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Global Hotel Alliance Announces 2019 Results

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Business News first on FIR:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–()–Global Hotel Alliance (“GHA”), operator of the world’s largest loyalty platform for independent brands, DISCOVERY, today revealed that 2019 was a record year for room revenue production and new brands, with seven luxury brands joining the alliance, namely:

  • Campbell Gray Hotels
  • Capella Hotels & Resorts
  • Divani Collection Hotels
  • Fauchon Hospitality
  • Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts
  • Sun Resorts
  • The Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts

With 77 new hotels going live on the DISCOVERY platform in 2019, the alliance has now reached 570 properties and entered key European capitals like Paris and Athens while expanding its footprint in important Asian markets including Shanghai and Bangkok.

Overall room-revenue from stays by DISCOVERY loyalty programme members increased to US$1.7 billion. Cross-brand performance improved by 20% to 700,000 room-nights (that is nights generated by members who enrolled at one brand and then stayed at another), reaching US$125 million in rooms revenue. In the best performing hotels, the DISCOVERY programme is now producing more than half of total room-nights sold and adding up to 7.5% in incremental occupancy from cross-brand customers.

The steady rise in revenues was driven largely by a further 18% growth in DISCOVERY membership, which reached 16.4 million members by the end of 2019. Seven million of those members reside in North America, with continued strong growth in Asia (now 2.9 million members), Europe (2.6 million) and Australasia (1.4 million).

In 2019, elite tier customers represented 4.2% of the active member database but produced over US$420 million in room revenues.

GHA’s CEO, Chris Hartley, is excited about the growth and continued enthusiasm that the independent brand sector is showing for collaboration of this nature: “GHA plays a vital role in insulating our member brands from external threats, as the mega-players pour hundreds of millions into their own loyalty platforms. GHA provides a solution for independent brands that protects them from the twin threats of industry consolidation and the marketing might of the OTAs, without losing their identity or control.”

In terms of channel, more DISCOVERY members booked direct than ever before on discoveryloyalty.com, and the DISCOVERY App has become a critical booking platform with a 49% increase in bookings year over year, representing nearly one-third of all online bookings. DISCOVERY members who booked direct did so at a rate premium of 40% over the average DISCOVERY rate, which was despite the popular 10% direct booking discount benefit, now in its third year and available in most of the 570 hotels participating in the DISCOVERY programme.

The most popular hotels booked on the DISCOVERY website in 2019 throughout the six continents represented were the Pan Pacific Singapore, Kempinski Nile Hotel Garden City Cairo, Egypt, PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Australia, Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, Germany, Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, United States, and the Tivoli Mofarrej Sao Paulo Hotel, Brazil.

Local Experiences, DISCOVERY’s innovative rewards, saw a further 35% growth in redemptions over 2018.

In terms of stabilised destination performance, Dubai remained strong at 23% growth in cross-brand bookings, with Singapore and London seeing 15% and 6% growth, respectively. Leisure travel to resorts saw the most growth, with new beach resorts in Mexico and Australia, in particular, seeing strong demand from DISCOVERY’s global member database.

Editor’s Notes:

About Global Hotel Alliance

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, bringing together more than 35 brands with over 570 hotels in 78 countries. GHA uses a shared technology platform to drive incremental revenues and create cost savings for its member brands. GHA’s award-winning loyalty programme, DISCOVERY, provides 16 million members exclusive opportunities to immerse themselves in local culture wherever they travel. GHA’s hotel brands currently include Anantara, Atura, Avani, Capella, Corinthia, Discovery Destinations, Divani, Doyle, Elewana, Fauchon, GLO, JA Resorts, Kempinski, Leela, Lungarno, Marco Polo, Meritage, Mysk, Niccolo, Nikki Beach, NUO, Oaks, Omni, Outrigger, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL, QT, The Residence by Cenizaro, Rydges, Shaza, Sukhothai, Thon, Tivoli, Ultratravel Collection and Viceroy. For more information, visit globalhotelalliance.com

About DISCOVERY Loyalty

A memorable trip demands more than a comfortable stay. DISCOVERY, an award-winning global loyalty programme, provides 16 million members recognition and perks across over 570 hotels, resorts and palaces in 78 countries. Elite members have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local culture through Local Experiences, distinctive activities that capture an authentic taste of each destination. For more information, visit discoveryloyalty.com

*Source: AETOSWire

“DEEP JAPAN” Exhibit on Seto Inland Sea Has Opened at Kansai International Airport

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Business News first on FIR:

OSAKA, Japan–()–The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan is holding a new initiative called the “Japanese cultural media arts dissemination initiative in airports and other institutions” for inbound tourists.

Overview of Exhibition at Kansai International Airport

Date & Time:

(Phase 1) Sunday, February 16 to Tuesday, March 31, the second year of Reiwa (2020)

(Phase 2) Early March to March 31, the second year of Reiwa (2020)

Location:

Kansai International Airport (Izumisano City, Osaka) Terminal 1 International Arrival Lobby North-South Corridor (Phase 1)

JR Kansai-Airport Station (Phase 2)

Content:

New media art by artists MANABE Daito and NAKAYAMA Akiko and creative producer UKAWA Naohiro on the theme of the Seto Inland Sea, exhibited in the north-south corridor of Kansai International Airport Terminal 1’s International Arrival Lobby (Phase 1), and media art by Okayama Art Summit artist Ryan Gander and creative producer NASU Taro exhibited in JR Kansai-Airport Station (Phase 2)

Official website: https://jmadm.jp/en/

A media arts exhibit entitled “DEEP JAPAN” on the theme of the Seto Inland Sea has begun at Kansai International Airport and JR Kansai-Airport Station on Sunday, February 16, 2020.

“DEEP JAPAN” is taking place over two periods in two locations.

Phase 1 features a piece by MANABE Daito of Rhizomatiks Research entitled “phase” in the approximately 570-meter south corridor of Terminal 1’s International Arrival Lobby and NAKAYAMA Akiko’s “Whirlpool Art” in the approximately 400-meter north corridor of the lobby, both produced by UKAWA Naohiro, from February 16. “phase” is a new piece that visualizes data generated from the waves of Seto Inland Sea as well as international flight arrival times, while “Whirlpool Art” is a new live painting performance piece inspired by the Naruto whirlpools.

Phase 2 features “Imagineering” by Ryan Gander, an artist at Okayama Art Summit 2016, produced by the 2019 summit’s executive director NASU Taro, in JR Kansai-Airport Station. Furthermore, a panel exhibition in cooperation with Setouchi DMO invites visitors from overseas to the Setouchi area’s diverse tour destinations.

This encounter with cutting-edge media arts will convey new Japanese cultural insights and appeal to tourists in Japan.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs is hosting the “Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum” that will be deployed in 10 Japanese airports sequentially as part of a new project called the “Japanese cultural media arts dissemination initiative in airports and other institutions.”

The artists and creators featured in this exhibition capture the cultural resources borne out of various local cultures through fresh perspectives in places like airports, which serve as gateways to these regions. By showcasing the works of media arts, we invite visitors to explore the true spirit of these cultures throughout their travels.

Kansai International Airport Exhibition Summary

Theme: Setouchi Area

The Setouchi area, which includes the beautiful Seto Inland Sea, is a region rich in nature exceeding 900,000 hectares and containing 727 islands. It became Japan’s first national park in 1934. Home to numerous world heritage sites like Itsukushima Shrine and nationally-designated historic streetscapes as represented by the city of Kurashiki, it is a treasure house of cultural resources. For visitors from overseas, it is a place through which to thoroughly get to know Japan, from its little-known unique scenery to its historically-significant buildings and ornaments.

Seto Inland Sea was central to ancient Japan’s sea routes. As an important transit route for envoys to Tang China, the Yamato Imperial Court built harbors, and Shogun Taira no Kiyomori developed these routes for trade with the Song dynasty during the Heian period. Shipping through the Seto Inland Sea reached its peak during the Edo period. In this way, it has carried a variety of people and goods inside and outside of Japan for thousands of years, accumulating various important cultural assets along the way. In addition, the large number of islands cause tides to change severely in places, leading to the development of the ports as sailors waited for the tides to turn, making it a truly unique ocean area. Now, Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay, the easternmost point of that area, serves as a key gateway connecting Setouchi to the world.
The Setouchi area is also host to world-famous art festivals like Okayama Art Summit and Setouchi Triennale, to which many visitors come from Europe and North America to enjoy the fusion of modern art and the region’s nature. Awaji Island, Seto Inland Sea’s largest island, is a place of Japanese legend overflowing with cultural significance. According to Japan’s oldest historical record, the Naruto Strait is where a god thrust a spear into the sea and stirred it to bring the very first shape to a world of chaos. Even the Naruto whirlpools drawn by KATSUSHIKA Hokusai are art produced by nature. The massive eddies that rise up from the sea floor to its surface are breathtaking spectacles for all who visit. Shodo Island, the second-largest island, is famous for its contribution to Japanese food culture with its olive groves and soy sauce production. It is also historically significant for the former quarry that produced the stones for the walls of Osaka Castle. One can run from Onomichi along the Shimanami Kaido while enjoying the salty sea breeze, and experience Japanese cuisine while imagining the generations and generations of people through the ages who have done precisely the same. Ogijima, a valuable island that has preserved its lifestyle of old and is also home to a large number of cats, and Chichibugahama Beach, which gleams like the mirror surface of Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia, are also in the Setouchi area. The culture of the Setouchi area has developed through the countless travels of people back and forth, and thus offers the chance to peer into the deep, deep history of Japanese culture.

Exhibition: “DEEP JAPAN”

A “sky gateway museum” that combines media arts into a new Japanese cultural history
Creative producer: UKAWA Naohiro (DOMMUNE)

An airport is just what the name implies – a port of the air, a gateway to the sky.

This floor is indeed a gateway for cultural interaction with different countries and regions, and even a kind of cloister where people who have literally crossed borders are thrown together. So in this hub of human activity, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, whose mission is to stimulate international cultural exchange, is showing the world a new initiative that crossfades Japan’s historic cultural resources into cutting-edge media arts. Yes, this is the concept of the distributed museum that installs media artwork mixing regional culture and their stories in airports around the country. This initiative lets participating international airports take the lead in collaborating with artists to create “sky gateway museums” in an aim to encourage the increasing number of inbound tourists to stay longer and connect with other regions, strengthening the foundation of Japan tourism and catalyzing media art. Kansai International Airport’s version is like a dancefloor, matching the beat of the most avant-garde applied technology (media art) to the rare grooves of Japan’s historic cultural resources. And its name is Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum: Deep Japan!

The artists’ pieces unveiled here, which mix images of Seto Inland Sea with a variety of media, represent a search for the universal potential of historic chance encounters with media arts. A read of history reveals that in any era, new media and novel technological inventions are merely tools in the hands of creators. For example, rock art and cave murals, the Nazca Lines and pyramids, and Jomon pottery and keyhole-shaped tumuli can be interpreted as media art from mythical ancient times, but even from long ago, media and technology have never been more than tools to bring imagination to life. Now, in the age of industry 4.0, we have conceptualized museums at the gateways to the sky as a new Japanese cultural history. We have also drawn an alternative future of revitalization for rural Japan and used an international airport as the stage for a completely new type of media art.

The first piece is by Rhizomatiks Research and Daito Manabe, 314 LED lights installed in the approximately 570-meter corridor running parallel to the runway. The LED lighting patterns are generated from Seto Inland Sea wave data as well as data from the timetable of international flights arriving at Kansai International Airport. It links the wave cycle of Seto Inland Sea, praised by many Westerners including German physician and botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold for its picturesque scenery, with the record of visitors to Japan from overseas, synchronizing traveler activity with environmental change in Setouchi.

NAKAYAMA Akiko’s piece is a fusing of the Naruto Strait with her distinct style of flowing colors depicting change over time. According to Japan’s oldest historical record, the Naruto Strait is where a god thrust a spear into the sea and stirred it to bring the very first shape to a world of chaos, and this artwork, made of colors inhabiting a single moment, stands alongside the imagery, poetry, performance, and other media through which storytellers have told of this legendary place for a thousand years.

Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum: Deep Japan is the intersection of technology and history, media and tourism, art and tradition! It is the concept of museums at the gateways to the sky that combine media arts into a new Japanese cultural history. As all of these composition elements are mixed together in the airport to form a completely new network of hubs, each airport becomes a node in this modern distributed museum. And this time, the museum features two leading Japanese artist teams!

Artist:

MANABE Daito

Tokyo-based artist, interaction designer, programmer, and DJ. He established Rhizomatiks in 2006 and then the R&D-heavy project-focused Rhizomatiks Research in 2015 with ISHIBASHI Motoi.

He creates artwork by reconceptualizing familiar phenomena and materials from new perspectives and in new combinations. Instead of going for high-resolution, highly realistic, rich expression, he focuses on phenomena only discovered through careful observation, the inherent attractiveness of bodies, programming, and computers, and the relations and boundaries between analog and digital, real and virtual, as he works in the domains of design, art, and entertainment.

His broad range of collaborations include the likes of SAKAMOTO Ryuichi, Bjork, OK GO, Nosaj Thing, Squarepusher, Andrea Battistoni, NOMURA Mansai, Perfume, and Sakanaction as well as the Jodrell Bank Center for Astrophysics in Manchester, England, and CERN.
He has received many awards both at home and abroad, including the Ars Electronica Distinction Award, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Titanium Grand Prix, D&AD Black Pencil, and Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize.

NAKAYAMA Akiko

Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University’s Department of Fine Arts with a major in painting in 2012 and a master’s in art research in 2014. She creates living paintings using color and flowing energy to react a variety of materials with each other.

As shown by her continually-transforming “Alive Painting” series or the “Still Life” series that visualizes and solidifies the filtration process of the former’s run-off, she is continuously producing strongly performative paintings. Her dynamically-changing artwork harmonizing various media and colors are almost like extemporaneous poetry. Viewers are led into this poetic landscape by projecting into it themselves, living things, nature, and more. In her solo exhibitions, she uses sound as “invisible paint” , touching on space and emotion through her painting. In recent years she has appeared at TEDxHaneda, DLECTRICITY Art Festival (Detroit), a solo performance at NEW ARS ELECTRONICA (Austria), Biennale Nemo (Paris), LAB30 Media Art Festival (Augsburg), TECHNARTE art + technology (Bilbao), MUTEK Montreal, and more.

Creative producer:

UKAWA Naohiro (DOMMUNE)

Born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, in 1968. Identified as a “current artist”, instead of a contemporary artist. As a filmmaker, graphic designer, VJ, writer, university professor, he has engaged in a wide range of extremely diverse activities since the late eighties. Since participating in the “Buzz Club: News from Japan” (MoMA PS1, New York) and “JAM: Tokyo-London” (Barbican Art Gallary, London) in 2001, his work has been featured in exhibitions around the world. In 2010, he founded DOMMUNE, Japan’s first live streaming channel/studio. DOMMUNE has built “satellite studio” pieces at contemporary art exhibitions in London, Dortmund, Stockholm, Paris, Mumbai, Linz, Fukushima, Yamaguchi, Osaka, Kagawa, Akita, and Sapporo. In 2019, “DOMMUNE SETOUCHI” was presented at the Setouchi Triennale. DOMMUNE has created over 5000 shows (7000 hours, 150 terabytes worth of programming) viewed by over 100 million people in the past 10 years. The studio moved to the 9th floor of Shibuya PARCO in 2019, and transformed into SUPER DOMMUNE, updating content to evolve with and anticipate the technologies of the post-5G future.
https://www.dommune.com/

Artist:

Ryan Gander

Born in Chester, England, in 1976. Currently active in London and Suffolk. A driver of the new-generation conceptual art scene, he is known for artwork that turns familiar, everyday objects into universal concepts. In Japan, he has had numerous solo exhibitions at national art museums such as “Icarus falling – An exhibition lost” (Maison Hermès, Tokyo, 2011), “You have my words” (Dazaifu Tenman-gu, Fukuoka, 2011), and “These wings aren’t for flying” (The National Museum of Art, Osaka, 2017). He has also participated in major international exhibitions such as the 54th Venice Biennale (Venice, 2011), documenta (13) (Kassel, 2012), Okayama Art Summit (Okayama, 2016), and Sydney Biennale (2018), garnering high praise both inside and outside of Japan. In January 2021 he will have a solo exhibition at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery.

Creative producer:

NASU Taro

Born in Okayama in 1966. Graduated from Waseda University. After working in Tenmaya’s art division, he opened the modern art gallery TARO NASU in Tokyo in 1998. He has collaborated with many art museums and other public institutions in Japan and overseas. In 2016, he established Art & Public, a company mainly engaged in art consulting. Now, he works to popularize modern art, serving as art advisor for “Imagineering Okayama Art Project” (2014) and executive director for Okayama Art Summit 2016 and 2019.

Okayama Art Summit

The Summit is an international modern art exhibition held every three years in the city of Okayama. For Okayama Art Summit 2019 (the second summit), the artistic director was French artist Pierre Huyghe, and it was held over two months from September 27 to November 24, 2019, in Okayama Castle and various other historic cultural venues around Okayama Korakuen. Entitled “IF THE SNAKE”, it featured 18 artist groups from nine countries selected from around the world. In 2019, Asia Art Pioneer, which recognizes Asian groups, artists, programs, and exhibitions that contributed to the global art scene, awarded it Public Art Project of the Year.

Okayama Art Summit 2019

Period:

Friday, September 27 to Sunday, November 24, 2019 (51 days)

Organizer:

Okayama Art Summit Executive Committee (Okayama City, Ishikawa Foundation, Okayama Prefecture)

Chairman:

OMORI Masao (Mayor of Okayama City)

Executive producer:

ISHIKAWA Yasuharu (President of Ishikawa Foundation, President of Stripe International Inc.)

Executive director:

NASU Taro (Representative Director of Art & Public)

Artistic director:

Pierre Huyghe (Artist)

Public program director:

KINOSHITA Chieko (Associate Professor, Osaka University Co-Creation Bureau’s Office for Society-University Co-Creation)

Setouchi DMO

DMO (Destination Management/Marketing Organization) conducts an integrated management of the entire region by vitalizing the tourist destinations. The Setouchi DMO consists of The Inland Sea, SETOUCHI Tourism Authority, which plans and carries out tourism marketing promotion, and the Setouchi Brand Corporation Inc. that supports tourism product development by utilizing the Setouchi Kanko Kasseika Fund. Making the most of the broad and varied tourism resources of Setouchi, the Setouchi DMO, together with relevant parties, conducts information dissemination, promoting activities, effective marketing and strategy formulation, and encourages the local tourism-related business operators to develop tourist destinations.

Overview of Exhibition at Kansai International Airport (Details)

Date & Time:

(Phase 1) Sunday, February 16 to Tuesday, March 31, the second year of Reiwa (2020)

 

(Phase 2) Early March to March 31, the second year or Reiwa (2020)

Location:

(Phase 1) Kansai International Airport (Izumisano City, Osaka) Terminal 1 International Arrival Lobby North-South Corridor

 

(Phase 2) JR Kansai-Airport Station

Artists:

(Phase 1) MANABE Daito, NAKAYAMA Akiko

 

(Phase 2) Ryan Gander

Creative producers:

(Phase 1) UKAWA Naohiro

 

(Phase 2) NASU Taro

Supporters:

Setouchi DMO

 

Ishikawa Foundation

 

West Japan Railway Company

 

Kansai Airports

Organizer:

Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

 

“Japanese cultural media arts dissemination initiative in airports and other institutions in the first year of Reiwa”

Civil Rights Trail Announces New Sites for 2020

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Four new attractions and one new city have been added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail (USCRT), officials announced Thursday. These destinations further enrich the trail experience and the story of the Civil Rights Movement, and it is fitting that they have been added during the nation’s celebration of Black History Month

The additions include the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville and the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky. The trail also added the Beale Street Historic District and WDIA radio station, both in Memphis, Tennessee.

“We are delighted about the additions of the Muhammad Ali Center, the SEEK Museum, Beale Street Historic District and WDIA to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail,” said Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism
Department and chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance. “We know they will make incredible additions to the trail as a whole, which continues to showcase how ‘what happened here changed the world.’”

The new sites were announced by the USCRT Marketing Alliance, which is made up of 14 state tourism departments, Destination DC, leaders from the National Park Service and historians. In 2018, the Marketing Alliance formed and launched CivilRightsTrail.com, featuring approximately 120 sites between Topeka, Kansas, and Washington, D.C., that were important to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Most recently, the trail was recognized with gold for Best Destination in a Region from the International Travel & Tourism Awards on Nov. 5, 2019. It was also awarded the Mercury Marketing Award on Aug. 20, 2019, for its marketing excellence. In the site’s second year, it achieved 1 million page views.

About the New Sites

Historic Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, was established in 1841 and is one of the most iconic streets in America. Around the time of the Civil War, it became a thriving area for black commerce and culture. During the Civil Rights Movement, the area was also where African-Americans came to entertain and be entertained, shop, strategize and protest. When city sanitation workers decided to strike in response to deplorable job conditions, they marched down Beale Street, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Memphis in support. The demonstrations were a precursor to his assassination on April 4, 1968.

“The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a vital ongoing project that tells the stories of the brave men and women who stood up for equal rights,” said Commissioner Mark Ezell, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Secretary/Treasurer of the USCRT Marketing Alliance. “Tennessee is honored to be part of keeping civil rights history alive. We are excited the state has two new locations in Memphis on the trail – the Beale Street Historic District and WDIA radio station.”

WDIA was the first radio station in the country programmed entirely for the black community. The station went on air on June 7, 1947, from
studios on Union Avenue in downtown Memphis. Not only did the station feature black radio personalities, but it also brought awareness to a relatively new market of listeners. The station’s influence and popularity reached the Mississippi Delta’s dense African-American population, and WDIA’s broadcasts were heard from Missouri to the Gulf Coast, reaching 10 percent of the African-American population in the United States.

The SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky, recognizes the work of journalist Alice Allison Dunnigan with a life-size bronze statue and an
exhibit about her achievements. The civil rights pioneer struggled against the twin strikes of racism and sexism to become the first female African-American admitted to the White House, Congressional and Supreme Court press corps. As the Washington correspondent for the Associated Negro Press, she worked with Congress to pass legislation that allowed her to obtain these press credentials in 1947. She then reported on national affairs with a focus on civil rights and other matters that were important to African-Americans. She also served on the president’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and worked for several years to enforce compliance of the Civil Rights Acts.

The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, is a multicultural center with an award-winning museum that captures the inspiration of Muhammad Ali’s legendary life. A visit to the center is not just an
experience but also a journey into the heart of a champion. Visitors to the
center will experience interactive and multimedia exhibits and discover Ali’s six core principles: confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect and spirituality. Fueled by these principles, Ali became the best athlete he could be. He also garnered the strength and courage to stand up for what he believed and provided inspiration to millions of people around the world, regardless of ethnicity, religion, culture, gender or age. Located on Museum Row in the heart of downtown Louisville, the Muhammad Ali Center is the only place in the world dedicated to preserving and promoting Ali’s legacy.

About the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks primarily in the Southern states where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice. Famous sites include the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas; the Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth’s where sit-ins began; the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; and Dr. King’s birthplace in Atlanta, to name a few. The people, locations and destinations included in the Civil Rights Trail provide a way for families, travelers and educators to experience history firsthand and tell the story of how “what happened here changed the world.” For details about dozens of significant sites and to see interviews with civil rights foot soldiers, visit CivilRightsTrail.com.

About the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance

A project that began in 2015 to nominate a few civil rights landmarks as potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites uncovered more than 100 National
Park Service sites, National Historic Landmarks, and other highly qualified and recommended sites for consideration to UNESCO. By March 2017, it was obvious that this first ever inventory of important civil rights locations was not inclusive of all the destinations that could be part of a campaign to share the story of freedom. And thus the concept of creating the U.S. Civil Rights Trail was born. Thanks to the leadership of Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell, 14 state tourism offices – in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia – and the District of Columbia tourism group joined together to create the U.S Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, LLC, incorporated in Atlanta in October 2017. The website, CivilRightsTrail.com, was promoted through a licensing agreement with the state of Alabama. Travel South USA, a nonprofit marketing organization, serves as the no-fee business office for the
Alliance, and the agency of record for the Alliance is Luckie & Company
with offices in Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia.

MEDIA CONTACT: Liz Bittner, U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, LLC, 404-231-1790, liz.bittner@travelsouthusa.com

Oman Airports to host World Travel Awards Grand Final 2019 at Royal Opera House Muscat

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World Travel Awards (WTA) has partnered with Oman Airports to host its highly-anticipated Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2019 on 28th November at the Royal Opera House Muscat. Leading figureheads and decision-makers of the global travel industry will attend the red-carpet gala reception in the beautiful Sultanate of Oman.

Dramatically wedged between soaring mountains and the Arabian Sea, the ancient city of Muscat is home to old forts, flower-filled parks and rich traditions.

Oman Airports, a government entity established as one of the key pillars in Oman’s tourism sector, will proudly host the prestigious ceremony at one of the country’s landmarks, The Royal Opera House Muscat. As an important arm of the Oman Aviation Group Companies, hosting the anticipated WTA event will further strengthen the tourism and transport sectors in the Sultanate.

Graham Cooke, Founder, WTA, said: “We are honoured to host our Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2019 in the Sultanate of Oman. From magnificent mountains and paradise beaches to beautiful deserts, Oman offers a wealth of incredible landscapes and travel experiences. I look forward to welcoming the world’s most senior decision-makers for our first ceremony in this incredible country.”

He added: “WTA has maintained its position as the industry leader for the past 26 years, consistently proving its value as the global benchmark for recognising excellence in travel and tourism. I greatly look forward to welcoming the world’s most senior travel industry figures to this incredible country for the culmination of our year-long search to find the world’s finest travel brands.”

Joining forces with renowned international bodies such as the WTA will further enhance the Sultanate’s position as a key regional player in the travel and tourism industry for both the business and leisure segments.

Sheikh Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Airports said: “Hosting the WTA Grand Final Gala Ceremony also enables us to bolster our support for the Oman Aviation Group to strengthen the tourism and transport sectors and achieve the strategic goals of Oman 2040. Having approached international markets and strengthened our relationships with key players in the travel and tourism sectors over the years, we felt it our responsibility to support and host international events of such magnitude here in Muscat. Our sponsorship of this grand event will further enable us to attract global travel and tourism brands to visit Oman and see first-hand its true beauty and potential.”

Over the past year since the opening of its new terminal, Muscat International Airport, the Jewel of Oman, has witnessed considerable shifts in its prevailing approach to high-level service and travel experiences, which have enhanced the airport’s reputation at international levels. Significant achievements have led to the airport being awarded multiple times for its outstanding performance, winning ‘Middle East’s Leading New Tourism Development Project Award 2018’, ‘World Leading New Airport 2018’, and ‘Middle East’s Leading Airport 2019’.

Regional ceremonies on the WTA Grand Tour 2019 include Montego Bay (Jamaica), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Mauritius, Madeira (Portugal), La Paz (Bolivia), Phu Quoc (Vietnam). The winners of these regional ceremonies progress to the Grand Final in Oman when the winners of the prestigious World categories will be unveiled.

Good news for The Bahamas

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The Islands Of The Bahamas continue to be a leading destination for travelers around the world. While the Caribbean, as a whole, is showing a positive forward booking situation for the next three months, The Bahamas is showing even more demand than expected, with new airlift to Nassau being added from major hubs across the globe. In other exciting news, The Bahamas was recently named Top Island in The Caribbean by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.

NEWS

The Bahamas Have Rebounded – The latest ForwardKeys survey showed The Bahamas are rebounding faster than expected following Hurricane Dorian. Just one month after the hurricane, The Bahamas’ tourism numbers reached 80% when compared to pre-hurricane tourism volumes. The Caribbean, as a whole, is expecting a 1.4% increase in arrivals from November – January compared to last year.

Grand Bahama Island Is Open for Business – One of the islands hit by Hurricane Dorian is ready to welcome tourists. The Grand Bahama International Airport will re-open to international flights on November 15, 2019. Many hotels on the island have re-opened and cruise ships resumed calling to the island as early as September 27.

United Airlines Adds Non-Stop Service between Denver and Nassau – United Airlines have added Saturday-only non-stop service from Denver to Nassau. The service begins March 7, 2020 and continues through August 15, 2020.

British Airways Increases Non-Stop Service between London and Nassau – Beginning March 29, 2020, British Airways will operate non-stop service between London Heathrow and Nassau every Tuesday. British Airways will now offer non-stop service between London and Nassau Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s New Nassau Offering – Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line introduced its popular cruise and stay program to Nassau. Departing from the port of West Palm Beach, passengers can choose from a two or six night stay at participating resorts in Nassau, including SLS Baha Mar, The Melia Nassau Beach All-Inclusive or Comfort Suites Paradise Island. Over 250,000 stayover guests are expected to arrive to in The Islands Of The Bahamas in the next year.

MOT POST DORIAN OPEN FOR BUSINESS COVERAGE

• PR Results By The Numbers:

60+ media interviews and requests fulfilled
200+ placements pitched and secured featuring “Islands Open for Business” messaging
917MM+ positive media impressions generated, and counting.

AWARDS

The Bahamas Awarded in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards – The Islands Of The Bahamas placed tenth in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards for the Top 10 Islands in The Caribbean & Atlantic. Despite the trying hurricane season, The Islands continue to be a leader in Caribbean travel.

Winners announced for the International Travel & Tourism Awards

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The lucky sixteen winners of the second International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM London, were revealed last night (Tuesday 5 November) at a glittering awards ceremony in London.

The award winners were honoured in front of an audience of almost 500 senior industry professionals at the brand new venue Magazine London, overlooking Canary Wharf.

Judged by an independent panel of experts from around the world, the 16 awards showcase the best in class of the global travel and tourism industry.

Supported by UNWTO and WTTC, more than 90 awards entries were shortlisted, which was almost 20% more, compared to 2018.

The winners are:

Best National Tourism Board

Gold: #GetNZontheMap by Tourism New Zealand
#GetNZontheMap was a courageous campaign that made people all over the world put New Zealand on their bucket list map.

Silver: Revitalising Tobago Tourism by Gravity Global

Highly Commended: Feel Slovenia, Experience Croatia by Slovenian Tourist Board and Croatian National Tourist Board

Most Innovative Use of Technology within a Destination

Gold: Mare the Witch – Get to know Svetvincenat by Delta Reality & Tumpic Prenc
The project Mare the Witch – Get to know Svetvincenat presents a global innovation that will serve as a prime example for the use of modern technologies for tourism purposes and showcases how the future of tourist sight seeing will look like.

Silver: Legends of Catalonia, the land of Barcelona by Catalan Tourist Board

Best Tourism Marketing Agency

Gold: Recovery for ReDiscovery – Resilience for Dominica by Brighter Group, a Finn Partners Company
After Hurricane Maria subsided and with over 90% of the island’s resources being destroyed, Brighter took immediate action and launched the Recovery for ReDiscovery – Resilience for Dominica campaign to include fundraising, relief support, diaspora engagement, trade engagement and advertising in order to support the nation in crisis and generate visitors.

Silver: Connecting Communities & Transforming Perceptions by AM+A Marketing & Media Relations
Highly Commended: iClick Interactive x Palazzo Versace Hotel: Expanding Brand Presence in Digital China by iClick Interactive Asia Limited

Highly Commended: The Postal Museum Tourism Marketing Campaign Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 by made Tourism Marketing
Highly Commended: 1841, A Creative Agency for Planet Earth by Thomas Cook Group

Best Destination Campaign – City

Gold: Vilnius – The G-Spot of Europe by Go Vilnius
Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, wanted to attract more attention among millennials in Western Europe and around the world, to invite them to experience all the pleasures the city has to offer.

Silver: Visit Dallas & Fort Worth – Activating Americanophiles by MDSG

Highly Commended: Christmas Tree Wonderland by Bournemouth Coastal BID

Best Destination Campaign – Country

Gold: #CoverTheProgress by Ketchum and Discover Puerto Rico
In September 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico. One year later, the island braced for another crisis: 90% of anniversary coverage for disasters is negative. To counteract this, Ketchum challenged media to #CoverTheProgress instead.

Silver: Wales Reimagined: Reviving Post Industrial Landscapes with Adventure Tourism for Visit Wales by Smörgåsbord, Weber Shandwick and iCrossing

Highly Commended: Revitalising Tobago Tourism by Gravity Global

Best Destination Campaign – Region
Sponsored by Discovery

Gold: US Civil Rights Trail by Luckie and the Alabama Tourism Department
The US Civil Rights Trail was created by the Alabama Tourism Department to motivate people to learn more, see more and experience more about the American Civil Rights Movement.

Silver: Not Winter Games by BBDO España/DEC BBDO on behalf of Canary Islands Tourism

Highly Commended: Legends of Catalonia, the land of Barcelona by Catalan Tourist Board

Best PR Campaign

Gold: We’ve Come a Long Way by Jago and Tourism NI
A highly integrated public relations campaign for Tourism Northern Ireland, capitalising on surprising research that identified that over 50% of consumers in the Republic of Ireland had never visited.

Silver: #CoverTheProgress by Ketchum and Discover Puerto Rico

Best Digital Campaign in Tourism

Gold: Discover Your South Africa by Ginger Juice for South African Tourism
South Africa is nothing if not diverse. But as a traveller, this can make it difficult to choose the perfect trip. South African Tourism (SAT) tasked Ginger Juice to create an engaging digital campaign, to inspire people to travel to South Africa and venture off the beaten track to discover some of the country’s lesser-known hidden gems.

Silver: Wanderers – Powered by G Adventures by G Adventures

Silver: Tourism and Events Queensland – #GoForGold with the Queensland Games by MDSG

Highly Commended: #keyframe19: Plenty of influencers – and no ads, please by Hamburg Marketing GmbH

Highly Commended: TBC Asia 2018 by Cinnamon Hotel Management Ltd

Best Digital Influencer Campaign

Gold: #LoveAntiguaBarbuda 2018 by Brighter Group, a Finn Partners Company
Through innovative and creative tactics of hosting the first-of-its-kind influencer conference for 40 top global influencers, the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority successfully generated over 4,500 pieces of social media using the #LoveAntiguaBarbuda with a reach of over 3 million to key target audiences.

Silver: Abu Dhabi Destination Campaign by Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Best in Wellness

Gold: Santani Resort and Spa – Best in the World by Santani Resort and Spa
Located in the misty mountains, Santani Resort and Spa is Sri Lanka’s first purpose built luxury wellness resort. Since its opening in September 2016 Santani has been celebrated for its one-of-a-kind setting, architecture, cuisine, service and world-class Ayurveda-focussed spa treatments.

Silver: Navarino Challenge by Active Media & Costa Navarino

Best in Responsible Tourism
Sponsored by Red Sea Development The Red Sea Development Company

Silver: Turizem Bohinj – Creating & Marketing a Sustainable Destination Model by AM+A & Mindbrand
Over the past decade, Bohinj Tourism has set a global benchmark for sustainable tourism initiatives that has been reproduced internationally.

Best in Adventure
Sponsored by History

Gold: Women’s Expeditions by Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest adventure travel company, launched a new range of Women’s Expeditions in the Middle East which became one of the company’s fastest-selling product ranges in its 30-year history.

Silver: Guyana as a Leading Sustainable Adventure Destination by LOTUS

Highly Commended: Getting off the beaten track in Northern Thailand… by The Tuk Tuk Club

Best Food Destination

Gold: Discover Hong Kong’s Food Scene Like a Local by Hong Kong Tourism Board
An integrated PR and marketing initiative to showcase Hong Kong as one of the culinary capitals of the world, from fine dining to street food and local eateries.

Silver: The ultimate dining experience by Patronat de Turisme Girona – Costa Brava

Highly Commended: Green Supply Chains by Ljubljana Tourism

Best in Luxury

Gold: The Art of Celebration by CNBC Catalyst
The Art of Celebration sought to, and achieved, the lofty ambition of positioning Raffles as the number 1 hotel brand associated with luxury.

Silver: Carpe Diem Exclusive Boutique Resort Santorini by NEEDaFIXER

Best Attraction

Gold: Spike Island by Spike Island Development Company
Spike Island Cork has sensitively redeveloped and reopened the ‘Irish Alcatraz’, a 104 acre island with 1300 years of rich Irish history.

Silver: Sengan-en, Shoko Shuseikan Museum, and Satsuma Kiriko Glassworks Renovation Project by Shimadzu Ltd

Highly Commended: The Making of Harry Potter by Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

Outstanding Contribution to the Industry as voted for by WTM London Media Partners

Iberostar Group nominated by Hosteltur, Spain

The Wave of Change campaign, implemented across their entire value chain, has become one of the core values of the brand identity. It works through three areas – the elimination of single-use plastics, the responsible consumption of seafood and the improvement of coastal health.

Nicole Smart, ITTAs organizer commented: “The ITTAs awards ceremony was a celebration of the best in class for the travel and hospitality industry. It was a great night.

“And I look forward to seeing more creativity and outside-the-box thinking for 2020.”

The Seychelles Islands Excels at the Ninth Edition of Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards

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In the ninth edition of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards, The Seychelles Islands won the runner up award for the Favorite Emerging Overseas Country.

Held at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi- India on November 19, 2019, the ceremony was hosted by the esteemed Bollywood actress, Bhumi Pednekar, and attracted the likes of industry leaders, influencers and recognized names in the travel and tourism industries as well as government bodies.

As an increasingly popular tourist destination, Seychelles situated in Indian Ocean region is a promise of pristine paradise and beautiful adventure. The Seychelles islands, absolutely another world, as its brand would say it, is an ultimate holiday destination of some colorful 115 islands sprinkled with warm browns, striking turquoise and other hues found in the color spectrum.

Speaking about the latest recognition received by the destination, Mrs. Sherin Francis Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive mentioned that it is an honor for the destination to have been voted by the readers of the Condé Nast Traveller magazine.

“The task of creating visibility for such a small destination is not always an easy one, this is why being recognized as the Favorite Emerging Overseas Country is even more significant for us. It is a collective effort on our part as the tourism board and on the part of our trade partners and usual collaborators.

We strive to demarcate our destination by its uniqueness and it is rewarding to see that our efforts have not gone unnoticed,” said Mrs. Francis.

Rewarded by the Readers’ Travel Awards, Seychelles has been chosen through a readers’ voting process spanning over two months sans any nominations. The Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards also recognizes the best in the travel industry, namely hotels, destinations, airlines, spas, websites, apps, cruise lines and more. 

Several eminent personalities present at the ceremony included; Mr. Alexander Laloo Hek, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Meghalaya, Shri-Ram Gau-riya, Member of Legislative Assembly, Nagaur, Rajasthan, Shri Sampath Kumar, Commissioner and Secretary to the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Ms. Sanme Marak, Additional Resident Commissioner, Meghalaya, His Excellency Mr. Thomas Selby Pillay, High Commissioner of Seychelles, Mr. John Madew, Minister, Commercial and Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Austrade, Mr. Sanjay Pandey, Additional Director, Rajasthan Tourism, Mr. Deniz Ersoz, Culture and tourism Counsellor, Turkey Embassy, Mr. Fabio Subia, Second Secretary and Head of the Consular Section and Cultural Attaché, Embassy of Peru to name a few. 

Since its establishment in 1989 in the United States of America, the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards has set the benchmarks in the hospitality and travel industry worldwide.

The Readers’ Travel Award 2019 winners will be featured in Condé Nast Traveller India’s December 2019 — January 2020 issue.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Vote for the finest spa and wellness brands in World Spa Awards 2019

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Spa and wellness industry professionals are invited to vote in World Spa Awards 2019 for the brands they consider the finest in their fields.

With the crucial 16-week voting period entering its final weeks, World Spa Awards has recorded a surge in year-on-year votes, reflecting the awards program’s reputation as the most trusted in the spa and wellness industry.

Voting is taking place across the full spectrum of the global spa and wellness industry, with world-level categories including Best Destination Spa, Best Spa Design, Best Cruise Spa, Best Detox Program, Best Eco Spa and Best Medical Spa.

New categories in 2019 include a technology focus with Best Wellness App. Country and regional-level categories include Best Hotel Spa, Best Resort Spa, Best Wellness Retreat and Best Day Spa. Within the USA, a number of state-level categories have been introduced. View the full list of 2019 finalists here.

Spa industry professionals – senior travel executives, luxury buyers, tour operators and media – along with spa consumers, are eligible to vote for the brands they consider to have performed at an exceptional level over the last 12 months.

Voting closes at midnight on 19 August. The winners will be unveiled at the red carpet 5th annual World Spa Awards Gala Ceremony 2019, taking place on 21 October at Armani Hotel Dubai, UAE. Industry leaders from around the world will attend the spa tourism event of the year. Guests can participate in an exclusive three-day spa and wellness networking program staged around the red-carpet World Spa Awards Gala Ceremony.

Launched in 2015, World Spa Awards aims to drive up standards in spa and wellness tourism and foster global growth by rewarding the leading organizations in their respective fields. A World Spa Award is the industry’s ultimate hallmark of excellence.

World Spa Awards is the sister event to World Travel Awards, currently celebrating its 26th anniversary.

For more information about World Spa Awards and to register to vote, visit worldspaawards.com.

About World Spa Awards

World Spa Awards was developed in reaction to overwhelming demand from the spa industry for a program that was fair and transparent; a program with a mission to serve as the definitive benchmark of excellence, and to help to foster a new era of growth in spa tourism.

Media Contact:

World Spa Awards™ Public Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7925 0000

Email: pr@worldspaawards.com
Web: worldspaawards.com
Social: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Compass Edge wins 2019 CTW Chinese Tourists Welcoming Award in Innovation Category

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Since 2004, the CTW Chinese Tourist Welcome Award has been organised by COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute. Evaluated by an international jury of experts including Ctrip, the award is recognised inside and outside China as the most important quality sign for the international Chinese outbound market. Compass Edge was presented with the award during ITB China on May 16th, 2019 in Shanghai, for providing innovative products for the growing Chinese Outbound Tourism market. Other awards recipients include Viking Cruises, Dubai Duty Free, Manchester Airport, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, etc.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chinese tourists made 149.72 million outbound trips in 2018, up 14.7 percent over the previous year, more than half of these trips were outside Greater China regions. Chinese tourists will venture off the beaten path to visit new destinations. A recent report by China Luxury Advisors and Coresight Research saw a surge in independent travelers from 20.7% in 2017 to 26.8% in 2018. This trend will continue in 2019 and beyond.

Compass Edge was founded in 2008, originally just as a reseller of best-of-the-breed hotel online solutions. In 2014, Ms. Anita Chan was appointed CEO of Compass Edge. Recognising Chinese Outbound Tourism especially Free Independent Travel (FIT) is an important uprising trend yet China online market is so complex and fundamentally different from the West, Anita led the company to launch its own Go China Online Branding Solution in 2015 to help overseas hotels to establish a China-Visible strategy. In March 2018, Anita co-founded LN Hotel Alliance with Ling Nan Hospitality, China Southern Airline and GZL Travel Services, a first-of-its-kind Chinese centric loyalty program with 46Million+ loyalty members. Later in 2018, in addition to the digital agency business, Anita transformed Compass Edge to be a technology provider, developing B2B2C WeChat Mini Program solving pain points for both Chinese travelers and overseas tourism and hospitality partners. Compass Edge has successfully implemented over 120 China-Ready strategic projects.

COTRI congratulates Compass Edge for the Silver Award Innovation of the CTW Chinese Tourist Welcome Award 2019. “The award reflects the fact that Compass Edge has for a long time supported hotel companies around the world with innovative services to create satisfied customers and a healthy margin”, says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS FRAS, founder and director of COTRI.

According to Anita, “while most overseas hospitality and tourism companies want a piece of Chinese outbound business, the China market is fundamentally different. It requires deep dive expertise, time and huge money resources to start. Before, it is always a “big boy game” and it is hard for smaller companies to have the same playing field. This pushes me to come up with creative and cost-effective programs like Go China branding solution and WeChat Mini Program to help smaller companies to have the chance to be in game for the China FIT market.” “All these efforts have paid off with the recipient of this CTW Silver Innovation Award,” Anita concluded.

About Compass Edge

Compass Edge is a company offering online solutions to independent hotels. It is a niche service provider offering cost-effective branding solutions for overseas hotels to establish an online presence for the booming Chinese FIT market. Its latest WeChat Mini Program offers solution to solve Chinese travelers pain points and capturing ancillary revenue for hospitality and tourism companies.

2019 Billboard Music Awards Winner and Headliner at ISLE of MTV Malta 2019

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MTV’s annual open-air summer music festival – ISLE of MTV Malta – is back and 2019 Billboard Music Award winner and Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and record producer, Bebe Rexha, has been named a headliner. A few of the superstar’s top hits that fans can get excited to sing their hearts out to will include, “Last Hurrah,” “Meant to Be,” and “I’m a Mess.” Her latest album was so successful, it brought her to the number 13 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart. Bebe’s collaboration with Florida Georgia Line on the song “Meant to be” just won Top Country Song at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. MTV’s partnership with the Malta Tourism Authority will be returning to the sun-lit island for what is now its 13th consecutive year.

The Isle of MTV Malta is one of Europe’s largest free live music festivals, which attracts thousands of visitors every year and even more watching on MTV at home. The Isle of MTV will be held on July 9, 2019, during Malta Music Week which runs through July 13th.

Martin Garrix is no novice to the festival scene. He has performed at music festivals such as Coachella and Tomorrowland and became the youngest DJ to headline Ultra Music Festival at the age of 17. Ranked number one on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list for three consecutive years (2016, 2017, and 2018), Garrix will be sure to perform his top hits such as, “Animals,” and “Scared to be Lonely.” Since Bebe Rexha is headlining this year’s festival as well, fans can be hopeful for a joint performance of Rexha and Garrix’s top single “In the Name of Love.”

Isle of MTV Malta will be filmed and edited into a 60-minute special that will broadcast across 20 MTV channels throughout Europe. The show will also be supported across all MTV social media platforms as well as via a bespoke website. As part of an extensive integrated marketing campaign, the Isle of MTV Malta concert will be supported by marketing initiatives, all of which will drive awareness of the event as well as leverage MTV’s world renowned brand and unique youth insight, to further cement and promote Malta’s position as a holiday destination for young people. Over the 12 years that Isle of MTV has been held in Malta, the number of millennial visitors to the island has increased.

According to Michelle Buttigieg, MTA North American Representative, “the Isle of MTV Malta is fast becoming a huge draw for millennials from the US & Canada. This year especially, with headliner 2019 Billboard Winner and New York native, Bebe Rexha, the festival will attract even more North Americans.  

For more information, visit: www.visitmalta.com, http://www.visitmalta.com/en/isle-of-mtv

Media Contacts:

Malta Tourism Authority

Michelle Buttigieg

Tel: (212) 213-0944

Fax: (212) 213-0938

E-mail: michelle-margaret.buttigieg@visitmalta.com

MTA US Editorial Contact

The Bradford Group

Karen Hoffman/ Bianca Pappas

Tel: (212) 447-0027

Fax: (212) 725 8253

E-mail: info@bradfordglobalmarketing.com