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The UK’s top long-haul tourism source markets are revealed at WTM London

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The USA, Australia and India continue to take the top spot for the UK’s most favorite long-haul inbound tourism markets, according to research revealed today (Monday 4 November) at WTM London 2019, the event where ideas arrive.

In a list of the top 30 long-haul countries and the top long-haul 50 cities, there have been some significant new entrants. Nigeria has made it back into the top 10 countries, up 13.7% year-on-year, kicking out the UAE, and Bangladesh has made it in to the top 30, replacing Chile.

Impressive growth has been recorded from several markets, most noticeably Bangladesh, up 32.5%, China, up 19.8 and Taiwan, up 16%.

The top three long-haul cities are New York (up 3.6%), Hong Kong (up 7.4%) and Sydney (down 2.1%).

The most notable risers in the list of cities during the past year are Abjua (up 21%), Delhi (up 21%), Miami (up 20%) and Seattle (up 17%), all of which have climbed four or more places up the ranking.

The research, carried out by travel analytics firm ForwardKeys and WTM London, was based on long-haul flight bookings to the UK for the year 1st October 2018 to 30th September 2019 and benchmarked against the same dates a year before and five years ago.

Behind the changes in rankings are strong trends including the continued growth of China and other Asian economies, the strength of the US dollar, improvements in connectivity, recovery of commodity prices, particularly oil, the Argentine debt crisis and even the attractiveness of the Cricket World Cup.

Currency, competition and connectivity have all helped keep the USA in the top spot according to author of the research, Olivier Ponti, VP Insights, ForwardKeys.

“Overall connectivity between the UK and the US is improving, there is more competition with flights which reduces the cost of airfares. The UK has become a cheaper destination and it’s easier to get to,” he said, citing Norwegian Air’s 12.5% increase in capacity.

Despite retaining second place in the rankings, visitor arrivals to the UK from Australia are down 2.1%, the result of Australia entering its first economic depression in more than 20 years in the last two quarters of 2018, according to Ponti.

“The Australian dollar was dropping, people had less money and it was becoming more expensive to visit the UK. The situation has improved in the year with forward bookings looking promising,” he said.

In third place, India showed a phenomenal growth, up 14.5% compared to 2018, with a quarter of all Indian arrivals staying more than 22 nights. The Cricket World Cup, held in the UK in May and June this year, were cited as having a huge impact on visitor numbers.

Ponti said there were some general principles that explain why origin markets become stronger or weaker, including performance of the local economy, currency fluctuations, airline competition and major events.

However he said the rise of second tier cities was an interesting trend, one that was most marked in the two leading outbound travel markets – the USA, where 16 cities feature in the top 50 list and China, where growth for the country exceeds the growth of its two biggest cities.

Simon Press, WTM London Exhibition Director, said: “These rankings will be useful to everyone who is in business promoting the UK.”

For more news about WTM, please click here.

eTN is a media partner for WTM London.

Malta Tourism Authority appoints Tolene Van der Merwe as new Director for UK and Ireland

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The Malta Tourism Authority is delighted to announce the appointment of Tolene Van der Merwe as the tourism board’s new UK and Ireland Director.

Tolene’s new role will focus on leading a London based team to further develop and cultivate partnerships with tour operators, airlines, travel agents and niche specialists as well reaching out to the UK public with PR and marketing initiatives to keep Malta and Gozo on top of mind and holiday destinations of choice for the UK public. Accounting for a quarter of Malta’s tourism arrivals, the UK market is the largest for the destination and Tolene and her team will continue to grow arrival numbers through diversification of on island experiences and strategies.

Tolene began her career in the tourism industry at Exclusive Getaways, the luxury South African operator. Tolene later joined London based tour operator African Affair Travel furthering her specialism in African tourism product before founding Boutique Travel Marketing, where she spent seven years growing the hotel representation company. Tolene joins the Malta Tourism Authority following five years as the Hub Head for South African Tourism for UK and Ireland.

Tolene commented “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Malta Tourism Authority’s UK team. The archipelago has had a fantastic boost in its tourism in the past few years and is now considered to be one of Europe’s hottest destinations for history and culture, LGBT+, gastronomy, diving, and soft adventure travel. With attentions now turning to wellness, city breaks and sustainability, I’m excited to be part of the tourism authority’s increasing success in drawing a variety of travellers to experience all that the islands have to offer”.

Latest numbers show that Malta is on par to match UK visitor arrival figures recorded in 2018.

Commenting on this appointment, MTA’s CMO & Deputy CEO Carlo Micallef said that “MTA is delighted to have secured the services of Tolene van der Merwe to join a strong highly professional team in London and continue building on the success achieved under Peter Vella’s stewardship in the past 4 years. Malta’s tourism industry continues to enjoy record performances year on year and MTA together with Ministry for Tourism have a strategy of further market diversification, route connection development, tourism product enhancement as well as Malta brand identity growth to ensure that the success continues.”

MEDIA CONTACTS: Lauren Williams, Emily Olsen or Georgia Gogarty at malta@finnpartners.com or 020 7326 9880

A catalyst for change and industry advancement – IMEX America closes on another high

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The ninth edition of IMEX America comes to a close in Las Vegas today after a week that left no one in doubt about the strength, vitality and appetite for business that currently defines the global meetings, incentive travel and events industry.

“This edition has been our most imaginative yet, and for good reason given that our annual Talking Point and annual research white paper were both devoted to the Power of Imagination,” said chairman Ray Bloom at the show’s closing press conference.

He was joined by Chandra Allison, senior vice president sales, Sands Expo; Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and John Schreiber CEM, vice president of business sales, LVCVA.

“In an age that’s marked by an exceptional rate of change, particularly in technology, it’s impressive to see how the whole industry is embracing virtual reality and experiential activations. I can also testify that innovation, creativity and imagination have been in rich supply here at the Sands Expo this week,” said Bloom.

Reporting on the number of pre-scheduled appointments made between buyers and exhibitors, a key performance metric for the show and its attendees, Bloom explained the show had achieved a new high with a 3 per cent increase to 76,000 appointments recorded this week.

“As many of you know, every year we strive to be our own competition, to push ourselves to deliver richer experiences, better education and, of course, a really strong business pipeline for our exhibitors. Our partners keep rising to the occasion too. We’ve seen some spectacular booths and activations this year and are delighted to see so many exhibitors aligning with our annual Talking Point and using it so innovatively each year. Their level of investment and commitment to business is remarkable. Equally the feedback about the quality and variety of our education program has been second to none this year.”

He went on to talk about the many industry “firsts” that had taken place during the week, including the launch of the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) new Center for Sustainable Events. EIC also announced that they plan to replace the old Apex standards with new EIC standards. In the process the standards have been consolidated and updated to make them more accessible for the whole industry; IMEX America is one of only two events that have committed to pilot them.

The signing by multiple partners of the Events Industry Sexual Harassment Task Force Pledge and the announcement of the events industry’s involvement in accelerating the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are the focal point of discussions at the UN Summit in New York later this month, also made this a stand-out edition of IMEX America. Other social justice issues, including ECPAT’s drive to encourage meetings and event planners to educate themselves on how to end child prostitution and slavery, were widely discussed at the show. IMEX is a proud sponsor of the ECPAT 20by20 campaign and has also signed the pledge.

Bloom recapped other highlights of the week, including dozens of high-level partner events such as EIC’s Hall of Leaders and Pacesetter Awards, MPI Foundation Rendezvous and SITE Nite. IMEX’s efforts to provide a wider range of healthier food and drink choices, including Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meat hotdogs had proved a big hit, together with its waterwise menu options. “We’re opening people’s eyes to what’s possible with health, wellbeing, sustainability and better nutrition on the road and during large events. We really appreciate all those partners who have stepped up to help us make these massive strides forward. It’s also noteworthy that, thanks to Sands Expo, this year’s show is 100% powered by renewable energy.”

Other themes ran strong throughout the week including diversity and inclusion, transformation and collaboration and sustainability, all of which featured in the IMEX Imagination research report, sponsored by PSAV. The report has been downloaded by 1,900 events industry professionals to date, a significant achievement for authors EventMB.com and IMEX.

Bloom also reminded his audience that 2020 see the 10th edition of IMEX America. He said: “We invite you all to share in our birthday celebrations. This isn’t about IMEX, it’s about you, your contribution and our collective desire to see this industry flourish, to use its influence and power responsibly and, above all, to grow in a sustainable way.”

In closing, Bloom announced the annual IMEX Talking Point for 2020 and 2021. “I’m delighted to tell you that, for the first time, we have a Talking Point that will run for two years. It’s a big, timely, important topic, one we can all relate to and one that warrants our full attention; that Talking Point will be “Nature.” We’ll be exploring what nature can do for us, and what we can do for nature and we’ll be running this theme over two years to give it the traction it deserves.”

IMEX America concludes today, September 12, in Las Vegas.

#IMEX19

eTN is a media partner for IMEX America.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Emma Blake (UK): emma.blake@imexexhibitions.com  

Norman Birnbach (US): norman.birnbach@imexexhibitions.com    

IMEX AMERICA 2020

IMEX America takes place in September again next year: September 15 – 17, 2020.

#IMEXcited. Why? Because IMEX America is celebrating its 10th birthday in 2020. More details to follow soon.

Jamaica had Record Arrivals for July, says Bartlett

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says arrival figures for July shows that an estimated 250,584 visitors arrived on the island — the highest number the country has ever seen for the summer months.

Jamaica has also welcomed nearly two million visitors since the beginning of the year to July 31 and has earned over $2 billion.

“Stopover arrivals have increased phenomenally over the period. However, what is even more impressive is the progress we have made over the past five years. In 2015 – 2016 we increased arrivals by 29,022.  For 2016 – 2017 we increased by 75, 628. 

“During the period 2017 – 2018 we increased by 73, 941 and this year so far, we have increased by 132, 980 almost doubling the performance from last year,” said Minister Bartlett.

He noted that this performance places Jamaica is in a good place with the industry globally and outpaces the Ministry’s projections.

“This indeed is phenomenal and I really want to congratulate the industry’s workers, partners, stakeholders, my Ministerial colleagues and all others who have worked so hard to enable tourism to achieve this level of improvement. I am satisfied that the earnings, as projected, is also at a high – we’re 8.4% over last year,” he said.

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

Taiwan extends visa-waiver for Russians and increases stand at OTDYKH Leisure 2019

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Taiwan is officially extending its visa waiver for Russian citizens until July 31, 2020 to encourage an increase in Russian tourism to the island.

On September 6, 2018, Taiwan announced that Russians would be allowed to visit Taiwan without visas for up to 14 days if visiting for tourism, business, to see family or for some form of international exchange. Originally the program was only to last until July 31, 2019, but the success of the initiative has meant it is now being extended until July 31, 2020.

Official statistics for the island show that in 2017 only 9,226 Russian citizens visited Taiwan. Russian tourists usually visit as part of combined tours including other destinations such as Hong Kong and Macao. From January to May this year, almost 7,000 Russian tourists have visited Taiwan, double the number from the same time period last year. One incentive for Russians to visit the island is that they no longer have to buy a visa which previously cost $100 USD. Another incentive is the fact that two airlines have launched direct flights, flying weekly between Russia and Taiwan. Royal Flight has flights departing from Moscow and S7 has flights departing from Vladivostok. But Russian tourism in Taiwan has been relatively low compared with other popular destinations in Asia, mainly due to the lack of information about the island among travel agencies and Russian tourists.

Taiwan extends visa-waiver for Russians and increases stand at OTDYKH Leisure 2019

Taiwan is taking great measures to remedy this – in 2018 it participated for the first time in the OTDYKH trade fair, and this year has almost tripled the size of its stand, going from 18m2 last year to 50m2 this year. The aim is to strengthen ties between the Russian and Taiwanese tourism industries and to make information about Taiwan more readily available to Russian citizens. It also aims to maximize the success of the visa-waiver program to encourage a greater flow of Russian tourists to Taiwan. 

The 2019 OTDYKH expo is also very pleased to welcome a newcomer, the Taipei City, who joins the trade fair for the first time with an exclusive stand.

The 2019 expo will span across 15,000 m2 with a total of 180 speakers at 30 business events including workshops, presentations and seminars from industry professionals from all over the world. In 2018 the expo welcomed 38,000 visitors over the course of three days, and 287 media attendees from 80 media partners. This year will feature multiple conference halls with guest speakers and exclusive live performances.

Exhibitors are invited to participate and celebrate the 2019 OTDYKH Leisure trade fair and celebrate 25 years of the expo’s continued success.

For further information, please contact Ms. Anna Huber at a.huber@euroexpo-vienna.com , International office: +43 1 230 85 35

Destination Seychelles radiates at the Spotlight on Africa workshop in Nairobi

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) team was present in Nairobi to showcase the destination at the Spotlight on Africa workshop early in July this year.

The team was composed of Mrs. Natacha Servina Senior Marketing Executive and Ms. Gretel Banane Marketing Executive; both from the STB headquarters and from Mrs. Popsy Getonga, Seychelles’ devotee also present to market the destination.

The Spotlight workshops, organized by the Houston Travel Marketing Services, have been in existence for the past 16 years and has created a name for itself in the Kenyan travel trade. The event is supported by both KATA (Kenya Association of Travel Agents) and KAT0 (Kenya Association of Tour Operators).

The 2019 edition saw the participation of 13 key buyers from Mombasa, Zanzibar and Kampala and other potential buyers from Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

The Spotlight on Africa activities kicked off with a VIP networking cocktail staged in a relaxed atmosphere of Park inn by Radisson in Westlands, which saw the attendance of some 35 Directors and Senior Managers from major key players in the Kenyan Travel Industry. 

The events followed with a two -day workshops held on July 4, 2019 and July 5, 2019 in 2 different areas of the Nairobi city. 

218 organizations including STB were represented at the sessions and received 325 visiting travel trade professionals. This year’s sessions were conducted in a free flow format with approximately 30 tables with two times three-hour morning sessions. 

STB Senior Marketing Executive, Mrs. Natacha Servina present at the workshop commented on the importance of the STB’s presence at the event.

“The Spotlight on Africa workshop remains one of the STB’s preferred events on the African continent. Our focus is to boost up awareness and visibility of the destination in the African region, and Nairobi is one of the best African hubs that has a diverse population creating the ideal platform for the tourism board,” said Mrs. Servina.

The STB Senior Marketing Executive also added that Seychelles received overwhelming interest from the attendees; as she explained that, much effort were concentrated towards marketing Seychelles as a multi-faced destination.

As part of its participation towards the customary raffle for participants of the Spotlight on Africa workshop, the STB offered two of our famous Takamaka Rum bottles and two exquisite bags consisting of several different spices used in our Creole dishes for the winners.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Cuba announced as partner country for 2019 OTDYKH Leisure expo

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Cuba has made the exciting announcement that it will be the official partner country at the OTDYKH 2019 expo, which will take place in Moscow on September 10-12.

A long-time contributor to the OTDYKH Leisure Trade Fair, Cuba has been participating since 2001. Their sponsorship as partner for the 2019 expo will include an exciting display of traditional music, dance, cuisine and cocktails, from the country famous for its tropical salsa rhythms, vibrant attire and delicious mojitos.

This year Cuba makes an auspicious choice for partner country, as Russian tourism in Cuba has been flourishing in recent years. Last year a record 137,000 Russian tourists came to Cuba, marking in increase of 30% from 2017, a year in which Russian tourism in Cuba had seen a 70% increase from the previous year. These encouraging statistics put Russia in the top 10 source markets of Cuba. 

This comes at a time when the number of visitors to Cuba from European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK has decreased by 10-13%. Cuba is also experiencing a decrease in tourism from countries in the Americas including Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.  However, in spite of this downward trend, the Russian tourist market is steadily on the rise. Forecasts predict that there will be 150,000 Russian visitors to Cuba in 2019.

Cuba announced as partner country for 2019 OTDYKH Leisure expo

Not only is Cuba 2019’s partner country at the OTDYKH Leisure expo, but they have increased their stand to include more co-exhibitors, increasing the potential for trade between Russian and Cuban travel and tourism related companies.

The entire expo will span across 15,000 m2 with a total of 180 speakers at 30 business events including workshops, presentations and seminars from industry professionals from all over the world.

In 2018 the expo welcomed 38,000 visitors over the course of three days, and 287 media attendees from 80 media partners. This year will feature multiple conference halls with guest speakers and exclusive live performances.

Exhibitors are invited to participate and celebrate the 2019 OTDYKH Leisure trade fair and celebrate 25 years of the expo’s continued success.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ms. Anna Huber, International office: +43 1 230 85 35, a.huber@euroexpo-vienna.com   

Tourism (MoM) arrivals in Seychelles grew by 9% from January to June 2019

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Figures recorded by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed a remarkable growth in the tourism arrivals in June 2019 this year.

Indeed 25,761 visitors stamped their passports at the immigration desks at the Seychelles International Airports for a vacation on our shores.

An increase considered as exceptional for this period of the year, as it is the first time that the Seychelles islands have ever recorded over 25,000 visitors during this month.  

Figures presented by the NBS, confirmed that visitor’s arrivals from the beginning of the year to end of June 2019 are equivalents to 187,108. This represents a significant increase of 9% when compared to the same period in 2018 as the number of visitors recorded for that period amounted to 172,099 visitors.

Germany remains at the top of the best five performing markets for the month of June 2019 as 4,087 German tourists disembarked on our shores; the United Arab Emirates (UAE) follows with a number of 3,119 visitors.

While the 2,110 visitors were recorded to have landed from United Kingdom (UK). In fourth and fifth position are France and Italy with a number of 1,855 and 1,794 tourists, respectively.

As projected by the Strategic Planning and Market Intelligence department of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), the targets set- at 3 to 4%- by the STB for this year will be exceeded.

Speaking at a press briefing at Botanical House earlier today, Mrs. Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive mentioned her satisfaction to note that 2019 would also be a year of great performance for the industry. 

 “It is remarkable to see that Seychelles remains a prime destination and that for the past few years the destination has performed quite well throughout the year. June is always a slow month and we had anticipated that this year it might be the same despite our active work to bring more tourist in the country. The current figures from NBS comforts us in knowing we managed to hit a record for the month of June,” said Mrs. Francis.   

Parallel to the increase in visitor’s arrivals is the growth in the yields, according to the most recent figures from the CBS (figures referred to are for Jan-May 2019), the yields recorded from tourism related activities have shown that the destination is 6% ahead of last year. The CBS estimated that the tourism earnings from January to May 2019 were approximately 3.5 Billion SCR compared to only 3.3 Billion SCR during the same period in 2018.

In terms of travel agency bookings for the coming months, an increase in the numbers of forward bookings have been estimated.

According to the forward bookings, data received from the travel agencies it is noted that for the next 6 months of the year,  for the top 5 markets a forecast 3.9% increase in regards to bookings made this time last year.

Major improvements in travel agency bookings for some key markets including France, Russia, UK, Italy and China have been noted.

Mrs. Francis maintained that the STB will keep on increasing visibility for the Seychelles and encouraged the tourism trade to keep the great marketing work in promoting their properties and services.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Summer Daze Malta set for another iconic Music Festival

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Some of the world’s biggest pop acts and DJs are locked in for the second ever edition of Summer Daze Malta. The newly expanded event will take place on August 11-17 at various venues across the idyllic Mediterranean island.

With the event in collaboration with Creamfields and BBC Radio 1 Dance, house duo The Martinez Brothers kick off proceedings on August 11 with a performance in partnership with well-known Malta clubbing brand GRINGOS.

Meanwhile the main events will take place over August 14-15 at the Ta Qali National Park – which hosted Rita Ora last year – with underground legends in the form of Paul Kalkbrenner, Loco Dice, Green Velvet, BBC Radio 1’s Monki and local favorite Carl Bee all scheduled to play.

The following day sees the line-up shift towards more pop-focused acts, with the likes of David Guetta, Tyga, James Arthur, Danny Howard, Alle Farben, Tenishia and a slew of local artists all making an appearance. In collaboration with VisitMalta Events, tickets for both main events are entirely free.

The following day, Christian ‘Bobo’ Vieri, the former Italy international striker, will be soundtracking a sunset pool party at the Medasia beach club, while there is also a Vida Loca showcase at the island’s UNO nightclub.

Summer Daze will return to UNO the following day for the closing event, with house music royalty Roger Sanchez set to headline alongside Miami-based DJ Kristen Knight, for a party in association with ZIGGY.

Building on the success of its maiden year, Summer Daze Malta has stepped things up for 2019, with a serious line-up of local and international talent set to soundtrack parties in multiple locations across the island.

Carlo Micallef, Deputy CEO & Chief Marketing Officer Malta Tourism Authority, stated: “Over the past 3 years the Mediterranean Islands of Malta and Gozo have managed to develop and grow a year round calendar of top quality events to rival any other tourism destination in Europe. Famous international artists are being attracted to Malta to join Maltese counterparts in first rate, music, cultural, contemporary arts, gastronomic and sports festivals that are a spectacle to attend and enjoy or even join in. The hot bright summer months in Malta lend themselves brilliantly to music and sea sport events of international repute and the Summer Daze Malta Festival is firmly establishing itself as a highlight in Malta’s Summer.”

Michelle Buttigieg, North American Representative for the Malta Tourism Authority, said: “We are excited to announce the second year of Summer Daze Malta with some of the world’s biggest pop acts and DJs performing, this should be a huge draw for millennials from the US & Canada. This year the festival will attract even more North American Tourists.”

Check https://www.visitmalta.com/en/events-archive for the full calendar of events

To find out more about Summer Daze Malta, go to: Facebook | Instagram | Website

About Malta

The sunny islands of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state anywhere.  Valletta built by the proud Knights of St. John is one of the UNESCO sites and was the European Capital of Culture for 2018. Malta’s patrimony in stone ranges from the oldest free-standing stone architecture in the world, to one of the British Empire’s most formidable defensive systems, and includes a rich mix of domestic, religious and military architecture from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods. With superbly sunny weather, attractive beaches, a thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of intriguing history, there is a great deal to see and do. www.visitmalta.com



Media Contacts:

Malta Tourism Authority

Michelle Buttigieg

Tel: (212) 213-0944

Fax: (212) 213-0938

E-mail: michelle-margaret.buttigieg@visitmalta.com

MTA US Editorial Contact

The Bradford Group

Karen Hoffman/ Bianca Pappas

Tel: (212) 447-0027

Fax: (212) 725 8253

E-mail: info@bradfordglobalmarketing.com



SITA: Tracking airline passenger bags drives 66% improvement in baggage delivery

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Airlines that are adding tracking at more points of the baggage journey are enjoying a huge improvement in bag delivery globally. The SITA 2019 Baggage IT Insights – officially launched at an event in Abu Dhabi International Airport today – shows that where tracking is done at check-in and loading onto the aircraft, the rate of improvement is as high as 66%.

These results come as the record drop in the baggage mishandling rate achieved globally over the past decade plateaus, with the rate steady at around 5.7 bags per thousand passengers over the past three years. In 2018, the rate was 5.69 per thousand passengers.

Over the past year, an increasing number of airlines and airports have started to introduce tracking at key points in the journey – check-in, loading onto the aircraft, transfers and arrival – to improve baggage management and further reduce the chances of a bag being mishandled. SITA’s research provides the first glimpse of the success of this tracking. It reveals that where bags were being tracked when loaded onto the aircraft, the rate of improvement ranged between 38% and 66% depending on the level of tracking introduced.

Peter Drummond, Director of Baggage at SITA, said: “While the mishandling rate has started to plateau over the past few years, this comes against a continued growth in passenger numbers and their bags. In 2018, 4.36 billion travelers checked in more than 4.27 billion bags. More bags makes things more challenging. Everyone across the industry needs to look beyond the process and technology improvements made in the past decade and adopt the latest technology such as tracking to make the next big cut in the rate of mishandled bags.”

Ahmed Juma Al Shamsi, Acting Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “For our passengers the timely delivery of baggage is key to ensuring a seamless passenger experience and therefore an area in which we continue to make further improvements. Looking forward, baggage tracking is fundamental to driving more accurate bag delivery not only at Abu Dhabi International Airport but across the entire passenger journey. We have led the way with the introduction of tracking on arrival and we have already seen significant improvements.”

Transferring baggage from one aircraft, or airline, to another remains a pinch point in the journey and in 2018 it was again the main reason for bags being mishandled. Transfer bags accounted for 46% of all mishandled bags.
Drummond added: “Transfer is by far the most difficult stage to track a bag as there are multiple airlines and airports involved. However, data from this year’s report shows that tracking at key points in the journey, such as transfers, will go a long way to eliminating mishandling and will allow airlines and their passengers to keep tabs on where their bags are at every step of the way.”

Over the past decade, total number of mishandled bags per annum has plummeted 47% from 46.9 million in 2007 to 24.8 million in 2018, while the annual bill footed by the industry has shrunk 43% to $2.4 billion, down from $4.22 billion in 2007.

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