THAILAND TOURISM INDUSTRY REMAINS UNAFFECTED BY FLOOD

Floods of epic proportions have adversely affected several regions of Thailand, but reports reveal that most of the tourist destinations have survived the catastrophe. According to the authorities of Thailand tourism department, although the flood have had an impact in the tourism industry of Thailand, most key attractions and tourist destinations of Thailand, including Bangkok, have apparently recovered from the tumultuous conditions. As per reports, Ayutthaya is the only tourist destination that has been widely affected by the flood.

TURKEY TOURISM INDUSTRY TAKES A BLOW

Rescue teams are on their toes to search for people who remain trapped under rubble after a devastating earthquake of 7.2 magnitude hit Turkey’s eastern Van region on Sunday. The Turkey tourism is bound to get adversely affected by the impact of the quake. The death toll has climbed up to 200 and thousands were reported injured with several thousands still missing.

Turkey’s tourism industry is going through a bad phase after the nation strained its relationship with Israel. A considerable amount of Turkey tourism comprised of Israeli tourists. But Turkey’s tourism industry took a huge blow when when relations between the two nations frayed since Israeli commandos killed nine Turks during a raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010.

CUNARD LAUNCHES 'WEDDINGS AT SEA' PROGRAMME AFTER 171 YEARS

Cunard Line, one of the oldest names in shipping but with the youngest fleet at sea, is to offer its guests the opportunity to be married on board for the first time in its 171-year history.

Peter Shanks, Cunard President, and Managing Director, says, “Most of our competitors have been developing increasingly popular and lucrative ‘Weddings at Sea’ programmes, and these are now very big business in the cruise industry. We receive a lot of enquiries about the possibility of being married on one of our ships – particularly about weddings in mid-Atlantic on board Queen Mary 2, which no other company can offer.”

NTA president addresses U.S.-to-CANADA tourism at symposium

NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP, addressed members of the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership at the North American Trade Symposium in Toronto. Simon’s message: The path to rebuilding U.S. tourism to Canada lies in tapping growth markets.

Simon cited a dramatic rise in the number of tour operators and suppliers creating new programmes, products and services that cater to the interests of upward-trending markets: intergenerational families, faith-based groups, adventure seekers, students and baby boomers, as well as independent travelers. She advised the audience, comprised mostly of suppliers, to find tour operators who can help them develop new product, as each market has its own nuances.

 

Source:- travelandtourworld

Lufthansa Airplane makes emergency landing in Zurich

Owing to an unpleasant odour that left three crew members grasping for breath, a Madrid-bound Lufthansa airplane made an unplanned landing in Zurich on Friday morning.

Although no injuries were reported, three out of six crew members were taken to hospital for observation. The flight’s passengers had to be transported to other Madrid-bound flights. As per reports, the airport rescue personnel in Zurich stated that he felt unwell after stepping inside the flight after the plane made an emergency landing.

 

Source:- travelandtourworld

Kenya Airways first flight flying from Nairobi to Jeddah

The first flights landed Kenya Airways, and raise the slogan of “the pride of Africa”, Nairobi, on the line – at the airport in Jeddah King Abdul Aziz International Airport at half past twelve the morning of the nineteenth of October, carrying a full load of passengers.

Source:- travelandtourworld

SITA announced biometric border management solution at Indonesia

SITA has announced that BioThenticate (biometric border management solution) is being used to tighten the security at Indonesia’s international borders.

The system can match and manage up to 20 million unique biometric identities. It has been rolled out at nine airports and one seaport in Indonesia by the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Indonesia, locally known as Imigrasi, and will provide real-time matching against a biometric watch-list. Indonesia, the world’s fifth most populous nation, is among more than 15 countries that benefit from SITA’s advanced border management solutions including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Kuwait, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa and the United States of America.

Source:- travelandtourworld

Norwegian Star made her first call to Tampa

Norwegian Star arrived for the first time in Tampa, her new homeport through April 2012. This is also the first time Norwegian Cruise Line has based a ship in Tampa.  The 2,348-passenger ship is sailing a series of seven-day Western Caribbean cruises through April 8, 2012 with stops in Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; along with two relaxing days at sea.

Source:- travelandtourworld

ITB Asia 2011-Day 2

Why business travel matters more than ever in Asia 

The second day of ITB Asia’s conference panel kicked off with the Business Travel Plenary session. Adam Sacks, Managing Director of Tourism Economics, presented key research findings commissioned by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) on the economic impact of business travel (BT) in Asia Pacific.

The research sought answers to two main issues: what role business travel plays in driving corporate performance in the development of the global economy and if this is more or less true in Asia than the rest of the world.

The main conclusions to draw from the study are:
•    BT and economic performance are interlinked
•    Sales, customer retention, partnerships, and innovation all benefit from investments in BT
•    BT is particularly effective at driving international trade, which yields broad economic benefits
•    Among world regions, Asian companies and economies generate the highest ROI per dollar invested in BT
•    Asia is most susceptible to reductions in BT

Source:- travelandtourworld

ENGINEERS' UNION CONFLICT AFFECTS 60,000 PASSENGERS

Qantas passengers experiences third day of severe disturbances to their holiday and business travel plans with the strike on Friday by licensed engineers’ union to affect over 7,600 passengers from 17 flight cancellations and 32 flight delays.
Few Rugby fans travelling from Sydney to New Zealand for the World Cup semi-final will face delays of more than three hours.

The strike will take place between 4pm-8pm in Sydney. It came after the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) pulled a distrustful stunt on Monday cancelling strike just hours before it was to begin and causing chaos to the travel plans of 11,000 people.

Qantas Group Executive Government and Corporate Affairs Olivia Wirth said the strike is due to an ongoing dispute over pay and the union’s attempt to run the airline.

“It is clear by the timing of these strikes that they are trying to cause maximum damage to Qantas and our passengers,” Ms Wirth said.

“We are extremely disappointed with the action being taken by this union. It is the same union that warned customers not to fly with Qantas before Christmas, trying to destroy the business that employs its members.”

Source: Qantas Airlines