U.S. Travel Lauds President’s Embrace of VWP for Poland
WASHINGTON (September 18, 2018)—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on comments by President Trump during the visit of Polish President Andrzej Duda that the administration will explore adding Poland to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
“The U.S. travel community has long evangelized the Visa Waiver Program as perhaps the best and easiest way to strengthen economic and security ties with our strategic partners, and Poland would be a very logical next addition to the program.
“History shows that expansion of the VWP dramatically increases arrivals of secure, pre-vetted business and leisure travelers into the United States—boosting U.S. exports along with them—while enhancing anti-terrorism cooperation with the new member country. Poland, as a firmly pro-U.S. democracy with an ever-expanding economy, would make an ideal addition to the program.
“By stepping down the path of adding Poland to the VWP, President Trump and President Duda are cementing an important strategic relationship while benefiting the economies of both countries—a win-win if there ever was one.”
Bartlett Lauds Travel Agents as Valued Tourism Partners
OCHO RIOS, St Ann, Jamaica, September 17, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has lauded travel agents as “true partners for Jamaica” as the destination consistently attains record visitor arrivals, especially over the past two years.
The accolade was showered on the travel agents on Saturday night as the Tourism Minister delivered the keynote address at the Sandals 16th Annual USA Travel Agent Golf Tournament Awards Dinner at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort. He told the 150 team members from North America that their being here provided “a wonderful opportunity for us to show off who our true partners are and who are the great producers for Jamaica.”
Minister Bartlett said Jamaica was “very serious” about honouring travel agents and tour operators “because we are perhaps one of the few countries in the Caribbean that actually gives national honours to our partners both in the distributive trade as well as in other areas of tourism relationships.”
He mentioned that travel agent Edith Baxter from the Edith Baxter Group was awarded the Order of Distinction “in recognition of the work that she has done for tourism in Canada on our behalf.” In October this year, two Americans will be honoured accordingly. Bill DiMaggio of Mark Travel who has brought visitors to Jamaica for 50 years is one and the other John Mullen, now retired from Apple Vacations.
Underscoring that the travel agents’ support and marketing of Jamaica has paid off, Minister Bartlett noted that 50 years ago 400,000 people visited Jamaica as tourists and spent US$87 million compared to 4.3 million visitors last year spending US$3 billion. Additionally, the tourist industry employed 119,000 Jamaicans last year against 9,000 50 years ago. “So you see that because of you, today over 53 percent of the foreign exchange generated by the country is directly from tourism,” he told them.
The Tourism Minister said according to STATIN and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), tourism was the only industry that had grown as a percentage of GDP over the last ten years, moving significantly from 7.1 percent in 2007 to 8.4 percent in 2017. “The hard-core fact that these numbers are indicating is the economic value and impact of tourism today,” he said.
Minister Bartlett gave an assurance that Jamaica had grown over the years not just as a centre where people come to enjoy sand, sea and sun “but we have emerged to becoming a safe, secure and seamless destination.”
Minister Bartlett also commended the Sandals for its singular role in creating the world’s top hotel brand in Jamaica and the success of its travel agents golf tournament. He mentioned that as part of the Sports and Entertainment Network in the Tourism Linkages Network, a deliberate effort was being made to develop sports tourism and in that regard, discussions were held with a firm in Canada recently to bring golfers to Jamaica.
New UNWTO Report Helps Cities Manage Impact of Tourism
Madrid, Spain, 14 September 2018 – The tourism sector’s shift in focus towards innovation and experiences, and traveller demand for diverse and immediate experiences in cities, will underpin the discussions of the UNWTO Conference on City Breaks: Creating Innovative Experiences (15-16 October 2018) in Valladolid, Spain. Development of city breaks can enhance tourism’s benefits on societies and the economy, which is at the core of UNWTO’s mission.
The report examines how to manage tourism in urban destinations to the benefit of visitors and residents alike. It proposes eleven strategies and 68 measures to help understand and manage visitor growth. The report is the result of collaboration between UNWTO, the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH), Breda University of Applied Sciencesm and the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI) of NHL Stenden University of Applied sciences.
The recent growth of urban tourism requires the sector to ensure sustainable policies and practices that minimize adverse effects of tourism on the use of natural resources, infrastructure, mobility and congestion, as well as its socio-cultural impact. Increased reports of negative attitudes among local populations towards visitors, due to perceived overcrowding, noise and other issues, have led to the spread of terms such as ‘overtourism’ and ‘tourismphobia’ in the media.
“Governance is key. Addressing the challenges facing urban tourism today is a much more complex issue than is commonly recognized. We need to set a sustainable roadmap for urban tourism and place tourism in the wider urban agenda,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “We must also ensure local communities see and benefit from the positive aspects of tourism”, he added.
To better understand visitor management challenges in urban contexts, particularly the relationship between residents and visitors, the report includes an analysis of residents’ perceptions towards tourism in eight European cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Munich, Salzburg and Tallinn.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to deal with overtourism. Instead tourism needs to be part of a city-wide strategy for sustainable development”, Dr. Ko Koens of the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH) and Breda University of Applied Sciences concludes. The report recommends a common strategic vision among all stakeholders involved, bringing residents and visitors together and adopting careful planning which respects the limits of capacity and the specificities of each destination. “The involvement and support of local residents is key in achieving sustainable tourism”, Professor Albert Postma of CELTH and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences explains. “Building shared responsibility amongst stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in tourism development is a key for ensuring long-term sustainability”, involved researcher Bernadett Papp concludes.