Juergen Steinmetz

Ministers & CEO

Ghana Tourism Minister: Now a board member of the African Tourism Board

Written by Juergen Steinmetz, August 12, 2018

The Hon. Catherine Ablema Afeku, Minister of Tourism for Ghana, recently joined the African Tourism Board (ATB) as a board member. Founded in 2018 as a project of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) , the African Tourism Board is an association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible…

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How Georgia detects genuine human emotions to promote Tourism?

Written by Juergen Steinmetz, August 10, 2018

The country of Georgia has developed Artificial Intelligence that detects genuine human emotions in social media and has created the most accurate guidebook based on the posts by 7,000,000+ tourists. During 6 months of intense work, a complex Artificial Intelligence tool was detecting, analyzing and sorting the most genuine human emotions through social media posts of more…

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Puerto Vallarta’s Historic Center declared Cultural Heritage of the State of Jalisco

Written by Juergen Steinmetz, August 8, 2018

Puerto Vallarta’s Historic Center is now a protected Cultural Heritage of the Mexican State of Jalisco. The declaration was made by the state’s Department of Culture on July 21 via the official journal of Jalisco and makes the center of the city a protected area, with all the rights and privileges of a heritage protected…

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CEOs of Thomas Cook and MSC Cruises to speak at WTTC’s European Leaders Forum

Written by Juergen Steinmetz, August 7, 2018

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today announces that global leaders from the Travel & Tourism industry will meet at the first WTTC European Leaders Forum in Lisbon, Portugal on 11 September 2018. Hosted by Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism in Portugal, and Turismo de Portugal, this invitation-only event will bring…

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Strength of domestic US travel lessens sting of sluggish international growth

Written by Juergen Steinmetz,

Travel to and within the US grew four percent year-over-year in June, according to the US Travel Association’s latest Travel Trends Index (TTI)—marking the industry’s 102nd straight month of overall expansion. Despite this positive trend, US Travel economists remain wary that growth of international inbound travel to the US is not keeping pace with the…

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Gobekli Tepe in Turkey added to UNESCO World Heritage List

Written by Juergen Steinmetz,

Gobekli Tepe, considered “The Oldest Temple in the World,” has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, making this the 18th UNESCO recognized site in Turkey. The inscription took place during the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting in Manama Krakow, Bahrain, recently. According to UNESCO, Gobekli Tepe, in the Germus mountains of south-eastern Anatolia, presents “monumental…

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UNESCO designates Japan’s 18th World Cultural Heritage Site

Written by Juergen Steinmetz, August 6, 2018

UNESCO has designated a series of sites associated with the checkered history of Christians in 16th- to 19th-century Japan as the country’s 18th World Cultural Heritage Site. The “site” is comprised of 10 villages in northwest Kyushu, as well as the ruins of Hara Castle – originally built by the Portuguese – and St. Mary’s…

Ministers & CEO

Jamaica to Host Tourism Resilience Summit

Written by Juergen Steinmetz,

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that Jamaica will host a resilience summit with key global stakeholders and thought leaders on September 13 at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The date was selected to commemorate hurricanes Irma and Maria, two of the most devastating weather systems to have affected the region….

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A New Direction For Hawaii Tourism Management?

Written by Juergen Steinmetz, August 4, 2018

The morning before the February 28, 2018, joint House & Senate Tourism Committee informational briefing on the 2018 state audit of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the Honolulu Star-Advertiser headline read, “State Auditor Clasts HTA For Lax Oversight and Accountability.” The revealing and often combative legislative briefing lasted for over two hours. eTurboNews originally reported…