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Visa waiver leads to spike in bookings to Brazil

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Brazil’s visa waiver policy announced in March is already generating positive results. Recent data from a study done by Amadeus Group shows a significant increase in the number of reservations made in the United States, as well as in Canada, Japan and Australia, the other three other countries benefiting from the new policy. Amadeus is one of the 10 largest technology companies in the world and one of the three largest in the travel segment.

In the United States, the increase was 53% in the number of trips confirmed for June and 97% in July compared to the same period of last year. In Canada, growth was 86% for June, 54% for July and, expressive, 135% for August this year.

“The numbers show that visa exemptions for strategic countries are a good measure, which generates jobs and income in Brazil. It is time for the country to take advantage of all its tourism potential”, said Marcelo Alvaro Antonio, the Brazilian Minister of Tourism.

Here are some suggestions of amazing destinations in Brazil for all tastes:

• Historic Cities: If you like your vacations with a heavy dose of culture, Brazil should definitely be on your list. We have several historic cities, with a heritage dating back to its colonial period. In Minas Gerais State, you can find cities like Ouro Preto and Diamantina – the center of gold mining in Brazil in the 18th century. In the Northeast state of Bahia, you will find Salvador, the first capital of Brazil, and a city that also has a rich history of its African heritage. A few miles from Salvador, in the State of Pernambuco, you will find the city of Olinda. Founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the city is linked to the sugar cane industry, with gorgeous Baroque churches, convents, and views to die for.

• Sun and Beach: With more than four thousand miles of coast, its exuberant nature bordering the beaches with coconut trees, and tropical forests, Brazil has options for all travelers looking to spend time outdoors. Most know the famous urban beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis or Fortaleza, but there are also small beach towns like Trancoso, Boipeba, and Jericoacoara that can offer unique spots to get a tan. You can even find a stretch of sand in the Amazon, in the beaches near Manaus, along the Rio Negro.

• National Parks: Brazil’s natural beauties go beyond beaches and forests. The country is also blessed with great diversity, which includes waterfalls, canyons, wetlands and many different types of ecosystems throughout its many national parks. Think- Iguazu Falls, one of the most important forest reserves in South America. Another highlight is the Pantanal, in the central region of the country, home to hundreds of endangered species. And of course, the Amazon Rainforest.

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Italian Exhibition Group returns to China to promote international tourism

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Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) is returning to China to promote international tourism business. The appointment is at the Shanghai World Travel Fair (SWTF), one of the major tourism industry expos of Eastern China, the 16th edition of which is being held from 18th to 21st April.

Over 750 exhibitors from 53 countries and regions of the world are awaited at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

SWTF, co-organized by Europe Asia Global Link Exhibitions (EAGLE) – joint venture created by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) and VNU Exhibitions Asia – and Shanghai International Convention & Exhibition Corp. Ltd (on behalf of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism), offers the sector’s trade members a unique business platform and, for the general public, an all-round insight on tourism products, all in the largest tourism region of the Chinese market, Eastern China (China is the world’s largest outbound tourism market, with 149.72 million outbound journeys and a 14.7% increase in 2018).

With over 15,000 trade members expected and a public of 50,000 visitors, the 2019 edition of SWTF will host a busy calendar of appointments and new features. Visitors will explore tourist destinations from all over the world, including Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Cuba, Gabon, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. SWTF will highlight the entire tourism chain, starting with tourist offices, travel agencies and tour operators, OTA, hotel, airlines, theme parks and resorts, as well as travel services and insurance companies.

On a professional level, SWTF reconfirms its role as a great opportunity for matching to all effects. Over 3,000 B2B appointments with selected buyers from all over Eastern China will take part in the events and the panel scheduled on the latest trends in outbound tourism, organized in cooperation with China Travel Agent. Regarding this, an exclusive B2B area has been realized, which will be accessible to the sector’s trade members exclusively via a face detection system, in order to ensure the quality of the meetings with international suppliers.

Emerging destinations, digital marketing, developments on visa policies and MICE, are just some of the issues that will be covered in the panels by the sector’s opinion leaders, ready to share their successful case histories with the public. Plus, among the speakers, there will also be representatives of the top management of companies such as Ctrip, Tuniu, Uzai, Spring Tour and Tongshen Group, as well as the directors of the Tourism offices of New Zealand, Switzerland and Serbia with branches in Shanghai.

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Malta, where Game of Thrones all began, plays host to the 5th Annual Valletta Film Festival

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Malta, the first location for Season One of  Game of Thrones, plays host to the annual  Valletta Film Festival (VFF), June 14-23, presented by the Film Grain Foundation. This year will mark the Fifth Anniversary of this exciting film lovers’ event. During the ten-day event, Valletta will be transformed into a live cinema with screenings and events taking place in historic buildings and outdoor venues including Pjazza Teatru Rjal and Pjazza San Ġorġ. Over the years, the streets of Valletta hosted various international productions like World War Z, Assassin’s Creed, The Count of Monte Cristo, Game of Thrones and Murder on the Orient Express.

Pjazza Teatru Rjal/Photo courtesy of Film Grain Foundation – Ali Tollervey

The VFF attracts more than 10,000 visitors and is the largest cinematic event in Malta. “What makes Malta a unique setting for a film festival is that the Maltese Islands themselves are world famous for film production,” said Oliver Mallia, Co-Founder and Co-Director with Slavko Vukanovic, both film producers in their own right. “Movie buffs can visit locations used for the sets of such headliners as the Game of Thrones, and blockbuster films including Gladiator and Troy.”

Malta offers Valletta Film Festival goers a transformative experience, witnessing where major blockbusters have been filmed while at the same time watching a number of Europe’s newest films. The festival will screen over forty feature films, twenty-four short films, and organizes many different master classes and workshops.

Pjazza San Ġorġ/Photo courtesy of Film Grain Foundation – Ali Tollervey

VFF 2019 will introduce the first Cinema of Small Nations Competition open to feature-length and short films from small countries in Europe and the Middle East. This competition will put a spotlight on the reality of cinema in small nations, and will highlight the abundance of talent and creativity that is often seen in films produced by filmmakers in these countries.

Michelle Buttigieg, Malta Tourism Authority representative in North America, noted “Film Tourism is trending and very popular with American and Canadian tourists who love to travel for film festivals as well as visit the locations of their favorite movies or TV Series. Malta’s movie sets include the iconic Popeye’s Village which is still one the Islands’ most popular tourist attractions, to the hottest HBO show, Game of Thrones, which started in Malta.”

For the VFF 2019 #VFF5 program visit https://www.vallettafilmfestival.com/

To purchase VFF 2019 passes visit https://www.vallettafilmfestival.com/2019-festival-pass-tickets/

About Malta

The sunny islands of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state anywhere.  Valletta built by the proud Knights of St. John is one of the UNESCO sites and was the European Capital of Culture for 2018. Malta’s patrimony in stone ranges from the oldest free-standing stone architecture in the world, to one of the British Empire’s most formidable defensive systems, and includes a rich mix of domestic, religious and military architecture from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods. With superbly sunny weather, attractive beaches, a thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of intriguing history, there is a great deal to see and do.

MTA US Editorial Contact:

The Bradford Group

Karen Hoffman/ Bianca Pappas

Tel: (212) 447-0027

Fax: (212) 725 8253

E-mail: [email protected]

Marriott International official hotel sponsor of Brand USA United Stories international campaign

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Today, Brand USA, the destination-marketing organization for the United States, announces Marriott International across the United States as the official hotel sponsor for United Stories. The sponsorship will help expand the global reach of the United Stories campaign, which aims to inspire international travelers to visit the USA through visual storytelling efforts. This new United Stories collaboration also provides Marriott International, one of Brand USA’s founding and diamond partners, fresh localized content and innovative ways to reach international customers.

Launched earlier this year in partnership with Beautiful Destinations, United Stories utilizes mobile content creation labs to track and share relatable, human stories to inspire lasting emotional connections between international travelers and people and places across the United States. Throughout the year, accomplished content creators, storytellers, and influencers will travel to various points of interest across the country in eye-catching, buzz-worthy vehicles branded with #UnitedStories.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Marriott International on United Stories. Marriott’s strong international brand recognition and ongoing dedication to their customers makes them an ideal partner to expand the reach of this campaign,” said Tom Garzilli, chief marketing officer of Brand USA. “We believe in the power of storytelling to engage global audiences and highlight the diversity of real travel experiences in the USA. Our partnership will help deliver these inspiring stories to an even larger population of international travelers, extending the United Stories campaign to millions of people around the world.”

Marriott Bonvoy will be integrated within the United Stories campaign to generate awareness and create connectivity with its newly launched travel program. This includes branding of the mobile content creation labs and hosting influencers and content creators at hotels across the USA.

“The United Stories mission aligns with our passion for travel, said Kieran Donahue, vice president, marketing, The Americas. “Our sponsorship of United Stories is a great extension of our ongoing partnership with Brand USA. The mobile content labs allow us to show the breadth, depth, and variety of our brands, destinations, and hotels throughout the U.S., and most importantly, connect with our members and guests in a way that showcases how good travel can enrich and unite the world.”

The Marriott Bonvoy travel program is built on the belief that all travel is good travel; it enriches the individual and connects the world. The program offers a global footprint of extraordinary hotel brands, experiences for every passion on Marriott Bonvoy Moments, and the richest rewards and benefits.

The United Stories mobile content lab launched in January and has traveled to nine U.S. states and territories: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. At each destination, United Stories content creators spotlight first-person perspectives of American culture via locals, influencers, and travelers.

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Italian exhibition group launches key words for the 2020 tourism industry

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Active food and wine tourism, the quality of life, the search for beauty and creativity: the combination of ingredients on which tourists increasingly base their choice of vacation will be at the center of the 2019 expo showcase of TTG Experience, SIA Hospitality Design e SUN Beach&Outdoor Style, the three leading expos dedicated to the tourism chain – respectively focused on vacations, the hospitality sector and that of outdoors and beaches – organized by Italian Exhibition Group, being held from Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th October 2019 at Rimini Expo Centre.

The tourist flow scene confirms positive signs from Italy: in the first eleven months of 2018, with 208.5 million nights’ stay by foreign tourists in accommodation facilities (+1.8%), Italy is in second place in Europe, ahead of France (134.7 nights, +5.7%) and behind Spain (287.8 million, -1.6%). In this context, the three expos, with an unequalled offer for the expo sector, will respond precisely to the tourist trade’s requirements.

TTG Travel Experience

The 56th edition of TTG, is a national and international reference point for the Italian offer for tourists and Italian tourism abroad. The most important B2B tourist expo and the one most attended by tourism professionals will host 130 destinations, in a layout divided into three areas – The World, Global Village and Italy – conceived to highlight all the latest in vacation products.

TTG Travel Experience 2019, with two special projects, will intercept the trends that increasingly influence tourists’ choice of destination: the interest in wine and food and that for active vacations.

223 million euros were spent in 2017 by foreign visitors to Italy on food and wine, 70% more than spending in 2013. With the Eatxperience project at TTG Travel Experience 2019, an entire hall will be dedicated to food and wine tourism with a format conceived precisely for trade members: food service in hotels is also among the opportunities to include in travel proposals.

On the other hand, with a high visual impact, the special Be Active project will feature proposals, opportunities and trends for vacations in Italy, where in 2016 18.6% of the tourists indicated sport as the motivation for their vacation.

SIA Hospitality Design

The expo that is a national reference point for the hospitality sector, SIA Hospitality Design, at its 68th edition, boosts its format linked with design and Italian-made products, addressing three issues that are particularly topical for the hospitality sector: Design (design for hospitality will not only be the first focus of SIA, but also the leitmotif of the entire expo); Water: (bathrooms, wellness and swimming pools, as well as services, technology, products, cosmetics and wellness treatment); Taste (the most important food service moments for accommodation facilities: breakfasts and aperitifs). Each project will have a dedicated arena involving professionals, an exhibition and expo areas.

Sun Beach & Outdoor Style

For decades, the b2b expo that is a reference point for the outdoor, beach facility and campsite worlds, SUN Beach&Outdoor Style, at its 37th edition, has focused on two macro sectors: the beach facility world and the campsite and village show world.

Contests are confirmed, in collaboration with Mondo Balneare, Best Beach Bar, Best Design Beach and Best Italian Beach, to award prizes respectively to the best beach facilities from the point of view of food & beverage, architecture and tradition. All the new products and services on the start-up front will be featured at SUNNext, the space dedicated to innovation, in collaboration with Mondo Balneare and CNA Emila-Romagna.

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