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North Korea abandoning tourism? Test fires weapon

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un today witnessed the test-firing of a new type of tactical guided weapon.


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The Korean Central News Agency said Chairman Kim Jong Un observed the firing of the weapon Wednesday by the Academy of Defense Science.

According to Beijing’s Global Times tabloid, North Korea wants to slow the pace of tourism as more foreigners are traveling to the country.

The agency reports that Kim said “the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People’s Army.”

The agency says Kim mounted an observation post to learn about the test-fire of the new-type tactical guided weapon and guide the test-fire.

The announcement came after reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research center and long-range rocket site where the North is believed to build long-range missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.

The White House said it was aware of the report and had no comment.

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Korean Air and the Hanjin Group Chairman and founder of Skyteam died in Los Angeles

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Yang Ho Cho, 70, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air and the Hanjin Group, died peacefully April 7 in a Los Angeles hospital after a brief illness.  He was considered to be an Air transport pioneer.

Mr. Cho’s reach extended far beyond Asia.  He was a founder of the Skyteam international airline alliance and led the bid committee that took the 2018 Winter Olympics to Korea.  He recently completed development of the iconic Wilshire Grand complex in downtown Los Angeles, the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

He served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA); the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, University of Southern California; and has received honorary doctorate degrees from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida) and the Ukraine National Aviation University.

Under his guidance, Korean Air became a global powerhouse flying to 124 cities and 44 countries, emerging as America’s largest Asian airline with 15 North American gateways. He recently negotiated a joint venture with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, that created the industry’s most comprehensive transpacific network. The airlines are scheduled to launch a new non-stop route between Boston and Seoul on April 12.

Mr. Cho was in the airline industry all his life, as his father, Choong-Hoon Cho, had acquired and privatized Korean Air 50 years ago.  The younger Cho was named the airline’s Chairman and CEO in 1999 having served as President and CEO four years earlier. Mr. Cho began working for Korean Air as a manager in the Americas Regional Headquarters in Los Angeles in 1974 after graduating from the University of Southern California.

Three weeks ago Korean Air investors removed him from the board in a victory for shareholder activism.

Mr. Cho’s leadership has been widely recognized over the years. He was awarded the title of `Grand Officier’ in France’s Légion d’Honneur, ‘Polaris’ in Mongolia and also the `Mugunghwa Medal’ in Korea – all of which are the highest order of civil merit awarded in these countries.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Cho was vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, co-chairman of the Korea-U.S. Business Council, and served as the co-president of l’Année France-Corée 2015-2016’, celebrating 130 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.

Mr. Cho is survived by his wife, Myung-hee Lee, son Walter, daughters Heather and Emily and five grandsons.  Services are pending in South Korea.

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Carlos Vogeler starts leading position at Ministry of Tourism in Oman

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It appears the implementation of the National Tourism Strategy of Oman is in excellent hands. Last week Carlos Vogeler started a two-year contract with the Ministry of Tourism of Oman, where he is now leading a team that will support Minister Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrizi and his team on implementation.

Carlos Vogeler was considered by many leaders as one of the most influential executives in the travel and tourism world when he served as the executive director of UNWTO under Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. Together with Korean Ambassador Dho Young-shim, Mr. Voegeler was a candidate for UNWTO Secretary-General in 2017.

Mr. Vogeler was with the World Tourism Organization for 9 years. He was honored on November 29, 2017, at the UNWTO Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth in Montego Bay by the Hon. Ed Bartlett, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica.

Before Mr. Carlos Vogeler joined UNWTO in 2005 he was a tenured professor at University “Rey Juan Carlos”, Madrid, at the Dpt. of Business Economics, a regular lecturer at Spanish and International Universities and author of various university textbooks, as well as numerous articles on international tourism structure.

Mr. Vogeler started his career in the private sector at Pullmantur, one of the largest Spanish Tour Operators. During his sixteen years of service from 1974 to 1990, he became Deputy Managing Director and introduced many innovations, namely expanding the number of destinations and products and opening new offices and new markets. He also played an active role in the board of directors of the Spanish Travel Agencies Association of Travel Agencies and in UFTAA (United Federation of Travel Agent’s Associations), where he chaired the committee on road transportation.

From 1991 to 2008 he served in various senior management positions at Group RCI, part of Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality groups, quoted in the New York Stock Exchange, where he was Managing Director for South-Western Europe, covering Spain, France, Portugal and Benelux and later Vice president of Global Account Strategy & Industry Relations.

He was elected Chairman of the Affiliate Members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) from 2005 to 2008, representing Group RCI. Since 1997 he had been serving as Vice President of the board of the Affiliate Members and Chairman of the Business Council and member of the UNWTO Strategic Group.

He is also a founding member of the Spanish Association of Experts in Tourism (AECIT) and was a member of the International Association of Experts in Tourism (AIEST).

Carried out his studies in Canada and in Spain, graduating in Tourism Business Administration by “Escuela Oficial de Turismo de Madrid” (now University Rey Juan Carlos) and post-graduate by the IESE Business School, of the University of Navarra – Spain.

Mr. Vogeler was born in Venezuela of Spanish mother and Venezuelan-German father and is a national of Spain and Venezuela.

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Boston-Logan Airport: New international routes

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The last 24 hours have brought 2 new international flights to Boston Logan International Airport, thanks to Delta joint venture partners KLM and Virgin Atlantic – setting the stage for a year of growth and expansion for Delta in the Northeast.

Delta Air Lines and its partners KLM, Virgin Atlantic, and Korean Air will offer up to 149 daily departures to more than 50 destinations from Boston-Logan Airport in 2019, an increase of nearly 30 daily departures compared to 2018. New routes include Amsterdam, London-Heathrow, Lisbon, Edinburgh, and Seoul.

KLM – Amsterdam

On March 31, KLM began flying between Boston and Amsterdam, adding to the two daily flights to Amsterdam already operated at Logan Airport by Delta. KLM CEO Pieter Elbers joined officials from Massport, Delta leaders, customers and employees at the airport in a ribbon-cutting ceremony ahead of the outbound flight across the Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic – London-Heathrow

And on April 1, Virgin Atlantic launched its daytime service from Boston to London-Heathrow – a morning departure that will better enable in-flight workday productivity for London-bound business travelers. Virgin and Delta together now offer three daily flights to Heathrow Airport from Boston.

Delta – Lisbon and Edinburgh

Later this spring, Delta will begin its own seasonal Boston service to Lisbon and Edinburgh, rounding out a full slate of new international destinations now directly accessible to Boston customers. Through this and an extended summer season to Dublin, by May Delta and its partners will offer the most international seats from Boston with flights to up to 19 international destinations — more than ever before.

Korean Air – Seoul-Incheon

A third partner, Korean Air, will start new service in Boston on April 12, when it begins nonstop flights to Seoul, one of the first additions to that joint venture’s transpacific network since Delta and Korean Air launched their partnership last May.

This new Boston flying comes as Delta continues to reinforce its position as the city’s leading carrier and deepen its investment at Logan Airport and in the greater Boston community. Overall, the airline and its partners will offer up to 149 daily departures to more than 50 destinations from Logan in 2019, an increase of nearly 30 daily departures compared to 2018.

Delta has doubled domestic daily departures out of Boston since 2013 and this year will serve four additional domestic destinations — Cleveland, Chicago, Washington-Reagan, and Newark-Liberty — while also adding more frequencies in another seven key domestic markets. Overall, the airline and its partners will offer up to 149 daily departures to more than 50 destinations from Logan in 2019, an increase of nearly 30 daily departures compared to 2018.

In addition to Delta’s network growth, the airline is also investing in Boston in other ways. With Massport’s partnership, Delta plans to assume operations at all gates at Logan’s Terminal A by the third quarter of 2019, growing its airport footprint by five gates. Delta also plans by 2020 the expansion of one of its Delta Sky Clubs, including new showers, expanded seating and a reimagined food and beverage area.

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Korean Air: No more peanuts

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Korean Air has made the decision to remove peanuts from its food offerings after the recent incident involving 2 teenagers who were taken off their flight from flight KE621 to Manila from Incheon Airport because of a peanut allergy.

Korean Air has taken this action to ensure the health and safety of passengers who are allergic to peanuts. As a first step, the airline has replaced its honey-roasted peanut products with other snacks, such as crackers.

In addition, within the next few weeks, Korean Air will remove food containing peanut ingredients from in-flight meals.

The airline is determined to provide a safe environment for all passengers and prevent any similar cases in the future.

“The decision to stop peanut products and peanut ingredients is the minimum safety measure for peanut-allergy passengers,” a Korean Air spokesperson said.

Peanut allergies are emerging as a critical issue in the aviation industry, and a number of major global carriers have stopped offering in-flight peanut products.

More information and travel tips are available on Korean Air’s homepage for passengers with a peanut allergy.

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