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    ‘Leading The Transformation’ Summit looks to more sustainable tourism

    The Palacio de Congresos de Palma hosted the Summit of Sustainable Destinations organised by UNWTO in partnership with the Mallorca Tourism Foundation. The conference has shared the best practices of environmental, social and economic sustainability developed around the world by leading organisations and companies in these initiatives.
    Catalina Cladera, the President of Consell de Majorca, Isabel Oliver from the Office of the UNWTO Secretary-General and José Hila, Mayor of Palma, opened the event of which was followed by more than 300 attendees in-person and online. Closing the summit were Closed the summit the vice president of the Spanish Government and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño; and the president of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol
    Cladera expressed her pride that Majorca is “the world capital of sustainable tourism during the celebration of this international summit” and assured delegates that “we want it to continue beyond this summit”. During her speech, the president highlighted the potential of the island as a benchmark of sustainability within the tourism sector. The president added, “Majorca is a leading, quality destination around the world, year-round, with pioneering laws in waste management and tourism.
    Representing UNWTO, Isabel Oliver highlighted the importance of “promoting sustainable tourism that respects human rights” and highlighted the weight of Majorca as a benchmark in terms of sustainability for “its ability to innovate, the professionalism of its entrepreneurs and the management of its governments”. The Mayor of Palma, who announced the recent approval of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for the city, highlighted the “need to bet on sustainability to improve the experiences of tourists and the quality of life of its residents, being a shared work between public administrations, the private sector and citizens”.
    Calviño stressed the importance of making public investments now, as well as the need to work collaboratively with the private sector to modernise a sector as important for Spain as the tourism sector and to continue to place the country in a position of leadership. She further emphasised that Spain will be able to recover 80% of international tourists of 2019 this summer under the leadership of the Balearic Islands, which this Easter has already exceeded the figures for 2019 in some segments.ADVERTISEMENTPresident Armengol ended the closing ceremony by highlighting the importance of the new tourism law that is being processed by the Parliament focused on sustainability from the triple perspective of business competitiveness, environmental sustainability and care for workers.
    Discussion of international expertsOn the first day, the Minister of Transition, Tourism and Sports, Andreu Serra, commenced the conference with the presentation “Majorca, leading the transition towards regenerative tourism”. This was followed by the first round table of the summit on institutional experiences in water management. Speakers included such as Miquel Mir, the Balearic Islands Minister of Environment and Territory, Jaume Mata, the Head of Sustainable Tourism for Visit Valencia, and Asad Riza, the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Maldives Islands. Aniol Esteban, Director of the Marilles Foundation, and Stefan Gössling, professor of Linnaeus University School of Business and Economics, also participated. The moderator was the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Tourism of the University of the Balearic Islands, Tolo Deyà.
    Representatives of the private sector also discussed solid waste management, including Sandra Benbeniste, Director of Sustainability of EMEA -Iberostar Hotels, Miguel González San Roman, the Director of Business Development at Minsait/Indra, and Antonio Pérez, the Mayor of Benidorm.
    In addition, the experiences of civil society in the United States have been heard, with Nina Bellucci Butler, CEO of Stina, and Andy Schroeder, co-founder of an ocean plastics recovery project. The round table was moderated by Toni Munar of Turismoconsulting.
    In the afternoon, the forum began with presentations on circular economy, moderated by José María de Juan, from Koan Consulting. The panel involved the views of Enrique Martínez, President of Segittur, Antoni Riera, Director of the Impulsa Foundation, Jaume Ordinas, the auditor of Hotels Garden, and Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, the deputy director of the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency of Turkey.
    The day ended with the block of analysis of data for the decision making in initiatives of touristic sustainability. The debate was moderated by Dolores Ordóñez, Director General at AnySolution, and was attended by Dirk Glaesser, Director of the UNWTO Sustainable Development Programme, Luis Javier Gadea, Director of Tourism Research, Development and Innovation at Segittur, José Javier Ramasco, CSIC Researcher at IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Sergio Guerreiro, Director of Knowledge Management and Innovation of Tourism of Portugal, and Carlos Cendra, partner at Mabrian Technologies.
    The second day of the forum was attended by the Minister of Economic Model, Tourism and Labour of the Balearic Government, Iago Negueruela, who participated with the presentation “Social Circularity and other axes of the Balearic tourism model”. This was followed by a round table on Human Development, with the participation of Catalina Alemany, CSR manager of Riu Hotels, Lola Herrero, professor and director of the Jean-Baptiste Say Institute, ESCP Europe, José Mañas, founder of Wireless DNA, Estelle Antognelli, director of Tourism and Congresses, Tourism and Convention Authority of Monaco, Manuel Butler, director of OTS in London and Juanma Martínez, director of projects and culture of sustainability at Green&Huma.
    Finally, the island councillor for Transition, Tourism and Sports, Andreu Serra, the president of FEHM, María Frontera, Mark Tanzer, executive director of ABTA, Miguel Sanz, director general of Turespaña, and Norbert Fiebig, president of DRV, presented the conclusions of the conference in a debate moderated by Michael Collins, director of TravelMedia.ie.
    HackathonParallel to the second day of the summit, a hackathon was held at the same Palacio de Congresos. The event was aimed at professionals, researchers, and students with an interest in and commitment to sustainability. They worked in groups on problems linked to three major challenges: water, food, and mobility. Each challenge will have a winning group, which will receive €5,000, to be divided equally among the members of each team.

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    ABTA shares top tips for travellers jetting off this Easter

    ABTA – The Travel Association has issued its top tips for travellers heading abroad this Easter weekend, which marks the first bank holiday since UK travel restrictions were lifted.
    With many people travelling overseas for the first time since the start of the pandemic, ABTA’s advice for those flying this weekend is focused on helping them get to and through the airport as smoothly as possible:

    Plan your journey to the airport in advance and allow extra time for traffic, planned road closures or engineering works.
    Arrive at the earliest time advised by your airline and airport.
    Make sure you’re ready to present your passport and any Covid-related documents you need at check-in. You also have the option to check-in online which may save you time.
    Prepare your hand luggage for security by placing large electrical items like laptops and tablets in the trays provided alongside any liquids you’re taking – these need to be 100ml or less and placed inside a 20cm x 20cm plastic bag.
    Take off items of clothing like coats, jackets and belts when passing through security and put any items in your pockets into the trays provided.

    More broadly, ABTA Members are reporting that the Canary Islands, Turkey, Portugal and Egypt are proving particularly popular for those seeking guaranteed sunshine and warmer weather this Easter, where temperatures are set to reach 24C in Faro, 25C in Lanzarote and 32C in Sharm El-Sheikh over the weekend.
    London Gatwick’s most popular short haul routes for 15-18 April are Dublin, Barcelona, Malaga, Madrid, Geneva, Amsterdam and Rome, while those heading further afield are visiting Dubai, Cancun and Toronto. All these routes have seen a significant increase in popularity since UK travel restrictions were removed.
    Graeme Buck, Director of Communications at ABTA – The Travel Association said:ADVERTISEMENT“Easter is a busy time for travel every year and in 2022 it sees the first major holiday getaway since UK Covid travel restrictions were lifted. Since the school holidays began, although there have been some reports of delays, most people’s journeys have been trouble free. That said, with many people wanting to travel it’s a good idea to plan ahead as much as possible.
    “In particular, time spent at the airport before a flight can be reduced if you make sure you have the travel documents you need ready for check-in and you’ve prepared your hand luggage in advance for the airport security checks.”

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    Intrepid relaunches food trips with a focus on plant-based experiences

    Intrepid Travel has relaunched its Real Food Adventures tour range. The 21 tours have been revamped to include a new plant-based experience on every itinerary, part of Intrepid’s ongoing commitment to decarbonise its business and inform a more climate-conscious future for travel.
    “Plant-based diets are a major opportunity for mitigating and adapting to climate change,” said Intrepid’s Global Environmental Impact Manager, Susanne Etti. “Plant-based foods generally have a much lower carbon footprint than animal-based foods. As Intrepid continues to innovate in ways that promote and support sustainability, including a delicious meal that showcases local fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds is just one way that we are investing in the health of our planet,” she added.
    Intrepid’s Real Food Adventures were originally launched in 2013 with six trips designed to give foodies a culinary experience focused on grassroots cuisines and culture. After a pandemic-induced hiatus, today, the reintroduced range features 21 tours including longstanding favourites like Mexico, India and Vietnam as well as newer itineraries in South Korea, The Balkans and Israel & Palestine.
    New for 2022 is a selection of 21 plant-based experiences that were curated to promote less carbon-intensive eating habits and to show travellers how easy it is to make climate-conscious decisions in everyday life.ADVERTISEMENTWhile the tours will still feature signature meals with traditional meat and fish dishes, the trips have been designed to show the importance of balance and moderation when it comes to making small but significant changes towards a more climate-friendly lifestyle.

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    UNWTO sets stage for Global Youth Tourism Summit in Italy

    The Summit, organised by UNWTO in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Tourism and the Italian National Tourist Board, will provide a unique opportunity for young people aged between 12 and 18 to share their vision for the future of the sector. For one week, 100 young delegates will network with and work alongside politicians, leading figures from across the tourism sector as well as from the worlds of entertainment and sports.
    Against the backdrop of the BIT travel trade show in Milan, UNWTO Director for Europe Alessandra Priante joined representatives of the project partners to share more details of the landmark Summit. The inaugural event will be held around the theme of International Sustainable Tourism. The program will include interactive activities oriented towards the Sustainable Development Goals and how they interact with tourism, during which participants will learn how to build a sector that combines sustainability, culture, gastronomy, innovation and climate action.
    Empowering the next generationUNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “The Global Youth Tourism Summit is a unique platform to celebrate and empower the next generation of tourism leaders. It will help build a lasting legacy by providing young people with the skills and knowledge they need to transform tourism not only in their communities but everywhere.” UNWTO Director for Europe Professor Priante added: “Tourism offers opportunities to the youth. But youth gives tourism the opportunity to become stronger and more resilient. We are extremely proud of the first generation of GYST-ers, who already show their promise and commitment to transform tourism – starting from their local communities.”
    High-level participationIn Milan, the organisers confirmed that several Italian Ministries will be involved (education, foreign, south), as will a number of key UN institutions, including FAO, UNICEF and ITU. The Summit will bring together major international players convened by UNWTO, including the Global Tourism Economy Research Center of Macao, the Bella Vista Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland, the Azerbaijan National Tourism Agency, Hilton International, Mastercard Europe and MSC Crociere. Confirmed institutional guests will include Commissioner Gabriel, the UN’s ENVOY for YOUTH Jayathma Wickramanayake, some of the UNWTO Ambassadors for Responsible Tourism Valeria Mazza, Didier Drogba, Gino Sorbillo and many other international VIPs and influencers.
    Hosts anticipate ‘unique experience’“A moment of osmosis between past, present and future can only benefit Italy which is being reorganised and reborn. We believe in the contribution and enthusiasm of the generations of tomorrow, not only for the lessons they can teach us and for the necessary comparison of what will come next, but also because new opportunities arise from this dialogue, not only in terms of tourist offerings, but also in terms of tourist training,” says Enit President Giorgio Palmucci.ADVERTISEMENTFelice Casucci, Councillor for Tourism of the Campania Region adds: “The institutional chain must be compact at a time when it is necessary to have a broad vision and focus on young people for a great international message of peace. Sorrento is a unique opportunity to put together a highly recognised tourist destination with a narrative that is open to the territorial contexts and regional identity values among the most exclusive and attractive in the world.”
    The Mayor of Sorrento, Massimo Coppola says: “Our city is honored to host the first edition of Global Youth Tourism. The objective of the event is to bring participants, selected and from all over the world, to live a unique experience, promoting the comparison and ensure that the new generations can pursue the mission of environmental sustainability. To animate it will be young people aged between 12 and 18 years, who will confront themselves and contribute to the definition of the World Tourism Agenda 2030.”

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    Global travel & tourism sector unites to support Ukraine

    Julia Simpson, President & CEO, WTTC
    Travel and tourism businesses around the globe have come together to support Ukraine with millions of hotel rooms for refugees escaping the conflict, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
    WTTC members such as Accor, Airbnb, Carnival Corporation, the European Travel Commission, Expedia, Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group, Internova Travel Group, Marriott International, MSC Cruises, Radisson, and Uber to name just a few, have opened their doors to refugees in neighbouring countries donating rooms, transport, clothing, food, shelter, urgent supplies and financial contributions.
    In Ukraine, hotels have continued to stay open offering a base to charities, journalists, and those stranded by the conflict. Businesses across the global Travel & Tourism sector including airports, airlines, cruise lines, and tour operators, are going to extraordinary lengths to help alleviate the suffering of those affected.
    This invasion has caused the biggest displacement of people in Europe since the Second World War.
    In addition to providing urgently needed accommodation, businesses large and small have made multi-million-pound donations to disaster relief funds which have been supplemented by individual fund-raising initiatives. ADVERTISEMENTJulia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “There has been an outpouring of support from Travel & Tourism companies across the globe.
    “Hotels have opened their doors receiving refugees, and in Ukraine, teams on the ground are keeping hotels open for aid agencies, journalists, and those stranded and desperate.
    “Cruise lines and airlines have transported supplies, and across the board the response has been incredible, and I salute the courage of teams on the ground.
    “WTTC and our Members stand for peace and respecting the national sovereignty of every nation and our hearts go out to all those who are suffering from this brutal invasion.”
    Many companies around the world have generously matched their employees’ contributions to support charities providing help through emergency aid and essential supplies.Temporary accommodation has been arranged thanks to generous Travel & Tourism employees opening their homes to provide emergency shelter. Airbnb also devised creative solutions to get money into the hands of local people.
    In addition, much needed medical and hospital supplies have been provided by businesses’ donations through various charities around the world.
    WTTC and the Global Travel & Tourism sector are united in providing help to those affected by this crisis.

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    Summer 2022 poised for strong tourism business

    The global tourism market is expected to reach $637 billion this summer, an increase of 50 per cent, according to forecasts by ITB Berlin and Statista. The study says long-term changes in travel behaviour due to Covid will not affect decision-making and destination choices, whilst the war in Ukraine is unlikely to severely impact the travel industry.
    The ITB Berlin and Statista study, Statista’s Mobility Market Outlook (MMO), forecasts that the global travel industry will grow by a projected 48 per cent, reaching $637 billion in 2022. In 2023 it will overtake pre-pandemic levels by around five per cent, reaching almost $756 billion. In 2022, the highest growth rate is forecasted for the cruise industry (180 per cent year-on-year) and the hotel trade (57 per cent). The hotel trade represents the largest tourism market segment and will likely exceed private accommodation and holiday apartments as well as package tours. At the same time, the MMO predicts that the market for private accommodation and holiday apartments will exceed $81 billion in total turnover, only two per cent short of the market volume in 2019.
    War in Ukraine unlikely to severely impact the travel industry
    As these forecasts do not take the impact of the war in Ukraine into account, the question is whether it will affect the global travel and tourism industry in the long term – and if so, in what ways? According to an analysis by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), apart from the coronavirus pandemic, the events with the biggest long-term impact on global civil aviation were the combination of the dotcom bubble bursting in 2000 and the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. In 2001 and 2002, global air passenger numbers declined year-on-year by one per cent, briefly interrupting the growth trend in air travel, before returning to and exceeding pre-crisis levels in 2004. According to data received from the UNWTO, in 2019 Russia and Ukraine, the two countries currently at war, accounted for three per cent of global tourism spending on international travel. Assuming the war does not spread to other regions, it is unlikely that it will severely impact the global travel industry. However, it is possible the crisis could have a bigger impact on individual markets. In Cyprus, according to the finance minister Konstantinos Petridis, Russian tourists account for around 25 per cent of international visitors. Their absence could cost the country up to two per cent of GDP. According to Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, last year his country was host to more than 4.5 million Russian tourists and two million from the Ukraine – together almost 30 per cent of the foreign visitors holidaying there. Unlike Cyprus, the Turkish government has yet to impose sanctions on Russia, so it is unclear how heavily Turkey’s tourism industry will be affected.
    Holidays are back: airlines can expect record business this summerADVERTISEMENTDespite the crises, Germans appear to have rediscovered their lust for travel and holidays. According to Statista’s Global Consumer Survey (GCS), more than 62 per cent of Germans are planning at least one trip over the next 12 months. In an interview with the trade magazine watson, Dr. Bernd Eisenstein, director of the German Institute for Tourism Research, interpreted this as the market catching up again: “During the period of wide-ranging restrictions there was a pent-up demand for travel which is now really asserting itself.“ This effect is noticeable in a different segment of the market too. According to the German Aviation Association, the number of passenger seats now available to the tourism market has risen by three per cent compared with summer 2019. In an interview with Deutsche Presseagentur, Jens Bischof, head of the market leader Eurowings, said: “After two years of the pandemic, millions of people finally want to catch up on their holidays or meet important business contacts face-to-face again.“ That was why, starting in March, his airline would be flying to more destinations than ever before. According to Eurowings, the focus of holidaymakers is on the Mediterranean. Among the most popular destinations are Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy. European destinations are generally high on the list of German holidaymakers. According to the GCS, 54 per cent of people travelling this year plan to holiday in Europe and 18 per cent in Asia, which ranked in second place.
    Covid has changed a lot – but not everything
    It is no secret that the pandemic has fundamentally changed holidaymakers’ travel behaviour on both the domestic and international markets. According to the GCS, the pandemic has influenced the travel behaviour of 90 per cent of travellers in Germany, the UK and the USA. This impact would seem to be long-lasting: only 31 per cent of interviewees do not believe that the changes in travel behaviour will be permanent.
    However, some things will stay as they are. As the flight schedules of Eurowings in Germany and the findings of the GCS seem to show, the reasons for choosing a destination have hardly changed. In 2022 as in 2019, the five most important criteria listed by Germans for a holiday destination are the weather, nature, personal safety at one’s destination, local attractions and the price. As far as prices go, 36 percent of interviewees in Germany want to spend more on holidays than before the pandemic, 31 per cent the same amount, and 31 per cent aim to spend less. Specifically, 50 per cent of travellers plan to spend more than 2,000 euros on themselves and, where applicable, their family, while 17 per cent actually plan to spend over 3,000 euros. Ultimately, the tourism industry can expect business to return during the summer, and in some markets and at some destinations it will already reach pre-pandemic levels.
    YOU CAN CHECK ALL WORLD’S Leading Travel Events at… https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/events/

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    UK government pledges £7.6 million for rail innovation

    The UK government has made £7.6 million available for cutting-edge technology that will help transform rail travel.
    Rail Minister Wendy Morton has officially announced this year’s First of Kind competition, which invites bids from companies specialising in innovative ways to modernise the railways.
    In partnership with Innovate UK, this year’s competition will award up to £7.6 million to projects creating cutting-edge ideas that are striving towards transforming rail travel for passengers and decarbonising the network.
    The competition officially opens to applicants on 20 April 2022 and closes on 8 June 2022, with bids welcome from organisations of all sizes for projects creating a greener, more cost-effective and passenger-focused railway. The year’s competition is focusing on technologies that improve the industry’s cost efficiency and network performance to support a more reliable railway for passengers and improving rail freight.
    Rail Minister Wendy Morton said:ADVERTISEMENT“I am incredibly excited to launch the sixth round of our First of a Kind competition. In partnership with Innovate UK, we have already invested £35.4 million into over 100 groundbreaking projects.”
    “We’ve seen cutting-edge technologies such as HydroFLEX developed, the first ever trial of a hydrogen-powered train on the UK mainline and software improving accessibility such as the Hearing Enhanced Audio Relay app.”
    “As part of our Plan for Rail, it’s key we continue breathing life into new ideas and supporting innovation and design to deliver greener rail journeys and transform rail travel for all passengers.”
    Last year saw 33 innovators receive grants of up to £400,000 each.
    The First of a Kind fund has helped trial and launch over 100 projects which are promoting greener railways, improving passengers’ rail experience and accessibility on the transport network, and helping the railway to be more cost-effective. Some of these projects include:
    HydroFLEX – the first mainline trial of a hydrogen train in the UK with Birmingham University’s HydroFLEX project, as pictured above
    Window seater – an innovative app, connecting rail travellers to the world outside their window with geolocated audio stories along the railway
    Hearing Enhanced Audio Relay (HEAR) – HEAR is an affordable software supporting hearing impaired passengers that automatically broadcasts audio announcements to passengers’ own devices

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    Aurora Expeditions celebrates successful Antarctica return

    The Australian adventure travel company, Aurora Expeditions has recently completed its return season to Antarctica and is celebrating a 100% success rate for its first season in almost two years.
    Hundreds of adventurous expeditioners from around the globe joined Aurora Expeditions on the Greg Mortimer across eight voyages, ranging between 10 and 23 days from January to April 2022. The mix of passengers included passengers from Australia, the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Singapore and more.
    “Aurora Expeditions is thrilled with the success of our return season to Antarctica, getting back to what we do best in our 30th year of operation,” commented Aurora Expeditions’ VP of Operations, Tomas Holik.
    “Our exceptional safety record and lack of interruptions during this season is a testament to our team’s commitment, planning, and expertise in ensuring that our expeditions were as safe and enjoyable as possible for our passengers. It was undoubtedly a combination of our strengthened health and safety measures and the fantastic cooperation of our passengers that ensured our incredibly successful return to operations.”
    “We are honoured to have received so much remarkable feedback from our expeditioners who joined us this season. No one comes back from Antarctica the same, it changes them,” commented Hayley Peacock-Gower, Chief Marketing Officer for Aurora Expeditions. ADVERTISEMENTShe continued, “We know that travellers are increasingly returning to their ultimate travel wish lists and looking to make up for lost time, explore and push their own personal boundaries. Expedition travel is a type of travel like no other, taking passengers on true adventures to some of the wildest and most remote reaches of our planet.
    Aurora Expeditions has been leading perspective-altering expeditions for thirty years, and with our successful return to operations and the imminent launch of our second ship, we are incredibly well placed to meet the increasing desire for people to take that once in a lifetime trip.”
    Aurora Expeditions’ 22-23 Antarctica season commences in October 2022, and forward bookings are in high demand, with many voyages close to being sold out. Expeditions still upcoming for this season include voyages to Costa Rica & the Panama Canal, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Greenland, The European Arctic and Canada’s Northwest Passage.
    The company also recently released its 2023 Arctic season with new itineraries including the Jewels of Coastal UK, Across the Arctic Circle, and an expedition to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and the Azores, all of which have so far seen an overwhelmingly positive response.
    Aurora Expeditions’ second purpose-built expedition ship, the Sylvia Earle, is due to debut in late 2022.

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