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International Happiness Day: How Abu Dhabi Airports celebrates

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In celebration of International Happiness Day on March 20, Abu Dhabi Airports has announced the results of the Abu Dhabi Airport’s “happiness index” for 2018. The company’s happiness indicator revealed that 82% of passengers were happy with their experience at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) last year. In addition, 89% of passengers reported their happiness with the airport’s services in March 2018, and 88% in October 2018, which are exceptionally high monthly figures for an international aviation hub.


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Abu Dhabi Airports also measures its customers’ satisfaction through its implementation of the Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airports Service Quality (ASQ) survey program since 2006. The company officially started measuring happiness in October 2017 with the implementation of the Interactive Feedback system and additional surveys, where both results are combined and averaged with the aim of achieving a passenger happiness rate of more than 75% by 2019.

Abu Dhabi Airports records the happiness of its customers by requesting their input at feedback mounts installed throughout Terminals 1 and 3 at AUH, in addition to conducting monthly surveys in the terminals. Both the feedback mounts and surveys ask passersby if they are happy or unhappy with their overall experience at the airport.

Bryan Thompson, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Providing our customers and passengers with an exciting experience and making sure they are happy with our services and their overall travel experience is among our foremost priorities. We continue to launch initiatives to ensure the happiness and comfort of our passengers and staff, as this is an important part of our commitment to excellence and forms a part of our vision of becoming the world’s leading airports group.”

Abu Dhabi Airports is committed to enhancing its customer experience by celebrating national holidays, providing travellers with special services and the opportunity to win prizes, and making available exceptional offers at its retail and food and beverage outlets. Furthermore, the company launched last year its Customer Happiness Ambassador Program designed to showcase Abu Dhabi’s unique brand of Arabian Hospitality.

In addition, Abu Dhabi Airports continues to ensure a seamless travel experience through the provision of premium and exclusive services such as ultra-fast Super-Fi internet access, remote check-in, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance services, available exclusively in the region at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

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Monaco Government Tourist Authority welcomes new President and Deputy Director

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A new team has been appointed, as head of the Monaco Government Tourist & Convention Authority. Mr. Guy Antognelli, former Deputy Director becomes the new President of Monaco Tourism and Mrs. Sandrine Camia, who has been serving as head of the Monaco Convention Bureau for the past seven years, becomes Deputy Director.

Mrs. Camia has a strong experience in tourism; she has been working for 20 years for luxury hotel brands including Hotel Lutetia in Paris and Hotel Martinez in Cannes, which were then both properties of Taittinger Family. She held the position of Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication for two independent luxury hotels, Hotel Royal Riviera in Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat and Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo. In 2011, she was appointed head of Monaco Convention Bureau and has been in charge of the promotion and development of MICE, while implementing new communication and marketing tools and ensuring the loyalty of the best customers.

Mrs. Camia about her appointment as Deputy Director: ” It is a new challenge and a recognition of the work accomplished at the Convention Bureau. These past seven years have been rich in experiences and successes.”

After a post-graduating in Finance Engineering at Nice-Sophia-Antipolis University, Mr. Antognelli started his career in a Monegasque subsidiary of a Swiss private bank, first in the back office then in the risk management and internal audit department.

During the next 10 years, he contributed to the development of an insurance company in Monaco, managing high end client portfolios using his financial expertise as well as his social skills.

In 2011, he has been appointed Head of Statistics Department of Monaco Government Tourist & Convention Authority. He has contributed to the development of this service and has extended his field of action to strategic and competitive intelligence.

In 2015 he took the position of Deputy Director and worked in closed cooperation with all services for promoting and developing tourism in the Principality.

Mr. Antognelli about his appointment as President: “This appointment is recognition of my work and a statement of trust from the Government. I especially look forward to working with the team who is dedicated to promote the destination and has achieved great results over the past years.

My aim is to lead all missions of Monaco Government Tourist & Convention Authority to ensure a high level of tourism throughout the year and maximize the economic benefits for the destination.

We have always been working closely with all partners in the Principality’s tourism sector.

We must deploy innovative tools within the framework defined for the promotion of the destination, in order to improve the good results of tourism in the Principality.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Brazil announces visa-free entry for US, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese citizens

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Brazil is open for you! The Brazilian Government announced that Brazil would allow visa-free entry for citizens of The United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan, effective in 90 days (June 17th). Until then, the current e-visa will be required.

Citizens of those countries wishing to visit Brazil will no longer need to apply or pay for a visa. They will be able to stay in Brazil for 90 days from the date of first entry in the country, extendable for an equal period, provided that it does not exceed one hundred and eighty days, every twelve months, counted from the date of the first entry into the Country.

These developments come as part of a series of measures that Brazil has taken to facilitate visitor access to the country. Last year, the government launched an e-visa platform through which travelers could apply for visas with more efficiency and ease.

Brazil has already seen extremely positive results with an increase of about 35% in the visa application in less than a year since implementing e-visa. These four countries are considered strategic for the development of tourism in Brazil.

According to the Foreign Ministry, in 2017, 169,910 visas (either for business, tourism or transit) had been issued to citizens of the four countries. With the implementation of e-visa, the number rose in 2018 to 229,767.

“This is one of the most important achievements of the Brazilian tourism industry in the last 15 years and we are confident that it will be extremely beneficial to the country,” said Marcelo Alvaro Antônio, Minister of Tourism. “This decision of the Brazilian government proves that we are living a new moment and that tourism is being seen as a vector of economic and social growth of the entire nation. This is the first step; we still have much to celebrate,” explained Minister Antônio.

“The United States was very receptive to the issuance of electronic visas. The World Tourism Organization says that when adopting an electronic visa, visa issuance increases by 25%, so we have exceeded that mark,” said Teté Bezerra, president of Embratur (Brazil’s Tourism Board, a federal agency and part of the Ministry of Tourism).

Now, with a strong Dollar and dozens of daily flights, experiencing Brazil is just a matter of desire and grabbing a plane. From the Amazon in the North to the wines in the South; from the exotic Pantanal in the Midwest to the lush beaches of the Northeast; amazing cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador and hundreds of hidden gems are just a few hours away.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Oman Air climbs to first place in one of Heathrow’s greenest years yet

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Oman Air has landed first place in the latest Heathrow “Fly Quiet and Green” league table, due to its use of ‘Continuous Decent Approach’ which helps to reduce fuel burn and minimise noise by arriving aircraft. This achievement builds on the strides made in the previous quarter (Q3) which saw Oman Air leaping up 26 spots after phasing out their older aircraft and replacing them with the ultra-quiet and green 787 Dreamliners. Oman Air’s drastic improvement shows the impact technology can have on an airline’s environmental performance and the importance of the “Fly Quiet and Green” league – the UK’s first in advocating sustainable action.

The latest Heathrow “Fly Quiet and Green” league table publishes the top 50 busiest airlines at Heathrow on seven noise and emission metrics from October to December 2018. The results show Heathrow airlines have a clear commitment to modernising their fleet and working to adopt techniques which will help to reduce the airport’s impact on local communities. In addition to this public ranking, Heathrow encourages new technology through environmental pricing incentives, which reduce landing charges for airlines operating their greenest and quietest aircraft at our airport. The top environmental performers such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s now make up over a tenth of planes at Heathrow.

Other airlines at the top of the League rankings included British Airways (short haul fleet), which jumped up to second place due to its improved punctuality benefitting both local communities and passengers alike. SAS placed third, moving up three places in the latest table due to the introduction of A320 neos to their fleet. Icelandair earns most improved airline, jumping an astounding 40 places to take the 11th spot. The airline has worked to improve its use of Continuous Decent Approach, whilst sticking more closely to the designated flight paths set for pilots, which assists the provision of predictable respite for local communities.

This news comes shortly after the conclusion of Heathrow’s eight-week Airspace and Future Operations consultation during which local residents were given the opportunity to share their views on the airport’s future airspace design – both for the existing two runways and as part of the proposed expansion. Heathrow’s consultation is part of a nationwide move to modernise the country’s airspace for the first time since the 1960s, potentially boosting punctuality for passengers by reducing the need for routine stacking as well as providing guaranteed respite for the airport’s local communities and reducing airplane emissions.

Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability, said:

“As we prepare to expand our airport, we’re working with airlines to encourage fierce competition for the top spot of the ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table and it’s brilliant to see more airlines vying for pole position. As airlines modernise their fleets, we’ll also be engaging with local communities to modernise the UK’s airspace, enabling aircraft to more efficiently use the skies around us, increasing punctuality whilst reducing emissions and noise in future.”

Abdul Aziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air said:

“We follow Heathrow’s Quiet and Green league table very closely and it is indeed gratifying to see Oman Air rank first for the fourth quarter of 2018. Moving to the quieter, more efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a positive impact and shows our commitment to operating the most environmentally friendly aircraft across our growing international network. This is indeed a proud moment to see our efforts recognised by one of the world’s leading airports.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

WTTC: Greek tourism sector growing over three times faster than wider economy

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In 2018, the Greek Travel & Tourism sector grew at a rate of 6.9% – over three and a half times the pace of its wider national economy, which grew by 2.0%.

The sector represents 20.6% of Greek GDP compared to the global average of 10.4%. This means that one in every five Euros spent in Greece last year came from the Travel & Tourism sector, worth €37.5bn (USD $44.6bn).

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Meanwhile, one quarter of all employment in Greece is based in Travel & Tourism – equivalent to 988.6k jobs. In 2019, this figure is forecast to surpass one million for the first time since WTTC records began.

Even at the height of economic performance before the financial crisis, Greece still employed less people in Travel & Tourism than they did in 2018 (934.5k in 2006), indicating that not only has the sector economy recovered but it is now outperforming its previous peaks.

The same is true for GDP contribution, which has never before amounted to 20% of total GDP.

These figures come from the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) annual review of the economic impact and social importance of the sector. The research, conducted for almost 30 years by WTTC, which represents the global private sector of Travel & Tourism, shows that in 2018 the Greek sector:

• Outpaced the EU’s regional Travel & Tourism growth rate of 2.4%. Both the EU and Greece’s wider economies grew at a rate of 2.0%, but the Greek travel sector leapt ahead of regional averages.

• Benefitted from €18.5bn international visitor spend, representing 27.9% of total exports.

• Two-thirds of inbound Greek travel spend came from international visitors (66%), and one-third from domestic travel (34%).

• Was driven by leisure spending, which comprised 94% of tourist spend compared to 6% for business.

WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevara remarked, “We are hugely impressed by the Greek growth rate, and the government strategies that have spurred it on. Travel & Tourism has had a huge role to play in driving Greek economic recovery, and is a chief employer of people. Greece is an exemplary case study of how valuable an asset Travel & Tourism can be when the government prioritises the sector.”

The Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic, Elena Kountoura remarked: “Our long-term tourism strategy that we implement since 2015 led to outstanding results in Greece’s tourism growth, and supported profoundly the Greek economy in the most difficult years of the crisis. We achieved our target in creating thousands of new jobs, new business activity, new sources of income, and in mobilizing new tourism investments.

With our growth plan for the next day, we intend to maintain Greece’s strong momentum in  tourism and maximize its benefits for the local communities across Greece, acknowledging tourism’s immense value as  a major driving force for employment,  economic and social prosperity.”

About the World Travel & Tourism Council

WTTC is the body which represents the Travel & Tourism private sector globally. Members consist of CEOs of the world’s Travel & Tourism companies, destinations, and industry organisations engaging with Travel & Tourism.

WTTC has a history of 25 years of research to quantify the economic impact of the sector in 185 countries. Travel & Tourism is a key driver for investment and economic growth globally. The sector contributes US$8.8 trillion or 10.4% of global GDP, and accounts for 319 million jobs or one in ten of all jobs on the planet.

For over 25 years, WTTC has been the voice of this industry globally. Members are the Chairs, Presidents and Chief Executives of the world’s leading, private sector Travel & Tourism businesses, who bring specialist knowledge to guide government policy and decision-making and raise awareness of the importance of the secto