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    WTTC Announces Next Stage of its groundbreaking Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative

    The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has today launched the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) verification scheme. Announced at ITB Berlin, Basics will ena-ble tourist accommodation providers from around the world, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey.
    Basics, an industry-wide supported initiative, first launched at WTTC’s Global Summit in Manilla last year, is a globally recognised and coordinated set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable Travel & Tourism.
    Basics emerged as a result of a clear demand from a group of influential global hotel brands and whilst there a great number of sustainability initiatives, Basics focuses on an achievable starting point. It will encourage all hospitality businesses to begin their sustaina-bility journeys and redefine the non-negotiables of sustainability in the industry.
    Made up of 12 key criteria, the Basics are achievable for all hotels to implement as a bare minimum. They serve as a stepping-stone to more complex sustainability schemes and even greater sustainability.
    Basics has also been recognised by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as the starting point for a net positive industry, who announced the latest version of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality.ADVERTISEMENTVerification Scheme
    In order to ensure the validity of the programme WTTC partnered with Green Key and SGS to develop a simple online verification system to allow hotels to provide evidence and en-sure they are following the Basics.
    The verification scheme enables hotels and other tourist accommodation to be officially verified for meeting eight of the 12 criteria in the first year and demonstrate their com-mitment to working toward all 12 of the criteria by year three.
    Together, the criteria ensure the sector is eco resilient and adaptive to the changing needs of the planet.
    Hotel Partners
    Six major international hotel groups, collectively representing tens of thousands of sites from around the world have now joined Basics as inaugural partners. The first hotel groups include well-known brands such as Accor, Jin Jiang International, Louvre Hotels Group, Meliá Hotels International, Meininger, and Radisson Hotel Group.
    Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said “We are incredibly proud to have launched the verification scheme for Hotel Sustainability Basics. The initiative is a response to the sector’s need for a baseline for hotels and other tourist lodgings to start their sustainability jour-neys.
    “Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the en-vironment but many sustainability practices such as efficient water use initiatives are patchy. Basics fills the gap by creating that level playing field for the sector.
    “It is testament to the need for such a scheme that already thousands of hotels from around the world have already signed up to Basics and are beginning their verification processes from today.”
    Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Security & Corporate Com-munications at Radisson Hotel Group said “Hotel Sustainability Basics is filling a new and unanswered demand in the hotel industry: to provide a solid, trusted, and clear label for es-sential hotel sustainability. It’s important we define responsible travel to preserve the planet and protect communities. With Hotel Sustainability Basics we offer the traveller a clear sus-tainable stay option for all types of hotels around the world.
    “Radisson Hotel Group commits to implement Hotel Sustainability Basics in all its 1,100 ho-tels by 2025. We do this together with our shareholder Jin Jiang International, their affiliate Louvre Hotel Group and other major hotel groups and destinations around the world.”
    Green Lodgings Trend Report
    WTTC carried out an extensive international benchmarking exercise through the Green Lodgings Trends Report, learning from 27,000 accommodation providers on how they are currently fairing against the 12 criteria.
    Crucially, this benchmark will allow WTTC to track the progress of Basics over time.
    Almost 100% of accommodation providers implement at least one initiative to reduce ine-quality and 96% have adopted linen reuse programmes.
    The report also showed many hoteliers are establishing sustainable practices but there is still a way to go for these to become common across the sector.
    Two-thirds of those surveyed have already begun to eliminate the use of certain single-use plastics such as straws and implementing other waste reduction initiatives.
    Emerging practices were also highlighted in the report.
    Almost half of respondents have replaced small plastic toiletry bottles with bulk dispensers and a third now provide vegetarian options for every course in their food and beverage pro-vision.
    Sector Partners
    In addition to the Alliance, WTTC collaborated with other key leading sector figures includ-ing representatives from Greenview, WTTC’s hotel members, Expedia, the Global Sustaina-ble Tourism Council (GSTC), Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and Trip.com, as well as the certification bodies SGS and Green Key.
    Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said “We are incredibly proud to work alongside the World Travel & Tourism Council to launch the Hotel Sustainability Ba-sics. Basics is a key part of the Alliance’s Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality which sets am-bitious targets to create a prosperous and responsible global hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes.
    “Net Positive Hospitality is a tremendous objective for us to achieve. Going beyond net zero and actually being contributory to the world’s future is a bold ambition but one I believe that the sector can achieve.”
    Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) said “Hotels throughout the world need to march towards sustainability quickly but the first step can be the hardest.
    “The WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics provide an excellent way to understand and take the first steps. With twelve clear actions that map to the eight of the GTSC Industry Criteria, the Basics are indeed an essential part of the journey.”
    Jane Sun, Group CEO of Trip.com said “Sustainability is a collective goal. As demand for sus-tainable options increases, Trip.com Group will deepen cooperation with our partners, in-cluding WTTC, and empower hotels globally to adopt the best sustainability practices.”
    Destination Partners
    A number of global tourism destinations have already recognised the strength of Hotel Sus-tainability Basics and demonstrated their commitment to ensure their hotels implement the Basics.
    Azerbaijan was the first Destination Partner to support the Basics, followed by other sup-porters such as Belize, Colombia, and Mauritius.
    Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board said “The Basics are an im-portant add-on to Azerbaijan’s sustainable tourism development strategy. We are commit-ted to prioritize sustainability throughout the entire value chain and customer journey.
    “We take pride in being a country partner of this initiative and pledge to continue our ef-forts in promoting responsible tourism practices.  Our mission is to care for the country’s intangible and tangible resources for future generations to enjoy, and a tourism industry, that benefits both visitors and hosts alike.”

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    AirAsia Super App Introduces Queuing Service to Help Tourists and Locals

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    AirAsia Super App Introduces Queuing Service to Help Tourists and Locals

    One of the best things about travelling is the food & cuisine that each destination offers, but sometimes long lines at famous restaurants with no online table reservation allowed can dampen the excitement. The airasia Super App has introduced a brand new service, specifically to address that inconvenience of queuing up at famous restaurants at tourist destinations, beginning with Bangkok.
    The ‘Queuing Service’ by airasia food, available from today onwards in Bangkok, enables travellers and local Bangkokians alike to book the service and have airasia riders queue up for them at participating restaurants such as CQK HOTPOT, Jeh O Chula, Lek Seafood Yaowarat, Khun Ple Mookata and Yi Ja Suki Mala. Dinner service can be booked in advance for any day from 6PM – 8PM.
    Miss Nattinee Tawanchulee, Country Head of airasia Super App Thailand, said, “With the launch of ‘Queuing Service’ on airasia food, we reinforce our position as a leading travel and lifestyle platform, providing value-added services for tourists and locals alike to have a better culinary experience when they travel. We have all experienced the frustration caused by long wait times at popular restaurants. In addition, there can be language barriers for foreign visitors meaning they miss out on signature dishes. To solve these issues and support the revival of local businesses, we introduce the ‘Queuing Service’ with five initial restaurants: CQK HOTPOT, Jeh O Chula, Lek Seafood Yaowarat, Khun Ple Mookata and Yi Ja Suki Mala and we look forward to adding more restaurants in the near future.”
    Steps on how to book this service easily via the airasia Super App by clicking on the ‘food’ icon, and follow these simple steps:
    Once you click on ‘Food’ icon, Select ‘Queuing Service’Choose a participating restaurant (CQK HOTPOT, Jeh O Chula, Lek Seafood Yaowarat, Khun Ple Mookata and Yi Ja Suki Mala are the participating restaurants for the moment)Enter the number of people who will be dining-inAgree to our terms and conditions, then confirm the restaurant locationBook the service and select your desired date and time (Dinner service can be booked in advance for any day from 6PM – 8PM)Pay the service fee starting at 300 THB.Stay up to date with good deals from the airasia Super App by following @airasiasuperapp.th on Instagram for the latest updates. For a seamless and enhanced experience, download your airasia Super App from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.ADVERTISEMENT

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    Breaking Travel News ITB daily 2023.

    Keep an eye out as BTN will once again be publishing its ever popular ITB daily for this years event. The on-line daily will commence tomorrow and can be found under the BTN publications drop down menu.

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    Haikou to host 2nd China (Hainan) Sports Expo in March

    The second China (Hainan) Sports Goods and Equipment Import Expo (“Hainan Sports Expo”) will be held at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center from the 24th to the 26th of March.Showcasing high-end imported sports equipment, sports event services, and domestic and international sports tourism products, this year’s Hainan Sports Expo will cover an exhibition area of over 37,000m². A number of high-end sports industry forums and sports events will also be held during the same period.
    As an important part of the Hainan Sports Expo, the exhibition will be divided into four major zones: water sports, outdoor leisure sports, air sports and sports bicycles. At the same time—providing exhibitors and visitors with a better exhibition and viewing experience—the exhibition hall will also have functional areas for public fitness services, sports consumer services, interactive experiences, events and business matching.

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    Outrigger in Hawaii Announces Promotions in Operations and Sales

    Edwin Torres, Kiana Beimes and Asari Tashima
    Outrigger Resorts & Hotels announced the promotions of Edwin Torres to Complex General Manager for Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel and OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger; Kiana Beimes to Hotel Manager for OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger; and Asari Tashima to Director, Market Development – Asia.As Complex General Manager, Torres oversees daily hotel operations and services, including guest relations, front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, revenue management, expense management, team building and host development for Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel and oversees the overall operation at the OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger.
    Torres joined Outrigger in 2015 and was promoted to General Manager at Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel in 2021. He has ably handled oversight of the OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger to his responsibilities while Outrigger searched for a Hotel Manager. Torres’ career at Outrigger started as Food and Beverage Director at the Outrigger Guam Beach Resort. Prior, his work experience included Director of Event Operations for the Grand Hotel Marriott in Point Clear, Alabama; Area Food and Beverage Director at Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel and The Renaissance Battlehouse Hotel in Mobile, Alabama; Food and Beverage Director at W Retreat & Spa Vieques Island, Puerto Rico; and for Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands.
    As Hotel Manager for the OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger, Beimes is responsible for the day-to-day management of the hotel, including daily hotel operations and services, including guest relations, front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, expense management, team building and host development.
    Beimes was Area Director of front services overseeing Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel and OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger since 2021 and before that Assistant Area Director for the same two properties, plus Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort and Front Office Manager at Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. She began her hospitality career in 2013 as an intern at Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort and in the same year was promoted to Guest Services Representative followed by Guest Services Manager before moving to the Beachcomber.
    Beimes holds an Associate of Science degree in hospitality and tourism with a concentration on hospitality operations management from Kapi‘olani Community College.ADVERTISEMENTAs Director, Market Development – Asia, Tashima will be an integral part of bringing Outrigger’s important Asia source market back as the continent continues to recover from the pandemic. She will work closely with the Vice President of Market Development to adapt Outrigger’s approach to a post-pandemic market with enhanced consumer engagement and relevant account strategies, while working closely with Outrigger’s Asia Global Sales & Marketing Representatives in Japan, Korea and China.
    Tashima joined Outrigger with 10 years of sales and service experience, including at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the former Pacific Beach Hotel. Since 2018, Tashima has been a standout sales and service performer with Outrigger’s Waikiki Collection team as Group Sales Manager – Asia.
    Tashima holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Travel Industry Management school at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is fluent in Japanese with basic knowledge in Mandarin.

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    Frankfurt Airport significantly increases flight services to major European cities

    Flight services at Frankfurt Airport are being stepped up significantly from the first week in June. They will focus on connections between cities in Europe, but flights to popular vacation destinations will also increase.For instance, various airlines plan to resume multiple weekly connections to Majorca (6). Further long-haul destinations are also being added to the timetables. The included table shows the flights currently scheduled at Frankfurt Airport.
    Daily capacity is now up to around 26,000.This is around 10 percent of the previous year’s figure. The airport operator expects a gradual build-up of flight services in the weeks ahead. However, as overall volumes remain well below last year’s levels due to the coronavirus pandemic, Terminal 1 will remain the focal point of all passenger handling activities for the time being.
    Airlines reserve the right to change flight services at short notice. Passengers should always check the latest information from their airline before traveling. They are also advised to look up the current travel advice of the German Federal Foreign Office.
    In addition, the flight schedule at www.frankfurtairport.com contains details of the status of scheduled take-offs and landings. Frankfurt Airport has been ready to step up flight operations since mid-May. Airport operator Fraport has implemented extensive anti-infection measures in the areas currently in use in Terminal 1, in line with all health authority regulations.

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    PATA Predicts Strong Annual Increase in Inbound Visitors to Asia Pacific in 2023

    The latest forecasts from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) predict strong annual increases in inbound visitor numbers for Asia Pacific under each of the mild, medium, and severe scenarios in 2023, with growth rates ranging from 71% under the latter scenario conditions to as much as 104% under the mild scenario.Following the earlier release of the Executive Summary, the Full Report released today gives a deeper quantitative overview of the international visitor landscape into and across the Asia Pacific region at the regional, sub-regional and destination levels out to 2025. This is done at both the annual and, where data permit, quarterly levels over the same period, and by scenario. In addition, the growth in key source markets between 2023 and 2025 is forecast for Asia Pacific as a whole, and for each of the regions/sub-regions as covered in the report.
    The annual increase in the absolute number of international visitor arrivals (IVAs) in 2023 is predicted to range from 158.7 million to 437.5 million under the severe and mild scenarios respectively, lifting the total volume of visitor arrivals to between 382.9 million and 712.7 million, under those same scenarios.
    Substantial annual increases in IVA numbers are also forecast for 2024 and 2025, under all three scenarios, although the volume of these gains will slowly reduce over the years as the absolute volume base of foreign arrivals increases.
    The impact of these increases is such that under the mild scenario, a return to better than the benchmark number of IVAs in 2019 is predicted to occur in 2023, while under the medium scenario that position is projected for 2024. Under the severe scenario, however, even by 2025, the volume of international visitors into and across Asia Pacific is forecast to still fall short of the 2019 benchmark by around 12%.
    The mix of source regions is forecast to remain dominated by flows from Asia Pacific markets into Asia Pacific destinations, with 2025 expected to return to roughly similar proportions as that of 2019, under all three scenarios.ADVERTISEMENTThese intra-regional proportionate flows differ for each Asia Pacific destination region, however, especially for the Americas and Asia, both of which rely heavily on intra-regional visitors. The Americas, as a source region for example, accounted for 55.4% of visitor numbers for the Americas in 2019, and this is predicted to gradually increase to between 56% and 57% in 2025, depending on the scenario that plays out at that time. The Asia-to-Asia flows accounted for 80.4% of total IVAs for that region in 2019, and this is forecast to reach between 80% and 82% by the end of 2025.
    The Pacific as a destination region within Asia Pacific is somewhat different, however, since its source regions in 2019 were dominated by Asia which had a slim margin over the Americas. Those positions are forecast to change over the years to 2025, at which time both source regions under the mild scenario are predicted to generate roughly equal proportionate shares of IVAs into the Pacific. Under the medium and severe scenarios, however, the Americas is projected to have a slight relative share dominance in delivering IVAs into the Pacific by the end of 2025.
    As IVA growth builds between 2023 and 2025, it is worth noting that the source markets of Asia collectively generate the bulk of the additional annual increases in absolute numbers of arrivals across Asia Pacific each year. Under the mild scenario, for example, the annual increase in IVAs from Asia in 2023 are forecast to number 330.7 million and account for three-quarters of the net increase in total IVAs between 2022 and 2023.
    Across the years and under all scenarios, the visitor footprint of the Asian source markets, at the aggregate Asia Pacific level, is predicted to remain very strong, although with significant differences at the destination regions and sub-regions. The Americas, for example, already with a strong intra-regional visitor flow, is not surprisingly forecast to receive more than half of its annual increase in IVAs in both 2023 and 2025, under the mild scenario, from source markets within that same region. That proportion is predicted to reach as much as 68% under the medium scenario in 2024 and 78% under the severe scenario in that same year, and although the proportions may reduce a little by 2025, they are still predicted to favour the Americas very much as the main generator of annual IVA growth in absolute numbers into that same region.
    As noted by PATA Chair Peter Semone, “these current forecasts are easily the most positive since 2019 and while inbound numbers are predicted to strongly increase each year to 2025, they will not do so evenly across the Asia Pacific destinations nor at the same rates. In addition, growth will not necessarily be by passive osmosis; work needs to be done for destinations to remain competitive and to deliver experiences to these visitors that consistently rate above and beyond their expectations. A blatant profit-grab at this time will resonate badly with visitors now and will work against destinations and operators in the future.”
    “Now more than ever before, destinations need to work with host communities, operators, and visitors to deliver results and experiences that bring the best of the travel and tourism sector to the fore, across all involved parties and in a responsible, equitable, meaningful, and thereby sustainable manner. Such an approach will also create a certain resilience to future shocks as and when they appear, and rest assured that they will!,” added Mr. Semone.
    What you will learn from this report:
    Forecast international visitor numbers for Asia Pacific between 2023 and 2025 by destination region, sub-region, and destination, highlighting changing demand preferences in the post-COVID era; andForecasts and recovery patterns for 39 individual destinations facilitating the development of appropriate strategies over the next three years.The PATA Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts Full Report 2023-2025 is now available at www.PATA.org/research-q1v63g6n2dw/p/asia-pacific-visitor-forecasts-2023-2025-x8tpc.
    PATA International members have exclusive access to the Forecast webinar recording, “How Would the Opening of China Impact on Demand for Tourism in the Asia Pacific Region” and related PowerPoint presentations, which was held on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The webinar included expert speakers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Euromonitor International, and OAG. The speakers provided an overview of the forecasts for international arrivals to Asia Pacific between 2023 and 2025 from their unique positions of forecasting arrivals, monitoring changing consumer sentiment, and aviation capacity.

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    Manchester Airport releases ‘Little Book of Travel Tales’ featuring stories from children

    Encounters with pandas, family reunions and magic dolls all feature in Manchester Airport’s new ’Little Book of Travel Tales’.Including stories written by children who have flown through the airport in recent times, the free book has been launched to celebrate World Book Day, and the airport has printed 5,000 copies which will be handed out to children travelling through over Easter, as well as to pupils visiting the AeroZone education centre.
    MAG – which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports – put out a call for submissions last year and received hundreds of entries, which were whittled down to winners from nine schools;
    • Didsbury C of E Primary School, Stockport
    • New Moston Primary School, Manchester
    • Queensgate Primary School, StockportADVERTISEMENT• Ringway Primary School, Wythenshawe
    • Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Wythenshawe
    • Stockport Home Education Community, Stockport
    • St Paul’s C of E Primary School. Manchester
    • Grewelthorpe C of E Primary School, Ripon, North Yorkshire
    • Westoe Crown Primary School, South Shields
    One of the selected stories tells the tale of a panda-obsessed girl called Emily, who wins a competition to travel to China and see her favourite animal in the wild.
    Another recounts the adventures of a mischievous toy doll called Dolly, who escapes the suitcase she has been packed into whilst in the hold of a plane and befriends a teddy, before finding – and eating – a whole box full of crisps.
    Poems submitted include an entry from nine-year-old Noah about the various jobs at the airport, and another by 7-year-old Milose about seeing a plane in the night sky and wondering about where it might be travelling to.
    The book also contains puzzles, wordsearches and a range of other fun activities to keep youngsters occupied whilst they wait for their flights.
    Manchester Airport’s Head of Education, Skills and Employment, Marcella M’Rabety, said: “We were blown away by the quality and variety of entries we received for the ‘Little Book of Travel Tales’ and are very grateful to participating schools and their pupils.
    “Literacy is a vital skill and World Book Day plays an important part in encouraging children to discover the joy of reading and writing. We were keen to support World Book Day through our education programme and tapping into youngsters’ enthusiasm for travel and adventure felt like a natural fit.
    “I know the pupils involved all had a great deal of fun writing the stories and poems, and I hope our passengers get just as much enjoyment from reading them.”
    The ‘Little Book of Travel Tales’ is part of a wider programme of education and school outreach work that Manchester Airport is engaged in. AeroZone, an on-site educational centre, was opened last year by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. It provides a mix of teaching space and interactive zones, including a mocked-up plane cabin with real seats and a cockpit, complete with flight simulator. It is available for school trip bookings for primary school pupils across the North.
    Meanwhile, the MAG Connect Airport Academy provides dedicated support to the long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups, offering free training courses and skills workshops in partnership with Trafford College, making over 4,000 job referrals last year.
    To find out more visit www.manchesterairport.co.uk/education.

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