UNWTO News Issue 11

Contents from UNWTO's latest newsletter:

One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities - new UNWTO campaign calls on one billion tourists to make their actions count
Small changes in travel behavior can contribute to positive change throughout the world. With one billion tourists traveling the world in a single year in 2012, transforming these one billion tourists into one billion opportunities is at the heart of the online campaign launched by UNWTO to celebrate this historic milestone. Read more +

International tourism strong despite uncertain economy
International tourist arrivals grew by 4% between January and August 2012 compared to the same period of 2011. The resilience of international tourism in a continuing uncertain economy is further confirmed by the positive data on tourism earnings and expenditure. Read more +

Ministers of Tourism call for intra-governmental coordination to address visas and air connectivity
Ministers of Tourism gathered in London for the 6th UNWTO/World Travel Market (WTM) Ministers’ Summit concluded that complicated visa processes and policies that limit air connectivity continue to present major barriers to the growth of travel and tourism. Ministers and representatives from major tour operators and airlines further called for increased intra-governmental cooperation and support from the highest levels of government to break such barriers (London, United Kingdom, 6 November 2012). Read more +

Christmas is coming

"Now that sounds crazy too. Carrying Mr Vukaj through snowdrifts, over mountains, down valleys and up the great looping staircase of hairpin bends, over the pass and down to the city ... But that’s that. Decided. For the sake of the village. For the sake of our honour. This is what they must do."

A short extract from Prella's Gift, my short piece based on an Albanian Christmas tale soon to debut as part of Show of Strength theatre company's Christmas show at the Southville Centre in Bristol (15-16 & 22-23 Dec): see http://showofstrength.org.uk ffi.

Florentines

Excerpt from work-in-progress

And so there we have it: bench creaks

and shutter clicks, unmuffled.

Shameless adoration.

Tourist congestion

around the Botticelli.

We’re trying to make this up

as we go along.

Amongst the art-junkies

in the café on the roof

of the Uffizi, sparrows

do at least not shit

in cups of over-priced coffee.

In the photograph,

I almost look happy.

Over at the Accademia,

there's Byron’s head on a shelf.

We could drink cocktails all night,

for ten Euros.

In the drafty yard

of the Strozzi Palace,

Sarra’s got the bit between her teeth:

she's typing, pigeon-style,

on a Remington portable,

140 characters – a retro-Tweet.

It goes on. It’s cold

and we should go back

to the hotel. Sometimes

that’s what happens.

Tom Phillips 2012 

Venice & Cruise Tourism

Residents in Venice, Rome are voicing their concerns over the number of cruise ships visiting the city; there has been a dramatic rise in the number of ships bringing tourists, from 206 in 1997 to 655 in 2011. This recent BBC article reports on the issue and more on this has been written by Travel Weekly. 

Earlier this year, UNESCO had asked Italy to limit cruise ships to the area.

Cruise Industry News

The Cruise Industry News website has an extensive range of information relating to cruising; this includes the latest cruise news, an annual report and feature articles from their magazine; readers can also sign up for their newsletter.

A special report produced by CIN on the Asia-Pacific can be found here.

World Travel Market 2012

The World Travel Market which took place recently, drew over 40,000 people to visit ExCel in London for the annual event, a higher number than the previous year. In case you missed it, the news and events have been well-documented in the WTM blog

The website is packed full of news, pictures and videos taken over the three days; this includes the events offered, press and PR, insight and opinion. Reports produced can be found on this page.

  

WTM TV  features short videos of key speakers at the event.

WTM Global Trends Report 2012

Euromonitor, in association with the World Travel Market, have helped compile a new report this month, which takes a look at  global travel trends; contents are as follows:

Americas: The Attraction of Forbidden Lands - 

Previously off-limit countries welcome more Americans.

UK: Tingo Rips up the Rule Book - 

Tingo offers customers the best hotel rates.

Europe: BRICs' Grand Shopping Tour - 

Brazil, Russia, India and China turn to luxury shopping in Europe.

Travel Technology: The Power of Smart TVs - 

Smart TVs integrate TV, internet and social media with opportunities for travel brands.

Middle East: Rise of Shopping Hotels - 

As popularity of shopping rises, hotels locate closer to shopping malls.

Africa: Destination Nollywood - 

Nigeria’s booming film industry draws intra-regional visitors.

Global Village: Digital Detox - 

Hotels offer detox holidays to help device-addicted consumers de-stress.

Asia: Luxury Car Brands Take on Hotels - 

Luxury car brands which are popular across Asia, now make inroads in the hotel sector.

India: Gold Rush on Low Cost - 

Indians’ take advantage of low-cost fares to travel to the Middle East's gold souks

The report can be viewed in GMID (Athens) 
or can be downloaded here ( registration required)

Celebrating World Responsible Tourism Day 2012

To support and promote World Responsible Tourism Day 2012, Routledge have collated a selection of articles relating to sustainable development in tourism destinations and are offering free access to these up to 31st December 2012. View the collection here.

Youth Recreational Football, Soccer Championship Games Scheduled for this Weekend, Next

The department will hold its 2012 youth football and soccer championship games November 10 and November 17. 

         The Football Championship Games will be played Nov. 10 at the City Stadium, 600 McCloy St. The teams are organized around the department’s community centers and by the age of participating children.

         In the Junior Division, for age 12 to 14, the Battery Park team will

Tourism Review

The latest issue of the Tourism Review Online Magazine can be viewed here. Articles cover:

• Heritage: Where on Earth Is That? 
• Professional: Have Fun! Travel with Kids 
• Adventure: Go Deeper for Breathtaking Dives 
• Ethical: Faith Tourism - Rich Religious Heritage 
• Destination: Saint Petersburg - The Imperial Capital of Russia

The Adventure Trade Travel Association (ATTA) provides a research page on their website which has various reports published by the organisation, many of which can be downloaded in full. One of these is the Adventure Tourism Development Index,  a ranking of adventure tourism potential for countries around the world, based on principles of sustainable adventure tourism. The index gauges a country's potential to be competitive in adventure tourism, based on the ATDI foundational principles of supporting holistic tourism policy and planning, with an industry goal of economic, as well as environmental and cultural, sustainability.

Cheerleading Jamboree to Showcase More Than 600 Cheerleaders

The department will hold its annual Cheerleading Jamboree on Thursday, November 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum. Approximately 600 cheerleaders from the department’s community centers and area high schools and colleges will perform during the event.

     Tickets for the event are $4.50 for children 11 and younger and $7 for children 12 and older and adults. They are available from

Photo Exhibit Captures City’s Youth Boxing Program

The department will host an art exhibit featuring the photographs of select youth from the Battery Park Community Center, who were chosen to creatively capture photos of members of the Richmond Cobras, the department’s youth boxing team. The exhibit, titled “The Sweet Science: Boxing Through the Lens of a Child,” will open with a reception on Friday, November 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the

The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) is an organisation with over 100 member companies from across the world who are dedicated to appropriate, safe and environmentally-sound, private-sector travel to the Antarctic.

The website includes guidelines, resources and articles. Detailed tourism statistics of visits to the continent from 2000 upto the present, can also be found here.