Category: Latest Travel News

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, September 4, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Glasgow Declaration aims to catalyse an acceleration of climate action across travel and tourism during the COVID-19 recovery and beyond. It defines a clear and consistent sector-wide message and approach to climate action in the coming decade, aligned with the wider scientific framework and urgency to act now.

Online launch of Glasgow Declaration defines a clear and consistent sector-wide approach to climate action in the coming decade.

The Declaration will be launched on 21st September 2021, in two separate sessions to allow as many people as possible from all around the world to attend. The morning session is scheduled at 10:00 CEST and the afternoon session is at 17:00 CEST with interpretation into Spanish.

During the session, the pathways proposed in the Glasgow Declaration to accelerate tourism’s ability to transform and achieve net zero as soon as possible will be presented. The audience will be informed about how to subscribe to the Declaration and demonstrate their public support for scaling up Climate Action in Tourism.

Doha, State of Qatar, September 3, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX /Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, and Qatar Airways, the award-winning international airline, are now finalizing a new distribution deal that will provide long-term access to the airline’s content through the Sabre travel marketplace.

• For a comprehensive travel guide on Qatar and the FIFA World Cup 2022, go to VisitMacao.org

Qatar Airways intends to strengthen its partnership with Sabre to take advantage of Sabre’s global reach and leading position in corporate travel for the distribution of Qatar Airways’ products to travelers worldwide. Implementation work is starting to enable unique NDC offers created by Qatar Airways to be distributed through Sabre’s new distribution capability (NDC), which provides a consistent end-to-end workflow that integrates within well-established agency operations.

“A new approach to retailing is required in order to respond to the personalized service and enhanced flexibility that travelers expect,” said Roshan Mendis, Chief Commercial Officer, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Sabre is committed to supporting Qatar Airways in enhancing its retailing capabilities by enabling the airline to distribute personalized offers through our marketplace to corporations and travel agencies around the world. Collaboration will be crucial in travel’s recovery, so I’m proud that we are now finalizing a long-term, sustainable agreement with Qatar Airways that is beneficial for all parties in the travel ecosystem.”

Sabre’s technology enables Qatar Airways to effectively market and sell its expansive roster of fares globally through the Sabre marketplace. Reaching a network of more than 425,000 travel agents, it is one of the world’s largest marketplaces, processing over US $120 billion in estimated travel spend.

Thierry Antinori, Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Airways, said: “Working collaboratively is pivotal to our reputation as a trusted and reliable business partner for both customers flying Qatar Airways, and the travel agencies that serve them. As international travel recovers, the landscape has become extremely complex, and we don’t want to add additional obstacles such as surcharges, restrictions or inefficient technical solutions, as we deploy new NDC-based product offerings.

• For a comprehensive travel guide on Qatar and the FIFA World Cup 2022, go to VisitMacao.org

“We are therefore focused on providing a consistent shopping experience through all channels, to meet the expectations of our travelers and promote the success of our agency partners. With Sabre, we see great potential to shape the future of modern airline retailing.”

Operating consistent schedules through the pandemic, Qatar Airways’ network has now rebuilt to more than 140 destinations. This management approach has seen the airline receive accolades from trade partners, media, and industry awards, including Airline of the Year 2021 from Airline Ratings, while its home airport, Hamad International in Doha was recently crowned Best Airport in the World.

London, United Kingdom, September 3, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “Protecting public health must remain the priority and WTTC strongly supports safety protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, the EU’s recommendation to reimpose restrictions on U.S. travellers is a step backwards and will only slow down the recovery of the sector.

“With high vaccination levels in both the U.S. and the EU, we should be looking at opening up travel between these two major economies. We need a common set of rules that recognise global vaccines and remove the need to quarantine for people with a negative COVID result.

“The U.S. is a key source market for many EU Member States, such as France, Italy, Germany and Ireland, and tourism will be critical in restoring normal life and tens of thousands of jobs in both the U.S. and the EU.

“Rather than imposing further damaging travel restrictions, the EU should be encouraging Member States to use its groundbreaking Digital COVID Certificate to safely restore international travel, fundamental for the European economy.”

Geneva, Switzerland, September 3, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The World Economic Forum has published a new study on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to accelerate a more equitable energy transition and build trust for the technology throughout the industry.

As the impacts of climate change become more visible worldwide, governments and industry face the urgent challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon global energy system.

Digital technologies – particularly AI – are key enablers for this transition and have the potential to deliver the energy sector’s climate goals more rapidly and at lower cost.

Written in collaboration with BloombergNEF and Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena) – the German Energy Agency, Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate the Energy Transition reviews the state of play of AI adoption in the energy sector, identifies high-priority applications of AI in the energy transition, and offers a road map and practical recommendations for the energy and AI industries to maximize AI’s benefits.

The report finds that AI has the potential to create substantial value for the global energy transition. Based on BNEF’s net-zero scenario modelling, every 1% of additional efficiency in demand creates $1.3 trillion in value between 2020 and 2050 due to reduced investment needs. AI could achieve this by enabling greater energy efficiency and flexing demand.

“AI is already making its mark on many parts of society and the economy. In energy, we are only seeing the beginning of what AI can do to speed up the transition to the low-emissions, ultra-efficient and interconnected energy systems we need tomorrow. This report shows the potential and what it will take to unlock it – guided by principles that span how to govern, design and enable responsible use of AI in energy. Governments and companies can collectively create a real tipping point in using AI for a faster energy transition,” said Roberto Bocca, Head of Energy, World Economic Forum.

“As dena, we have been focusing on digital technologies for years. Especially with our ‘Future Energy Lab’ we are boosting Artificial intelligence projects AI is an essential technology for the energy transition since it will provide the glue to connect the different sectors (power, heat, mobility and industry) and serve as digital technology to effectively monitor systems and processes. To efficiently control the energy system of the future, which will be very volatile due to renewable energies, such agent-based control will play an overarching role,” said Andreas Kuhlmann, Chief Executive Officer, dena.

High priority applications for how AI can accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy future include:

(1) Identifying patterns and insights in data to increase efficiency and savings: According to BNEF’s net-zero scenarios, fully decarbonising the global energy system will require between $92 trillion and $173 trillion of investments in energy infrastructure between 2020 and 2050. Even single-digit percentage gains in flexibility, efficiency, or capacity in clean energy and low-carbon infrastructure systems can therefore lead to trillions of dollars in value and savings.

(2) Coordinating power systems with growing shares of renewable energy: As electricity supplies more sectors and applications, the power sector is becoming the core pillar of the global energy supply. Ramping up renewable energy deployment to decarbonize the globally expanding power sector will mean more power is supplied by intermittent sources (such as solar and wind), creating a need for better forecasting, greater coordination, and more flexible consumption to ensure that power grids can be operated safely and reliably.

(3) Managing complex, decentralized energy systems at scale: The transition to low-carbon energy systems is driving the rapid growth of distributed power generation, distributed storage, and advanced demand response capabilities, which will need to be orchestrated and integrated into much more networked, transactional power grids.

Navigating these opportunities presents huge strategic and operational challenges for energy-intensive sectors and energy systems themselves, just as they are undergoing once-in-a-lifetime digital transformations. AI can act as an intelligent layer across many applications and has the ability to identify patterns and insights in data, “learn” lessons accurately and improve system performance over time, and predict and model possible outcomes for complex, multivariate situations.

Recent efforts to deploy AI in the energy sector have proven promising but innovation and adoption remain limited. AI holds far greater potential to accelerate the global energy transition but it will only be realized if there is greater AI innovation, adoption and collaboration across the industry. To address this, the white paper establishes a set of principles to help industry govern and scale AI technology in a rapid, safe and fair manner.

“One of the key findings from our workshops was that whilst we could identify many tangible opportunities for AI in the energy transition, there was a real need for a set of common guiding principles to make these opportunities scalable. These principles should ideally create a framework that enables multiple stakeholder groups to work together effectively, on a pre-defined set of activities from governance, to design, to enabling infrastructure. They will enable us to move past the many ‘proofs of concept’ projects towards successful large-scale implementation of solutions,” said Jon Moore, Chief Executive Officer, BloombergNEF.

The 9 principles cited in the report aim to build industry trust in AI technologies so that they can play a greater role in the energy transition. As AI tools are increasingly adopted across energy and energy-intensive sectors, companies and policy makers must play an active role in governing and shaping the use of AI in the energy sector, establishing best practices for designing AI systems in a responsible way, and creating an enabling environment to unlock the full potential of AI technologies.

Sustainable Development Impact Summit 20-23 September
The meeting brings together global leaders from business, government, and civil society under the theme Shaping an Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Recovery. It will focus on new technologies, policies and partnerships to advance cooperation, accelerate progress, and highlight tangible solutions to our global challenges

Bangkok, Thailand, September 2, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Shopping centers now reopen, according to Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s ease of business restrictions so that people can restore their normal lives as close to normal as possible. OneSiam – the synergy of Siam Paragon Siam Center and Siam Discovery together with ICONSIAM and their tenants now open under strict preventive pandemic  control measures as well as health screening 100 percent of the staffs before resuming their operation. These stringent measures are to ensure utmost confidence to retail businesses in the shopping centers, tenants, staff and customers. The reopening is rolled out under “One Smile Forward” concept – that all of us will move forward, to embrace this new normal together.

Siam Paragon Siam Center and Siam Discovery together with ICONSIAM have taken hygiene and health safety measures our top priorities and has been taken proactive measures to the highest level, applied to  both our staffs and visitors. The shopping centers’ operation has been strictly carried under the guidelines by the Department of Disease Control and the Ministry of Public Health since the early spread of Covid-1 in 2020. The reopening is also operated under maximum preventive pandemic control measures and stringent staff screening before the official reopening, to reassure visitors’ utmost safety.

Naratipe Ruttapradid, Senior Executive Vice President – Operation, Siam Piwat Co., Ltd, said “Siam Paragon Siam Center, Siam Discovery and ICONSIAM now open under the highest level of sanitization and health safety measures, in compliance with guidance from CCSA to curb the  so that businesses are able to reopen safely and sustainably. We are implementing Covid-Free Setting Protocol to ensure best safety to our staffs and visitors. Our measures include stringent staff screening before resuming their operations. All staffs on duties must be vaccinated and tested negative with the antigen test kit, Thai Safe Thai platform registration, staffs must wear protective face masks at all time and strictly follow D-M-H-T-T rules (Distancing, Mask wearing, Hand washing, Testing, and using the Thai Chana app). Individual retail setting and food operators must complete self-assessment for Thai Stop Covid+ standard as instructed by the Ministry of Public Health.

The operation system is effectively maintained such as sanitizing the air cooling, air ventilation system,  water quality control, proactive big cleaning with disinfectant spray in the public areas and in the shops. Frequent touch points are sanitized every 30 minutes. Car park cards are cleaned after each use to ensure maximum hygiene and safety for both staffs and customers.

For visitors, we recommend they strictly adhere to the hygienic measures to best safeguard themselves including check-in and check-out via Thai Chana platform in comply with CCSA’s guideline. Visitors must wear facemasks at all time and follow the shopping centers’ mandatory such as frequent use of hand sanitizer, health screening at the checkpoint, safeguard themselves and use cashless or E-payment system for safety and convenience.

Additional facilities are on offered. Touchless Building Facilities are installed such as automatic parking entrance without having to receive car park card, automatic parking fee payment is an option for customers who prefer cashless service over paying cash at the exit, automatic hand sanitizers in the properties and elevators and for the restrooms – taps, toilets, and hand sop dispensers are automatic.

“We strictly comply to CCSA’s regulations at the maximum levels to leverage our hygiene and health safety measures to the highest levels, to ensure safe journeys to all visitors. We would like to be a part to support the government in encouraging Thai people to strictly safeguard themselves according to the measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, to steer our country out of the crisis,” said Naratipe.

Siam Piwat is confident that OneSiam – the synergy of Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery together with ICONSIAM are more than ready to serves our customers under the most stringent levels of hygiene and health safety. We want to bring back happiness and smiles to everyone. The reopening, under the government’s announcement, is under the concept “One Smile Forward.” Indulging promotion campaigns for shoppers are also on offer, to bring happiness, good experienced and smiles to all, from this moment on.

The operation hour (until further notice)
ICONSIAM: 11.00 -20.00 hrs.
For more information, please call 1338
Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery
Monday – Friday: 11.00 -20.00 hrs.
Saturday – Sunday: 10.00 -20.00 hrs
Gourmet Market at Siam Paragon: opens daily 10.00 -20.00 hrs

London, United Kingdom, September 2, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called upon the UK government to finally bring an end to the widely discredited travel traffic light system.

The call comes after the latest update which saw just seven countries added to the green list, with Thailand, a popular winter sun destination for holiday starved Brits, and Montenegro, added to the red list.

• Read all the latest WTTC News and Updates here.

Turkey, widely expected to be able to welcome British visitors stayed in no-go red, seriously damaging its travel sector.

WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, says both consumers and Travel & Tourism businesses have lost confidence in the system. It condemns the endless chopping and changing of countries that causes confusion, and only benefits an unregulated market of costly test suppliers.

The global tourism body says planning for most businesses – and holidaymakers – had been rendered next to impossible by the 51st change announced today.

WTTC says the time has come to ditch these disruptive updates completely and allow all those fully vaccinated to travel freely once more – unless travelling to a red-list country.

Travel should be allowed with testing – for the unvaccinated – to ensure those who are unable to get vaccinated are not discriminated against.

PCRs should be replaced with the more affordable antigen tests. However, if the UK government continues to insist on costly and unnecessary PCR tests, it should bear the cost instead of passing it on to consumers, which deters Britons from travelling.

Costly testing is putting travel out of the reach of hard-working families and returning it to the preserve of the wealthy.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said:

“The traffic light system is widely discredited. It puts the UK at a disadvantage and is squandering the vaccine dividend.

“This is the 51st change in a baffling array of travel bans. Holidaymakers are confused and frustrated. The UK government is seriously damaging the Travel & Tourism sector which in turn supports thousands of businesses and jobs.

“The UK government appears to have no exit plan. The Global Travel Taskforce, set up to oversee these haphazard travel restrictions must set out a clear strategy to recover normal travel.

“Nowhere should be off limits to anyone in the UK who is fully vaccinated, except in exceptional circumstances.

“Turkey is a wonderful country and has been a very popular destination for British holidays for many years. The UK government’s decision to keep it on a no-go ‘red’ list is very disappointing. Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country were looking forward to welcoming British holidaymakers and the return of Turks living in the UK who are desperate to visit family and friends. WTTC will do all we can to reverse this decision.”

• Read all the latest WTTC News and Updates here.

WTTC has helped to spearhead the coordinated international response to the impact of the pandemic upon the global Travel & Tourism sector – which has so far cost more than 307,000 jobs in the UK alone, with many thousands more still at risk.

Traverse City, MI, United States, September 1, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / SpaceFund, a world-leading space venture capital firm, announced today at the North American Space Summit, the formation of its SpaceFund Labs idea incubator. The goal of this new division of SpaceFund is to capture and turn exciting ideas into funded businesses by creating a unique incubation plan for each idea that is accepted into the program.

SpaceFund Labs is now accepting ideas that will change the Universe.

“SpaceFund Labs is about discovering and nurturing the most brilliant ideas in AI, biotech, fintech, materials science, quantum mechanics and more to enhance humanity’s future in space,” said Meagan Crawford, co-founder and managing partner of SpaceFund. “SpaceFund Labs will take the best ideas that apply to space and turn them into profitable businesses.”

• For a better understanding of Space and to join the economic and industrial development of space. Contributors welcome – MadeInSpace.com

The economic frontier of space requires vision, but also serious and sober business planning. In its central role as a venture capital firm in a field that is literally taking off, SpaceFund is often presented with ideas that aren’t quite ready for prime time, but hold great promise as potential enterprises. SpaceFund Labs is designed to take these very early-stage concepts and build successful businesses around them, including team formation, financial planning, corporate setup, legal consultation, and more.

“We provide both the real-world knowledge of the most experienced minds in the space industry and the critical experience-based coaching of VCs and financial experts,” said Rick Tumlinson, SpaceFund’s founder. “The SpaceFund brand stands behind the best.”

In coming weeks the incubator will be bringing on top performers in a variety of industries as new advisors. This distinguished team of cross-disciplinary experts will help with vetting, ideation, and company formation. SpaceFund’s venture capital investment division will then assess each company for viability and when appropriate, lead the new company’s first investment round.

• For a better understanding of Space and to join the economic and industrial development of space. Contributors welcome – MadeInSpace.com

“Sometimes we see holes in the marketplace that no one else is trying to capture,” continued Crawford. “It’s our job, even our responsibility to our investors, to go out and capture that value by creating stellar teams and solid businesses that can get it done.”

About SpaceFund
SpaceFund is a venture capital firm, focused on informed investing to create a diversified portfolio of the most profitable space companies. The firm conducts ongoing research projects to provide market intelligence on the entire space startup ecosystem, with a special focus on market size, creation of new markets, financing, and exits. Based on this research, SpaceFund invests in the visionary yet practical high-growth startups addressing the multi-billion dollar space markets that will both enable and benefit from the space revolution.

Phoenix, Arizona, United States, September 1, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Best Western Hotels and Resorts Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Dorothy Dowling, will be awarded the Hotel News Now Stephen W. Brener Silver Plate Award at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in November 2021. Dowling is being recognized for her immeasurable contributions to Best Western Hotels & Resorts and the hospitality industry at large.

The award is given annually to the most influential executive, entrepreneur, company, or association in the travel industry, recognizing exemplary examples of innovation and leadership, and shining a light on the contributions of these remarkable industry leaders. Dowling is the second woman in history to be awarded the Stephen W. Brener Silver Plate Award since its creation in 1959, following in the footsteps of Marilyn Carlson Nelson.

“Dorothy is most deserving of this coveted recognition,” said David Kong, President and Chief Executive Officer, Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand Dorothy’s innovative and strategic thinking for 17 years now. Each day I have been inspired by her unrelenting commitment to our industry and her dedication to Best Western’s hoteliers, guests, and her team of incredibly talented sales and marketing professionals. I have no doubt that Dorothy’s contributions to the industry will be remembered for generations to come.”

“I am not surprised that Dorothy is the second woman in history to receive this accolade, as there is no greater champion for our industry,” said Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer, American Airlines. “She has been a catalyst for change through her commitment to collaboration, and her focus on empowering women leaders. I hope the next generation of women in travel embrace Dorothy’s approach to leadership – she has proven that it is possible to deliver business outcomes while also driving positive change.”

Dowling is a veteran industry executive who is a leader, change-maker, innovator and trusted colleague. Leading all marketing and sales strategies for Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Dowling oversees the brand’s loyalty program, digital marketing and distribution, consumer and field marketing activities, advertising, public relations and B2B sales and marketing.

“Dorothy is a leading voice whose dedication to our industry is truly inspiring,” said Ishwar Naran, Board Chairman, Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “I have had the privilege of working alongside Dorothy at Best Western Hotels & Resorts where she has played a critical role in increasing market share and contemporizing our iconic brand.”

Since joining Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2004, Dowling has reshaped and repositioned the iconic brand. Her work at Best Western Hotels & Resorts includes:

• Driving the growth of the industry-leading loyalty program, Best Western Rewards® which now boasts over 47 million members and provides guests with one of the richest hotel rewards programs in the industry.
• Building an award-winning partnership with AAA®/CAA® resulting in Best Western Hotels & Resorts being named the AAA/CAA Partner of the Year for 12 consecutive years.
• Supporting Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ $2 billion brand refresh which revealed a re-energized and contemporary image for the iconic brand.
• Becoming a first mover by partnering with Google® Street View and leveraging Virtual Reality technology, resulting in Fast Company recognizing the hotel brand as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.
• Positioning Best Western Hotels & Resorts as a trusted leader in business travel, earning a number of industry accolades such as Best Western® and Best Western Plus® ranking as the number one midscale and number two upper-midscale hotel brands respectively by Business Travel News.

“It is an honor to be chosen as a Stephen W. Brener Silver Plate Award winner by the NYU conference advisory group,” said Dowling. “This award has been bestowed upon true industry leaders and I am humbled to be joining the list of winners, including Best Western’s very own President and CEO, David Kong, who won this same award in 2013. Driving progress for the travel industry has been my life’s work, and I hope my contributions to the industry will be as impactful and long lasting as those who have come before me.”

“Dorothy is a thought leader and innovator who has united the travel industry with her ‘we win together when we work together’ philosophy,” said Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and Founder, Cvent. “I believe Dorothy’s approach to leadership and dedication to collaboration will have a lasting impact on our industry.”

Dowling’s commitment to the travel industry is far-reaching. In addition to her role at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Dowling works with a variety of industry organizations. Dowling was recently elected President of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Allied Leadership Council for a second term. She is also Senior Advisor for GBTA WINiT’s Strategic Advisory Board, serves on HSMAI’s Foundation Board of Directors, and US Travel’s Board of Directors.  In addition to her industry leadership roles, Dowling serves as an Independent Trustee on CubeSmart’s Board of Directors, the third-largest owner and operator of self-storage properties in the United States.

This accolade adds to Dowling’s growing list of awards. Just this year, Dowling was recognized by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International with the Albert E. Koehl Award Lifetime Achievement Award. Dowling was also named a “Top 40 Women in Travel” in 2019 by WINiT by GBTA – a network focused on the advancement of women professionals in the industry. In 2018, Dowling was honored with the prestigious “Allied Member of the Year” award from GBTA for her valued stewardship in the business travel industry. In 2017, Dowling was named as one of Hotel Management magazine’s “30 Influential Women in Hospitality,” for her trailblazing leadership, and she was named the 18th most influential Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the world in the Forbes/ScribbleLive/LinkedIn’s 4th Annual CMO Influence Study in 2015. She was among HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing two times; and in 2014, was inducted into the Direct Marketing News Marketing Hall of Femme. Additionally, Dowling was the recipient of the 2016 Applied Health Sciences Alumni Achievement Award, from the University of Waterloo, her alma mater.

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best Western Hotels and Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand within the BWH Hotel Group^® global network. With 18 brands and approximately 4,700 hotels in over 100 countries and territories worldwide*, BWH Hotel Group suits the needs of developers and guests in every market. Brands include Best Western^®, Best Western Plus^®, Best Western Premier^®, Executive Residency by Best Western^®, Vīb^®, GLō^®, Aiden^®, Sadie^®, BW Premier Collection^® and BW Signature Collection^®. Through acquisition, WorldHotels^TM Luxury, WorldHotels Elite, WorldHotels Distinctive and WorldHotels Crafted collections are also offered. Completing the portfolio is SureStay^®, SureStay Plus^®, SureStay Collection^® and SureStay Studio^SM  franchises.

Istanbul, Turkey, September 1, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Marriott International, Inc. announced plans to expand its portfolio in Turkey with the expected opening of 10 properties by the end of 2022. With the anticipated openings, the company’s portfolio in Turkey is expected to encompass 43 properties with over 7,000 rooms across eight markets by the end of 2022. Reinforcing its long-term focus on the market, the company also announced two recent deal signings under the Four Points by Sheraton brand.

“Marriott International has a strong history of successful operations in the Turkish market,” said Begüm Kaya, Director of Development, Turkey at Marriott International. “With our captivating portfolio of brands, world-class distribution platform and all-encompassing travel program, Marriott Bonvoy, we appreciate the confidence our owners and franchisees have with us in this exciting market.”

Strong Continued Growth for Select Accommodations Across the Country

Marriott International continues to see growth in its select portfolio across brands such as Four Points by Sheraton and Residence Inn by Marriott. Four Points by Sheraton builds upon its momentum in the Turkish market with the Four Points by Sheraton Istanbul Kagithane expected to open this year and the Four Points by Sheraton Elazig projected to open in 2022.

To meet the demand for longer-stay accommodations in the country, the company is expected to debut its extended stay brand, Residence Inn by Marriott, with the anticipated opening of Residence Inn by Marriott Istanbul Atasehir later this year. The brand is ideal for guests seeking the comforts of home with modern, flexible suites with full kitchens and separate living and sleeping areas, providing the perfect solution for travelers mixing business and leisure travel.

Owner Desire for Marriott’s Premium Brands

The company’s renowned premium brands also remain a strong driver of growth in the Turkish market. Following the recent opening of Orientbank Hotel Istanbul, Autograph Collection, two new Autograph Collection hotels are planned to open in Istanbul – The Burdock, Autograph Collection in 2021 and Orient Occident Hotel, Autograph Collection in 2022. Providing independent hoteliers the opportunity to leverage the company’s powerful distribution, sales and loyalty platform while maintaining their independent spirit, Autograph Collection hotels celebrate individuality while benefiting from the power of Marriott International’s scale.

Delta Hotels by Marriott, which provides guests with exactly what they need for a seamless travel experience, made its debut in the country in 2019 with the opening of Delta Hotels by Marriott Istanbul Halic. The brand is slated to open Delta Hotels by Marriott Istanbul Levent by the end of 2021.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, which is currently undergoing a much-anticipated design transformation, remains a popular brand in Turkey. Following the recent openings of Sheraton Istanbul City Center and Sheraton Istanbul Levent, the brand is anticipated to open Sheraton Istanbul Esenyurt next year. Drawing on its roots as a community hub for locals and guests, the new Sheraton experience provides services and design that enable socialization, productivity, and personalization. Marriott Hotels, the company’s flagship brand, continues to further grow its portfolio in Turkey with the recent opening of Izmir Marriott Hotel.

Growing Demand Branded Residences

In Turkey, the company’s branded residential business continues to draw interest , with consumers seeking residential property in communities that offer a convenient lifestyle and an array of on-demand amenities and services, and with developers seeking to differentiate and elevate their products with trusted brands. Marriott International currently operates three branded residential properties in Turkey, including the recently opened Le Méridien Residences, Bodrum and The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Bodrum, which marked the company’s first standalone branded residences in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. In 2022, the company is expected to open The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Istanbul and The Residences at the Sheraton Istanbul Esenyurt.

Growth in Conversion Opportunities

While much of the company’s past growth in Turkey has been through new-build developments, the company has seen an increase in conversion opportunities. In the past two years, the company has signed six conversion deals across the country. The company has since opened five of the conversion deals under a Marriott International brand, including Sheraton Istanbul City Centre and Sheraton Istanbul Levent. There is also increased interest in the adaptive re-use space where developers are looking to convert existing buildings into hotel accommodations. In the past three years, the company has signed four adaptive re-use conversions in Turkey including JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus and The Burdock, Autograph Collection.

Turkey is home to 17 of Marriott International’s brands, each serving differentiated experiences across traveler segments. The brands currently present in Turkey include:

JW Marriott, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection, and EDITION in the luxury segment; Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Renaissance Hotels, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Delta Hotels by Marriott, and Design Hotels in the premium segment; Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft Hotels and AC Hotels by Marriott, in the select service segment.

Bangkok, Thailand, August 31, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the Centara EarthCare has achieved the ‘GSTC-Recognized Standard’ status. Centara Hotels & Resorts is a Thai leading hotel operator with 48 properties throughout the Kingdom of Thailand, and 36 properties overseas including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, China, Japan, Oman, Qatar, Cambodia, Turkey, Indonesia and the UAE. There are six different brands within Centara.

The Centara EarthCare is Centara’s internal sustainability standard, used by the group’s hotels and resorts for adherence to sustainable practices based on the GSTC Criteria. For tracking, measuring and improving in areas of environmental sustainability and social responsibility at property or multi-site level, Centara is using the Greenview Portal, which is a GSTC-Recognized System. The platform allows Centara to track, benchmark, report and improve on various aspects of environmental and social performance.

By 2025, Centara aims to have 100% of its properties certified as sustainable by accredited certification bodies, further demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to long-term sustainability.

“By adopting sustainable, green practices, we are actively choosing to be more aware of our environmental impact. This not only protects the natural surroundings that enhance the guest experience in so many of the locations where we operate, it also creates long-term benefits for the company, our customers and our employees. Setting long-term sustainability goals allows us to incorporate green practices into our identity and ensures that all our stakeholders are aligned with Centara’s values and vision for a more mindful, ecologically conscious future,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

The GSTC-Recognized status refers to the standard itself and means that a sustainable tourism standard or system has been reviewed by GSTC technical experts and the GSTC Assurance Panel and deemed the standard or system equivalent to the GSTC Criteria for sustainable tourism. It shows that the set of standards are based on the 4 pillars of the GSTC Criteria: Environment, Social, Cultural, and Management principles. This does not relate to the process of certification, nor to accreditation.

“Centara is the first Asian hospitality group to formally incorporate the GSTC Criteria in its internal sustainability system, along with long-term sustainability plans and goals, applying meaningful sustainability practices into their management approaches. We are proud to formally confirm Centara EarthCare’s compliance with the GSTC Criteria by undergoing the process of GSTC Recognition,” says Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC. “By using GSTC-Recognized systems, hotel and tourism companies are able to embed the GSTC Criteria, which includes the full range of environmental and social considerations specifically developed for the tourism sector, throughout their management processes and set them on the path of continuous improvement and towards third-party external certification.”

Currently, 11 destination standards, 34 hotel standards, and 15 tour operator standards have achieved GSTC-Recognized status. The status offers the market a proof that these standards adhere to international norms. GSTC Recognition does not ensure that a certification process is reliable, only that the set of standards used to certify are equivalent to the GSTC Criteria. GSTC-Recognized standard owners are encouraged to complete the accreditation process, which assures that the certification process used to apply the standard meets international best practice, transparent, and rigor. List of GSTC-Accredited certification bodies is available here.

About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources, while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.

The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for Accreditation of Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services; but it accredits those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including UN agencies, NGO’s, national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.

About Centara Hotels & Resorts
Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 84 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, China, Japan, Oman, Qatar, Cambodia, Turkey, Indonesia and the UAE. Centara’s portfolio comprises six brands – Centara Reserve, Centara Grand Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara and COSI Hotels – ranging from luxury island retreats and upscale family resorts to affordable lifestyle concepts supported by innovative technology. The group’s newest Centara Reserve brand was unveiled in 2020 as an experiential luxury collection, inviting guests to discover a new era of story-driven hospitality starting with Centara Reserve Samui.

Centara also operates state-of-the-art convention centres and has its own award-winning spa brand, Cenvaree. Throughout the collection, Centara delivers and celebrates the hospitality and values Thailand is famous for including gracious service, exceptional food, pampering spas and the importance of families. Centara’s distinctive culture and diversity of formats allow it to serve and satisfy travellers of nearly every age and lifestyle.

Over the next five years Centara aims to become a top 100 global hotel group, while spreading its footprint into new continents and market niches. As Centara continues to expand, a growing base of loyal customers will find the company’s unique style of hospitality in more locations. Centara’s global loyalty programme, Centara The1, reinforces their loyalty with rewards, privileges and special member pricing.