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PM, Bartlett welcome return of EP hotel model to Jamaica

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Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett have welcomed the return of the EP (European Plan) model of hotels as part of the expanding tourism industry.

Sunday’s official opening of S Hotel along Montego Bay’s Hip Strip was the first significant hotel of its kind to open its doors using this model, in more than three decades. Large all-inclusive hotels make up about 80 percent of resort destination’s room stock.


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Minister Bartlett described S Hotel as special “because the S is bringing back the model of tourism that has escaped us for a while, the EP model which offers an opportunity for more involvement and more participation

This sentiment was endorsed by Prime Minister Holness who said, “We must find ways to make tourism inclusive and beneficial to all the people of Jamaica.”

According to Prime Minister Holness, the strategy for tourism must be to ensure connectivity with the rest of the economy. He said, “The benefit of tourism must be shared with the people, because all tourism is, if you take away the block and steel, it is the people, it is the culture, it is our music, it is our language, it is our dance. It is all of that put together to form a package that distinguishes us from the rest of the world that makes people want to come here and enjoy.”

The Prime Minister expressed the view that the industry must create an instrumental approach to ensuring that the benefits are shared. “Buy more Jamaican, employ more Jamaicans as entertainers; put them in your package, make people see them because that is what is going to create the value for your product,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Bartlett was elated “that tourism in Jamaica is outstanding,” stating that the new hotel signalled the start of a momentous week for tourism in Jamaica “because the opening of this very critical addition to the room stock and more so the variety of offering that we are providing in the accommodation subsector, begins a week of tourism celebration and marketing.

Outlining several activities planned, he said Jamaica would take centre stage Monday night at the World Travel Awards and Tuesday morning “we welcome the world with the second Global Conference on Job Creation and Inclusive Growth with emphasis on small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs).”

Sunday’s opening of S Hotel was also attended by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen; former prime ministers P.J. Patterson and Portia Simpson Miller; Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips and Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Dr Wykeham McNeil.

Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label renewed for two Hilton properties

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The Seychelles Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr Didier Dogley handed over SSTL certificates to representatives of two Hilton hotels in a short ceremony held at the ministry’s headquarters, at Botanical House, Mont Fleuri on Wednesday 16th January 2019.

Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa and Double Tree by Hilton Allamanda Resort were first certified in 2016.  On the expiry of their certification which was valid for 2 years these two hotels have gone through a re assessment where they have both scored over 10% more points than they scored 2 years ago.

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During the two years, both hotels have intensified their efforts to reduce their carbon footprints. This includes installing solar lights across the whole property, motion sensor lighting, reconditioning of the Sewage Treatment Plant for more efficiency among others.  Both properties have also contributed to environment conservation through the establishment of coral nurseries in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles to help in coral reef restoration.

Minister Dogley congratulated the participants for their achievements and expressed his satisfaction at the increasing interest from various hotels towards this sustainable tourism initiative and reiterated that sustainability is the way forward for our tourism industry.

The Hilton representatives expressed their satisfaction at having maintained their commitment to sustainability and said ‘We naturally chose to form part of this label as it perfectly aligns with our vision and mission to integrate sustainability as part of our daily operations. We are also honouring the Hilton Corporate Social Responsibility campaign: Travel with Purpose, by committing to making our community a better place.  We are the pioneers of conscious travelling, and through our numerous initiatives such as the Coral Reef Restoration Program and the newly appointed Sustainability and Guest Experience coordinator position, we will also be the future of hospitality sustainability in Seychelles’

The Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label (SSTL) is awarded to hotels that are found to be integrating sustainability practices in their business operations. Presently applicable to tourism accommodations only, the mission of the SSTL is to encourage tourism accommodations of all sizes in Seychelles to mainstream sustainability practices into their business operations to safeguard the biodiversity and culture of Seychelles which is the core of our tourism product.

The label is presently being amended and expanded to make it applicable to other tourism businesses such as restaurants, the boating sector and tour operators.

Guam achieves best Calendar Year with 1.55M visitors welcomed in 2018

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The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) is proud to announce that Guam welcomed 1.55 million visitors in 2018, the best Calendar Year in the island’s history.

December 2018 finished off the year strong by welcoming 146,104 visitors to our island shores. This represents a 3.7% growth over the previous year, making December 2018 the best month in our islands tourism history by beating the previous record of 145,817 visitors that was set in August 2018.

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This growth in arrivals is directly related to the overall increase in available seats to Guam. There were around 982 flights for the month of December 2018 with 197,228 seats available, a 5.68% increase when compared to the 186,634 seats reported in December 2017.

“We congratulate everyone in the tourism industry for pushing through 2018 with fantastic results and welcoming 1.55 million visitors to our island paradise,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “We have much to look forward to in this new year as we grow and diversify in our source markets, share our Chamoru culture and work to welcome 1.6 million visitors in 2019.”

The Japan market’s recovery also continues, with Japan arrivals jumping 27.24% in December 2018 when compared to the previous year. Korea arrivals for the month decreased 8.9% due to the reduction in seats with airline carriers such as Korean Air and Jeju Air. However, Year-to-Date arrivals for Korea continues to show strong growth ending the year +9% vs. 2017.

Other markets that showed growth in December include Taiwan by 6.8%, the U.S. by 6.8%, Hong Kong by 17.1%, and the Russia Federation by 25.3%.

The success of the airline incentive program from GVB and the Guam International Airport Authority (GIAA) continues to attract more seats to Guam. In December, United added four more flights a week between Guam and Nagoya. T’way also began its Nagoya-Guam service on December 29 and will run through October 2019. More than 130,000 seats on 700 charter flights are scheduled for Calendar Year 2019.

December 2018 Preliminary Arrival Summary (click)

Malta’s National Museum of Fine Art housed in a historic, eco-friendly landmark

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MUŻA represents a significant development in the history of museums in Malta

MUŻA, the recently opened National Museum of Fine Art in Malta, represents a significant development in the history of museums in Malta. It is also the flagship project for Valletta’s European Capital of Culture title in 2018. This new national-community arts museum, housed in a historic building with over 20,000 works of art, seeks to present inspiring and engaging stories to tourists and Maltese residents alike.

MUŻA Museum is a self-sustainable, energy efficient institution with a potential zero-carbon footprint. The energy-efficient Museum, which is aided by the design and layout of the building, utilizes high energy-efficient power consumables, natural lighting, and renewable energy sources, like solar panels, to promote sustainability.

The word MUŻA, itself is an acronym which stands for Muzew Nazzjonali tal-Arti, (National Museum of Fine Arts). It also refers to the muses; the mythological figures from classical antiquity inspiring creativity and, in effect, the etymological source of the word museum. MUŻA is also the Maltese word for inspiration.

MUŻA is located at Auberge d’Italie, a historic site in Valletta, A UNESCO World Heritage site, where the first Malta Museum was established in 1924. The building was the historic seat of the Italian knights of the Order of St John dating back to the 16th Century.

In 1920 the building was also chosen as the seat of the Valletta Museum where the national collection, including what was then known as the fine arts section, was put on display. MUŻA strives to recognize the history of the collection of the Malta National Museum of Fine Arts, and the values which have shaped it over time.

PATA Micronesia Chapter: New Board of Directors and Chairs

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This past month marked the end of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Micronesia Chapter’s directorship for 2017 – 2018. For the past four years (two-year consecutive terms), Pilar Laguaña has led the Micronesia Chapter as the Chairwoman alongside Vice Chairman Bermance Aldis, Secretary Faustina Marugg, Treasurer Judy Torres, and alternate Board Member Paula Monk.

The Chapter has five executive standing committees – (1) Marketing, (2) Membership, (3) Education, (4) Culture, Heritage & Environment and (5) Public Relations. Chairman Mark Manglona and Vice Chairman Kadoi Ruluked led the Marketing Committee; Chairwoman Barbara Taitano led the Membership Committee; Chairman Casey Jeszenka led the Education Committee; Chairwoman FaustinaMarugg and Vice Chairman Don Evans led the Culture, Heritage and Environment Committee; and Chairwoman Catherine Perry led the Public Relations Committee.

Each board member and committee leader took an active role in trying to achieve PATA Micronesia’s mission, which is “to assist in the development of our regional tourism industry with strategies that are environmentally sensitive, respect Micronesian cultures, adhere to high operational standards and provide an opportunity for education, training and gainful employment among the resident populations of our Micronesian membership.” The chapter successfully held tri-annual meetings throughout various islands of Micronesia; held co-sponsor tourism-related training, workshops and seminars; and worked to solicit United Airlines for complimentary or discounted airfare for the trainer(s), speaker(s) or presenter(s), among many other responsibilities.

Collectively, they have done an outstanding job over the past four years considering where the Chapter is today. The members would like to take this opportunity to thank their outgoing leaders for their hard work, dedication, innovative ideas, strategic thinking, and most especially their valuable efforts and commitment to improving the region of Micronesia.

At this time, the PATA Micronesia Chapter is pleased to announce and welcome their incoming Board of Directors and Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs for 2019 – 2020. Let us welcome Chairwoman Stephanie Nakamura, Immediate Past-Chairwoman Pilar Laguaña, Vice Chairwoman Paula Monk, Secretary Marstella Jack, Treasurer Mark Manglona and Alternate Board Member Perdus Ehsa Jr. who will lead the Chapter from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2020. Additionally, let us also welcome Marketing Chairwoman Lori DeBrum and Vice Chairman Luciano Abraham; Membership Committee Chairwoman Lou Aguon-Schulte and Vice Chairwoman Vicotria Blas-Toves; Education Committee Chairwoman Denise Mendiola and Vice

Chairman Don Evans; Culture, Heritage & Environment Committee Chairwoman Rita Nauta and Vice Chairwoman Sandra Okada; and lastly, Public Relations Committee Chairwoman Judy Torres and Vice Chairwoman Catherine Perry.

The PATA Micronesia Chapter would like to express their gratitude to United Airlines for their continued support with airfare and for all instructors who volunteered to provide educational training from 2015 – 2018. The Chapter will forge ahead to continue promoting tourism to and from the beautiful islands of Micronesia!