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    Q&A with Damien Rizzi, Head of Hospitality and Asset Management EGIS Group

    BTN caught up with Mr Rizzi ahead of his attendance at the forthcoming Future Hospitality Summit for a Q&A session.
    BTN: What are your organization’s core areas of focus when it comes to investment?
    EG: Our organization places a strong emphasis on innovation and sustainability, particularly within the hospitality industry. We’ve established a global sustainability practice with a dedicated team in the Middle East, comprising of more than 3,000 individuals. This team works closely with owners and developers throughout the entire asset lifecycle. Our commitment to sustainability extends to all our services, as we strive to reduce our environmental footprint while delivering exceptional service. Additionally, we are equally devoted to promoting sustainability in leisure-related ventures.
    We have also our own Leisure innovation Lab (Leisure Factory), tasked with creating new solutions which will become tomorrow’s leisure market, often combining tourism accommodation, leisure, culture, sports and businesses. Leisure Factory assists today’s creative minds in search of real and innovative ideas applied to tourism.  Leisure Factory also accompanies project leaders following a project’s conceptual phase in the search for investors, project follow-up, distribution and pre-opening planning.
    BTN: What is your outlook for the hospitality industry in the Middle East in 2023 and beyond?ADVERTISEMENTEG: While the spotlight has been on Saudi Arabia (KSA), we anticipate a resurgence of interest in developments in other regions such as Egypt. Furthermore, we foresee the steady growth of the hospitality sector in the UAE, which has matured significantly, evidenced by the emergence of diverse business models mirroring those in the US and Europe.
    BTN: What does your panel/presentation/workshop at FHS focus on and what will delegates be able to take away from your session?
    EG: Our primary panel discussion will revolve around the financial aspects of sustainability-enhanced projects. In the Middle Eastern hospitality market, sustainability has been a prominent topic, but we believe a genuine shift towards sustainability will occur when it’s directly tied to improved economic returns. Our second panel will concentrate on practical sustainability solutions, equipping attendees with a toolkit for implementation. Dr. Ali Amiri’s workshop will offer valuable insights into optimizing operating costs through energy-efficient equipment. Delegates can expect to leave our sessions with actionable strategies and a deeper understanding of sustainability, asset management, and cost optimization within the real estate sector.
    BTN: What are you personally looking forward to most from your attendance at FHS 2023?
    EG: On a personal level, we are eagerly anticipating the invaluable networking opportunities and knowledge exchange that FHS 2023 has to offer. Engaging with leaders in the Hospitality, Leisure, and Tourism industries, alongside technology pioneers and sustainability experts, will provide us with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to enhance our hospitality offerings. Additionally, uncovering emerging trends and solutions that align with our investment priorities will be an enriching experience.
    The Future Hospitality Summit is being held on 25-27 September 2023 at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island for more info visit https://www.futurehospitality.com/

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    TUI becomes first UK tour operator to offer British Sign Language interpretation

    Leading travel and leisure company, TUI, has joined forces with SignLive to be the first UK tour operator to give customers the option to have their conversations with the travel firm interpreted into British Sign Language (BSL).
    Deaf customers can sign up for free to SignLive (signlive.co.uk) and call via the online directory to have their telephone conversations with TUI Accessibility teams interpreted in real time.
    Sue Bradley, TUI Director of Customer Experience, said: “At TUI we want to make travelling with us as easy as possible for everyone. SignLive has come to us with an amazing solution for our customers who use British Sign Language (BSL). This service means that these customers can have conversations with our team to ensure they book the perfect holiday for them and get any additional support they might need.
    “Customers can speak to our contact centre team about new or existing bookings all by signing up to SignLive for free for support with hotel information, navigating airports or booking accessible transfers in resort.”
    Fiona Mackay, COO of SignLive said: “We’re delighted to be working with TUI to make travel more accessible for Deaf people. This partnership makes communication smoother and the overall experience of going on holiday much easier for British Sign Language users. Customers can travel with confidence knowing they can communicate via an interpreter throughout their journey.”ADVERTISEMENTThe service went live last week, and a video has been produced to explain all about the partnership and the service available via SignLive. Link here.

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    Youth travel agency KILROY opens first UK store in Bristol

    Youth travel agency KILROY launched its first UK store in Bristol this weekend – opening its doors for the first time on Saturday 16th September with a well-attended launch party. 
    KILROY celebrated the Bristol store opening at 43 Queens Road in Clifton with a jam-packed day of inspiring travel talks, prize giveaways and entertainment to attract the area’s vibrant population of students and young travellers.
    Established in Denmark in 1991, and now the largest youth and student travel agency in the Nordic region, KILROY announced its launch in the UK earlier this year, which was spurred by the country’s burgeoning youth travel scene.
    Niclas Lundquist, UK Commercial Director at KILROY said: “Bristol was the top choice for KILROY’s first UK store opening thanks to its young, vibrant student population and proximity to universities. The property at 43 Queens Road couldn’t be more fitting for a student and youth travel brand, having previously housed STA Travel. We’re incredibly excited to help fill the gap for tailored youth travel in the Bristol area and look forward to meeting the city’s dynamic young travellers.”   Jacob Strømfeldt, Sales Director for KILROY, travelled from Copenhagen to be part of the launch and said: “Bristol is the perfect location for our first UK store and marks the first step in our plans to be the go-to youth and student travel brand in the country. All of us at KILROY were excited to see such a great reception to the opening event and how our local team is bringing the brand to life in the UK.”
    The Bristol store opens with a team of four travel advisors to help plan and design dream adventures for students and young travellers, with that number expected to grow over the coming months.  ADVERTISEMENTLundquist added: “Our expansion into the UK market is a long-term investment for KILROY. We are committed to serving the market and will do so from Bristol to begin with. We are continuously evaluating new opportunities beyond Bristol to achieve a nationwide reach througha combination of physical stores and online presence.”
    From the start of Saturday’s launch event at midday to its closing at 5pm, KILROY gave away five incredible trips every hour, including a round-the-world adventure visiting three continents with stops in Thailand, Singapore, Australia and the USA. KILROY’s local team of travel experts presented talks on Thailand, Peru, surfing in Costa Rica and working holidays in Australia.
    More than 170 people attended the event on Saturday and five lucky locals were thrilled to win the chance to explore the world with KILROY.There was also food and drinks, music from local DJ Bad n Boothe, free travel-themed tattoos, and a live illustration by local artist Ruby Taylor who has worked with international brands including Gordon’s Gin and Schwarzkopf.

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    More ski flights to Geneva announced for Winter 23/24

    Jet2.com has expanded its programme of ski flights to its biggest ski destination – Geneva – on the back of strong demand from skiers and snowboarders. 
    The leading leisure airline has added more flights to Geneva from Leeds Bradford and Manchester Airports this coming winter, as snow sports fans rush to book their places on the slopes. 
    The announcement means that Jet2.com will operate up to 34 weekly ski flights to Geneva from nine UK airports in Winter 23/24. The expansion from Leeds Bradford and Manchester Airports means customers can now choose from up to eight weekly flights from each airport, providing even more choice with mid-week and long weekend options available. 
    Geneva offers ski enthusiasts some of the very best ski resorts across the Swiss and French Alps. It is regarded as one of the ultimate picks for skiers and snowboarders, with world-class resorts and ski areas such as Tignes, Flaine, Verbier and Zermatt all easily accessible from Geneva. In addition, the Three Valleys offers 600km of piste including Meribel and Val Thorens all for one ski pass. 
    As a result of today’s announcement, Jet2.com has 190,000 seats on sale between the UK and Geneva this winter, with flights on sale from the following airports:  ADVERTISEMENTLeeds Bradford – up to eight weekly services thanks to the addition of more Saturday services.  Manchester – up to eight weekly services thanks to the addition of more Sunday services.  Birmingham – up to five weekly services. London Stansted – up to seven weekly services. Edinburgh – up to two weekly services. Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow and Newcastle International – weekly Saturday services. As well as having more choice when it comes to booking a spot on the slopes, skiers and snowboarders travelling to eight ski destinations this coming winter – including Geneva – with Jet2.com can also benefit from 50% off return ski carriage for a limited time only. 
    The offer applies if customers make a new booking between now and 25th September 2023 and travel between 1st November 2023 and 30th April 2024* to any of Jet2.com’s eight ski destinations – Chambery, Geneva, Grenoble, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Lyon, Turin and Barcelona (Andorra).
    Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com said: “We are looking forward to an incredibly busy ski season, with customers clearly looking to get their place on the slopes booked in. With a wealth of world-class ski resorts on offer, Geneva is a mecca for snow sports fans and we are delighted to be expanding our programme even further this coming winter in response to the demand we are seeing. Thanks to our award-winning customer service and fantastic ski carriage offer for Winter 22/23 ski flight bookings, there’s no better time to be booking your place on the slopes with us than right now!”

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    Travel & Tourism sector now worth more than quarter of a trillion sterling says WTTC

    The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals the UK Travel & Tourism sector is forecast to exceed the 2019 peak this year.The sector is set to contribute £252.4BN to the UK economy this year, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic high of £248.5BN.
    WTTC is also forecasting that the sector will create almost 380,000 jobs this year, recovering almost all of the jobs lost due to the COVID 19 pandemic to reach more than 4MN, with around one in nine workers in the UK, in the Travel & Tourism sector.
    International visitor spend to the UK is forecast to reach £26.18BN, just 6% behind the 2019 peak of £38.6BN.
    A look back on last year
    Last year, the sector’s GDP contribution grew by 65% to reach more than £237BN, representing 9.5% of the economy, edging closer to the 2019 high of 9.9% of the economy.ADVERTISEMENTLast year the sector also created 1.1MN more jobs from the previous year to reach 3.6MN jobs nationally – one in 10 jobs across the UK.
    The sector has now recovered 1.5MN of the 1.7MN jobs lost during the pandemic.
    Last year also saw the return of international travellers heading to the UK with spending from overseas visitors growing over 300% from 2021 to reach almost £30BN.
    Domestic visitor spend fully recovered in 2022 to match the pre-pandemic high of £165BN, showing that whilst the UK has taken longer to attract high spending overseas visitors, the staycation is here to stay.
    Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Travel & Tourism creates one in every ten jobs in the UK. It contributes over £250bn a year to the UK economy.
    “Whilst our forecasts show the sector will reach a quarter of a trillion pounds this year, and predicts international visitor spend will recover by early next year, the UK Government should be aiming higher.
    “The recovery and long-term growth of the sector is at risk with the self-axing of VAT-free shopping for international tourists. We will continue to see high-value tourists choosing France and Italy over the UK and taking with them economic value and jobs.”
    What does the next decade look like?
    The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its GDP contribution to almost £315BN by 2033, nearly 11% of the UK economy and will employ over 5MN people across the country, with one in seven Brits working in the sector.
    Europe
    In 2022, the European Travel & Tourism sector contributed €1.9TN to the regional economy, just 7% below the 2019 peak. WTTC forecasts the region’s GDP contribution from the sector will reach more than €2TN in 2023 – within touching distance of the 2019 highpoint.
    The sector employed almost 35MN people across the region in 2022, an increase of 2.9MN from the previous year but still 3.2MN behind pre-pandemic levels. WTTC forecasts the sector will fully recover the jobs lost during the pandemic by the end of 2024.
    For more information, please visit WTTC Research Hub

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    Xingyi welcomes global guests at mountain tourism and outdoor sports conference

    Global guests involved in mountain tourism and outdoor sports met in China’s mountainous rich Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture unveiled the 2023 International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports, or MTOS, in Xingyi city on Saturday.This year’s meeting aims at exploring the deep integration of mountain tourism and multi-industries, promoting the high-quality development of mountain tourism, and providing high-quality tourism experiences for tourists.
    Nearly 700 guests from culture, sports and tourism authorities and enterprises, mountain and outdoor sports organizations, and investment and finance institutes from home and abroad attended Saturday’s opening ceremony, including those from France, Nepal, Portugal and Laos.
    Li Bingjun, deputy secretary of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee and governor of Guizhou province, said the province will make sustainable efforts in building a better mountainous park province to facilitate the tourism industry to serve people’s welfare and the province’s development at the opening ceremony. The province is aiming to become a world-class destination by improving local tourism resources and services and exploring more visitor sources to achieve high-quality tourism development, according to Li.
    Data shows Guizhou’s tourism industry has welcomed as many as 464 million visitors and earned 534.5 billion yuan during the first eighty months of 2023, reaching 109.2 percent and 117.7 percent respectively as that of 2019.
    Dominique de Villepin, chairman of International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), said the recovery of the tourism industry after the pandemic will be a process of transformation from quantity to quality. Tourism is related with health in many ways and mountain tourism boasts great potential to develop. As a mountainous park province, Guizhou has built itself into a model of combining mountain tourism and other industries with its rich and unique natural resources and is set to become a world-class destinations.ADVERTISEMENTIMTA was initiated by China and founded in Xingyi in 2017 with Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, as its headquarter and secretariat.
    A report on mountain tourism cooperation and development under the framework of RCEP co-compiled by International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) was released and 14 mountain and spring resorts nationally and internationally were honored as pilot models by the IMTA during the ceremony.
    The conference is formed of a complex of activities and events with the theme of “integrate sports and tourism, enjoy a high-quality life”. The five events include the annual meeting of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance and the Dialogue of World Famous Mountains held on Friday.
    Another major event saw more than 10,000 runners enjoying a half marathon race along the karst scenery route with Bouyei ethnic culture in Wanfenglin scenic spot on September 10.
    Supporting activities like a softball competition, a summer camp, a triathlon competition, a wild fishing competition and a half marathon run had been held in Xingyi before the opening of the conference while a sport climbing competition and a cycling race will be held during the conference.
    Xingyi, capital city of Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, has been the permanent venue for the conference since 2015. The city boasts China’s largest artificial lake and fifth largest freshwater lake – Wangfeng Lake, known as paradise for water sports – and Wanfenglin scenic spot, a tour area featuring dense and bizarrely shaped karst peaks extending for hundreds of kilometers and ranked by Chinese National Geography as one of the five most beautiful peak forests in the country.

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    Finnair CEO Steps Aside for #GirlsTakeover Campaign Promoting Equality in the Workplace

    Finnair is taking part in Plan International’s #GirlsTakeover campaign, where girls step into the shoes of political, social and economic leaders as part of the UN’s International Day of the Girl celebrations.
    At Finnair, 17-year-old Siru Nuutinen will take over the role of CEO Topi Manner and work with Finnair’s Executive Board on 9 October. The takeover is part of campaign by Plan International, a children’s rights organisation that seeks to raise awareness about discrimination against girls and, at the same time, highlighting their potential.
    “In recent years, we have seen growth in the importance of companies as socially responsible actors. At Finnair, we strongly believe in a diverse and equitable society, which is why we wanted to join Plan’s initiative,” says Manner. 
    The theme for the takeovers is equality in working life. Globally, girls still have fewer opportunities than boys to get an education, to access decision-making positions and earn equal pay. There is also room for improvement in equality in working life in Finland.
    At Finnair, the campaign focuses not only on the position of girls but also on the broader theme of equality and diversity. Updated objectives and actions will be published during the takeover.ADVERTISEMENT“We have long enjoyed a multicultural and diverse working environment. However, after long years of crisis, now is a good time to update our goals and restart the systematic actions to achieve a more equitable and inclusive workplace,” says Manner. “We want to be an attractive employer also in the future, and by working with Siru, we believe we can get good ideas on how to concretely advance equality and inclusion”.
    Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan strives for a just world, working together with children, young people, supporters and partners. Plan has been operating in Finland since 1998.

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    Untamed Borders Launches a Second Virtual Tour Route of Afghanistan

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    Untamed Borders Launches a Second Virtual Tour Route of Afghanistan

    Afghanistan’s first ever female tour guide is launching a second virtual tour with Untamed Borders, after the success of her first online sessions, showcasing Herat.
    Fatima Haidari used to offer in person guiding around the city with the adventure travel company, but had to flee for her safety when the Taliban retook control of the nation in 2021.
    Ever since Fatima has offered online tours for tourists from around the world and will soon be launching a new route covering Central Afghanistan.
    The new offering, which includes a Q&A session with Fatima, will cover an area spanning from the capital Kabul in the east, to the central Bamian Province, Ghor Province and finishing in Herat, in the west.
    Virtual tourism is a fast-growing industry – a report by Fortune Business Insights found the virtual tour software market is expected to grow from $384million in 2023 to $941.3million by 2030.ADVERTISEMENTIn the past year alone the industry grew by around $44million.
    The COVID pandemic played an important role in making tourism providers, tourist boards and museums think differently about how they deliver their services or showcase their venues, during the times of restrictions.
    This opened many people’s eyes to the benefits of virtual tours, helping transport people to locations, attractions or museums for a fraction of the price of a holiday.
    This trend has continued post pandemic, with more people now eco-conscious and the cost-of-living crisis, in places like the UK, having an impact on how much disposal income people have.
    Virtual tours allow people to sample corners of the globe, which they may never otherwise have opportunity to travel to, and are an accessible form of tourism, which has little impact on the environment, especially in comparison to flying.
    Untamed Borders Founder James Willcox says, “We never envisaged running virtual tours, but when Fatima had to leave Afghanistan, we wanted to find a way to support her.
    Fatima has always been an excellent tour guide, and we really enjoyed working with her in Herat, so helping Fatima to continue her work in some way was important to us.
    The tours offer a fascinating insight into life in Afghanistan and although virtual tourism will never replace the sensory overload of an actual trip to a country, they offer the next best thing for someone who can’t travel to the nation.”
    New virtual tour includes one Afghanistan’s most beautiful regions
    For Fatima the new virtual tour, which she will be offering through Untamed Borders, has a particularly special place in her heart.
    It includes the stunning Bamian Province, an area of immense natural beauty, which includes the beautiful Band-e-Amir Lakes and National Park, which became Afghanistan’s first national park in 2009.
    This region is symbolic – historically women in Bamian Province enjoyed relatively more freedom than elsewhere in the country, however, this has also recently changed under the Taliban – with women banned from Band-e-Amir.
    Fatima says people deserve to be able to see this natural gem and she is looking forward to showing the positive side of her nation…
    “Bamian has always been my favourite place, it’s a paradise and traditionally peaceful, with beauty and also freedom for men and women.
    I was also born in Ghor Province, lived in Herat for many years, where I also guided, and I’ve spent time in Kabul.
    So for me, this new virtual tour feels like a personal journey.”
    For Fatima, the virtual tours are helping her to remain in close connection with her homeland and serve a greater purpose than just showcasing the nation’s beauty, as Fatima explains….
    “I feel like I’m fighting back against the Taliban and defying their restrictions.
    I’m not only personally disobeying their restrictions, but I am also helping to support 4 regular classes for women to study in Afghanistan and other people are helping too.”
    New virtual tour helps fund women’s education in Afghanistan
    Behind closed doors women in Afghanistan are taking a stand, with some brave women setting up secret schools.
    The risks are high, but the uptake is increasing, with projects like Untamed Borders’ virtual tours, providing a vital source of funding to pay for the teachers’ time, along with books and other learning material at the classes, as Fatima explains…
    “At the classes the aim is to offer the girls and women English skills, which can help create opportunities abroad.
    The sessions also offer the women mental health support and advice, with many people suffering mental health difficulties due to the changes brought in by the Taliban.
    The aim is to help empower women, offer support, some language skills and give them more information about women’s rights.”.
    Along with Fatima’s own work to support these classes financially, some guests on the virtual tours also kindly donate personally to help further the work.
    The Afghanistan Central Route virtual tour with Fatima launches in October, with the first session bookable now on the Untamed Borders website.
    Fatima is also continuing with her Herat virtual tours, which are also bookable on the Untamed Borders website.

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