelport Trip Assist, along with our agency tools, are so relevant to the needs of today’s corporate travel managers and their clients.”

U.S. business travelers consent to purchase conveniences, quitting personal data, privacy

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ATLANTA — August 9, 2018 – Most U.S. business travelers are prepared to spend their very own money to cover non-travel policy conveniences like upgraded hotels, faster hotel airline and WiFi seat upgrades based on the “U.S. Business Traveler & Travel Policy 2018” survey published today by Travelport (NYSE:TVPT).

The survey shows business travelers are deeply divided&mdash also;with 55 percent agreeing and 45 percent disagreeing—over whether allowing their employers to utilize GPS tracking methods to monitor their movements and location while on business trips.

The willingness of business travelers to trade personal privacy for enhanced corporate security reflects their readiness to create sacrifices in substitution for other benefits. For instance, 70 percent of travelers are prepared to offer their personal data in substitution for personalized ads which are highly relevant to them when booking business travel online.

Other trends revealed in the survey include:

• Time is money: Convenience may be the motivating factor whenever choosing an airline for business travel. 48 percent of respondents prioritized factors like flight arrival and departure times, in addition to direct flights, while only 12 percent cited company cost-savings and keeping a work/life balance.
• Booking flexibility could improve: While compliant with policies, travelers want more freedom to self-service flights and manage their very own expense reports. While almost completely of travelers adhere to their company’s travel policies, a lot more than 80 percent agree they wish to work for a business which allows them to book travel directly and that allows automated, digital expense reporting.
• Travel budgets are up: Company resources designed for travelers to accomplish their jobs. Fifty-seven percent of respondents say their 2018 business travel budget is bigger than their 2017 travel budget.
• Business travel is really a perk: Approximately four out of five travelers prefer to travel for business. 40 percent definitely agree they wish to work for a business that asks them to visit frequently and almost 90 percent are permitted to keep for themselves the loyalty points accrued during business travel.

Commenting on the survey, Erika Moore, Travelport’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Sales said, “The survey suggests standard corporate travel practices could be falling lacking business travelers’ expectations while on the highway. Convenience and a familiar consumer experience are essential to business travelers when planning and managing their journeys. That’s why our mobile solutions, such as for example Travelport Trip Assist, alongside our agency tools, are so highly relevant to the requirements of today’s corporate travel managers and their clients.”

Source:  Travelport (www.travelport.com)

Vynn Capital Partners with UNWTO

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Vynn Capital, a South-East Asia-based early-stage venture capital firm, and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) today jointly announced a strategic partnership to promote South-East Asia’s tourism sector by facilitating entrepreneurship and innovation.

Through this strategic partnership, Vynn Capital and UNWTO will collaborate to create a framework and policies to support technology startups that are addressing opportunities and challenges in the region’s tourism sector. Both parties will work together to encourage traditional industry players such as hotel groups, property groups and food companies to adopt digital strategies, as well as to encourage more investment by the private sector into technology companies. Vynn Capital will act as UNWTO’s partner on initiatives to achieve these goals, by supporting tourism entrepreneurs and traditional industry players as the tourism market embraces technology and innovation.

“The tourism sector represents a huge opportunity for South-East Asia, where we see the emergence of a strong middle class. Vynn Capital has identified tourism as a key investment space and we will continue to work with entrepreneurs and industry players to promote the region’s tourism sector. We believe technology companies that focus on the mobility of consumers, such as Indonesia’s Travelio and Carsome, who already has operations in four key countries in South-East Asia, will continue to champion the economic impact of tourism growth. We join hands with UNWTO to foster a new generation of innovative tourism companies in South-East Asia,” said Victor Chua, Founding and Managing Partner of Vynn Capital and Chairman of the Malaysia Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (MVCA).

“UNWTO is proud to partner with Vynn Capital, who will help us to create real solutions for the much-needed digital transformation of tourism. Such partnerships are key to continue generating opportunities all through tourism, and prove that venture capital has a role to play when we want to advance sustainable development,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

According to UNWTO, international arrivals have increased in all regions since the start of 2018, continuing the strong trend of previous years. The strong growth is led by Asia and the Pacific (+8%), especially South-East Asia (+10%) and South Asia (+9%) where growth has already surpassed that of 2017 when Asia saw a 6% increase in international arrivals. This is significant, considering that Asia and the Pacific represents around 29% of international tourism receipts