The Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak presided over a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between Myanmar Tourism Marketing and the Tourism Authority of Thailand in the Chatrium VIP lounge. Co-signed by Mrs. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia & South Pacific) and Ms. May Myat Mon Win, Vice Chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, the MOU is a joint marketing campaign to promote two-countries-one-destination...
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is now introducing a membership category for students as part of the Association’s pledge to support Young Tourism Professionals (YTPs). Students aged 18-35 years enrolled at a certified educational institution may apply to become a member of the Association. Through participation at PATA events, training and activities, this new membership category provides YTP student members with the opportunity to connect to PATA’s broad industry network that...
US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement congratulating Rex Tillerson on his confirmation as Secretary of State by the US Senate: “We applaud the US Senate for confirming Mr. Tillerson into this crucial role, and look forward to working with him and his team. “The Department of State plays a critical role in our country’s travel policies, which in turn play an outsize part in the US economy. During his confirmation hearings, Mr...
Tourism Professionals of Mauritius throw their weigh behind Alain St.Ange for post of Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Association (UNWTO) The Association of Tourism Professionals (Mauritius) have come out supporting Alain St.Ange, the former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of the Seychelles for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). In this coming elections set for May this year, the Seychelles are up...
The Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC) is proud to be one of the Official Sponsors of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (IY2017). On January 18th, IY2017 was officially launched at the International Tourism Fair of Spain (FITUR) in Madrid. In his Opening Remark, Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), said: “2017 is a unique opportunity for us to promote the contribution of tourism to achieving the future we want...
UNWTO has expressed its full support to the decision of the Government of Belarus to launch the 5-day visa-free policy that will be applicable to travelers from 80 countries. The measure aims at advancing seamless travel and attracting visitors, particularly those on business trips. The Government of Belarus has recently decided to advance visa facilitation as a means to stimulate tourism development. The decision introduces visa-free entry at the Minsk National Airport and visa-free stay in...
The Kenya Wildlife Service over the weekend changed their payment policy and will, with immediate effect, only permit payment with a VISA Card, MPesa, a mobile money service or by bank deposit, the latter however only possible at two specific branches of two banks, Kenya Commercial Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. How this will work out for tourists who find themselves with time at hand and may wish to visit the Nairobi National Park or the Nairobi Safari Walk at the spur of the moment remains...
In India some changes have been made by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India in the service tax vide notification no. 4/2017 dated 12.01.2017. These changes had been in place since January 22, 2017. The Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism and Hospitality–FAITH- has appealed to the Finance Minister to see that the amendments in the abatement notification should be reviewed so that the tourism industry is not hit. Tour packages will see a two-fold...
The chairman of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) Juergen T Steinmetz today released a statement on his Facebook in response to the United States issuing a ban on all travel to the U.S. for citizens of Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Yemen. Later a U.S. Federal Judge today agreed with the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) emergency request and issued a temporary injunction that will block the deportation of all people stranded in U.S. airports under President...
Corina Fernandes, Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Society of Travel Agents (TASOTA) has written to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to confirm their endorsement of Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Candidate for the post of Secretary General of the UNWTO. The support letter which has been copied to Moustafa Khataw, the Chairman of TASOTA speaks of the suitability of St.Ange for the United Nations position, as one who could continue with the good...
The latest candidate wanting to take over the post of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is Mrs. Dho Young-shim. She is also the Chairperson of the UN World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation (Republic of Korea) South Korea had already the lead in the United Nations. The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon of South Korea, who took office on 1 January 2007. His first term expired on 31 December 2011. He was re-elected...
Reforms to the Schengen visa code proposed by the Commission enjoy widespread support in industry and across political boundaries. But the proposals have been with the European Parliament and the Council since April 2014 with no resolution in sight. The Schengen area is one of Europe’s unsung triumphs: with one visa, a visitor can cross into 26 different countries. This has directly led to a doubling of visitors from such markets as India and China. But the visa code needs to be...
Information is emerging from aviation circles in Nairobi that the Kenya Airports Authority is negotiating for a 290 million US Dollar loan from the World Bank / IFC to finance an expansion of facilities at East Africa’s main aviation hub, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The move promptly raised eyebrows and caused some acid comments, as it comes just a year after ‘Project Greenfield‘ was cancelled, destroying any hope that a long overdue and much needed second runway...
Reports are coming in that TAZARA, the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority, has suspended passenger trains from the border between Tanzania and Zambia to the endstation of the railway in Kapiri Moshi. This follows an unannounced and unsanctioned wildcat strike by workers despite TAZARA management’s attempt to engage with the two unions representing workers in Zambia. Sources in Dar es Salaam also pointed out that train operations, both passengers and cargo, continue uninterrupted from Dar...
On behalf of Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), Ms. Nozipho Mdawe, the PMAESA Secretary-General sent a letter of endorsement to UNWTO. The letter reads: This is to formally endorse Mr. Alain St. Ange as a candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Mr. St Ange is the former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine Seychelles. He has made enormous contributions to the promotion and development of...
The recent announcement by the central government of China to ban all domestic ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017 offers a glimmer of real optimism in the fight against elephant poaching. The decision is set to disrupt the global’s major marketplace for the product, as it will compel legal ivory processing industries to close down—thereby eliminating the cover under which the illicit ivory trade had flourished. Similarly, the ban will put in place strict mechanisms of ivory...
Today the Hon. Eng. Dr. Walter Mzembi made his emotional case why he wanted to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Mr. Mzembi looked pleased when he was able to make his case in a packed room after a busy day at FITUR in Madrid. This is a transcript of his presentation. Your Excellencies; Honorable Ministers; Ambassadors and Members of the Diplomatic Corps; a very special salutation to His Excellency, Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the...
On the first day of Fitur in Madrid, the leading international tourism fair in Spain, Alain St.Ange — former Seychelles Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine—presented his official election documents to Taleb Rifai in his bid to become the next Secretary General (SG) of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). “I am honoured to submit my Statement of Intent as Candidate from the Seychelles for the post of Secretary General of the UNWTO”, said St.Ange. “This is a...
Today at FITUR in Madrid the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development was officially opened with an all-star participation. The presentation at the opening day of Spain’s largest travel and tourism trade show in Madrid was attended by more than 60 ministers of tourism, by Georgia’s prime minister, a First Lady from South America, and a member of the Royal Family from Jordan, as well as many other dignitaries and tourism leaders. Two days before a new uncertain...
Today, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its “Declaration for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development” expressing the organization’s full commitment to the priorities of the year and setting out its vision of how to maximize the contribution of Travel & Tourism to sustainable development around the world. David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, who launched the Declaration in Madrid, said: “As a global community, we have to rethink how we...
The Anime Tourism Association, in collaboration with Kadokawa ASCII Research Laboratories, Inc., is accepting applications for a trail tour and trip to filming locations of “Your Name” (Kimi no Na wa), one of the biggest hit anime films in Japan. A total of 30 anime fans worldwide will receive invitations to an anime tour of Japan, sponsored by the Japanese Government. This tour will test the value of the Japanese anime community’s “sacred spot” locations by...
Every gay tourist in Mexico sees the Blue Parrot Club as a must place to go. It’s packed every night of th week, and was the scene of a deadly attack. On behalf of the International Nightlife Association, we strongly condemn the BPM Festival shooting occurred at Blue Parrot club, a popular Gay club in Cancun (Mexico). A gunman killed at least five people and wounded nine others at a nightclub in the Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen during a music festival, officials said...
ASTA Kenya Chapter President Samson Some has affirmed that the planned ASTA meeting in February is going ahead as planned and that Kenya will use the opportunity to showcase the country and its many attractions. The confirmation comes hot on the heels of the US State Department reiterating its anti-travel advisory against parts of the Kenya coast and even parts of Nairobi, something which caused consternation among the Kenyan tourism trade, given its timing ahead of this key congress. The...
Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Candidate for the position of Secretary General of the UNWTO left Seychelles on Monday afternoon by Ethiopian Airlines and is on his way to Madrid to present his official documents and formalise his candidature. The former Minister of the Seychelles responsible for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine said as he was leaving Seychelles that his working visit to Madrid falls during FITUR, the Tourism Trade Fair of Spain which gives him a great opportunity to...
In the run up to the 36th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2017 to be held in Singapore from 16th to 20th January 2017 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Mr. Devinder Ohri – President of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore – (NATAS) has assumed the Presidency of ASEANTA – the ASEAN Tourism Association. Singapore is honoured to host ATF 2017, themed – “Shaping our Tourism Journey Together”. Alongside ASEAN’s 50th anniversary in 2017, the annual event...
Many Seychellois of Indian origin turned up at the Seychelles Hindu Kovil Sangam Temple in Victoria despite heavy rains on Saturday evening to offer special thanksgiving prayers for Seychelles former Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Minister Alain St.Ange. Speaker after speaker at the event underscored how pivotal the minister has been in taking the country’s tourism industry to much greater heights and in bringing special recognition to the Indian community of Seychelles by launching...
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today issued a final rule that allows general aviation pilots to fly without holding an FAA medical certificate as long as they meet certain requirements outlined in Congressional legislation. “The United States has the world’s most robust general aviation community, and we’re committed to continuing to make it safer and more efficient to become a private pilot,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “The BasicMed rule will keep our pilots safe but...
BestCities Global Alliance is cementing its reputation as the world’s leading convention tourism destination partnership, with the announcement that Madrid is set to become its twelfth member in 2017. Revealed today (10 January) at PCMA’s Convening Leaders conference in Austin, Texas, the Spanish capital’s Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) has been accepted as the newest member of the alliance, which also includes Berlin, Bogotá, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Houston, Melbourne...
12 months to celebrate and promote the contribution of the tourism sector to building a better world. This is the major goal of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 that will start in few days. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development recalling the potential of tourism to advance the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The...
Zimbabwe and Zambia relaunched their Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) Univisa on 21 st of December 2016 at a dazzling ceremony hosted by the Ministers of Home Affairs from both countries in Livingstone, Zambia. The countries’ Ministers of Tourism Hon Dr Walter Mzembi, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe, the current UNWTO Regional Commission for African Chairperson and the African Union (AU) candidate for the UNWTO Secretary General post for the...
