Category: Latest Travel News

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, July 27, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Wink Hotels, a sleek, chic and vibrant lifestyle brand, locally born and locally positioned to tap into the booming domestic travel market in Vietnam, is poised to redefine affordable luxury across the country as it readies to open its debut hotel later this year.

Conceived by developer, Indochina Kajima, operated by Indochina Vanguard (both joint venture companies with Indochina Capital and Kajima Corporation, and Vanguard Hotels respectively) and designed by AW2, Vietnam’s first homegrown, international-standard hotel chain will personify the dynamic generation emerging throughout Indochina, catering to their fast-paced lifestyle and immersing them in each destination.

Fueled by economic growth and the advent of low-cost carriers, domestic tourism in Vietnam grew 22% per year from 2014 to 2019, registering 85 million domestic travelers last year. And even now, as Covid-19 containment measures disrupt international tourism, Vietnam’s successful management of the virus and the quick re-opening of the economy have prompted greater emphasis than ever on domestic tourism to spur growth.

Wink Hotels has long had the domestic market in its sights and with 48% of Vietnam’s 96 million population under the age of 34, the brand is set to become a vital proposition for young, aspirational and highly mobile business and leisure travelers.

“These are exciting times for the Vietnamese hospitality industry. There’s a massive, underserved market segment currently and it is our clear ambition to serve and inspire this youth market with a new and dynamic brand of hospitality,” said Wink Hotels CEO Michael Piro. “Wink Hotels will be modern, bold and resolute in personality – reflecting a strong cultural identity – while being deeply respectful of Vietnamese traditions. At the same time, we offer guests a fun and connected destination experience.”

The Wink Hotels brand blends creative design with functionality, Vietnamese values and a contemporary set of desires. Wink rooms will focus on the essentials – a bed to match the best in the world and water pressure to deliver a full-power shower.

But more than anything, Wink Hotels is about mind-set. The brand and hotels capture the youthful heart of Vietnam and will present that soul through Wink Guides, a team of talented, personality-driven associates who will up-end traditional deferential hospitality. Each Guide is encouraged to individualise interactions with guests; leveraging their local knowledge and sharing their own stories. Other key features are self-check in, grab and go Wink Food Carts, the best local coffee delivered through state-of-the-art Simonelli machines, and social, community spaces and flexible seating – and where the formal lobby of traditional hotels is no more.

Partnership and collaboration will be a signature of all Wink Hotels as the brand celebrates Vietnamese culture, creativity and commerce. For example, Wink has partnered with Toong, Vietnam’s first chain of co-working spaces, which will be featured in all Wink Hotels replacing the typical business centres.

The first Wink branded hotel will be the 237-room Wink Hotel Saigon Centre @ 75 Nguyen Binh Khiem, opening in Q4 2020. Properties to follow include the 243-room Wink Hotel Danang Centre @ 178 Tran Phu and a third in riverside Danang as part of a mixed-use complex with a 60-metre façade on Tran Hung Dao Street, along the Han River.
About Wink Hotels
Wink Hotels is Vietnam’s first locally-born, international-standard hospitality brand. This vibrant brand reflects the spirit of the Vietnamese people and takes inspiration from modern Vietnamese travellers who live and work in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. Each Wink hotel provides a dynamic “affordable luxury” experience, and showcases the heart and soul of the destination with art-inspired interiors and by connecting guests to the upbeat local vibe. Created by developers Indochina Kajima and operated by Indochina Vanguard, Wink will launch its first hotel in Q4 2020, with plans to expand to at least 20 locations in the next five to seven years in major Vietnamese cities and beyond.

About Indochina Kajima
In September 2016, Indochina Capital, a leader in Vietnam’s rapidly growing real estate, financial services and capital markets, entered into a joint venture with Kajima Corporation, one of the biggest Japanese general contractors and real estate developers, to launch Indochina Kajima, a new real estate development platform in Vietnam. Indochina Kajima has an initial investment commitment of USD1 billion in real estate projects over the next 10 years in Vietnam’s key markets. The company is fully committed to create innovative real estate developments that build value for partners, clients and investors, while providing fulfilling opportunities for employees and enriching the communities in which the company operates. Indochina Kajima will establish a nationwide footprint with a focus on Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. Indochina Vanguard, operators of Wink Hotels, are a joint venture between Indochina Capital and Vanguard Hotels.

San José, Costa Rica, July 27, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) Standard 2.0 for Lodging and Tour Operators in Costa Rica has achieved the ‘GSTC-Recognized Standard’ status.

The Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST), established by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute in 1997, was created to provide guidelines for hotel properties and service providers to build their business model based on the best sustainable tourism practices – the management and impact of the natural, cultural and social resources of the country. CST has a validity of two years and the criteria and indicators that are valued to award certification include: business management; social, cultural and economic management; environmental management; and the management of specific indicators according to category.

Achieving the GSTC-Recognized status means that a sustainable tourism standard has been reviewed by GSTC technical experts and the GSTC Accreditation Panel and deemed equivalent to the GSTC Criteria for sustainable tourism. Additionally, an organization that meets GSTC requirements must administer the standard.

“CST is a well established certification program with a clever scheme of market incentives for participating businesses,” says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO. “We’re pleased that the standards driving that program comply with the GSTC Criteria and as such have formally re-gained GSTC-Recognized status.”

“As global leaders in sustainability, we are honored to receive the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s recognition for the Certification of Sustainable Tourism Standard. Established more than 20 years ago by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, the program is a result of the public and private sector’s collaborative efforts to recognize tourism companies for their sustainable tourism practices. Today, more than 400 tourism companies retain the certification,” says Gustavo Segura, Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism.

Currently, 11 destination standards, 33 hotel standards, and 31 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.

Clarification on Terminology
In a few articles, it was incorrectly mentioned that “Costa Rica obtained the GSTC Award”. There is no such thing as “GSTC Award”, the GSTC Recognition of the CST Standard is not an award.

Certification = is defined as a voluntary, third-party assessment, through an audit, of a tourism enterprise or destination for conformity to a standard. GSTC does NOT conduct certification. That is the job of the many Certification Bodies throughout the world; our job is to accredit those that certify.

Accreditation = is a mark of quality that GSTC places on Certification Bodies that choose our independent and neutral process to verify that they certify businesses, such as hotels or tour operators, or destinations, in a competent and neutral manner. Our partner accreditation body – Assurance Services International (ASI) – looks very hard at the CB’s process of certification to ensure you that they issue certifications based on merit and neutrality.

GSTC Recognition of Standards = is a status GSTC provides to a set of standards, or a system, that includes the GSTC Criteria within their standard. This does NOT relate to the process of certification, nor to accreditation. Why is this important? Because it shows that the set of standards are based on the 4 pillars of the GSTC Criteria: Environment, Social, Cultural, and Management principles.

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 the ICT
The Costa Rican Tourism Board / Costa Rican Tourism Institute (Spanish: Instituto Costarricense de Turismo – ICT) is the government agency responsible for promoting sustainable tourism in Costa Rica. The ICT aims to strengthen the Costa Rican sustainable tourism development model through the definition of public policies, alliances, programs, and projects to encourage competitiveness, sustainability, equity, solidarity, and a pleasant stay for tourists, always looking to improve the living standards of Costa Ricans. Its vision is to consolidate as the governing tourism entity in Costa Rica by 2021, guaranteeing a supportive and equitable sustainable tourism development model that uses innovation, the development of its workforce, and effective public management to promote new opportunities for tourism development that helps improve the competitiveness and the life quality that as a nation we aspire for.

Geneva, Switzerland, July 25, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / WISeKey International Holding Ltd. (WISeKey), a leading global cybersecurity and IoT company, today announced the launch of WISeTravel, a free app for travelers.

The world is facing a new normal. The COVID-19 global pandemic and the intensifying climate crisis are creating disruptions, threats and challenges to people and planet on an unprecedented scale.

Travel and Tourism, which drives 10% of the global economy, was brought to a standstill by COVID-19 and like so much of our familiar world, it will be very different in the future. There is a massive and chaotic scale, scope and pace of change. The sector is struggling to build recovery strategies amidst great uncertainty. Travelers are confused by the overlapping stop-go dynamics of global and local responses, and increasingly they demand health-compliant, green, climate friendly options.

WISeTravel, a consortium led by WISeKey SA (CH) and Climate Friendly Travel Services (UK/BE) has developed a digital innovation to help consumers navigate the uncertainty and enjoy new travel experiences:

A free App for travelers – branded for stakeholders
➔ A Secure Wallet for all information a traveler needs on a trip
➔ A unique, heavily protected Digital Travel Identity
➔ A Health compartment for essential certificates
➔ A Safe Travel compartment with holders of WTTC’s safe travel stamp
➔ A Carbon Accounting compartment for personal GHG offsets
➔ A Green compartment showcasing responsible companies & communities
➔ A Climate compartment showing the SUNx Malta Climate Neutral Registry

The “Swiss Army Knife for the New Normal Traveler”, keeping all essential travel items in one secure digital wallet.

“I’ll never leave home without it.” Carlos Creus Moreira, Co-Chair Prof. Geoffrey H. Lipman, Co-Chair Christoph H.L. Klenner, CEO

About WISeTravel
WISeTravel is a consortium led by Swiss technology company WISeKey and the British-Belgian Climate Friendly Travel Services group. WISeTravel is developing cutting edge technology solutions and applications for the travel and tourism industry of the future. WISeTravel is co-chaired by technology leader, Carlos Creus Moreira and tourism industry visionary, Prof. Geoffrey Lipman. WISeTravel’s CEO, Christoph Klenner, led Europe’s travel technology organization, EU Travel Tech, for more than a decade.

About WISeKey
WISeKey (NASDAQ: WKEY; SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems for people and objects using Blockchain, AI and IoT respecting the Human as the Fulcrum of the Internet. WISeKey microprocessors secure the pervasive computing shaping today’s Internet of Everything. WISeKey IoT has an install base of over 1.5 billion microchips in virtually all IoT sectors (connected cars, smart cities, drones, agricultural sensors, anti-counterfeiting, smart lighting, servers, computers, mobile phones, crypto tokens etc.). WISeKey is uniquely positioned to be at the edge of IoT as our semiconductors produce a huge amount of Big Data that, when analyzed with Artificial Intelligence (AI), can help industrial applications to predict the failure of their equipment before it happens.

Our technology is Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey’s Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (“RoT”) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people.

London, Great Britain, July 24, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Popular holiday hotspots Indonesia, Dubai and Rwanda are among the latest destinations begin using to the world’s first ever global safety and hygiene stamp, launched recently by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Costa Rica, Tobago and Tanzania also sign up to the world’s first ever global safety and hygiene stamp.

The growing list of endorsements have come from many major holiday and city destinations around the world, such as Sharjah as well Malaga which joins the growing list of Spanish summer sun destinations including Alicante and Benidorm.

WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, created the Safe Travels stamp to allow travellers to identify destinations and businesses around the world which have adopted the global standardised health and hygiene protocols.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has welcomed the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, which place the safety and hygiene of travellers as top priority.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Our Safe Travels stamp is proving a great success and we are delighted to see even more popular countries and destinations adopt our global health and hygiene protocols. 

“The success of the WTTC Safe Travels stamp shows its importance not only to countries and destinations, but also, crucially, to travellers and the 330 million people around the world who work in and depend on, the Travel & Tourism sector. 

“The stamp is a critical step in re-establishing consumer confidence in Travel & Tourism and ensuring travellers can rest easy knowing that enhanced standards of hygiene are in place and they can once again experience ‘Safe Travels’.”

Since the launch of the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, destination countries, cities, and hotspots around the world have now adopted WTTC’s new protocols.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), said:

“As we reopen Dubai’s doors to tourism and welcome our international visitors back to the city, our foremost priority is their wellbeing, achieved through stringent hygiene and safety protocols that have been deployed across all tourist touch points. The WTTC’s Safe Travels stamp endorses Dubai’s strong global cooperation in combating the pandemic with comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety. 

“We trust that our efforts not only provide an optimised experience for our visitors, but also secure their health and that of their families, further cementing the confidence that our guests have had thus far in Dubai, and encouraging people from every corner of the world to visit one of the safest cities in the world this summer.”

His Excellency Wishnutama Kusubandio, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia said:

“Indonesia and the World Travel & Tourism Council have a long history of strategic cooperation, including the latest support from WTTC for the development of Guidelines on the Implementation of Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Encironment (CHSE) under “Indonesia Care” national campaign.

“Parallel to Indonesia’s efforts to restart the tourism industry after the pandemic, we are honored to be part of the Safe Travels stamp that has been designed to rebuild confidence among consumers so they can travel safely.”

Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer at Rwanda Development Board, said:

“Rwanda’s number one priority is the health and well-being of visitors to our beautiful country. As one of only three countries in the world with endangered mountain gorillas and numerous other primate species, we also have a special responsibility to protect these magnificent animals. 

“The creation of the WTTC Safe Travels global protocols and Stamp represent an important step in the reopening of tourism around the world and Rwanda is proud to adopt these global standards. We are excited to welcome tourists back to Rwanda for safe and memorable experiences – from seeing the Big 5 on safari and exploring Rwanda’s lush rainforests to learning about our vibrant culture.”

Mr. Louis Lewis, CEO at Tobago Tourism Agency said:

“The WTTC Safe Travels stamp recognizes Tobago as a “safe destination” and is tremendously important for us as a destination promoting the island to potential visitors. Health and safety are the most important concerns for visitors at this time and it certainly endorses our efforts and gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace”

HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority Chairman, said:

“Visitors to Sharjah can travel with confidence to the emirate to enjoy our unique experiences and stunning landscapes, knowing that our health and safety measures are comprehensive and our hotels and captivating attractions conform to the highest of international standards and the WTTC’s Safe Travels global protocols. As a popular family destination, the emirate of Sharjah takes the health and safety of its visitors and residents extremely seriously and the Safe Travels Stamp is an invaluable asset in moving forward and building recovery.  Sharjah proudly welcomes visitors, old and new, in safety with our traditional warm welcome.”

Hon. Dr. Hamisi A. Kigwangalla (MP), Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said:

“Tanzania is indeed well positioned to tap into the growing potential of the high-yield and ever-expanding tourism industry. The country is endowed with world renowned biodiversity, cultural and wildlife attractions. Our strategic location, economic and political stability and the best of multi-cultural hospitality make the country a top-of-mind destination for business activities. In 2019, Tanzania generated more than US$ 2.6 billion from the tourism sector, comprising more than 25% of the total exports’ earnings. The sector also supports nearly 1.6 million direct and indirect jobs.

“In this regard, Tanzania joined hands with other destinations to applaud the continued efforts by the World Travel and Tourism Council – WTTC in achieving effective tourism recovery through the development of Safe Travels Stamp and its protocols. These protocols advocate for meaningful actions globally, leading to a future way of travelling which is safe, secured and unified providing a meaningful experience to tourists as well as supporting the livelihood of the local people in tourist destinations.  Through them, the global tourism will recover quickly bringing world travellers unforgettable moments they have been missing. With WTTC endorsing Tanzania to use the Safe Travels stamp marks another step to our quest to present to you the safest unforgettable experiences.  I welcome all travellers to Tanzania and wish to assure you that Tanzania is safe, open and ready to provide travellers with unforgettable experiences and hospitality.” 

Gustavo J. Segura, Costa Rica´s Minister of Tourism, said:

“For the Costa Rican Tourism Institute it is a source of tremendous pride to be recognized by the World Travel & Tourism Council as a safe destination following review of 16 health and hygiene protocols, which were jointly developed by the public and private sector. We are committed to our tourists and eager that they can travel safely. This recognition, in addition, reinforces the international image of Costa Rica as a tourist destination, which fortunately is robust.”

As part of its Safe Travels protocols, these worldwide measures provide consistency and guidance to travel providers and travellers about the new approach to health, hygiene, deep cleansing and physical distancing, in the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19 world.

The protocols were devised following the experience of WTTC members dealing with COVID19 and based on guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to WTTC’s 2020 Economic Impact Report, during 2019, Travel & Tourism was responsible for one in 10 jobs (330 million total), making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs.

Madrid, Spain, July 23, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / A new set of Recommendations published today outline how the global tourism sector can continue in its fight against plastic pollution while effectively facing the public health and hygiene challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ongoing pandemic has hit the tourism sector hard, putting more than 100 million jobs at risk. Now, as countries begin to recover and tourism restarts in a growing number of destinations, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, has provided a plan of action for both public and private sector stakeholders to address the root causes of plastic pollution in these challenging times.

Not managing the transition into the new reality we are facing, including the strong focus on health and hygiene measures, in a responsible manner may have a significant environmental impact, which is why this renewed commitment is vitally important. We are proud to announce the first signatories to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative today

The Recommendations for the Tourism Sector to Continue Taking Action on Plastic Pollution During COVID-19 Recovery illustrate how reducing the plastic footprint, increasing the engagement of suppliers, working closer with waste service providers, and ensuring transparency on the actions taken, can significantly contribute to the responsible recovery of the tourism sector.

Businesses and governments united

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “As the tourism sector restarts, we have a responsibility to build back better. Not managing the transition into the new reality we are facing, including the strong focus on health and hygiene measures, in a responsible manner may have a significant environmental impact, which is why this renewed commitment is vitally important. We are proud to announce the first signatories to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative today.”

When not properly disposed of, products such as gloves, masks and sanitiser bottles can end up polluting the natural environments around major tourist destinations.

UNEP Economy Division Director, Ligia Noronha adds: “We need to take a science-based approach and support governments, business, and local communities to ensure we are taking the most effective measures to protect hygiene and health without creating pollution and causing harm to our natural environment. These recommendations addressing hygiene and disposable plastic can support tourism sector stakeholders in their efforts towards a responsible recovery.

Accor, Club Med and Iberostar Group Commit to Initiative

The recommendations come as major global tourism companies Accor, Club Med, and Iberostar Group cement their commitment to fighting plastic pollution and become three of the first official signatories to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, along with more than 20 signatories from across all continents, including major industry players and supporting organisations which will act as multipliers. Alongside these, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a member of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative Advisory Committee and has informed these latest recommendations.

About the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative unites the tourism sector behind a common vision to address the root causes of plastic pollution. It enables businesses and governments to take concerted action, leading by example in the shift towards a circularity in the use of plastics. Developed within the framework of the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the One Planet network, a multi-stakeholder partnership to implement SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Tourism Organisation, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The full list of signatories and their commitments can be found here.

New York, USA, July 22, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / New analysis from the World Economic Forum shows that some of Latin America’s and the Caribbean’s tourism strengths are less important than before to a competitive tourism economy during COVID-19. The onset and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the factors that make a country’s travel and tourism sector competitive. Certain factors, such as healthcare capacity and digital travel offerings, are increasing in importance during the pandemic. Other factors, like international openness – a primary strength of Latin America – are now less important.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the Latin America and Caribbean region was improving in terms of travel and tourism competitiveness, but most of its economies still performed below the global average. Tourism slowdowns give policy-makers and business leaders in the region a chance to reassess their tourism practice and policies, especially in infrastructure and unsustainable tourism development, which are particular risks to the region’s long-term tourism resilience.

“COVID-19 has had a severe impact on the travel and tourism sector, with some parts of the sector effectively shut down completely,” said Christoph Wolff, Head of Mobility at the World Economic Forum. “Considering that tourism accounts for nearly 10% of the world’s jobs, it’s important that countries take serious measures to ensure their tourism is competitive and ready to bounce back as COVID-19 measures are rolled back and countries begin to reopen.”

In Latin America, these changes in travel competitiveness are particularly troublesome. Europe and other countries with more ample health resources have a better chance of containing and managing COVID-19 cases than other countries with less-developed health resources, potentially speeding up a safe reopening of their travel sector. For example, Latin America’s and the Caribbean’s healthcare capacity constraints are exemplified by the particularly low levels of hospital beds there, with 42% fewer beds per 10,000 people than the global mean.

Similarly, higher ICT readiness will allow tourism companies and their supply-chain partners to provide more services digitally – a growing advantage when person-to-person interactions are constrained. Competitiveness components such as a favourable business environment and labour markets can also act as supply-side stimuli, generating relief and accelerating the recovery.

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that the travel and tourism industry accounts for 10.2% of GDP in the Latin America and Caribbean region. In some countries, such as Jamaica, tourism accounts for a much higher percentage of GDP. The current downturn is having a major effect on economies heavily dependent on tourism.

Despite the downturn, the region’s long-term prospects for remain encouraging, as travel and tourism growth has continually outpaced global GDP growth for the past decade. While the region benefits from rich natural resources and improving international openness, numerous obstacles remain. These include unfavourable business, safety and security conditions, gaps in health and hygiene, underdeveloped infrastructure and environmental issues.

Latin America and Caribbean countries can use this time to re-evaluate their tourism development projects and build for a better sector in the future. For example, opportunities exist within their infrastructure gap. Good air transport is critical to Latin America’s travel competitiveness, especially considering the region’s hard-to-traverse terrain. Pandemic shutdowns have further slowed infrastructure projects but also offer an opportunity for countries in the region to reassess their ongoing projects and direct attention to the most critical areas. Building infrastructure for a better balance between tourism and local demand will be particularly important.

Improving travel and tourism competitiveness requires collaboration between the public and private sectors. Moreover, stakeholders must recognize the need to consider environmental and socio-economic sustainability in their decision-making. Approaches that focus only on driving short-term tourism demand have the potential to weaken the long-term resilience of the travel and tourism industry.

By improving their travel and tourism competitiveness, countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region can help the travel and tourism industry survive, recover and “build back stronger” from the impact of COVID-19.

The Latin America and Caribbean Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Landscape Report uses competitiveness rankings and data from the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Ranking (TTCR), and puts them in the context of COVID-19 and the changes the pandemic has brought to the travel and tourism economies in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The TTCR is a biennial report that ranks countries on the competitiveness of their travel and tourism sectors; the most recent edition was released in September 2019.

London, United Kingdom, July 22, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Advises regional and local measures only to combat COVID-19 spikes. Travel & Tourism sector will help power the global economic recovery. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has warned governments around the world that further country-wide border closures could seriously jeopardise global economic recovery.

WTTC is urging authorities to take a more carefully calibrated approach and introduce localised measures, and only when necessary. This would avoid blanket restrictions, prevent stalling the fragile economic recovery and not cripple the already bruised and battered Travel & Tourism sector.

WTTC would support the opening of city to city ‘air corridors’ between global financial centres, such as London and Frankfurt and New York. This would help restart business travel which is crucial to kickstarting the economic recovery.

Unfortunately, a number of countries around the world are experiencing local coronavirus spikes. This is forcing a re-think by a number of governments which are now having to consider reintroducing tough and unwelcome new ‘anti-travel’ measures.

According to the latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the US, the worldwide COVID-19 death toll has passed 606,000 while the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has now surpassed more than 14.5 million.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Governments should not close off access to other countries in their entirety. Only regional border measures should be imposed if essential, so that the recovery of a country’s whole economy is not jeopardised in future.

“The establishment of ‘air corridors’ between financial centres where infection levels are low, such as between London and New York, would provide a vital boost to business travel and aid the economic recovery.

“Enforcing country-wide restrictions is a blunt instrument which benefits no one; neither travellers, the local population, the economy or the Travel & Tourism sector which has been left reeling from the impact of worldwide travel restrictions.

“Such measures could undo the significant efforts to revive Travel & Tourism, which has recently shown encouraging signs of emerging from the worst of the pandemic, and which in turn has brought hope to millions of people around the world who depend upon the sector for their livelihoods.

“Taking a more carefully calibrated approach to strategically combating coronavirus spikes with local measures rather than country-wide closures, will contain COVID-19 and preserve a country’s attempt to kick-start their economy by continuing to attract travellers to unaffected areas.

“Travel & Tourism is critical to powering that economic recovery, generating one in four of all new jobs last year. Our 2020 Economic Impact Report shows that during 2019 the sector supported one in 10 jobs of all jobs (330 million total) and made a massive 10.3% contribution to global GDP.

“It is perfectly possible to fight COVID-19 and support the economic recovery through the Travel & Tourism sector at the same time. We urge governments to consider only local lockdowns as the key to opening the door to a successful way forward.”

Restoring business travel, especially via transatlantic flights, is key to help kickstart the economic recovery. WTTC research shows that for two of the world’s top business centres, business travellers account for one U.S Dollar in every three spent in New York and one pound Sterling out of every four spent in London.

WTTC has also called for more consistent COVID-19 travel rules to be adopted by European countries to counter confusion by travellers and holidaymakers who faced a baffling array of different types of travel rules advice.

The organisation has been concerned that the uneven patchwork of COVID-19 national border restrictions would deter travellers and suppress the resurgence of the Travel & Tourism sector. However, learning from response to past pandemic outbreaks, governments could avoid delaying the much-needed economic recovery.

However, WTTC warned that unless European governments make a greater effort to align their policies it will cause the fragile recovery to stutter and slowdown, putting 16 million jobs in Travel & Tourism at risk.

Research from WTTC showed that every 2.7% increase in travellers would generate or recover one million jobs in the sector. Governments working together with the right coordinated measures could stimulate an increase in travel by as much as 27%, recreating a massive 10 million jobs in Travel and Tourism.

WTTC also recently issued a ten-point Traveller Guideline for Safe & Seamless Travel including testing and contact tracing to ensure people can enjoy Safe Travels in the ‘new normal’.

Bangkok, Thailand, July 23, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / South East Asia Hotel Investors Summit (SEAHIS) is an owner-driven event focused on hotel real estate investors, developers and franchisees. We were worried that needing to move the dates for SEAHIS to 8/9 December would mean losing speakers. Instead, we are thrilled that not only have we retained a large number of speakers from the original dates, we also have many more to announce. Below you will see speakers who we have added to our roster since our last speaker announcement.

As the dates for SEAHIS have moved to later in the year – and because the start of this year was filled with great uncertainty – we have also extended our early bird rate discount until August 31st.

To view all 72 of our speakers and register for SEAHIS, visit www.seahis.com

About HOFTEL
HOFTEL is the only global alliance of hospitality real estate investors. Our 85+ members and subscribers hold, we believe, around US$ 100 billion of hotel and serviced apartment properties, and range from industry giants like Blackstone and Katara right through to developers building their first hotels.

HOFTEL exists to allow the diverse and disparate hotel owner universe to leverage our combined voices when dealing with our main business counterparties – the brands, OTAs, lenders, contractors and governments.

We arrange annual, private “Member Summits” in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas; networking events at the main hotel investment conferences (and secure admission discounts for members at several of these); publish a quarterly “Hotel Owners’ Journal” for members, with relevant articles and original research; and join campaigns where the distinct voice of our sector needs to be heard. HOFTEL is also the driving force behind SEAHIS and its sister event GIOHIS (the Gulf and Indian Ocean Hotel Investors’ Summit). Our members receive a substantial discount when attending – and in practice, many of them are speakers at these events.

Bangkok, Thailand, July 21, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Hospitality company has linked with the government of Thailand’s Rao Tiew Duay Gan campaign, which supports 40% of room rates (up to THB 3,000 per night). Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, is supporting the government in its efforts to boost domestic tourism in Thailand by joining its nationwide subsidy programme, Rao Tiew Duay Gan (We Travel Together).

Available from 18 July 2020 – 31 October 2020 at Dusit Hotels & Resorts in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket, Khao Yai and Krabi, the programme will see the government subsidize 40% of room rates – up to 3,000 THB per night – for up to five nights per person.

Guests will also receive a THB 600 e-voucher per room per night to use for dining in the hotel or at participating standalone outlets.

Upon booking, a payment link will be sent to the app so the recipient can avail of the saving.

Guests booking via dusit.com can take advantage of current promotional offers, such as room rates starting from THB 999 net per room per night.

Several Dusit Hotels & Resorts in Thailand will also offer additional exclusive benefits for guests who book weekday stays (including Sundays) using Rao Tiew Duay Gan. This includes Guaranteed Room Upgrade to the next best category, 40% discount on spa treatments (where applicable), and 20% discount on food and beverages.

All Dusit Hotels & Resorts have been certified as safe places to stay under the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration (SHA) certification programme. These high standards are reflected in Dusit’s new Stay with Confidence programme, which includes, among others, the introduction of new facilities, services and operating procedures such as flexible check-in times and flexible breakfast (to limit queues), the provision of free healthy drinks and snacks in-room, the provision of outdoor workout areas and mobile payment methods, and a personal shopping service for the best of local foods and souvenirs.

About Dusit International
Established in 1948, Dusit International is a leading hospitality group listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Building on its two core areas of business – Hotels & Resorts and Hospitality Education – the company has expanded its operations over the past four years to comprise five business units. The additional units include Foods, Property Development, and Hospitality-Related Services. Today, the company’s property portfolio comprises more than 300 distinctive hotels, resorts and luxury villas operating under six brands across 14 countries worldwide, as well as two leading hospitality colleges with campuses in Thailand and the Philippines. Following a three-pronged strategy for sustainable growth, including balance, expansion and diversification, the company has recently expanded into food production, on-demand hospitality services, and property development to reach new markets and add further recurring streams of revenue to the company.

Madrid, Spain, July 20, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Across Europe, the responsible restart of tourism is now underway. But even as growing numbers of tourists cross borders and businesses open up again, this is no time for complacency .

Just as we stressed at the beginning of this crisis: words of support are not enough for tourism to recover. Concrete actions are needed.

For UNWTO, this means supporting Member States and the wider tourism sector as it adapts and transitions towards a more resilient and sustainable future.

The visit of a UNWTO delegation to the Canary Islands allowed us to do just this.

 

Through inviting members of the media, private sector leaders and political leaders to join us for this official visit, UNWTO was able to show that tourism’s return can be managed safely and responsibly. It is possible to prioritise health while at the same time safeguarding jobs and promoting economic recovery!

At the same time, the innovation running through our sector means that the restart of tourism can help get the global community back on track as we work together to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UNWTO Sustainable Development Goals Startup Competition, which was launched this week, will identify new ideas with the power and potential to reimagine tourism and enhance the sector’s positive impact on people and planet. I urge all entrepreneurs and innovators to step up and take part. Only through embracing the new can we emerge from this crisis stronger, more resilient and better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, including addressing inequality and climate action.

As we look to the future, however, we must also pause to reflect on the terrible human cost of the pandemic. This week, I was honoured to join His Majesty King Felipe VI, alongside the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and guests including the Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO, as well as other national and international political leaders at a special event to commemorate all those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Spain.

The presence of such high-level figures from within and also from outside of Spain was testament to the international solidarity that has characterised our response to this pandemic. It also represented an opportunity for us all to express our appreciation to the health workers who worked – and continue to work – on the frontline of this public health emergency.

Throughout this crisis, our host country has shown great resolve. It now carries that spirit into a determination to grow back and recover.

UNWTO offers our full support to Spain, as we do to every other Member State, and will continue to work closely with the government to ensure tourism fulfils its unique potential as a tool for economic recovery and social cohesion.

Zurab Pololikashvili
Secretary-General,
World Tourism Organization