Turkey's largest tourism expo commenced today

The 18th East Mediterranean International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (EMITT), considered to be the world’s 5th biggest tourism fair, has kicked off in Istanbul today and will run until the end of February 2. It will host over 4,500 companies from 70 destinations from all around the world.

Around 4,500 professionals from the tourism sector, including companies and development agencies from both Turkey and 70 other countries will participate in order to promote 150 cities in the exhibition.

The fair will receive operators, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise operators, national tourist boards, transportation services, medical tourism providers and other tourism institutes.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik said the Turkish government will do its best to make a significant contribution to the tourism sector.

“The Tourism sector is a contest that has no loser” said Celik, adding, “Turkey stands on a tourism intersection. The country lies both in the Balkans and in Caucasia, it is bordered by the Black Sea as well as the Mediterrenean.”

Highlighting EMITT’s key importance, Celik said, “I am proud of Turkish tourism professionals. They have taken major steps in important projects around the world.”

EMITT’s Exhibition Director Hacer Aydin, stated that many new innovations at EMITT can be seen by the participants and visitors, “The exhibition will provide cities, development agencies, tourism companies and professionals, key insights into the fast moving tourism industry, providing a platform to network and acquire further knowledge and contacts.”

Aydin added, “Countries from around the world will get together at what will be a record-breaking event. Participants will have a great opportunity to showcase their cultural, geographical and natural attractions.”

EMITT is organized with the support of the Hoteliers Federation of Turkey, TUROFED, the Tourism Investors of Turkey, TYD, Turkish Airlines, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, among others.

Seychelles, Cambodia, Mongolia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mauritius and Croatia will attend the fair for the first time this year.

Turkey's largest tourism expo commenced today

Sharp drop in number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia

The country has fallen from top destination to seventh, with suggestions that it might be part of a long-term downward trend

The broader competitiveness of the global tourism industry may explain the decline in visitors from China.

Australia is facing a sharp drop in Chinese tourism and a shift in attitudes towards visiting the country that may signal the start of a longer term decline.

A study by Travelzoo found that Australia had dropped from first to seventh place as the preferred location for Chinese tourists.

Japan is now the number one destination, according to the study, helped by a sharp fall in the value of the yen in the past year making it more attractive for Chinese shoppers. The US was second, followed by Taiwan.

The number of Chinese tourists travelling to Australia dropped by 9.4% in November 2013 compared with the same month in 2012, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said earlier this week.

The question for Australia’s tourism industry is what the shift means for tourism in the long term. The Chinese government passed a law in October banning some types of organised overseas travel tours. These tours had contracts with popular overseas shopping outlets to take tourists to designated shopping centres, and the government stepped in to stop the practice.

Tourism Australia said the drop could be attributed to the introduction of this policy.

“We’ve known about the tourism law for a while now and always knew that it would have implications, most particularly on the group tour market, when it came into force in October. And that’s what I think we’re seeing in these figures,” a spokesman said.

“The impact is not unique to the Australian market, with New Zealand and Asia reporting similar trends in their own Chinese arrivals.”

The chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, Ken Morrison, said the decline in the number of Chinese visitors was only a short-term blip.

“We see this as a case of short-term pain for mid-term gain, with the reforms aimed at ensuring Chinese visitors have a quality tourism experience that still represents good value and that they return home sharing their positive stories of Australia,” he said.

“Despite the monthly fall, Chinese arrivals are up 15.2 per cent for the year and we are confident Chinese visitors will respond positively to the changes and we will again see monthly growth from this critical source market.”

But the problem may be more serious than that. David Beirman, a senior tourism lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney, said the ban on shopping tours may not be the reason for the drop.

Instead, he pointed to the broader competitiveness of the global tourism industry.

“Shopping tours were a problem for tourists going to a number of destinations in other countries.

“I think what’s happened is that everyone knows that China is the number one tourism market in the world and so everyone is trying to get in on it. Even though the Chinese market is continuing to go strongly, the competition is also continuing to grow.”

Sharp drop in number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia

Travel and Tourism in New Zealand

Arrivals growth was positive yet marginal during 2012. This was due to depressed demand from traditional source countries such as the UK, France and Ireland as a result of economic woe in Europe. Furthermore, following the surge in international arrivals from several major rugby playing countries due to New Zealand’s hosting of the IRB Rugby World Cup during 2011, inbound flows from these source countries declined during 2012. Nonetheless, the dramatic growth recorded in arrivals from China…

Travel and Tourism in New Zealand report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest market size data 2008-2012, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market – be they new legislative, technology or pricing issues. Background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking habits is also included. Forecasts to 2017 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: Car Rental, Demand Factors, Health and Wellness Tourism, Tourism Flows Domestic, Tourism Flows Inbound, Tourism Flows Outbound, Tourism Receipts and Expenditure, Tourist Attractions, Transportation, Travel Accommodation, Travel Retail.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

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Travel and Tourism in New Zealand

Tourism Australia announces new managing director

Tourism Australia has announced the appointment of John O’Sullivan as its new managing director, following the departure of Andrew McEvoy to take up a new position at Fairfax.

O’Sullivan joins Tourism Australia from Fox Sports where he is currently employed as chief operating officer.

Previously he held executive positions with Events Queensland (chief executive from 2010 to 2012), and Football Federation Australia (chief commercial officer from 2004 to 2010) as well as the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee the 1995 Rugby World Cup and 1994 World Masters Games.

He is also a current member of the Tourism Transport Forum Advisory Board.

Tourism Australia chairman Geoff Dixon said O’Sullivan was an experienced and highly respected business leader, with significant tourism and events experience as well as a proven record of having managed large and complex organisations.

“We’re delighted to have found someone of the calibre and vision of John, who comes to Tourism Australia with a strong reputation for leading and developing high performing organisations.

“John has an obvious passion for our country and, combined with his deep industry knowledge, experience and skills, is ideally suited to lead an already strong team,” he said.

O’Sullivan said he felt extremely privileged to have been given the opportunity to head up a Tourism Australia team which was deservedly viewed as one of the world’s most effective national tourism organisations.

“Having the opportunity to take on this position at such an exciting and pivotal time for the Industry is a great honour. I am looking forward to working with the team at Tourism Australia and across industry stakeholders, continuing to build on the momentum created to drive opportunity and growth towards 2020.

“Tourism is rightly starting to be acknowledged as a key driver of our country’s future growth and prosperity and I look forward to being part of that exciting journey,” he said.

Tourism Australia announces new managing director

Africa’s share in global tourism movements rises to 56 million arrivals

Arrivals to Africa in 2013 have grown by an average of 6 percent to 56 million overall an increase in real numbers by 3 million, largely aided by a gradual recovery in North Africa, where political unrest had depressed tourist numbers in 2012, and a sustained 5 percent growth for destinations in sub Saharan Africa.

UNWTO’s data for last year, just released, show an overall global travel increase to 1.087 billion tourists traversing the globe and forecasts for 2014 are held at a conservative 4 percent, likely to be exceeded but for unexpected troubles or natural disasters which could impact on the trend.

Africa is expected to once again perform above average in the coming year as the UNWTO Secretary General commented: “2013 was an excellent year for international tourism. The tourism sector has shown a remarkable capacity to adjust to the changing market conditions, fuelling growth and job creation around the world, despite the lingering economic and geopolitical challenges. Indeed, tourism has been among the few sectors generating positive news for many economies.”

UNWTO forecasts international arrivals to increase by 4% to 4.5% in 2014, again above its long-term forecast of +3.8% per year between 2010 and 2020. The UNWTO Confidence Index, based on the feedback from over 300 experts worldwide, confirms this outlook with prospects for 2014 higher than in previous years. Mr. Rifai then went on to say: “The positive results of 2013, and the expected global economic improvement in 2014, set the scene for another positive year for international tourism. Against this backdrop, UNWTO calls upon national governments to increasingly set up national strategies that support the sector and to deliver on their commitment to fair and sustainable growth.”

The 2014 regional prospects are strongest for Asia and the Pacific (+5% to +6%) and Africa (+4% to +6%), followed by Europe and the Americas (both +3% to +4%).

Good news for Africa which remains the focus of sustainable tourism development for UNWTO and the appointment last year of Elsia Grandcourt, formerly CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, as the organization’s Director for Africa will only add to keep the continent in the spotlight through a range of activities and initiatives by UNWTO.

Africa’s share in global tourism movements rises to 56 million arrivals

WTM Africa announces leading event program

WTM Africa announces the planned line-up of its event programme, which will take place during the inaugural show on May 2-3 at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre.

WTM Africa’s own World Responsible Tourism Programme (WRTP) will form a key component of the education sessions taking place over the two days of the show. The WRTP will be brought together by industry leader and organiser of the World Travel Market WRTP in London, Professor Harold Goodwin. With a pan-African cast of speakers, Professor Goodwin will compile a series of seminars, addressing core responsible tourism issues, that will offer visitors to WTM Africa the chance to debate, discuss and learn about the latest sustainable tourism initiatives and thinking affecting the African continent.

The African Business Travel Association (ABTA), the only member-led business travel association with a focus on corporate travel in South Africa and the African continent, has also joined WTM Africa as an official education partner. ABTA will be facilitating and presenting sessions covering a broad range of key trends, developments, challenges and opportunities from South Africa and the continent as well as how these destinations can revolutionise the business travel industry on Friday 2 May.

Saturday 3 May will see a dedicated session focusing on issues surrounding education within the African travel industry. The session has been organised by local expert Kamilla Swart, Associate Professor from the Department of Tourism and Events Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Swart brings with her an abundance of knowledge from the industry and region with a particular focus on sports and events tourism.

“I am proud to be associated with World Travel Market Africa as it will provide an ideal platform to discuss and debate issues concerning challenges in tourism education on the continent and pave the way for greater collaboration and partnership to capitalise on the continent’s booming tourism industry” explains Swart.

WTM Africa has similarly joined forces with Director of Travel Bloggers Unite, Oliver Gradwell, to bring a dedicated travel blogger programme, featuring some of the most influential travel bloggers in Africa offering guidance on how the industry can best utilise this vital marketing resource. “Travel Bloggers Unite are delighted to be partnering with WTM Africa for their inaugural show in Cape Town” comments Gradwell. “The best practice guidance and insight we offer will give visitors to WTM Africa a competitive edge when working with travel bloggers in the future.”

The latest trends in travel technology and the challenges faced within the airline industry will also take centre stage, with leading industry lights providing discussion and insights on these important travel industry issues, as will South Africa’s first WTM Vision Conference – WTM Vision – Cape Town, organised by sister event World Travel Market in London. WTM Vision – Cape Town will offer travel executives the chance to hear the latest research on regional-specific trends and insights into what the future for those sectors might be.

WTM Africa Event Manager Polly Magraw said: “Our intention with the WTM Africa event programme is to appeal to a broad spectrum of travel professionals in order to ensure that everyone attending the show can find something of interest. The diverse programme will offer our visitors the best insight into the industry and focus on the exciting future prospects for this emerging region.”

World Travel Market Africa is part of Thebe Reed Exhibition’s Africa Travel Week, which also includes IBTM Africa and ILTM Africa at The Cape Town International Convention Centre from 28th April – 3rd May 2014. Africa Travel Week encompasses Africa’s inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel and the MICE/business travel sector. Three travel industry events in one week under one roof.

WTM Africa announces leading event program

Africa Travel and Tourism Association prepares for Winter Networking Event

The Africa Travel and Tourism Association, in short ATTA, is getting ready for their annual “Winter Networking Event” which will take place during the Destination Travel Show in London on February 6, starting at 1800 hours or half an hour after the end of business at the show grounds.

The chosen venue is but a few minutes’ walk from the Earls’ Court Exhibition and nearby tube stations and was named as The Pembroke Pub, details of which can be accessed through this link: www.thepembrokeSW5.co.uk

ATTA members and media representatives will get free admission while guests, accompanied by an ATTA member, will pay a nominal attendance fee of 10 UK pounds.

ATTA has according to the information received from their Secretariat, taken over the entire Mezzanine Floor of the Pembroke Pub and light snacks and a complimentary drink will be served courtesy of ATTA.

The event is sponsored this year by South African Airways and Rani Resorts and a link to book attendance is found on the ATTA events page through their web portal www.atta.travel

ATTA is a trade association that promotes tourism to Africa from all corners of the world. Recognized as the Voice of African Tourism, Atta serves and supports business leaders in Africa representing the elite buyers and suppliers of tourism product across 22 African countries. With over 530 members, ATTA acts as Africa’s largest network of tourism products, covering not only accommodation, transport and travel specialists in Africa, but a formidable selection of tour operators, representation and PR companies in Europe, USA and worldwide promoting tourism to Africa.

Africa Travel and Tourism Association prepares for Winter Networking Event

Africa tourism ministers meet with official from Caribbean Tourism Organization

Minister Walter Mzembi, the Zimbabwe Minister responsible for Tourism, and Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, met with Carol Hay of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in Madrid yesterday. The meeting took place at the Seychelles stand at FITUR, the tourism trade fair of Spain.

These two ministers of tourism from Africa, who are part of the SADC working group mandated to look at the restructure of the region`s RETOSA, are the ones forming part of the committee to propose the road map on the way forward for the tourism body of the SADC block of countries. Their meeting with Carol Hay of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) was to be updated on the Caribbean experience in their own tourism grouping.

Both Minister Mzembi of Zimbabwe and Minister St.Ange of the Seychelles said after the meeting that they had found the meeting interesting and productive. “Zimbabwe and Seychelles have been mandated to pan out the way forward for the region`s tourism organization. We are under a very tight timetable to deliver the roadmap for the way forward in time for the February 13 Meeting in Cape Town South Africa where the 6-country committee will sit to prepare their recommendations for the next SADC Ministers meeting scheduled for Livingstone in Zambia.

The 6-country committee is under pressure to have their work completed within the set timetable to ensure that the SADC Heads of State August summit is able to consider the recommendations vis-a-vis RETOSA and tourism in the Southern Africa Region.

PHOTO (L-R): Minister St.Ange of Seychelles, Minister Mzembi of Zimbabwe,&Carol Hay of the CTO.

Africa tourism ministers meet with official from Caribbean Tourism Organization

SA Tourism opens first office in Africa

The opening of a South African Tourism office in Lagos, Nigeria, was an invitation for Nigerians, Ghanaians and other countries in West Africa to explore the beauty of South Africa, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said at the opening in the Nigerian capital on Tuesday.

Van Schalkwyk said the regional office would serve as a tourism hub from which South Africa would look to grow its presence in West Africa. It is the first South African Tourism regional marketing office on the African continent.

“Yes, we mark an important milestone here today, but it is exactly this, a milestone, along a road we have long been walking with the travel trade of this region.”

“During this time we’ve invested heavily in understanding the needs of the West African traveller so as to ensure that your holiday experience is as rewarding or memorable to you as it is to us.

“To that end, we have also been working tirelessly to ensure that South Africa offers West African travellers a holiday that enriches their lives through a world of new experiences,” he said.

Growth

Despite the pressure brought about by 2008′s global recession, South Africa’s tourism sector continued to grow.

While tourist arrivals from the United States and the Eurozone – South Africa’s trade partners – had not shown a large increase, those from the rest of Africa recorded positive growth.

Van Schalkwyk said that 73 282 Nigerian tourists visited South Africa in 2012 – an overall 13.8% increase from the 64 402 Nigerian tourists who visited South Africa in 2011. At the end of June 2013, Nigerian arrivals had continued to grow on a strong trajectory: 15.9% growth on the same period in 2012 to 40 097 tourist arrivals.

“Likewise, tourist arrivals from Ghana to South Africa grew a phenomenal 23.8% in 2012, when South Africa welcomed 22 953 Ghanaian tourists. Up to end June 2013, arrivals from Ghana were growing at 27.3%, to 13 663 tourist arrivals for the six- month period.

“Global interest in visiting Africa is at an all-time high, and it is also our intention to do our bit to convert this interest into increased arrivals across the continent,” Van Schalkwyk said.

 

Source: SAnews.gov.za

SA Tourism opens first office in Africa

Mexico still holding foreign boats, affecting tourism

Just 30 of the 337 impounded boats have been released, with the rest ‘embargoed’ under a litany of confusion.

Profligate, a 58-foot catamaran owned by Richard Spindler, is one of about 300 boats under impound by Mexican officials. It has been stuck at the dock in Puerto Vallarta since Nov. 26.

Mexico’s move to impound more than 330 boats – most hailing from the U.S. – has put a scare into the nautical tourism industry in Southern California.

Recreational boaters are canceling slip reservations south of the border, sailboat race organizers are altering courses to avoid Mexican waters, and others are postponing Mexico-bound regattas due to a lack of interest from participants.

Two months after surprise permit inspections, Mexican officials still haven’t lifted the “temporary embargo,” leaving boaters worrying when, or if, their boats will be released.

“It’s a public relations nightmare down here,” Richard Spindler of San Francisco said in a phone interview earlier this month after his 58-foot catamaran Profligate was impounded in Marina Riviera Nayarit near Puerto Vallarta.

The confusion started with the Thanksgiving weekend audit by a new subagency of Mexico’s Tax Administration Service. Tasked with finding vessels not adhering to Mexico’s Temporary Importation Permit requirements, the agency inspected 1,647 boats across 11 marinas, resulting in 337 vessels impounded.

While the boats weren’t removed or taken away, marina managers and boat owners have been ordered by the newly created General Audit of Foreign Trade Administration to leave the boats where they are, leading to concerns about what might become of the private yachts, sailboats, sportfishers and other vessels suddenly out of the owners’ control.

Of the 400 boats inspected at Puerto Los Cabos Marina in San Jose del Cabo, only three were impounded, all owned by Mexican nationals.

“We were lucky here, but people from the States are calling me scared to make the trip down to Mexico, and the tenants in the marina are scared of traveling to another marina where inspections could happen again,” manager Enrique Hernandez said.

The fears have reportedly affected boat entries to the Corona del Mar to Cabo sailboat race. Organizer Gary Davidson said the 800-nautical-mile race scheduled to start March 14 would be postponed until more interest is drummed up.

While 25 boats had expressed interest, only four signed up.

Even the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht race appears to be feeling the crunch. Only 90 boats have entered to participate in the 125-nautical-mile race into Mexican waters this April – about 50 fewer than at this time in the 2012 campaign.

“Mexico wants the nautical tourism, and in the past they’ve made it easy for boaters,” Spindler said. “But this is suicide.”

And while Spindler, a 30-year veteran of Mexican cruising, has been vocal about the issue, writing almost weekly updates for his sailing publication Latitude 38, most local boaters are keeping quiet, fearful of aggravating the Mexican government and hopeful the issue will blow over.

Luis Eduardo Lara Gutiérrez, head of the General Audit of Foreign Trade Administration, oversaw the marina audit, which he said was ordered to make sure boaters had correct and updated paperwork to legally keep their vessels in Mexican waters.

In an email sent to the Register on Jan. 23, Gutiérrez said the inspections were ongoing, with just 30 of the 337 boats released as of Jan. 24, and the agency had the right to hold the remaining boats in impound for up to four months.

Mexico still holding foreign boats, affecting tourism

Haiti - Tourism : Air Canada will increase its flights to Haiti..

Monday, announced that its leisure carrier subsidiary, Air Canada rougeTM, is expanding its choice of more Caribbean destinations this summer. Routes previously operated by Air Canada from Toronto and Montreal to Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Cancun and Tampa, FL, will be converted beginning this spring to Air Canada rouge service

The conversion of additional Caribbean vacation destinations to Air Canada rouge service represents an increase of 22% more seats on these routes to the Caribbean this summer than last.

The increase is greatest from Montreal where there will be in an increase of 36% more seats on these routes and 20 per cent more flights than last summer with the introduction of additional flights to Cancun, Port-au-Prince and Punta Cana.

By the end of March 2014, Air Canada rouge’s fleet will include four Boeing 767-300ER aircraft and 13 Airbus A319 aircraft transferred from Air Canada. Air Canada’s mainline fleet renewal is ongoing with the introduction of new aircraft.

For its 2014 summer schedule, Air Canada rouge will operate flights to the following popular vacation destinations available with optional Air Canada Vacations packages. Flights and vacation packages are now available for purchase at www.aircanada.com and through travel agents :

Europe :

Flights from Toronto to: Athens, Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Manchester and Venice. Flights from Montreal to: Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Nice.

Mexico :

Flights from Toronto to Cancun, and Montreal to Cancun*.

United States :

Flights from Toronto and Montreal to: Orlando and Las Vegas, and from Toronto to Tampa*.

Flights from Toronto to : 

Barbados*, Jamaica (Kingston, Montego Bay); Grenada; Nassau*, Bahamas; the Dominican Republic (Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Samana); Cuba (Varadero, Cayo Coco, Holguin and Santa Clara) and Costa Rica (San Jose and Liberia).

Flights from Montreal to : 

Cuba (Cayo Coco*, Holguin* and Santa Clara*); Haiti (Port-au-Prince*) and Dominican Republic (Punta Cana*).

New Air Canada rouge services indicated by an asterisk (*), previously operated by Air Canada’s mainline carrier, will be converted to Air Canada rouge service on a phased-in basis beginning March through May 2014 as additional aircraft are released by the mainline airline for operation by its leisure carrier.

Haiti - Tourism : Air Canada will increase its flights to Haiti..

The North America Office of Duesseldorf Tourism and Duesseldorf Airport Announce: Quadriennale Duesseldorf 2014 – Fine Arts Festival Highlights

Quadriennale 2014, from April 5 – August 10, is the Düsseldorf city-wide arts festival that happens every four years. This year’s theme is “Beyond Tomorrow” and now some of the festival’s highlights have been announced.

Düsseldorf, Germany: “Beyond Tomorrow” is the theme of Quadriennale Düsseldorf 2014 (April 5 – August 10), Düsseldorf’s major fine arts festival that will connect 13 of the city’s most important art venues for 4 months this year. It will feature many events all over the city, with many opportunities for visitors to explore the “future” and make one of Europe’s art capitals an even bigger destination for art enthusiasts from around the world.

Highlights of Quadriennale Düsseldorf 2014 at some of the city’s biggest art venues include:

“Art and Alchemy – The Mystery of Transformation” (Kunst und Alchemie – Das Geheimnis der Verwandlung) at the Museum Kunstpalast, an exhibit about the electrifying relationship between art and alchemy, with a variety of works from antiquity to the modern age. Artists shown include: Joseph Beuys, Jan Brueghel d.Ä., Lucas Cranach, Hendrick Goltzius, Max Ernst, Rebecca Horn, Anish Kapoor, Yves Klein, Sigmar Polke, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Peter Paul Rubens.

K20 Museum, which houses the collection of the State North Rhine-Westphalia, will show “Kandinsky, Malevich, Mondrian – The Infinite White Abyss” (Kandinsky, Malewitsch, Mondrian – Der weiße Abgrund Unendlichkeit), an exploration of white parts in the works of the title’s three artists.

Utopic and anti-utopic aspects of life below ground is the focus of an exhibit at K21 Museum, titled “Beneath the Ground: From Kafka to Kippenberger” (Unter der Erde: Von Kafka bis Kippenberger).

“Smart New World” is the name of the exhibit at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, which examines “data capitalism” and its effects on everyday life, such as permanent surveillance and the shifting of lives from private to public.

For a full program of Quadriennale Düsseldorf 2014, visit http://www.quadriennale-duesseldorf.de.

The city’s tourism office is offering hotel and city specials for Quadriennale Düsseldorf 2014. The travel package called “Quadriennale 2014” can be booked right from the tourism office’s website at http://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/en/accommodation/hotel-packages/hotel-package-quadriennale-2014/. Prices start at €89 per night per person based on double-occupancy for a 3-star hotel in the city center and at €119 per person for a 4-5 star hotel. All packages include breakfast, a Düsseldorf Welcome Card (free public transportation within city limits, 1 ticket to Quadriennale Düsseldorf 2014, plus more than 40 free or reduced admissions to city attractions), a city information package, and a MERIAN city guide.

Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourism GmbH is the visitors and convention bureau of the city of Düsseldorf. Its responsibilities include tourism and city marketing, as well as conference and meeting marketing, hotel reservation services, fairs and convention services, city event ticket sales and advance ticket reservations. For more information, visit http://www.visitduesseldorf.de.

Düsseldorf Airport, Germany’s Next Generation HubTM, offers several non-stop flights from US & Canadian cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, Toronto), as well as convenient connections to many European cities. For more information about the airport, visit http://www.fly2dus.com.

The North America Office of Duesseldorf Tourism and Duesseldorf Airport Announce: Quadriennale Duesseldorf 2014 – Fine Arts Festival Highlights

Minister: Jamaica's tourism can cash in on winter storm in North America

Jamaica’s tourism sector could benefit from the massive winter storm gripping sections of North America.

Dr. Wykeham McNeil, Tourism Minister says the freezing temperatures will likely result in more persons travelling to Jamaica in coming weeks to escape the Arctic air.

“We’ll have persons who will translate it and say that they want to go to a warm destination so normally we see an upswing in bookings. I think that the bookings going forward will be strong. Whereas we will get some discomfort from what is happening, we are also expecting to see an increase in bookings and it will help us a little later down in the season. Probably the bookings from now will be translated into February, March, and April.”

Meanwhile, despite thousands of flights in the United either being cancelled or delayed the local tourism sector has so far not suffered any fallout as far as bookings are concerned.

“What you have is discomfort because you have had delays on flights coming in and going out, yesterday it was a very busy day in the airport especially Sangster International. What you will have is delay with the discomfort that that causes, you may get some disconnections, but all told in terms of persons coming, we have not seen any fallout,’ McNeil said.

Minister: Jamaica's tourism can cash in on winter storm in North America

Tunisia’s tourism minister resigns over 2006 Israel trip

Tunisian Tourism Minister Amel Karboul submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Mahdi Jomaa over a trip to Israel in 2006, the state news agency TAP reported on Thursday.

Tunisian Tourism Minister Amel Karboul came under fire for an alleged visit to Israel in 2006.

The trip, brought up during a parliamentary session to give a vote of confidence to Jomaa’s new cabinet on Wednesday, stirred up controversy among parliament members.

“I presented my resignation to Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa. It is up to him to accept or reject it,” Karboul said at the end of the swearing-in ceremony in the Carthage palace.

Several blocs within the legislative body condemned Karboul and demanded reasons for the trip and her relationship with the Jewish country.

Karboul denied having entered Israel. ”I did not visit Israel because of the pressure I had undergone for more than four hours in the border post, because I am Arab and Muslim.”

But the prime minister said the Karboul had indeed visited Israel in 2006 to take part in a U.N. training program for Palestinian youths, but she refused to continue the training because of the six-hour interrogation she had faced in Tel-Aviv airport, for being Arab and Muslim.”

The Prime Minister Jomaa showed support for Karboul and has rejected her resignation, according to government sources.

Karboul had expressed her commitment to serve Tunisia, noting that despite several difficulties, the country still offers opportunities of development, TAP reported.

If she stays in her post, Karboul will seek to revive one of the most hard-hit economic sectors since the ouster the country’s 2011 revolution.

On her blog “Change and Leadership,” the minister says she is “open to the entire world” and that she “admires global culture and its influence on organizing projects and managing them in a dynamic manner.”

Tunisia’s tourism minister resigns over 2006 Israel trip

Palm Wants Master Plan For Tourism

WILLEMSTAD – The Minister of Economic Development, Stanley Palm aims at creating a strategic plan for the tourism sector. This is what the Minister declared during the Curaçao Tourism Strategic Planning Summit. According to Palm, Curacao has plenty of reasons to organize the sector much better. Palm says that this is possible if all players in the industry unite to jointly identify plans for the future.

During the summit, there were also some speakers, including the former director of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and former minister of tourism in the Bahamas Vincent Vanderpool and Professor Abraham Pizam of the Rosen College in Florida.

Palm Wants Master Plan For Tourism

IIM-A to study Gujarat Tourism’s branding campaign

AHMEDABAD:  The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will study the “Khushboo Gujarat Ki” campaign of the State tourism department, with Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador for the past three years.

Professors Abraham Koshy and Arvind Sahay of the IIM-A have been commissioned to write a case study on the branding campaign, being carried out by Gujarat Tourism, and its impact on tourist arrivals in the State, according to a press release here on Thursday.

The purpose is to look at the broader phenomenon of celebrity endorsements as a marketing tool and their effectiveness.

Domestic tourist arrivals in Gujarat have ramped up considerably, with an almost 33 % rise in the numbers from within the state, a 50% rise from other parts of India and from NRIs, and an almost 100% increase from foreign tourists.

IIM-A to study Gujarat Tourism’s branding campaign

Kerala announces major tax concessions for tourism in budget

Slashes luxury tax on resorts to make Kerala an international conferences destination

Slashes luxury tax on resorts to make Kerala an international conferences destination

Kerala is poised to become a ‘round-the-year destination’ for travellers and an important centre for international conferences with the Kerala government announcing major tax concessions for the state tourism industry in the state budget 2014. The budget, presented in the state assembly on January 27, 2014 by finance minister K M Mani, offers several tax concessions to the tourism industry. The major announcement includes a reduction in luxury tax to five per cent on hotels from June to August to promote off-season tourism. The step is expected to help reduce tariff in hotels and resorts in the state’s major backwater and hill destinations.

AP Anilkumar, tourism minister, Kerala, said, “The tax concessions announced in the budget will certainly help the tourism industry, which plays an important role in the state’s economy. The concessions will give a new fillip to the tourism industry in Kerala and help the state discover new avenues of growth for the important sector, which has received several international awards and recognitions.”

The government has also reduced luxury tax on convention centres and auditoriums with a daily rent exceeding INR 20,000 to 10 per cent from the existing 20 per cent, in a bid to promote MICE tourism, a niche category for facilitating national and international conferences, conventions and seminars. Other announcements for the tourism industry relate to substantial increase in allocation for marketing destinations and implementing special tourism projects. The cut in luxury tax in the off-season is expected to increase the number of tourists arriving in Kerala during the off-season months from June to August.

Suman Billa, secretary, Kerala Tourism, said, “Kerala has always been a destination for travel throughout the year. By making luxury tax on hotels and resorts during June-August only five per cent, the government is helping the state tourism sector in a big way to promote monsoon travel.”

The luxury tax cut for convention centres and auditoriums is expected to directly help the tourism sector in Kerala through MICE tourism will be a big money spinner for tourism abroad.

Billa added, “The reason quoted by many companies for not coming to Kerala for organising international conference,

Seminars and conventions was high tax. Now with the reduced, we are expecting a major boost to the sector by attracting more travellers and companies from abroad.”

Last week, Kerala Tourism won the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Ulysses Award for Innovation in recognition of the department’s initiatives in ‘Responsible Tourism’ unveiled in Kumarakom, a famous backwaters destination. It is the first such award from UNWTO to an Indian tourism board.

Kerala announces major tax concessions for tourism in budget

Nepal's tourism body to persuade Indo-Nepal joint initiative

SILIGURI: In order to brig in an upsurge in the Foreign tourist Arrival (FTA) in Tourism hotspot Nepal, the country’s tourism nodal agency is about to take up many retarding factors with the Government of Nepal to escalate the issues with western world at diplomatic level. Closely linked to Nepal’s tourism trade, Indian tourism sector is also hopeful of positive outcome of the initiative for entire Eastern Himalayan region including Indian circles in Sikkim, Darjeeling or NE India.

“In long term figures, we had around 5 lakh FTA in 1998. But, alarmingly that had come down to 3 lakh in 2012,” L B Baniya, senior manager of Nepal Tourism Board told ET.

“Though picture is in positive colour now in 2013, there are few serious retardant factors,” he added. Decision of European Union (EU) to ban all airlines from Nepal from flying into the 28-nation bloc is one among them.

Without high level of business operation of any Nepal airlines in EU countries, there is no chance of any major direct los. But, “This is enough to create negative image of Nepali airlines in the mind of western tourists who would remain dependent on Nepal’s airlines within Nepal,” said tour operators.

Moreover, caution against travelling in Nepal is also another serious one. “There is a general threat from terrorism. Attacks can be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers. There continue to be isolated incidents of bomb attacks (small improvised explosive devices), shootings and political violence across Nepal, including in Kathmandu,” says foreign travel advice of Government of UK.

“At ground level, things are not that bad,” though Baniya said so, the FTA figure of NTB reflects a subtle effect of all these retardant factors. During Jan-Aug 2013, FTA was recorded as 368,386, around 2.5% down from the figure of same period previous year. “More significantly, European continent, one of the largest contributors to Nepal tourism, had a degrowth of 7%,” said a Nepal Tourism official.

“It is a worry for us too. At least 30% of travelers from Western world arriving Nepal prefer visiting eastern Indian destinations including Darjeeling or Sikkim. Thus the trend in Nepal significantly influences the business here too,” said T Roy, Secretary Eastern Himalayan Tour and Travel Operators Association (EHTTOA).

As a remedial step, “We are persuading our Government to generate some coordination with India to work on mutual interest, as a joint effort, the ground reality, that is practically good enough, can be projected. But more importantly, an international diplomatic level initiative can be taken to persuade with western world to withdraw these cautions or warnings,” said Baniya.

Nepal's tourism body to persuade Indo-Nepal joint initiative

Kerala announces tax concessions for tourism in 2014 budget

Thiruvananthapuram: ‘God’s Own Country’ is poised to become a ‘round-the-year destination’ for travellers and an important centre for international conferences with the Kerala government announcing major tax concessions for the state tourism industry in the state Budget 2014.

 

The budget, presented in the state assembly on January 27 by Finance Minister Shri K M Mani, offers several tax concessions to the tourism industry.

The major announcements include a reduction in luxury tax to 5% on hotels from June to August to promote off-season tourism. The step is expected to help reduce tariff in hotels and resorts in the state’s major backwater and hill destinations.

The government has also reduced luxury tax on convention centres and auditoriums with a daily rent exceeding Rs 20,000 to 10 per cent from the existing 20 per cent, in a bid to promote MICE tourism, a niche category for facilitating national and international conferences, conventions and seminars.

Other announcements for the tourism industry relate to substantial increase in allocation for marketing destinations and implementing special tourism projects.

“The tax concessions announced in the Budget will certainly help the tourism industry, which plays an important role in the state’s economy,” said Kerala Tourism Minister Shri A P Anilkumar.

“The concessions will give a new fillip to the tourism industry in Kerala and help the state discover new avenues of growth for the important sector, which has received several international awards and recognitions,” Shri Anilkumar said while welcoming the announcements in the Budget.

Last week, Kerala Tourism won the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)’s Ulysses Award for Innovation in recognition of the department’s initiatives in ‘Responsible Tourism’ unveiled in Kumarakom, a famous backwaters destination. It is the first such award from UNWTO to an Indian tourism board.

The cut in luxury tax in the off-season is expected to increase the number of tourists arriving in Kerala during the off-season months from June to August.

Kerala Tourism Secretary Shri Suman Billa said the concessions would give a huge impetus to the state tourism industry. “Kerala has always been a destination for travel throughout the year. By making luxury tax on hotels and resorts during June-August only 5 per cent, the government is helping the state tourism sector in a big way to promote monsoon travel,” he added.

The luxury tax cut for convention centres and auditoriums is expected to directly help the tourism sector in Kerala through MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) tourism, a big money spinner for tourism abroad.

“The reason quoted by many companies for not coming to Kerala for organizing international conference, seminars and conventions was high tax. Now with that reduced, we are expecting a major boost to the sector by attracting more travellers and companies from abroad,” Shri Billa said.

While India earns thousands of crores of rupees in foreign exchange by hosting international conferences and conventions, the share of Kerala in this sector is meagre. Abroad, the MICE tourism is a vital element of tourism policy of countries. The luxury cut for convention centres will be applicable only for meetings and conventions approved by Kerala Tourism.

“We are grateful to the government for its whole-hearted support to the tourism sector, which is a very important industry of Kerala,” Shri Billa said.

Kerala announces tax concessions for tourism in 2014 budget

Canadian Tourism Commission Board of Directors appoints Greg Klassen as Interim President and CEO

The Board of the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has announced the appointment of Greg Klassen, CTC senior vice-president, Marketing Strategy and Communications, as its Interim President and CEO. The nomination follows the successful 10-year tenure of Michele McKenzie, who announced her departure in fall 2013.

“Greg’s deep knowledge of CTC’s business and his strong relationships with the Canadian and international tourism industry make him ideally placed to assume the interim leadership of the CTC,” says Steve Allan, chair of CTC’s Board of Directors. “His strategic and operational expertise, as well as a strong leadership style, will be essential for a smooth transition period.”

The federal government, working alongside CTC’s Board of Directors, has begun the process of finding CTC’s next permanent President and CEO (the position is appointed by Governor in Council). Mr. Klassen’s interim appointment is effective for 90 days, according to the terms of the Canadian Tourism Commission Act.

Mr. Klassen has been with CTC since 2001 and in the role of vice-president and senior vice-president of Marketing since 2005. Prior to CTC, he worked in marketing with Telus and AT&T and taught marketing at Algonquin College in Ottawa, ON. Mr. Klassen holds an MBA from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Victoria.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) is Canada’s national tourism marketing organization. A federal Crown corporation of the Government of Canada, we lead the Canadian tourism industry in marketing Canada as a premier four-season tourism destination. Our vision is to inspire the world to explore Canada. With our partnersin the tourism industry and the governments of Canada, the provinces and the territories, we promote Canada’s extraordinary experiences in 11 countries around the world, conduct market research, offer stunning visuals through the Brand Canada Library and provide resources and toolkits to help industry leverage Canada’s successful tourism brand—“Canada. Keep Exploring.” CTC is a proud member of the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of FameTM for Executing Strategy.

Canadian Tourism Commission Board of Directors appoints Greg Klassen as Interim President and CEO

ASEAN countries could win up to 10 million new visitors by easing visa procedures

A new report published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) shows that improving visa processes in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries could generate an extra 6 to 10 million visitors by 2016.

Easing Visa Procedures

The Impact of Visa Facilitation in ASEAN Member States, shows that the region is one of the most open in the world in terms of tourist visa requirements. Collaboration between countries and recent advances across the region to facilitate visas, including progressive approaches to implement new visa policies, have proven very successful. This collaboration forms part of joint efforts to improve social integration within the region and to grow the national and regional travel and tourism sectors, resulting in increased investment in the sector and consequently job creation.

Despite the achievements, there are still areas for further improvement. According to the report, ASEAN stands to gain between 6 to 10 million additional international tourist arrivals by 2016 from improved visa facilitation. The additional receipts generated by these tourists could reach between US$7 and US$12 billion. Moreover, the total number of jobs created as a consequence of this increase is estimated to range from 333,000 to 654,000.

WTTC Vice-President of Government and Industry Affairs, Helen Marano, has presented the report to the ATF 2014 National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) and highlighted how the leaders at the 2011 ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, agreed to cooperate on an ASEAN Common Visa Initiative, engaging the Tourism and other appropriate ministries for accomplishing this aspiration.

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai said “I would like to commend ASEAN leaders for their vision in making travel facilitation a priority in advancing regional integration and economic development in ASEAN and call upon them to continue supporting this important agenda.” “Indeed, although ASEAN is one of the most open regions in terms of tourist visas, this report clearly opens the opportunity to further promote easier visa policies as a means to generate economic growth, job creation and regional integration through tourism in the ASEAN economies”, he added.

David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “Encouraging freedom to travel is a key strategic priority for WTTC. Although the ASEAN countries already collaborate to encourage a better experience for the traveller, there is still more to do and greater economic benefits to be gained, as this report demonstrates. Better visa processes can reap immense economic benefits with increased tourism demand, tourist spending and job creation. Most importantly, better policies open the doors for better cross-cultural understanding”.

In spite of the great strides made in recent decades to facilitate tourist travel all over the world, there are still important areas of opportunity, namely considering the possibilities to maximize the use of information and communication technologies in improving visa procedures. Further opportunities include improving the delivery of information, facilitating current processes to obtain visas, differentiated treatment to facilitate tourist travel, instituting eVisa programmes and regional agreements for visa facilitation.

Source: http://www.wttc.org/news-media/news-archive/2014/asean-countries-could-win-10-million-new-visitors-easing-visa-pr/

ASEAN countries could win up to 10 million new visitors by easing visa procedures

Tourism Bureau launches free "iTaiwan" WiFi service for international visitors

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau rolled out the “iTaiwan” free WiFi internet service on December 20, 2013, making it easier than ever for international visitors to get online during their stay in Taiwan. With about 5,100 participating hotspots throughout the island, the service provides widely available online access in a user-friendly environment.

iTaiwan

Visitors can sign up for an iTaiwan account at http://itaiwan.taiwan.net.tw before departure or apply after arrival at a Tourism Bureau service counter or visitor information center (passport required). Accounts are effective for 30 days and can be extended to 60 or 90 days as needed.

Account holders can get online at any iTaiwan hotspot with a WiFi enabled smart mobile device by selecting the “iTaiwan WiFi” SSID and logging in with the account number and password. The service provides unlimited WiFi internet access for everything from looking up tourism and transportation information to sharing on-the-spot photos of Taiwan’s cuisine, scenic beauty and other special moments with friends.

For service details and transportation information, visit the Tourism Bureau’s Taiwan Tourism Information Network (http://taiwan.net.tw), or contact national scenic area administrations for more information.

• iTaiwan Online Registration System for Foreign Visitors


• Taiwan Tourism Information Network

Tourism Bureau launches free "iTaiwan" WiFi service for international visitors

What Visitors Want to do Most in Britain Revealed

A new study reveals that the desire of international visitors to experience Britain’s countryside and heritage is stronger than ever. But as we look forward to the New Year, other less traditional or new activities such as a night out in Newcastle, looking out over London from the Shard and a trip to the Harry Potter Studios are growing in popularity.

Visit Britain

A new study reveals that the desire of international visitors to experience Britain’s countryside and heritage is stronger than ever. But as we look forward to the New Year, other less traditional or new activities such as a night out in Newcastle, looking out over London from the Shard and a trip to the Harry Potter Studios are growing in popularity.

When VisitBritain offered 10,000 potential visitors (in 2013) from 19 countries a pre-defined list of 18 ‘only in Britain’ dream activities, respondents were most inclined to go for a top three of ‘Buckingham Palace, ‘viewing London from the Shard or London Eye’ and visiting ‘Edinburgh Castle’.

Visitors from most of Britain’s major inbound markets ranked Buckingham Palace first including the Americans, Russians and Chinese. Catching a panoramic view from the top of the Shard or the London Eye was second choice for one of our fastest growing markets, South Korea, a country witnessing 45% inbound growth so far in 2013 (January to September). Visiting Edinburgh Castle was particularly appealing to those in our established markets of USA, Canada, Australia and Italy who placed it second.

The desire to visit Chatsworth House and its expansive gardens was particularly common in markets where TV shows such as Downton Abbey are shown. The results reveal a desire to visit Britain’s built heritage across the country and all year round by those in China, Russia, USA and Canada.

Eating fish and chips tends to split opinion across all markets. The Indians rank it as their lowest ‘dream activity’ and the Argentinians, Chinese, Mexicans and Polish all place it second to last. However, enjoying some fresh fish and chips by the sea is immensely desirable for Americans and Canadians, who rank it as their third highest ‘dream activity’ with the Australians not far behind, ranking it fourth.

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, along with VisitBritain’s marketing of Britain as a destination with attractive natural scenic beauty, seems to have changed perceptions of Britain’s countryside. All countryside- based ‘dream activities’ attractions, such as the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and Snowdonia, were ranked highly by respondents. Post-Games research also suggests that 75% of tourists agreed Britain has plenty of interesting places to visit outside London, and the results of our GREAT image campaign showed that our advertising equally inspired people to want to visit London and the rest of Britain. Results from the latest Nations Brand Index (June 2013) have seen Britain reach the top 20 in the world for being ‘rich in natural beauty’ for the very first time.

The influence of film tourism and sporting events on visitor numbers is becoming more evident, particularly in motivating travel from those who are yet to decide on a destination. The largest grossing Bond film, SkyFall, featured Scotland’s scenic beauty and this is now reflected in the strong desire for the world to want to visit the area. Our largest source market, the French, position ‘wildlife spotting in the Scottish Highlands’ as their number one ‘dream’ activity, with Argentina, Germany and Poland ranking it second and Russians placing it third. Another tourist attraction with an obvious connection to film is the Harry Potter Studio Tour, which has now become a top ten ‘dream’ attraction for the French, Japanese, Mexicans and South Koreans.

Usually less positive when it comes to British food, the French rank eating in a ‘cosy Welsh pub’ as a top three ‘dream’ activity, pointing toward a gradual change in attitudes. Argentinians are the party seekers, with the highest propensity of all markets to want a night out in Newcastle, followed closely by the Swedes.

The Swedes have decided to buck the general market trend in this new research from Britain’s national tourism agency. The top four ‘dream’ activities for most markets sit towards the bottom for Swedish visitors (such as Buckingham Palace). The highest ranked ‘dream’ activity for the Swedes would be dinner in a cosy Welsh pub, followed by shopping on Oxford Street and watching a musical in London’s West End.

Unsurprisingly and following general visitor trends, 22% of men across all markets chose watching a football match as a dream activity (behind only Buckingham Palace) and 21% of women want to shop on Oxford Street (again only behind Buckingham Palace).

Long haul and emerging markets have a tendency to stick to London attractions, whereas the more mature tourism markets such as Italy, Germany and France want to explore and venture out across the country with their choice activities.

Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive of VisitBritain said: “Britain is a tourism destination that offers experiences for every taste. Where else in the world can you watch a top-flight Premier League game in the same afternoon as a tour around a quaint Cotswold village? From visiting Edinburgh Castle or dinner in a cosy Welsh pub to a tour of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts followed by a night on the tiles in Newcastle – we have something for the world to enjoy.

“Our mixture of new culture and old heritage combines seamlessly to offer a unique experience which is envied across the world and currently enjoyed in record numbers.”

What Visitors Want to do Most in Britain Revealed

Westport Festival of Music & Food Announces Over 30 Acts 28th & 29th June 2014 @ Westport House, Mayo

The ‘Westport Festival of Music and Food’ is delighted to announce over thirty Irish and International musicians, bands and comedians for the third highly anticipated two-day, family-friendly boutique festival which is taking place on Saturday & Sunday, 28 & 29 June at Westport House, one of Ireland’s most beautiful historic homes and parkland estates set amidst a stunning 400 acre site in the heart of Co. Mayo.

Entrance Hall Westport

The Westport Festival of Music & Food promises a fantastic fun filled music and food extravaganza with over 70 artists and comedians performing across five stages, an amazing food village and quality onsite camping in a truly relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. And the entrance to Westport House is located in the centre of Westport town, which is ideal for festival goers who want to continue to party when the festival finishes each night.

MUSIC

Music acts confirmed so far include Bryan Adams, Sinead O’Connor, Kool & The Gang, The Divine Comedy, The Jim Jones Revue, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Kila, The Selecter starring Pauline Black & Gaps Hendrickson, Bjorn Again, Tony Joe White, The Bootleg Beatles, The Hot Sprockets, The Kilfenora Ceile Band and Alien Envoy (Nick Kelly of The Fat Lady Sings new project), Additional acts will be announced over the next few months.

THE ROISIN DUBH STAGE

The hugely popular ‘Róisín Dubh’ Stage is back again this year with a supreme selection of incredibly talented up and coming Irish acts including The Cast of Cheers, Lisa O’Neill, Daithi, We Cut Corners, Enemies, Windings, Tvvins, Elaine Mai, Dott, Boyfights, The Depravations, Rudy Trixx, It Was All A Bit Black & White, My Fellow Sponges, Zero Era and Tracy Bruen.

COMEDY

Comedians Ardal O’Hanlon, Terry Alderton, Foil Arms & Hog, Karl Spain, Comedy Club 4 Kids with Howard Read (& Little Howard CBBC) and Tiernan Douieb will be keeping everyone entertained in the Comedy Tent.

FOOD VILLAGE

The Food & Wine Magazine Village which was one of the highlights of last year’s festival is returning to Westport House in 2014. Hosted by Norah Casey, it will bring together some of Ireland’s finest celebrity and Michelin Star chefs and restaurateurs for a series of culinary demonstrations. More details about the Food Village and chefs will be announced in the coming weeks.

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY

The Westport Festival welcomes all ages and of course kids under 12 are allowed in for free accompanied by an adult. Westport House has an amazing award winning Pirate Adventure Park which includes a host of FREE activities for kids and parents too…

• The Pirate Queen Swinging Ship- Not for the faint hearted, the Pirate Queen will test your head for heights – and your stomach!


• Pirate Plunge Log Flume Ride – A Pirate Adventure ark favourite, the Pirates Plunge is a splash-tastic log flume water ride that guarantees to entertain (not to mention splashing the passengers).


• Swan Pedaloe Boats – Families can pedal around the Westport House Lake on eight foot high Swan Pedaloe boats and enjoy views of the House, the Park, Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay. The swans are pedal propelled so it’s a fun way to get a little work out during your weekend at the Westport Festival.


• Westport House Express Train Ride – You can take a short ride through the grounds and watch out for surprises around every corner. Check out the stunning views of the lake, the House, Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay.


• Pirates Playground – Set adjacent to Gracy’s Bar & Cafe, The Pirates Playground offers a slide, climbing frames and rockers to entertain.


• Gracy’s Bouncy Castle – Set in the Pirates Haven, Gracy’s Bouncy Castle provides ideal fun for the younger members of the family. Children will have a ball!

Westport Festival of Music & Food Announces Over 30 Acts 28th & 29th June 2014 @ Westport House, Mayo

Tourism enjoys continued growth - Tourist arrivals to South Africa grew by 5.1%

Tourist arrivals to South Africa grew by 5.1% during the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. This was in addition to the growth of 10.5% recorded last year during the same period. We have thus consolidated the significant gains achieved from 2010 to 2012 on the back of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and have further increased the baseline to reach a historic high of 4 642 217 international tourist arrivals for the first two quarters of the year.

Over a four-year period, we have averaged 9.4% compound annual growth for the first half of the year, despite ever-increasing global competition, tough trading conditions in some of our source markets, and the fluctuating Rand.

Minister of Tourism – Marthinus van Schalkwyk

In a statement released by the office of the Minister of Tourism on 17 December 2013, South African Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk said: “Tourism arrivals to South Africa continue to grow in 2013, with growth in arrivals recorded from all regions. Our growth is in line with global averages for the period. According the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), growth in global tourist arrivals was 5.2% during the first six months of 2013.”

Europe

Tourist arrivals from Europe grew by 5.5% during the first six months of 2013 to 675 595 arrivals, up from 640 231 arrivals for the same period last year.

South Africa continued to see good, strong growth from Germany, its third-biggest source market, with arrivals growing by 13.8% in the first six months of 2013. There was also positive growth in arrivals from France (10.8%) and Italy (7.1%).

However, two of South Africa’s traditional source markets, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands, are still under pressure and recorded marginal declines in arrivals of -0.6% (UK) and -1,2% (Netherlands) during this period.

North America

Arrivals from North America grew by a further 3.7% in 2013. A total of 194 586 tourist arrivals was recorded for the first six months of 2013 compared to 187 703 in 2012.

“For us to compete as a destination in the current economic environment where many travellers in our traditional core markets are choosing to travel for shorter periods of time and closer to home, we need to work harder than ever to be seen as a destination that offers brilliant value for money. Working with our private-sector partners, we are focussed on nurturing this value proposition,” the Minister added.

Asia

Asian growth figures for the first six months of 2013 showed growth of 12.7% to 210 776 tourist arrivals compared to 186 981 tourist arrivals during the same period in 2012. Arrivals from China grew by 23.9% and India by 11% during this period.

Africa

Arrivals from our continent grew by 4.8% in 2013. Arrivals from Africa land markets grew by 4.4% in the first six months of 2013 while arrivals from African air markets grew by 11.4%.

There was strong growth especially from West African air markets, albeit from lower baselines: Ghana (+27.3%) and Nigeria (+15.9%).

“We remain confident in the growth in tourism arrivals from Africa, particularly from our air markets in West and East Africa,” said the Minister. “We are therefore proud to open a South African Tourism office in Lagos on 28 January 2014. We look forward to being part of the larger Nigerian travel community. Having a marketing home in this critical West African region will do much to bolster the relationships we have with both trade and consumers in the region, and unlock the full potential of tourism.”

Tourism’s contribution to the economy

Minister van Schalkwyk added: “Tourism’s contribution to the South African economy remains a key driver of growth and employment. Tourism injected R35.3-billion into the economy from January to June this year. Compared to other economic sectors, this is more than, for example, the R32.6-billion that gold exports contributed during the same period.”

Tourism enjoys continued growth - Tourist arrivals to South Africa grew by 5.1%

Dublin could double tourism revenue to €2.5bn by 2020

The final report from the Grow Dublin Taskforce, ‘Destination Dublin – A Collective Strategy for Growth to 2020’ was launched this morning by Lord Mayor, Oisín Quinn and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar.

The new plan for tourism in Dublin envisages a best case scenario where:

• Visitor numbers could grow by 7% a year


• Visitor spending increase by 8.6% a year


• Spending by international visitors would almost double to just under €2.5bn by 2020

The report was developed by the Grow Dublin Taskforce, a tourism group representing Dublin tourism and business interests tasked with the role of identifying how the city and county could deliver substantial growth by 2020.

Minister Varadkar, Lucy McCaffrey and Shaun Quinn

While emphasising that tourism is important to Dublin in terms of revenue and jobs, the report finds that the capital is underperforming and has slipped behind its main city competitors in Europe.  So while over the last three years the city has shown the beginnings of a recovery, a real awareness of Dublin and all that it can offer is not fully appreciated – particularly in those market segments which hold the most potential for growth in international visitor numbers.

The strategy set out by the report offers a roadmap for growing Dublin’s tourism in the years ahead – including identifying those market segments with most promise, outlining the need for a new brand and more modern image for the city and stressing the need for all interests in Dublin to come together to ensure that tourism can fulfil its true potential.

Welcoming the report, the Lord Mayor Óisin Quinn said -

“The launch of the Grow Dublin Taskforce Report is the result of a very successful collaboration between Dublin City Council, Fáilte Ireland and a number of other stakeholders.  Dublin is a fantastic tourist destination with lots to offer any visitor. The taskforce understood the importance of getting the right message to the right people as the first step to success.  The work of the Grow Dublin Taskforce, along with the roadmap now provided by the ‘Collective Strategy for Growth to 2020’, plots a clearly defined route which will help us stay on course to achieve further visitor growth and greater economic success for the city over the coming years.”

Officially launching the report, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Varadkar stated,

“2013 was a really good year for tourism in Dublin.  The city was thronged with tourists and our hotels were full throughout summer.  The common narrative is that the recovery in tourism has been stronger and faster in Dublin and that Dublin is doing much better than the rest of the country.  That may be true but it misses the point.

“Dublin is not in competition with the rest of Ireland for international visitors.  It is in competition with other cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Vienna. There is no reason why we should not aspire to doing even better than them.  That’s what today is all about.  Dublin’s tourist offering is unique, it is a young, vibrant, happening city with rich culture and heritage nestled between the wide open spaces of Dublin Bay and the mountains.  We have a lot to offer and want to welcome many more visitors in the years to come.”

Speaking about how this report will impact on the work of Fáilte Ireland, Shaun Quinn, CEO added,

”As the Taskforce sets out, Dublin is in danger of standing still with its brand becoming a bit stale. Meanwhile, our competitor cities overseas have been reinventing themselves. This report is therefore a very timely wake-up call to our capital.

“Already, many of the key recommendations contained within this report are currently being implemented by Fáilte Ireland and others to reposition Dublin and improve its appeal.  However, it will take more than one tourism organisation and the four local authorities to achieve the potential set out in this report. The success of Dublin as a tourism destination will also be dependent on tourism operators, sports, arts and culture interests and the wider business community working closely together as never before.”

Dublin could double tourism revenue to €2.5bn by 2020

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