Category: Latest Travel News

San Francisco, California, United States, November 23, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Revinate, a leader in omni-channel direct booking platforms for the hospitality industry, announced today it has acquired Go Moment, an AI driven, commerce-enabled messaging solutions provider for the hospitality industry.

The combined company will be called Revinate. Together, the companies’ focus continues to be enabling hoteliers to synthesize and activate their guest data intelligence to convert direct bookings and commerce at any point during the guest journey.

Revinate’s mission is to deliver hoteliers scalable direct revenue and profits from data-driven solutions that cultivate deeper relationships with guests. Customers love Revinate as they can engage with their guests throughout the guest lifecycle with automated and personalized campaigns across various channels, including email, voice, SMS and the most popular messaging platforms. Thousands of hotels currently use Revinate’s direct booking platform to generate 20x or greater ROI.

50 million guests have met Go Moment’s AI powered digital concierge, Ivy. Hoteliers love how Ivy automates nearly 60% of guest requests with her AI-driven, real time responses, streamlining both staffing and service delivery. Hoteliers have also seen fantastic ROI results from messaging commerce, from bookings to upgrades to amenities.

By integrating Revinate’s unique direct booking platform with Go Moment’s AI driven messaging and commerce capability (Ivy), Revinate will further enhance its omni-channel capabilities to engage with guests and create commerce opportunities between guests and the hotel. This combination enables the platform to maximize the lifetime value of each guest through targeted campaigns and seamless guest experience.

“This is a real game changer for our industry. The very best synthesized guest data intelligently powering the very best omni-channel guest lifecycle communications means Revinate has become the ultimate direct booking platform for hoteliers,” said Marc Heyneker, the CEO of Revinate.

Go Moment’s CEO Raj Singh will be joining the Revinate leadership team as a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). “I am delighted to join Revinate in accelerating our hospitality industry’s bright future by building the ultimate omni-channel direct booking platform. I look forward to working with Marc Heyneker and his excellent team to serve the global hotel market,” said Raj.

“Ivy users gave us about 10 points higher satisfaction scores. To get that another way, I’d probably have to double my staff or do something else extraordinary.” – Michael Marino, former Chief Experience Officer at Caesars Entertainment

“Revinate empowers our small marketing team by saving us time so we can do so much more than we could otherwise. I think our $100M+ in revenue with Revinate speaks for itself.” – Serena Bethle, Database Marketing Manager at Brittain Resorts and Hotels.

About Revinate:
Revinate is one of the global leaders in CDP-driven direct booking platforms, cultivating intelligent and deeper guest experience and driving revenue and profitability for hoteliers. Founded in 2009, Revinate counts tens of thousands of the world’s leading hotels as customers and has won numerous awards for its software as a service (SaaS) solution, including 2018, 2019 and 2020 Top Rated Email Marketing and CRM Product by Hotel Tech Report.

About Go Moment:
Go Moment® connects the hospitality industry with their guests – delivering unforgettable experiences to both. Through their guest communications solutions, they are on a mission to make a billion people smile. Ivy, their AI powered digital concierge, routinely delivers high ROI to hotels while delighting guests.

Hannover, Germany, November 19, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry today announced a long-term partnership with TUI Group, a leading integrated tourism group, that sees Sabre Hospitality Solutions as distribution provider and business partner for the group’s own hotel brands worldwide, which include TUI Blue, Robinson and TUI Magic Life.

• For all your booking and lodging solutions worldwide book at HotelWorlds.com at best rates available.

In the course of the partnership, around 70 hotels of the TUI portfolio will use Sabre’s platform solution, including SynXis Central Reservations (CR) and Channel Connect, to enable its new distribution strategy. The group will benefit from the Sabre SynXis Platform’s advanced technology to streamline its operations and grow its footprint globally, while securing an effective, future-ready channel strategy that will help maximize revenue from both direct and indirect channels.

In collaboration with Sabre, TUI’s hotel division will explore opportunities for product innovation and distribution growth, while charting a new path toward full digitalization. Through their combined expertise in the leisure segment, TUI and Sabre will seek to implement an innovative revenue generation strategy that will help fuel travel’s recovery and anticipate future business needs.

“In a changing hospitality marketplace, our objective is to create a winning engagement model that strengthens our core offering – unique holiday experiences,” said Martin Schreck, Chief Information Officer Sourcing & Assets at TUI Group and Managing Director, TUI InfoTec GmbH. “To do this, we are enhancing our technology, while focusing on futureproofing our business. Sabre’s technology will help enable us to fully automate our guest operations – including booking, setting up and amending guest offers – enabling our staff to focus on providing unique, personalized stays. Sabre’s response to the shifting landscape of hospitality, along with its robust, stable and agile platform, will help us secure our recovery and build on our guest experience.”

This partnership supports TUI’s long-term strategy to deploy innovative technology to enhance its operations and improve the guest experience.

• For all your booking and lodging solutions worldwide book at HotelWorlds.com at best rates available.

“We are excited to embark on this partnership with TUI’s popular hotel brands, and look forward to redefining the guest experience together,” said Frank Trampert, SVP and Global Managing Director Commercial, Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “Leisure has become one of the critical revenue streams for the travel industry and a key accelerator to recovery from the industry impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to be at the heart of this and look forward to a long and successful partnership with TUI that powers a new generation of retailing, distribution and fulfillment in hospitality.”

Today’s announcement demonstrates Sabre’s ability to help hoteliers operate more efficiently, increase revenue and deliver the highly personalized experience travelers want and expect, further underscoring Sabre’s critical role in the business of travel.

Cape Town, South Africa, November 22, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / If measures are followed the sector could bring back 4.5 million jobs by 2022. Latest research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reveals the African Travel & Tourism sector is set to experience a year or year growth of just 27.7% this year, below the global average.

• For the African Tourism portal , Connecting Africa to the World, go to TourismAfrica.org

WTTC says travel restrictions imposed by key source markets such as the UK, which saw countries such as South Africa, Tunisia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Egypt and Kenya on its damaging ‘red list’ for travel, have prevented people from travelling, hindering the sector’s recovery across Africa.

Research by WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, shows that in 2019, Africa’s Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to GDP represented almost US$ 169 billion (6.9% of the total economy).

However, in 2020, when the pandemic brought international travel to an almost complete standstill, the contribution to the GDP fell to just US$ 86 billon (3.7% of the total economy), representing a fall of 49.2%, halving the contribution of the Travel & Tourism sector to the region’s economy.

According to the latest research, while the global economy is set to rise 30.7% year on year this year, the African region can expect a year on year growth of 27.7%, representing an increase of US$ 24 billion.

The data also reveals that, at the current recovery rate, the region could experience a further year on year growth of 21% in 2022, representing an increase of further US$ 23 billion to the economy.

The research goes on to show that domestic spending is set to rise by US$ 16 billion (39.5%) year on year in 2021, while international spending is also expected to increase by US$ 6 billion (26.1%) this year.

Next year, domestic spending is set to rise by US$ 13 billion (21.5%). However, international spending is expected to see a further increase of US$ 8 billion (33.8%)

In terms of employment, in 2019, the African Travel & Tourism sector supported almost 25 million jobs. After suffering a loss of more than seven million jobs last year due to severe international travel restrictions, employment is set to rise by a mere 1.1% this year.

However, WTTC’s research reveals a positive 18.1% rise in jobs in 2022, reaching almost 21 million jobs across the sector.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Our research shows that while the African Travel & Tourism sector is slowly beginning to recover, there is still a long way to go in terms of the sector’s contribution to the region’s economy and employment.

“Last year, the pandemic saw the tragic loss of more than seven million jobs from the Travel & Tourism sector. However, due to a predicted rise in both international and domestic spend this year and next, both jobs and GDP are on the rise, which is very encouraging.”

According to the research, the sector’s contribution to the region’s GDP and the rise in jobs could be more positive this year and next, if five vital measures are met by governments worldwide.

These measures include allowing fully vaccinated travellers to move freely, irrespective of their origin or eventual destination.

Secondly, the implementation of digital solutions which enable all travellers to easily prove their COVID status, in turn speeding up the process at borders around the world.

Thirdly, for safe international travel to fully restart, governments must recognise for all vaccines authorised by WHO.

Fourthly, continued support of the COVAX/UNICEF initiative to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines around the world.

Finally, the continued implementation of enhanced health and safety protocols, which will underpin customer confidence.

The future could be even brighter for Africa

If these five vital measures are followed before the end of this year, research shows the impact on the economy and jobs across Africa could be significant.

The sector’s contribution to GDP would benefit from these measures and could rise 30.7% (US$ 26 billion) by the end of 2021, followed by a year on year increase of a further 24.6% (US$ 28 billion) in 2022.

Domestic spending could increase by 41.3% this year, followed by a further 24.6% year on year growth in 2022, reaching pre-pandemic levels.

International spending would also benefit from government action, rising by US$ 7 billion (32.6%) this year, and outpacing domestic spend next year, with a year-on-year increase of US$ 10 billion (38.5%).

• For the African Tourism portal , Connecting Africa to the World, go to TourismAfrica.org

The sector’s growth could also have a positive impact on employment, with a 3.5% increase in jobs in 2021.

However, with the right measures to support Travel & Tourism, the number of those employed in the sector next year could see a year on year increase of 21.6%, reaching 22 million jobs, approaching pre-pandemic levels.

Singapore, Singapore, November 22, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Instant Notification and Detection Product Meets Changing Customer Needs. OAG the world’s leading provider of travel data and insight, today announced the launch of Flight Info Alerts, its new detection and notification product that delivers changes to flight schedules in real-time.

In response to customer demands for a fast and reliable feed which expedites vital changes, it is the only product on the market that enables customers to get instant updates on carrier flight schedules so they can handle data volatility in real-time.

“Alerts is a much-needed solution for our customers who manage bookings or operations and anyone who relies on the accuracy of these vital changes to drive their business. Volatility of this data over the last 18 months has become an increasing challenge, so our customers need us to tell them what’s changed in real-time,” said Phil Callow, CEO, OAG.

OAG’s Flight Info Alerts launch is the latest in a wave of new product innovations powered by its new technology platform, OAG Metis, which saw the release of Flight Info Direct, a Snowflake enabled platform to access and integrate ready to query data, earlier this year.

The evolution and ambition of OAG’s Flight Info API continues to gather pace to equip customers with data covering the full flight and booking journey, with the imminent availability of Flight Status Data into the API suite. Access through a singular API enables OAG customers to innovate, react faster and scale quicker.

Phil Callow adds, “We’re innovating rapidly to meet the changing needs of the travel sector. Our investment in OAG Metis and great tech partnerships with Snowflake and Microsoft Azure enable us to serve the entire ecosystem to scale and serve multiple markets rapidly and efficiently.”

OAG has customers across the travel ecosystem and is embedded in booking engines, travel and hospitality apps, airline apps, online travel agencies, metasearch, search engines, and flight tracking apps.

About OAG
OAG is a leading global travel data provider, that has been powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem since 1929. Headquartered in the UK, OAG has global operations in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China.

Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 20, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The UNWTO leadership has addressed an informal meeting of EU Ministers Responsible for Tourism, further strengthening ties with the European Institutions.

• Read all the latest UNWTO News and Updates here.

The Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union included tourism on its programme of work, recognizing the sector’s heightened relevance and importance for inclusive, post-pandemic recovery. Addressing the Ministers, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili commended European leaders for protecting tourism jobs and businesses, and for playing a leading role in restoring confidence in international travel through harmonized rules and protocols and the introduction of the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

At the same time, the Secretary-General also provided the EU Ministers with an overview of UNWTO’s own work leading the sector’s response to the crisis, as well as more recent achievements advancing tourism’s climate action. Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission, played an active role in the UNWTO Global Tourism Crisis Committee, created to unite the sector and provide clear, harmonized recommendations for recovery, and has also visited the UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid for face-to-face talks with the Secretary-General.

Strengthening ties

This latest intervention further strengthens the ties between UNWTO and the European Institutions, building on the work done prior to the pandemic. In February 2020, the UNWTO leadership visited Brussels. As well as addressing the European Parliament, Secretary-General Pololikashvili also met with Ministers and Secretaries of State for tourism of European Countries, making clear the role the sector can play in driving inclusive growth across the region and in advancing the ambitions of the European Green Deal. More recently, the UNWTO leadership returned to Brussels in October, with a more in-depth agenda focusing on tourism’s place in recovery and future growth for European economies and societies.

• Read all the latest UNWTO News and Updates here.

Following on from the informal meeting of EU Ministers Responsible for Tourism, UNWTO also took part in the 20^th European Tourism Forum, also held against the backdrop of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Europe’s Tourism Ministers will then be part of the upcoming UNWTO General Assembly, scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain, 30 November to 3 December.

Phuket, Thailand, November 18, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / A recent sublime collaboration between InterContinental Phuket Resort, the leisure paradise of Kamala beach and “Chef Ton” (Thitid Tassanakajohn) of “Le Du” (meaning “The Seasons” in Thai) successfully brought exquisite fine dining experiences at Michelin star-level to the seaside of Phuket, recreating extraordinary delicacies from local ingredients in 2 special events: “Jaras x Le Du” and “Pine x Le Du”.

• Discover gastronomy destination Phuket and the Asia’s Best Fine Dining Restaurants at Top25Restaurants.com

For the first time in its long history, InterContinental Phuket Resort worked alongside with “Chef Ton”, a celebrity chef celebrated for his prominence in Thai cuisines with creative twists and high-quality ingredients. He runs the restaurant Le Du, his own modern Thai restaurant recognized as the fourth best restaurant in the latest Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and aptly decorated with a Michelin star as a mark of world-class recognition.

The opening event: “Jaras x Le Du” welcomed our guests to the seaside Thai cuisine fine dining experience delicately prepared by “Chef Ton”, a greatly renowned chef in charge of the Le Du restaurant together with our own “Chef Banky” (Chatchawan Warahajirakul), the best chef in charge of our proudly Jaras restaurant. The event’s main attraction was 5-course Omakase (designed by chef) style Thai cuisine paired with premium wines expertly selected by our sommeliers.

The course started with a Southern style amuse-bouche that packed a spicy punch: “Nam Prik Goong Seab”, the famous Phuket shrimp paste reimagined as a savory mousse served with banana prawns and fresh garden vegetables. Next on the plate is the familiarly sounding “Namm Kor Moo Yang” (flame grilled fermented pork) but the familiar name came with special twists. The 3-day fermented pork was made with Kurobuta pork (Berkshire pork) from Nan province elevated with our special seasoning to a new height of flavors. The next dish that came in a bowl was “Tom Klong Pla Mong”, a delicate soup made from Andaman trevallies aged for 7 days in smoked fish broth and aromatized with lemongrass and mushroom puree to the Thai’s true spicy tastes. Then came the main course: “Ped Pa Lo”, or duck stewed in five-spice jus balanced with white pears in white wine, cured beetroot, radish, and mandarin. And to finish the course, a whimsical dessert “Pork Blood Pudding” was brought to the table. The rich and smooth sweet basil ice-cream was accompanied with pork blood pudding, bringing surprise along with the sublime dessert.

For our “Pine x Le De”, the Phuket’s most-talked-about Sunday brunch was made even more special with Thai cuisines exclusively reimagined by “Chef Ton” of Le Du. The creations included Oyster with Cilantro and Chili Granita, Crudo of Hamachi with Phla Sauce, Grilled Squid with Turmeric and Passion Fruit Sauce, Goong Rom Kwan in Galangal Curry, Gaeng Pla Korat, Lamb Massaman Curry, and Tonkatsu Pork Neck with Curry Sauce along with various menus for our guests to enjoy with Kamala beach’s great scenery, great music from our DJs, and free-flow Champagne.

• Discover gastronomy destination Phuket and the Asia’s Best Fine Dining Restaurants at Top25Restaurants.com

Our exclusive cuisine events at InterContinental Phuket Resort will be held regularly throughout the year to provide our guests with never-ending elevated cuisine experiences. Our famous Sunday Brunch will be served every Sunday from 12:00 to 15:00. For more information or reservation, call us directly on 076 629 999.

Geneva, Switzerland, November 18, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Marie Owens Thomsen will join the Association as its Chief Economist effective 4 January 2022.

Owens Thomsen will come from Banque Lombard Odier, where she has served as Head of Global Trends and Sustainability since 2020. Prior to that she was the long-time Global Head of Investment Intelligence (2011-2020) at Indosuez Wealth Management. Additionally, she has served in Chief Economist and related roles for Merrill Lynch, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and HSBC. Her varied career also includes entrepreneurship and market development activities.

“Marie’s work on macro-economic issues with a focus on sustainability will prepare her to address aviation’s top issues—namely recovery from COVID-19 and sustainability. Coming from outside the aviation sector, she will bring valuable new insights and perspectives. And I am confident that she will carry on IATA’s reputation for objective reporting and analysis that is essential for explaining aviation’s contribution to the global economy and advocating for the polices airlines need to be successful,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“I am joining IATA to contribute to the aviation sector which has been a formidable long-term driver of economic growth. I’ll do this with a research approach that identifies causal factors for critical issues and their high-priority solutions. This is important as aviation begins the recovery from COVID-19 and continues the journey to net zero emissions. I look forward to a future where aviation can flourish within a sustainable global economy,” said Owens Thomsen.

Owens Thomsen holds a PhD in International Economics from The Graduate Institute in Geneva and an MBA equivalent from the University of Gothenburg in International Economics and Business. Holding US, UK and Swiss nationalities, she has worked in the UK, France and Switzerland and is fluent in Swedish, English and French.

Owens Thomsen succeeds Brian Pearce who retired from IATA earlier this year after serving as Chief Economist since 2004.

Bangkok, Thailand, November 18, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), is pleased to welcome Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, as its newest corporate member.

By becoming a member of PATA, Trip.com Group confirms its place as leading force in the industry in the region as well as worldwide. Joining the Association will enable Trip.com Group to increase its influence in the sector and continue delivering precious insights to PATA members and partners. This decision will also allow Trip.com Group to contribute to the recovery of the regional industry at a larger scale and further position the Asia Pacific region as a rising destination for both local and international travellers.

Deepening collaboration with PATA will enable Trip.com Group to expand its network in the region and across diverse areas of the tourism industry. PATA provides access to a number of key industry events in established and emerging markets, such as the recent PATA Wellness and Luxury Travel Conference and Mart 2021 that featured a range of industry-leading speakers, including Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun. By joining the Association, Trip.com Group will also have access to seminars and trainings on evolving regional trends and new developments, enhancing its offering to partners across all business areas.

Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, commented, “We are delighted to be part of PATA, one of the most respected and trusted travel associations in the region and worldwide. Here at Trip.com Group, we are excited to connect with their strong network of industry players to collaborate on ways to better serve travellers in the region and partners around the world. We look forward to working more closely with the team and doing our part in contributing to the recovery of the region.”

Liz Ortiguera, CEO of PATA, added, “Having Trip.com Group join the Association is wonderful news for us. We are proud to have a leading company becoming a member and we are excited to see how this partnership will help the recovery of the region. Jane Sun and I share common interests and values and we look forward to collaborating on the development of travel opportunities in the region. The pandemic was hard for everyone; however, we are optimistic for the future and look forward to promoting the region again and welcoming travellers from all around the world.”

Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its more than 650 member organisations, including 82 government, state and city tourism bodies, 14 international airlines and airports, 71 hospitality organisations and 75 educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London.

About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services, and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centers. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world”.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 17, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Destination Mekong is strengthening its executive capacities towards playing a leading role in the post COVID tourism recovery in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). As the global tourism industry is slowly getting back on track, Destination Mekong (DM) is taking a new step as the regional tourism organization dedicated to championing the Lancang-Mekong region, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as a sustainable and inclusive tourism destination.

• For the Mekong Region Tourism portal, visit TourismMekong.com

Destination Mekong officially introduced its new Executive Team at the beginning of the 2021 Destination Mekong Summit, which took place online on 21 and 22 October 2021, under the theme of “Re-start > Re- form > Re-balance”.

On this occasion, Jens Thraenhart, Founder of Destination Mekong and former Executive Director the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), presented the four members of the DM “Dream Team”:

Catherine Germier-Hamel, Gerrit Kruger, Gavin Bell, and Jens Uwe Parkitny, which all had the opportunity to share their visions and passions in taking their new responsibilities.

Thraenhart stressed that the new Executive Team was “truly world-class and made of experts in their fields, to make sure Destination Mekong can grow and aid the acceleration of the recovery in the Mekong Region”.

He stated that his “proudest accomplishment was to set up a private sector-led regional tourism board with innovative and award-winning programs and initiatives, to execute the mandate of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) to foster public-private sector cooperation.” On 1 November, Jens Thraenhart started a new career as CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

Meet the new Executive Team of Destination Mekong

The appointment of Catherine Germier-Hamel as Chief Executive Officer, Gerrit Kruger as Chief Marketing Officer, and Gavin Bell as Chief Development Officer was effective 1 November. Jens Uwe Parkitny is acting as a strategic advisor in an honorary capacity.

Germier-Hamel, a Eurasian born in France with family heritage from the Mekong region, has lived in Seoul, South Korea, since 2005. Over the past 15 years, she has developed an international career as sustainable tourism development and marketing consultant, and impact entrepreneur.

Gerrit Kruger, a German national, has been involved in the management of Destination Mekong since its creation in 2017 while serving as Managing Director of Chameleon Strategies, an innovative Strategy Think Tank, and an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

Since 2018, Gavin Bell, a British citizen, gained expertise over nearly 30 years of working with governments, international organizations, and the private sector on sustainable tourism initiatives based in Phnom Penh and working with the Ministry of Tourism.

Jens Uwe Parkitny, German, is a well-known tourism executive who has worked for prominent travel and hospitality brands in the Asia Pacific Region. He is the co-owner of Loikaw Lodge by the Lake in Myanmar.

Destinations Mekong setting up the next steps to fulfill its mission

Destination Mekong is currently in the process of being incorporated as a legal entity in Singapore. Its executive office will be hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DM and the Ministry of Tourism, which will also assign local staff.

Over the following months, the Executive Team will focus its efforts on building a strong community of individual, corporate and institutional members and raising funds to support its operations. Its short-term action plan also includes the publication of the Experience Mekong Collection, showcasing responsible and sustainable travel experiences in the Greater Mekong Subregion, and implementing value-added services and solutions to enhance the exposure of its members.

Additionally, Destination Mekong will develop strategic partnerships with organizations sharing the same values and interests. As a start, Destination Mekong has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO), to develop mutual tourism collaboration between the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion and 20 Pacific Island countries (PICs), based on sharing information, knowledge, and best practices to foster sustainable and inclusive tourism.

During the 2021 DM Summit, the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Recovery Communications Plan “Unlimited Experiences, Unlimited Stories” was also unveiled, establishing a framework for the activities of Destination Mekong.

Committed to playing a leadership role within the global tourism community, Destination Mekong became a proud signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism launched on 4 November 2021 during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The Glasgow Declaration encourages the acceleration of climate action in tourism by securing commitments to reduce emissions in tourism by at least 50% over the next decade and achieve Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.

The new CEO of Destination Mekong, Catherine Germier-Hamel, states that “More than ever, the global tourism industry has a unique opportunity to demonstrate its transformative power through inspiring and driving climate action. It’s not only an emergency but also a matter of human dignity.”

• For the Mekong Region Tourism portal, visit TourismMekong.com

About Destination Mekong
Destination Mekong (DM) was created in 2017 by private stakeholders of the travel and tourism industry of the Mekong region (GMS) to promote the Greater Mekong Subregion, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as a single destination.

The overarching purpose of Destination Mekong is to champion the Mekong region as a sustainable and inclusive tourism destination. Over the past years, it has spearheaded innovative and inclusive collaboration within the public and private sectors across the six Mekong countries to inspire and engage travelers and stakeholders through authentic experiences and stories.

The core mission of Destination Mekong is to create engaging programs and solutions that build capacity, are inclusive, and promote sustainable economic development and understanding of the diversity and uniqueness of the region, contributing to social equality and poverty reduction.

Endorsed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office in Thailand and aligned with the mandate of the regional collaborative tourism framework of the six-member governments of the Greater Mekong Sub- region, Destination Mekong has executed targeted projects and initiatives, including Mekong Moments, Mekong Memories, Mekong Deals, Mekong Mini Movie Festival, Mekong Innovative Start-ups in Tourism (MIST), Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Heroes, and Mekong Trends, with feedback from the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG) and via public-private partnership investment structure, led by UNWTO Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies.

London, United Kingdom, November 17, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / A staggering £5.3 billion could be wiped off the value of GDP this year. Up to 180,000 jobs could be lost across the UK Travel & Tourism sector this year, if travel restrictions are reimposed this winter, according to alarming new data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

WTTC, which represents the global private Travel & Tourism sector, made the warning after an analysis which showed the impact caused by a further tightening of borders.

The figures were revealed today by Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, during the 2021 Tourism Alliance Conference, a major event where industry leaders will discuss how to rebuild the UK Travel & Tourism sector.

Further damage could be made to the already embattled sector if new restrictions are imposed, such as the new potential measures which would see all travellers requiring a booster jab before they travel overseas.

Recent reports suggest this is being considered by ministers in an attempt to increase protection from COVID-19 for the fully vaccinated.

Currently only available to the over 50’s, so far, less than 20% of population in the UK have received the booster jab. This represents a minority of those able to travel, and such a move would once again leave millions unable to go abroad, with a huge economic impact as a result.

If wide scale restrictions, such as limiting travel only to those with the booster jab were enforced in 2022, more than half a million jobs could be at stake next year.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “The very real prospect of more than 500,000 people losing their jobs across the UK Travel & Tourism sector because of unnecessary travel restrictions is a huge concern to WTTC.

“We cannot afford to let all the hard-earned progress we’ve made this year, slide back and be reversed. Too many people’s livelihoods are at risk, as well as the continuing economic recovery of the UK.”

Last year, WTTC research revealed 307,000 Travel & Tourism jobs were lost, causing misery to those whose livelihoods rely on a thriving sector.

Furthermore, a recent report by WTTC showed how severe restrictions imposed by the UK government, such as the damaging traffic light system, will see international visitor spend fall by almost 50% on 2020 figures, making the UK one of the worst performing countries in the world.

WTTC fear that any further measures which would impact the Travel & Tourism sector, could make the UK a less attractive destination amongst travellers and in turn, the UK would lose competitiveness as a result.

Further analysis from WTTC shows the government could see up to £5.3 billion wiped from the sector’s contribution to the economy before the end of 2021 if severe travel restrictions come back into force.

The global tourism body fears that if punishing restrictions were to remain locked in place for much of next year, it could result in a loss of up to £21.7 billion from the UK economy.