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OTDYKH Leisure to mark 25 years of success

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OTDYKH Leisure

OTDYKH Leisure is back September 10-12 2019 with its 25th edition of the world-renowned travel expo. The expo will showcase an impressive 900 exhibitors from over 80 countries and Russian regions, providing a fantastic opportunity for international companies in the travel industry looking to tap-in to the flourishing and lucrative Russian travel market.

The Russian tourist industry has faced a difficult few years due a number of factors including the 2014 devaluation of the Russian ruble which increased foreign travel costs by over 20%. However, government statistics show that Russian outbound tourism has grown exponentially and has now almost reached peak pre-crisis levels, with Russian travellers making close to 40,000 trips abroad in 2017.


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Turkey has firmly regained its position as Russia’s favourite tourist destination with the number of visitors rising by 25% in 2018. In 2017 alone, Turkey received 4.72 million Russian visitors, with total statistics for 2018 expected to stand at six million.

Other top tourist destinations for Russian holiday-makers include Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, France and the United Arab Emirates.

Domestic tourism also heavily increased last year when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup. An estimated seven million tourists visited Russia from hundreds of countries all over the world, strengthening Russia’s international profile and breathing new life into the country’s tourism industry.

At the heart of the Russian travel industry, and a major driving-force behind the growth in the market is the annual world-renowned OTDYKH fair, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The name OTDYKH means “leisure”, and since the expo’s inception that has been the focal point of the annual event. The OTDYKH Leisure trade fair was founded in 1994 in order to facilitate networking between businesses and representatives in the tourism industry, and to showcase the potential in the Russian market. In 2008 the OTDYKH Leisure trade fair was awarded a Quality Label by the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF), cementing its status as Russia’s leading travel and tourism event.

Last year’s expo was a resounding success with over 38,000 visitors over the three days, and 287 media attendees from 80 media partners, expertly combining the B2B areas of Leisure Travel, Medical, Spa and Health Tourism and Luxury Travel including Gourmet & Wine tourism.

The Dominican Republic – a major winter holiday destination with over 240,000 Russian tourists visiting in 2017 – were the proud partners of the 2018 OTDYKH leisure trade fair. The Ministry of Tourism for the Dominican Republic and thirteen co-exhibitors hosted a 200m² stand (twice the size of 2017) delighting visitors with a series of cultural and artistic performances, traditional music, dances and Caribbean cuisine.

This year the expo promises dozens of exciting events across multiple conference halls, hundreds of expert guest speakers and thousands of visitors from across the travel industry.

Exhibitors are invited to participate and celebrate the 2019 OTDYKH Leisure trade fair and celebrate 25 years of the expo’s continued success. Early-bird offers are available on a first-come-first serve basis to those looking to get involved in this extraordinary event, a veritable cornerstone of the Russian travel industry.

IMEX Frankfurt: Gain a head start with EduMonday

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Gain a head start with EduMonday

“Inspiration is one of our core values – we’re firm believers in the power of bringing people together to learn new skills, co-create fresh ideas and innovate. Every year IMEX sets out to lead from the front by offering high value, memorable experiences – EduMonday is fast becoming one of those special ingredients.”

This year’s EduMonday delivers this, with a free program of high quality learning designed to inspire attendees to create incredible events”, Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, introduces EduMonday, an afternoon of free professional education taking place the day before IMEX in Frankfurt, 21 -23 May 2019.

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EduMonday takes place on Monday 20 May and begins with the keynote at She Means Business, created in partnership with tw tagungswirtschaft. After this attendees can stay and be part of She Means Business, celebrating the role of women in the events industry, or mix and match from a program of 20 general sessions designed around professional or personal developments.

Fresh formats and free learning opportunities for all

There are premium learning opportunities for everyone coming to IMEX – both buyers and exhibitors. Education in both English and German taps into the latest trends and issues, covering business skills, innovation, sustainability, crisis management as well as wellbeing and personal development. With emotional intelligence increasingly incorporated into event planning, IMEX is offering the Event Design Certificate Program free of charge.

All education is delivered with a fresh approach using both time-honored and pioneering new learning methods – enabling attendees to learn in small informal groups and through immersive deep dives.

Attendees can also relax and recharge in the Be Well Lounge offering wellbeing sessions and quiet space to pause, reflect and digest.

Tailor-made learning

Event professionals from all sectors and all levels can explore topics and trends via a number of dedicated events within EduMonday, all specifically curated for various audiences. Association professionals from around the world are invited to Association Day and Evening, to share best practice and connect with peers. The Agency Directors Forum is a strategic exchange for small to mid-size meetings and events agencies. There’s also education and networking exclusively for corporate/in-house meeting and event executives at Exclusively Corporate.

Bauer concludes: “Learning and making the right connections are key to keeping up to date with rapid developments in our industry and for boosting confidence, personal brand and authority. Our preshow EduMonday allows attendees to gain a head start, soaking up insider knowledge from leading experts and mixing and meeting with others – and that’s all before the show has even begun!”

Attendees can then explore destinations, venues, tech providers and more at IMEX in Frankfurt from 21 – 23 May 2019. Among the many exhibitors already confirmed are New Zealand, Senses of Cuba, Barcelona Convention Bureau, Visit Brussels, Kempinski Hotels, Meliá Hotels and Latvia. During the three days of the trade show, planners can meet with more than 3,500 suppliers from every sector of the global meetings and events industry.

EduMonday takes place on Monday 20 May, the day before IMEX in Frankfurt, 21 -23 May 2019. It’s free to enter following registration for IMEX in Frankfurt. Registration for the show is also free of charge and open to all.

Building Resilience of Caribbean SMTEs: OAS launches $500,000 project

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The Organization of American States (OAS) has launched a US$500,000 project to assist the region’s small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) to build resilience to natural disasters.

The project was launched during the 2nd Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), hosted at the Montego Bay Convention Centre by the government and the United Nations World Tourism Organization on January 29.

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Speaking ahead of the launch, Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett said, “We are so happy to have the vast expertise of the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Nestor Mendez, at the launch who I am pleased to say comes bearing gifts. This very important resilience project for our SMTEs will help build the capacity of our sector to better help us become more resilient when disruptions occur.”

The project is funded by the United States Department of State and managed by the OAS Secretariat for Integral Development. It will assist small tourism enterprises in the Caribbean to overcome the various challenges that affect the ability of Governments and businesses alike to continue their business operations during and after catastrophic events in the Caribbean.

Participating countries set to benefit include: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

It will be carried out in a two-year period, with the primary aim being to reduce the severity, impact and duration of disruptions caused by a disaster on the operations of the small enterprises in the Caribbean.

“The Caribbean is among the most tourism-dependent regions in the world and there is no other region whose travel and tourism industry is as vulnerable to disasters as the Caribbean. It is undeniable that climate change presents an existential threat to small island developing states and low lying coastal areas, which include the countries of the Caribbean,” said Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Nestor Mendez.

He also noted that “The OAS identified, among the main long-term needs of the region, the need for tourism-related disaster preparedness and crisis management, communications plans as well as methodologies to follow before and after a disaster.”

This 2nd Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), is a direct response to the global conference on jobs and inclusive growth hosted in Jamaica in 2017, which brought to the fore many of the perennial challenges faced by SMTEs, including issues of access to credit, marketing, technology and business development.

The conference organisers therefore saw it prudent to have another event focused solely on SMTEs and best practices that have direct relevance to their development.

Global Tourism Resilience Center offers assistance for Kenya

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The official opening for the Global Tourism Resilience Center is planned on January 20, and the center is busy already reaching out to Kenya. In a statement today Crisis Management Centre founder, the Hon, Ed Bartlett already condemns the recent terrorist attack that was launched the Dusit 2 luxury hotel in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Tuesday, speaking for the Global Tourism Resilience Center.

“Attacks like these threaten the lives and live hoods of countries globally and we condemn them. Our prayers and thoughts are with the people of Kenya who have been affected and deeply impacted,” said Minister Bartlett.

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CNBS News reported that the attack Tuesday came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in neighbouring Somalia, killing scores of people. The al Qaeda-linked group objects to the presence of Kenyan troops in the turbulent Horn of Africa nation.

As at today [January 16, 2019] CNN indicated that an American and a Briton were confirmed to be among at least 14 people killed in a terrifying attack at the hotel complex in Nairobi.

Minister Bartlett has also indicated that the Centre stands ready to support Kenya in their recovery programme, “These acts of terror have also brought to the fore the urgent need for strategic infrastructure and mechanisms to be able to detect, manage and recover and this is where the Global Resilience Centre comes in and will play its part in this regard.

The Centre therefore stands ready to support the recovery efforts.”

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies Mona, was first announced during the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, held in Montego Bay last November, as a response to political turmoil, climatic events, pandemics, shifting global economies as well as crime and violence which can be devastating to travel and tourism.

The official launch is scheduled for January 20, 2019, during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Tourism Safety in Jamaica: Risk, reality and a new way forward

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Safety and security are becoming the center point and the basis of a new way forward for the visitors’ industry on this Caribbean Island nation according to Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett. 

Dr. Tarlow reports from Kingston:

I spent Yesterday in meetings dedicated to innovative ideas regarding tourism surety, that is the point where safety and security meet economic development and reputation.  During the day I had the chance to meet not only with the minister of tourism but also the minister of public safety and security.

We discussed a great many issues: From tourist security to security for Jamaica’s citizens, from technology to the need for police raises, from the fact that in the long-run prevention is less expensive than crisis management.  What we meant by that last statement was that the best way to handle a crisis is to avoid it if at all possible.  This discussion leads to the question of risk, and the reality that to be alive is to deal with risk.

Many of these same discussions are being held around the world.

What I have found unique here in Jamaica is not only the open dialogue, but the willingness intellectually to debate the issues and the realization that a tourism center must always seek ways to reinvent itself.  Tourism dare not be satisfied with past success but must also think creatively about future problems.

An example of the rapid changes faced by the world of tourism is the knowledge that we live not only in a world of social media but also in a hyper-connected world.

Ours is a new world where a smartphone can create a revolution, and where the solving of one problem all too often produces new problems and unintended consequences.  For those who have studied Hegelian philosophy, we see that tourism, like society, is a constantly changing dynamic and perhaps the industry’s biggest threat is the fear of meeting new situations, analyzing them, and seeking solutions in a world without permanent solutions.

What I have learned once again here in Jamaica is that in life there are no easy solutions, but despite this reality, we dare not flee from the challenges of an ever-changing world;  to do less is to run from the ethical and enter into a den of paranoia.

Having debated great issues all day with Jamaican colleagues I have come to understand that the real beauty of this land goes beyond its mountains and its beaches but in the creative spirit of its people.

They have taught me once again that change is a part of life and that either we control the change or it will control us.

Best wishes from Jamaica!

Dr. Peter Tarlow is leading the new eTN Travel & Tourism Safety Training Program, a partnership between  Tourism & More, Inc. and the eTN Group. Tourism and More has been working for over 2 decades with hotels, tourism-oriented cities and countries, and both public and private security officers and police in the field of tourism security. Dr. Tarlow is a world-renowned expert in the field of tourism security and safety. He leads the eTN Travel Security and Safety Training team. For more information, visit travelsecuritytraining.com.