Brazil: interactive online tourism experience

The Brazilian Tourist Board, EMBRATUR, announced the world's first Google/YouTube brand channel combining videos and Google maps to provide an interactive online Brazilian tourism experience. Accessible at www.youtube.com/visitbrasil, the site features more than 85 videos from Brazil. This is the first convergence of its kind involving Google Maps into YouTube to date.

Source: Brazilian Minstry of Toursim; find announcment in Portuguese here>>.

European Union: Parliamentary hearing of Commissioner-Designate Dalli

The parliamentary hearing of the Commissioner-Designate for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, is to take place on 14 January at 13.00hrs under the lead of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, with MEPs from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and Agriculture and Rural Development Committees also attending.

Source: European Health & Consumer Voice; find more information here>>.

USA: Bush administration under pressure over travel rule

The public and various US lawmakers are clamoring for changes to the Bush administration's controversial Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). This comes as news of the United States Department of Homeland Security recently implemented some changes to the travel rule because of a huge backlog in passport applications.
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee and the full House unanimously voted to delay implementation of WHTI anytime before June 2009. The full Senate must now vote and is expected to consider the rule's delay in coming weeks.
This action comes after the Bush administration announced earlier this month it will delay the air requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative due to extensive delays in processing passport applications. US citizens are now allowed to travel by air with a government issued photo identification and Department of State official proof of application for a passport now through Sept. 30, 2007.
Meanwhile, the National Tour Association (NTA) has said it believes the requirements of the WHTI should not take effect until June 2009 at the earliest, as supported by legislation currently in Congress.

Source: eTurboNews; full article available here.

"Senate Commerce Committee Reports Bills Promoting Travel to U.S. [...]"

"WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation reported four bills today, including the Travel Promotion Act of 2007, which promotes international travel to the United States through a non-profit Corporation for Travel Promotion.
[...]
“The travel and tourism industry is a driving force for our nation’s economy,” said Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii). “The Travel Promotion Act will attract visitors to America and improve our nation’s image abroad, all while bettering our nation’s economy.”
“This legislation will help increase the number of foreign tourists who visit the United States by creating a robust travel promotion campaign,” said Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). “This bill is particularly important to my home State of Alaska, where the travel and tourism industry is the second largest private sector employer. More than 24,000 Alaskans hold tourism-related jobs, and the industry contributes more than $2 billion to our State’s economy each year.”

S. 1661, Travel Promotion Act of 2007
Introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), with the original cosponsorship of Chairman Inouye and Vice Chairman Stevens, the Travel Promotion Act of 2007 would establish a non-profit Corporation for Travel Promotion (Corporation) and establish the Office of Travel Promotion within the Department of Commerce headed by the Under Secretary for Travel Promotion, to promote international travel to the United States.
The Corporation would be comprised of a 15-member board consisting of representatives of states, the federal government, higher education, and the travel industry, who would use advertising, among other means, to encourage travel to all regions within the United States, and correct misperceptions overseas regarding U.S. travel policies. The bill would authorize the Corporation to borrow $10 million from the Treasury in 2008 to cover its initial expenses but require the Corporation to pay the funds back by 2012. Starting in 2009, the Corporation would be required to raise non-federal funds, including in-kind contributions. Based on the amount raised by the Corporation, up to $100 million in federal matching funds would be made available annually from the Travel Promotion Fund established in the Treasury. The Travel Promotion Fund would be financed by a $10 user fee, which would be imposed on international travelers to the U.S. under the visa waiver program. United States taxpayers will not bear the cost of supporting the Corporation.
The Under Secretary would serve as liaison to the Corporation, work with the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State Department to improve the entry and departure experience for international visitors, and promote travel into and within the country.
As amended, the bill also would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a model port of entry program at the 20 airports with the highest number of foreign travelers arriving annually. The Secretary is further directed to hire 200 additional Customs and Border Protection officers to address staffing shortages at the 20 airports, subject to appropriations."
As stated by the Public Information Office.

Florida: 2007 Tourism Leadership Summit

The third annual Tourism Leadership Summit, featuring some of travel and tourism’s best and brightest minds, is scheduled for the 19th to 21st of September, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. Organized and presented by Skål International Orlando, the program is open to any senior executive in the industry worldwide. It is unique in that its emphasis is on personal development of the attendee with attendance limited to no more than 200, allowing participants excellent networking opportunities with fellow decision makers.

Source: ForImmediateRelease.Net; read full article here.

"Unified tourism authority planned"

According to The Japan Times Online, "The transport ministry is planning to integrate its tourism-related divisions into a single authority in fiscal 2008 to better attract international visitors and help reinvigorate local areas through tourism, officials said Tuesday.
Under the goal of making tourism a major industry, the government is trying to increase the annual number of foreign tourists to 10 million by 2010, and the planned authority would help spur those efforts, the officials said.
The launch of such an authority has been urged by both Diet chambers in resolutions following the enactment in December of a basic tourism promotion law, as well as by the travel and transport industries.
About 7.33 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2006, compared with about 17.53 million Japanese tourists going abroad, which the government aims to increase by 2010 to 20 million."

"Sri Lanka: Tourism Police Division"

As reported today by Quintus Perera at the Asian Tribune, the "Ministry of Tourism, Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the Police Department working together established a Tourist Police Division and its head office would be located at the Sri Lanka Tourist Board Premises, to coordinate, facilitate and service the needs of the in-bound and out-bound tourists.
Milinda Moragoda Minister of Tourism declared open the Tourist Police Division and Victor Perera, Inspector General of Police and Renton De Alwis, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourist Board associated the Minister.
Moragoda speaking at the occasion said that the establishment of this Tourist Police Division would ensure the eradication of harassing the tourists and to provide a conducive environment for them to enjoy the hospitality and the nature, culture, adventure of Sri Lanka.
He said that they are hard at work to build confidence of the tourists under the present situation and they are constantly discussing all the intricate matters with the stakeholders. He said that one of such confidence building activity is the setting up of this police division which would exclusively serve the travel industry." Read more...

UK Parliament inquiry into air travel branded a waste of time

UK Parliament's Transport Committee has launched a wide-ranging inquiry into passengers’ experience of air travel. It will cover every stage of the journey from buying tickets to travel links to and from airports, arrangements for baggage and the comfort of seating on aircraft.The inquiry is also looking into how easy it is to get compensation from airlines when things go wrong, and whether international conventions about passengers’ entitlements are enforced adequately. The members of Parliament are also asking whether there is any difference in the general experiences of budget airline customers compared with those who use full-service scheduled carriers.
Ryanair is one of the low-cost airlines that have been repeatedly criticized by consumer groups for offering low headline fares then loading the true cost with numerous service charges, including most recently a charge for checking in baggage. In its turn, Ryanair criticizes the UK government for loading air travel costs with taxes. “Ryanair has far better things to do than waste time at a House of Commons Committee which is itself wasting time talking about passengers’ attitudes to air travel at a time when Gordon Brown is busy stealing an additional £1 billion from UK passengers and visitors this year.”

Source: travelindustryreview.com. Read more here.

Tourism for Tomorrow Awards finalists are announced

The World Travel & Tourism Council is honoured to present the finalists of the 2007 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. 12 candidates have been selected from more than 130 applications from over 40 different countries representing all 7 continents. Their alphabetical order in each of the four categories is:

Destination Award
Great Barrier Reef - Australia
Greenbox Trading - Ireland
http://www.VermontVacation.com - USA

Conservation Award
Aqua-Trek - Fiji islands and USA
Aspen Skiing Company - USA
Caiman Ecological Refuge - Brazil

Investor in People Award
10 Knots Development Corporation - Philippines
Nihiwatu Resort - Indonesia
Sunderbans Jungle Camp - India

Global Tourism Business Award
Lindblad Expeditions - USA and Global
Six Senses Resorts & Spas - Thailand and Global
Wilderness Safaris - South Africa

Winners will be invited to a prestigious awards ceremony at the Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Lisbon, Portugal on 11 May, 2007 and will have the opportunity to present their business or destination to more than 600 tourism industry, government and media leaders.

Source: http://www.tourismfortomorrow.com/prevwinners/2007finalists.htm

Commisson's information on air passenger rights incorrect

The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, has called on the European Commission to correct inaccurate and misleading information contained in leaflets, posters and a video presentation on air passenger rights. This follows a complaint to the Ombudsman from two airline associations. They criticised the information provided by the Commission on the rights of travellers to compensation and assistance in the event of denied boarding, cancellation of flights or long delays. Although the Ombudsman did not find all the complainants’ allegations to be justified, he identified certain inaccurate and misleading statements in the information material and asked the Commission to correct them. One of the statements in the leaflets and posters reads: "If you are denied boarding or your flight is cancelled, the airline operating your flight must offer you financial compensation and assistance". The Ombudsman considers that this sentence wrongly suggests that compensation has to be paid in every case where a flight is cancelled. The Ombudsman also agrees with the complainants that a statement in the video that "Immediate and automatic compensation will be paid for delays, cancellations and overbooking" is inaccurate as compensation never has to be paid in respect of delay, and where compensation is payable for cancellation and overbooking, it does not have to be paid immediately. The Ombudsman accepts that the information material provided by the Commission could not be expected to be complete, but considers that the information given must be accurate. The Ombudsman therefore asks the Commission to correct as soon as possible the inaccurate and misleading statements identified in his inquiry.
Source: http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/release/en/2007-01-10.htm

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)

New Year message from UNTWO: "Increase tourism to fight poverty"

According to UNTWO, 2007 should be a critical year to consolidate tourism as a key agent in the fight against poverty and a primary tool for sustainable development. Against a projection of continuing worldwide growth in international tourism of more than 4% for international arrivals and revenues, Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli called for renewed effort to include sustainable tourism in the international development agenda, as a key tool to advance the Millennium Development Goals.
The Secretary-General said that the organization would intensify its actions to support the sector, advance the MDGs and promote the Global Code of Ethics in the years ahead. In this context and in order to help respond to the immediate challenges and opportunities he announced that in 2007, UNWTO as the UN Agency for Tourism would :

• Convene a World Summit on “Tourism and Religion”, hosted by the Government of Spain, which will explore ways to strengthen the interrelationship between tourism and the world's great religions so as to further encourage peaceful development and intercultural dialogue.
• Organize a second Summit on “Tourism and Climate Change” hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom and in collaboration with World Travel Market. The Summit, which will consider new international developments like the UK Stern Report and President Chirac's call for a post-2012 international climate change policy, would be preceded by a technical conference and would build on the foundation of the 2003 UNWTO Djerba Declaration.
• Hold a Global Conference for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities , hosted by the Government of Tunisia, to explore how tourism can more effectively encourage understanding between nations and how its benefits can be more readily spread to the community level. It will also explore how to enhance decision making between different levels of government.
• Celebrate the role of women in tourism , linking its UN World Tourism Day theme of “Tourism opening doors to Women” with MDG 3 promoting gender equality. Host of the 2007 World Tourism Day on September 27 th will be the Government of Sri Lanka.
• Strengthen its ST-EP Program (Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty) by consolidating funding partnerships with government / private sector sources, by boosting the activity of the Foundation established in Seoul, Korea and by launching new projects – particularly in Africa.
• Intensify its eTourism initiatives, together with Microsoft, to introduce an Emergency Response System; operationalize the Windows on Africa Portal for Distribution and Destination Management; explore ways and means to use technology to increase Security and simultaneously reduce hassle for travellers: coordinate action on tourism across the UN system.
• Launch its Centre of Excellence for Destinations in Montreal , supported by the Federal Government of Canada and the Provincial Government of Quebec to promote and support sustainable quality tourism at the community level.
• Consolidate its organization to respond to changing times, through its new management leadership: restructured secretariat and by more active private sector involvement, with a strengthened Affiliate program and expanded PPP network.
  

Read the full message here.

Switzerland joins European Aviation Safety Agency

Switzerland today officially became a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency. It is the fourth non-EU country to adopt European Union aviation safety legislation after Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Patrick Goudou, Executive Director of the Agency, said: “I welcome Switzerland’s membership. It is an important step towards a more integrated safety system in Europe and underlines the key role of the Agency in this system”. The four non-EU countries are represented in the Agency’s Management Board and nationals of these countries are eligible to work for the Agency.
Source: EASA-Press release 2006-11-30

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)

Service Tax on Air Travel Impedimentary to Tourism?

The Civil Aviation Ministry in India has expressed concern over the impact of imposition of service tax on air travel on tour and travel business. In conjunction with the Tourism Ministry, Civil Aviation Ministry is intending to ask India's Finance Minister to reconsider the decision to impose service tax on air travel, which is now being charged on flying business class and first class on any airline.

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)

ACI/IATA Friction

Airports Council International is to Airports what IATA is to carriers. The two international trade associations are at odds over several issues regarding airport costs, responsibility for pre-boarding security costs, etc. Earlier this year, ACI issued a report that dealt in detail with what it calls the three weak links in pre-boarding security....processes, people and equipment. Improvements in all three areas will require money and airport/airline co-operation. However, in a July 2006 speech to The Aviation Club of the UK, ACI's Director General called for IATA to disengage from any role in such discussions, suggesting that IATA does not really want the principals to meet directly. ACI denounced IATA for engaging in a "phoney war", "distortions", "empty rhetoric" and "an anti-airports agenda". It called on IATA to become a partner, and not an adversary.

(Originally posted by Doug Crozier)

Hawaii Tourism Authority Releases Resident Sentiments Survey Results

As long-term trend the report noted a declining belief that tourism has been “mostly good for you and your family,” although the shift has been more to perceptions of “mixed” than to “mostly bad” impacts. The survey found widespread appreciation of positive economic impacts but more questions about social and environmental impacts. For the first time, a definite majority has agreed that “this island is being run for tourists at the expense of local people.” Because past surveys have shown positive feelings towards visitors, the analysis suggests this agreement may reflect frustration over the failure of the infrastructure to keep pace with growth. The full report can be downloaded at http://www.hawaii.gov/tourism.

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)

Canadian Transportation Agency and check-in times

In a January 31, 2006 decision, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled on the efficacy of a carrier's rules regarding check-in times and gate appearance times. It decided that Air Canada: a) did not have the right to deny boarding to passengers who arrived after the carrier's "recommended" target of checking in at least 60 minutes prior to departure, but b) would have had the right to deny boarding to a passenger who did not comply with the carrier's rule that he "must" be at the gate at least 25 minutes prior to flight. The decision can be found at
http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/rulings-decisions/decisions/2006/A/C/54-C-A-2006_e.html.
Shortly after the decision was released, news coverage of it caused the CTA concern that its ruling had been interpreted as meaning that check-in times need not be honoured. As a result, it issued a clarifying Press Release, which can be found at
http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/media/communique/2006/060203_e.html

(Originally posted by Doug Crozier)

Switzerland joins European Aviation Safety Agency

Switzerland today officially became a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency. It is the fourth non-EU country to adopt European Union aviation safety legislation after Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Patrick Goudou, Executive Director of the Agency, said: “I welcome Switzerland’s membership. It is an important step towards a more integrated safety system in Europe and underlines the key role of the Agency in this system”. The four non-EU countries are represented in the Agency’s Management Board and nationals of these countries are eligible to work for the Agency.
Source: EASA-Press release 2006-11-30

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)

Tsunami Recovery Program

Four international organisations have given the green light to a natural restoration of the coastal areas in Asia. The goal is to rehabilitate the ecosystems in these areas and, as a result, to guarantee the local population income from natural resources and a safe living environment. The project was developed in response to the tsunami that hit the region on 26 December 2004. In places where mangroves, coastal forests and coral reefs were still intact, the effects were less disastrous. Through this project, the organisations want to work with governments and the local population to achieve sound coastal development. For details see
http://www.wetlands.org/greencoast/en/news.aspx?id=f634f6f1-27d3-43ae-8f9f-9b8435fa88d8

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)

Unidroit Hotel Contracts

The Governing Council of Unidroit at its 80th Session has approved the issue of hotel contracts being put on its reserve list with a view to future work on it if resources are available. It now appears on the reserve list for the Unidroit Work Programme for 2002-2004.

(Originally posted by John Downes)

World Travel and Tourism Council: Forecast Growth in 2003

The WTTC released a series of reports on 8.11.02 predicting a strong forecast for the last quarter of 2002 and strong growth in 2003. “The relative strength in consumer spending in many countries compared with expectations earlier in the year has helped maintain personal Travel and Tourism spending”. Despite the Bali bombings and uncertainty caused by potential military action against Iraq the WTTC/Oxford Economic Forecasting reports a forecast of 4.1% real growth in 2003.

(Originally posted by John Downes)