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France remains world’s top tourist destination despite ‘Yellow Vests’ nuisance

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According to France’s national statistics institute (INSEE), the number of nights foreign tourists spent in the country’s hotels, campsites and youth hostels reached 438.2 million, marking an increase of nine million visitors against the previous year.


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Neither torched shops, nor tear gas on the Champs Elysées during the months of Yellow Vest protests could deprive France of remaining the world’s most visited country by tourists, breaking another record in 2018.

The report excludes numbers for home-sharing platforms such as Airbnb.

The impressive growth was seen in a year “marked by large-scale nationwide social movements on two occasions,” including two months of rolling rail strikes between April to June, and the Yellow Vest demonstrations that started in late November against fuel prices, the high cost of living and tax reforms.

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Despite political upheaval in the final months, last year delivered a promising outlook for the country’s tourism industry. In December, the Yellow Vests crisis put a dent in tourism with the number of travelers visiting France falling by 1.1 percent. In Paris alone, the protests dragged down the number of visitors by 5.3 percent.

Among the most visited sights are the Paris-based Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum, as well as the Palace of Versailles.

The rise is largely thanks to non-EU tourists. Visits from the US rose by 16 percent, while arrivals from Japan saw an 18 percent increase.

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Pride Group of Hotels unveils Pride Resort and Convention Centre Rajkot

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The Pride Group of Hotels, which manages 14 Hotels and Resorts across India announced the inclusion of “Pride Resort and Convention Centre Rajkot” as the 15th property under the Pride Umbrella. The resort is conveniently located on Rataiya Road, Ishwariya, Rajkot. It is well connected through Rail, Road and Air to all major cities. Pride Resort and Convention Centre Rajkot will bring in a True Indian Touch in the Hospitality Industry in the City and will soon become the preferred venue for leisure & business travelers, conventions and events.

Announcing the launch, SP Jain, Managing Director, Pride Hotels Ltd. says, “We are extremely pleased to unveil Pride Resort and Convention Centre at Rajkot, our 15th property in the country. This is also our third property in the State of Gujarat. We are extremely upbeat on the growth prospects in the region having successfully managed our properties in Ahmedabad and Vadodara. The city of Rajkot has seen steady growth in inflow of travelers from India and across the world. Pride Resort Rajkot with its imposing ambience, banqueting& conferencing facilities and host of hospitality services will appeal to guests looking for the ideal destination for Business Meets, MICE, Theme Weddings and Leisure”.

Located in a serene ambience surrounded by lush greenery, Pride Resort and Convention Centre Rajkot offers 99 spacious rooms that encompass 31 deluxe rooms, 31 Executive rooms, 31 Premium rooms and 6 suite rooms.

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Fraport and Deutsche Bahn to Test Artificial Intelligence at Frankfurt Airport

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The robotic head smiles at the passenger and greets them: “My name is FRAnny. How can I help you?” FRAnny is an expert on Frankfurt Airport, and is able to answer a wide range of questions – including the correct gate, the way to a specific restaurant, and how to access the free Wi-Fi.

The robotic concierge is a cooperative project between Fraport AG, the operator of Frankfurt Airport (FRA), and DB Systel GmbH, Deutsche Bahn’s dedicated IT service provider. Travelers at major transportation hubs, such as airports and train stations, are very often in need of guidance. In these scenarios, digital assistants and robots can support human personnel by fielding routine inquiries, thus enhancing the customer service offering. A six-week trial at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest aviation hub, will help evaluate FRAnny in terms of functionality, customer acceptance and its practical usefulness in everyday situations

FRAnny is based on an artificial intelligence and a cloud-based voice-user interface (VUI) that can be deployed in a variety of forms – including in chatbots, voice assistants and robots. This digital customer service system was developed by a team of Deutsche Bahn IT experts. Using data drawn from the airport’s information system, FRAnny is able to understand and answer questions relating to travel, airport facilities and more. In addition to providing flight information, FRAnny is well versed in small talk and can communicate in German, English and seven other languages.

Fraport and Deutsche Bahn have been jointly exploring the potential of artificially intelligent, voice-based customer service systems since 2017. The first pilot took place at Frankfurt Airport in spring 2018 using FRAnny’s predecessor: the four-week field trial was very successful. After approximately 4,400 interactions, 75 percent of passengers rated their exchange positively. Based on the feedback received, both the artificial intelligence (AI) component and the robot’s user interface were further improved. The more recent trial underscores both companies’ commitment to ongoing innovation in artificial intelligence and robotics. Moreover, it puts the implemented improvements through their paces under real-world conditions.

In June, the AI-based service is to be tested at Berlin central rail station – which has approximately 300,000 travelers and visitors every day. Human customer service agents at Deutsche Bahn’s information center will receive smart support from FRAnny’s sister, SEMMI.

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Travel Oregon’s “Only Slightly Exaggerated” campaign

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Inspired by the viral success of the “Only Slightly Exaggerated” campaign last spring, Travel Oregon is launching part two of the animated campaign that gives viewers a creative glimpse of the magical feeling of being in Oregon.

The new 1:45 minute video continues the visual narrative, showcasing different locations, experiences and thrilling adventures in Oregon—from venturing deep into the Oregon Caves National Monument to paragliding over the Steens Mountain. Like the original, this new video features a cast of animated human characters, native flora and fauna and new fantastical beings, including mystical cloud-people and a sea-stack creature, to name a few.

In addition to the sweeping outdoor animated imagery highlighted in the video, the viewer also gets a taste of Oregon’s culinary bounty. In the restaurant scene, look for the bottle of Oregon Solidarity wine, a nod to the real-life collaboration between four Oregon wineries who came together to help the Rouge Valley wine region that was affected by the Southern Oregon wildfires last summer.

“The goal of this campaign is to welcome and invite everyone to experience a happier state of being while traveling in Oregon,” said Travel Oregon CEO Todd Davidson. “As people are overwhelmed with the distractions of modern life, experiencing the wonders of Oregon can be the answer for that. Whether that respite is on a beach, in a high desert or under a forest canopy, there are abundant opportunities to unplug and reconnect with yourself and nature here in Oregon.”

The campaign launches tomorrow in the target markets of Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Boise, Tri Cities, Eugene and Bend. The media buy includes cinema, TV (launching during Final the Four), digital, billboards and on MAX Light Rail trains. Moreover, the campaign will be extended throughout the year through our annual visitor guide, downloadable wallpapers, posters, postcards, GIFs, shorter animation clips, and immersive new online content highlighting locations in the campaign that travelers can visit—the Oregon Caves, Steens Mountain and Clear Lake to name a few.

Utilizing the strong creative teams from the 2018 campaign, which generated more than 10 million worldwide views, the new video was brought to life in collaboration with long-time advertising partner Wieden+Kennedy with animation by Psyop and Sun Creature Studios and the musical score composed by Jim Dooley.

“Our goal with Only Slightly Exaggerated, both last year and this year, is to visualize the emotional experience of visiting Oregon. By using animation, we are able to capture experiences that go beyond traditional travel films, while also feeling unique to our state, said Ansel Wallenfang, creative at Wieden+Kennedy.

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Tourist dies taking selfie at Grand Canyon

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In a tragic accident, a tourist from Hong Kong went over the edge at the Grand Canyon in Arionza as he was trying to take a selfie. He died after falling from a 1,000-foot ledge. It was near the rail-protected Sky Walk, but not on it.

Last fall at Yosemite National Park, a travel-blogging couple fell 800 feet to their deaths from a cliff as they were attempting to take a selfie.

According to a study, 259 people have died while taking selfies during the period from 2011-2017. Of those, over 70 percent were men.

In the case of the Grand Canyon, it is impossible to install safety rails along the over 277 miles of rugged ledges and canyon terrain.

The best defense against selfie accidents is good old common sense.

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