Category: Latest Travel News

Madrid, Spain, December 4, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / With the aim of establishing actions and commitments to restart international travel, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Spanish Government hosted a hybrid conference, where leaders from the industry both from the public and private sector participated, covering 95 countries and more than 100 Travel & Tourism companies.

• Read all the latest WTTC News and Press Releases here.

This event was organised as a result of WTTC’s call for the leaders of G7+Spain, South Korea and Australia for an agreement at the highest level, to save the sector and the millions of jobs that depend on it.

The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, reiterated his commitment to the sector and confirmed the leadership of Spain by holding a major conference to discuss key measures needed to revive international Travel & Tourism.

The conference was a follow up to last month’s first ever G20 public-private sector Tourism meeting, where around 45 CEOs and WTTC members were invited for the first time at the request of Saudi Arabia, host country.

As a result of the discussions, the ‘La Palma Declaration’ has been signed by all key parties.

The ‘La Palma Declaration’ includes a number of key recommendations which includes the adoption of international protocols for COVID-19 tests prior departure, and acceptance of results upon arrival at destination. This testing regime has proven successful in a number of countries, such as Spain and the Canary Islands.

The establishment of health control measures such as this, will allow shorter quarantine periods when returning to the country of origin, or could lead to eliminating quarantines completely.

The ‘La Palma Declaration’ also proposes to establish international agreements to implement international travel corridors to facilitate the return of both leisure and business travel between countries or cities with similar epidemiological situations.

Travel & Tourism companies were also invited to propose further measures to adapt and facilitate travels in the context of the pandemic. These options included offering flexible bookings, payment terms, or changes, due to positive COVID-19, or offering affordable or higher value products to incentivise domestic and international travel.

The ‘La Palma Declaration’ urges all parties to adjust their business models to the new global situation and work together to develop new products that drive domestic and international Travel & Tourism, as well as implementing training programs to improve and train tourism workers and SMEs, empowering them with the digital skills needed to adapt to the “new normal”.

Lastly, a more inclusive and resilient industry will be promoted by strengthening sustainability practices in tourism.

The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, opened the Conference and said that the results of this Summit will benefit millions of families and businesses around the world.

“The priority is to make it possible to restart international travel, and to do so, we must use new tools available, such as more accessible and reliable diagnostic tests, so that international travel ensures safety”.

During his address, he made it clear that we must turn the crisis into an opportunity to modernise the international tourism sector and make it more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable, and to spread wealth better.

In conclusion, he said that a world  without COVID-19 is drawing closer, but as this future comes, we have an obligation to mitigate the effects of this crisis on the Travel & Tourism sector.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC is delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with closely with the government of Spain in organising this vital conference, as the biggest challenge the industry faces is international coordination. 

“I would like to recognise and congratulate Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as well as Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Reyes Maroto, for their leadership and commitment to public-private collaboration. This is an historic meeting, and will be fundamental to restarting international travel through close collaboration that will result in the implementation of key measures that will be necessary to recovery millions of jobs.”

She also highlighted that an international protocol of rapid test at departure is crucial for the sector, and therefore the La Palma Declaration will support in the execution of this and all of the proposals presented by WTTC at the G20 meeting last month.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, gave the closing speech, stressing “it is essential to have a coordinated international response that allows international travel to be restarted in a safe and viable manner, as this will allow the travel and tourism sector to recover more quickly.”

During her speech, Maroto stressed that La Palma conference is of extraordinary importance, because it is the first time that the public and private sectors have committed to working together for the recovery of global tourism. She also said that Spain pioneered the approval of air corridors to facilitate international travel and has established the obligation of pre-travel diagnostic tests as an alternative to quarantines and travel restrictions to ensure the restart of safe international travel.

Finally, the Minister stressed that the tourism sector is a priority for the Government and that the necessary resources will be allocated for its transformation and necessary impetus.

“We want Spain to remain the most competitive country in the world in terms of tourism and for this we will mobilise more than €3.4 billion over the next three years in transformative projects, that make tourism a more sustainable, digital, accessible and inclusive sector,” she said.

• Read all the latest WTTC News and Press Releases here.

CEO’s from some of the world’s biggest Travel & Tourism companies and WTTC Members taking part included: President and CEO Iberia, Javier Sánchez-Prieto; CEO Radisson Hotel Group, Federico J Gonzalez Tejera, CEO TUI, Friedrich Joussen; Founder and Managing Partner Certares, Greg O’Hara; Senior Vice-President Expedia Group, Jean-Philippe Monod.

Ministers taking part in this historic conference included: Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez; President of the Canary Islands, Mr Ángel Víctor Torres; Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism; Secretary of State for Tourism for Portugal, Rita Marques; Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage of the UK, Nigel Huddleston; Minister of Tourism and Sports of Argentina, Matías Lammens; Cabinet Secretary for Tourism of Kenya, Najib Balala; Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Ahmed Agil AlKhateeb; Regional Minister for Tourism, Industry and Trade of the Autonomous Region of Canary Islands.

Director General and CEO IATA, Alexandre de Juniac IATA, and Secretary General UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, also participated in this important conference.

Madrid, Spain, December 3, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / The number of destinations closed to international tourism has continued to fall. According to the eighth edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report, 70% of all global destinations have eased restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, just one in four destinations continue to keep their borders completely closed to international tourists.

• Read all the latest UNWTO News and Announcements here.

Launched by the World Tourism Organization at the start of the pandemic, the Travel Restrictions Report keeps track of measures being taken in 217 destinations worldwide, helping to support the mitigation and recovery efforts of the tourism sector. For this latest edition, the methodology has been updated to offer insights into the tourism flows of destinations, as well as to explore the link between health and hygiene infrastructure, environmental performance and any potential connection to travel restrictions.

The lifting of travel restrictions is essential to drive our wider recovery from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic

Steadily opening back up

The Report shows that, as of 1 November, a total of 152 destinations have eased restrictions on international tourism, up from the 115 recorded on 1 September. At the same time, 59 destinations have kept their borders closed to tourists, a decrease of 34 over the same two-month period.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The lifting of travel restrictions is essential to drive our wider recovery from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. Governments have an important part to play in giving data-led and responsible travel advice and in working together to lift restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Who eased restrictions faster?

Looking further into current COVID-19-related travel restrictions, the report sheds new light on the factors connecting those destinations which have eased restrictions and those where borders remain closed. The study found that destinations with higher scores in health and hygiene indicators as well as on the environmental performance index are among those which have eased restrictions faster. Moreover, these destinations are increasingly applying differentiated, risk-based approaches to implementing travel restrictions.

In comparison, destinations choosing to keep their borders closed tend to be within emerging economies with relatively low scores in health and hygiene indicators and environmental performance index. The majority of these destinations are in Asia and the Pacific, with many belonging to the SIDS (Small Island Developing States), LDCs (Least Developed Countries) or LLDCs (Landlocked Developing Countries).

• Read all the latest UNWTO News and Announcements here.

Regional differences

As in previous editions, the new UNWTO Travel Restrictions report also breaks the destination analysis down by regions. Europe continues to lead the way in lifting or easing travel restrictions followed by the Americas, Africa and then the Middle East. Meanwhile, Asia and the Pacific continues to be the region with the fewest travel restrictions eased and more complete border closures in place for international tourism.

Looking ahead, the report highlights the important role governments can play in restarting tourism. Out of the ten biggest tourism source markets, four (representing 19% of all outbound trips in 2018) have issued guidance advising against all non-essential international travel. The other six (representing 30% of all outbound trips in 2018), however, have issued more nuanced travel advisories, basing their guidance on evidence-based risk assessments.

Bangkok, Thailand, December 3, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit announces its cooperation with 5 leading business and strategic partners for Tourism 2021 recovery plan with the launching of the “One Million Baht Club”, the first privilege package from Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in Thailand.

The press conference is honorably attended by Mr. Vitavas Vibhagool, Chief Executive Officer – Property Development, Grande Asset Hotels and Property Public Company Limited; Mr. Sammy Carolus, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel; Ms. Artirat Charukitpipat, Chief Executive Officer, Bumrungrad International Hospital; Ms. Saruntorn Asaves – Assistant Managing Director, Siam Piwat Company Limited.

Mr. Vitavas Vibhagool, Chief Executive Officer – Property Development, Grande Asset Hotels and Property Public Company Limited, said “Today’s initiative heralds the cooperation of leading companies and organizations aiming to boost and revitalize the Thai tourism and hospitality industry for its recovery in 2021. After a period of closing down in early 2020, Thailand has performed very well to control and eliminate the Covid-19 epidemic. Hotels under Grande Asset Hotels and Property, including Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, have been upgraded and all adhere to the strictest and highest standards of hygiene safety for domestic travelers and are prepared to welcome back international tourists.

According to recent research by Krungthai COMPASS research center, the Thai economy would shrink by as much as 8.8% this year. It’s also estimated Thailand’s tourism sector revenue could shrink by 70 percent, with only 900 billion baht revenue expected, much less than the figure prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was 3 trillion baht.  The drop in the number of international tourists next year, ranging from only 900,000 persons or as many as 14 million, based on government policy, adds to the uncertainty making it difficult for the tourism sector to fully recover.

Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has outlined a range of measures being taken by TAT to stimulate and promote domestic tourism to help the industry recover. “TAT focuses on promoting domestic tourism for Thai and expats residing in Thailand and also foreign tourists by developing the confidence of tourists through the implementation of the Hygiene Safety Standards Project and the Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration (SHA) to raise the level of public health standards for Thai tourism products and services. Also, we established the marketing communication direction under the concept of Amazing Thailand Trusted Destination to reflect the preparation of all sectors in the tourism industry such as airports, airlines, public transport systems, hotels, restaurants, etc. It also includes all of the Thai people who joined the implementation of public health measures to deliver the utmost confidence to all visitors. TAT will use this opportunity to adjust the image and branding of Thailand with a new focus on Quality Destination because we have identified an opportunity in Wellness and Sport Tourism.”

Mr. Sammy Carolus, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel, said “To attract locals, expats and upcoming visitors, we have joined with our leading business partners to launch “One Million Baht Club” the first privilege package from Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in Thailand. One Million Baht Club is the signature unlimited stay privilege package from Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit. This is a wonderful value-for-money opportunity for our frequent guests who are seeking a semi-permanent stay in the city center of Bangkok with a one-time fee, which includes various benefits from our leading business partners. The members will be offered ultimate privileges of unlimited stay for 365 nights in a Club room at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit with complimentary access to Club Lounge for breakfast, all-day coffee/tea/snacks, and evening cocktails; use of the Club Lounge meeting room; 200,000 Baht credit for use at the hotel’s restaurants, room service, bars and events; complimentary use of the 24-hour Fitness Center; complimentary 10 trips with the hotel limousine in Bangkok by AT services; housekeeping services that reflect your preferences on frequency and time of day, complimentary laundry and dry cleaning; plus transferable membership to family members or within four corporate members. Customers are also offered a 10 nights stay at your choice of Hyatt Resorts Thailand in 3 destinations – Hua Hin, Samui, or Phuket.”

The One Million Baht Club cardmembers will also enjoy hotel partner privileges. The hotel has partnered with Bumrungrad International Hospital to offer complimentary Executive Program Medical Check-Up for one person, as well as ten one-hour massage treatments for two persons at Let’s Relax, and Siam Piwat is offering Viz Black card membership to enjoy special shopping privileges, car park and lounge access at Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Icon Siam, and Siam Discovery. We hope Thai, expat, and corporate clients will enjoy these privilege services which are available for a brief time only – book until 31 March 2021.

Ms. Artirat Charukitpipat, Chief Executive Officer, Bumrungrad International Hospital said “We are pleased to collaborate with Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel to offer our services to all One Million Baht Club card members. Bumrungrad International Hospital is the first to Achieve Global Healthcare Accreditation’s COVID-19 which is an international certification of safety standards for health tourism management, especially those traveling from abroad. For the international market, our ratio of patients is around 50%, as Thailand is recognized as a Medical Tourism Destination. But the occurrence of COVID-19 made international travel almost impossible. During the first stage, patients in the country did not want to risk going to the hospital. The hospital had to manage by implementing strict prevention and control measures. We have strong sterilization systems including UVC in the hospitals and the air that passes through the air conditioner in the building, ensuring everyone can breathe safely. We have divided the service area for patients with colds and fever to separate them from the patients with other diseases. Also, we have a negative pressure room, with The Command Center to provide quick responses to any situation and ensure that everyone in the hospital is extremely safe. Since the arrival of COVID-19 in Thailand there have not been any reports of hospital personnel being infected.”

Ms. Saruntorn Asaves – Assistant Managing Director, Siam Piwat Company Limited said, “Siam Piwat is best known for managing Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery, and one of our owner partners Icon Siam. Apart from the various activities and promotions that we continuously do, Siam Piwat is delighted to join with Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel to offer innovative lifestyle community privileges for Viz card membership as part of the One Million Baht Club initiative. Cardholders will enjoy special privileges at Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery, and Icon Siam. We look forward to welcoming visitors, both local and international, tourists, and customers.”

Miss Prym Panyasereeporn, Vice President – Travel & Leisure (Hotel Marketing), “KTC” or Krungthai Card Public Company Limited said “KTC is very pleased to join with Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel to offer special privileges for KTC credit card members who book a “One Million Baht Club” package. Tourism is an important part of life for KTC’s customers, tourism spending ranked in the Top 2 credit card purchases (excluding cash withdrawals). Therefore, during the past COVID-19 crisis, KTC has adjusted its strategy to be in line with the situation to help restore the tourism business as much as we can.  The major objective is to support and promote business partners, and entrepreneurs, and launch promotions that fully meet the needs of customers by collaborating with Government and private sectors, and the Thai Boutique Accommodation Trade Association (TBAA) and also have KTC World Travel Service, which is a 24 hours travel service that responds to the needs of travelling cardmembers, whether it is for air tickets, accommodation, rental cars, or travel insurance.”

“KTC and Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit have joined together in this strategic partnership to launch these promotions and provide many benefits to card members. For One Million Baht Club – Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, KTC provided special privileges for cardmembers; Privilege 1) Get additional benefits, guaranteed room upgrade from Club Room (36 sqm) to Club Deluxe Room (46-57 sqm) and install a microwave in the room for the first 20 people who purchase the package by December 2020, and get an additional benefit of Hotel F&B credit from the normal 200,000 baht to 250,000 baht. Privilege 2) Get 2% cash back per package (20,000 baht / package) when purchased with KTC Visa credit card. Privilege 3) Get 0% installment payment up to 6 months, just request to pay installments with the hotel. KTC hopes that by providing special privileges for KTC credit card members for booking the “One Million Baht Club” package will be a part of the stimulus that increases domestic spending. And it also provides additional options for cardmembers looking for a “Second Home” in the heart of Bangkok, and with a connecting BTS Sky train it makes it very convenient.” concluded Ms. Prym.

About Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit
Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit is a vibrant place for guests to share, socialize, and collaborate.  Conveniently located on Sukhumvit Road with direct access to BTS Skytrain Nana Station, the hotel offers full facilities and amenities such as a fitness center, swimming pool, outdoor spaces, and Regency Club Lounge to provide energizing experiences for guests visiting Bangkok, whether for business or leisure.  Free wireless internet is available, allowing all registered guests to stay connected.  Enjoy distinguished dining experiences including our Market Café, The Lobby Lounge, rooftop Spectrum Lounge & Bar, and the spacious venue and meeting facilities.

Seville, Spain, December 2, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / TIS – Tourism Innovation Summit 2020 celebrated its first edition, which took place in Seville from 25 to 27 November. Three days in which this international tourism summit discussed the needs and challenges facing the sector in order to boost economic recovery after the health crisis. The first professional tourism face-to-face event as a call from the industry to showcase that this sector needs to get back on track, by meeting on-site in Seville.

Throughout the event, safety and health prevention were present everywhere at the congress. TIS2020 carried out a total of 1,263 antigen tests on attendees, 800 of which were performed at FIBES, the venue that hosted the congress, and just over 400 at the source and 400 from origin. “We have committed ourselves to be an example that the reactivation of the tourism sector is possible by carrying out antigen tests, both at origin and destination, a measure demanded by the sector in order to return to activity as soon as possible”, said Silvia Avilés, Director of TIS – Tourism Innovation Summit. Avilés also thanked the Seville City Council for their collaboration and efforts in holding TIS in the city, and the Andalusian Regional Government, who “have committed themselves to this international summit to reactivate tourism”.

A 3-day global forum inaugurated by Her Majesty the Queen, Doña Letizia Ortiz, in which she highlighted the value of TIS2020 “as a summit that will provide more elements of analysis to continue expanding the tourism value chain”. The first edition of TIS2020 had also the support and representation of the Andalusian Public Administration, with the presence of Juan Manuel Moreno, President of the Andalusian Regional Government, and Juan Espadas, Mayor of Seville City Council. Juan Manuel Moreno highlighted the valuable collaboration of the administration, while Juan Espadas sent a message of confidence by holding a forum with speakers and leaders of the international tourism scene in a safe environment and with the aim of restarting the industry.

The second day of TIS2020 was featured by the Regional Tourism Counsellors Agenda, with the participation of Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism; Juan Marín, Vice-President of the Andalusian Regional Government; and José Ramón Bauzá, Renew Europe’s Spokesperson on Transport and Tourism in the European Parliament. Digitalisation, technology and sustainability were the three main themes of the session. The Minister Maroto stated that it is “essential” to protect the business and talent of the tourism sector, for which the government plans to allocate 355 million euros from the Next Generation recovery funds announced by the European Union to promote the digitisation of the sector. 

The Closing Ceremony of TIS2020 also included the participation of the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to show his support for this meeting as an international forum to promote innovation and the digitisation of the tourism industry. During his speech, Sánchez stated that “we need a country’s budget to undertake the transformations we are talking about, and that the tourism sector deserves to be promoted, modernised and also to create added value and quality employment”. For this reason, he explained that “we have increased the allocation for trade, tourism and SMEs by more than 1.3 billion. This is the largest investment for the sector in the whole of democratic history. The government is clear about this; we want a country project to lead tourism in the next decade”.

Security, trust, digitalisation and sustainability as keys to recovery 

Given the extraordinary circumstances in which the congress took place, in the midst of a pandemic and with extensive restrictions on mobility in many countries, TIS2020 gathered 1,263 visitors from 16 countries, together with 3,891 online visitors from 46 countries on five continents. Visitors who were able to attend the more than 180 hours of conferences with more than 200 experts who participated in the Tourism Innovation Global Summit congress.

The three days of the congress have highlighted the need to activate long-term strategies, based on models of collaboration between the private industry and public administration, which will make it possible to recover the confidence of travellers and the creation of sustainable and safe tourist destinations.

The public administration and the private sector represented in TIS2020 

The first edition of Tourism Innovation Summit had a wide representation of political leaders, who participated in numerous sessions during the three days. TIS2020 has brought together the European administration, national, regional and local leaders and experts from the tourism industry to promote ways of cooperation and agreements for the development and revival of a key industry for the world economy. The event was attended by Her Majesty the Queen, who presided over the opening ceremony.

An international congress that has been supported by leading companies such as Amadeus, Telefónica Empresas, CaixaBank, Mabrian, EY, Mastercard, Magnolia and City Sightseeing, among many others.

Chatswood, NSW, Australia, December 2, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH) has appointed Helena Egan and Shaun Vorster to its Executive Board, effective immediately.

Ms Egan joins as Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Vorster as Chief Strategist.

Florence Nkini has been appointed Director of Operations for Africa.

Egan, a Finnish national, brings 30 years’ of travel industry experience to WTACH, including nine years at TripAdvisor, where her most recent role was Global Director of Industry Relations, liaising with senior levels of government and industry and working as part of the Animal Welfare policy team. She strives to position tourism as a force for good when practiced responsibly, sustainably and with social impact top of mind. Egan is a sought-after board member, advisor, facilitator, strategist, keynote speaker and panellist.

Vorster, from South Africa, has served as a special adviser to the South African tourism and environment ministers for 11 years and as commercial vice president / special adviser at Expo 2020 Dubai for five years. He is an extraordinary professor at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. He has published widely on corporate governance, strategic planning, sustainable tourism, low-carbon aviation, and climate change.

Nkini, a Tanzanian national and responsible tourism advocate, has a growing track record in development programs such as community-based tourism, wildlife protection, international recruiting and youth training in Africa. She is also working to promote Tanzania’s cultural sites such as The Stone Town of Zanzibar and The Ruins of Bagamoyo and Kilwa.

WTACH CEO Chris Flynn said: “WTACH is delighted to add the support of Helena, Florence and Shaun as WTACH seeks to protect culture and heritage through the pursuit of ethical practices and codes of conduct in tourism.”

He added: “WTACH is now laying the foundations for new partnerships and growth for a post-Covid era where there should be more emphasis on responsible tourism and respect for local culture around the world.

“We are therefore keen to hear from potential partner organisations who want to join us and lead by example and take a fresh approach to responsible culture and heritage tourism programs.”

About World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage
WTACH seeks to establish clear goals, objectives and strategies for the protection of cultural heritage through responsible and sustainable tourism practices. Working in collaboration with public, private and specialist academic sector organisations, WTACH determines best practice ethical principles and standards in line with the most robust global research available. WTACH was established in 2018 by Chris Flynn, formerly Director – Pacific at the Pacific Asia Travel Association. WTACH is based in New South Wales, Australia.

Macao, Macao SAR, December 1, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / The Global Tourism Economy Forum · Macao 2020 will be held in Macao on 9 December. Under the theme of “Solidarity and Innovation: Reshaping Tourism in the New Global Economy”, the Forum will discuss the new strategies and momentum for restoring travelers’ confidence and reinventing the tourism industry. Under the new normal of regular control and prevention against the pandemic, this edition of GTEF will lead a confluence of online and offline engagement for the first time, leveraging innovative technology to unite tourism elites around the world for an exchange of insightful perspectives to unveil a new landscape for the tourism economy.

The organizer of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (“GTEF” or the “Forum”), the Secretariat for Economy and Finance, announced officially via video conferencing today (30 November) that the 9th GTEF will be held on 9 December 2020. Chief of Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ku Mei Leng, and Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of GTEF, Pansy Ho, presented an overview and event program of GTEF 2020.

In her remarks, Ku Mei Leng stated, “COVID-19 has gone rampant and devastated the world and global economy. The tourism industry particularly stands in the forefront to weather the massive impact. Solidarity and innovation are especially important at this moment. This edition of the Forum is themed as “Solidarity and Innovation: Reshaping Tourism in the New Global Economy” with the aspiration that the travel trade can stay united around the world while industry leaders, experts and scholars can shed light on how to leverage innovative technology and online platforms to open up a new avenue that leads to faster recovery of the global tourism economy. 2020 will mark the 10th anniversary of GTEF. The Forum will carry on its mission, striving to function as an international platform that fosters sustainable development of the global tourism economy.”

Pansy Ho stated, “Due to the pandemic, this year’s planning efforts for GTEF has faced many challenges. But as an international tourism city, a World Centre of Leisure and Tourism, as well as a core city of the Greater Bay Area, Macao kept its promise in holding the GTEF annually; The determination for such effort is strong due to the GTEF’s commitment to maintain its responsibility towards global citizens, to promote Macao, its motherland, and the world’s sustainable development of the tourism economy. The GTEF will continue on in full-force in the spirit of solidarity and innovation, using technology to hold a hybrid online and offline format to breakthrough geographical and time zone barriers, allowing attendees from all corners of the world to attend the Forum. Together, we join hands to explore innovative solutions, addressing the ‘New Normal’ of the tourism economy.”

Brilliant minds converge to probe into tourism and economic revival worldwide

Continuing to contribute as a navigator, GTEF will bring together some 30 Mainland, local and international government and industry leaders as well as international tourism organization leaders to proffer creative insights and strategies on tourism development, tourism and economic recovery, destination marketing and business operation, etc.

The Forum will present an innovative and inspiring program encompassing special keynotes, special sessions, special dialogues and featured interviews, letting brilliant minds converge to shape a brighter future of shared success. The special dialogues and featured interviews will cover the topics as follows: “Public Private Partnerships for Restarting Tourism Economy”, “Air Travel under the New Normal” and “Solidarity to Reshape the Tourism Economy”. The session on Public Private Partnerships for Tourism Economic Revival will highlight Macao’s Success Story.

Pacific Asia Travel Association Session

In partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), this session will feature the best practices from across the Asia-Pacific region to drive the recovery of the global tourism economy. During this session, the best practices collected will showcase optimal crisis communication plans, strategies to support small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as strategies adopted by tour operators and hospitality businesses to achieve sustainable business renewal. The session will also feature a discussion with experts on the sentiment of Chinese outbound travelers and how a greater understanding of this market’s preferences can help in the recovery of the global tourism economy.

UNWTO/GTERC Joint Research Report

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and GTEF’s coordinator, the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC), will deliver the 7th joint report on Asia Tourism Trends. The publication not only analyzes the latest tourism trends and outlook in Asia-Pacific, but also unveils how countries in Asia have adopted various measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and stimulate economic recovery, including a special case study on Macao. The report also highlights the significance of tourism and community development and points to the potential of rural tourism.

The Forum will also feature a special keynote “China Story: This is Hubei; This is Wuhan”, where Hubei will share the heartening story of the province’s road to recovery in the wake of the pandemic.

Debut of one-stop online business matching platform

This edition of the Forum will gather delegates from worldwide in the innovative online format through collaboration once again with Tencent Cloud, the cloud business under Tencent, which will further extend the influence of GTEF and demonstrate Macao’s comprehensive capacity to organize international conventions. Another highlight of GTEF is the Business Matching Session hosted by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM). The session will debut

its one-stop online business matching platform that enables business introduction, matchmaking, appointment making and meeting online, allowing Macao enterprises to “go global”.

Featured Chinese Province — Gansu

This year, Gansu – the featured province of the inaugural edition of GTEF – has once again been invited to grace the event as Featured Chinese Province. Gansu is regarded as one of the key birthplaces of the Chinese Civilization. The Forum will serve as a platform to showcase Gansu Province’s latest development, exuberant cultural heritage, colourful tourism resources as well as investment opportunities to delegates.

Connect with China and the world

GTEF has successfully built an advanced international tourism exchange platform that progresses forward with its functions. Capitalizing on Macao’s role as a bridge that connects different peoples and enhances cooperation between China and the world, as well as a strategic tourism hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Forum is committed to enhancing the sustainable development of the global tourism industry with a special focus on China, and guiding global tourism stakeholders to unlock new opportunities across China and the Greater Bay Area.

Since the inaugural edition in 2012, GTEF has engaged close to 12,700 participants from over 90 countries and regions, and 152 delegations from various Mainland provinces and regions. 600 internationally-renowned guest speakers have shared their insightful perspectives at the Forum, including ministerial officials of different countries, industry leaders, experts and scholars.

Support from Public and Private Sectors Alike

The 9^th edition of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) is hosted by the Secretariat for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism (CCT) under the authorization of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), and coordinated by the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC). GTEF’s supporting units include the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), European Travel Commission (ETC), and the Macau Chinese Enterprise Association (MCEA).

GTEF is honored to garner support from its long-term Major Sponsors, including Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, MGM China Holdings Ltd, SJM Holdings Limited, Sands China Ltd., and Wynn Resort (Macau) S.A.; in addition, GTEF has received recognition from its Major Sponsors as an international platform, in which to share the various corporate social responsibility initiatives respectively.

Tunis, Tunisia, November 28, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has met with H.E. Kais Saied, President of Tunisia, and his Head of government Hichem Mechichi of Tunisia during a high-level visit to the North African country. This second visit to an African Member State in the space of three weeks reaffirms UNWTO’s commitment to restarting tourism across the continent and focus on working closely with governments to promote sustainable growth and innovation.

Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili thanked President Saied and his government for their strong support for tourism at this challenging time. A key focus of the high-level meeting was exploring ways in which UNWTO can support Tunisia as it channels tourism’s power to drive sustainable development. Alongside this, the Secretary-General and the Tunisian authorities discussed UNWTO’s partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with a current project providing technical support to drive the recovery of Tunisia’s tourism sector in the wake of the pandemic.

Together for future collaboration

Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: “Tunisia is an example of a country effectively investing in tourism and harnessing the unique power of the sector to promote development and create opportunities for many. I thank President Saied for his warm hospitality and for his government’s support of tourism throughout and beyond the pandemic.”

I thank President Saied for his warm hospitality and for his government’s support of tourism throughout and beyond the pandemic

In addition to the meeting with the President and Head of government the UNWTO delegation also held talks with the Tunisian Minister of Tourism Habib Ammar to discuss plans for current and future collaboration. Reflecting the key priorities of UNWTO’s leadership, the talks focused on ways to boost sustainable tourism and to create jobs through innovation, education and investments, as well as tourism for rural development.

Investing in Africa’s future

Also reflecting UNWTO’s core priorities, most notably a commitment to developing talent and promoting education, the Secretary-General spoke at the opening of the Tunisia Hospitality Symposium. The Symposium was held at the Carthage High Commercial Studies Institute (or IHEC Carthage), the first and most prestigious business school in Tunisia.

The service sector, which includes tourism, is one of the two main economic sectors for Tunisia. According to UNWTO data, African destinations experienced a 99% decline in international tourist arrivals during the second quarter of 2020 when compared with 2019. Working closely alongside Member States from across the continent, UNWTO has realigned its 2030 Agenda for Africa to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and help drive sustainable recovery.

Ban Tha Ranae Community – Amazing mangrove forest. Start the first day at Ban Tha Ranae community, a tourism community full of natural wonders. The mangrove forest here is divided into layers from the outside forest to the inner forest starting from Lamphu forest, mangrove forest, samae forest, and taboon forest.

Lan Taboon

Lan Taboon is the enormous taboon courtyard with taboon roots sprouting all over the courtyard. Enjoy bowling game using bowling ball made from taboon tree.

Edible Mangrove

You must not miss out Bai Kong Kang Tod, a special dish made by mixing mangrove leaves with egg, sugar, kaffir lime leaves and deep frying until crisp and golden.

Roi Ruu Tea

A special tea that cannot be found elsewhere because it is the tea that invented by local people themselves and there are no cultivating method of the tea ingredient. It has properties that help nourish the heart, relieve aches, cure rashes and prevent diabetes and cancers.

Bai Kan Srong wicker hat

Do not forget to stop by to see Bai Kan Srong wicker hat, a beautiful souvenir made from the Kan Srong leaves which offers distinctive design, beautiful shape and durability. Kan Srong leaves also has properties that cure Psoriasis and can be used as ingredient to make soap or shampoo.

Look Taboon Tie-dye Cloth

Try making Tie-dyed cloth from Look Taboon which offers beautiful natural brown color. You can choose any popular patterns you like such as star, wheel or stone patterns.

The viewpoint of the eastern end of the land, Laem Ngop District, Trat Province

Famous landmarks in the area are a red and white lighthouse that stands out as a symbol of the area and the sign of the eastern end. Enjoy taking photos with famous landmarks or watching the beautiful sunset in one of the most beautiful sunset spots on the east coast.

The statue of King Rama V

Near the Laem Ngop lighthouse, there is a statue of King Rama V which is highly revered by local people. He was known for preventing France colonization by negotiation.

King Rama V History Inscription

Another important site for Trat people. It is located near the King Rama V statue. The inscription mentioned King Rama V’s speech for his concern for Trat people about French colonization.

Enter day 2 at the one and only black sand beach in Siam

Black Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach, a natural wonder that can be found only five places in the world, namely Taiwan, Malaysia, California, Hawaii and Thailand in Trat Province, Laem Ngop District, in the area of Laem Makham National Conserved Forest.
Caused by the dissolution of the mines, seashells and quartz, the black sand beach area is surrounded by a large mangrove forest, rich with various marine life. It is a major tourist attraction and important fishery area the local people.

Krom Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak – Thai Navy Heroic Deed in the Battle of Koh Chang

The monument faces to the direction that the Battle of Koh Chang occurred. Around the area and the museum decorated with a warship instruments. The museum exhibits historical information of Krom Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak and the naval battle of the Thai Naval forces against the French naval forces.

Trat Museum

This museum was originally a Trat city hall built in the reign of King Rama 6. The building is a colonial architecture built as a wooden house on stilts with hipped roof.

This building had been severely damaged by fire in 2004. Trat Municipality offered a budget of more than 19 million baht to the Fine Arts Department to renovate and turn it into the museum.

Temporary Prison Khao Rakam Sufficiency Economy Learning Center and Ban Tha Ranae Community

It is a prison that adopted the sufficiency economy principle and the king’s philosophy which later becomes a learning center and tourist destination.

The area is allocated to various training areas for various occupations, such as reforestation plot, organic vegetables plot, livestock feeding plot, fish pond, beekeeping and various profession training for inmates. Inmates will get their share when their products are sold.

On the hill next to the Kam Lang Jai Bridge, there is the Inspire By Princess coffee shop which sells a variety of food and products made by inmates. Inmates are able to work here as store managers or service workers in order to prepare themselves after released from prison.

Visit Huai Sam Kha Reservoir Project which operated under the Royal Agricultural Water Resources Development Project of King Rama IX. Water resources development for agriculture project according to the royal initiative.

Inherit and build on:
• Huai Sam Kha Reservoir Project
• Ban Pa Miang Community Health Learning Center
• Chae Son National Park

Huai Sam Kha Reservoir

Ban Sam Kha Way of Life – Upstream community model

Ban Sam Kha community is located adjacent to Mae Chang National Reserved Forest which is a watershed forest consisted mainly of plateaus and mountains.

The village is located in the lower part of the forest. It is a flat area suitable for farming and suitable for community-based tourism.

The basin is about 700-800 meters long and the walkway is about 1-2 kilometers long. The water is very clear with a variety of herbs and trees such as Ya Ka Sang, teak, Pradu and Mai Daeng can be found along the way.

Ban Sam Kha Development Plan

Back in the past, Ban Sam Kha Village had to face debt and water shortages. Thought leaders, such as Mr. Boonruen Thao Kham, have created development plan for the village with Teacher Sri Nuan Wongtrakul designed the curriculum for elementary schools in the community. The curriculum is called “Huay Sam Kha : Hed Pa Na Khao” which emphasizes on practical learning from the real problems in the village.

With management plan on water resources, campaign about forest fire prevention and weir building, Ban Sam Kha Community has water available for use throughout the year making more and more wildlife settle in the area. As a result, local people earn extra revenue from collecting forest products. Currently, there are over 10,998 weirs around the forest.

The use of chemicals for agriculture is prohibited here. Main product is the rice called Thunya-sirin rice which can be sold for 25-30 baht per kilogram. It has characteristics like riceberry rice which has a mixture of Lanna fragrant rice + jasmine rice + wild rice.

Settlement and Ethnicity – Ban Sam Kha Community

Hua Suea Subdistrict, Mae Tha District, Lampang Province

Sam Kha people are descendant of Lua people emigrated from Ban Lao Nong Pong and Ban Phrabat Nong Moo. The Lua people wandered into the forest and settled a village called “Ban Mae Yuak” named after a field of banana trees. Later, the village was flooded, they evacuated again by going up on the eastern foothills.

The name “Ban Sam Kha” derived from the story that one day a villager went hunting. He got a barking deer but unable to drag it back. Therefore, He used a knife to cut only one of its hind leg and brought the leg back. In the morning, the barking deer was gone because the big snake dragged the rest of its carcass back into the cave (At the current location of Ban Sam Kha). The villagers killed a dog and used it as a bait to lure the big snake. The end of the rope was tied to the tree at the entrance of the cave.

The next day, they successfully trapped the snake. The snake was dragged out of the cave and the snake meat was distributed to the whole village except the widow because she was not help dragging the snake.

When night falls, an angel transformed into an old man walked up the stairs and said to her “To night, if you hear anything, don’t leave the house because it can be dangerous”. The widow was frightened by the noise of a landslide. Therefore came out of the house to see what happened but found only emptiness, all houses disappeared. After that she went to pay respect to the Buddha image.

In the morning, the widow went out of the house seeing the village collapse. After that, she migrated to live in a cave at the north. It was later called Tham Ya Gek cave and the area the village collapsed was later called Pong Lom.

Later, Ban Mae Yuak had no bananas trees left due to the forest was destroyed. So the name was changed to “Ban Sam Kha” according to the lore of the 3-legged barking deer. Sam Kha in this case refers to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Ban Pa Miang Tea Pillow Group

Community Health Learning Center

This trip, we will go to an ecological tourist attraction at Chae Son Sub-district, Mueang Pan District, Ban Pa Miang Community Health Learning Center where visitors get close to the way of life of the Ban Pa Miang community people.

Besides that, Ban Pa Miang community also offers many good products such as cute tea leaf pillows and deodorant dolls made from real tea leaves. The products have properties that help respiratory system and relieve stress.

Ban Pa Miang, a small and old village located in the middle of a large forest. The name of Pa Miang Village comes from Miang tree, the economic crop of the community.

Ban Pa Miang has abundant resources. The weather is cool all year round. There are miang trees that grow well under the shade of large trees on an area ranging from 300-1,000 meters. Young miang tree leaves can be made into snack and old miang tree leaves can be made into tea leaves pillow. It is a popular souvenir gift due to its properties such as relieving stress and absorb musty smell.

In addition, this community is in the watershed forest. Arabica coffee is considered as economic crop of the community and Arabica coffee that grown here does not involve any use of chemical substances. Ban Pa Miang is now open as a homestay and open for tourists to study the way of life in the community.

Visitors can take a walk in the village, see street art corners, enjoy with flower field, buys local products, and visit various learning bases, such as collecting miang leaves and making a tea leaves pillow.

Learn about the way of life of the community through activities such as product processing, tea leaves or miang collecting and tea leaves pillow making. And the fact that the products have been certified is one of the pride of the Ban Pa Miang community.

Ban Pa Miang community consists of a variety of groups namely tea pillow, homestay group, folk music groups, herb collecting group, and processed coffee making group.

Chae Son National Park

Before going home, we are going to Chae Son National Park. Enjoy with many beautiful natural resources such as waterfalls, hot pools and hot springs. Have fun boiling eggs in hot springs and taking bath in hot pools.

Madrid, Spain, November 30, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / The Committee for the Development of an International Code for the Protection of Tourists has met for a second time, bringing the establishment of the landmark legal framework a step closer to being realized.

• Read all the latest UNWTO News and Announcements here.

UNWTO hosted the consultative virtual meeting which counted on the participation of 92 Member States, as well as one Associate Member. Joining them to inform the discussions were legal experts from several global regions, all of them members of the special Consultative Group as well as introducing the Observers, international organizations both governmental and non-governmental that will join forces with UNWTO in the development of the Code and guarantee that the result is a well representative and balanced set of standards

The diverse range of observers reflected the strong interest in an International Code designed to offer tourists greater protection as consumers and to spread the responsibility of assisting tourists affected by emergency situations across the whole of the sector. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, which is responsible for the EU’s tourism policies highlighted its interest in following this project in view of the potential commonalities with the Commission´s work. .

• Read all the latest UNWTO News and Announcements here.

Joining them were the representative from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD, the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Additionally, and highlighting strong interest from the private sector in the work of the Committee, a number of business organizations and member groups took part as observers, among them the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Hotrec, which represents the European hospitality sector.

Participants of the Committee also elected a Chair (Brazil) and Vice-Chair (Greece).