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Bartlett Offers Condolences to Relatives of Jamaica Inn Owner Killed In Plane Crash along Florida Highway

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the local tourism industry is in mourning, after learning of the sudden passing of the co-owner of Jamaica Inn, Peter Morrow.

He passed away on Thursday in Ocala, Florida, after a small plane he was travelling in crashed into a vehicle. The crash reportedly killed Morrow and the other passenger on board on impact, when the aircraft tried to make an emergency landing, near an outdoor shopping mall in north Florida.


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“On behalf of all of the Government of Jamaica, I would like to offer my condolences to the family and close friends of Peter Morrow, during this very difficult time. We are deeply saddened by this news and extend my deepest sympathies, especially to his brother Eric,” said Bartlett.

“Mr Marrow was a brilliant businessman who knew the value of excellent customer service and a kind smile. His passion for tourism is truly unmatched and our local industry will not be the same without him. May his soul be at peace with our Heavenly Father,” he continued.

According to ABC News the Beechcraft Baron aircraft had just taken off from Ocala International Airport for a maintenance flight before it “crash landed” on a six-lane road, hitting power lines and the Sports Utility Vehicle.   

The elderly driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital and is reportedly in stable condition.

The Gleaner described Morrow as an avid pilot who got his pilot’s licence at the age of 15.  Noting that he first came to Jamaica in n the early 50s with his hotel career starting in the 1960s, after he completed his studies in London and Paris.

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“I also wish to offer my condolences to the staff of Jamaica Inn, including General Manager Kyle Mais, who I am sure, are shocked and saddened by this news. I offer you my thoughts, prayers and well-wishes during this dark time,” said Minister Bartlett.

Jamaica Inn was established in 1958; it is situated in the tourist resort town of Ocho Rios and has been managed by third-generation owners Peter and Eric Morro, since the 1980s. Over the years, the luxury hotel has welcomed many celebrity guests and government officials such as Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller, Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Desperate mayday by American climber injured on Mount Himlung in Nepal

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Global Rescue moved into action at 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) after receiving a mayday call conferenced in by friends of American researcher Dr. John All.

Climbing on a remote Himalayan peak in Nepal called Himlung, All broke through a thin layer of snow and fell 70 feet through a crevasse.

“I’m trapped here,” All said. He sounded desperate, recording first-person video clips from the depths of where he had fallen. Every minute was important to get help to this climber.

Years later, the reason he is enjoying time in Washington can be credited to his satellite phone, fortitude and New Hampshire-based Global Rescue.

When he took his devastating fall, he thought he would die. He spent hours stuck alone with a broken arm, broken ribs and dislocated shoulders.

From his satellite phone, he posted a plea on Facebook that said, “bad shape, need help.”

“Thankfully I didn’t keep falling that way,” All said pointing to the gaping hole in one of his recordings.

The plea for help went directly to Global Rescue, a crisis response firm that provides medical and security evacuation services.

Using 2-way satellite texting, they had critical care paramedic, Jeffrey Weinstein, coach All on how to survive a freezing night on the mountain.

“We received a response from him that said, ‘How long do I have to survive?’” Weinstein said. “He needed to get shelter and he needed to get warmth if he wanted to survive the night.”

Despite his injuries, the 6-foot-5 inch, 240-pound professor and researcher used an ice ax and somehow climbed out of the chasm. It then took him several more hours to crawl to his tent.

Global Rescue was trying to get a helicopter to the scene, but due to inclement weather and limited daylight hours, a rescue wasn’t possible until the next morning. In Nepal, helicopters do not fly at night, making for a long and terrifying night for everyone.

“I knew how badly I was injured. I couldn’t move my arm and I was in piercing agony,” All said.

Even Global Rescue said that All’s efforts were unprecedented – as he helped save his own life by having friends make a call to relay that he was in harm’s way.

All and his research team originally planned to climb near Mt. Everest, but it was shut down after 16 Nepalese guides died in an avalanche. One of those guides was from All’s team.

With the rising dangers of mountain climbing, it pays to always have your cell and satellite phones with you, charged and ready to use.

It is even more important to have a company like Global Rescue standing ready to assist in any way possible at the time of that mayday call. For All, it meant the difference between life and death.

Travel can be unpredictable. Global Rescue has boots on the ground to deliver unmatched travel protection services around the world.

“Global Rescue has been a pioneer in performing difficult rescue missions in difficult places,” said Dan Richards CEO and founder of Global Rescue. “We are proud to have saved the life of Dr. John All and so many others.”
There’re many more reports on Global Rescue missions.

To learn more about Global Rescue and its diverse suite of products and services visit www.GlobalRescue.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Celia Chase, Vice President, Marketing, Global Rescue LLC, Phone: 617-210-8164, cchase@globalrescue.com

Puerto Rico Tourism: Out with the old, in with the new

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“Since our inception last July, we hit the ground running to accelerate the tourism economy,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “This brand campaign follows a strong publicity effort that set up Puerto Rico as the top place to visit in 2019 and a recently revamped website, DiscoverPuertoRico.com.

“The creative highlights our two strongest assets – our culture and our people – and will help us strengthen traveler’s familiarity with what makes our Island one-of-a-kind.”  The campaign officially launches today across digital channels via digital banners, social, pre-roll and a follow-up TV spot that will launch in coming weeks in key markets. Additional marketing support is expected throughout the rest of 2019, to attract visitors to the Island during the summer travel season.”

Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s newly-established Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), announced today the rollout of Puerto Rico’s brand campaign called “Have We Met Yet?” which draws inspiration from Puerto Rico’s cultural and natural offerings and at its essence, focuses on the hospitable and welcoming nature of its people. By posing the question “Have We Met Yet?” the creative re-introduces the Island to the world and brings to life the exotic yet familiar essence of Puerto Rico. As the U.S. mainland’s “neighbor to the south,” the new campaign showcases through Puerto Rico’s iconic doors how the Island welcomes visitors with open arms.

Following extensive research that showed that Puerto Rico’s brand identity was neutral in the minds of travelers, this new campaign is this next phase of Discover Puerto Rico’s brand repositioning process, enabling the Island to fully capitalize on its rich tourism product offerings and emerge as a leading Caribbean destination. The creative repositions the island as that neighbor that one dreams of – with the festive flair, the ocean view, the incredible art collection, the delicious food. Puerto Rico is the neighbor you’ll laugh with, celebrate with, and maybe even fall in love with.

“Puerto Rico’s people, its rich culture and unparalleled natural offerings, combined with the fact that it’s a U.S. territory and easily accessible, were key factors that led to this creative. We’re excited to debut this brand campaign as it opens the door, literally, to endless possibilities that showcase the spirit of the Puerto Rican people and everything the Island has to offer,” said Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico.

Travelers exposed to the new brand campaign will be immediately drawn by the colorful vibrant doors and stunning imagery found throughout the Island. The creative highlights many aspects that make Puerto Rico a unique destination—ranging from its people, its cuisine, its festive spirit, its natural attractions, and much more.

“The campaign invites travelers to visit Puerto Rico and meet us, the neighbor that you can’t live without,” said Chandler. “Puerto Rico was named the #1 Place to Visit in 2019 by the New York Times and has topped over 20 other notable lists of places to visit this year,” she added. “We want to send a message to all travelers that this is THE year to visit Puerto Rico. The entire island is eager to welcome them.”

The creative was ideated and produced by Beautiful Destinations, with support from local production crews who traveled throughout the Island to capture the beautiful scenery, thousands of colorful doors, and welcoming faces of the Puerto Rican people.

To view the “Have We Met Yet?” creative online, visit YouTube.com/DiscoverPuertoRico and be on the lookout for additional campaign creative coming soon.

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Swiss-Belhotel brings special offers to Arabian Travel Market

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Swiss-Belhotel International has created exciting packages for wholesalers and tour operators that will be launched at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) taking place in Dubai from April 28 to May 1, 2019. Targeted at Middle East travelers, the group has put together a fabulous range of offers that will be available across its spectacular properties in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, Swiss-Belhotel International, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of these exclusive packages that have been designed to provide unique experiences along with greater benefits and value to our Middle East partners as well as customers. We have superb properties located in some of the most sought-after destinations that attract large number of travelers from our region. With the summer holiday season around the corner, ATM presents us the ideal opportunity to launch these. Moreover, this year we are very excited about the ATM Holiday Shopper that we believe is a great addition to the show.”

The Special Packages offer a diverse choice of experiences at unbeatable rates: These include the following:

  • Special Golf Packages in Indonesia at various destinations – Jakarta, Batam, Bandung, Bali, Tarakan, Belitung, Surabaya, Jayapura, and in Vietnam in Da Lat.
  • Discounted wholesale rates for hotels in New Zealand and for hotels in Australia.
  • Early Bird discounts in the busiest destination in Australia, the hotel in Sydney offers 15% discounts for booking within April with stays valid till August and 10% for bookings until August with stays valid all throughout the year.
  • In Philippines, book at Makati and get a free room upgrade; and when you book at Manila get to enjoy the amazing introductory offer including breakfast for two.

Visitors to ATM can find Swiss-Belhotel International on stand HC0825 located in Sheikh Saeed Arena in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

eTN is a media partner for ATM.

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Lufthansa makes dedicated staff look bad: The eTN Hero is Patricia Dzai of Swissport Johannesburg

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Lufthansa

“My personal hero today is Ms. Patricia Dzai. Patricia works for Swissport in Johannesburg, South Africa,” said eTN Publisher Juergen Steinmetz. Swissport is one of the largest aviation ground-handling agencies operating in countries around the world.

Major airlines hire Swissport to manage customer relations and logistics when it comes to baggage handling, including lost or misplaced items.

Lufthansa German Airlines’ ground handler in Johannesburg is Swissport. I recently traveled from Nice to Cape Town via Frankfurt and Johannesburg on Lufthansa German Airlines. I am a United Airlines Star Alliance Gold member and traveled on Lufthansa in Business class. Lufthansa is a member of Star Alliance.

When I arrived in Johannesburg, I heard my name called by Lufthansa’s lost baggage office handled by Swissport.

I was told my tube was still in Frankfurt, and they would put it on the next flight to Johannesburg. I explained it was of utmost importance to have the tube for an important trade show event, the World Travel Market in Cape Town, in the morning.

Patricia Dzai, the Swissport agent in Johannesburg, wanted to make sure this would be possible and sent an urgent message to Lufthansa in Frankfurt. The message said:

 

 

 

 

 

I was pleased to know my tube would go on LH 576 directly to Cape Town almost in time for the start of World Travel Market.

I went on to fly to Cape Town and received a text message in the evening saying my tube would be on the Lufthansa flight to Johannesburg, which was different from what Patricia had requested. Since it was late and the Swissport office in Johannesburg was closed, I was able to find a non-published phone number for Lufthansa baggage service in Frankfurt. Lufthansa, like most airlines, is hiding phone numbers to encourage passengers to communicate only by email.

I was told by Lufthansa Baggage Service in Frankfurt no such message to forward my tube to Cape Town was ever received by Swissport Johannesburg. The agent went on to say that passengers are often not told the truth by Swissport agents.

The Lufthansa agent in Frankfurt explained that his job was not to help me, since this was only handled in Johannesburg. I argued my tube is in Frankfurt and not Johannesburg, and the handling agent for Swissport in Johannesburg was closed.

The agent then said he was now doing a one-time exception for me and would reroute my tube on LH576 directly to Cape Town. He said there were 5 hours to get this done, still plenty of time according to him.

The next day I received another message telling me again the tube was on its way to Johannesburg instead of Cape Town.

I called Swissport in Johannesburg, and the news not could have been worse. They told me, apologizing, that my tube was still in Frankfurt for a second day, and they did not know why.

I again called the baggage-handling office in Frankfurt and was again told it’s all Swissport’s mistake for not telling them where to send it.

This time I was angry and called Swissport Johannesburg again. I asked Patricia why she was lying about this. I told her she never sent this request to Frankfurt, according to Lufthansa.

Ten minutes later, I received an email with a time-stamped screenshot from Patricia Dzai showing me exactly what was requested by her in the first place.

Patricia actually had gone out of her way originally to make sure I would be united with my tube on time and in Cape Town. I felt bad thinking she didn’t care and didn’t do anything, when in fact she did.

It shows that big companies like Lufthansa have a serious customer service issue. They hide behind a huge system and are trained to say it’s not their job and simply blame others for company shortcomings.

There was no way I could talk to anyone at Lufthansa about this, and my urgent email to them on the day I was trying to get the tube re-routed was just responded to 2 weeks after I was already back home in Hawaii. Lufthansa offered a 200 euro compensation.

No explanation was given and no apology for accusing Patricia Dzai and Swissport for not doing their job.

I finally received my tube on the last day after the trade show and took it back to the US unopened. When I changed planes in Frankfurt, I asked the agent working in the Senator Lounge to speak to a supervisor in baggage handling about this case and compensation. She told me I have to send an email, which I had already done days ago.

She gave me some chocolate and said they get customers’ complaints all the time and do their best to help and respond, but the back-up system by the airline is not there.

It’s all about a giant non-caring anonymous machine.

I extend my apologies to Patricia Dzai from Swissport, as I now understand she was also a victim of shortcomings created by Lufthansa German Airlines.

Patricia Dzai is the eTN Hero for today.

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