Leading island managers from across the Asia-Pacific are meeting in November as the Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference puts the spotlight on sustainable management of Island tourism.
Being staged on Rottnest Island, Western Australia from 17 - 19 November, Ecotourism
Australia's 23rd Global Eco Conference will have the luxury of a being a live
case study and conference venue in one. As an A-Class Reserve, Rottnest Island is both protected area and major tourism destination.
"We have many award winning operators presenting practical case studies together with island managers and innovative companies revealing cutting edge approaches to wind, solar and wave energy," Conference Convener, Tony Charters AM said.
Water, energy and waste management is critical on Islands and the conference will go back of house to see sustainability initiatives.
Register now before the end of financial year and secure your place with the global leaders of ecotourism.
Register at: http://www.globaleco.com.au/register.php
We are pleased to announce the launch of the new Tourforce website.
The website allows subscribers to access the latest publication as well as past editions dating back to 2007.
Edited by Tony Charters AM, the Tourforce monthly electronic newsletter began eight years ago and has since established a worldwide following of over 10,000 subscribers and now has over 1000 followers on Facebook.
Further information: http://www.tourforce.com/
The Solar Eclipse has been developed by B/E Aerospace to provide power directly to airline passengers. The super-efficient thin film solar cells integrated into the window shade convert the high-solar irradiation available at altitude into energy. The high-tech window shade is easy for airline technicians to install and requires no change to the rest of the cabin components, making it a quick power supply option for airlines to choose to support the growing need for Wi-Fi services and wireless entertainment.
Further information: http://www.crystal-cabin-
award.com/uploads/media/20150414_CCA_
Winners.pdf
Leading Japanese hotelier Fujita Kanko has opened a new hotel with one-of-a-kind Godzilla-themed guest rooms in Tokyo's entertainment and nightlife hub in the Shinjuku ward. The 970-room hotel opens as part of a brand-new Kabukicho entertainment complex and offers a 12-screen cinema complex and various dining and amusement facilities which will transport guests into the world of celebrated monster movies. Guests can choose one of six Godzilla View Rooms located on the top floor where they can see a life-size replica of Godzilla's head on the hotel's eighth-floor terrace.
Further information: http://gracery.com/shinjuku/godzilla-en/index.html
A new hostel is set to open at Fremantle Prison in spring 2015, allowing visitors to sleep in actual 19th century prison cells. Fremantle Prison YHA will take over the space which was previously the women's division of the World-Heritage listed building, turning it into a unique stay for adventurous travellers. The hostel offers all the latest facilities for travellers including kitchens, large common areas, TV rooms, a laundry, recreational activities, luggage storage, Wi-Fi and computers.
Further information: https://www.yha.com.au/hostels/wa/perth-surrounds/fremantle-prison-yha/
Tourism Western Australia has produced a major developments map which illustrates major precinct, hotel, residential and commercial developments in Perth and Fremantle. This includes the $2.6 billion Elizabeth Quay which will reconnect the city with the Swan River, Perth City Link and new 60,000 seat Perth Stadium. In addition, there are a number of hotel developments including the Westin Hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Crown Towers.
Further information: http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/News-Media/
NewsArticle/Perth%E2%80%99s_major_
developments_map_available/124?cid=tt355
Korea Tourism Organization has released a new promotional advertisement Korea, the Age of Imagination. The comic hero style advertisement was devised to boost Korea's image as a tourist destination in relation to the filming of the Hollywood blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron in Seoul. It offers a look into the unique lifestyle and culture of Korea such as the 24/7 food delivery service, nightlife of Seoul, traditional food and art, and the haenyeo (women divers) of Jeju Island.
Further information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoeYr_T75BQ
Tourism Ireland is once again joining forces with HBO and its smash hit TV series Game of Thrones to promote Northern Ireland around the world. The campaign will run for 14 weeks and target over 100 million Game of Thrones fans in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. It aims to leverage the global popularity of the show and its strong associations with Northern Ireland, the physical home of the production where much of the filming takes place for the series.
Further information: https://www.tourismireland.com/Marketing/Marketing-Highlights/Marketing-Catalogue/Game-of-Thrones-Campaign
Brisbane Airport is trialling an innovative Digital Departure Card for international passengers which will eventually phase out the need for an official hand written immigration departure card. Developed in-house with support from a number of partners the new Digital Departure Card will save time, streamline processing and help reduce anxiety associated with departure formalities especially for non-English speaking travellers.
Further information: http://www.bne.com.au/news/bne-launches-trial-australia%E2%80%99s-first-digital-departure-card
Flight booking company Skyscanner have asked around 2,000 passengers what factors influence their flying experience. Responses including journey time, legroom, flight punctuality and the time of departure were then weighted appropriately in order to find the optimum combination.Their preferences were compiled and analysed by a professor in pure mathematics, who came up with the formula (T + L - 30) P/100.
Further information: http://www.skyscanner.net/news/skyscanner-reveals-formula-perfect-flight
Parks Victoria has launched a new Parks Discovery app, packed with interesting facts and stories along with a directory of Victoria's most popular parks. The directory is designed to encourage people who are less familiar with parks to get out and get exploring by listing the basic information about where to go and what to do. It also allows users to create a list of visited parks and to add their own notes.
Further information: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/about-us/news/new-app-helps-victorians-discover-their-national-parks
Brand USA has launched a new website The United States of Great Outdoors which highlights outdoor travel destinations and experiences across the country. In addition to the native English version, the site is available in seven other languages. Content on the site includes an array of travel stories, photography and videos that focus on adventure, nature, family travel and other themes by destination.
Further information: http://outdoors.discoveramerica.com/
The South Australian Tourism Commission have released a discussion paper as part of the process in developing an action plan to boost nature-based tourism in the state's national parks, marine parks and reserves. The plan will be released in mid-2015 after a series of face-to-face consultation workshops and results from an online survey.
Further information: http://yoursay.sa.gov.au/yoursay/nature-based-tourism
Destination Melbourne has launched a three-year Strategic Plan 2015-2018 detailing the new vision to maximise the city's visitor potential by championing visitor needs, the visitor experience and the visitor industry. The plan was developed after extensive consultation with industry and sets out a number of strategic priorities – including one to create and launch a Destination Management Plan for Melbourne – to be achieved over the coming three years to continually grow industry and inspire visitors.
Further information: http://www.destinationmelbourne.com.au/destination-melbourne/destination-melbourne-strategic-plan-2015-2018/
The Travel Foundation and Travelife have launched a new free resource to help hotels reduce plastic waste as part of the Make Holidays Greener campaign. The online toolkit includes simple actions that hotels can take to reduce the costs and time associated with the use and disposal of plastic in everyday hotel operations. The guide also contains a training presentation, customer poster, letter and survey. This year the campaign is focusing on cleaner and greener by urging tourism companies to sign up to help remove plastic and other litter from beaches.
Further information: http://www.makeholidaysgreener.org.uk
Responsible Travel has published the first table of tourist boards graded by commitment to responsible tourism as published on their websites. The national tourist board websites of Responsible Travel's top 50 selling countries were examined and six questions were asked, relating to tourists boards' vision, policies and activity in sustainable tourism. Tourist boards could score a maximum of six points (all covered) and a minimum of zero.
Further information: http://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/tourist-board-league-table-for-responsible-tourism
Convenor of Ecotourism Australia's Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference, Tony Charters AM undertook a three nation briefing schedule this month to engage with senior officials of tourism Ministries and Operators in Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia.
The Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference, in its 23rd year, will head to Rottnest Island in Western Australia 17-19 November.
'With Perth just five hours flying time from many ASEAN nations this year is a great opportunity to strongly involve south-east Asian nations in the conference. Of particular relevance to most ASEAN nations will be the topics of island, reef, coastal and marine management. Ecotourism is developing very strongly in the ASEAN region and Global Eco is a great event for bringing together the opinion leaders of the region" Mr Charters said.
Other key topics slated for discussion at Global Eco include certification and quality, strategic partnerships and community based tourism.
Register for the conference at: http://www.globaleco.com.au/register-form.php
Asian ecotourism leaders gathered in June for the inauguration ceremony of the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Dr. Nalikatibhag Sangsnit, Director-General of Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration officially declared open the AEN office housed at DASTA's headquarters in Bangkok.
The support by DASTA includes the provision of the central office to support operational activities in Bangkok together with computer equipment, office automation facilities and access to meeting rooms.
According to the founding chair, Mr Masaru Takayama - Executive Director of Japan Ecolodge Association, the Network will supply more hands-on connections and relevant opportunities for members working together at a regional level.
"It will provide more networking and business opportunities, significant information, educational materials and networking prospects to both small and large organisations within Asia."
The founding member countries comprise of Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, South Korea, Mongolia, India, Laos, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines and Australia. Tony Charters AM is a founding board member of AEN, representing Australia.
Spain, France, Germany, the United States of America and the United Kingdom are the top five economies most ready for tourism according to the latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015. Over the last nine years the World Economic Forum has carried out an in-depth analysis of 141 economies around the world by engaging key industry and thought leaders on the future of travel and tourism. The report provides a platform for achieving a strong and sustainable industry capable of contributing effectively to international economic development.
Further information: http://reports.weforum.org/travel-and-tourism-competitiveness-report-2015/
Virtuoso, a leading international luxury travel network, has released findings from its first generational traveller study revealing insights and preferences for affluent travellers of all ages. The research is based on transactional data from its 380 United States and Canadian-based agency members that spans more than six years and totals over US$35 billion. The research provides some insights into the priorities and spending habits of four generational groups – Millennials, Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and Matures who hold potential for the future of luxury travel.
Further information: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virtuoso-explores-traveler-insights-and-trends-with-its-first-generational-travel-study-300074469.html
Quality and reputation key to why international students choose Australia. The Department of Education has released the International Student Survey 2014 Overview Report providing data on the overall satisfaction of international students in Australia. The survey shows that quality and reputational factors are the top three reasons why international students choose Australia.
Further information: https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/
research-papers/pages/research%20papers.aspx
Service Skills Australia has released the 2015 Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Environmental Scan which identifies the factors currently impacting on the workforce make up and skills needs of our tourism, travel, hospitality and events industries. Produced with the assistance of the Australian Department of Education and Training, the report also considers how well the national training system and industry is responding to the seasonal nature of the work and a highly casual workforce in an international context.
Further information: https://www.serviceskills.com.au/sites/default/files/
files/Environmental%20Scans/2015-SSA-Escan-TTH.pdf
The Hotel Carbon Measurement initiative is a free methodology and calculation tool developed by the International Tourism Partnership and Association of Green Property Owners and Managers to enable hotels to measure and report on the carbon footprint of a hotel stay or meeting in a consistent way. Over 21,000 hotels are using the initiative which aims to align the global hotel sectors' carbon emissions reporting process by developing a common language for customers to understand their carbon footprint.
Further information: http://www.wttc.org/mission/tourism-for-tomorrow/hotel-carbon-measurement-initiative/
The 3rd International Conference on hospitality, leisure, sports, and tourism will be held at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan from 22 - 24 July 2015. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for research collaboration and sharing of research experience across a wide spectrum in hospitality, leisure, sports and tourism.
Further information: http://soci-science.org/2015/tokyo/hlst/
The 4th International Adventure Conference of the Adventure Tourism Research Association will be held at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom from 9 - 11 September 2015. The conference seeks to bring together academics, independent researchers, adventure professionals and commercial adventure operators who undertake cutting edge research or work in the adventure tourism and recreation industry.
Further information: http://www.adventureconference2015.co.uk/
Malaysia celebrates 2015 as the 'year of festivals' or Myfest 2015. Myfest 2015 is a program that encourages visitors to stay longer in order to attend the numerous festivals, which represent the multicultural society of Malaysia.
The program hopes to attract more tourists to the country and generate more tourism revenue. According to Tourism Malaysia, the campaign is expected to obtain 29.4 million tourist arrivals and RM 89 billion equal to USD 25.45 billion.
There are various activities and events planned for each month and more than 100 festivals taking place all over the country including short film festivals, Thaipusam Festival, International Kite Festival, Future Music Festival Asia, Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon and Malaysia International Shoe Festival.
At Emarti village, Kajiado County, the golden hour of sustainable energy conservation was observed in style. Earth hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organised annually to encourage individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour on the last Saturday in March.
In Kenya, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya Country Office led other organisations in marking the earth Hour Celebrations at Emarti, Kajiado County on 28th March. This year's theme was focused on climate change.
Gabriel Ngale, Mobile Education Officer from Wildlife Clubs of Kenya who was part of the event says, "It is an appropriate time to reflect and evaluate the collective efforts taken by the country and individuals in combating this issue of climate change and hence the big question remains; are we doing enough? As a mobile environmental education expert, I move around schools in the country and also educate on the importance of conservation, which is why we are part of this forum today."
Peter Kiok, a middle age Maasai was one of the villagers who attended the historic earth hour event. "We hope as a pastoralist community that people observe this earth hour and get to understand the importance of conservation. We have been affected by a shortage of rainfall and this is worsening day by day. We need to be smart here," he said.