Events, Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library (CPL), the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Poetry Foundation, are proud to announce the creation of the Chicago Poet Laureate program.The program comes from the advocacy of the city’s creative and civic communities. It aims to increase awareness of Chicago’s historic contributions to the literary arts while celebrating and honoring the efforts of Chicago’s working artists.
“Chicago has always been a city full of talented and renowned storytellers and artists,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “The creation of the Chicago Poet Laureate program will foster a new bond between the City and the creative community that supports artists while enriching the culture of our city. I look forward to selecting a Poet Laureate who will serve and strengthen our city’s literary and creative communities.”
The Chicago Poet Laureate will serve a two-year term and be awarded a grant of $50,000 for the commissioning of new poems and to create a public program series, including programs for youth and students. The Poet Laureate will serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities.
Chicagoans are invited to submit their nominations for Poet Laureate through January 18, 2023. The nominee can be a poet in either written or spoken traditions. To nominate a poet, complete the nomination form available at this link.
“We are honored to be launching the first-ever Chicago Poet Laureate program to recognize and celebrate the civic importance of literature, poetry, and spoken word,” shared DCASE Commissioner Erin Harkey. “This program aims to support the creation of poetry and other literary forms, inspiring generations of critical thinkers, writers, and storytellers to come.”ADVERTISEMENTAfter January 18th, all nominees will be reviewed according to the eligibility criteria. Those who are eligible will be invited to apply. To view eligibility criteria, visit Chicago.gov/PoetLaureate.
The Chicago Poet Laureate will be formally appointed in Spring 2023. In April, which is National Poetry Month, the Laureate will present work as part of the Chicago Public Library’s annual Poetry Fest.
“Everyday the Chicago Public Library aims to connect and inspire our city,” said CPL Commissioner Chris Brown. “Working with the Poet Laureate, we look forward to bringing engaging new works and programs into our neighborhood libraries. This exciting new Poet Laureate program is both an acknowledgment of our city’s talented creators and an opportunity to amplify the importance of their contributions.”
“The Poetry Foundation is thrilled to support efforts to establish a Chicago Poet Laureate program to recognize the role of poets in Chicago, where poetry has a rich and meaningful legacy. It’s exciting to imagine all the ways a poet can help illuminate the beauty and challenges we face, while also helping craft a promising future through poetry,” said Michelle Boone, President of the Poetry Foundation.
Chicago Public Library
Since 1873, Chicago Public Library (CPL) has encouraged lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment, and knowledge through innovative services, programs, and technology. Through its 81 locations, the Library provides free access to a rich collection of materials, both physical and digital, and presents the highest quality author discussions, exhibits, and programs for children, teens, and adults. For more information, please call 312-747-4300 or visit chipublib.org. To follow CPL on social media, visit us on Twitter (@chipublib), Facebook (Chicago Public Library), or Instagram (@chicagopubliclibrary).

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CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi hosted international skydiving teams from overseas who arrived at the UAE’s ultimate indoor adventure hub to compete head-to-head in The CLYMB Games. Winner of the World Travel Awards 2022 category for Middle East’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction 2022 and situated on Yas island which boasts an incredible lineup of award winning theme parks and it too was voted World’s Leading Theme Park Destination 2022 at the World Travel awards.
The competition took place last week of 2022, where teams of skydivers put their talents together to craft the most formations possible within a set time. Each team was also required to create a 16-way belly formations and earn the most points over eight rounds for a chance to claim the first place.

The O’Jala team was crowned winner of the competition with 116 points following neck and neck contests, which landed them the first spot on the podium and a gold at The CLYMB Games. Team No Name came in second with 99 points and earned the silver medal while Snuggles team was placed third with 89 points and took the bronze.
The CLYMB Games is a unique opportunity for worldwide talents to come together and showcase their skills at CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi, where guests of all ages and skill levels can enjoy endless action-packed fun and experience two record-breaking experiences, starting with the world’s largest indoor flight chamber and the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall, The SUMMYT™.ADVERTISEMENTFor more information on CLYMB Abu Dhabi, please visit: https://www.clymbabudhabi.com/
Located on Yas Island, CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi the UAE’s ultimate adventure hub. It is just minutes away from, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, home to a variety of family- friendly rides and attractions, Yas Waterworld, the world’s first and only Emirati-themed waterpark and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, an incredibly immersive indoor theme park.

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As another successful year comes to a close, Yas Island Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s leading leisure and entertainment destinations, rounds off their action-packed 2022 with over 80 awards and accolades. The destination and its plethora of world-class theme parks, luxury hotels, innovative experiences, resorts and acclaimed eateries, alongside unmatched customer services, has been recognised across a series of global and local awards platforms.
HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral, said: “We are proud with this achievement, witnessing yet another year of incredible work from our teams, all of whom have worked tirelessly to elevate Yas Island’s offering and reputation. The more than 80 local and global accolades received, is testament to Yas Island’s position as a top global destination for leisure and entertainment. Home to award-winning attractions and experiences, the Island is integral to the overall growth of Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry.”
Global acclaim at The World Travel Awards

Yas Island and its world-class theme parks, experiences and attractions were recognised with seven awards in the globally renowned World Travel Awards in 2022. In addition to scooping the accolade of ‘World’s Leading Theme Park Destination 2022’, Yas Island received the flagship ‘Middle East’s Leading Tourism Development’ award for the fourth consecutive year, testament to the global reputation Yas Island as the leisure and entertainment hub. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi was yet again named the ‘World’s Leading Theme Park 2022’ and ‘Middle East’s Leading Theme Park 2022’, while the Emirati-themed waterpark Yas Waterworld, was recognised as ‘Middle East’s Leading Water Park 2022’ and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, was named as ‘Middle East’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2022’.  Across the awards, the record-breaking adventure hub CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi, boasting the world’s largest indoor flight chamber and the region’s tallest indoor climbing wall, was awarded the accolade of ‘Middle East’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction 2022’.ADVERTISEMENTEpic accolades at the Arabian Best of Best Awards
Yas Island reaffirmed their status with their number of acclaimed awards at the coveted Arabian Best of Best Awards, including Best Family Attraction for Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, Best Indoor Theme Park for Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Best Indoor Adventure Park for CLYMB and Best Entertainment Destination Yas Island.
Taking the stage at the International Travel Awards
Yas Theme Parks and attractions were commended in three regional categories in the International Travel Awards, which celebrates global tourism destinations, attractions and hotels. 

Yas Waterworld received Best Waterpark in the Middle East and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi was recognised as the Best Family Attraction in the Middle East.
Compelling recognition as a leading motorsports, golfing, lifestyle and dining destination
Yas Island’s portfolio of hotels, resorts, and lifestyle offerings have received plaudits during 2022 across multiple categories including dining, entertainment as well as motorsports and golf. 
Yas Marina Circuit and Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Abu Dhabi won gold for Best Sport Event of the Year, Best Sports Marketing Campaign and Best Fan Engagement at a Professional Sports Event at the acclaimed annual Sports Industry Awards (SPIA).

W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, also received recognition by the UAE’s coveted What’s On awards, with awards including Highly commended Favourite Luxury Staycation and Highly commended Favourite Brunch. The hotel also achieved Best Business Hotel in Abu Dhabi in the Business Traveller Awards, as well as Best All Day Dining Restaurant for Garage in the Fact Magazine Dining Awards. The hotel’s team were also celebrated in the Hotelier Middle East Awards with Aznive Boghossian receiving Young Hotelier of the Year.
The What’s On Awards also recognised a number of dining experiences in the happening Yas Bay, from Favourite European Restaurant for The Lighthouse to Favourite Indian Restaurant for Zeera by buddha bar, Favourite Bar for Siddharta Lounge by Buddha-Bar, Favourite Daycation for Café del Mar and Favourite Steakhouse for Hunter & Barrel. The What’s On Awards further recognised Yas Island’s Belgian Café as their favourite restaurant for Pub Grub and Still’s as their favourite ladies night. The coveted Fact Dining Award’s 2022 also took to Yas Island to award Filini Garden as their favourite destination for alfresco dining.
The Retail & Leisure Industry Awards further recognised Yas Mall as the Most Immersive Attraction and Experience this year, as well as an award for Innovation in Technology.
Yas Island’s lifestyle and culinary offerings were also recognised by consumer magazines such as What’s On, naming Ferrari World Abu Dhabi as Favourite Attraction and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi being awarded Highly Commended Attraction.

Yas Marina also achieved recognition in the Blue Flag Awards for their environmental category, as well as the 5 Gold Anchor Platinum’s awarding Yas Marina the Marina Excellence award.
Garnering industry recognition
Yas Island’s theme parks continued to dazzle on the industry stage during 2022 with multiple plaudits received for Yas Theme Parks during the annual Stevie Awards. The Stevie Awards which celebrate the best in business recognised Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi’s for Outstanding Achievement in Themed Consumer Experiences, as well as an Outstanding Achievement Award in Live Events for Yas Water World. The Stevie Awards further awarded Ferrari World Abu Dhabi with a Bronze Award for Innovation in Use of Events, whilst Yas Water World received a Silver Award for Innovation in Consumer Events, as well as Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi achieving a Gold Award in Innovation in the Use of Celebrities.

Yas Island also received recognition in the globally acclaimed Effie’s awards, being awarded Gold for its campaign Stayin’ on Yas and two Silver awards for the Chief Island Officer campaign. The awards for the globally renowned campaigns did not stop there however, with the destination being widely recognized in the Smarties Awards Platform. These awesome feats included a Gold Award for Audio/Voice Sonic Branding for Yas Yas Baby, Gold Award in Cross Platform Digital for Yas Yas Baby, Silver Award for the Chief Island Officer campaign for Short/Long Form Video, Silver Award for Chief Island Officer campaign in Cross Platform Digital, Social & Influencer commerce and Partnerships Marketing. Additionally, the Smarties awarded Yas Island bronze awards for Lead Generation for the Chief Island Officer Campaign and another Bronze Award for Brand Experience for Yas Yas Baby.
With further industry accomplishments, Yas Island won 1 gold and 2 silver awards at the Middle East PR Awards, with Best Use of Influencer/Brand Ambassador for Kevin Hart, Best Travel and Tourism Campaign for Kevin Hart and Best Consumer Services Campaign for Yas Yas Baby.

Recognised by consumers worldwide
Yas Theme Parks and attractions continue to surprise and delight visitors while garnering guest accolades across popular global consumer review platforms such as TripAdvisor.  Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi and CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi each earned the ‘Travelers Choice Award 2022’. Based on millions of reviews and opinions from travellers from around the world, the TripAdvisor Awards recognise and reward the very best tourism establishments in terms of service, quality and customer satisfaction.

Setting the gold standard with innovative technology and seamless experiences
Yas Island debuted FacePass contactless technology in 2021 at its theme parks as part of its promise of creating a world-class wall-less destination using the latest technology, which had been recognised this year in the Park World Excellence Awards, as well as a Gold Stevie Award for Best Consumer Product and Innovation.
The region’s best leisure attractions
Yas Island received a host of epic accolades at the MENA Leisure and Entertainment Awards, with CLYMB Abu Dhabi being named Best Sport/Adventure-based Entertainment and Best Design of a Facility.
Source: Zawya.com

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In 2023, taking as its slogan ’Mastering Transformation’, the leading convention for the travel industry is again gathering the main international tourism actors under one roof. From 7 to 9 March 2023 at the ITB Berlin Convention, leading speakers and industry experts will discuss the current challenges facing the global travel industry, which go far beyond COVID-19 and local skills shortagesThey will share their knowledge on topics such as climate change, energy supply issues and a new global approach to safety, with their wide-ranging impact on the travel and tourism industry. The experts will provide orientation and clear ideas on how to shape the transformation towards a sustainable and successful future.
New in 2023: Themed tracks instead of days
At the leading thinktank of the international travel industry the new Board of Experts is putting together themed tracks, under headings that include Travel Technology, Marketing & Sales, Future Travel, Hospitality, Sustainability and Social Responsibility. Taking place on their respective stages and featuring sessions on individual topics, the tracks will replace the themed days at previous events.
First main speakers confirmed
The following are among those who will be sharing their expert knowledge in the new themed tracks:ADVERTISEMENT• Maria Rocha Barros, vice president and chief legal officer at Booking.com (Marketing & Distribution Track)
• Kurt Ekert, president of Sabre (Marketing & Distribution Track)
• Kevin King, COO of Shiji Group (eTravel Track, Hotel Technology Forum)
• Prof. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director emeritus, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIC); founder and managing director of Bauhaus Erde (Responsible Tourism Track)
ITB Future Track, Marketing & Distribution Track and eTravel Track
On 7 March 2023 in Hall 7.1, the ITB Future Track will examine future economic and political developments to find out which sustainability trends will bring success for tomorrow’s tourism industry. The event will gather leading figures from business, politics and science in order to drive change in the tourism industry.
At the Marketing & Distribution Track on 8 March 2023 in Hall 7.1, leading figures from the travel and hospitality industry will share their knowledge and views. In inspiring keynote speeches, exclusive interviews and panel discussions they will provide comprehensive updates on how senior executives can master the upcoming transformation process.
From 7 to 9 March 2023 in Hall 6.1, the eTravel Track will focus on tech-driven innovation and the digital transformation in the travel industry and how they can be put to productive use. In a variety of attractive formats and taking practical examples, industry experts will share their views on current trends and developments and talk about practical scenarios.
Responsible Tourism Track, ITB Carrier & Cruise Track and Destination Track
How to master what is now, in the future and the new normal in tourism: that is what the Responsible Tourism Track on 9 March 2023 in Hall 7.1 is about, where among other things discussion will focus on how the industry can keep its promises to protect the environment while transforming into a sector where fairness and equality play a bigger role.
The ITB Carrier & Cruise Track on 7 March 2023 in Hall 7.1 will examine the transformation from the perspective of carriers. Both the aviation and cruise industry are facing major challenges, whose root causes are in the energy crisis as well as the military conflict on Europe’s borders. Industry experts will discuss the impact of the current threat.
Destinations and DMOs are currently having to balance marketing and management, overtourism and lack of tourism, private and public contracts, areas for tourists and locals, analogue business models and digital innovations. On 9 March 2023 in Hall 7.1, the Destination Track will examine corresponding ideas and practical recommendations.
Tour Operator & Travel Sales Track and Youth, Adventure & Outdoor Track
Following a period of far-reaching crises a reappraisal is taking place of business ideas and value creation models. The Tour Operator & Travel Sales Track on 7 March 2023 will highlight how the current transformation process is putting pressure on tour operators and agencies and causing a long-term impact on the market.
Adventure and outdoor tourism is becoming increasingly popular, while youth and student travel still accounts for a large share of the global tourism market. But what has changed? How can one prepare for the future and how can one overcome obstacles in order to make business profitable? These are the topics the Youth, Adventure & Outdoor Track will focus on on 8 March 2023 in Hall 7.1.
Hospitality Track and Future Work Track
The challenges currently facing the hospitality industry demand a hands-on approach, while at the same time agility and transformation are needed. What views do leading figures in the hospitality industry have on these developments? How can they combine step-by-step progress with long-term change? This is the range of topics the Hospitality Track will examine on 9 March 2023 in Hall 7.1.
A new narrative for promoting working in tourism now and in the future. The Future Work Track on 8 March 2023 in Hall 7.1 will define the basics for future success in tourism. At the same time it will provide orientation for the struggle with the skills and labour shortage and loss of expertise and report on the needs and activities of talented newcomers and travel professionals in these times of change.
Information on the following tracks will be announced in early 2023: Diversity & Inclusion Track, Sustainable Destination Track, Business Travel Track, MICE Track and Medical Wellness & Health Track.
A trade visitor pass to ITB Berlin is valid for admission to the ITB Berlin Convention. Selected sessions will be streamed on the supporting platform ITBxplore. Additional information is available at itb.com/kongress. Full details of the programme and further tracks will be available online in mid-January 2023.
Online accreditation for press representatives and bloggers
You can obtain accreditation online now. Please observe the accreditation guidelines. After your application has been processed and approved you will receive an email with a PDF containing your ITB press accreditation, which you can print out.
Please note: during ITB Berlin it will not be possible for press representatives to obtain accreditation at the press counters on the grounds. We therefore request you obtain accreditation online ahead of the event.

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SAUDIA LAUNCHES AN UPGRADED VERSION OF ALFURSAN LOYALTY PROGRAM WITH THE SLOGAN “ENJOY MORE”

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Cirque du Soleil JOYÀ celebrated its 8th anniversary as Latin America’s first resident Cirque du Soleil show, the first show of its kind at a resort and the only Cirque du Soleil show to include an immersive culinary experience. JOYÀ marks the beginning of a strong collaboration between Grupo Vidanta, the leading developer of resorts and tourism infrastructure in Mexico and Latin America, and Cirque du Soleil.JOYÀ is an homage to Mexico, a creative conquest, a celebration of nature, and a tribute to the power of friendship and family. Over the seasons, Cirque du Soleil assembled for this show, a team of the best acrobats, aerialists, actors, jugglers, dancers, singers, and technicians from different parts of the world, including Mongolia, Ukraine, France, Spain, England, Japan, Argentina, Cuba, Brazil, China, Colombia, USA, of course, Mexico.
“JOYÀ is a must see show in the Riviera Maya; through this eight-year partnership between Grupo Vidanta and Cirque du Soleil, over 1,135,500 guests experienced an entirely new category of immersive entertainment in Mexico,” said Iván Chávez, Executive Vice President of Grupo Vidanta. “We are extremely proud to work with the hundreds of performers, artisans, designers, chefs, waiters and crew who come together to make JOYÀ possible, and to have the opportunity to share this extraordinary experience with people from around the world.”
As a place where anything is possible, JOYÀ is the only dining experience of any Cirque du Soleil production worldwide, presenting an exquisite three-course dinner that tempts every sense with culinary wonders as spectacular as the theater, music, and performances. “The JOYÀ dinner experience should be as enjoyable and surprising as the show itself,” said Alexis Bostelmann, Executive Chef at Vidanta.
To celebrate eight years of being a fantastic, genre-blending show, here is a journey through JOYÀ numbers and fun facts over the years:
ADVERTISEMENTOver 2,430 shows performedMore than 1,135,500 guests in attendance300+ collaborators of over 20 nationalities on and off stage to make the show happen18 months taken to build the theatre6 months to build the setMore than 360,000 dinners. Servers must prepare for the second show in the dark!The multi-sensory dining offers regular, vegetarian and vegan menu options along with gluten-free food. And the menu card is edible!Each night, around 200 bottles of champagne and 1,428 canapes are served100 costumes were hand-crafted in 15,000 hours!It takes 5 months to create the masks worn by Zelig’s Masters; the masks have 10,000 beads and jewels, each glued by hand35 full-time theatrical technicians33 full-time performers, who rehearse 4 times per weekThe artists use more than 110 colors for their makeup and apply it in 30 steps.6 wardrobe staff take care of the artists’ wardrobeLyrics are in an invented language that refers to the world’s cultural diversity.There are hidden symbols with references to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, allusions to the stories of Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes, and hints at the work of Guillermo del Toro.… and many more secrets and references to discover! It takes more than one visit to spot them all.
JOYÀ reminds audiences that everyone has important stories to tell, and somewhere inside, there is a curious child who wants to play and a spark of imagination waiting to ignite. If anyone has experienced JOYÀ, there is an opportunity to relive the journey as new elements and surprises are constantly added.
Tickets are available at: www.cirquedusoleil.com/joya

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Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, delivering her keynote presentation to partners at the Global Partner Summit
Leading travel service provider Trip.com Group held its 2022 Global Partner Summit in Macao, with tourism boards, international airlines, hotel groups and industry representatives from across the travel industry in attendance.Celebrating this year’s theme, ‘Journey into the Future Together’, Trip.com Group and partners provided insights on the industry’s growth and opportunities ahead, with leadership and experts sharing sector-specific knowledge via breakout sub-forums.An Encouraging Outlook
Countries worldwide are reopening borders, and the pace of global travel recovery is accelerating.
James Liang, Chairman and Co-founder of Trip.com Group, made no secret of his expectations for the future of tourism. He believes that: “Travel has great significance on innovation and heritage. At Trip.com Group, we play an important role in bringing people together from around the world. It’s our mission to help build communication and innovation, using our travel platform to create new value for the industry.”
Trip.com Group is continuously safeguarding efforts toward global travel recovery by following its ‘Local Focus, Global Vision’ blueprint.
Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, highlighted some of the Group’s financial results, emphasising triple-digit growth in hotel bookings across key APAC markets compared to the same period in 2019. With its global air ticket bookings increasing by 100% year-over-year.ADVERTISEMENTRising international air ticket and hotel bookings have empowered partners with a source of business and revenue. Trip.com Group’s hotel travel specials (PKG program) delivered recommendations to over 30 million cross-users and brought over RMB 10 billion GMV to hotel partners.
Jane Sun commented: “Although the road ahead is still uncertain, we want to explore more opportunities and use cooperation, technology, and service to promote the tourism industry together with our travel partners.”
Trip.com is the mainstay global travel brand of Trip.com Group. Its hugely successful 11.11 global campaign reveals the growth of the all-in-one travel app across its major markets.
Bookings around 11th November hit a new high, surging by 84% compared to last year, and the average number of bookings for promoted products rose by 68%. In the Singapore market, bookings for the 11th November flash sale jumped by 115% in just 24 hours, while in South Korea, bookings on the same day jumped by 260% year-on-year.
“The early recovery of global markets has given us confidence. We will continue looking for more possibilities to better serve our partners and users by building an improved travel ecosystem to meet users’ needs,” said Jane Sun.
“The recovery and prosperity of the global tourism industry is a long-term trend, which will not be hindered by short-term difficulties. We remain confident and patient,” said James Liang.
Scaled-up Content Marketing Strategy
Trip.com Group has ambitious plans to revitalise the tourism economy and reconnect with keen travellers by enhancing engagement between travellers and partners. This is primarily done through an expanding content offering, consisting of Trip Moments on Trip.com, the Ctrip Community travel sharing space on Ctrip, and Star Hub, the Group’s enhanced marketing tool for suppliers to increase marketing activities, which generated a total GMV of RMB 1 billion in the last 30 days.
In the past year, Ctrip Community has continued to see exponential user growth and has provided hundreds of millions of users with travel inspiration.
Several upgrades and expansions to the existing content marketing offering were announced at the summit. The innovative and hugely popular Ctrip Livestream, which generated a total GMV of RMB 10 billion, will launch across more cities in mainland China to boost global distribution.
Trip.com’s successful Trip.Best list, which curates an extensive range of hotels for global users, will launch across all major sites. This valuable tool will help global users get the best from the Trip.com app.
Bo Sun, CMO of Trip.com Group, explained: “We are optimising user engagement, inspiring more travellers and generating increased traffic by upgrading how we connect products and partners. This year, we have helped millions of new travellers, KOLs, and partners connect to our content marketing hub and inspire travel around the world.”
Strengthening Global Destination Reach
Its global reach, diversified supply chain and content marketing ecosystem have uniquely positioned Trip.com Group as a leading travel service provider able to promote regional and local destinations to eager travellers.
Under new and existing partnerships, Trip.com Group leverages its world-leading brands to engage high-quality travellers eager to explore global destinations.
Trip.com Group continues to pen multiple strategic destination partnerships to strengthen destination visibility and capture pent-up travel demand.
Trip.com Group and Macao Government Tourism Office entered an official strategic collaboration to develop Macao into a world-class centre of tourism and leisure.
Trip.com Group and the Macao Government Tourism Office held a Global Partnership Launch Ceremony to strengthen their collective commitments this year. On-site for the event was Lei Wai Nong, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government.
With joint efforts to enhance the vitality of the Macao tourism market, Ctrip platform data shows that the popularity of Macao travel searches has increased by 231% year-over-year. 
Trip.com Group further deepened cooperation with industry partners to enhance Macao’s tourism market vitality.
Trip.com Group and Sands China Ltd. held a strategic signing ceremony, in which both parties will continue to deepen cooperation in various aspects around product marketing, content marketing, membership benefits, offline shopping and dining activities to help upgrade the Macao tourism consumption market.
Trip.com Group will continue to deepen strategic cooperation with the Macao Government Tourism Office, Sands China Ltd. and other partners in various industries, including accommodation, shopping, and gourmet, to enhance the vitality of Macao’s tourism market and build it as a world-class centre of tourism and leisure.

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A shift away from the purchase of goods toward investment in authentic, local experiences has gained momentum over the last few years – and that has important implications for the travel industry.“That momentum will continue to accelerate, in turn making the impact of travel and tourism on global economies that much more significant,” says Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International, during a panel discussion at the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Global Summit 2022 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Consumers are spending a higher proportion of their discretionary income on activities and experiences than ever, according to panelist Greg O’Hara, founder and senior managing director at private equity firm Certares. When asked where he would invest $1 billion, O’Hara says in wellness and adventure.Historically, people decided to go to Greece or Saudi Arabia or Italy, and then would decide what to do. Nowadays, “people are making decisions about travel based on what they want to do, not where they want to go,” O’Hara says. Someone who wants to go kite surfing, for example, is going to choose from the top kite-surfing destinations, he adds.
In a separate WTTC panel, Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, says the new trend in tourism is more personalized, localized, customized and smaller in size.
“We need to change the mindset to quality and sustainability,” Uno says.
If travelers previously wanted sun, sea and sand, now they’re looking for “serenity, spirituality and sustainability. They want to try planting mangroves to offset their carbon footprint. They want to visit villages.”ADVERTISEMENTSébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor, says the industry needs to understand that the customer is different, and therefore the offer should be different.
“You just have to revisit the way we’ve been conducting business the last 50 years to a new world, which I think is a better world,” he says.
Hotels should cater not to travelers, but to local residents, through entertainment, music and workspaces.“That’s a major shift,” Bazin says. “Make sure your hotel is busy from 7 o’clock in the morning until 11 o’clock at night.”
While 25% of international business travelers are “gone forever,” domestic business travel has recovered, according to Bazin.
“If you go for business [on a] less than four-hour flight or four-hour train ride, it is as strong today as it was in 2019,” he says.
Many travelers are combining business and leisure trips. Hotels are no longer empty on Sunday nights thanks to people blending business and leisure travel, Bazin notes.
Stephen Scherr, CEO at the Hertz Corporation, says the robust infrastructure that the industry needs, including charging networks, will require public-private cooperation.
The looming recession can’t possibly hit the travel industry as hard as the pandemic, Scherr says, and the industry is better prepared for crises now “because you understand how to marshal the resources and what your moves will be.”
Gloria Guevara, chief special advisor for Saudi Arabia’s ministry of tourism, says countries need the vision, the leadership and the resources to maximize their recovery.
“I was very fortunate to have that in Mexico,” Guevara says. “We had a national agreement, and everyone was working [toward] the same goals, on the same plan, to recover from the crisis and to break new records.”
Source: Phocuswire.com

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Thailand aiming for 80% of pre-pandemic tourism revenue within 2023

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Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), shared Thailand’s plan to achieve 10 million international visitor arrivals in 2022, while speaking at the 22nd World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.As one of the speakers of the panel on “The Recovery of Travel in Asia and the Pacific”, Mr. Yuthasak underlined the strategies and approaches TAT was using to achieve these targets, while forecasting a return to 80% of the overall tourism revenue of the pre-pandemic era. He also stated Thailand’s direction towards more sustainable, more inclusive, and more environment-friendly tourism.
He noted how the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions had created much pent up demand for travel, and Thailand now, that it was fully reopened to foreign tourism, was seeing visitor arrivals from markets around the world rebound.
Mr. Yuthasak said “TAT is welcoming back the world’s travellers with its ‘Visit Thailand Year 2022-2023: Amazing New Chapters’ marketing campaign, in which visitors are invited to experience the wealth of existing and new tourism experiences on offer throughout the kingdom.”
Thailand’s drive towards more sustainable and responsible tourism is also in line with the government’s Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economy Model.
This new direction for tourism in Thailand is seeing TAT laying the foundation for a tourism industry that is customer centric and values experience tourism. TAT is encouraging more collaboration among players both inside and outside of the industry, and embraces innovation to develop and promote sustainable tourism products and create a tourism business ecosystem that offers mutual benefits to all parties.ADVERTISEMENTThe 2022 WTTC Global Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, took place from 28 November to 1 December. The Recovery of Travel in Asia and the Pacific panel was held on 29 November. Joining Mr. Yuthasak on the panel were Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairperson of the Board, JTB Corp; Liz Ortiguera, Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, and Gaurav Bhatnagar, Co-founder of the TBO Group. The session was moderated by Nawied Jabarkhyl, Correspondent and News Anchor, CGTN.

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