Events, Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

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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Rwanda announced as next WTTC Global Summit host

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During the closing session of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit in Riyadh, the Rwandan capital of Kigali, was announced as the host city for 2023, marking the first time the event will visit Africa.Rwanda, the home of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, will showcase the power of sustainable tourism to protect biodiversity and create thriving communities.
WTTC closed its largest ever Global Summit today with more than 3,000 delegates attending the event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The global tourism body’s Global Summit saw speakers such as former UK Prime Minister Theresa May, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and actor, filmmaker, and Golden Globe winner, Edward Norton.
The most influential Travel & Tourism event in the calendar, WTTC’s record breaking Global Summit, was attended by more than 85 countries and over 50 ministers.
More than 250 media delegates from around the world attended the event, with many thousands of people around the world watching remotely.ADVERTISEMENTDuring the event, WTTC and the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia launched the Environmental & Social Research (ESR).
This groundbreaking new data details the climate footprint of the global Travel & Tourism sector, and in a world-first, this the research covers 185 countries across all regions, and will be updated each year with the latest figures.
WTTC also launched its Cities Economic Impact Report (EIR).
Sponsored by Visa, the report shows cities remain the powerhouses of global tourism and will drive the recovery of the sector and economies around the word.
Addressing delegates during her closing speech, Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “Saudi Arabia will be the next major destination for visitors as it invests $800 billion in showcasing the Kingdom to the world.
“From the Red Sea to snow-capped mountains, Saudi is full of surprises.
“We are incredibly excited that Rwanda will host our next Global Summit in 2023. An amazing country famous for its conservation work, Rwanda is building its reputation as a must-see destination.”
Under the theme “Travel for a Better Future” the event in Riyadh focused on the value of the sector, not only to the global economy, but to the planet and communities around the world.

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Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and in partnership with the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the Global Citizen Forum (GCF) Annual Summit welcomed more than 650 speakers and guests, hailing from over 90 countries.The Global Citizen Forum’s 2022 Annual Summit brought together a diverse group of attendees for its first chapter of The Butterfly Effect trilogy in Ras Al Khaimah, under the theme Human Metamorphosis – acknowledging the paradigm shift of a new era illuminated by individual and cultural evolution. 
Human interconnectivity, community, and personal development were the overarching messages of the two action-packed days with attendees coming together to embark on a journey of self-discovery in order to collaboratively address world issues through the lens of global citizenship.
Armand Arton, Founder, Global Citizen Forum, commented on the significance of the theme in his opening remarks on the Summit’s first day, sharing: “Many of us here have made great journeys – both literally and metaphorically. We have circled the planet many times to get to where we are and have helped bring this special group of people together. Becoming a global citizen does not mean that we are citizens of nowhere, […] it means we become a citizen of everywhere, without forgetting where we started – this is our task, this is our purpose.”
Arton also shared: “The challenges and opportunities of today’s world are interconnected, and the key to unlocking our human potential is through the power of collaboration and communities. If we can imagine a new world – together, we can also create one.”
Speakers across the two-day event called for a renewed focus on self-growth and human connection to empower humanity to succeed in our ever-changing world. Attendees participated in interactive sessions and immersive experiences led by global visionaries and changemakers, such as Ricky Martin, Deepak Chopra, Richard Quest, Vishen Lakhiani, Karen Wazen, Chris Voss and Wyclef Jean.ADVERTISEMENTIn his powerful keynote on the beach stage, global superstar and humanitarian, Ricky Martin, shared: “We must adapt and transform our communities in times of crises because together we are stronger. Creating inclusion is what it is all about. Creating equal conditions within the framework of acceptance and with respect of individuality is the only route that brings us closer to like-minded thoughts and long-lasting prosperity.”
In addition to an interactive mind-body-spirit program of events, and a fundraiser Gala in support of UNHCR, the Ricky Martin Foundation and the Global Gift Foundation, the Summit also sought to play its part from an environmental perspective, planting 700,000 trees in the Brazilian Amazon to offset carbon emissions.
Notable attendees at the star-studded Global Citizen Gala, hosted by reality stars Sara Al Madani and Kris Fade, included Huda and Mona Kattan, Founders of Huda Beaty; Caroline Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard; Bobby Sager, acclaimed photographer and humanitarian; and featured electric performances by Grammy Award-Winning musicians, Ashanti, and Wyclef Jean.
“Overall, the summit centered on celebrating chaos as the sacred energy of new beginnings,” said Global Citizen Forum CEO, Talimka Yordanova. “We welcomed attendees on a journey of self-discovery in order to awaken our collective consciousness and bring about the change we wish to see in the world.”
In 22 immersive and interactive sessions, a packed house of attendees unveiled the magic and opportunity that lies in chaos — from global thought leaders including the Prime Minister, Antigua and Barbuda, Hon. Gaston Browne; Actor, Producer and Presenter of La Magia del Caos podcast, Aislinn Derbez; Economist, Nouriel Roubini; Member of European Parliament, Elena Yoncheva; Senior Advisor and Representative to the GCC Countries, UNHCR, Khaled Khalifa; and Vice-President, Commissioner for Promoting out European Way of Life, European Commission, Margaritis Schinas.
“It was truly inspiring to welcome leading minds to Ras Al Khaimah and be part of this important event that is helping shape the future for the next generation. With a vision of becoming the regional leader in sustainable tourism by 2025, we aim to nurture an industry that is economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable, that supports quality of life for our people,” commented Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
The Global Citizen Forum was established in 2013 as a social action platform built on a community of leaders committed to improving the state of global citizenship for future generations. These leaders are bound by the shared belief that citizenship stands for freedom, representation, equality, but also for responsibility, sustainability, and impact.
Looking ahead — planning for the second chapter of The Butterfly Effect is already underway, with a keen focus on driving conversations on how the world can collectively bring about global change and empower initiatives that bridge dialogue with action.
Ricky Martin concluded: “To achieve peace, we must first transform ourselves and experience our own metamorphosis… Together we can transform the world.”

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The International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2023, will be held from 18 to 22 January at IFEMA MADRID, an edition that once again demonstrates the strength of the sector, with an estimated growth of 15% in all its parameters,rising to 30% in the international area, as well as the support of all public and private agents in the tourism industry’s value chain. It will be a great fair representative of the strength of the tourism ecosystem in the world, which will reach participation figures very close to its historical record, and which will show its leadership both in the international calendar reinforced by the resilience exercise developed during the pandemic, which distinguishes FITUR as the only major international tourism fair that has been held without interruption.Sustainability, innovation and cutting-edge trends will be the core themes of FITUR’s content, in line with the fair’s objective of contributing to the revitalisation and growth of tourism activity. Besides, FITUR will have a strong business focus during its first three days dedicated exclusively to B2B and a B2C proposal during the weekend.Ten major sections to boost the tourism industryIn addition to the participation of companies, countries and destinations, FITUR will offer a tour of ten major sections, which will allow professionals to gain knowledge and discover the business opportunities offered by different segments in communication with tourism activity, reinforcing the fair’s value proposition. Among them, and as a novelty, FITUR is releasing FITUR Sports, which in collaboration with the Spanish Sport Association AFYDAD, will highlight the potential of sports tourism as a driver of sustainable tourism development. It also reinforces the FITUR Cruises section dedicated to “blue tourism”, with a wide range of B2B and B2C proposals for the cruise industry to meet with ports, tourist destinations and the public, and FITUR Mice, with its agenda of professional meetings for meeting tourism, which expands its scope of action to include both corporate and association buyers.

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THERESA MAY: UK GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED’ THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY DURING PANDEMIC More

In a stinging attack on Boris Johnson’s government, May said the UK didn’t take advantage of its swift and successful vaccination programme to get travel up and running again promptly.
Speaking at the WTTC’s Global Summit on Tuesday (29 November), May said the government’s “failure to act” to protect the travel industry resulted in devastating consequences for a “critical sector” that risked “decimating” the aviation sector.
Addressing delegates directly, May said: “The world recognises your industry has gone through a difficult time – you bore the brunt of Covid.”
“In the UK, we were late to introduce restrictions – and even later to lift them,” she said. “The UK was one of the most heavily vaccinated countries in the world, but our government was reluctant to give [back] the freedoms that should have come with this.”
May said the damage inflicted on “a critical sector” in the UK had been extreme. “The devastation has passed, but the pandemic has left its scars,” she said, adding the UK’s aviation sector “was almost decimated”The former prime minister said the UK government should “govern in the interest of the country, not at the behest of the opinion polls” and “place a stronger emphasis on evidence-based policy” should there be need for future Covid restrictions.ADVERTISEMENTShe also criticised the lack of a global stance and global unity on Covid measures. “When cooperation was needed most, politicians failed to act,” she said. “There was little international consensus. In our inter-connected world, cooperation between governments is essential for decision making.”
May was particularly vocal in her criticism of the UK government’s handling of Covid travel restrictions last year. She came to the travel industry’s defence in June 2021 when the government delayed plans to ease restrictions, remarking during a Commons debate a debate the UK’s handling of Covid restrictions had “devastated” the travel industry.
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
MP for Maidenhead May was the UK’s second female prime minister and second longest-serving post-war home secretary, holding the office for six years from 2010 to 2016. She was the first head of a major global economy to enshrine net-zero emissions in law, a target the UK has for 2050.
During her wide-ranging address, she also touched on travel’s commitment and progress towards sustainability. “We don’t need to choose between net zero emissions and higher economic growth, we can have both,” she told delegates.
May said major technological advancements were imminent, which would allow the aviation sector to reduce its carbon impact. Air travel is currently estimated to be responsible for around 2% of human-induced global emissions.
The summit, which is being held in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, will be held from 28 November to 1 December and will aim to debate the travel and tourism industry’s post-pandemic recovery and its transition to a “safer, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable” sector.Source: TTG Media.com

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Travel & Tourism industry can shift to a net-positive model by 2050 finds new report More

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its Cities Economic Impact Report (EIR) at the 22nd Global Summit in Riyadh today. Sponsored by Visa, the report shows cities remain the powerhouses of global tourism and will drive the recovery of the sector and economies around the world.The Cities EIR analyses 82 international city destinations and shows that prior to the pandemic major cities were popular travel destinations, accounting for almost half of all international visits, both as standalone destinations and as gateways to other tourism hotspots within countries.
COVID-19 had a devastating impact on Travel & Tourism and in particular major cities around the world as countries closed their borders in response to the pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, and as borders began to reopen, leisure travellers swapped major metropolises for less-populated destinations such as coastal and rural hotspots, leaving economies of international cities to battle through an incredibly tough three years.
Thousands of hotels, restaurants, and attractions in cities around the world were forced to close, with hard working people losing their jobs as businesses struggled to stay open during these challenging times.
The Cities EIR shows how both leisure and business travellers are flocking back to cities, as their draw as iconic destinations are once again becoming the beating hearts of international tourism destinations, and business centres for overseas visitors. ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the report ten of the 82 cities analysed are projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in terms of direct Travel & Tourism GDP contribution to the city economies this year.
Qatar’s capital Doha is forecast to see the largest increase from 2019 to 2022, in terms of international traveller spend as well as in direct Travel & Tourism’s contribution to the city’s GDP, with an expected increase of 21%.
In Europe, Warsaw is expected to witness a significant 14% increase in 2022 versus 2019 in Travel & Tourism’s contribution to the city’s GDP.
In the US, Orlando is projected to see a 10% increase in direct Travel & Tourism contribution to the city’s GDP over that same period.
Over the next decade, Travel & Tourism is on track to become a key driver of economic growth once again, with faster GDP growth than other sectors, generating 126 million new jobs around the world.
By 2032, the Travel & Tourism sector will directly generate up to 8% of all jobs in the 82 cities analysed in the Cities Report, up from 6.6% in 2019 and a low of 5.1% in 2020.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Our report clearly shows that for millions of tourists around the world, major cities remain iconic global destinations. There’s still a strong appetite to experience the history, culture, and energy that cities offer travellers.
“Before the pandemic, cities were powerhouses for international tourists, serving as standalone destinations and as gateways to other tourist destinations within countries. This year cities are recovering around the world, and we forecast that cities will continue to grow and thrive over the next decade.
Jeni Mundy, Head of Global Merchant Sales and Acquiring, Visa, said: “Even after the colossal challenges the pandemic brought to the travel industry, the economic benefit of tourism to cities remains strong. Consumers’ willingness to adopt digital-first travel experiences will help pave the way for even more innovations in the future.
“At Visa, we remain focused on how payments technology can make a traveller’s journey more seamless – something anyone who’s had a travel hiccup can appreciate.

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