To further strengthen airberlin’s Commercial Division, Elisabeth Jesse will become Vice President of airberlin’s Customer Experience and Innovation Division at the beginning of July. Her main task will be to promote innovative service and customer offers as part of the transformation of airberlin. Elisabeth Jesse will report directly to the Chief Commercial Officer, Götz Ahmelmann, who joined airberlin from Etihad at the beginning of March. CCO, Götz Ahmelmann, said of the...
Vienna’s record year for tourism in 2016 is equaled by the city’s meetings industry, which reported top results in all relevant key indicators: the number of events rose 11%, triggering a 2% increase in bednights, which saw induced economic impact advance some 3% to pass the one billion euro mark for the second year in succession. President of the Vienna Tourist Board and the Vienna City Councilor for Finance, Economic and International Affairs Renate Brauner, Director of Tourism Norbert...
For the ninth consecutive year, NH Hotel Group will support the WWF global initiative Earth Hour, switching off the lights of its hotels’ façades all over the world. With this gesture, which will be made by the Company between 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm on Saturday 25 March, NH Hotel Group is demonstrating its firm commitment to respecting and protecting the environment in which it runs its business. With its commitment to this WWF initiative, the Company aims not only to involve its hotels and...
A person has been detained in Antwerp, Belgium, after attempting to drive his car into a busy shopping street at high speed, according to police. “A vehicle with French plates has tried to drive at high speed into the Meir shopping street so that pedestrians had to jump aside,” Antwerp police chief Serge Muyters told a news conference. “Our army colleagues forced the driver to stop but he pulled away and ran a red traffic light. We sent a special forces team and the car and...
Farms, food and fireworks headline the summer launch for the Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival (HFWF), the world class epicurean event that showcases local ingredients. The official countdown to HFWF17 will ramp up with the second annual Connoisseur’s Culinary Journey from May 29-June 2, 2017. The immersive five-day exploration of farming, food and cuisine in the Islands will be hosted by Hawai‘i’s top chefs and end with a bang: food and fireworks under the stars at The Kahala Hotel & Resort...
Fans of Italian scooter brand Vespa will be delighted to hear that the world’s oldest Vespa is currently up for auction at Catawiki, a premier online auction site. Catawiki’s experts say the scooter, with chassis number 1003, is the third Vespa ever made by Piaggio, the Italian manufacturer. The Vespa is from Piaggio’s “0 series,” which was comprised of 60 prototype scooters; the first two prototypes are longer in existence. “Over the years, Vespa has become...
Everyone remembers the first time they traveled and the adventures they had. Whether it’s your first adventure or you’re visiting an exciting destination for the first time, trying and exploring someplace new is always exciting. Booking.com has conducted global research which reveals the ten most popular destinations that people travel to for their first time. Over 15,000 travelers were polled from markets all over the world, but it’s Europe that has come out on top –...
British luxury travel company Blue Marble Private has started selling expensive tickets to the wreck site of the legendary Titanic. The first ‘Dive the Titanic’ trip is scheduled for May 2018 at the cost of about $105,000 per person. Adjusted for inflation, the figure is equal to the price of an original Titanic first class ticket. The eight-day tour will start with a helicopter ride from the city of St. John’s in Newfoundland, Canada to a yacht anchored near the Titanic’s resting...
UPDATE: Four people are dead, including a police officer and an attacker, and 20 others were injured after a car plowed into a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday afternoon in what officials are investigating as an act of terrorism. Two men have been shot outside parliament after charging the gates of parliament and attacking officers, it has been reported. Witnesses say a car mowed down five pedestrians before crashing into the gates outside Portcullis House. The...
The Lions Club of Kiev in the Ukraine has followed the example of the Seychelles Lion’s Club and calling on their Members to push the Seychelles Candidacy for the post of Secretary General of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization). The Lion Club Members of these two Clubs are also calling on Members of the Executive Council of the UNWTO they know to express their support for Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Candidate. This move by the Lion’s Club of Kiev in the Ukraine...
Scotland’s parliament is debating First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call for a second independence referendum. Speaking on the first day of debate on Tuesday, Sturgeon said that Scotland’s future should be decided by the people who live there rather than being “imposed upon us.” She told the parliament that staying in the UK has jeopardized Edinburgh’s place in Europe. Sturgeon criticized the British government’s decision to block the vote, calling it “wrong, unfair and utterly...
Heathrow Airport issued the following statement on UK and US aviation security changes affecting some routes today: “The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our top priority and we work closely with the police and Government authorities to remain vigilant and to respond to any changes in the security situation. The changes announced today by the UK and US governments are not expected to have any impact on security procedures for those departing from Heathrow...
Qatar Airways today named artist Dana Al Fardan, globally renowned composer and artist, as the official composer for Qatar Airways Group. This recognition caps a series of highly successful engagements, including the composition and 2016 performance of The Beginning for Hamad International Airport, its official theme song. More recently, Ms. Al Fardan’s original composition, Art of Flight, is prominently featured in the airline’s new television commercial featuring the innovative and game...
For the third time in a row, Jörg Troester, Head of Corporate Strategy, Industry and Government Affairs at Hahn Air, has been re-appointed as a board member of Universal Air Travel Plan, Inc. (UATP). Since 2000, the UATP board of directors, with ten members elected from a pool of shareholder airlines, serves as the governing body for the corporation. The new board will assemble for the first time at the UATP conference “Airline Distribution 2017” which takes place in Hong Kong on 21st and 22nd...
The 2016 US election results are still reverberating globally, regardless where in the world one resides. One interesting lesson learned from the recent US Presidential election race is assuming an outcome before the votes are counted is not prudent. A very different and perhaps more thoughtful election is about to take place in Madrid, Spain. In an era of global turbulence and troubled times, with people looking for stability, unity, and responsible solutions, the role of the United Nations...
Fifty percent of Americans rate the reputations of today’s CEOs and corporate leaders as “bad,” according to research from The Harris Poll Reputation Quotient, which has identified movement, trends and insights in a changing corporate reputation landscape for the past 18 years. Only one-quarter of the public rates CEOs with “good” reputations; 26 percent are neutral. According to the Harris Poll study, which polled more than 23,000 U.S. adults, Americans cite...
The world-famous Cirque du Soleil has officially confirmed its participation in the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO 2017 “Future Energy” in Astana. “We have prepared a big show especially for EXPO 2017. It is a combination of classical circus and incredible acrobatic feats. The performance will be an emotional journey for the spectators, which they will remember for a long time,” said show director Fernand Rainville. The special performance of Cirque du Soleil...
United Nations sanctioned International Day of Happiness and the “One happy island” of Aruba announced a brand partnership with a mutual, long-term goal of inspiring acts of happiness worldwide. Aruba is the first nation to formally partner with the organization, which is on track to become an inter-governmental agency after five years of dedicating March 20 as the global day of happiness. “This partnership is a natural extension of Aruba’s brand, as happiness is more...
The Zimbabwe UNWTO Candidate for Secretary of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Eng. Walter Mzembi, landed an AfricanUnion (AU) Leadership position in Lome, Togo on 17 March 2017. African Tourism, Energy and Infrastructure Ministers in Togo for the AU STC Meetings reaffirm their faith in Zimbabwe leadership in Tourism and elected the Hon. Eng. Walter Mzembi, Tourism & Hospitality Industry Government of Zimbabwe, as their Vice Chair of the Bureau of the AU-STC. This...
Demi Lovato, Joe Manganiello and Mandy Patinkin today threw their talent behind a United Nations effort to end extreme poverty, address inequality and protect the planet against climate change through the Sustainable Development Goals. The three voices in the upcoming film “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” joined officials from the United Nations, UNICEF and United Nations Foundation to celebrate the International Day of Happiness and show their support for the Sustainable Development...
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin regrets that a meeting of world financial leaders failed to reach satisfactory conclusions on climate change and trade. Sapin highlighted the successes of the G20 meeting in Germany such as a determination to fight tax avoidance, clamp down on terrorist financing and strengthen private investment in Africa. “I regret nevertheless that our discussions today were not able to reach a satisfactory conclusion on two priorities that are absolutely essential...
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warns that a continued refusal by Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss staging a new independence vote would “shatter” the United Kingdom. The first minister, who is set to address a conference of her Scottish National Party (SNP) later on Saturday, will increase pressure on May to compromise on staging a second independence vote from the UK, according to extracts from her speech. “To stand in defiance of (Scottish parliamentary...
Choice Hotels International, Inc. has appointed Keith Biumi to the position of regional vice president, membership development of the Ascend Hotel Collection. The Ascend Hotel Collection is the world’s first and largest portfolio of distinctive upscale independent hotels and resorts, backed by the global resources of Choice Hotels. Biumi has more than 25 years of experience in the hotel industry in domestic and international markets, with broad expertise in development, franchising, brand...
Europe’s first sex doll brothel which opened last month in Barcelona has been forced to relocate after its lease was canceled in the apartment block where it operated. The Lumidoll establishment which opened in February offering ‘appointments’ with one of its four life-like dolls at a rate of €80 an hour was forced to move to a new mystery location, reported Spanish newspaper, El País. Following the bordello’s much-publicized debut, Barcelona’s police force began investigating the...
A report published by a British newspaper has revealed that Qatari investors are in possession of more property in London than the city’s mayor and even the Queen. The Telegraph said in a Friday report that Qatar has become one of the biggest landlords in the British capital over the past ten years, currently owning 24 million square feet of the city’s prime real estate. Data from the research firm Datscha indicated that Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) with almost 22 million square feet...
Iranian pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia to participate in this year’s annual hajj, Saudi officials said Friday, after an absence last year during tensions between the regional rivals. “The ministry of hajj and the Iranian organization have completed all the necessary measures to ensure Iranian pilgrims perform hajj 1438 according to the procedures followed by all Muslim countries,” the official Saudi Press Agency said, referring to this year in the Islamic calendar. For the first time in...
Defined as a building block of the aviation industry, Turkish Airlines consistently continues to invest in vocational education-training. Serving as the training hub of the global carrier; ‘Turkish Aviation Academy (TAA)’ was first founded to meet training needs of Turkish Airlines’ staff. But after a little while it started to serve to whole Turkey and also lots of global representatives of sector, as a result of the great performance that it showed in years. Today it continues to successfully...
In a major move against the corruption that facilitates wildlife trafficking, Thailand’s Attorney General Pongniwat Yutthapanborikarn announced that a senior official is being moved today to an inactive post while his potential role in last week’s US$5 million illegal rhino horn haul at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport is investigated. Other Thai officers may also be investigated, along with two civilian Thai women who fled the crime scene. On March 10, Thai Customs...
As we near the end of winter hibernation, many of us are eager to begin planning our vacations for the months ahead. The travel experts have examined a wealth of data to help travelers of all budgets find the best wallet friendly destinations for the remainder of 2017. The data was compiled by first looking at the average price per night of 4-star accommodations in the most recommended U.S. destinations. Then, to determine which cities to recommend for which month, the experts looked at the...
Alain St.Ange, the former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of the Seychelles, and now one of the seven candidates for the position of Secretary General of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) was on the panel of speakers at the PATWA (Pacific Area Travel Writers Association) Summit for World Tourism & Aviation Leaders on Peace, The Vehicle for Tourism organized on the sidelines of ITB in Berlin. PATWA believes the benefit that a vibrant tourism industry...
