An unexplained death. This is the statement by London police on today’s passing or music legend GeorgeMichael. According to some media report, he suffered under pneumonia. Sony Music Entertainment issued a statement in regards to the passing of Music legend George Michael. He died this morning in London. He was only 53 years old. Sony stated: George Michael was a supremely gifted artist and a true music icon. Sony Music had the privilege to have worked with him over several decades on a...
Amid the terrorist threat hanging over the world, British counter-terrorism specialists have come up with the idea of sealing off key routes in central London to protect the city’s future skyscrapers, according to the Evening Standard. The new cordon, dubbed by the daily the “ring of steel” would block Undershaft, St Mary Axe, and Leadenhall Street, at the same time restricting access to a wider zone. “Pre-booking and / or security vetting” is required to gain access, says the...
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has said that an experimental Ebola vaccine has been found to be highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea. “The vaccine is the first to prevent infection from one of the most lethal known pathogens, and the findings add weight to early trial results published last year,” WHO said in a news release, noting the results of the latest trial, published earlier today in the medical journal The Lancet. According to WHO...
Pankaj Pradhananga of Four Season Travel & Tours, in Kathmandu, Nepal is a special person with a positive outlook and a big heart. Tourism and leadership is in his blood. His active participation to rebuild Nepal’s tourism industry after the terrible earthquake had been noticed around the world. His support to include inclusive tourism into the concept is not only unique, but it has been unheard of in the way Pankaj was able to structure it It pushed Nepal up to a welcoming...
Angelique Tonnaer Kırkıl from Antalya, Turkey has this to tell eTN readers about 2016 and her hopes for 2017. Angelique is a founding partner of Triada.T TRIADA assists organizations, company or institution to add an international perspective to its activities, establish international partnerships and create new business and project opportunities. After her master in International Relations and Spanish philology at the Utrecht and Granada Universities, she worked 3 years with EU institutions in...
Santiago Ribeiro from International Surrealism Now in Coimbra, Portugal told eTN: A Look Back at the the attractions in the cities of Coimbra and Aveiro in Portugal. one will find plenty of art and culture. Backed Coimbra district, smashing through the Conimbriga ruins. The fall of this ancient Roman city it is one official mark of the Roman Empire end. Our artist community used the space to share its art with thousands of curious visitors from all over the world. Surrealism Now art exhibition...
eTN Reader David Clifford from Luxury and More Travel in Nottingham, UK shared his views on 2016 with eTN: We’re grateful for so many long standing customers and friends throughout out our main markets of Australia and New Zealand who have been with us for up to 40 years. We’re expanding our golf holidays throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as creating special packages and bespoke holidays for FIT’s and groups for the Ashes Cricket series in Australia from November...
Roberto Melaragno is known as the Driver In Italy. His company based in Rome has been reaching out to the U.S. traveler for many years. Roberto has been recognized as a tourism authority on Italy. He told eTN: 2016 was a good year for touring in Rome and Italy, and therefore a great year for Driver In Italy. In a world with many geopolitical disturbances (it could happen anywhere), Italy managed to escape the horrible events that hit France, Belgium and other countries. We feel that tourists...
Hon. Alain St. Ange has been one of the most outspoken and accessible ministers of tourism. His out of the box ideas, his carnival of the nations, his approach to d interested the world in his Island Nation known as paradise on earth, has earned him respect everywhere in the world. He told eTN: 2016 has been another successful year for the Seychelles tourism industry. We succeeded to go against the trend and grow our visitor arrival numbers. Last year we recorded a 19% growth over 2014 and...
Professor Wolfgang Thome is a German national. He has been residing in Uganda for many years and is considered an expert in aviation and hospitality by many. Professor Thome had been contributing articles for eTN from East Africa for more than 15 years. In his Holiday greeting he told eTN: “For 2016 proved to be a year of change, if for the better we will see.” Let’s use tourism as a tool to promote peace and prosperity around the world during these difficult times of...
eTN reader Birgit Trauer is the founding director of The Cultural Angle which was born out of her desire to continue to share her passion for human interaction and connection and her insights into travel and tourism, drawing on her extensive experience spanning more than 20 years in industry and academia. The Cultural Angle is a boutique consultancy that promotes increased understanding, appreciation, and welcome of diversity among all travelers as well as travel, tourism, hospitality, and...
Beverley Auerbach, representing the Women in Tourism International Alliance told eTN in her Holiday Greeting: This year didn’t turn out as we had imagined – as the world had imagined. First Britain, now the US, and possibly other European democracies to follow in a dispiriting nationalistic trend. Globalism for many is a dirty word. But for us in tourism, globalism is the objective. Let us embrace globalism, realizing that the inner hopes of most people are the same – the...
Romance travel is a multi-billion dollar industry that is predicted to continue growing in 2017, according to Travel MarketPlace. As the market becomes more crowded, Dominican Republic continues to set itself apart from the competition with its enchanting mix of cultures, white-sand beaches, sweeping landscapes, charm of historic cities and the adrenaline-pumping adventure found throughout the island. Couples still want an idyllic destination and white sand beaches to celebrate a honeymoon...
Aer Lingus, Ireland’s only 4 Star airline, which has been flying Irish people home since 1936. The airline has today released a short film capturing three very special journeys home for Christmas of Irish people living in New York and San Francisco. The emotive video features up and coming Dublin singer-songwriter, Tim Chadwick’s song, ‘Belong’. Each of the three travelers were picked based on the compelling reasons they had given to Aer Lingus about their desire to come...
Korean Air presented a gift of 3,200 books at the opening of a special library at a local community in support of multicultural families in Seoul. The opening ceremony was held on December 21st at ‘Gangseogu Multicultural Family Support Center’ located in Seoul. Mr. Mu Chol Shin, Korean Air Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, and Ms. Jeong Suk Park, the head of Gangseogu Multicultural Family Support Center, attended the ceremony to celebrate the donation of about 3,200 books by...
The Convocation Ceremony, the last of the International Signature Events to take place as part of World Design Capital (WDC) Taipei 2016, was held this evening. During the ceremony, Taipei officially handed over the designation of World Design Capital to its successor, in preparation for WDC Mexico City 2018. Overseeing the ceremony, the Mayor of Taipei City, Ko Wen-Je, was joined by the Secretary General of Icsid, Dilki de Silva, and Yung-Feng Chung, the recently appointed Commissioner of the...
As of last month’s elections, four more states voted to decriminalize marijuana for both medical and recreational use, bringing the grand total to 8 states that have legalized recreational marijuana (9, including Washington D.C.). The Harris Poll revisited the topic of legalized marijuana this month and found that, even with more states joining the legalization movement, American sentiments have largely remained the same since last observed in February 2015. The recent poll revealed that...
What is “service?” What really defines “service?” What does it mean when it comes to serving the billions of local, regional and international travelers of the world? Especially at a time of year when the world’s travelling community seems to be on the move to be able to be with what, and who, is most important to them? Expectations of exceptional service delivery perfectly reflect expectations of Santa showing up exactly at midnight, everywhere, for everyone. The term “service” has become a...
UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai will resign in 2017 and so far two candidates came forward wanting to take over the top post in the United Nations World Tourism Organization. One candidate is from Georgia. He is H.E. Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain, Permanent Representative of Georgia to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He revealed his plan for the future of UNWTO under his proposed leadership. Statement of Intent and Management The World...
Mauritius’ controversial Tourism Minister, Xavier-Luc Duval, who was known to be against regional integration and only supported friendly national relations with the Vanilla Islands, has resigned today in a surprise move. Along with Mauritius no longer having a Minister of Tourism, the government no longer has the political party, PMSD. The PMSD (Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate) is the Mauritian Social Democratic Party. Xavier-Luc Duval, leader of the PMSD, and Deputy Prime Minister and...
A change of guard is underway at many of the Brussels Airlines African stations. As shown in a recent YouTube upload, Sebastiaan Spijkers is leaving the country after nearly three years at the helm of the Brussels Airlines team in Kampala and Entebbe, and moving to Kigali, Rwanda. The airline used the opportunity to invite the Belgian community in Uganda, staff of the Royal Belgian Embassy, corporate clients, and officials on the occasion, not only to celebrate the upcoming festive season but...
Hindus have urged for a “Hindu Prayer Room” at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Germany, which is one of the world’s dozen largest airports. FRA already has Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayer rooms—a total of nine chapels and prayer rooms in both terminals open around the clock—which it calls “Places for Prayer and Tranquility”. A “Festival of Abrahamic Religions” also takes place every November at FRA, which is said to have opened its first chapel in the 1970s. Catholic mass is held every day and...
The competition to become the new Secretary General of UNWTO is on. In the ring is the Hon. Walter Mzembi from Zimbabwe and the Hon. Zurab Pololikashvili from Georgia. The outspoken Zimbabwe Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Walter Mzembi has been on a global campaign traveling the world back and forth. He has been doing this for many months seeking support for his candidacy. He got the endorsement of the African Union and was promised support from countries in many different regions of the...
Holiday travel and winter getaways are just around the corner. It’s a fun and exciting time you want to share with your friends through posts and photos on social media. However, you might want to think twice before posting your vacation pics and advertising to the world that you are away from home. Social media networks are growing in number and popularity every day. Yet surprisingly users are increasingly less careful with the personal information they share with their “friends.” You may...
Prime Minister of France said his government is seeking to extend a state of emergency until mid-July of 2017. Bernard Cazeneuve made his announcement today, saying that the extension was necessary due to next year’s presidential and legislative elections. The state of emergency was declared across France after the deadly 2015 Paris attacks. Initially imposed in November last year, the state of emergency has already been extended four times as the French government considers the risk of terror...
Journalist members of the National Press Club elected Jeff Ballou as their 110th president on Friday, December 9. Ballou, a news editor at Al Jazeera Media Network and the Club’s current vice-president will be the first African-American male to be president in the Club’s 108-year history. Ballou will take office on Jan. 13, 2017 and will be inaugurated at the “Club of Champions” inaugural gala on Jan. 14, 2017. “I am deeply humbled, honored and privileged to step...
Joe Malone passed away today surrounded by his family. He was 6 days shy of reaching his 86th birthday. Born in Breaffy, Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, Joe paved a path to success and is often referred to as the “Father of Irish Tourism.” His path from Breaffy to New York, and beyond, began with a career in the car rental business as Managing Director of Ryan’s Car Rental in Dublin. Four years later he established Malone Brothers Car Rental. From there he took a short sojourn in the work for...
Dan Csont will join Delta December 12 as Vice President of Brand Management. In this role Csont will oversee the airline’s product development and customer experience programs, brand design and marketing communications programs. “Dan has a strong track record of combining innovation, brand strategy, strategic marketing communications and analytics to positively address customer needs,” said Tim Mapes, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Dan’s...
The holidays have arrived and Pennsylvania has plenty to keep visitors and residents alike in the spirit of the season while providing a break from the usual hustle and bustle. Holiday travelers will find yuletide cheer across the commonwealth, thanks to a new list of unique holiday attractions in Pennsylvania. “Nothing shines like Pennsylvania during the holiday season. From lighted walking trails to glimmering shops, holiday spirit is bright across the Keystone State,” said Carrie...
On Wednesday, December 7, the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC) hosted the 5th annual embassy showcase, Winternational. Thirty seven embassies and over 3,000 visitors participated in the lively midday celebration of international culture, travel, and tourism. “As the World Trade Center, Washington DC our Winternational event offers a one of a kind experience where participants can travel the world—and mingle with Ambassadors and diplomats to learn about...
