New on IFTTA News

• USA: DHS report says X-ray scanners at airports are safe;
  
• ECJ Advocate General: air ticket pricing rules regarding ‘optional price supplements’ also apply to a cancellation insurance;
  
• USA: Appelate court affirms foreign nationals' standing to challenge a "no-fly list" inclusion;
  
• European Union: Parliamentary Transport and Tourism Committee calls for improved air passenger rights;
  
• ECJ to hear cases challenging its "Sturgeon" judgement;
  
• European Union: Public consultation of stakeholders on the "European Charter for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism";
  
• European Court of Justice: insolvency protection also applies in case of a package organiser’s fraudulent conduct;
  
• "Reviews you can trust" - UK Advertising Standards Authority finds TripAdvisor ads misleading;
  
• USA: Appelate court confirms limitation of liability clauses in airline's "Conditions of Carriage";
  
• Germany: new reference for ECJ preliminary ruling regarding Reg. 261/2004;
  
• EU Transport Commissioner receives commitment from Cruise industry to fully engage in review of passenger ship safety rules;
  
• Canada: body height is not a disability;
  
• UNESCO: cruise ships should steer clear of Venice lagoon;
  

Antarctica: call for stricter tourism regulations

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) has called for stronger controls after the grounding of an expedition cruise ship in Antarctica this week, the fourth such accident in that region over the last three years. ASOC said said Tuesday's grounding of Quark Expeditions' Ocean Nova was cause for concern. Marguerite Bay, where the accident occurred, has a number of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas that contain a number of bird and seal colonies, including over 30,000 Adelie penguins. ASOC said that tourism to Antarctica over the past decade "has been characterized by steep annual increases, diversification, and geographic expansion," with the number of visitors increasing to 46,000 in 2007-08 and 39,000 in 2008-09, a four-fold increase since 1990.

Source: Travel Weekly; find article here>> and the full text of ASOC's statement here>>.

UNWTO: World Tourism Day 2008 Think Tank

The main conclusion of this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) Think Tank held on the theme ”Tourism Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change” was that tourism growth must be pursued with increasing emphasis on ethics, local community involvement as well as reducing carbon emissions systematically.
A group of leading public and private tourism stakeholders, representatives of civil society and of the UN system highlighted the inter-relationship between climate response and global poverty reduction efforts. Simultaneous efforts on both fronts are key to effectively meet and promote sustainability goals by the tourism sector.

Participants of the Think Tank welcomed two new initiatives:

• ClimateSolutions.travel: Built with support of Microsoft, this portal will be a global repository of good practice for all tourism stakeholders to replicate.
• Tourpact.GC: The first sectoral initiative of UN’s Global compact. It links the Corporate Responsibility Principles and Processes of the Compact with UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. The UN Secretary-General has welcomed it as an initiative to be followed by other sectors.

Source: UNWTO press release; read full text here>>.

Antarctica: threatened by tourism?

Tourism in Antarctica has grown dramatically. In 1985, just a few thousand people visited the area but in the season 2007/2008 more than 40,000 did the same. Increasing tourism on Antarctica can result into a threat for the vulnerable South Pole area.

Antarctica is not a sovereign state and so legislation is difficult. With strict guidelines and codes of conduct, the umbrella organisation of Antarctic tour operators, IAATO, has been able to dispel many of the concerns. However, this self-regulation is no absolute guarantee for a healthy tourism industry on Antarctica.

Research from Maastricht University provides a possible solution: marketable visitor rights, as already used in the climate policy by means of trading in CO2 emission rights..

Source: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. "Tourism on Antarctica Threatening South Pole Environment; Solution Offered." ScienceDaily.

Iceland: Europe’s largest national park established

Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park is Europe’s largest national park, Icelandic Enviroment Minister Thorunn Sveinbjarnardottir proclaimed last Saturday. Vatnajokull National Park includes Europe’s largest glacier in its entirety, some land bordering it as well as land previously belonging to two discontinued national parks. The initial size of the national park is 12,000 square kilometers, which authorities hope to increase to 15,000 square kilometers within the next couple of years.
Critics of the park’s funding say that the government has not made enough money available for this important but giant project. Further, they say the money is incorrectly spent. Instead of improving access to the national park or paying salaries, most of the money is allocated to the construction of four new visitor’s centers.

Source: eTurboNews; read full article here>>.

Belize: agreement to balance cruise ship tourism and conservation

Members of Belize’s cruise tourism industry on Monday signed a Declaration of Commitment, in which key industry stakeholders - including government, private sector, civil society (NGOs) and the cruise lines – commit to create sustainable cruise tourism practices, such as protecting coral reefs. The commitment is the second such environmental agreement developed for Caribbean passenger cruise line destinations by Conservation International’s (CI) Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI). It is also the first to address considerations by an established nature tourism destination and will likely serve as a model for cruise line travel destinations around the world.

Source: EurekAlert!; find full article here>>.

Kerala to Welcome Global Experts at International Responsible Tourism Conference

Around 400 delegates and international speakers will get together in Kochi from March 21 to March 24 at the Le Meridien International Convention Centre to learn about the latest developments and practices in Responsible Tourism.
Speakers from over 20 countries including the UK, Germany, Gambia, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bhutan will discuss wide-ranging topics like local economic development and poverty reduction, taking responsibility for destination sustainability, travel philanthropy and the role of government – national and local.

Source: eTurboNews; find full article here>>.

World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Report Highlights the Importance of Environmental Sustainability

Switzerland, Austria and Germany have the most attractive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry, according to the second annual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008, released today by the World Economic Forum. Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Canada and France complete the top-10 list. The rankings cover 130 countries around the world.
Improvements have been made to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) this year. The “environmental regulation” pillar has been revised and improved as well as being re-named the “environmental sustainability” pillar to better reflect its components and to capture the increasingly recognized importance of sustainability in the sector’s development.
The TTCI measures the factors and policies that make it attractive to develop the T&T sector in different countries. It is composed of 14 pillars of travel and tourism competitiveness:

1. Policy rules and regulations
2. Environmental sustainability
3. Safety and security
4. Health and hygiene
5. Prioritization of travel and tourism
6. Air transport infrastructure
7. Ground transport infrastructure
8. Tourism infrastructure
9. Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure
10. Price competitiveness
11. Human capital
12. Affinity for travel & tourism
13. Natural resources
14. Cultural resources

This cross-country analysis of the drivers of competitiveness in travel and tourism provides useful comparative information for making business decisions and additional value to governments wishing to improve their travel and tourism environments.

Source: World Economic Forum; read full press release here.

Note that "Policy rules and regulations" is regarded the first pillar - thus in my opinion emphasising the importance of a legal frame i.e. travel and tourism law.

UNTWO: Historic Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market 2007

World Travel Market is hosting a major UNWTO Ministers’ Summit on Tourism and Climate Change today, Tuesday 13 November. More than 100 Ministers will be asked to consider and ratify a Declaration recommended by environmental experts at the UNWTO’s Summit on Climate Change in Davos, Switzerland in October.
The Ministerial Declaration will be put to the UNWTO’s General Assembly at the end of November and will be a major aspect of the organization’s submission to the United Nations Bali Climate Summit in December 2007.
The Summit at ExCeL London, between 9.00 -14.00hrs, will be broadcast to World Travel Market delegates in the Central Boulevard as well as to a dedicated media room in the International Press Centre.

Source: UNTWO press release; read full text here.

Turkey: Ecotourism Awards at 68th SKAL World Congress

The 6th Annual Skål International Ecotourism Awards were presented by the President of Skål International, Litsa Papathanassi and Vice President, Media and Public Relations, Hulya Aslantas in the presence of the Minister of Tourism of Turkey, Mr. Ertugrul Gunay during the Opening Ceremony of the 68th Skål World Congress held in Antalya, Turkey on 5th November 2007 at the Maritime Pine Beach Resort. Skål, founded as an international association in 1934 is the largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals in the world, embracing all sectors of the travel and tourism industry, in five Continents, 87 Countries and at over 500 locations, with 22,000 members from hoteliers to travel agents, Airlines, tourism media, tourism academies etc.

The winners are announced as follows:

In the category of Tour Operators and Travel Agents:
AQUA-TREK'S FIJI CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROGRAM, FIJI ISLANDS

In the category of Rural Accommodation:
MARARI BEACH, A CGH EARTH EXPERIENCE HOTEL, MARARIKULAM, INDIA

In the category of Urban Accommodation:
UPPAL'S ORCHID - AN ECOTEL HOTEL INDIA

In the category of General Countryside:
CORAL REEF WALK&RESTORATION PROGRAM AND CORAL FARM, FIJI ISLANDS

In the category of Cities and Villages:
ECOVITA ORGANIC CAMPING AND FARM, ECUADOR

In the category of Educational Programmes and Media:
YACHANA LODGE AND YACHANA HIGH SCHOOL, ECUADOR

Detailed information about the winners can be found on the Skål International website or by clicking the following direct link: www.skal.org/html/ecotourism/eco.asp?idioma=I

Bahamas To Ratify Sustainable Tourism Convention

The Bahamas is set to ratify the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Sustainable Tourism Convention, and Chairman of the ACS Special Committee on Sustained Tourism, Bahamas Tourism Minister Neko Grant, has urged other regional leaders to follow suit.
The Director of Sustainable Tourism of the ACS, Jasmin Garraway, who addressed the meeting on b ehalf of the secretary general expressed her satisfaction at the news of the impending ratification of the Tourism Convention by The Bahamas. She also congratulated the Minister both the decisive step and on his new role as Chairman of the Special Committee on Tourism.
The Bahamas was elected Chairman of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism at the 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council Meeting in Guatemala, after having served as Vice Chairman of that Committee for 2 consecutive years.

Source: The Bahama Journal; full article here.