The UNWTO Awards on Innovation and Excellence in Tourism, African and Middle East tourism development and the Chinese Market among the activities of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) during the 38th edition of the Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR, January 17-21), the yearly kick-off for the world’s leading tourism meeting points.

A workshop on Chinese outbound tourism (17 January) will be among the first activities of UNWTO at FITUR, together with the 14th Edition of the UNWTO Awards on Innovation and Excellence in Tourism organized with FITUR. The Awards Ceremony will recognize some of the best examples of sustainable tourism around the world. Ahead of the Ceremony, the Awards Forum (January 15), will present all shortlisted projects chosen among a total of 128 initiatives from 55 countries.

The Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa (INVESTOUR), an annual event jointly organised by UNWTO, FITUR and Casa África, will gather nearly 30 ministers of tourism from the region to debate the opportunities that the sector can offer to the continent. This year’s sessions (18 January) will be structured around two main themes: ‘Brand Africa: Fostering Tourism Development and Investment Opportunities’, and ‘Biodiversity as a Driver for Sustainable Tourism: the Importance of Effective Community Involvement’.

The potential of tourism in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region will also be addressed during at a ministerial discussion forum jointly organized by UNWTO and Casa Árabe (January 18). The event will review policies and strategies to consolidate recovery and to step up Tourism’s contribution to an inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development.

To mark the end of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development an MOU has been signed between Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland and SUNx to build a climate learning, innovation and resilience centre in the Hoge Kempen National Park in Limburg, Belgium. The centre will be established at Terhills-Connecterra, the main gateway to the National Park. It will be a proof of concept and focal point for a global network. It will also link with Ecotron, a global science project of the Park and University of Hasselt on climate change and nature-based solutions, as well as the University’s Field Research Centre.

The MOU was signed following a meeting between the Governor of the Province of Limburg, the Rector of Hasselt University, RLKM and SUNx. Leading the partnership are Professor Geoffrey Lipman, SUNx Co-founder, and Ignace Schops, Director RLKM, President of EUROPARC Federation and a Goldman Award winner.

SUNx – Strong Universal Network- is a program of the EU based, not for profit Green Growth and Travelism Institute, and a legacy to the late Maurice Strong – sustainable development pioneer. Its goal is to promote Climate Resilient, Impact-Travel with good & bad effects measured and managed coherently: with Green Growth at the core and, 2050-proof in line with the Paris Accords and the W.E.F. 4th Industrial Revolution. At its heart are SUNx Centres: prefabricated, solar powered climate research and innovation centres for climate resilience learning and capacity building.

Ignace Schops said:
“We have partnered with SUNx to strengthen our research on climate change, specifically focusing of climate resilience for the wider society and the relation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Hoge Kempen is Belgium’s first and only national park, and protects one of the largest open green spaces in the country. As well as being an important visitor attraction we are also investing in research on climate change and biodiversity protection as we believe that climate change poses the greatest threat to humanity and life on earth.”

Professor Geoffrey Lipman, SUNx Co-founder said:
“We are proud to be working in partnership with RLKM who are leading the way in protecting Belgium’s natural resources and creating a blueprint for sustainable tourism in National Parks. We believe that tourism has the power to be a massive force for change if managed carefully and have developed a system that will be accessible to every community to help climate adaptation. The Limburg Centre is being developed as a model for a global network that will support Travel & Tourism in its journey to align with the Paris Climate targets and relevant Sustainable Development Goals.”

Bridgetown, Barbados (28 Dec 2017) – This has been a challenging year for Caribbean tourism. While the first half of the year saw exciting growth in both tourism infrastructure and tourist arrivals over the previous year, in September we were hit hard by a series of unusual hurricanes that not only destroyed property, but also took the lives of many of our citizens. We must never forget the souls we lost along the way.

Physically, we will recover. Our Caribbean people are a resilient population. We will put the bricks and mortar back together and the hotels and vegetation will rise again and shine in the brilliant sunlight.

We take this time, a season of celebration and joy and the promise of a new beginning, to both reflect on the preceding year and look forward to tomorrow. And we will take the time to give thanks.

Travellers coming to the countries that were impacted by the storms will now see various stages of the rebuild/recover effort. Some are already fully up to speed and ready for the winter; others, only partially so. Our affected islands respect the safety and security of guests and staff and are therefore being frank and open about their state of readiness.

As tourism is the main economic driver for most of the Caribbean, we place enormous emphasis on delivering value and a superb visitor experience. In the hurricane-affected islands guests in 2018 and beyond will expect to see a product that is rebuilt stronger, better and even more attractive than before. That’s the plan, however long it takes to deliver.

We are thankful that the vast majority of the Caribbean never got touched by the hurricanes, so those islands have continued to welcome visitors every day. For them it’s business as usual. We are grateful to the travel professionals, the many visitors and our citizens themselves who continue to share images of the Caribbean today. Those pictures tell a thousand realities.

We want to use this time to thank our member countries that were quick to come to the aid of others not so fortunate. We want to thank our partners, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, the airlines, cruise lines and the hotels across the region that have worked and are still working to bring the Caribbean back to normal operations. We want to thank our marketing and sales partners, the tour operators, wholesalers and travel agents from around the world who have stood by the region and continue to promote and sell our destinations. And we want to thank the media that have, for the most part, painted a proper picture of our region that is clearly open for business. Through it all, we are also eternally grateful to our visitors and to the Caribbean Diaspora who stand shoulder to shoulder with our region in times of need.

Even as we prepare to greet a New Year let us take a moment to look back on a few of the successes of 2017.

Recently we embarked on a strategy to substantially enhance the Caribbean’s engagement in Canada, to develop business in non-traditional areas and work closely with our members’ representatives for maximum impact. New travel agent training and certification, increased use of targeted social media, enhanced deployment of the CTO’s data analysis tools, and more focused engagement with the Caribbean Diaspora were all components of the 2017 strategy for Canada. The Canadian market was a strong performer for most of 2017, with arrivals up by 6.4 percent. We can now look forward to more expansion of that market in 2018.

We also continued to focus on our two primary markets, the United States and Europe, with the UK, in particular, taking a central role. These markets were more robust in 2017 and we trust this will continue in 2018.

We realized too, that intra-Caribbean tourism, which has also been on the rise, would need our continuous attention, especially under the current circumstances where the task of educating the travelling public and removing the barriers to intra-Caribbean travel will continue to be a challenge.
At the start of the year we declared 2017 the Year of Adventure in the Caribbean and we capitalized on this in multiple promotions with member countries and industry partners. The Caribbean Year of Adventure linked directly with the United Nations Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and allowed us to pair adventure with sustainability.

The year culminated with the World Tourism Organization holding its Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth, in Jamaica, followed by the CTO’s partnership with the Caribbean Development Bank to host the Climate Smart Sustainable Tourism Forum in St. Kitts.

For the New Year the CTO has declared 2018 The Year of Rejuvenation in the Caribbean. With wellness and rejuvenation being important aspects of the Caribbean tourism product, we are encouraging our member countries and private sector partners to plan and organise events and activities around that theme.

For travellers who focus on renewing body and spirit, the options are virtually endless; from beachfront workouts and yoga retreats, to wellness resorts and spa treatments, the notion of being rejuvenated in the Caribbean is one more reason to let us pamper you in 2018.

The 2018 Caribbean Year of Rejuvenation will be promoted through social media and traditional media channels and will create opportunities for locals, travellers and holiday/vacation planners to share their ideas on how to capture the Caribbean’s huge capacity for wellness and rejuvenation. It will be a time of rebirth for us and for those who come to share the joy of a Caribbean vacation experience.

We look forward to 2018 with optimism and excitement.

On behalf of our CTO Chairman, The Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, Bahamas Minister of Tourism, the CTO Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism, the Board of Directors, Members and Staff of the CTO, I thank you for your continued support of our region, and I wish you and yours a safe, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Dazhai Wanda, China was dedicated this week as an IIPT Global Town of Peace. Orchestrating the ceremony was Ms. Haybina Hao, Honorary Mayor of the Village for the week. Haybina set for herself a goal to create greater international awareness of Danzhai Wanda Village as an international tourism destination and its impressive contribution to poverty reduction.

Haybina is formerly Vice President, International Development, U. S. Tour Association. In this capacity, she played an instrumental role in increasing tourism from China to the United States and assisted in establishing a tour operator’s reception system for inbound Chinese tourists. She is recognized as a China tourism expert in both the U.S. and China.

Haybina’s week as Honorary Mayor was focused on achieving “A Dialogue between Danzhai and the World.” The December event featured greeting videos and letters sent from 11 international destinations and tourism organizations congratulating Danzhai Wanda Village for its success in attracting some 3 million visitors in less than 6 months since its opening this past July.

IIPT President receiving gift from Danzai Country Official         

The ceremony also featured the dedication of Danzhai Wanda as an “IIPT Global Town of Peace” during which IIPT Founder and President, Louis D’Amore stated: “The founders and administrators of Danzhai Wanda are to be congratulated on their impressive award winning achievements in such a short period of time.”

Danzhai Wanda General Manager and IIPT President by Global Peace Park commemorative stone

He continued: “As 2017 is the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and Peace, of particular significance is Danzhai Wanda’s contribution to  UN Sustainable Development Goals one and four: to reduce poverty and provide for quality education. As a result of your efforts, 40,000 lives have been enhanced, raising each of them above the poverty line. And with the dedication today of Danzhai Wanda as an IIPT Global Town of Peace – your contribution to UN Sustainable Development goal sixteen – to nurture peace and mutual understanding.”

Located in the southwestern province of Guizhou, Danzhai County is one of the most undeveloped areas in China. Although endowed with spectacular natural scenery and an incredible diversity of ethnic cultures, Danzhai is a largely unexplored destination for tourists due to its previous inaccessibility.

Danzhai Wanda Village is one part of a three-pronged poverty alleviation scheme by the Wanda Group that also includes a poverty alleviation fund and Guizhou Wanda Vocational College with an enrollment of 400 students. Wanda will hire 50% of the graduates from the vocational school. Danzhai Wanda Village, which includes a hotel and town district built in the distinctive Miao architectural tradition, is expected to provide up to 3,000 jobs.

Ms. Hao’s mayorship also resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a sister district relationship between Danzhai Wanda Village and Deadwood National Historic Landmark District in South Dakota, United States. The MOU marked the first sister district relationship in China to focus on tourism-related connections with international destinations.

Click to watch a two minute video

About IIPT
The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering travel and tourism initiatives that contribute to international understanding, cooperation among nations, an improved quality of environment, cultural enhancement and the preservation of heritage, poverty reduction, reconciliation and healing wounds of conflicts; and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world.  It is founded on a vision of the world’s largest industry, travel and tourism – becoming the world’s first global peace industry; and the belief that every traveler is potentially an “Ambassador for Peace.”

Syrian Tourism Minister Bishr Yazigi met on Sunday the Secretary-General of the Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai and the accompanying delegation. Yazigi said that the upcoming stage regarding the tourism industry should concentrate on “the business and religious tourism” as an important means for reviving the areas that have been liberated by the Syrian Arab army from terrorism.

The minister also referred to the future projects being set in order to develop the tourism industry throughout Syria, and the need to train staff specialized in tourism.

In turn, Rifai pointed out to the existence of important investment opportunities in Syria, adding that it is important to take into account how to integrate tourism with the environment and the local community.

Later, Yazigi, Rifai and the accompanying delegation visited the National Visual Arts center and several archeological sites in the old city of Damascus.

Syria is a member of UNWTO.

This is one of the latest official trips by the outgoing UNWTO Secretary-General.  Rifai, a Jordanian national will give the helm of his organization to Zurab Pololikashvili from Georgia on January 1.

Speaking in Victoria, Seychelles, at the Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Seychelles Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine announced a partnership with SUNx to build a climate resilience centre for the Seychelles and Vanilla Islands.

He also made provision for Maurice Strong Legacy Scholarships, formally launched at this year’s World Travel Market in London and of special interest to the Seychelles because they provide access to a high-profile scholarship for outstanding Seychellois students to further their education in Sustainable Tourism. The long-term aim is to empower tens of thousands of likeminded, connected, committed, graduate trainees and lifetime learners for progressive change.

SUNx is a program of the EU based, not for profit Green Growth and Travelism Institute, and a legacy to the late Maurice Strong – sustainable development pioneer. Its goal is to promote Climate Resilient, Impact-Travel with good & bad effects measured and managed coherently: with Green Growth at the core and, 2050-proof in line with the Paris Accords and the W.E.F. 4th Industrial Revolution. At its heart are SUNx Centres: prefabricated, solar powered climate research and innovation centres for climate resilience learning and capacity building.

Minister Loustau-Lalanne said:

“We believe that this centre will become a valuable focal point for subsequent research and action to link issues like coastal protection, greenhouse gas reduction and Impact-Travel, with access to world class experts in encouraging long-term Green Growth and Travelism as well as Tourism and Natural Capital Assessment.”

Professor Geoffrey Lipman, SUNx Co-founder said:

“We are proud to be working in partnership with the Seychelles Ministry of Tourism who are taking a lead in the fight against eXistential climate change. Small Island Developing States, (SIDS), like the Seychelles will feel the effects of climate change first and we applaud the progressive attitude towards developing climate resilience before it’s too late.”

Notes to Editors
The Strong Universal Network SUNx, is a program of the EU based, not for profit Green Growth and Travelism Institute, and a legacy to the late Maurice Strong – Sustainable Development Pioneer.

Its goal is to promote Climate Resilient, Impact-Travel with good & bad effects measured and managed coherently: with Green Growth at the core and, 2050-proof in line with the Paris Accords and the W.E.F. 4th Industrial Revolution.

Seychelles Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine, is a strategy focussed Tourism Ministry, committed to creating a conductive environment for the development and maintenance of an authentic, dynamic and sustainable tourism industry.

UNIGLOBE Travel International is pleased to welcome TRAVELCARE AGENCIA DE VIAGENS to the UNIGLOBE Travel EMEA Agency Program. TRAVELCARE is headquartered in Porto, Portugal and will support a strategic alliance for the entire UNIGLOBE Network.

Martin Charlwood, President, UNIGLOBE Travel International states “we are very excited for TRAVELCARE to join our global network. They are one of the most reputable travel organizations in Portugal, which is known as a top European destination.” TRAVELCARE has been a 100 % Portuguese company since it was established, in 2010.

The well-trained and motivated professionals at TRAVELCARE provide quality corporate services for a wide portfolio. Some of the industries that TRAVELCARE has expertly serviced include fashion, wine, construction, and automobile. TRAVELCARE offers Destination Management, and has extensive experience in organizing meetings and events. TRAVELCARE has the capacity and the creativity to exceed its customers’ expectations, in both corporate and leisure travel.

Portugal is experience impressive growth in the travel industry with the local government intending to set travel and tourism as a priority until 2027. The focus will be to ensure travel and tourism in Portugal benefits the country economically, environmentally, and socially. UNIGLOBE Travel looks forward to being a part of this new growth.

Working globally to serve clients locally across more than 60 countries. UNIGLOBE Travel leverages current technologies and preferred vendor pricing to save clients time and money on business and vacation travel planning. For more than 35 years, corporate and leisure travelers have depended on the UNIGLOBE brand to deliver services that go beyond expectations. UNIGLOBE Travel International Limited Partnership is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. and Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. celebrated delivery of the airline’s first Bombardier CS300 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine. Bombardier hosted a delivery ceremony in Mirabel, Canada where both C Series and GTF final assembly take place.

“Today we celebrate delivery of our first GTF-powered C Series aircraft. We are excited for the dramatic improvements in efficiency, emissions, and noise that will enhance our operations and passenger experience,” said Soo-Keun Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Korean Air.

“This is a very important milestone for the C Series program because it is our breakthrough into the fast-growing Asian market, and we are honored to have Korean Air Lines as our brand ambassador in the region,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We expect that over the next 20 years, Asian operators will take delivery of 2,870 small single-aisle aircraft. We are thrilled that Korean Air is the first in the region to showcase the CS300 aircraft’s outstanding performance and capabilities.”

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard, and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.

“We are thrilled for Korean Air to receive their first CS300 aircraft,” said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. “Pratt & Whitney has shared a long standing relationship with KAL dating back to the late 1940’s and we look forward to powering their new-generation fleet.”

Rajendera Kumar, industry veteran, Director, The Ambassador Vivanta by Taj, New Delhi, has welcomed the recent introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), but regretted that the hospitality industry has not been treated fairly.

A former president of the FHRAI (Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India), Kumar says that the tourism industry will suffer because of the high and differential rate for various segments. He quoted the example of Singapore, where seven percent tax is applicable across the board.

Kumar feels that the restaurants in the hotels should have the same GST as the stand alone restaurants, which is five percent. At present, they have to pay higher rate.

Many industry players are finding the working of the GST difficult and would like it to be simplified.

Bhim Singh, managing director, Rajasthan Tours, based in Jaipur, says that he has left the GST to the accountants, as he is unable to understand the intricacies.