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Jamaica’s Manual on Tourism Ethics hailed by international community

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Jamaica’s Manual on Tourism Ethics scheduled to be released at the end of the year, has been hailed as innovative and timely by the intentional tourism community. The manual forms part of the outcomes of the island wide security audit of hotels and attractions undertaken earlier this year.

“The issue of safety and security remains a critical component of any destination’s assurance to visitors. Jamaica, in its commitment to ensuring safety and security for all visitors and locals alike, reviewed security arrangements of all hotels and attractions with a view to creating a new architecture and the manual of tourism ethics will guide that,” said Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett commissioned the security audit to ensure that the destination remains safe, secure and seamless for visitors and locals alike. The audit was carried out by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) with support from well-known international security expert Dr. Peter Tarlow.

Minister Bartlett highlighted the manual during his presentation yesterday as a key panellist on the World Travel Market (WTM) discussion on ‘Taking responsibility for Safety and Security’. Other panellists included German Porras, former Secretary of Tourism for Spain; John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs of Sri Lanka, Sethembiso Dlamini, COO and Acting CEO at South African Tourism; and Nikki White, Director of Destinations and Sustainability at ABTA.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB and features many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Minister Bartlett added that, “This will be a first of its kind manual that will help to guide security arrangements for the region. It will be a game changer in the area of safety and security in the industry.”

Whilst at WTM, Minister Bartlett will use the opportunity to increase in outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets.

Minister Bartlett is expected to return to the island on November 8, 2019.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

WTM: Tackling climate change on Day 3 in London

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The 40th edition of WTM London began with a session exploring Decarbonising Travel and Tourism: Is the Industry Doing Enough? Speaking by video before the main panel, climate scientist professor Kevin Anderson laid out the scale of the challenge. He said that since the first IPCC report into climate change, there has been almost three decades of “abject failure” to reduce our emissions.

“If we include our international emissions, such as from aviation, shipping, imports and exports, we see that supposedly climate progressive nations such as the UK and Scandivian countries have actually made almost no progress,” said Anderson. He added that since tourism is an industry that is more of a luxury than many others, and one that is enjoyed more by the wealthier members of society, therefore it should look to lead much more than it currently does. He called on the industry to eliminate all carbon within a decade.

“We are overdependent on an old fashioned, highly polluting form of transport,” said Justin Francis, Co-founder & CEO, Responsible Travel. “We need to fly less, but everything at World Travel Market here is about growth. We cannot be growing aviation the way we are. We need to fly less. And massively fund decarbonisation.”

Asked what is actually happening in the industry, Madhu Rajesh, Director of the International Tourism Partnership, said that the global hotel chains that her organisation worked with are “beginning to come to the table”, with some setting science-based targets, and others saying they had ambition to set these targets. “We are seeing some examples of practical action,” she said, “but there’s a lot more that can be done.”

“If we wait for consumers to take action then we will be waiting a long time, said Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability, TUI Group PLC. “There’s a lot of chatter but people aren’t going to forgo their annual holiday. The onus is on us in the industry to make that holiday as sustainable as possible. And the onus is on governments to create the frameworks within which companies can take responsible action.”

“We shouldn’t gamble the future of the planet on the idea that a few more well meaning travellers will fly less,” commented Justin Francis, CEO of Responsibletravel.com “Other industries will look at us, and say how dare you – we are doing our part, why aren’t you?” He said the industry needs to end Frequent Flyer schemes that reward travellers for flying more, and instead introduce a Frequent Flyer Levy, where those that fly more (with 1% of the UK population taking 20% of the flights) pay an escalating fee the more flights they take each year.

Saskia Griep, Founder & CEO, Better Places agreed that the industry can’t wait for tourists to demand change. “We as a company are lobbying our government, We are against the expansion of airports, and for a carbon tax.” she said, explaining that her company isn’t waiting for the government either, but has imposed a carbon tax on themselves, which they are investing directly with a Dutch company called skyNRG that is developing more sustainable aviation fuels.

“People still ask are we in a climate emergency?” said Albert Dalmau, Manager of Economy, Resources and Economic Promotion, City Council of Barcelona. “Of course we are. It’s incredible that we still need to remark that we are in a climate emergency.”

The final event of this year’s World Travel Market responsible tourism programme looked at The Future of Aviation. “If aviation was a country, it would be the seventh largest carbon emitting country on earth, just behind Germany,” said Justin Francis, Co-founder & CEO, Responsible Travel. Furthermore, he added that aviation emissions are forecast to grow 300% by 2050, according to ICAO. In the UK, said Francis, aviation is forecast to be the number one cause of climate emissions by 2050.

Commenting on ICAO, Chris Lyle, CEO, Air Transport Economics said that the organisation has outlined four measures that it believes are needed to address the problem of growing emissions, which are Technology, Operations, Fuels and Offsetting. “All this is only leading towards carbon neutral growth, he said, “whereas we need absolute cuts.”

He said several of the airlines were aiming to be net zero by 2050. “There will be some form of demand management,” he said, “the sooner we get to individuals knowing their carbon impact and responding to it.”

Peter Castellas, CEO, Tasman Environmental Markets, argued in favour of rigorously audited offsetting. “There is a lot of disingenuous ideological rejection of offsetting,” he said. “I get to take money from large corporates and invest it in projects having real impacts. This is a tangible way we can move towards carbon neutrality.”

“We have 10 years to make the actions necessary to stay beneath 1.5 degrees,” said Justin Francis. “All of the science says that the growth in demand will swamp these initiatives. Only reducing demand and flying less will get us there in the timescale we have. We need a fair taxation of aviation, with the funds ploughed back into the solutions.”

“Taxation is coming,” said Chris Lyle, “but it needs to be hypothecated towards developments like sustainable fuels.”

WTM: The future of air travel and digital travel

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Advances in digital and artificial intelligence for air travel are coming in thick and fast, World Travel Market (WTM) London delegates heard.

Liam McKay, Director of Corporate Affairs at London City Airport told WTM delegates it won’t be long before biometrics replace paper documents and check in will be carried out somewhere else.

During a session entitled Gathering Storms, Airlines and Airports, he said: “In the future, there will be less space than you expect for check in. It won’t be done in the future at an airport. It will be done at your office or at home.

“Currently, we have travellers flying from London City who work at Canary Wharf can drop off bags at their offices.

“Soon you’ll be able to turn up without your passport. It will be more or less a paperless experience based on biometrics. That future is much closer than you think.”

Hank Jan Gerzee, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, told the moderator John Strickland the airport already has the facility for people to drop off luggage at the car park, before they get into the terminal.

In another development, the world’s first automatic bridge to allow passengers to walk off the aircraft and into the terminal, has been installed at Schiphol, speeding up the disembarkation process for flyers and helping aircraft to be more punctual.

Virtual assistants, multi-language websites and wearable technology will shape the future of digital travel, a WTM London session also heard today.

The themes emerged in a discussion entitled ‘Genesys Session: The Future of Digital Travel’ led by Paul Richer, founder of technology consultancy Genesys.

Daniel Wishnia, chief digital transformation officer at German property company Aroundtown said the $2.1 billion purchase of Fitbit by Google two weeks ago illustrated how important wearable health and tracking devices would be in future.

“The message is prediction – to try and understand a person’s behaviour, to see what that person will choose and buy.”

Virtual assistance and voice technology were part of this future, he said. “It’s not only about the weather forecast, it’s about where can I go? My assistant knows I like sushi, and recommends restaurants that are nearby. This kind of data will lead us to understand how we approach our future customers.”

Devices like Alexa and Google Assistant will eventually shape travel decisions through learning more about our tastes, lifestyle and health, he said.

“The assistant will be interactive; it will know your calendar and tell you it’s time to take a break.”

Joel Brandon-Bravo, vice president of travel solutions at translation service TransPerfect warned of the need for multi-lingual approaches. He said that of the $30 trillion growth in middle class consumption predicted between 2015 and 2030, only $1 trillion would not come from Asia. Similarly, there were no English speaking countries among the top 10 emerging markets.

Proxy technology, where an enquiry is redirected to a hosted site in the client’s own language, would permit new market penetration, he said. He also urged companies not to think that no new social media channels would emerge, citing the enormous recent growth of short form mobile video site TikTok.

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WTM: Exhibitor updates from Day Three in London

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World Travel Market (WTM) audiences today (Wednesday 6 November) heard how Malta has successfully repositioned itself as a youth travel destination, by embracing experiential tourism, driven by the power of live entertainment.

In a thought-provoking session on WTM’s Global Stage, called How the Power of Live Entertainment Can Put a Country on the Youth Map, Malta’s Minister of Tourism Konrad Mizzi explained how the destination partnered with MTV and Nickelodeon to achieve its aim.

As a result, holidays to Malta amongst MTV viewers increased 70% over the last five years.

Visit Jersey has hailed the success of a marketing initiative with fitness app Strava that drove an increase in visitors to the island.

A WTM London panel session entitled New Tech, Audiences & Channels: The Shifting Landscape in Digital Brand Engagement yesterday, (Tuesday 5 November) heard how Visit Jersey was the first destination management company to partner with the social fitness network, which is aimed primarily at runners and cyclists.

The initiative, the Jersey Runcation Challenge, in which participants signed up to run a marathon distance in 26 days, attracted nearly 31,000 participants. The prize was a two-night ‘runcation’ and place in the island’s marathon.

“Sports tourism can be a compelling reason to visit a destination,” said Meryl Laisney, Visit Jersey’s head of product. She said sports tourists spent an average £785 per visit to the island, compared to £483 from other visitors and stretched Jersey’s shoulder season appeal.

The island receives three-quarters of its visitors during the April-September period and the marathon, in October, is seen as one vehicle for Jersey to increase its off season visitor numbers.

Visit Wales highlighted its Year of Outdoors 2020 at WTM London with a panel of adventurers including former Wales rugby international Richard Parks.

Parks was the first to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents and stand on the North and South Pole in the same calendar year. He told how the Welsh natural environment had helped him overcome “the darkest period in my life” when his career ended through injury.

This, he said, had made him an advocate for the outdoors and wellbeing. He told how younger people could particularly benefit from spending more time in the natural environment. He spoke of the challenges for his children that “I did not have, and my parents did not have”, which arose from technology and told how the outdoors could bring relief.

“It’s that sense of respite it gives you from the unique stresses and strains of the 21st century. I see it as critical as a parent.”

Tourism to the Bahamas is showing signs it will recover quicker from the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian two months ago than other Caribbean islands that have also been affected by huge storms in recent years.

Joy Jibrilu, Director General of Tourism for the Bahamas, told An Audience with The Caribbean Tourism Organization that Grand Bahama Island – one of two main islands most badly hit – is now 80% open, although the Abaco Islands will take longer to bounce back.

She described Dorian as “unprecedented in terms of strength and length of time that it stayed over the Bahamas”.

She said: “Dorian approached as a Category 2 storm and was projected to grow to a Category 3. We went to bed and woke up the following morning to a Category 5, reaching 220-mph-strong winds. The Abacos looked apocalyptic. ”

Immediately after the storm, the Bahamas got word out “to the world at large, to the industry and to the Caribbean” and received “unprecedented support”, she said.

However, much of the outside world thought the whole of the Bahamas was closed and people became afraid to visit, she added.

A campaign ’14 islands welcome you’ was launched, but “people felt guilty coming over on holiday and being seen to have a time on the beach while people were suffering”, Jibrilu recalled.

“But our message was that you can help us best by coming and contributing to the economy so that we can help those impacted. You will see the biggest smile from the people who know your money will be going to help them.”

Furthermore, China wants to encourage more influencers and bloggers to visit lesser-known parts of the destination through new social media channels.

China National Tourist Office London, which promotes tourism to China in the UK, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Iceland, has set up social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube to increase awareness of the “spectacular, diverse land of China”.

The social media channels were soft launched at the BorderlessLive two-day festival in London during September.

As part of its strategy, CNTO London has also launched a China Creators Pod (CCP) to encourage social media influencers to visit less well-known parts of the country.

CCP includes a “match making” service to “marry up the right creator with the right project”, as well as organising fam and press trips for all types of content creators.

The platform will also provide cultural advice for influencers, including “dos and don’ts” when travelling in China, as well as giving European influencers the chance to interact with their counterparts in China.

WTM: ‘No easy answers’ when it comes to promoting controversial countries

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Bloggers have urged writers and travelers at World Travel Market (WTM) London to do their own research about countries with ‘morally questionable’ regimes.

In a debate at WTM London about the ethics of promoting controversial countries, American blogger Kerwin McKenzie advised delegates: “Don’t jump on the bandwagon. It happens a lot on social media – but let’s talk about it, do your research, ask friends.

“If you can talk to the locals, that is good.”

He recalled being in Zimbabwe, where he saw people queuing to enter from Zambia, as their livelihood depending on selling to tourists.

“Think about the people rather than the governments,” he commented.

“Be respectful in other countries. Don’t be rude, especially on social media, and be careful as you may be wrong.”

London-based travel blogger Julie Falconer said boycotting certain destinations may “hurt the people rather than the regime”.

“Influencers can call attention to issues and that might change things, so we should consider engaging,” she said.

“If you think being there will do more good than harm, then you should go.”
But she agreed that many travel writers and content creators were not comfortable with criticising the politics of a destination.

“Some people are better equipped to talk about issues. I sometimes talk about political issues in my blog but people would not read it if I talked about politics all the time,” she added.

Michael Ball, moderator and co-founder of Traverse, an influencer marketing and events company, admitted he is privileged as a “white, middle-class British male”, because he can go to places that gay friends might avoid.

Barbican beefs up sales team

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The Barbican, a conference and international arts venue located in London, has appointed Jenny Waller as head of sales. The expanded role will see Jenny managing the growing sales team, which includes a renewed focus on international and association markets. Jenny will be supported in her role by the newly-appointed deputy head of sales, Charlie Smith.

Jenny has been promoted from the role of senior account manager within the Barbican team, where she has already achieved a number of significant wins for the world-leading arts and conference venue. These include major corporate and association events due to take place over the coming 24 months. Prior to working at the Barbican Jenny spent four years developing industry knowledge and expertise at Park Plaza Hotels.

Charlie returns to the Barbican, where he worked as an account manager for two years between 2016 and 2018. Other experience includes time developing sales skills at both Dreamland and HMS President.

“The Barbican is going from strength to strength,” commented Jackie Boughton, head of business events at the Barbican. “Last year we opened and showcased our new cinema offering, comprised of two cinemas and supporting food and beverage, as well as exhibition or networking space capable of seating up to 150 for conferences, meetings and private screenings. When added to our wider offering it makes the Barbican one of Europe’s most comprehensive venues. This in turn has led to an increase in both association and international bookings. Jenny has been instrumental in that success over the last year and was therefore the perfect choice to take on the demanding role leading our sales team. It is also a real pleasure to welcome Charlie back to the team – his in-depth knowledge of the venue is already having a significant impact on new business development.”

Jenny responded by saying: “This is a new and exciting challenge for me. Over the course of the next year I am particularly looking forward to working alongside our association specialists as we develop that market, whilst supporting our work with a strong presence at major international trade shows and events. The UK of course remains our core market and we are delighted by the ongoing support we receive from domestic clients booking direct or via our agency partners. However, there is still significant opportunity for us to develop internationally – particularly given our ability to partner with the Barbican International Enterprises team to deliver truly inspiring content and theming. The addition of Charlie to the team ensures we have the ongoing experience and depth of knowledge needed to deliver to the highest standards for our clients.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Top Easter season destinations for US travelers revealed

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Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom are among the most popular destinations for travelers in the U.S.1 this Easter period, according to analysis conducted by travel experts.

As of 7 April 2019, more than 95,000 advanced bookings had been made2 in the U.S. through all global distribution systems (GDS) for return flights to Mexico scheduled between 16 April and 22 April 2019. Flight bookings to second placed Canada and third placed U.K stood at 44,975 and 32,515, respectively.

Amongst the top 10 most popular destinations, the ones which had seen the greatest year-on-year increase in Easter flight bookings were Spain, up 33.6% (+4615 bookings in 2018), Canada, up 25.7% (+9198 bookings in 2018) and a close third, Puerto Rico, up 25.6% (+4279 bookings in 2018).

Global distribution systems (GDS) are vast hi-tech reservation networks that allow travel agents, travel management companies and large corporations, among others, to search and book airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items.

“Mexico remains by far the most attractive destination in terms of volume, for travelers in the U.S. over the Easter period. A big reason for this is the proximity and great weather all-year round. The proximity, and some great tourist attractions land Canada at the second place. Breathtaking festive celebrations and shopping sales in U.K, boosted by affordable flight options, definitely make it a top destination.

Top Easter season destinations for travelers in Spain booked through global distribution systems

Destination Flight Bookings

Mexico 96,451
Canada 44,975
United Kingdom 32,515
Dominican Republic 32,229
Italy 25,311
China 24,636
Puerto Rico 21,008
France 20,780
Jamaica 19,215
Spain 18,369

Travel News | eTurboNews

Brexit has not deterred business travelers in the UK

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UK’s 2018 Hotels Market Report shows that the UK regional capitals are performing strongly with overall room nights booked growing by 8% across the top 250 UK cities.

London continues to be business travelers’ favorite capital for work trips with 663,000 room nights booked in 2018, an increase of 5% when compared to 2017. But Edinburgh experienced the highest level of growth in 2018 with room nights booked increasing by 16%, Belfast was up 13% and Cardiff up 5%.

The 2018 Hotels Market Report analyses data from corporate hotel bookings made between January and December 2018 by Advantage’s TMC members, who represent around 40% of the UK business travel sector, highlighting business travel trends and booking behaviour.

The report also shows significant growth for cities in the Midlands and North East, with Derby seeing the highest growth with 31% more booked room nights compared to 2017, while York, Nottingham and Gateshead also saw double-digit percentage increases.

Top Ten UK Cities – Booked Room Night Percentage Increase (year-on-year), January – December 2018

1. Derby – 31%
2. York – 22%
3. Plymouth – 21%
4. Inverness – 20%
5. Nottingham – 18%
6. Edinburgh – 16%
7. Reading – 15%
8. Belfast – 13%
9. Norwich – 11%
10. Gateshead – 10%

Global Results

The business world continues to travel widely, with the 2018 Hotels Report recording that hotel demand remains strong in many international cities with New York, Auckland, Wellington, Houston, Paris and Sydney topping the Advantage Top Cities list. In total, worldwide volume grew by over 393,000 room nights, a total increase of 8.74% compared to 2017, indicating that SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) corporate accounts, in which Advantage TMCs specialise, continue to perform strongly.

The total number of bookings made by Advantage business travel members in 2018 saw similar growth – up 8.76% – while the average length of stay remained constant, at 1.87 nights. Increased demand and higher occupancy globally meant hotel rates have increased by US$2 to an average daily rate (ADR) of US$169.41.

The report also looks at trends on bookings and ADR for cities and locations around the world, with New York once again topping the list as the highest volume worldwide city outside the UK, with 90,799 room nights booked at an average rate of US$395.97 per night. Increases were also seen in Bangalore (up 54%), Kuala Lumpur (up 36%) and Boston (up 27%).

The corporate hotel sector continues to grow, with another significant increase in bookings year-on-year, made by independent TMCs. Despite continued uncertainty in both the global and UK economies including Brexit, hotel room night demand is at record levels in many destinations. Although not all destinations in Britain saw an increase in room nights booked, ADR remained strong.

The report is representative of hotel bookings made across most of the major international and independent hotel groups including: Accor, Apex Hotels, Choice Hotels, Citadines, Clayton Hotels, Design Hotels, The Doyle Collection, Edwardian Hotels, glh Hotels, Hallmark Hotels, Hilton, HotelREZ, Hyatt, House of Daniel Thwaites, IHG, Jurys Inn & Leonardo Hotels, Loews Hotels, Macdonald Hotels, Maldron Hotels, Melia Hotels International, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, The Montcalm Hotels, NH Hotels, O’Callaghan Collection, Omni, Park Plaza, Pegasus, QHotels, Quest, Rotana, Radisson Hotel Group, Sabre Hospitality, Small Luxury Hotels, TravelClick, Travelodge, Village Hotels Club, WorldHotels Collection and Wyndham Hotel Group.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engine achieves 10 million flying hours

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The Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engine, which entered service in 1987, recently achieved another incredible milestone by reaching 10 million flying hours in nearly 5 million flights. The engine powers a range of Gulfstream’s highly successful large-cabin business aircraft, such as the Gulfstream GIV, GIV-SP, G300 and G400, and has established a reputation for outstanding dependability, efficiency and low noise generation.

The performance of the Tay 611-8 enabled the Gulfstream GIV to revolutionise the business aviation market with its high cruising speed and the intercontinental range of about 4,300 nautical miles. Over the past three decades, the Tay 611-8 has achieved numerous records for speed and range. These achievements have been perpetuated by its successor, the Tay 611-8C, powering the Gulfstream G350 and G450. There are over 1,700 Tay 611-8 and -8C engines in service today, with many of these supported by Rolls-Royce’s market leading CorporateCare®.

The background to the first Tay order contract is part of aviation history. In December 1982 the basic details – engine price, quantity, payment terms – were written on a napkin in less than 10 minutes by Sir Ralph Robins, who at the time was the company’s Managing Director, and Allen Paulson, Gulfstream’s founder and then Chairman and CEO. The deal was formally settled in March 1983.

Dirk Geisinger, Director Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “Reaching 10 million flying hours is an impressive milestone and we are very proud of this achievement. With its legendary reliability the Tay 611-8 became the benchmark for ultra-reliable long distance business aircraft and perfectly illustrates why Rolls-Royce is the leading engine manufacturer in Business Aviation.

“The Tay family with its proven performance has been very successful for us and has propelled our market leadership in this sector. Combining this engine with our latest aftermarket programme CorporateCare Enhanced raises the bar for the whole industry by introducing uncapped troubleshooting, coverage for mobile repair team travel costs and nacelle coverage on later engine models.”

He adds: “CorporateCare Enhanced provides our customers with a global support infrastructure which includes Engine Health Monitoring, a worldwide network of Authorised Service Centres and globally distributed spare parts and engines, all managed by our dedicated 24/7 Business Aircraft Availability Centre. Our customers benefit directly from this investment in proactive care, an in most cases are prevented from missing a planned trip.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Qatar Airways partners with Rolls-Royce to trial its Virtual Reality training tool

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Qatar Airways is proud to be the global launch partner of Rolls-Royce’s new Virtual Reality training tool. Recognized for its ongoing commitment to innovation, Qatar Airways is the first airline to trial the ground-breaking new technology as part of its engineering training plan.

The new tool is designed to provide engineers with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB refresher training in a virtual environment without the need for a physical engine to work on. Qatar Airways engineers will be the first in the industry to experience this cutting-edge technology.

The Trent XWB, which powers the Qatar Airways A350 fleet, is Rolls-Royce’s largest engine and must be separated before engineers can transport it for maintenance and repair. Using HTC Vive equipment, engineers will be immersed in the process, using sight, sound and touch to separate the two parts of the engine in a virtual setting, without the complexity and cost of a real engine.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is an airline of the future, and we constantly strive to deliver innovation in every area of our business. Our ultimate goal is to provide our customers with a quality on-board experience every time they travel, and by adopting the latest technology in our engineering department, we aim to ensure that they arrive at their destination smoothly and without disruption. We are very excited about the new Virtual Reality training tool offered by Rolls-Royce and we are proud that they have chosen Qatar Airways as their global launch partner.”

Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, Mr. Chris Cholerton, said: “At Rolls-Royce we are designing, testing, and maintaining engines in the digital realm, so it makes sense that we bring cutting-edge technology to our training programmes. In the same way pilots complete elements of their training in a simulator, certain engineering tasks can be taught through Virtual Reality. Qatar Airways was the first customer to take delivery of the Trent XWB, and their forward-thinking vision across their business makes them the perfect launch partner for this technology.”

The Rolls-Royce Virtual Reality training platform trial follows Qatar Airways’ first venture into the world of Virtual Reality when it became IATA’s global launch partner of RampVR™ in August 2018. The award-winning system, pioneered by IATA, utilises the latest virtual-reality technology to simulate real air-side conditions for ground handling and ground service operator training. The RampVR™ system is being used by Qatar Airway’s Talent Development department to train their ground operations teams.

Travel News | eTurboNews