Category: Latest Travel News

MGM Cotai Macao (Macao SAR) – October 24, 2018 (travelindex.com) – Under the theme of “Strategic Partnership in a New Era, Rising Momentum for a Shared Future”, the Global Tourism Economy Forum Macao 2018 (GTEF or the Forum) features a series of thought-provoking discussions and exchange sessions, as well as business matching and an exhibition, among other program highlights. Various discussion panels were unfolded at MGM Cotai in Macao.

Face to Face, Ministers and Private Sector CEOs

The two-day programme of the Forum is held on 23 and 24 October. In collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the signature session “Face to Face, Ministers and Private Sector CEOs” unveiled the Day 1 agenda of the Forum. Coming from different countries, ministerial and government officials joined enterprise leaders to proffer their insights as guest speakers. Executive Director of UNWTO, Zhu Shanzhong, delivered an introduction of the session under the topic of “Strategic Partnership – Building Bridges of Cooperation for Shared Benefits”. Guest speakers led an insightful dialogue on the new opportunities brought by 2018 EU-China Tourism Year for China and EU member states to widen their scope of collaboration, as well as how to leverage powerful means such as innovation, technology, travel facilitation and connectivity to enhance cooperation leading to concerted and sustainable development.

The panelists include Director General for Tourism and Regional Policy, Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism of Austria, Ulrike Rauch-Keschmann; Vice Minister for Economic Development of Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia, Viljar Lubi; Secretary of State of Tourism of Portugal, Ana Mendes Godinho; Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government and Executive Chairman of GTEF, Alexis Tam; Undersecretary of Tourism Policy and International Affairs Division of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Mohd Daud Mohd Arif; Chairman of the British Council, Christopher Rodrigues; Chairman Emeritus of TUI Group and Honorary Chairman of GTEF, Michael Frenzel; President and Chief Executive Officer of World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Honorary Chairman of GTEF, Gloria Guevara Manzo; Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Thomas Cook China, Alessandro Dassi; Chairman of Mystic Invest, Mário Ferreira; Chief Executive Officer of AS Tallink Group, Paavo Nõgene; and Chairman of the Board of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Company Limited, Qiu Jiachen. The session was moderated by Founder & President of Cachet Consulting and Special Advisor to the Secretary General of UNWTO, Anita Mendiratta.

In his introduction, Executive Director of UNWTO, Zhu Shanzhong, stated, “The China-EU Tourism Year highlights the bridges built for a common goal. It also brings forth the forces influencing the tourism flows which have been further strengthened by the revival of the Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative of China.”

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government and Executive Chairman of GTEF, Alexis Tam stressed that Macao has played its role as a platform, with the GTEF gathering parties from all sides to communicate directly and get a deeper understanding of each other, which is beneficial for boosting cooperating between partners. He specially seized this opportunity to promote the Greater Bay Area to the audience, heavily believing that this project will bring about new opportunities for tourism development. Another panelist responded that tourism between China and Europe is a two-way development, and reminded the audience to not forget that Europe is a large outbound tourist source market, adding that the tourism authorities can promote the Greater Bay Area in Europe and attract more European tourists to travel to China.

This edition of GTEF features the European Union (“EU”) as its Partner Region and Guangdong as its Featured Partner Chinese Province, to unveil a series of profound dialogues on how to encourage mutual visitations and enhance cooperation between China and the EU in tourism and the related economic scope. In addition, in support of the development plan mapped out by the Central Government for the city cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Forum presents Special Keynotes and discussion panels which zoom in on cooperation across the Greater Bay Area. Since its inauguration in 2012, “GTEF” has developed into a prestigious annual tourism gathering for eminent leaders, tourism ministers, CEOs of international corporations and leading industry experts from across the world.

About Global Tourism Economy Forum
The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) is hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, in collaboration with World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism under the authorization of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and coordinated by 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, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and European Travel Commission (ETC).

Since its inception in 2012, GTEF has successfully established itself as an influential high-level cooperation platform to promote sustainable development in the global tourism industry with a focus on China. To date, GTEF had received more than 8,000 participants from 83 countries and regions, including delegations from 106 provinces and cities of Mainland China; and 437 internationally renowned speakers.

For enquiries, please contact Mazarine Asia Pacific:
Ms. Anita Yu
Tel: +853 8296 3608
Email: anita.yu@mazarineap.com

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MGM Cotai Macao (Macao SAR) – October 23, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The Global Tourism Economy Forum Macao was unveiled with an opening ceremony at MGM Cotai in Macao. Under the theme of “Strategic Partnership in a New Era, Rising Momentum for a Shared Future”, this edition of GTEF features the European Union (“EU”) as its Partner Region and Guangdong as its Featured Partner Chinese Province, and leads a series of profound dialogues on the new momentum of strategic collaboration between EU and China with a special focus on cooperation across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Over 1,500 ministerial officials of tourism and related fields, industry leaders, experts, scholars and participants from different countries and regions across the globe, including delegations from the 28 member states of the EU and Guangdong Province, convene in Macao for this edition of GTEF. Over 120 journalists from international and local media are here to cover the two-day event.

The opening ceremony of the 7th GTEF was officiated by distinguished guests including Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Chui Sai On; Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Forum Chairman of GTEF, Ho Hau Wah; Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and Honorary Chairman of GTEF, Gao Yunlong; Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Zhang Rongshun; Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Shen Peili; Member of the Ministry Leadership of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, Yu Qun; Vice Governor of Guangdong Province, Xu Ruisheng; Head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Carmen Cano De Lasala; Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zhu Shanzhong;

Secretary General of International Mountain Tourism Alliance, Former Deputy Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, He Yafei; Director General for Tourism and Regional Policy, Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism of Austria, Ulrike Rauch-Keschmann; Vice Minister for Economic Development of Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia, Viljar Lubi; Secretary of State of Tourism of Portugal, Ana Mendes Godinho; Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government and Executive Chairman of GTEF, Alexis Tam; Vice Chairman and Secretary‐General of GTEF, Pansy Ho; Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of UNWTO, Xu Jing, among other personages.

Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Chui Sai On, stated in his welcome remarks, “Tourism growth and innovation contributes to the sustainable development of the global economy and creates favorable conditions for the achievement of the goals specified in the United Nation’s ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. Thanks to the thorough support of the Central Government, Macao is committed to its goal to develop into a world centre of tourism and leisure, besides capitalizing on the advantages given by our unique system and strengths of the city in the regional context. Through organizing the Forum in Macao, we can march forward to expand the scope of regional collaboration in tourism and widen the channels to build external relations, which can drive quality enhancement and innovative development of the local tourism industry.” He added, “We look forward to distilling collective wisdom through this edition of the Forum, to build a greater consensus, introduce new perspectives as well as gain new momentum for sustainable tourism growth and the Belt and Road development in parallel with the implementation of the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”

Forum Chairman of GTEF, Ho Hau Wah, expressed in his welcome speech, “2018 marks both the fortieth anniversary of our nation’s reform and opening, and the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of EU-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Under the theme of ‘Strategic Partnership in a New Era, Rising Momentum for a Shared Future’, GTEF 2018 presents both EU-China Tourism Year and the Development Plan for a City Cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for a fresh perspective. The European Union is GTEF 2018 Partner Region. As the organizer of the Forum, Macao will showcase its distinctive platform role and join hands with China and the European Union to promote the diversified development of the tourism economy. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development plan is a national strategy designed, deployed and promoted by President Xi Jinping. Macao is both a critical junction of the Belt and Road, and an integral member of the Development Plan for a City Cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The nine cities in Guangdong Province, GTEF 2018 Featured Chinese Province, and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, are Macao’s partners in the Development Plan for a City Cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”

In his opening remarks, Secretary-General of UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, said, “The Forum is an example of Macao’s focused and long-term economic vision, which prioritizes tourism development…This year’s Forum highlights the value of strategic partnerships for greater tourism momentum. We celebrate the Greater Bay Area vision for an economic and business hub connecting Macao with Hong Kong and nine cities in mainland China. The Greater Bay vision is symbolic of China’s progress, which has shifted power from the Atlantic to the Pacific in both economic and tourism terms. It proves China’s commitment to building the infrastructure that our connected world, and our tourism sector, needs for the future.”

Fully delivering a high-level platform for international tourism exchange and cooperation, GTEF facilitated the signing of ten agreements for tourism cooperation in this edition, including UNWTO & Macao SAR Training Programme Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Renewal, Collaborative Agreement of the Alliance for Developing Macao into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Tourism Education and Training Base, Partnership Agreement between the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre regarding Joint Research on Asia Tourism Trends, and Macao Chinese Enterprise Association & GTERC MOU. In addition, China Chamber of Tourism and GTERC signed tripartite agreements separately with Guizhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, Hunan Federation of Industry and Commerce, Jiangxi Federation of Industry and Commerce, Shandong Federation of Industry and Commerce, Heilongjiang Federation of Industry and Commerce, as well as Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce to facilitate tourism development in the respective provinces.

The two-day programme encompasses thought-provoking discussions and exchanges, besides business-matching sessions joined by nearly 200 enterprises and organizations, as well as a GTEF exhibition featuring 20 of the above enterprises and organizations, providing a wealth of networking, investment and cooperation opportunities for delegates.

China-EU cooperation sets the tone for Forum discussions

In its Day 1 programme, GTEF not only featured its signature session “Face to Face, Ministers and Private Sector CEOs” in collaboration with UNWTO and “Festivals – Bridging Traditions and Tourism” in cooperation with WTCF, but also included two Special Keynotes on “Strategic China-EU Economic Partnerships in the New Era” and “2018 China-EU Tourism Year – Beginning of a New Chapter” respectively, as well as the Special Keynote Interview – “Strategic Partnership in Motion”.

UNWTO and GTERC delivered their fifth joint research report on Asia Tourism Trends during the Forum. A collaboration of UNWTO and GTERC, the report presents tourism trends and outlook of the Asia-Pacific region, analyzes Chinese Outbound Tourism to Europe and European Union Outbound Tourism to China, and examines the development potential of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a new growth area of Asia.

Day 2 agenda zooms in on Greater Bay Area

The agenda of Day 2 includes Special Keynotes on “Tourism Development in Greater Bay Area” and “Building a Travel Ecosystem and a New Lifestyle”; discussion panels themed as “Greater Bay Area Session Part I – China Enterprises Perspective” in cooperation with ACFIC; “Greater Bay Area Session Part II – Macao Perspective” in cooperation with The Macau Chinese Enterprise Association; and “Technology – The Virtual Bridge” in cooperation with PATA. There are also an array of concurrent sessions namely Youth Leaders Roundtable Meeting in cooperation with Greater Bay Area Youth Federation, “China Outbound Tourism” in cooperation with Ivy Alliance, “Gastronomy, Creativity, Tourism” in cooperation with UNESCO, Trade and Business Presentation, as well as PET Conference in cooperation with European Tourism Association (ETOA) and The European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA).

A lunch presentation was hosted by the EU, GTEF 2018 Partner Region, at Grand Hyatt Macau today (23 October) to introduce the unparalleled tourism attractions across Europe. On the other hand, Guangdong Province, GTEF 2018 Featured Partner Chinese Province, hosted the Guangdong Night – Presentation cum Dinner at MGM Cotai Theater last evening (22 October) to showcase the province’s profound cultural heritage and diverse tourism resources. Welcome remarks were delivered by Vice Governor of Guangdong Province, Xu Ruisheng, Director General of Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, Wang Yiyang, and Director of Macao Government Tourism Office and Vice Chairman of GTEF, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, at the dinner.

The Global Tourism Economy Forum is hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), initiated and co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism under the authorization of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) 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, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and European Travel Commission (ETC).

About Global Tourism Economy Forum
The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) is hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, in collaboration with World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism under the authorization of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and coordinated by Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC). GTEF’s supporting units include the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China (invited), 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, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and European Travel Commission (ETC).

Since its inception in 2012, GTEF has successfully established itself as an influential high-level cooperation platform to promote sustainable development in the global tourism industry with a focus on China. To date, GTEF had received more than 8,000 participants from 83 countries and regions, including delegations from 106 provinces and cities of Mainland China; and 437 internationally renowned speakers.

For enquiries, please contact Mazarine Asia Pacific:
Ms. Anita Yu
Tel: +853 8296 3608
Email: anita.yu@mazarineap.com

Book your hotel in Macao, Guang Dong Region and around the world in 55 countries at best rates available. Earn HolidayClick Points and pay at the hotel. Book now at HotelWorlds.com!

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – October 23, 2018 (travelindex.com) – Didier Robert, the Regional President of Reunion Island has arrived in Seychelles for the coming Festival Kreol of the islands. President Didier Robert is in Seychelles with an important delegation and will be having s series of meetings with Government Leaders and Officials as well as the French Ambassador accredited to Seychelles. He will also mark this years Festival with the opening of the “Antenne Reunion” Office.

I had the pleasure of again sitting with President Didier Robert after his arrival in Seychelles and together we reviewed the spirit of cooperation in the Indian Ocean Vanilla islands, a point we have both believed in in the years we worked closely together in the Vanilla islands.

Vertical Integration

Last week, we touched on the Seychelles drive to “clip the wings” of the island’s tourism industry, BUT only that of the tourism industry in what is being called the Seychelles Vertical Integration policy. Already serious dissention is being felt, and a major tourism entrepreneur has filed a case in court to challenge this infringement on his right to work and carry out his businesses as he plays his part in the economic development of the islands. Other players are looking at moving some non-fixed assets to other shores which may hurt the Seychelles tourism industry in the long term. This subject has brought many letters and feedback on the matter and no one understands why is the
Government Vertical policy only targeting the tourism industry players.

Innovation Destination

As Seychelles is getting embroiled in its Vertical Integration rules and regulations other tourism destinations are launching Smart Cities and Innovation Destinations approaches to lure investors and visitors to their shores. In the Caribbean we see Hon Edmund Bartlett, the Minister of Tourism of Jamaica moving to launch a Tourism Innovation City in Montego Bay to develop areas of textile, manufacturing, and farming among others, to boost capacity to provide on the supply side of the tourism value chain. Jamaica wants to see the tourism cost go down and one Caribbean Island’s active drive will see the whole region ride a surf wave to their beaches. Minister Bartlett said:- “To build out a tourism economy that will be beneficial to Montego Bay, which is the heartbeat of tourism in Jamaica, the backward and forward linkages must be in place and when that happens tourism costs will begin to fall and revenues from consumption will increase, In the Dominican Republic, their revenue retention is 50cents on each foreign exchange earned and this is so because they own the supply side – they manufacture uniforms for the sector and have processing plants to make the chutneys and jams needed by the guests. This is where a Tourism Innovation City in Jamaica would help to produce more of the items needed in the sector.” The Tourism Minister from Jamaica went on to add:- “If Jamaica is to earn more of the foreign exchange brought in by visitors, we must be able to reduce importation of the inputs needed for the sector and increase our ability to supply on the demand. The tourism Innovation City will create a circular economy where nothing is wasted and everything is utilized fully and the resources, income, and earnings stay within that space. When we are finished building out grange pen and Barrett Hall, this will be a fertile area for this great experiment and I am in discussion with the Urban Development Corporation who is to do a design for this innovation city.”

Tourism Cost

The cost for a country’s tourism industry is determined on the ability to produce more locally and for Seychelles to push with vigour the “Made in Seychelles” label. It is also dependant on the Government’s ability to understand that a hotel in Seychelles are not competing amongst themselves by that instead the Seychelles needs to be seen as an appealing holiday destination when apples are compared to apples and pears to pears. Seychelles cannot be seen as the destination bleeding its tourism industry through taxes, fees and utility charges.

After Miss Regatta we now have Miss Creole 2018

Just weeks ago Seychelles saw the election of Miss Regatta and now last weekend Seychelles elected Ketsia Marie as its Miss Creole International 2018. The 1st princess is Tisha Loze and as 2nd Princess Nathasha Chetty. Both these beauty with a purpose pageants were private sector driven and with success. The Regatta is a Round Table event and Miss Creole International is the work of Telly Modelling Agency of Terry Carolla. Seychelles needs to congratulate both these organisers for proudly putting forward the talents of the islands and in so doing opening doors for them.

New Yellowfin Tuna Record For Seychelles

Albert Durand’s post on Social Media last week publicised that Seychelles was proud to be having a new record for Yellow Fin Tuna. The previous Seychelles ‘Rod & Reel’ Record stood at 96.1kg. The new Seychelles ‘Rod & Reel’ Record is now 100.6kg caught by Captain Sony Parekh and Angler Mohamed, a tourist from Oman who flew in to go fishing with Sony. This catch helps to position Seychelles as a destination for Big Game Fishing and comes as Sail Fish Season is kicking in. Denis Island has been recording excellent catches of Sail Fish as they continue to pursue their policy of ‘tag & release’.

South African Lavone Wittmann elected new president of Skal

South African Lavone Wittmann has been elected the new president of Skal. The elections took place during the 79th International Skal Congress that was help in Mombasa in Kenya. Minister Najib Balala, the Kenyan Minister responsible for Tourism had said earlier that Kenya had been gearing up for the biggest gathering of professionals within the hospitality and travel industry from all over the world. It was Kenya’s second city, Mombasa that was the host city for the 79th International Skal Congress.

Davos (Switzerland) – October 23, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The World Economic Forum objects to the proliferation of the use of the “Davos” brand for events that have nothing to do with its own activities. The Forum, together with the City of Davos, will use all means to protect the Davos brand against illicit appropriation. The Forum also draws attention to its policy not to organize conferences on behalf of a specific government, always preserving its independence and impartiality.

Since 1971, the World Economic Forum has been organizing the Annual Meeting of its constituents in the Swiss town of Davos, and the Forum and Davos brands are closely linked. Any use of “Davos” for another event can only lead to confusion and may mislead the public, members of the World Economic Forum and the media as it may imply that the World Economic Forum is responsible for, or part of, that event.

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and the Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains: “The sole ambition of the Annual Meeting, which the World Economic Forum organizes every January in Davos, is to bring the leaders of all major governments, business and civil society together for collaborative efforts to address global, industrial and regional issues.”

The World Economic Forum, as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, is not related to any political, commercial or personal interests. For the Annual Meeting 2019 in Davos, more than 30 heads of state and governments, and over 1,000 top executives of the world’s leading companies have already confirmed their participation.

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Phuket (Thailand) – October 22, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The fastest growing airline in the world has just arrived in Phuket. With five direct flights a week from two cities in India, GoAir are only just starting.

“Phuket is our first international route. Our inaugural flight landed on the island on 11th October and the level of interest from Indian travellers has been excellent. Thanks to Gulu Lalvani, who convinced me to open-up Phuket to the Indian market, we are making Phuket our Thailand hub. We already have routes from Mumbai and Delhi to Phuket, and by the end of next year we will increase this to 10 cities flying direct to Phuket,” commented Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, GoAir.

India is a country of more than 1.3 billion people with a rapidly growing appetite for international travel. World Bank data shows that almost 22 million Indians travelled overseas in 2017 while the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020. That these figures look set to more than double in three years is no surprise to Mr. Gulu Lalvani, Chairman of Royal Phuket Marina.

“I have been looking at India for a number of years and India holds great potential for Phuket. Indians are already familiar with Thailand, but never before have there been direct flights into Phuket. Having worked closely with GoAir and highlighting Phuket’s potential to them, I am very excited to see Jeh Wadia and his team have invested in Phuket and think this is the beginning of great things for the island.”

The start of direct flights to Phuket could not have come at a better time for the island. Opening up Phuket to the second largest country in the world, will help to soften the impact declining arrivals from China.

“The upside for Phuket is clear and the potential is limitless. These direct three-to-four flights from India will benefit Phuket’s economy immensely. As well as bringing more lucrative Indian weddings to Phuket, their average holiday spend is high. Typically May and June have the lowest hotel occupancy in Phuket, yet this is the school holiday period in India and a time when many Indians travel. GoAir’s direct flights will help to provide a big boost to the island’s tourism businesses during this period,” added Mr. Lalvani.

“India has the highest level of pollution in the world today and once Indian travellers realise they can go non-stop to the paradise island of Phuket, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Indian arrivals out number Chinese arrivals within three years.”

Owned by Waida Group, one of India’s oldest conglomerates established in 1736, GoAir is a leading LCC in India and was recently reported to be the fastest growing airline in the world by Routes Online.

“We will also soon be flying into Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Thailand is a big part of our international expansion, it is a destination popular with Indian travellers and Phuket is at the heart of that,” explained Mr. Wadia. “Ninety percent of our fleet are new and within six months this will be 100%. We placed an order for 164 planes and have taken delivery so far of 41. Our plans for Phuket and the region are big.”

For more information go to www.VisitPhuket.org

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Tokyo (Japan) – October 22, 2018 (travelindex.com) – Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates have committed to joining a major global initiative to redesign the global “take-make-dispose” economy into a more circular one. They join over 50 government and business leaders who are part of the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), which was launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2018 in Davos (see press conference here and the list of members here).

PACE includes the heads of some of the world’s largest companies such as Royal Philips and Unilever; senior representatives from the governments of Indonesia, Nigeria, the People’s Republic of China and Rwanda; and heads of organizations, including the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, World Resources Institute, Global Environment Facility, UN Environment and World Bank.

All are committed to efforts that cut waste and pollution and fast-tracking circular economy solutions in which products and materials are redesigned, recovered and reused to reduce environmental impacts. Extending the life of products creates new business opportunities and revenue streams, while minimizing the environmental impact of mining, resource extraction, refining and manufacture.

Japan’s commitment comes as the second World Circular Economy Forum – hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and Finnish innovation fund Sitra – gets underway in Yokohama, Japan.

Japan is one of the most resource-efficient economies globally, and has recently launched its 4th Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society a new public-private Plastics Smart campaign. The Netherlands government aims to achieve circularity by 2050 and halve the use of primary resources by 2030 and Denmark launched its Circular Economy Strategy and a related National Action Plan on Plastics. The UAE is committed to shaping strategic action to advance the circular economy.

To date, PACE, which is hosted and facilitated by the World Economic Forum, has catalysed major projects and collaborations to advance the circular economy, including the Global Plastics Action Partnership, which was launched in collaboration with the Friends of Ocean Action at the Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit in New York. PACE is also focused on waste from electronics. In 2016, 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste was generated, equivalent to the weight of 4,500 Eiffel Towers. E-waste contains a number of toxic substances that can cause great harm to health. At the same time, the UN estimates that some 55 Billion Euro worth of secondary raw materials lays idle in e-waste.

Antonia Gawel, Head of the Circular Economy Initiative, World Economic Forum, said: “We have the knowledge, power and technologies to drive circular economy action. We just need to act more quickly and build partnerships to scale solutions. The Fourth Industrial Revolution offers great opportunities in this area – which is why PACE is excited to explore its potential with an expanding group of partners.”

Frans van Houten, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips, and PACE Co-Chair, said: “A circular economy is essential if we are to achieve global economic growth whilst stopping unsustainable resource consumption. Large corporations, SMEs and governments must collaborate to transform supply chains and the modern consumption economy. Philips is pleased to partner with private and public sector organizations through PACE enabling large-scale projects with firm commitments and decisive action.”

Naoko Ishii, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF), and PACE Co-Chair, said: “It is a real pleasure for me to welcome a growing network of governments to PACE. The world urgently needs to move to a more Circular Economy, and PACE is a strong platform that brings together a broad coalition of stakeholders to accelerate action.”

Yoshiaki Harada, Minster of Environment, Japan, said: “We all have a common view on realizing a circular economy on a global scale by networking and accumulating knowledge and experience of public and private entities around the world. The Ministry of the Environment of Japan has decided to participate in PACE, and share our knowledge and experience globally. As part of our contribution to PACE, we would like to provide information on excellent actions, experiences and technologies of Japan’s public and private entities registered in our “Plastics Smart” Campaign.”

Singapore (Singapore) – October 19, 2018 (travelindex.com) – Pursuit Racing from Amnuay Silpa School was chosen to be one of Thailand’s representative teams to compete in the F1 in Schools World Finals 2018 recently. Over eight months of hard work and dedication was put into the preparation of the project in all aspects ranging from budget planning, recruiting sponsors, conducting research and experimenting to build the fastest model-sized F1 car, and coming up with a marketing and social media strategy. These responsibilities covered three main areas, engineering, marketing and finance, and were divided amongst Pursuit Racing’s six talented team members consisting of Year 9 and Year 12 students, aged 13-16 years. Three team members competed once before as part of last year’s team, while the other three were recruited this year.

The team left for Singapore on the 6th of September to submit their car and portfolios and register for the event. Before the competition, held from the 9th to the 12th of September, they assembled their pit booth at Hard Rock Hotel, Sentosa, which was the competition venue for the event’s fifty competing teams from 24 countries all around the globe.

In terms of the actual car racing at the event, Pursuit Racing ranked second in terms of the overall race time, had the fourth fastest car, and was fifth seed for the knockout round of 16 final teams.

Aside from the car racing, the final overall team results also took into account the engineering, business and pit display scores and were announced on the evening of the gala dinner. Pursuit Racing came in sixth place out of fifty, making it the highest scoring Asian team for 2018! The winning team was Horizon from Australia, and the teams in second to fifth place were CJJ Autovinco from Ireland, Perspective from the USA, Alacrity Project from Greece and Origin from England, respectively.

Pursuit Racing’s team manager Por Oudomying stated “Last year was Thailand’s first time participating in this competition. The team had to work under various limitations and pressure due to our lack of experience and with only three months to prepare, which was less than half the time our fellow competitors had, so our results weren’t the best they could be. This year, however, we were more prepared and, thanks to the cooperation we received from all sides we achieved our goal of being in the top ten teams for overall performance. On behalf of all Thai youth, I am proud that Thailand was properly recognized on the F1 in Schools™ stage. Last year our team won awards for the best website and the Autodesk Pressure Challenge, which was a special challenge in which competitors were given a surprise scenario and had two hours to come up with a solution. While last year’s scenario had to do with Formula One drivers’ safety, there was no Autodesk Pressure Challenge this year.”

Participating in the competition would involve various costs such as the registration fee, car manufacturing costs, and travel and accommodation costs and teams were given the freedom the choose how to raise funds. Pursuit Racing decided to approach organisations that support education for Thai youths and was fortunate to be sponsored by 12 organisations including Bangkok Bank, PTT, Bangkok Airways, Insight Telco, Bira Circuit, Jorakay Corporations, CTC, Autodesk, Thai Star Shipping, CP Meiji, Amnuay Silpa School’s Parent Teacher Association, and Amnuay Silpa School.

“Thank you to all our sponsors for making our participation in this competition possible, and for helping make Thailand known in the world of F1 in Schools™. We were honoured to present our project to so many corporate executives and grateful for our sponsors’ beneficial advice on the competition, university studies and our future careers. We’d also like to our parents, who guided us through this project helping us whenever we encountered something we didn’t understand or got stuck. Thanks to the parents’ professional experience, we gained skills and knowledge we wouldn’t have been able to find elsewhere,” added Akapat Thammongkol, the team’s marketing manager.

As one of the main purposes of F1 in Schools™ is to allow students to experience working in an actual business, the team made sure to work together as often as possible, both online and in meetings, and were welcome to ask for advice from professionals. For instance, they spoke with professional engineers, contacted the cofounders of Brand Now Asia to learn about marketing, and received assistance from Krinbourne Communications in publicising their story. Mr Pantachak Wong Preecha guided them in dealing with and contacting many sponsors and they met with Mr Philip Massoud, a professional race car driver for inspirational and motivational advice.

Pursuit Racing also received advice from Amnuay Silpa School teachers. Moreover, the school provided support by investing in car manufacturing equipment and allowing the team to use the equipment after school hours. They also are very grateful for the kind manufacturing support of Mr Robert Ortiz.

According to the team’s lead engineer, Siwakorn Chinpongsuwan, “Coming in sixth place out of fifty teams is a huge success, as we chose to balance our work in all aspects of the competition rather than focus on the outcome of one in particular. We are all proud of our team and our accomplishments and agree that F1 in Schools™ has given us the opportunity to learn things that you might not be able to learn in a classroom. I’m sure that kids from all around Thailand will be interested in this competition and I believe that one day it will be a Thai team waving the national flag on the champion’s podium.”

F1 in Schools™ challenges the creative thinking, ability and understanding of secondary students and it is based on the actual Formula One. Using STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) every team must design and manufacture carbon-dioxide propelled miniature cars and race them on a 20-meter track and effectively integrate all this management, marketing and finance.

Mr David Eccles, the team’s engineering advisor and design teacher, spoke from an advisor’s point of view, saying, “Amnuay Silpa School firmly believes in the benefit of project-based learning, teamwork and STEM which develop thinking skills, scientific creativity, and problem-solving abilities. F1 in Schools™ is the ultimate challenge as the team must not only design and manufacture the fastest miniature racing car but also function as a real F1 team by raising funds for the project.”

About Amnuay Silpa School: Amnuay Silpa (ANS) is a bilingual school offering a combined Thai-UK curriculum. With over 90 years of history, the school offers education from the foundation phase to the secondary phase, and has over 70,000 alumni, including six former Prime Ministers. Established on the 24th May 1926, ANS was accredited by Exeter University as the first and only Thinking School in Asia in 2013 and was awarded Advanced Status by the Department of Cognitive Education at Exeter University in 2017.

About F1 In Schools™: F1 In Schools™ is a global multi-disciplinary challenge that inspires teams of students aged 9 to 19 to use IT, CAD/CAM software, physics and aerodynamics to design, analyse, manufacture and race model F1 cars and to learn about branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy in setting up their own enterprise.

Beijing (China) – October 20, 2018 (travelindex.com) – In a landmark agreement, in the side-lines of the Club of Rome’s 50th Anniversary, Geoffrey Lipman, Co-founder of the Strong Universal Network (SUNx) and Jinfeng Zhou Secretary General of The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation [CBCGDF] agreed to expand the network established as a legacy to their friend and mentor Maurice Strong.

SUNx and CBCGDF will collaborate on the development of a Climate Resilience network and capacity building in China, One Belt One Road States and associated African countries. The main components of the partnership are:
– Establishment of a Beijing SUNx Centre
– Development of the SUNx Network in China, One Belt One Road, and Africa
– Hosting Strong Climate Action Days from a Beijing base
– Developing the Maurice Strong Legacy Scholarship Program in China and beyond

The parties agreed to immediately focus on promoting Climate Friendly Travel and specifically with reference to Parks, Protected Areas and Cultural Heritage locations.

Geoffrey Lipman said “This is a massive breakthrough in a program that was inspired by Maurice Strong, one of the fathers of Sustainable Development and a visionary who saw the travel and tourism sector as vital to global development but in need of an accelerated transformation to the New Climate Economy. It also reflects his view that the next generation will be the climate champions of our world and that China will play a leading role. We are delighted to partner with CBCGDF an organization with a proud record for sustainability and conservation leadership. We agree that Climate Change is the existential reality on the global agenda and that strengthened networks in the spirit of SDG 17 are a key to our future”

Jinfeng Zhou said “I am particularly proud that we are making the agreement during the Club of Rome’s 50th Anniversary. As a newly elected member of the Club’s Executive Council, I believe it is precisely the kind of system change we stand for. It was why our friend Maurice Strong, whose legendary commitment to sustainable development of the planet and its people, is also reflected in the Club’s planetary boundaries vision. These are principles that we espouse at CBCGDF of action-oriented persuasion with a strong stakeholder engagement. Protected areas and species are a vital part of our bio-system and we need to step up our defences. The agreement comes at the time of publication of a new book Remembering Maurice Strong that shows so clearly where we have been and where we must urgently go ”

Zhou added “ We hope the SUNx Centres will also be places to showcase the renewed vision of the Club of Rome for accelerated change to a New Climate Economy”

For more information please contact
SUNx:
Olly Wheatcroft
olly@thesunprogram.com

CBCGDF:
Linda Wong
linda.wong@cbcgdf.org

Beijing SUNx Centre
A SUNx Centre is a prefabricated, solar powered, climate research and innovation centre. It is a 20m x 12m (240sq.m), steel frame building with a state-of-the-art photovoltaic system.

The Beijing Centre will act as a Focal Point, for education, innovation and action on Climate Resilience and Impact-Travel. Helping communities curate data, meet Paris targets, align with the SDGs etc, It will also be a Capacity Building Centre and a training venue, linked to local Universities and Schools.
Development of the Network in China, One Belt One Road, and Africa

Starting with two global centres in Limburg and Beijing we will plan a rollout of the network into OBOR states and Associated African countries. By leveraging databases, utilising platforms, connecting through the cloud and engaging smart committed young researchers / communicators the network will provide significant added value.

Hosting Strong Climate Action Days from a Beijing base
Putting a unique focus on how Climate Change will affect Tourism destinations and Protected areas. These will lay the groundwork for continuing community focused action, through the global SUNx System,

Developing the Maurice Strong Legacy Scholarship Program in China
The scholarship program aims to inspire smart graduate trainees focus on a brighter, sustainable future. With industry CSR partners we will help build a cadre of young smart “Climate Champions.” We will work with academic institutions and private sector champions to develop a sustainable long-term framework.

Madrid (Spain) – October 18, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The World Tourism Organization and Basque Culinary Center (BCC), have launched a pioneering initiative for the gastronomic tourism sector, with a global call for startups or companies, mature or emerging, technological and non-technological, with innovative ideas capable of revolutionizing and integrating gastronomy in tourism and inspiring tourists with new ways and reasons to travel.

The gastronomic tourism sector is moving towards innovation and the diversification of its offerings. UNWTO, in collaboration with its Affiliated Member, Basque Culinary Center (BCC), has launched the 1st UNWTO Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition, the first and largest initiative in the world dedicated to identifying new companies that will lead the transformation of the gastronomic tourism sector.

Intangible cultural heritage has become the decisive factor that attracts and captivates tourists. Gastronomy tourism, as a component and vehicle of culture and tradition, is an indispensable resource that adds value and provides solutions for destinations that seek to stand out through unique product offerings.

The Competition will make it possible to identify the best solutions and projects that contribute the most to the sector through pioneering proposals in the implementation of emerging and disruptive technologies, as well as emerging companies or startups. It aims to identify challenges and projects, and to catalyse innovations that can transform the Gastronomy Tourism sector in the near future.

“Innovation and tourism investments are not ends in themselves, but are means to promote better tourism products, improve tourism governance and harness its proven capability to foster sustainability, create jobs and generate opportunities,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.

“Education and innovation are essential for the development of sustainable gastronomic tourism. At Basque Culinary Center, we support entrepreneurship and the development of new business projects to ensure the future of the sector. In this regard, we are proud to once again team up with our partners at UNWTO in order to continue fostering entrepreneurship and innovation linked to gastronomy tourism through this initiative,” said Joxe Mari Aizega, General Manager of Basque Culinary Center.

UNWTO and Basque Culinary Center have entrusted the process of finding startups to BCC Innovation through its Culinary Action! programme, which has accelerated nearly 50 startups by providing innovative, sustainable and high added value solutions to the gastronomy value chain.

Sustainability and technology
Startups are invited to pitch business models that are related to sustainability, respect the value chain, offer an authentic and coherent narrative, and add value to cultural and local heritage.

The winners of this competition will have the opportunity to present their projects at the 5th World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism (2-3 May 2019, San Sebastián, Spain), with the possibility of receiving personalized consulting and mentoring from the BCC experts of project accelerator Culinary Action!

Full information on the terms and conditions are available at

About UNWTO
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations specialized agency, is the leading international organization with the decisive and central role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.

About Basque Culinary Center
Basque Culinary Center is a pioneering academic institution worldwide that comprises the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences attached to Mondragon University and a Center for Innovation and Research, BCC Innovation. It is the first Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences in Spain and the only one in the world with an R&D centre. Its board also features 11 of the world’s leading chefs. The aim of Basque Culinary Centre is higher education, research, innovation and promotion of gastronomy and food, and it is working to promote gastronomy as a lever for socio-economic development through its actions.

Furthermore, the Basque Culinary Center has created a technological centre for gastronomy, BCC Innovation. Its objectives are to transform knowledge into wealth, drive innovation in companies and to participate actively in the creation of new businesses, thus guaranteeing the future of the sector. BCC Innovation supports entrepreneurs in the development of new business projects.

Contacts:
UNWTO Communications Department
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@unwto.org

Langkawi (Malaysia) – October 19, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The past few months, APMM has been boarding and checking yacht operators doing Day and Sunset cruises..their operations caused a major drop in tourists wanting to do these tourist activity that showcases the beautiful sea n sunsets of Langkawi. The manner they board and check boats carrying tourists scares and frightens tourists and many have complained to the operators and travel agents. It became so bad that the Director General of Jab Laut had a dialog here on the 10th of Oct..he understood our problems and also suggested to APMM to have a more tourists friendly SOP while boarding tourists boats. With regards to to licensing and commercial operations he made clear this could go on n all licensed n registered boats under commercial can continue to do so until a proper SOP was formulated by Jab Laut and requested APMM officers present to stand down on LIYR registered boats.

Sad to say, APMM has not heeded this advise n request although they were present and continue harassing the boat operators and jet ski operators. They have abused their authority and use their all powerful act to harass n bully local operators for reasons best known to themselves. The APMM act was to protect us from piracy, drugs, criminal acts spying and such..but being so powerful its putting fear into normal people and esp operators as they seize vessels on suspicion and take their own time to conduct investigations..while operators are daily losing money and cancelling bookings..what about staff salaries and expenses whilst they conduct their investigations. We as an association have tried speaking or having dialog with them but they refer us back to Jab Laut..but when Jab Laut requests them to stand down..they don’t follow..they act like masters of the sea and lord over all of us..they seem to forget we are normal rakyat doing our best to bring it tourists revenue for the federal n state government.. this bullying and harassment must stop..APMM cannot be allowed to continue to do this..they are destroying the image of Langkawi.

This is how they scare n frighten tourists as well as our local youth working on board..bullying using their big gun boat against tourist boats..while pirate issue few weeks ago they never responded to pleas for help from our local fisherman and luckily marine police responded and arrested the pirates..guess APMM was to busy harassing local tourists boats and jet skis.

We suspect that they are trying to prove their relevancy to our PM who is the member of Parliament of Langkawi, after our PM questioned their relevancy in a speech few months ago.. but our suspicious is just suspicious..we dont have an act of parliament to allow us to do anything. Never before APMM officers have been so anti tourism. The former Panglima in charge of Langkawi had a very tourism friendly SOP for checking tourist boats without scaring tourists off..but now..now we have no choice but to appeal to our PM, who is the member of parliament for Langkawi, all the members of parliament and AG’s Chambers to revisit the APMM Act and its usage against local tourism boat operators.

Persatuan Niagakawi ( Langkawi7 Business Association), all its members and also all those involved in tourism appeal to our member of parliament YAB Tun, to intervene and put a stop to this bullying and harassment by APMM even after the request by the Jab Laut authorities.APMM act was formulated to fight piracy, smuggling,spying and other major criminal activities in our seas, not to bully locals doing marine tourism businesses. Their act allows for a breeding ground for corrupt practices as no one genuine marine tourism operator ones their vessels seize on just grounds of suspicious..thus giving room for questionable practices by APMM officers..we appeal to the government, members of parliment, AG’s Chambers and our PM to review this act and the functions of APMM

Alexander I
Deputy President
Persatuan Niagakawi