More Than 1,000 Business Travel Buyers Register for GBTA Convention 2011

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – announced today that more than 1,000 business travel buyers have registered for the GBTA Convention 2011. Registration is well ahead of last year’s pace as nearly 5,000 people currently registered. The Convention, being held in Denver, Colorado, August 21st – 24th, will feature executive sessions with a dozen top industry CEOs and other nationally recognized speakers.

“Travel buyers are the heartbeat of a company’s travel program-they make sure travel continues while also making sure company dollars are wisely invested. There is no better place than Convention to bring together these agents of growth, connecting travel managers and suppliers and continuing the conversation of smarter travel,” said Michael W. McCormick, executive director and COO, GBTA. “Every year GBTA’s Convention gets better and better. We’ve ensured there is no shortage of interesting speakers and informative panels-helping to elevate the industry and the business of travel. Unlike any Convention before, we’ve invested in online planning tools that make it easier and more productive for attendees to plan their Convention experience.”

To ensure that attendees have an interesting and educational experience in Denver, GBTA is providing means to help members anticipate and prepare for their arrival. Through My Convention Planner, registrants can plan out their Convention experience including education sessions, events and meetings with exhibitors on the Expo floor. The customized online schedule can be synchronized to your Microsoft Outlook calendar and mobile applications. The GBTA Convention mobile application, available in early July, will be helpful for attendees to navigate all aspects of the Convention, including connecting with other attendees, creating their own personal agenda, obtaining information on speakers and sessions, and learning more about local attractions in Denver.

The GBTA Convention is the largest, most comprehensive annual gathering of business travel and meetings managers, meeting planners, procurement professionals and suppliers anywhere in the world. The Business Travel Event of the Year features: more than 70 industry-leading education sessions organized into 20+ specialized tracks geared to specific levels of experience and a variety of disciplines; a 400+ company Exposition showcasing market choices not available at other industry gatherings; executive sessions with a dozen top industry CEOs and world-renowned speakers; a wide selection of professional development opportunities; and, much more.

Source – GBTA

Industry leaders take part in CWT conference in Abu Dhabi

A number of travel industry leaders, including Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer James Hogan, took part in the Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) conference on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. A key element of the conference, themed New Heights, was an Industry focus session, moderated by Al Jazeera news presenter Darren Jordon, who invited a number of industry leaders to take part in a series of Q&A sessions and provide their insights on the issues that affect the business travel industry. In his session, James Hogan focused on a range of topics including Etihad’s strategy on surviving and outperforming the global recession; the changes that have taken place in consumer behaviour; and the importance of listening to customers and providing them with the services they want. The conference was attended by CWT’s leadership teams for the EMEA and Latin America regions, bringing together for the first time over 150 representatives of CWT’s wider global partner network. The 150 CWT delegates together manage in excess of $11billion in annual traffic.

Saudi tourism prepares for STTIM 2011

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has launched its marketing campaign for the Saudi Travel & Tourism Investment Market (STTIM-2011).
The event will be held in Riyadh during the period March 27th-31st next year and will be hosted in the Riyadh International Exhibition Center under the auspices of HRH Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Amir of Riyadh.
STTIM is one of the most important trade markets in the region.
It is to be held to develop the kingdom’s tourism industry, attract investments, and exchange travel and tourism views and experiences.
The event will also provide an environment for key individuals in the industry to discuss issues, and encourage and stimulate new investment initiatives.
The campaign which will last for four months includes four phases, aimed at highlighting the most important developments in the domestic tourism industry.
The first phase will be devoted to marketing the forum among companies and tourism stakeholders to attract their participation in the event, (from April 12th, 2010 to February 15th, 2011), the second phase will be devoted to the announcement of speakers and workshops that will accompany the forum, (from January 3rd to March 23rd, 2011).
The campaign will utilize different mass-media channels for this purpose, including TV channels, Saudi-1, and daily newspapers, in addition to social networks among others, targeting a cross section of various tourism sectors, including SCTA key partners, companies, and institutions engaged in tourism investment, tourism service providers, and the general public that are interested in tourism investment in addition to families and the country’s youth.

The arts light up downtown Santa Monica

Join Downtown Santa Monica in Celebrating the Holidays and the Arts at Annual Winterlit Celebration and Concert Day Packed with Free Family-Friendly Activities and Special Holiday Concert Featuring: * Restaurant demos and discounted gift packages by local chefs: The Lobster, Bar Pinxto, and Locanda del Lago * Children’s ornament decorating and face painting *”Five Little Peppers” reading with children’s author Diane Namm and author meet and greet. First 100 children received free autographed book * Performance of “Mrs. Scrooge” The Musical by West of Broadway * The Santa Monica High School Orchestra * Fancy Feet Dance Studio Holiday Performance * Menorah Lighting Ceremony and World Record dreidel spin contest * Annual Tree Lighting * Winterlit Concert with performances by Jessarae and recording artists Jared Lee and Tyler Hilton All activities on December 5th are free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted on the 1200 block of Third Street Promenade and 100 percent of the proceeds will be given to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation to support arts programs in our local schools.

UNWTO to support the implementation of a new hotel classification system in Morocco

In today’s competitive marketplace, tourism’s sustainable development and growth must be accompanied by quality tourism services. With the aim of assisting its Member countries to reinforce their competitive advantages, UNWTO is supporting a new hotel classification system in Morocco to ensure the country’s accommodation industry meets international demand for quality service. Thanks to its long-term tourism development strategy, Vision 2010, tourism has become a fundamental driver of growth and development for Morocco. On the occasion of the official launch of Vision 2020, UNWTO has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism and the National Hotel Industry Federation to support the entry into force of a new hotel classification system in the country (Marrakesh, Morocco, 30 December). Vision 2010 has proved a great success with tourism in Morocco booming, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the signing of the agreement. Now is the time, through Vision 2020, to ensure the sustainability of these gains by focusing on quality of services offered to tourists. UNWTO is very pleased to contribute to this goal through supporting the high quality of standards in hotels and the development of a new hotel classification system in Morocco. Under the agreement, UNWTO will train and certify the training of a select group of specialized auditors in the new ranking system to carry out quality audits of Moroccan accommodation establishments. Having implemented similar projects around the world, the Organization stands ready to provide the necessary expertise to the government and authorities as they implement the project over the next six years.

Tourism is top priority for Morocco says King Mohammed VI

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has reaffirmed his strong commitment to tourism as one of Morocco’s top national priorities. In a meeting attended by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, on the occasion of the 10th Tourism Convention Day, the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism set the stage for the official launch of Morocco’s Tourism Development Strategy Vision 2020″ In 2001, King Mohammed VI announced a new national tourism strategy for Morocco, Vision 2010, a long-term program to trigger the sustainable and accelerated development of tourism. Since then, thanks to a range of strong tourism policies and actions including a well-structured product development strategy, the liberalization of air transport and increased promotional efforts, international tourism to Morocco has increased significantly. International tourist arrivals grew almost two-fold in less than a decade and are expected to reach 9.3 million in 2010, while earnings from international tourism, a key export in the country, tripled in the same period. Moreover, in 2009, a challenging year for the tourism sector worldwide given the adverse global economic conditions, Morocco, as one of North Africa’s leading tourism destinations, was among the world’s top performers with arrivals up by 6%. Behind these figures, which clearly demonstrate the striking success of your political vision, lies an even more important reality: the creation of economic wealth and employment for the people of Morocco, said Mr. Rifai in his address to King Mohammed VI. The continuation of this policy with the Vision 2020 is an opportunity to consolidate the achievements of the last decade, consider the lessons learned, and continue maximizing tourism’s contribution to the prosperity of Morocco and its people.” On the occasion, UNWTO, Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism and the National Hotel Industry Federation signed an agreement, outlining support for the entry into force of a new hotel classification system in Morocco. The 10th edition of the Tourism Convention Day brought together some 1,000 national and international participants from the tourism sector to take stock of progress made so far and officially launch Vision 2020.This ambitious development strategy, designed to position tourism as a pillar of the national economy, has the full support of UNWTO and represents a new step in its long-standing relationship with Morocco, a UNWTO member since 1975.

World Travel & Tourism Council heads for Tokyo

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has confirmed it will hold its 2012 Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Tokyo, Japan. Despite stiff competition from three other candidate cities, Tokyo’s success was due to a convincing and compelling presentation that combined industry commitment, government support and enthusiasm from its agencies, dedication to a carbon neutral summit and high standards of efficiency and capability. The overall accessibility of the destination and following a deep recession evidence of accelerating GDP growth and a re-emerging Japanese tourism market, will help ensure the Summit is the must-attend event of the year. The 100 year anniversary of Japan Tourism Board that same year will also guarantee the summit is a resounding success. I’m very pleased that Tokyo will host our 2012 Summit. It is a city that enjoys more than 400 years of history and is also one of the most exciting modern and cultural destinations in the world,says Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president & chief executive of WTTC. Asia remains at the forefront of travel and tourism growth in the next few years. Our summit’s return to the region will give delegates the opportunity to address the issues and explore opportunities to secure the industry’s success. WTTC 11th Global Travel & Tourism Summit takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada USA on 17th-19th May 2011.

Travel Event News Countdown to the Caribbean Cruise Season for MSC

As MSC Poesia completes her inaugural Canada/New England cruises from New York and Quebec City, MSC is counting down to another exciting Caribbean cruise season featuring memorable destinations, special theme sailings, and an unparalleled onboard experience. When MSC Poesia sets sail from Quebec City on October 23, she begins a 9-night repositioning cruise taking her through Sydney, Boston, Newport and New York before heading to Fort Lauderdale. Upon her return to Fort Lauderdale on November 1, MSC Poesia begins a variety of 3-7- and 10-night roundtrip Caribbean cruises for MSC: * Ten-night “Remarkable Rainforest & the Panama Canal” departing November 1 and calling at Cozumel, Mexico; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Cristobal, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; and Montego Bay, Jamaica; * Three-night “Tropical Getaway” departing November 11, calling at Coco Cay, Bahamas; and Nassau, Bahamas; and * Alternating seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises through February 27, 2011: “Western Caribbean Wonders,” cruises call at Key West, Florida; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico; “Eastern Caribbean Enchantment,” cruises call at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas/Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Nassau, Bahamas. “Baseball greats” cruises are featured on several MSC sailings this season and offer free guest/player activities including a player-hosted trivia game, question-and-answer session, guest pitching contest, and a lively story-telling session. Players also will host skills clinics and participate in a free autograph session. “Baseball Greats” will be featured on the November 14, January 9 and 23 and February 6, seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises and the December 5, seven-night Western Caribbean cruise. MSC Poesia’s Caribbean cruise season ends with a 17-night Eastbound transatlantic cruise, “Bluewater Adventure,” on March 6, 2011 calling at San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. John’s, Antigua; Port Castries, St. Lucia; Funchal, Portugal; Malaga, Spain; Alicante, Spain; Barcelona, Spain; and Genoa, Italy.

Teams begin to arrive in Delhi for Games

Athletes from around the world have begun to arrive in New Delhi ahead of the Commonwealth Games. With fears of a cancellation fading, teams have begun final preparations before the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 3rd. Team England has led the way, with representatives from the 17 member sports unanimously agreeing they will travel to Delhi as planned. In a statement Commonwealth Games England said: “We are seeing the improved levels of resourcing required to resolve the operational issues. “We’ll monitor the situation to ensure the village and stadia are safe.” Organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi has also remained upbeat, arguing the athletes’ village is now ready for the 7,000 athletes and team officials it will accommodate during the event. “We believe there will be no serious complaints anymore. We believe that no teams will pull out of the Games. I am happy to note that we have already completed delegation registration meetings with 21 teams”, said Suresh Kalmadi