• Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

  • Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

UNWTO: Balearic Islands first tourism destination developed under 2030 Agenda

April 11, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Deploying new resources and actions for the progressive adaptation of the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera) to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, is one of the main objectives of the agreement signed between the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the IMPULSA BALEARS Foundation. Its aim is to jumpstart the process of the strategic reformulation of tourism in order to make an effective contribution to sustainable development.

The planning and execution of new projects focused on local sustainability taking into account the tourism production and consumption patterns of the Balearic Islands, close relations with regional actors, harnessing public-private synergies, and the generation of strategic knowledge on the part of the foundation, are among the key features of this cooperation with the UNWTO, as the United Nations agency responsible for promoting tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development.

The establishment of circular economy guidelines in the hotel sector of the Islands and the identification of best practices already being implemented in this regard are among the first initiatives of the agreement. The objectives are to establish a specific approach to the relationship between hotel activity and its surrounding environment, to obtain intelligence that facilitates decision-making in the implementation of responsible consumption and production measures in line with the 2030 Agenda, and to lay down a strategic framework to activate the network of companies in the sector and other stakeholders.

The memorandum of understanding, signed by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, and the President of IMPULSA BALEARS, Carmen Planas, will be in force until 31 December 2021.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Balearic, Balearic Islands, best, best practices, Breaking Travel News, Carmen, close, companies, consumption, contribution, cooperation, Cultural Travel News, December, decision, Destination, development, down, Economy, environment, establish, establishment, execution, Features,, first, force, foundation, framework, free, general, guidelines, hotel, implementation, in, initiatives, intelligence, International Travel News, islands, key, knowledge, line, local, Main, Make, Mallorca, measures, memorandum, memorandum of understanding, nations, network, New, new projects, News articles, order, organization, planning, Pololikashvili, practices, president, private, production, projects, promoting, Promoting tourism, public, public-private, regional, relations, Relationship, resources, responsible, Responsible Tourism News, Secretary, secretary general, sector, signed, stakeholders, strategic, Sustainability, sustainable, sustainable development, synergies, taking, The World, to, tourism, Tourism Destination, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, United, United Nations, United Nations agency, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, Vehicle, World, World News, World Tourism, World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili

Seychelles represented at first Ministerial Conference on Tourism and Air Transport in Africa

April 8, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The first Ministerial Conference on Tourism and Air Transport in Africa was held in Santa Maria, Sal Island in Cabo Verde, from the March 27 to 29, 2019.

The aim of the conference was to find a balance in maximizing the overall benefits of tourism and air transport in the national economy and to identify the best national aviation institutional frameworks and practices that facilitate and promote tourism.

The conference was attended by various high government officials on behalf of the participating countries and saw the presence of the African Union Commissioner responsible for aviation.

Several technical specialists’ representatives from the aviation and tourism sectors and experts from international and regional organisations were also present.

Seychelles was represented by a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine and the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority led by Minister Didier Dogley and included Principal Secretary for Tourism Mrs. Anne Lafortune and Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Alan Renaud.

Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Alan Renaud represented Seychelles as a panelist during the first technical session on air transport and tourism policies on March 27, 2019.

During his intervention, PS. Renaud presented the country’s experience in relation to the topic and focused on the positive impacts that the liberation of the local air space has had on the tourism arrival figures.

He also pointed out the benefits of a free and visa upon arrival system as one having greatly facilitated the experience of travelers arriving in Seychelles.

Seychelles was also represented in Cabo Verde through Minister Didier Dogley, who sat on the ministerial panel on March 28, 2019.

Speaking during the session the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine reinforced the points made by Principal Secretary Renaud and further elaborated on the benefits of having in place a set of comprehensive and structured air access policies and a strong institutional framework. He commented on Seychelles as one of the few countries in Africa, where the aviation and tourism departments fall under the same ministry, which greatly enable and facilitate coordination between key authorities and staff.

Minister Dogley also highlighted the importance of direct air access for Small Island Developing states. He explained the dependency of small island nations as Seychelles on an adequate network of airlines serving the country due to their isolation from their tourism markets and trade partners.

In regards to a single African air transport market, he reminded the audience of the need for those responsible for developing regional agreements to take into consideration the special needs of SIDS.

On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Dogley also held talks with the President of the ICAO council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, Secretary General of UNWTO, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili and other African aviation and tourism ministers attending the meeting.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Anne, arrival, arriving, audience, authorities, authority, aviation, Aviation News, balance, benefits, best, Breaking Travel News, civil aviation, civil aviation authority, commissioner, conference, council, countries, country, delegation, direct, Dr, due, Economy, experience, experts, explained, fall, figures, find, first, framework, free, general, government, government officials, held, high, ICAO, ICAO Council, impacts, importance, in, included, International, intervention, island, isolation, key, LED, local, march, marine, Market, markets, meeting, minister, minister for tourism, ministerial, ministers, ministry, Ministry of Tourism, Mr, Mrs, national, national economy, nations, need, needs, network, News articles, officials, out, panel, partners, Place, points, policies, Pololikashvili, ports, positive, Positive Impacts, practices, presence, present, president, promote, regional, represented, represented Seychelles, responsible, s, Santa, Santa Maria, Secretary, secretary general, sectors, serving, Set, Seychelles, Seychelles civil aviation, Seychelles civil aviation authority, Seychelles travel news, sids, single, small, small island developing states, space, Special, special needs, specialists, staff, states, strong, system, talks, Technical, The Minister, The Ministry, The National, The Seychelles, through, to, tourism, tourism markets, tourism ministers, Tourism Mrs, Trade, transport, Transport and Tourism, Transportation News, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, travelers, Travelwire News, union, UNWTO, visa, were, WHO, Zurab Pololikashvili

UNWTO Convenes Cities in Lisbon to Cooperate on a Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Tourism Agenda

April 8, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The first UNWTO Mayors Forum for Sustainable Urban Tourism, co-organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Economy of Portugal and the Lisbon Municipality concluded Friday in Lisbon, Portugal. The event gathered Mayors and high-level city representatives from around the world, UN agencies and the private sector, to design a shared leadership aimed at ensuring that tourism helps creating cities for all.

Under the theme ‘Cities for all: building cities for citizens and visitors’, the forum explored issues and solutions for developing and managing tourism in cities in a way that promotes economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

In a time of intense debate over the growing number of tourists and the livability and sustainability of cities, the forum exchanged ideas and good practices on urban tourism and destination management, discussed innovative tools and public policies on urban tourism at the national and local levels and way of promoting the integration of tourism into wider national and local urban development agenda.

“The income generated from tourism contributes significantly to the socio-economic and cultural development of many cities and its surroundings. Yet, the growth of urban tourism also creates important challenges in terms of the use of natural resources, socio-cultural impact, pressure on infrastructure, mobility, congestion management and relationship with host communities. Tourism policies should thus be designed as integrated urban policies that promote a well-balanced city economically, socially and environmentally” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili opening the event.

The Portuguese Minister of Economy, Pedro Siza Vieira, acknowledged that “tourism is a major driver for the Portuguese economy. Portugal welcomes this first Mayors Forum as an international stage for discussing the challenges that urban tourism faces and how local communities can benefit the most from tourism. The Lisbon Declaration is a firm commitment from all participants so that tourism contributes materially to the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The Portuguese Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, added that “social sustainability in tourism is one of the main priorities in our 2027 Tourism Strategy. We launched a Sustainability Program for the development of projects by the civil society that involve local populations and tourists so that tourism leaves value in the territories”.

The Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina, said “The growth of tourism has important and positive economic impacts. Yet for managing such growth, ensuring sustainability and safeguarding the quality of life of Lisbon’s citizens requires more investment in infrastructure. In Lisbon, we are implementing measures such as increasing transport capacity and investment in urban infrastructure catering for residents and tourists.”

Issues discussed include big data and innovative solutions, new business models, creative cities and events, infrastructure, resources and planning, local community engagement and empowerment and how to ensure the full inclusion of tourism in the wider urban agenda.

Participating in the Forum were Gustavo Santos of Argentina, Secretary of State for Tourism of Argentina, Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism of Portugal, Isabel Oliver, the Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain, Mayors and Vice Mayors of 16 cities around the world (Barcelona, Bruges, Brussels, Dubrovnik, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, Moscow, Nur-Sultan, Paris, Porto, Prague, Punta del Este, Tbilisi, Sao Paulo and Seoul), UNES>CO, UN Habitat, the World Bank, the European Committee of the Regions as well as Amadeus, Airbnb, CLIA, Expedia, Mastercard and Unidigital.

The Forum adopted the Lisbon Declaration on Sustainable Urban Tourism, in which participants reinforced their commitment to align urban tourism policies with the United Nations New Urban Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, namely Goal 11 – ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’.

The Lisbon Declaration on Sustainable Urban Tourism will be presented at the twenty-third session of the General Assembly of UNWTO, to be held this September in St. Petersburg, Russia.

During the event, UNWTO Secretary-General and the Mayor Bakhyt Sultanov of Nursultan (Kazakhstan) signed an agreement for the hosting of the 8th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, to be held on 9 to 12 October 2019.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: ANA, and, Argentina, around the world, assembly, bank, Barcelona, benefit, big, big data, Breaking Travel News, Brussels, building, Business, business models, capacity, catering, challenges, cities, citizens, city, CLIA, commitment, Committee, communities, community, concluded, congestion, contributes, creative, cultural, Cultural Travel News, Data, debate, declaration, design, designed, Destination, Destination Management, development, driver, Dubrovnik, economic, economic growth, Economy, empowerment, engagement, ensuring, environmental, European, event, Events, Expedia, explored, firm, first, forum, full, general, general assembly, Global, global summit, goal, good, Government Affairs, Growing, Growth, held, helps, Helsinki, high, host, hosting, Human, ideas, impact, impacts, important, in, inclusion, inclusive, income, increasing, infrastructure, innovative, integrated, integration, International, Investment, issues, Kazakhstan, launched, leadership, life, Lisbon, local, Madrid, Main, major, Make, management, Managing, MasterCard, mayor, mayors, measures, Medina, minister, ministry, Moscow, most, national, nations, natural, natural resources, New, News articles, number, October, Oliver, opening, organization, over, Paris, participants, Petersburg, planning, policies, Pololikashvili, Porto, portugal, Portugal travel news, portuguese, positive, practices, Prague, pressure, private, private sector, program, projects, promote, promotes, promoting, public, public policies, quality, quality of life, regions, Relationship, residents, resilient, resources, Russia, s, safe, said, Sao Paulo, Secretary, secretary general, sector, Seoul, September, signed, significantly, social, socially, society, socio-economic, solutions, Spain, Spain travel news, St, St. Petersburg, State, strategy, sultan, summit, Sustainability, sustainable, sustainable development, Tbilisi, terms, territories, The Ministry, The National, The World, theme, time, to, TO BE, tools, tourism, tourism strategy, tourists, transport, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travelwire News, UN, UN agencies, United, United Nations, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, urban, urban tourism, use, value, visitors, way, We, welcomes, were, World, World Bank, World Tourism, World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili

Welcome to Spain: WTTC Summit Opened in Seville

April 3, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

This morning the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit 2019 opened in Seville, Spain.
A line up of top tourism leaders in the private industry together with political tourism leaders are meeting in the next two days at this event UNWTO Secretary-General today called the summit the most important days in the world of tourism.

The Travel & Tourism industry has been redefined by changemakers according to the theme of the event.

Speaking at the openings was:

Juan Manuel Moreno, President, The Regional Government of Andalusia
Hon Pedro Sánchez, President, Spain
Juan Espadas, Mayor, Seville
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO Pololikashvili
Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) & CEO, Hilton.

Pololikashvili promised repeatedly the UNWTO will do many things together.


Gloria Guevara,  CEO of WTTC  pointed out the growth of the travel and tourism industry, 1.4 billion international arrivals, 4,4 billion people flying and 7 billion domestic trips are taken every year.
According to the WTTC CEO tourism growth numbers are the second highest in the world and contribute 8.8 trillion Dollars to economies.
Guevara pointed out that smartphones were only invented in 2007 and soon biometrics can be used to avoid lines at borders, check into hotels and replace identification documents altogether.
Gloria predicted driverless cars will bring travelers to hotels, and 5G technology will improve communication and emergency management.

Hon Pe dro Sánchez, President, Spain echoed a lot of these numbers and talked about big data, mentioned gender equalities. He said the leadership position of Spain in Travel and Tourism and he thanked delegates the support for tourism Spain received for 40 years. Investing in Security means investing in Tourism.

The president closed his speech in saying, we believe in equality. He pointed to delegates and said society needs you to build trust and not to build walls. Welcome to Spain!

Click for more news on WTTC

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, arrivals, avoid, big, big data, billion, biometrics, Borders, Breaking Travel News, build, cars, CEO, CEO tourism, Chairman, check, Click, closed, Communication, council, Data, Days, delegates, documents, dollars, domestic, economies, emergency, emergency management, Equality, event, Feature, Flying, Gender, general, Gloria Guevara, government, Growth, highest, Hilton, Hon, Hotels, important, improve, in, Industry, International, international arrivals, Investing, investing in tourism, leaders, leadership, line, lines, LOT, management, mayor, meeting, most, nbsp, needs, News, numbers, only, opened, openings, out, People, political, Pololikashvili, position, president, private, received, regional, said, saying, second, Secretary, secretary general, Security, Seville, smartphones, society, soon, Spain, Spain travel news, speech, summit, support, Technology, The World, theme, things, to, today, top, tourism, tourism council, Tourism growth, Tourism Industry, tourism leaders, tourism Spain, Transportation News, Travel, travel and tourism, travel and tourism industry, Travel Destination News, travelers, Travelwire News, trillion, trips, two days, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, up, used, We, welcome, were, World, world travel, world travel and tourism, World Travel and Tourism Council, WTTC, WTTC CEO, year, years, Zurab Pololikashvili

VoyagesAfriq CEO appointed UNWTO Senior Expert for Communications in Africa

April 2, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Managing Editor and CEO of VoyagesAfriq Media Limited, Mr. Kojo Bentum-Williams, has been appointed as the UN World Tourism Organization‘s Senior Expert for Communications in Africa.

This appointment will see him lead communications of the organization’s activities and events in Africa. This new appointment took effect in March 2019 and part of his core mandates is to grow the UNWTO’s ten points agenda in Africa under the Zurab Pololikashvili-led administration.

He is also expected to coordinate with the Africa Department at UNWTO to reach out to members of the African media and hold clinics to further train and inform travel media on the continent.

Kojo is the founder and managing editor of VoyagesAfriq Media Limited, a pan African travel media company which publishes VoyagesAfriq Travel Magazine Quartely and operates the online portal VoyagesAfriq.com.

He previously worked as the press secretary to Ghana’s former ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts until 2014 and also worked a press officer at the Ghana Tourism Authority.

He has covered a wide range of global travel and tourism conferences and he is seen by many as one of the authorities in the affairs of the UN Tourism Agency.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, appointed, appointment, Arts, authorities, authority, Breaking Travel News, CEO, clinics, communications, company, conferences, continent, creative, culture, department, effect, Events, expected, expert, founder, Ghana, Ghana Tourism Authority, Global, global travel, global travel and tourism, grow, in, lead, LED, Limited, magazine, Managing, march, media, Media Limited, members, ministry, Ministry of Tourism, Mr, nbsp, New, new appointment, News articles, officer, online, online portal, organization, out, Pan African, People in Travel, points, Pololikashvili, portal, Press, range, s, Secretary, see, senior, The Africa, to, tourism, tourism agency, tourism authority, train, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, travel and tourism, Travel Destination News, travel magazine, travel media, Travelwire News, UN, UN World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, UNWTO Senior, voyages, VoyagesAfriqcom, worked, World, World Tourism, World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili

WTTC 19th Global Summit final program: Changemakers including President Obama meet in Seville

March 31, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) will be heading to Seville, Spain this week to attend the  19th Global Summit of WTTC on April 3 and 4. WTTC members are the chief executives, presidents, or chairs of the 100 largest companies from different sectors and regions within the travel and tourism industry. This year non-members are able to attend for a $4,000.00 ticket per delegate.

The event will be centered on the theme of ‘Changemakers’, harnessing the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world from Seville and the world-changing impact of that achievement.

WTTC aims to inspire delegates with change-making individuals and ideas to craft the future vision of Travel & Tourism. Entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, diversity, and inclusivity will drive the conversation. Delegates invested heavily to bring one of the “changemakers” to the summit. He is former U.S. President Barack Obama.

This is the final version of the program as it stands today:

DAY 1: Wednesday 3 April

0930 OPENING CEREMONY

Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) & CEO, Hilton

Hon Pedro Sánchez, President, Spain

Juan Espadas, Mayor, Seville

Juan Manuel Moreno, President, The Regional Government of Andalusia

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO

1010 Opening speech: ‘Shaping the Future’

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC

1025 The Future is …

Three leaders will give short presentations followed by rapid-fire Q&A. The leaders will give their perspectives on what’s next in the world of communications, technology, and sustainability and the challenges and opportunities for Travel & Tourism as a leading force for change.

Keynote: José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman & CEO, Telefónica S.A.

Keynote: Michael Froman, Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth, Mastercard

Keynote: Gary Knell, Chairman, National Geographic Partners

Q&A: Kathleen Matthews, Journalist & Presenter

1115 In the Hotseat

Back to back interviews with industry leaders who will share their vision of the future and what it will take for the Travel & Tourism sector to keep ahead of the curve

Hotseat 1: Mark Okerstrom, President & CEO, Expedia Group

Interviewer: Glenda McNeal, President, Enterprise Strategic Partnerships, American Express Company

Hotseat 2: Keith Barr, CEO, IHG

Interviewer: Tanya Beckett, Journalist & Presenter, BBC

1145 BREAK

1215 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: Seamless Traveller Journey

WTTC’s Seamless Traveller Journey initiative aims to revolutionise travel security and facilitation by providing a seamless end-to-end journey which incorporates not only airports and airlines but cruise, hotel, car rental and other elements of the journey. Now in its second phase, the focus of Seamless Traveller Journey is on how the private sector and governments can work together to ensure increased security and less friction go hand in hand.

Scene setter: Kevin McAleenan, Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government

Panelists: Sean Donohue, CEO, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Richard D Fain, Chairman, and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises

Tadashi Fujita, Executive Vice President, Japan Airlines

Tony Smith, Former Director General, UK Border Agency

John Wagner, Deputy Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government

Manel Villalante, CEO, Renfe Operadora

Moderator: Isabel Hill, Director, National Travel and Tourism Office, US Department of Commerce

1300 The View from Spain

Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Spain

1310 In the Hotseat

Back to back interviews with industry leaders who will share their vision of the future and what it will take for the Travel & Tourism sector to keep ahead of the curve

Hotseat 3: Fritz Joussen, CEO, TUI Group

Hotseat 4: Luis Maroto, President & CEO, Amadeus

Interviewer: Tanya Beckett, Journalist & Presenter, BBC

1335 The Speed of Change…

Geoffrey J W Kent, Founder, Chairman & CEO Abercrombie & Kent, in conversation with Formula One racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart.

1400 LUNCH

Special Lunch Session: Innovating the Traveller Experience

The reality of an integrated, frictionless traveler journey is upon us, paving a path to a seamless experience, improved facilitation and security, operational efficiency for travel providers, and the opportunity for elevated and personalized service throughout the journey. Our panelists are leaders in the fields of biometrics, digital identity, security, and travel technology. They will provide their views on the current state of biometrics and digital identity, paths to implementation broadly across the travel journey, and opportunities that this new technology presents to the future of travel and tourism.

Panelists: Diana Robino, Senior Vice President, Global Tourism Partnerships, Mastercard

Virginie Vacca Thrane, Head of Strategic partnerships – Digital Traveller ID, Amadeus

John Wagner, Deputy Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government

Gordon Wilson, President, WorldReach Software

Moderator: Jimmy Samartzis, Senior Principal, Oliver Wyman

1515 A Conversation with President Barack Obama

Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America

A global political leader will give their perspective on the current state of the world and the important role Travel & Tourism plays as one of the world’s largest economic sectors.

Interviewer: Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman, WTTC & CEO, Hilton

1615 Ahead of the Curve: The Consumers of Tomorrow

This session will look at different spectrums of the new global consumer and how T&T companies can ensure they are preparing for the consumer of tomorrow.

Part 1: How Young China and its Millennials want to see and feel the world

Zak Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, Young China Group

Part 2: The New Boomer Experiential Consumer

Ken Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, Age Wave

Moderator: Matthew Upchurch, CEO, Virtuoso

1710 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: Are Cities Future Ready?

Destination Stewardship is a strategic priority for WTTC. Huge tourism growth in cities over recent years has shone the spotlight on the need for good planning and management. WTTC has partnered with Jones Lang Lasalle on new research on cities and their preparedness for future growth. This session will look at the report’s findings and how cities around the world are planning and engaging communities in future growth.

Keynote: Dan Fenton, EVP, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group

Panellists:

H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, President, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH)*

H.E. Elena Kountoura, Minister for Tourism, Greece

Steffan Panoho, Head of Tourism. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development

Enrique Ybarra, CEO, City Sightseeing

Moderator: Mark Wynne Smith, Global CEO, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group

1745 CLOSE

DAY 2: Thursday 4 April

0900 OPENING

0905 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: Today’s Traveller: Authenticity, Values and Instagram

This session will explore what iconic landmarks and destinations can and are doing to ensure they connect with the consumers of the future. Today’s traveller has standards for authenticity, wants to do more than just consume, and then wants to Instagram about it. How do destinations adjust to satisfy the market? The discussion will highlight examples of engagement from retail to destination attractions and also cover how sustainability initiatives help tell a compelling story and elevate authenticity in the traveller’s experience.

Keynote: Anthony Malkin, Chairman & CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc

Panellists: Desiree Bollier, Chair, Value Retail

Jean-François Clervoy, ESA Astronaut & CEO Novespace

Jeremy Jauncey, CEO, Beautiful Destinations

Anthony Malkin, Chairman & CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc

Kike Sarasola, President & Founder, Room Mate Hotels & Bemate.com

Moderator: Jacqueline Gifford, Editor in Chief, Travel + Leisure

1000 Africa on the Rise

H.E. Margaret Kenyatta, First Lady of the Republic of Kenya

1015 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Ceremony

WTTC’s annual Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony will showcase and celebrate the very best in sustainable tourism from around the world.

Fiona Jeffery, Founder & Chairman, Just a Drop and Chair, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

Jeffrey C. Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel

1100 BREAK Draft as at: 27 March 2019 (Please note all sessions, times, and speakers may change *=tbc)

1130 Strategic Insight Sessions PART 1

In recent years, the global Travel & Tourism industry has been redefined by changemakers who are constantly evolving and shaping our travel experience. In a special series of Strategic insight sessions, we explore just what these changemakers are doing to shape the industry and what our direction of travel might be in the future.

1) Embracing product diversity and inclusion – making business sense

2) Cyber-threat: you are compromised

3) What does it take to build successful future destinations?

4) The business case for sustainability

Alberto Durán, Executive Vice President, ONCE

Billy Kolber, Founder, HospitableMe

Deepak Ohri, CEO, lebua Hotels & Resorts

Stacy Ritter, CEO, Fort Lauderdale

Moderator:

Prof Graham Miller, Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Surrey

Suzan Kereere, Global Head, Merchant Sales & Acquiring, Visa

Daniel Richards, CEO, Global Rescue

Jeffrey C. Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel

Earl Anthony Wayne, Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Moderator:

Paul Mee, Partner, Oliver Wyman

Fred Dixon, President & CEO NYC & Company

Aradhana Khowala, Managing Director, Tourism, NEOM

Desiree Maxino, Group Head – Government Policy and ASEAN, Air Asia

Aoife McArdle, Global Head of Business Affairs and Social Impact – Experiences, Airbnb

Eric Resnick, CEO, KSL Capital Partners

Moderator:

Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, CBS News

Katie Fallon, EVP Global Head of Corporate Affairs, Hilton

Ana Gascón, Director of Corporate Responsibility,

Coca Cola (Spain)

Philippe Gombert, President International, Chairman of The Board, Relais & Châteaux

Simon Heppner, Director, The SRA (Sustainable Restaurant Association)

Geoff Townsend, Industry Fellow, Ecolab

Moderators:

Wendy Purcell and John D. Spengler, Harvard

 

1315 LUNCH

1415 WTTC FOCUS: Climate & Environment Action in Progress

Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, President of Mexico, 2006-2012

1430 WTTC FOCUS: Social Responsibility

This session will feature the latest updates on the WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration & action against the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) followed by the launch of a new human trafficking initiative.

1450 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: The Future of Jobs in the Age of Automation

As more and more jobs are at increasing risk of being automated or rendered obsolete by other technological changes in the next twenty years, this session will look at the opportunities and challenges around employment within the sector and wider society.

Keynote: Andrés Oppenheimer, Author & Presenter, CNN

Panellists: Greg O’Hara, Founder &, Managing Partner, Certares

Andrés Oppenheimer, Author & Presenter, The Miami Herald / CNN

Hiromi Tagawa, Chairman of the Board, JTB Corp

Claudia Tapardel, Member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, European Parliament

Joan Vilà, Executive Chairman, Hotelbeds

Moderator: Kathleen Matthews, Journalist & Presenter

1545 Vision of the Future

A special stream of keynotes will outline their vision of the future from high-speed transport to pushing the boundaries of disruption and innovation

Keynote: Dirk Alhborn, CEO, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Keynote: Chandran Nair, Founder & CEO, The Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT)

Keynote: Matthew Devlin, Head of International Affairs, Uber

1630 Closing Ceremony

1645 End

eTurboNews is a media partner with the Summit and will be represented by Elisabeth Lang, who is based in Munich, Germany.

  • More coverage on WTTC
  • More on WTTC summits

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, ANA, and, anniversary, annual, Anthony Malkin, April, around the world, Arts, ASEAN, Asia, association, astronaut, attend, attractions, Auckland, author, automated, Awards, Barack, Barack Obama, based, BBC, beautiful, best, biometrics, board, border, break up, Breaking Travel News, Buenos Aires, build, Business, c, capital, car, Car Rental, Caribbean, Caribbean cruises, case, CBS, celebrate, center, CEO, ceremony, chair, Chairman, challenges, change, changes, chief, chief executives, China, cities, city, city sightseeing, climate, close, closing, Closing Ceremony, CNN, Coca-Cola, commerce, commission, commissioner, Committee, communications, communities, companies, company, compelling, connect, consumers, corporate, Corporate News, corporate responsibility, council, cover-up, craft, creativity, Cruise,, cruises, current, customs, Customs and Border Protection, Dallas, Daniel, day, declaration, delegates, department, department of commerce, deputy, Destination, Destinations, development, Diana, different, digital, direction, director, director general, discussion, disruption, diversity, Dixon, doing, draft, drive, drop, economic, economic development, editor in chief, efficiency, elements, Empire State, employment, end, engagement, enterprise, entrepreneurship, environment, ESA, eTurboNews, European, European Parliament, event, Events, EVP, executive, Executive Vice President, executives, Expedia, Expedia Group, experience, experiences, explore, express, Feature, findings, Fiona Jeffery, fire, first, First Lady, force, Formula, Formula One, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Worth, founder, future, future of travel, Gary, general, Germany, gift, Global, Global Head, global summit, global tourism, global travel, Gloria Guevara, GO!, good, Gordon, gordon wilson, government, Government Affairs, governments, Greece, Group, Growth, hand, Harvard, head, help, heritage, high, high-speed, highlight, Hilton, Hon, hospitality, hospitality group, hotel, Hotels, hotseat, Human, human trafficking, iconic, ID, ideas, identity, IHG, illegal, impact, implementation, important, improved, in, Inc, including, inclusion, increased, increasing, Industry, industry leaders, initiative, initiatives, innovation, insight, Instagram, Institute, integrated, International, International Airport, interviewer, Interviews, invested, IT, japan, Japan Airlines, Jimmy, JLL, Jobs, John, Jones, journalist, journey, JTB, just, Just A Drop, keep, Keith Barr, Kent, Kenya, Kenyatta, keynote, KSL, lady, landmarks, Lang LaSalle, largest, LATEST, launch, leader, leaders, leading, Leisure, less, management, Managing, managing director, managing partner, march, Market, MasterCard, Mate, May, mayor, media, media partner, meet, member, members, merchant, Mexico, Miami, millennials, minister, minister for tourism, Munich, national, National Geographic, nbsp, need, New, News, News articles, Non, note, NYC, Obama, office, Oliver, only, opening, opening ceremony, operational, opportunity, over, parliament, partner, partners, partnerships, path, paths, Paul, People in Travel, personalized service, Peter Greenberg, Philippe, planning, policy, political, Pololikashvili, preparedness, presentations, Presenter, president, President Barack Obama, President Obama, presidents, priority, private, private sector, product, program, progress, protection, public, racing, ready, reality, recent, regional, regions, rental, report, represented, republic, rescue, research, resorts, responsibility, restaurant, retail, rise, Risk, role, room, royal, Royal Caribbean, Royal Caribbean Cruises, s, Sales, Satisfy, Saudi, saudi commission, scene, scholars, seamless, second, Secretary, secretary general, sector, sectors, Security, see, senior, Senior Vice President, series, service, sessions, Share, short, showcase, sightseeing, Sir, social, social impact, social responsibility, society, Software, Spain, Spain travel news, speakers, Special, speech, standards, stands, State, states, story, strategic, successful, summit, Summits, Sustainability, sustainability initiatives, sustainable, sustainable tourism, Technology, The Spotlight, the United States, The World, theme, threat, ticket, times, to, TO DO, today, tourism, tourism council, Tourism For Tomorrow, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, Tourism growth, Tourism Industry, tourism office, tourism sector, Trade, trafficking, transport, Transport and Tourism, Transportation, Travel, travel and tourism, travel and tourism industry, Travel Destination News, travel experience, travel journey, Travel Leisure, travel security, travel technology, Traveler, Traveller, travellers, Travelwire News, TUI, U.S. president, UBER, UK, UK Travel News, United, United States, United States of America, university, UNWTO, updates, US, US Department of Commerce, US government, value, vice chairman, vice president, view, views, Virtuoso, visa, vision, wave, We, week, WHO, wildlife, work, World, world travel, world's largest, worth, Worth International Airport, WTTC, year, years, young, Zurab Pololikashvili

Brunei Travel: Ready to be stoned to death? How will WTTC and UNWTO respond?

March 30, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Brunei is becoming a deadly place to visit starting April 3, specially if you are member of the LGBT Community.

Next week the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) will have their annual summit in Seville, Spain. Tourism leaders from around the globe will meet and listen to keynote speaker U.S. President Obama. Will President Obama, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, or WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara say something on what is developing in Brunei?

No country in the world so far issued travel warnings against Brunei. U.S. authorities have a level 2 travel advisories against Germany or the Bahamas but find travel for Americans perfectly safe when a new law threatens citizens and visitors, including children to be subject to death by stoning for same-sex sexual acts and amputation for robbery. Such a law will come into effect in Brunei Darussalam on April 3.

Brunei is a tiny nation on the island of Borneo, in 2 distinct sections surrounded by Malaysia and the South China Sea. It’s known for its beaches and biodiverse rainforest, much of it protected within reserves. The capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, is home to the opulent Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque and its 29 golden domes. The capital’s massive Istana Nurul Iman palace is the residence of Brunei’s ruling sultan

“Pending provisions in Brunei’s Penal Code would allow stoning and amputation as punishments – including for children, to name only their most heinous aspects,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei Researcher at Amnesty International.

“Brunei must immediately halt its plans to implement these vicious punishments and revise its Penal Code in compliance with its human rights obligations. The international community must urgently condemn Brunei’s move to put these cruel penalties into practice.”

These punishments are provided for in newly-implemented sections of the Brunei Darussalam Syariah Penal Code that are due to come into force on 3 April 2019, according to a discreet notice on the Attorney General’s website.

“To legalize such cruel and inhuman penalties is appalling of itself. Some of the potential ‘offences’ should not even be deemed crimes at all, including consensual sex between adults of the same gender,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard. “These abusive provisions received widespread condemnation when plans were first discussed five years ago.”

Amnesty expressed grave concerns over the Penal Code when the code’s first phase was implemented in April 2014.

“Brunei’s Penal Code is a deeply flawed piece of legislation containing a range of provisions that violate human rights,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard. “As well as imposing cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, it blatantly restricts the rights to freedom of expression, religion, and belief, and codifies discrimination against women and girls.”

Stoning and a hunt to kill members of the LGBT community is not an isolated problem in Brunei alone. Brunei is joining countries like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Tanzania.

Background

Brunei Darussalam has signed but not yet ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and has rejected all recommendations to this effect in its human rights review at the UN in 2014.

Under international human rights law, corporal punishment in all its forms, such as stoning, amputation or whipping, constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, which is prohibited in all circumstances.

Acts of torture and other ill-treatment are absolutely proscribed in the main international human rights instruments, most of which Brunei has not signed or ratified. In addition, this prohibition is also recognized as a peremptory rule of customary international law, meaning that every state is bound by it even if they are not a party to a relevant human rights treaty. All acts of torture constitute crimes under international law.

While Brunei retains the death penalty in law, it is abolitionist in practice. One new death sentence was imposed in 2017, for a drug-related offense.

Just a few years ago the Sultan of Brunei told UNWTO Secretary-General and WTTC CEO: “We will do our best to support tourism. Tourism is of strategic importance for Brunei and based on two principal resources: the country’s pristine rainforest in the heart of Borneo, and its spiritual and cultural heritage. Environmental protection and conservation must, therefore, lie at the heart of any tourism development, the Sultan had stressed.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: Americans, and, annual, annual summit, April, arabia, around the globe, attorney, Attorney General, authorities, Bahamas, bandar seri begawan, based, beaches, best, Borneo, Breaking Travel News, Brunei, Brunei Darussalam, brunei travel, Brunei travel news, Bruneis, capital, CEO, children, China, citizens, code, come, community, Compliance, concerns, condemn, condemnation, conservation, convention, council, countries, country, crimes, cultural, cultural heritage, Darussalam, deadly, death, death penalty, development, discrimination, Drug, due, effect, environmental, environmental protection, even, far, Feature, find, first, force, forms, freedom, freedom of expression, Gender, general, Germany, girls, Globe, Gloria Guevara, golden, Government Affairs, halt, heart, heritage, home, Howard, Human, human rights, Human Rights news, hunt, immediately, importance, in, including, inhuman, International, international community, international law, Iran, Iraq, island, issued, IT, joining, just, keynote, keynote speaker, kill, law, leaders, legislation, LGBT, LGBT community, LGBTQ, like, Listen, Main, Malaysia, massive, meaning, meet, member, members, mosque, most, move, name, nation, New, new law, newly, News articles, notice, Obama, offences, only, opulent, over, Palace, party, penal code, penalties, penalty, People in Travel, Place, plans, Pololikashvili, potential, president, President Obama, problem, protected, protection, punishment, Rachel Chhoa, rainforest, range, ready, received, recommendations, rejected, related, religion, reserves, Residence, resources, review, rights, robbery, rule, ruling, s, safe, said, Saudi, Saudi Arabia. (, sea, Secretary, secretary general, sentence, sex, sexual, signed, South, South China, Spain, speaker, spiritual, State, stoning, strategic, sultan, summit, support, Tanzania, The Bahamas, The Code, The Island, The Residence, The World, to, TO BE, told, torture, tourism, tourism council, Tourism Development, tourism leaders, Travel, travel advisories, travel and tourism, Travel Destination News, travel warnings, Travelwire News, treatment, U.S, U.S. authorities, U.S. president, UN, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, visit, visitors, warnings, We, website, week, were, women, World, world travel, world travel and tourism, World Travel and Tourism Council, WTTC, WTTC CEO, years, Zurab Pololikashvili

Facing the Demographic Challenge through Tourism and Innovation

March 27, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Facing the Demographic Challenge through Tourism and Innovation”, opening event today was attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez; Spain’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, María Reyes Maroto; the President of the Junta de Castilla y León, Juan Vicente Herrera; the Mayor of Segovia, Clara Isabel Luquero; and UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.  The forum was held in Segovia Spain by the World Tourism Organization.

Tourism and innovation were highlighted as key solutions to address the depopulation being suffered by the rural environment at the forum entitled “Facing the Demographic Challenge through Tourism and Innovation” in Segovia, which gathered together more than one hundred people with the objective of finding solutions from the tourism sector to combat this phenomenon.

“The UNWTO wants to work alongside Spain to turn the discussion on the challenge of rural depopulation into a conversation about the opportunities that the rural environment represents,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, showing the United Nations agency’s  support in searching for solutions through tourism. He added: “The 2030 Agenda is committed to leaving no one behind, including rural areas and their inhabitants.”

Likewise, he pointed out that as a sector that represents one of every ten jobs in the world—in 2019, the UNWTO is dedicating the year especially to education, the development of professional skills and employment—quality training in tourism and innovation are very necessary to face these challenges and ensure the survival of the rural environment.

The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, highlighted the efforts being made by the UNWTO and advocated the creation of opportunities in the interior regions of Spain through rural tourism, digital transformation and new models of economic activity. He announced that the Government would review the guidelines of the National Strategy to address the demographic challenge. He said that in the Strategy, “the tourism sector is a key driver”, adding that Spain is “a global power with a large margin for improvement in the interior of the country”, said Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain.

During the event, leading figures from the political, business and cultural spheres addressed the challenges posed by the gradual loss of population in rural areas. In addition, many experts in the field discussed the role of rural tourism as a tool for socio-economic revitalization, sustainability and territorial rebalancing.

Thus, the first round table, moderated by Asís Martín de Cabiedes, President of Europa Press, discussed on the challenges of overcoming the depopulation of rural areas in developed countries. For her part, Spain’s High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda, Cristina Gallach, moderated a second panel of experts focused on the relevance of the tourism sector for sustainability and territorial rebalancing.

Furthermore, various successful cases of public-private collaboration were analysed, with SEGITTUR providing insights into the field of smart destinations.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announced, areas, Breaking Travel News, Business, challenge, challenges, collaboration, Combat, commissioner, countries, country, creation, cultural, Cultural Travel News, demographic, Destinations, development, digital, discussion, driver, economic, Education, efforts, employment, environment, Europa, event, experts, face, figures, finding, first, For immediate Release, forum, general, Global, government, guidelines, held, high, High Commissioner, hundred, improvement, in, including, Industry, innovation, Insights, interior, International Travel News, Jobs, junta, leading, leaving, loss, mayor, meetings.travel, MICE Industry News, minister, national, nations, New, News articles, opening, organization, out, panel, People, phenomenon, political, Pololikashvili, population, power, president, Press, Prime Minister, private, professional, public, public-private, quality, regions, represents, review, role, Round, rural, rural tourism, s, said, searching, second, Secretary, secretary general, sector, SEGITTUR, Segovia, skills, socio-economic, solutions, Spain, Spain travel news, Spanish, strategy, successful, support, survival, Sustainability, The National, The World, through, to, today, tool, tourism, Tourism Investment News, tourism sector, Trade, training, transformation, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, turn, United, United Nations, United Nations agency, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, were, work, World, World Tourism, World Tourism Organization, Y, year, Zurab Pololikashvili

Tunisia reaches out to UNWTO to get travel advisories removed

March 22, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The U.S. State Department putting Tunisia  as a category 2 risk for U.S. citizens to travel to. This is on the same level as Germany or the Bahamas, but not as severe as a category 3 warning against Turkey. The U.S. State Department wants citizens to exercise increase caution in Tunisia due to terrorism and lists regions where one shouldn’t go.

Tourism is a major revenue source for Tunisia, and the country has been working hard to overcome a number of deadly terror attacks where tourists were the target.

Currently the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili  is in Tunisia meeting with the Head of the Tunisian Government Youssef Chahed. He told UNWTO the country had made a lot of efforts have been made to improve security for both citizens and visitors through effective deployment of effective security and counter terrorism measures.

On his part, Pololikashvili commended the country for taking steps to ensure that tourism development and growth remained a priority and continues to play a pivotal role in the economy of Tunisia.

He mentioned that Tunisia was one of the first countries in the Mediterranean basin to identify the strategic value of tourism development. Tunisia, he said has been able to adapt to different challenges and also seized the opportunity of air connectivity and visa openness in recent years. UNWTO encourages Tunisia to its high visibility in the tourism sector, always against the backdrop of sustainable operations for the benefit of the local population and lasting opportunities emerging from tourism.

This, the UNWTO Boss states is particularly true for tourism as a resilient sector as Tunisia itself is experiencing: international tourist arrivals grew above 23% in 2017. Pololikashvili averred that the UNWTO is committed to supporting sustainable tourism development in Tunisia.

The UNWTO Secretary General is on a two day working visit to the country and being accompanied by Zhu Shanzhong , UNWTO’s Executive Director and Director of Africa Department Ms Elcia Grandcourt.

Tunisia is concerned about travel advisories remaining in Japan and the United States.

UNWTO has little influence on travel advisories by the countries most important to Tunisia in Tourism. The UNWTO chief met with local media in Tunisia, but an international global press support was not part of the agenda. Tunisia urgently needs global outreach and positive media support.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, arrivals, attacks, backdrop, Bahamas, benefit, boss, Breaking Travel News, Category, caution, challenges, chief, citizens, connectivity, continues, counter, countries, country, currently, day, deadly, department, Department putting, development, different, director, due, Economy, efforts, emerging, encourages, executive, Executive Director, exercise, Feature, first, general, Germany, Global, GO!, government, Growth, head, high, important, improve, in, increase, influence, International, International tourist arrivals, japan, Japan and the United States, local, LOT, measures, media, Mediterranean, meeting, most, Ms, needs, News articles, number, operations, opportunity, out, play, Pololikashvili, population, positive, Press, priority, putting, putting Tunisia, recent, regions, remained, removed, resilient, Revenue, Risk, role, s, said, Secretary, secretary general, sector, Security, seized, severe, Source, State, State Department, states, strategic, support, supporting, sustainable, sustainable tourism, taking, target, terror, terror attacks, Terror news, terrorism, The Bahamas, the United States, The World, through, to, tourism, Tourism Development, tourism sector, tourist, tourist arrivals, tourists, Travel, travel advisories, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, Tunisia, Tunisia travel news, Tunisian, Turkey, U.S, U.S. State, U.S. State Department, United, United States, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, UNWTO Secretary General, value, visa, visit, visitors, warning, were, working, World, World Tourism, World Tourism Organisation, years, Zurab Pololikashvili

Search




Recent Articles

  • Milestone moment: IMEX America honored at AEO Awards
  • Tourism businesses broaden their knowledge of growing online platform, ParrAPI
  • Overseas mission successful in reconnecting with over 100 trade partners
  • TUI invests in Jamaica with educational program and increased airlift
  • Looking for Remote Hiking Adventures? Songtsam Offers Hikers Opportunities to Discover the Natural Wonders of Tibet & Yunnan
  • Where Amazing Comes Together: A Splash of Color, a Dose of Culture, and the Return of Carnival to Curaçao Mark the Grand Opening Celebration of Sandals® Royal Curaçao
  • Corporate events professionals invited to tap into insights from Google Experience Institute at new IMEX online event
  • Jamaica welcomes new Frontier Airlines service to Montego Bay
  • New Board of Governance appointed for the Seychelles Tourism Academy
  • Minister Bartlett Laments Passing of Former Tourism Minister Francis Tulloch

Copyright © 2022 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in