Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe having tea with His Majesty Queen Elizabeth II? His Excellency Walter Mzembi, minister of tourism for Zimbabwe recently gave an interview with Telegraph Travel in the Zimbabwe embassy in London. “The UK and Zimbabwe are so much in love with each other. There has been some kind of love-hate relationship born out of what is essentially a family feud,” Mzembi told the Telegraph. Notwithstanding the acerbic rhetoric which has flown backward and forward...
New Orleans has broken tourism records again! The “Big Easy” welcomed 10.45 million visitors, who spent $7.41 billion in the city in 2016. According to New Orleans’ tourism officials, visitor spending increased by 5.1 percent compared to the visitor spending record set in 2015. New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau reported that visitation to the city in 2016 was the highest since 2004 and increased by 6.9 percent compared to 2015.
Klaus Goersch, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Air Canada has resigned effective April 30, 2017. He will continue to lead Air Canada’s operations until his departure. The Corporation will announce his successor in due course. Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents. Canada’s flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million...
BENCHMARK. a global hospitality company, has named Matina Lapanaitis general manager for The Mayfair Hotel, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Los Angeles, California. Greg Champion, BENCHMARK’s president, made the announcement. “I am pleased to announce Matina’s newest position within our company, said Mr. Champion. “She brings strong managerial skills and significant local and regional market experience to her new role as general manager of The Mayfair Hotel.” A seasoned...
On November 2011 UNESCO designated April 30 as the International Jazz Day, a tribute to jazz music and its fundamental role in uniting people across the globe, promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity. ‘Jazz is a music of peace, and this has never been so important, to fight against new forms of hatred, racism and discrimination, and to strengthen humanity as a single community, sharing a past and a destiny.’ – UNESCO Director...
969 hotels in the US have been revealed as the country’s ultimate hotel hotspots, according to the Hotels.com Loved by Guests Awards 2017, where the hotel guests are the real judges. New York, Houston and Chicago topped the list of award-winning cities in the US, but travelers can check into prize-winning properties in more than 608 towns and cities across the country. Travelers visiting the Big Apple had plenty of top rated options, with 15 hotels receiving 4.7 stars or higher. The Mark...
Spring in Japan means the blooming of cherry blossoms, and also… the annual penis festival. The latter takes place on the first Sunday of every April and is just as phallic as it sounds. Thousands flooded the streets of Kawasaki, Japan, to take part in the Kanamara Matsuri – the Festival of the Steel Phallus – in which giant steel phalluses are paraded through huge crowds on portable shrines. Festival-goers snap selfies with penis sculptures, buy various forms of penis memorabilia and...
London & Partners, in association with The Meetings Show, has launched a bespoke social media campaign using videos, podcasts and blogs to tour more than 136 kilometres between 20 partner venues across the city. The aim of the campaign, which will use the #LondonIsOpen hashtag, is to increase brand exposure for the organisations joining London & Partners on their stand at The Meetings Show in June, and extend the reach of promotional activity beyond the three days of the show. London...
Neil Mills, currently Chief Strategy & Planning Officer at airberlin, will take up the new post of Chief Transformation Officer with immediate effect and lead a newly created division which will work across the whole airline to strengthen the overall performance of the company. airberlin’s CEO Thomas Winkelmann said: “This new role is another step forward in the transformation of airberlin. We have, so far, made good progress implementing the strategy of new airberlin which...
Canada is proud to host the 46th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Montréal, from September 3 to 9, 2017. Hundreds of scientists and representatives from 195 countries will gather to advance the science of climate change and to decide the scope of the sixth IPCC assessment report. This report will provide the most up-to-date international scientific knowledge on climate change, and it will play an important part in supporting the implementation of the Paris...
Some 30 people have been injured, four of them very seriously, after an explosion at a French carnival in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. French authorities said Saturday that the explosion took place at around 5 p.m. local time in the commune of Villepinte, about 18 kilometers from the center of Paris. French daily Le Parisien said most of those affected by the explosion had suffered shocks or minor injuries but four were hospitalized and in a critical condition. The cause of the...
On the morning of April 2, China will usher in Qingming Festival, while the Water Releasing Festival is to be held in Dujiangyan city, Sichuan Province, home to a pair of World Heritage sites. The sites are of immense interest to tourists as is the reproduction of the stunning water releasing act that has been celebrated for over 2,000 years, attracting over 2,000 visitors to see the spectacle. The Organization Committee of the 2017 China – Dujiangyan Water Releasing Festival indicated...
UNWTO Secretary General candidate Jaime Alberto Cabal, former Minister of Colombia and Colombian Ambassador ao Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Czech Republic and Serbia occupied different positions in the corporate and business association sector. He has assumed governmental responsibilities as well as diplomatic and academic activities distinguishing himself by his leadership and management, geared towards the creation and transformation of organizations with a high...
CapitaLand’s wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), is geared up to open Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo – the first luxury serviced residence in Japan under the premier Ascott The Residence brand on 30 March 2017. Located in the prime Marunouchi-Otemachi area, the exquisite property will offer an exclusive living experience in the country’s biggest and most prestigious international financial center. Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo is part of an integrated...
Today’s cabinet shuffle in South Africa may also shuffle cards in the upcoming election for the UNWTO Secretary General. South Africa is a key member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Executive Council and is known as an influencer on the African continent. This very much also counts for the travel, tourism, hospitality, and the aviation industry. The UNWTO Secretary General election is decided by the members of the UNWTO Executive Council. From Africa, members of the UNWTO...
With international visitor expenditure reaching an estimated SBD233 million in 2016 and annual visitation continuing to increase year on year, the Solomon Islands tourism sector is well on track to becoming an economic pillar for the South Pacific nation. The positive news emanates from an intensive study commissioned by the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau and delivered by Sydney-based Stollznow Research to Solomon Islands government and industry representatives in Honiara. Key findings...
There’s a hotel-like on-board experience for business class passengers, high-speed internet in the sky even for economy passengers and heated stone flooring for a private jet. Whatever price category you travel in, the leading trade show, Aircraft Interiors Expo, taking place for the 16th time at Hamburg’s Messehallen trade fair from 4 to 6 April, 2017, will reveal the trends that you will soon be experiencing on board. Aircraft manufacturers, suppliers, airline managers and travel journalists...
Unrelenting rains and increasingly dramatic flooding have ravaged many areas of Peru for weeks, making thousands of people homeless and in need of the essentials of life. Because of the pressing emergency, flood victims are in urgent need of clean drinking water, especially in remote areas of the country. Thus, Fraport AG and its Lima Airport Partners S.R.L. (LAP) subsidiary have jointly responded to this humanitarian crisis by acquiring portable water-filtering containers known as PAUL...
The “Made in Germany” label is one of the world’s most popular and best-known. This is because German products have long been associated with exceptional quality, innovativeness, and first-class design. German brands are also coveted by travelers from Russia, China and other countries, who make a beeline to the shops a Frankfurt Airport. Foreign guests are particularly interested in cameras, accessories, household items and writing instruments from German manufacturers. Starting next Monday and...
Mexicans are forsaking visits to the United States, many in favour of Canada where their money goes further and visa requirements have been scrapped, according to the latest data from ForwardKeys, which predicts future travel patterns by analysing 16 million booking transactions a day. While US President Trump has talked about building a wall on the Mexican border, Canada has been enjoying a boom in visitors. The timing of their visa waiver – falling around the time of the US election – appears...
The Convention on Biological Diversity of the United Nations has chosen ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism’ as the theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity. The celebration takes places annually on 22 May. The decision aims at supporting the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development which is being commemorated worldwide throughout 2017. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, declared by the United Nations General Assembly, emphasizes...
Hotel rates have risen strongly in the Phoenix-Scottsdale metropolitan area as the NCAA Final Four quickly approaches. The last phases of the college basketball tournament are propelling this increase, according to a recent survey. As the championship fast approaches, roughly 50 percent of hotels in metro Phoenix are still offering available rooms for the Final Four period of March 31 to April 4. On average, they are raising their rates by 97 percent compared to their regular pricing, the...
New Hampshire is the best state to retire, according to a new report. Colorado, Maine, Iowa and Minnesota comprise the rest of the top five. The study examined eight key factors which were weighted in line with a nationally representative survey of non-retired U.S. adults. From most to least important, the categories were: cost of living, healthcare quality, crime, cultural vitality, weather, taxes, senior citizens’ well-being and the prevalence of other seniors. New Hampshire ranked in...
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to announce a series of nine remarkable Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ cars, created in collaboration with, and celebrating the legacy of, some of British music’s most revered rock and vocal artists. The first four of these Bespoke cars have been unveiled for the first time today at the Sanderson Hotel in London by the artists who created them in partnership with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: The Who frontman Roger Daltrey CBE, Sir Ray Davies...
Denver is known for its 300 days of sunshine and the abundance of urban adventure that comes along with its Rocky Mountain backdrop. This summer, The Mile High City will be home to new international events, blockbuster exhibitions, family-friendly festivals and plenty of hotel deals for an ideal summer getaway. “This summer is going to be one of the best we have ever seen in the city,” says Richard Scharf, president and CEO of VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau...
The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association announced today the new appointments to its 2017-2018 board of directors, a group that includes LGBTQ business leaders from Canada, Colombia, the U.K. and the United States. The new IGLTA board members are: Felipe Cardenas, Bogota – Co-Founder/CEO, Colombian LGBT Chamber of Commerce Earl Fowlkes, Washington, DC – President/CEO, Center for Black Equity Uwern Jong, London – Editor in Chief, OutThere Publishing Richard Krieger, New York –...
International tourist arrivals to the European Union increased by 4% in 2016, reaching almost 500 million or 40% of the world’s total. This preliminary result is included in the first release of the ‘European Union Short-Term Tourism Trends’, a regular monitoring of EU tourism by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the framework of the cooperation with the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROWTH) of the European Commission (EC). Despite many...
Forty-four years after joining the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the modern day EU, Britain has triggered Article 50 to begin formal divorce talks with the bloc. Appearing at the House of Commons despatch box for the regular weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement to MPs confirming the start of the two-year extraction process. At the same time, British ambassador to Brussels Tim Barrow delivered a letter signed by the PM...
Hong Kong Airlines for the first time engaged students from Taiwan in the airline’s “Triumph Sky High” Junior Program. The participating students visited an aircraft and toured around the airport facilities in Hong Kong, learning and experiencing different aspects of airline operations, accompanied by Hong Kong Airlines’ ground service staff and crew members. 30 participants including students, teachers, and volunteers from Taiwan Yong Lin Foundation and representatives from Hong Kong Airlines’...
US Capitol Police have arrested a female motorist who hit a police cruiser and tried to run over several officers at a checkpoint on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, local media reported. Several shots were fired but no one was injured. Multiple police cars have been spotted outside the US Botanic Garden, on the south side of the Capitol reflecting pool. A notice sent to area offices tells of unspecified Capitol Police activity at the intersection of Washington and Independence avenues, but the...
