Category - Feature

UNWTO: International Year for Sustainable Tourism

7 years ago

Madrid, Spain, 5 December 2016, only few weeks ahead of the official launch of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, set to take place on the 18 of January 2017 in Madrid, Spain, representatives from various tourism industries and beyond have joined UNWTO to support the celebrations of this important event. The United Nations 70th General Assembly has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. In the context of the universal...

Qatar Airways staff abandoned passengers after emergency landing

7 years ago

Qatar Airways tweeted: “very shocking”, and they meant Portugues authorities treating passengers this morning after an emergency landing. of flight QR708 Doha- Washington. Chaos for Qatar Airways flights inflight, onboard and after the emergency landing at a remote Portuguese airbase in Azores, Portugal. A non stop flight operated by Qatar Airways from Doha, Qatar to the U.S. Capital Washington Dulles International airport was cut short at a Portuguese military airport in Lajes...

PATA and Seychelles Tourism: New Discussions

7 years ago

Dr. Mario Hardy, the CEO of PATA is in the Seychelles as Guest of Honour for the island’s first edition of its Ocean Festival. On Saturday morning the 3rd March Dr Hardy and Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine met at the Ministry’s ESPACE Offices in Victoria and together they explored cooperation possibilities. The Seychelles Ocean Festival is replacing the former SUBIOS Festival that concentrated primarily on the...

Europe – North America Aviation: New battle among airlines

7 years ago

North Atlantic travelers may see a new wave of low air fares between Europe and the United States. U.S. airlines and unions have said the subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, would undermine U.S. wages and working standards, claims Norwegian has dismissed. The accusations have come as a fare war has escalated over the Atlantic, forcing large and established airlines to consider selling cheaper fares with more restrictions and redesigning cabins to win budget-conscious travelers back from...

Paris travel agency hostages released, gunman still at large

7 years ago

A siege of Paris travel agency, where a robber armed with a handgun was holding six people hostage on Friday night, has come to an end with the release of all hostages. The suspect is reportedly still at large though. Local media reports suggest that the incident was a botched robbery attempt. It started at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday when the man, who was reportedly armed with a handgun, stormed the Asieland agency on Boulevard Massena, in the 13th Arrondissement. On its official Twitter...

Myanmar Tourism predicts huge increase with new visa exemption

7 years ago

“I do expect a 35 percent increase of Singaporeans traveling to Myanmar if we successfully promote the variety of tourist attractions the country has to offer. Myanmar is safe, excellent to travel the whole year round, and Myanmar food is certainly something to come back for over and over again,” said Myanmar Minister of Hotel & Tourism H.E. Mr U Ohn Maung, while discussing the country’s new travel visa exemption. Effective today, December 1, 2016, Singaporeans traveling to...

Relaxed Sanrio character brightens new plane from nose to tail

7 years ago

Born in 2013, gudetama is an egg with arms and legs and one of Sanrio’s youngest and most popular characters. Cute and easy-going, gudetama is always sunny-side-up on EVA’s aircraft. The new livery captures the relaxed spirit of the bright yellow gudetama as he leisurely packs sunglasses, camera, hat and bacon into his bag. As he lazily brightens the length of the plane, he also decorates interiors and service items, creating a relaxing flying experience inside and out. EVA Air launched its...

China’s Rise of the ‘EASTs’

7 years ago

China Tourism is changing: Experience and adventure seeking tourists’ are forgoing snaps of the Eiffel Tower for hiking trails in Patagonia and off-piste skiing in Canada Opulent suites overlooking the Seine. Armfuls of shopping bags on Fifth Avenue. Private beaches in the Maldives. China’s ultra-wealthy travelers have been there and done it. As the motivations and attitudes towards travel among this discerning group have evolved, so have the activities and destinations. Instead, today sees the...

Georgia wants to lead UNWTO next

7 years ago

Competing for this move with the outspoken Hon Walter Mzembi, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Zimbabwe, the country of Georgia on November 15 has named Zurab Pololikashvili, ambassador to Spain and permanent representative to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), for the position of the organization’s secretary general. Mr. Pololikashvili speaks English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Japanese In 1998 he graduated from the Technical University of Georgia with an degree in International...

Blue and red America: Are the United States falling apart?

7 years ago

Tourism is the biggest industry here. The time has come, in my opinion, for us in the State of Hawaii to consider the pros and cons of remaining part of the United States or of seceding from the union. These are the thoughts by Alan Howard, a professor emeritus of cultural anthropology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in his column published today in the Honolulu Star Advertiser He leaves out consequences what this would do to the economy of this Island State, tourism and the American...

Medellin plane crash: 75 dead – soccer world in shock

7 years ago

With 81 passengers on board, among them members of a famous Brazilian football team, Chapecoense, the finalist of the Copa Sudamerican crashed around 10:15 pm local time in Cerro Gordo in the municipality of La Union, while approaching Medellin International Airport in Colombia. 75 died. The plane took off from Bolivia and was flying over the town of La Union at around 10 p.m. when the crew declared an emergency, according to a statement from the José María Córdova International Airport in...

Long live the King: The latest from Thailand

7 years ago

Insiders appear worried, but he is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. He later graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra, Australia. An officer in the Thai military, he trained with the Australian, British, and United States armed services. He is a qualified military pilot and helicopter pilot. He took an active part in military operations against the Communist Party of Thailand...

Supersonic jet faster than the Concorde gets its public debut

7 years ago

A skinny little airplane parked in a hangar of the Centennial Airport aims to revolutionize how people fly and reintroduce the world to supersonic flight.

India : Homosexual acts are a crime – also in tourism

7 years ago

For some it’s a human right, for others, it’s a crime. For India, it remains a crime. In tourism David Scowsill, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) told eTN at a recent press conference at World Tourism Day in Bangkok, Thailand: “Tourism is for all, and it includes sexual orientation” UNWTO echoed this, but in an otherwise progressive India, hundreds of people marched in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Sunday in an annual gay rights parade in a...

Brand Kenya director: One of the top hundred in the world

7 years ago

Brand Kenya Director Chris Diaz has been recognised amongst the top 100 global marketing leaders who are influencing high standards in their profession and are respected thought leaders in the sector around the world. Mr. Chris Diaz, who has been involved in positioning Kenya positively on the global stage, was recognized at a ceremony hosted by the World Marketing Congress and World Brand Congress at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. During the ceremony, which was attended by top marketing gurus drawn...

Tenerife: Vacation paradise soon a nonstop flight from New York and most European cities?

7 years ago

Alberto Bernabé Teja is the Tourism Minister for the Tenerife Island Government. In London during the World Travel Market (WTM), he sat down with eTN Publisher Juergen T. Steinmetz to catch up on what was developing in Tenerife, an island that has been living and breathing tourism for many years. Tenerife is a Spanish island and part of the Canary Group, just a 4-hour flight from most European cities. It has always has been a favorite among German and British tourists, but according to Alberto...

Pilots Union: Lufthansa strike will continue

7 years ago

In Germany, the pilots union issued a statement their strike against Star Alliance member Deutsche Lufthansa AG will impact short-haul flights Tuesday, and all flights Wednesday (long, medium and short haul). The union mafia says Lufthansa failed to again negotiate an acceptable deal to end the strike. Lufthansa once was seen in the world as one of the most reliable airlines . The German national carrier is getting a reputation to be unpredictable. Ten-thousands of passengers in Germany...

Late Fidel Castro’s vision on tourism and the world

7 years ago

Cuba is the hottest tourism destination in the world. Now we are living in new times. US commercial airline service to Cuba is in full operation, and today former Cuban President Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied US efforts to topple him, died on Friday. He was 90. Fidel Castro’s vision on tourism, was named “a Tourism Experience” and included: Cuba is not going to offer...

The danger of Facebook democracy

7 years ago

Sir James R. Mancham, KBE, Founding President of the Republic of Seychelles, shares his thoughts on the impact of social media, specifically through Facebook.

Magnificent archaeological discovery in Jordan

7 years ago

An ancient tomb has been discovered in the town of Beit Ras during an excavation project to expand a local waste-water sanitation network.

Terror Attack on Israel: The country is on fire and tourists should be on alert

7 years ago

Israel is on fire and according to the prime minister it’s a new form of terrorism, arson. Tourists visiting Israel should be aware of the ongoing crisis in that country. The Israeli Prime Minister is treating the situation as a terror attack and accepted help from friendly countries including , Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Turkey and Russia offered help, with several aircraft already joining efforts to quell the blaze, dropping fire-retardant material to try to douse the heaviest fires and...

Canada’s tourism ministers meet and agree to tourism declaration

7 years ago

In Canada the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, and the Honourable Monica Ell-Kanayuk, Nunavut’s Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, co-chaired the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers’ (CCTM) meeting. At the meeting, federal, provincial and territorial partners* agreed to a declaration committing to collaboration on important issues in order to grow and increase the...

Central America state of emergency: Hurricane Otto & 7.0 earthquake

7 years ago

A 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Central America today, November 24, 2016, at18:43:49 UTC and was felt in several countries across the region, just as Hurricane Otto made landfall in Nicaragua.

Russian tourists love Jordan: 400 visitors landed in Aqaba today

7 years ago

A Pegas Touristic charter flight from Russia carrying 400 tourists landed in Aqaba, Jordan today. Aqaba is a seaside resort in Southern Jordan and after Amman a second international gateway into the country. Sandwiched in between trouble-spots in the world, Jordan Tourism is working hard to make the tourism world understand the country is safe, beautiful and ready to receive tourists. A recently concluded UNWTO conference in Petra, Jordan brought attention to the situation in Jordan. The latest...

Controversy erupts over official Uganda Tourism data

7 years ago

Ugandan tour and safari operators but also the hotel association have jointly dismissed the figures presented by the Ministry of Tourism about sectoral grown for 2015, with one regular commentator calling them ‘pure fantasy‘ and ‘far from reflecting the truth on the ground which is completely different‘. A sectoral review of the report also harshly criticized the ministry for having published such figures without engaging with the private sector first to establish if...

It’s time to talk turkey about hidden airline fees

7 years ago

Are you in the U.S? Are you planning to go anywhere this Thanksgiving? Get ready to spend some serious Turkey on Airline fees. As a matter of fact Americans will pay the equivalent of 21 million turkeys in hidden airline fees while traveling over thanksgiving It’s time to talk turkey about hidden airline fees. Travelers United estimates the enormous impact of these fees on travelers’ pocketbooks over the busy Thanksgiving travel period — a whopping $360 million, the...

23% of Brits travel for their birthdays

7 years ago

In a survey* this year of 1,000 Brits, the travel site found one in five Brits, at 20%, have tried taking a holiday to celebrate special days with their partners (e.g. wedding days or anniversaries) and 23% of Brits take a holiday for their birthday. Brits also like to book holidays as a reward when they get a new job, at 5%, while 5% have tried taking a break when they quit a job they don’t like. Similarly, 6% have experience taking a holiday when finishing a degree, diploma or certificate...

Tsunami warning issued after huge quake rocks Japan

7 years ago

A massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Fukushima, Japan, at around 6:00 am local time today according to the US Geological Survey. This has caused a tsunami warning to be issued for most of the nation’s northern Pacific coast.

The gap between the Arab and Western fashion world

7 years ago

Etihad Airways, the flag-carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and airline of the fashion industry wannabee, teamed up with the London-based shoe and accessories brand, Jimmy Choo, for this year’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW) in an effort to bridge the gap between the Arab and Western worlds of fashion. “There is a long history in terms of fashion in the Arab world,” Amina Taher, Etihad’s New York Fashion Week and Jimmy Choo Lounge spokesperson told The Media Line. “We believe, in terms of...