Edition 108 · January 2017

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the 15 Finalists for its 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The 2017 Finalists cut across five continents in the following categories: Community, Destination, Environment, Innovation and People.

The WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, now in its 13th year, showcases business practices of the highest standards that balance the needs of ‘people, planet and profits’ within our sector.

Further information:
https://www.wttc.org/media-centre/press-releases/press-releases/2017/wttc-announces-finalists-for-2017-tourism-for-tomorrow-awards/

Tony Charters AM, Principal of Tony Charters and Associates was part of the judging panel for the 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The panel of judges is made up of experts in sustainable tourism from around the world. Tony has served on the judging panel for the past 13 years.

Further information:
https://www.wttc.org/tourism-for-tomorrow-awards/judges/

Phillip Island Nature Parks has launched three new EcoBoat Tours allowing visitors to venture beyond Phillip Island to get up close and experience coastal wildlife such as Australia’s largest fur seal colony or the Shearwaters of Cape Woolamai. Phillip Island Nature Parks is a not-for-profit organisation and any revenue raised through ecotourism activities is invested into conservation, research and education activities.

Further information:
https://www.penguins.org.au/

Tourism and Events Queensland has developed a new manual to assist tourism businesses engage with visitors and create memorable experiences through storytelling. The Storytelling Toolkit includes a manual to guide operators through how they can discover, develop and deliver extraordinary experiences through storytelling.

Further information:
http://teq.queensland.com/industry-resources/how-to-guides/storytelling

With three million homes available to book across 191 countries, Airbnb offers the largest and most diverse range of unique accommodation options for travellers which will now be expand into three key areas – Experiences, Places and Homes, with Flights and Services to be added in the future. Airbnb Trips launches with around 500 Experiences in 12 cities worldwide, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, Havana, London, Paris, Florence, Nairobi, Cape Town, Tokyo and Seoul.

Further information:
https://www.airbnb.com/new

Airbus’s Silicon Valley outpost A3 is developing a modular cabin architecture that enables planes to be quickly configured to provide new passenger experiences such as brand-name restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, spas, yoga studios, children’s play areas, sleeping pods or bars. The program called ‘Transpose’ is looking at ways carriers can add features in a more cost-effective manner by reconfiguring cabins for every flight by using technology common on all-cargo aircraft.

Further information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx8i0kiUYVo

Tourism Australia and China Southern Airlines have signed a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate marketing activities in China. The partnership will see funding will go towards a range of campaigns and joint promotional activities. China Southern Airlines has increased capacity with 56 weekly services operating between Guangzhou and Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, as well as Shenzhen to Sydney.

Further information:
http://www.tourism.australia.com/news/Media-Releases-18188.aspx

The new Virgin Australia on board safety video features the cabin crew taking on V8 Supercar driver Jamie Whincup in a race around Australia’s famous Mt Panorama racetrack. The video is being introduced on board Virgin Australia’s fleet of wide body Airbus A330 and Boeing 777’s. It was filmed at Mt Panorama in October 2016 and features drivers Mark Winterbottom and Rick Kelly

Further information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG0x0BLA3uM

Electronics giant Hitachi is trialling a hospitality robot service at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport Passenger Terminal 2 in collaboration with Japan Airport Terminal Company. The robo-assistants currently speak English and Japanese to help travellers find their way. It offers spoken guidance as well as information via a display system which is installed next to the counter.

Further information:
http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2016/09/160902.html

A new dating app is being tested to match passengers who are travelling on the same flight. AirDate users can share itineraries before they fly so they can meet up at the airport or opt to change seats to sit together.

Further information:
http://www.airdates.co/

Emirates has selected three organisations working in wildlife protection and environmental conservation to receive funding under its ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ initiative. The program provides funding to not-for-profit organisations across the world working to safeguard and improve their local environments. The 2016 winners are the Southern African Wildlife College Trust, Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds and African Parks.

Further information:
https://www.emirates.com/english/environment/greener-tomorrow/greener-tomorrow.aspx

Intrepid Travel has launched a campaign that will see the company donate 10% of all tour bookings to help four community projects around the world. The Travel for Good campaign will apply to over 1,000 of Intrepid Travel’s small-group tours which aim to help consumers see the world through real, immersive experiences while leaving the destinations they visit in a better position than it was found.

Further information:
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/travel-for-good

This manual chart, a set of minimum requirements, is designed to assist in improving animal welfare as well as phasing out poor practice. Recently launched, ABTA is now working with its Members and tourism destinations around the world to ensure that they use the manuals to help raise standards of welfare across the world.

Further information:
https://abta.com/working-with-the-industry/animal-welfare

Banyan Tree has entered into a partnership with AccorHotels to develop and manage their hotels around the world. Under the collaboration Banyan Tree will also have access to AccorHotels’ global reservations, sales network and loyalty program Le Club. AccorHotels has more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as over 2,500 private homes around the globe. Banyan Tree has 43 hotels and resorts, 64 spas, 77 retail galleries and three golf courses in 28 countries.

Further information:
http://investor.banyantree.com/PDF/Newsroom/ 2016/2-Press-Release-Banyan-Tree-and-AccorHotels-Announce-Strategic-Partnersh.pdf

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and the Pro-invest Group have announced an exclusive agreement to develop a portfolio of EVEN Hotels in Australian and New Zealand. Launched in 2012, EVEN Hotels is the newest lifestyle hotel brand designed to help travellers eat well, rest easy, keep active and accomplish more. IHG currently has 41 hotels operating under five brands in Australasia including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Resorts and Holiday Inn Express.

Further information:
https://www.ihgplc.com/our-brands/even-hotels

Situated on the world heritage listed Fraser Island, Kingfisher Bay Resort, Eurong Beach Resort and the tour and marine businesses are being offered for sale, allowing the incoming purchaser to benefit from a fully integrated tourism enterprise. Kingfisher Bay Resort Group consists of four distinct tourism operations – Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village, Eurong Beach Resort, Fraser Explorer Tours and Fraser Island Ferries. The businesses accommodated and transported over 150,000 people in 2016.

Further information:
http://www.colliers.com.au/news/2017/kingfisher-bay-resort-group-on-market/

The Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife is seeking expressions of interest from individuals or organisations to provide contract management services under a “Community Partnership Management Model” at Conto Campground in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. The agreement will cover management of the campground as well as provide goods and services to campers and other visitors. Submissions close 15 February 2017.

Further information:
https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/downloads/know/Contos%202016%20EOI%20FINAL.pdf

Delaware North has acquired adventure travel company Yellowstone Vacations, the all-inclusive provider of special tours and activities for travellers visiting Yellowstone National Park. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports and regional casinos.

Further information:
http://media.delawarenorth.com/delaware-north-companies/delaware-north-acquires-yellowstone-national-park-adventure-travel-company.htm

The way travellers choose a destination, book a trip, travel to the location and enjoy the experience will be dramatically different in the future as super-tech meets super-science. Hotels.com has worked with renowned futurist Dr. James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures to uncover how the travel and hotel experience will be in 2060 based on trends in technology, science, energy and entertainment will change the hotel experience for travellers.

Further information:
https://www.hotels.com/page/hotelsofthefuture/?pos=HCOM_US&locale=en_US

China’s online travel agency Ctrip recently bought Scotland-based travel search platform Skyscanner. The acquisition will allow Ctrip, a provider of accommodation reservations, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management, to leverage the experience, technology and booking capabilities of Skyscanner.

Further information:
https://www.skyscanner.net/blogs/ctrip-announces-agreement-to-acquire-skyscanner

The Government of Canada has announced an investment of $3.15 million for the implementation of the Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada’s five-year national strategy. The Path Forward 2016-2021 will support and promote both new and existing Indigenous tourism businesses, enhance product and market readiness, increase the visibility of the Indigenous tourism industry, and facilitate the sharing of best practices within and between regions.

Further information:
https://aboriginalcanada.ca/corporate/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/atac-five-year-plan-2016-2021.pdf

The NSW Government has announced $13 million in regional tourism funding from 2016-2019 to support the regional tourism industry in New South Wales. The funding will be available through the Regional Cooperative Tourism Marketing and Regional Tourism Product Development programs.

Further information:
http://www.destinationnsw.com.au/tourism/business-development-resources/funding-and-grants/regional-tourism-fund

The winners of the annual Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards were announced at the 77th Skål World Congress in Monaco. The awards acknowledge best practices around the globe in eight categories that initiate change and encourage the conservation of the environment in order to promote tourism and travel.

Further information:
https://www.skal.org/en/sustainableguidelines

The City of Gold Coast and Gold Coast Tourism with the support of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation are hosting the industry’s first Accessible Tourism Forum at the Arts Centre Gold Coast on 7 February 2017.

Further information:
https://www.qtic.com.au/events/accessible-tourism-forum-2017

The Internationale Tourismus Börse is the world’s largest travel industry trade show which takes place in Berlin from 8-12 March 2017.

Further information:
http://www.itb-berlin.de/en/?pgid=906

The Future of Winter Tourism Conference will be held at the University of Lapland, Finland from 3-5 April 2017. The main themes are consumption behaviour, tourism and recreation demand, rural tourism, sustainability and travellers.

Further information:
http://www.ulapland.fi/EN/Events/Future-of-Winter-Tourism-2017

By Mary Mwendwa – African Correspondent

Lake Magadi Adventures is the latest place to find both pleasure and leisure. Although foreign tourists are still discovering this wonderful place, for domestic this is already home.

Started barely two years ago, Lake Magadi Adventure is characterised by amazing spectacular landscapes in the vast wilderness, breath taking scenes and Ngurumani escapement shadow.

Located 109 kilometres in the Rift Valley Southwest of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, the drive leads you to heaps of mining dredges, dark patches of soda ash remains and the general view of the beautiful saline lake.

Initially, known for soda ash mining, Magadi is now famous for lovers of hundreds types of birds and camping. To access Lake Magadi Adventures, tourists can use road, train popularly known as Jaza Train Safari and through air.

Bernard Karugo, the Sales Representative, Tata chemicals says travellers can enjoy an amazing fun train ride from Kajiado to Magadi. The three-hour drive of 130 kilometres gives guests a unique feeling of a train ride which many have not experienced here in Kenya.

One outstanding scenery while on the train ride is the bridge made of metal steels called Kenya Marble Quarry (KMD), nicknamed after a company that existed in the area. The bridge has existed for over 100 years.

Read the full article HERE