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    Thailand strongly represented at WTTC Global Summit 2022

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) sent a high-ranking Thai tourism delegation led by H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, too meet with other world tourism leaders at the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit 2022, which took place in Manila, Philippines from 20-22 April, 2022.
    Making up the delegation alongside the Minister of Tourism and Sports was Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Asia and South Pacific, and Mr. Thawat Sumitmoh, Charge d’affaires of the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila.
    Participating in the Global Leaders Dialogue during the 2022 WTTC Global Summit, Mr. Tanes joined the discussion on ‘Rediscovering Travel’ together with leaders of tourism agencies from 11 other countries that included the USA, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Africa, India, the Maldives, Japan, and the European Parliament. He also attended the dinner reception for WTTC members and VIPs.
    Mr. Phiphat meanwhile met with H.E. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Tourism, to discuss bilateral tourism cooperation and the promotion of travel links between Thailand and the Philippines.
    The Thai delegation also met with Ms. Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO, to thank the organisation for certifying the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certification programme to be on par with the WTTC SafeTravels global health and hygiene standardised protocols. They also met with Mr. Craig S. Smith, Marriott International Group President, International, to discuss possibilities to promote tourism together.ADVERTISEMENTThe TAT delegation also took the opportunity presented by the 21st World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit to meet and discuss Thai tourism promotions with travel companies and local media in the Philippines, including the Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, BusinessMirror, ANC, and CNN Philippines, as well as updating the market on the current tourism situation and relaxed entry requirements to Thailand.

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    Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in tourism surpasses 500 signatories

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    Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in tourism surpasses 500 signatories

    The number of signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism has passed the 500-mark, just four months after the landmark initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has announced that Expedia Group, Booking Holdings and Condé Nast have become the latest signatories, joining stakeholders of all sizes and from every part of the diverse sector.
    The signatures of three of the sector’s biggest names underscores tourism’s determination to accelerating climate action at every level and reflects the shared commitment of both big businesses and small stakeholders to work towards a common goal. All signatories of the Glasgow Declaration commit to the decarbonization of tourism operations and to restore and protect ecosystems, helping visitors and host communities experience better balance with nature. “Rebalancing our relationship with nature is critical to regenerating both its ecological health and our personal, social and economic well-being”, the Declaration states.Cross-sector commitment
    The 538 signatories of the Glasgow Declaration include all types of stakeholders, among them DRV German Travel Association, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, PATA and Hostelling International; tour operators as EXO Travel, and Europa Mundo Vacaciones; accommodation providers such as The Cayuga Collection; DMOs such as Turismo de Portugal, Turisme de Barcelona, West Sweden Tourist Board, London & Partners, Destination Québec Cité and many more. All adhere to the guiding principle of restoring nature as a “key to our sector’s recovery from the pandemic, as well as its future prosperity and resilience”.
    Tourism must prosper in harmony with nature, and the number and variety of businesses, destinations and other organizations signing up to the ambitious Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action shows our sector is committed to doing better.UNWTO: “Time to Act”
    UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “It is time to act. Tourism must prosper in harmony with nature, and the number and variety of businesses, destinations and other organizations signing up to the ambitious Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action shows our sector is committed to doing better. I am delighted to welcome Expedia Group, Booking Holdings and Condé Nast as the newest signatories.”ADVERTISEMENTCollaboration across stakeholders is key to ensure that the necessary skills, tools and knowledge are available among service providers, host communities and tourists so that they can deliver change. Among the priorities of the Glasgow Declaration for 2022 is to deliver guidance on measurement of emissions and climate action planning with support from working groups.
    “The need to address the damaging effects of climate change has become more urgent than ever before, which is why our Climate Action Plan includes ambitious targets, based on the latest scientific guidance, to achieve near-zero emissions for our own operations by 2030, and net-zero by 2040,” said Glenn Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings. “Committing to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Net Zero Standard, and now signing the Glasgow Declaration, is critical to ensure that climate action is supporting science and the Paris Agreement to change the trajectory of the current crisis.”
    “We are proud to become a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism as part of a concerted effort with our partners and peers to progress a more sustainable travel industry,” said Peter Kern, CEO and Vice Chairman, Expedia Group. “As a travel company, we have the privilege of bringing people all around the world together every day. And as more people travel, we also have a responsibility to shift towards more sustainable operations to lessen our overall footprint and equip our travelers with sustainable options that match their values. We’re enhancing the visibility travelers have into their impact and offering more responsible choices. The industry must work together to help safeguard the future of travel for generations to come.”About the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism
    The Glasgow Declaration was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26. It is a voluntary commitment which requests organizations to support halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050 at the latest; to deliver climate action plans (or update existing plans) within 12 months from becoming signatories and implement them; to align their plans with five pathways, namely: measure, decarbonize, regenerate, collaborate and finance; to report publicly on progress made implementing those commitments; and to work on a collaborative spirit.
    The Glasgow Declaration is led by UNWTO in collaboration with the Travel Foundation and within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme. A full list of Signatories can be found here.

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    Subscription services set to transform travel industry

    Subscription services have disrupted almost every industry, but the customer-focused model remains relatively nascent in the travel industry, observes GlobalData. The data and analytics company notes that its popularity could rise as travel subscriptions, whereby travelers typically pay a monthly fee to receive benefits such as discounted prices and personalised travel content, represent a compelling way for businesses to build brand loyalty.
    Hannah Free, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “More and more businesses are moving away from the traditional product economy to the ‘subscription economy’. The subscription economy refers to the increasing presence of subscription-based businesses in today’s ecommerce landscape as opposed to the traditional pay-per-product model. Subscription models have the potential to completely transform an industry that faces challenges such as seasonality and growth-decline cycles by ensuring a relatively stable revenue stream.”
    One example of this would be Spanish travel company eDreams ODIGEO’s Prime subscription which reportedly reached two million members just six months after hitting one million in May 2021. More niche and targeted subscriptions are entering the market from the likes of Inspirato, Regenerative Travel and Bidroom.
    Further demonstrating the shift from traditional loyalty points to subscriptions is increased patent activity for subscriptions growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4% between 2017 and 21. According to GlobalData’s Travel and Tourism Patent Analytics, a total of 7936 patent publications related to subscriptions were made in 2021, with growth continuing even throughout COVID-19. Travel companies investing in subscription services will emerge from the pandemic in a strong position to attract the tech savvy and deal finding travellers.
    Some companies integrate subscriptions to their mix of revenue streams, while others will go to market with it as a foundational offering. Regardless, COVID-19 has highlighted the need for more a predictable and recurring revenue stream for travel companies as the likes of Bookings Holdings and Expedia Group saw their revenues drop more than 50% YoY in 2020, when travel came to a virtual standstill.ADVERTISEMENTFree concludes: “Subscriptions represent a compelling way for travel companies to create lasting relationships where engagement typically ends after a one-off transactional purchase. According to GlobalData’s Q1 2021 Consumer Survey, 35% of global respondents consider time-saving a key factor driving purchase, while 46% consider time-saving nice to have, but not essential. The subscription model is well placed to capitalise on increasing consumer demands for personalisation, while the value and convenience enjoyed by members has the potential to outweigh a monthly subscription or membership fee.”

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    Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett takes brand Jamaica globally

    Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is embarking on a global marketing tour to boost visitor arrivals.
    His first port of call is the United Kingdom this weekend when he will join Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange in a series of activities to celebrate Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence.
    He will then head to New York to promote brand Jamaica on the USA’s Northeastern Seaboard, taking in New Jersey, Connecticut, extending to Boston.Minister Bartlett said: “We then hit the new market of the Middle East. We’re meeting with all the mega airlines, including Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, S.A.L. and we’re going over to Riyadh as well to meet with King Khalid, their big aviation company, which wants to open 225 new gateways and we want Jamaica to be in that.”
    His schedule also includes a meeting with representatives of Royal Jordanian Airlines, as part of his vision to establish Jamaica as the hub for the Middle Eastern market for the Caribbean and the Americas.
    The promotional tour will also visit Africa, Europe and Latin America. At the end, Minister Bartlett expects to have agreements signed for an additional 8,000 new hotel rooms in Jamaica.ADVERTISEMENTYesterday Bartlett welcomed the start of construction on the RIU Aquarelle. The Spanish hotel chain is the first foreign investor to break ground for a hotel construction since the reopening of Jamaica’s tourism sector after the pandemic.
    The tourism minister also lauded RIU as the country’s largest foreign investor in the tourism industry.
    “And, with the groundbreaking today of this 700 room, it makes you definitely the largest foreign investor in tourism with 3,000 rooms and employing in excess of 2,000,” Bartlett said.
    Earlier this year, Bartlett also welcomed the launch of a new strategic initiative from Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts-owners, Grupo Piñero, in the Caribbean.
    Last year Jamaica was voted ‘World’s Leading Family Destination’, ‘World’s Leading Wedding Destination’, ‘Caribbean’s Leading Destination’ and ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’ by voters of World Travel Awards.
    World Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony 2022 will be taking place at Sandals Montego Bay on 14 June 2022. Free Conference will also be taking place.

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    LATA to feature its first travel agency programme at LATA Expo 2022

    The Latin American Travel Association (LATA) will feature its first travel agent programme at LATA Expo 2022 with a dedicated programme of agent events on Tuesday 14 June.
    For the first time, LATA Expo; Europe’s largest B2B travel trade event dedicated to Latin America, will welcome travel agents interested in selling Latin America for a special programme which aims to showcase the region and provide agents with key contacts, information and the tools needed to confidently sell the region.
    The dedicated agent event will start at 3pm on Tuesday 14 June, at LATA Expo, taking place at Evolution London in Battersea Park. The programme aims to offer an interactive journey around Latin America with key tourism board partners and leading tour operator BDMs.
    Travel agents will be invited to take part in a tailored agent session followed by an evening networking event, which will bring a flavour of Latin American to London, with themed food and drink.
    Colin Stewart, chairman of LATA, says:“We are delighted to be welcoming back the Latin American travel community in June 2022 in our first face-to-face LATA Expo in over two years. This year, we’re especially pleased to be welcoming travel agents to participate in a dedicated programme on the Tuesday afternoon. We know agents are an absolutely integral part of the tourism recovery to Latin America and our aim at LATA is to help provide the contacts, information and tools required to build confidence in the region and ultimately drive positive tourism growth.”
    LATA Expo takes place between 13 and 15 June featuring the main tourism players in Latin America. The event is open to tour operators, media and agents.

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    New York to host SITEGlobal Conference 2023

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    New York to host SITEGlobal Conference 2023

    NYC & Company, President & CEO, Fred Dixon has announced that New York City will host the 50th anniversary SITEGlobal Conference from 17-20 February 2023.
    The announcement was made at this week’s Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITEGC) 2022, which took place in Dublin this week. It also reflects the wave of optimism within the incentive travel industry as Covid restrictions are lifted.
    NYC & Company is the destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for NYC’s five boroughs.
    Fred Dixon, NYC & Company, President & CEO, Fred Dixon, said: “We greatly look forward to welcoming SITE attendees back to the five boroughs next year.”

    (Above: Fred Dixon, President & CEO, NYC & Company)
    While in Dublin, @nycgo has also conducted travel trade media interviews and held a special reception for members of the Irish press, trade, airline partners and meeting planners.
    SITE began in 1991, bringing 460 incentive travel professionals from 37 different countries to Dublin. That consolidated a relationship between SITE and Ireland that started way back in 1974 when Anne Wold-Graham, then an employee of the Irish Tourist Board in New York, became SITE’s first President.
    If Ireland is a leading destination for incentive travel experiences, then this is due to its relationship with SITE, to the connections that were built and the lessons learned.
    Woodlawn Bronx (photo: Brittany Petronella)
    Founded in 1973, SITE is a professional association of 2,500 members located in 90 countries, working in corporations, agencies, airlines, cruise companies, and across the entire destination supply chain.
    It brings value to its members at both global and local chapter level by networking, online resources, education, certification, and advocacy. SITE is committed to the new generation and operates a best-in-class Young Leaders program and dedicated annual conference.
    New York has a numbered of hotels and resorts nominated in this year’s World Travel Awards.

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    Saudi Arabia to host WTTC Global Summit in November 2022 More

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    Saudi Arabia to host WTTC Global Summit in November 2022

    At the closing session of its Global Summit in Manila, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced that its 22nd event will take place in Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 29 November to 2 December this year.
    In Manila, more than a thousand delegates, including the world’s foremost business leaders, government ministers and key decision-makers from across the global Travel & Tourism sector gathered together, to discuss how to build upon the continuing recovery.
    In her farewell address Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “It has been a privilege to bring together so many leaders from across the global Travel & Tourism sector to the beautiful city of Manila.
    “This Summit is living proof that nothing beats getting together, sharing ideas, debating the challenges, and finding consensus.
    “We still have a lot of work to do to bring down post-pandemic barriers, open economies and harmonise health data for seamless travel. But the future looks bright, and the next decade is there for the taking.ADVERTISEMENT“We look forward to our 22nd Global Summit later this year in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to mark the next chapter in the sector’s ongoing recovery.”
    Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Board Member of the Saudi Tourism Authority, said “We are excited to welcome the world to experience the excitement and the energy of Saudi. We promise you that the next summit will be fresh, inspiring, and rewarding.”
    Under the theme of ‘Rediscovering Travel’, tourism ministers and Travel & Tourism leaders from around the world reinforced their determination towards greater cooperation and alignment between the public and private sectors.
    At WTTC’s Global Leaders Dialogue session they explored how the sector will continue to adapt to COVID-19 and emerge resiliently from the pandemic.
    WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Report also revealed the Travel & Tourism sector was expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade and Travel & Tourism’s contribution to GDP could reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023.
    WTTC’s major ‘Hotel Sustainability Basics’ sustainability initiative was launched at its Global Summit, providing a starting point to drive sustainability throughout the hospitality sector to power the momentum toward responsible Travel & Tourism.
    The global body also launched its new cyber resilience report, ‘Codes to resilience’, with Microsoft, for the global Travel & Tourism sector, which outlined pillars to strengthen cyber security for businesses around the world.
    British adventurer Bear Grylls was the conference keynote, alongside other major speakers, including American film producer Lawrence Bender, Singapore-born American novelist and writer of satirical novels Kevin Kwan and Indonesian/Dutch environmental activist Melati Wijsen.

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    WTTC launches travel cyber report at Global Summit 2022 in Manila

    The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a new report at its Global Summit 2022 in Manila, emphasising the importance of cyber resilience in planning for a safer future.
    The report, ‘Codes to resilience’, in joint efforts with Microsoft, draws on comprehensive research and interviews with cyber security experts in leading travel and tourism organisations such as Mastercard, JTB, and Carnival Corporation, among others. It shows that whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has propelled the world and the sector into a more digital future, with the opportunities provided by digitalisation, new challenges have emerged, especially in cybercrime.
    The inaugural report focuses on three key areas considered critical for the sector: cyber resilience, key issues and six best practices based on the lessons learnt prior to and during the pandemic.
    The report goes on to show how digitalisation has become a strong enabler of business within travel and tourism, and given the international nature of the sector, it looks at the role of legislation around individual data protection.
    According to the report, more than seven out of 10 (72%) of SMEs in the UK, the US, and Europe, have fallen victim to at least one cyberattack, and with SMEs representing 80% of all travel and tourism businesses, mitigating cyber risk must remain a priority for the sector.ADVERTISEMENTJulia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Technology and digitalisation play a key role in making the whole travel experience more seamless, from booking a holiday, to checking in for a flight or embarking on a cruise. But the impact of cyberattacks carries enormous financial, reputational and regulatory risk.”
    This critical report reveals four key issues to address in order to improve cyber protection and enhance resilience: securing identity data, securing business operations, understanding the impact of COVID-19 and managing global legislation.
    According to the report, certain actions can help businesses better prepare to repel an attack, while laying the foundation to support long-term cyber resilience. Educating and training all staff, expanding risk security beyond the physical workplace, employing a zero-trust approach to cyber security, and transparency, among others, have been recommended by industry experts as good practices.
    Cyber resilience is a crucial element to the future of travel and tourism, as cyber systems continue to facilitate and enhance activities between the sector’s stakeholders.
    During a panel session at the tourism body’s Global Summit event being held in Manila today, industry leaders heard that cybercrime has cost the global economy U.S.$1 trillion and could reach a staggering U.S. $90 trillion by 2030.
    According to the WTTC Economic Impact Report, in 2019, before the pandemic stopped travel in its tracks, the travel and tourism sector generated more than U.S. $9.6 trillion to the global economy.
    However, in 2020, the pandemic brought the sector to an almost complete standstill, causing a massive 50% drop, representing a severe loss of nearly U.S. $4.5 trillion.
    Digitisation has played and will continue to play a pivotal role in travel and tourism’s growth and recovery from COVID-19. It is therefore essential for the sector to integrate cyber security and cyber resilience to continue its recovery from the pandemic while supporting its growth in the future.

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