Welcome
 Welcome once again to Destination World, THE e-newsletter for the worldwide community of tourism destination professionals.
In this issue, we take a look at a topic that's on everyone's mind at the moment – the turbulent global economy and its potential impact on the travel and tourism industry - with facts, figures and opinions from top industry analysts at the World Tourism Organization and the World Travel & Tourism Council. Also, our regular contributor, John R. Hendrie, offers some sound advice for destinations over the coming months. All this, together with news, views, features and events relating to destinations worldwide.
Roger Carter
Managing Editor
 |
Developing Employee Loyalty: The tourism industry is known for high employee turnover, low pay, and often capricious management. Dr Peter Tarlow offers some ideas for ways to increase your employee's loyalty and provide a better customer service experience.
|
 |
A Destination's Value Proposition: With the economy in turmoil and the future uncertain, John R Hendrie has some suggestions for how to keep the visitors coming but, he warns, it will be up to all of our partners to deliver on the promise... for this is a community effort.
|
Research and Reports - What's New?
Switzerland, Austria and Germany have the most conducive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry, according to the second annual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008 from the World Economic Forum ( WEF). This year's report, under the theme Balancing Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability, features detailed profiles for the 130 economies covered and is available online.
* * *
A new survey carried out by Synovate for the multinational hotel chain NH Hoteles suggests that the behaviour and habits of European travellers are becoming less diverse. The report, carried out in five key markets (Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands), can be viewed on the NH Hoteles website.
* * *
Industry pundits have been proclaiming the future promise of mobile travel for years but, according to analysts PhoCusWright, that future will become a reality in 2008. As part of this development, PhoCusWright is launching a major research initiative which will result in a special report on mobile travel and m-commerce - The Future of Mobile Travel - and is inviting organisations to take part. More information is available on the PhoCusWright website.
* * *
The Pacific Asia Travel Association ( PATA) has a range of new publications available:
 Realising China's Tourism Potential looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in developing six key market segments. Through a combination of industry insights and secondary research, this research study provides invaluable perspectives on the future of tourism in China (PRC). The study costs USD 1,200 (USD 600 to PATA members).
The Asia Pacific Tourism Forecasts 2008 – 2010 presents projections of the region's travel future, including forecasting metrics for 40 Asia Pacific economies, and is designed for top-level strategists involved in business planning and marketing. The forecasts are available at a cost of USD 1,500 (USD 750 to PATA members).
* * *
Two new books on branding are available -
Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice is a comprehensive text that explains how the concepts and techniques of branding can be adapted to the context of nations - as opposed to the more usual context of products, services, or companies. The book is available from Amazon.
 Destination Branding for Small Cities provides invaluable information and action points to help destinations become more competitive and effective with their marketing. The book is written by Bill Baker, an internationally respected expert on destination marketing and branding, and presents many fresh approaches and ideas. Available from Amazon.
* * *
A new White Paper, The Impact of Social Networking in the UK, has been published by HitWise. The paper looks at the growth of social networks, including analysis of who's really using social networking websites, as well as offering predictions for the impact they will have in 2008.
* * *
Engagement Marketing: The Essential Guide to Building Loyalty using Web 2.0 best practices by WebTrends in partnership with eMarketer offers an in-depth understanding of social networking marketing opportunities and provides best practices for measuring levels of success.
* * *
Each year, PhoCusWright takes stock of where the industry has been and where it's going and highlights the trends that their analysts believe will transform the global travel industry in 2008. A summary is included on the PhoCusWright website, with further analysis available in the article, In With the Old, In With the New, one of the publications available to Global Edition subscribers.
* * *
 A new handbook for destination management has been produced by TEAM on behalf of UNWTO, the World Tourism Organization. A Practical Guide to Tourism Destination Management provides a single authoritative reference handbook that addresses a full spectrum of activities relevant to those involved in integrated destination management.
The handbook tackles issues such as structures and management frameworks; provides a series of provide practical guidelines and tools; and include case studies and best practice examples. The guide can be ordered from the UNWTO website at a cost of EUR 45.
* * *
Amadeus has launched a new report which identifies globalisation, a new breed of customer and new technologies as three key drivers for the hotel industry. The report – The Future of the Hotel Industry - was commissioned by Amadeus to identify the trends which will affect the hospitality industry in the future and the technology implications for hotels and hotel chains. It can be downloaded from the Amadeus website.
Key Article
World Tourism:
The future is looking good
Last year, international tourism exceeded all expectations with arrivals reaching new record figures close to 900 million. These figures confirm both the sustained growth path of the past years and the resilience of the sector regarding external factors. This development has been supported by a strong world economy, which has experienced its longest period of sustained growth for more than two decades.
 According to figures published by the World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) in the World Tourism Barometer, international tourism arrivals expanded by 6% in 2007, to 898 million international tourist arrivals, as compared to 2006. UNWTO's Secretary-General, Francesco Frangialli, commented: ‘Economic and tourism growth are driven by emerging markets and developing economies. While mature markets remain the leading destinations in the world, the faster growth rate of new markets confirms UNWTO's main message of tourism's potential for the developing world.'
And what of the future? The latest research for travel and tourism indicates a slowdown in the industry in 2008 but, overall, prospects are bright for the next decade.
World travel and tourism is expected to generate close to USD 8 trillion in 2008, rising to approximately USD 15 trillion over the next ten years, according to the latest Tourism Satellite Accounting (TSA) research launched today by the World Travel & Tourism Council ( WTTC) and its strategic partner Accenture.
Overall, the new TSA results reveal a moderate impact on the travel and tourism industry as a result of the global economic downturn, with its annual growth rate experiencing a slowdown in this year of 3%, compared with 3.9% in 2007.
Looking past this present cyclical downturn, the long-term forecasts point to a mature but steady phase of growth for world travel and tourism between 2009 and 2018, averaging a growth rate of 4.4% per annum, supporting 297 million jobs and 10.5% of global GDP by 2018.
WTTC President Jean-Claude Baumgarten explained: ‘Challenges come from the US slowdown and the weak dollar, higher fuel costs and concerns about climate change. However, the continued strong expansion in emerging countries - both as tourism destinations and as an increasing source of international visitors - means that the industry's prospects remain bright into the medium term.'
He continued: ‘Moreover, even in countries where economic growth slows, there is likely to be a switch from international to domestic travel rather than a contraction in demand.'
 Among the 176 countries covered in the TSA research, the United States continues to maintain pole position as the largest travel and tourism economy, but considerable ground has been made by the emerging markets which are experiencing rapid economic growth. In 2008, China will jump from fourth to second position above Japan and Germany and is forecasted to increase its travel and tourism demand four-fold by 2018, accounting for USD 2,465 billion, with an annual growth rate of 8.9%. Among the fastest growers in 2008 is Macau with a growth rate at 22%.
For 2008 and beyond, confidence remains high despite the increased volatility shown by economies worldwide and the weakened confidence in some markets due to uncertainty about the sub prime mortgage crises and economic prospects, in particular for the USA, alongside global imbalances and high oil prices.
International tourism might well be affected by this global context but industry analysts seem confident that, given the current parameters and the industry's proven resilience, growth will continue.
Destination Brand Watch
The Austrian National Tourism Board ( ANTB) last month launched a new marketing campaign incorporating a new brand image - It's got to be Austria. CEO, Petra Stolba, commented, 'With this new campaign we highlight Austria's distinctive characteristics together with unexpected perspectives. The imagery of the new campaign generates attention and interest, exudes continuity but also provides new impetus.
'We aim to produce so called 'decision triggers', which tip the balance in Austria's favour and provide potential visitors with reasons to travel and opportunities to experience. Overall the campaign is designed to inspire and convey Austria as an enriching holiday destination.'
* * *
A global brand media campaign has been developed by the Singapore Tourism Board ( STB). The campaign deviates from previous campaign styles involving celebrities and personalities and, instead, showcases the visitor as the celebrity, encouraging visitors to share their interpretation of what makes Singapore unique with prospective visitors from their own country.
Winnie Pua, Director, Brand Management, STB said, 'By learning from visitors their interpretation of the brand, we can ensure the Uniquely Singapore brand remains fresh, relevant and meaningful for each visitor, encouraging top-of-mind destination recall as well as to invite potential visitors to make a visit to discover their own unique personal experiences here.'
* * *
Germany's capital, Berlin, has launched a new advertising campaign based around the slogan Be Berlin. The campaign, which will be managed by public relations group Berlin Partner, will focus initially on the city's residents, then be extended to include global advertising.
Dates for Your Diary
Some key events for tourism destination professionals taking place within the next few weeks:
Upcoming UNWTO Events...
A Capacity building Workshop on Risk Crisis Management in Oman from April 20th to 22nd. The 47th Meeting of the Commission for Africa Technical Seminar in Nigeria from the 14th to 16th May. The 48th Meeting of the Commission for Europe Technical Seminar which will take place in the Czech Republic from the 15th to 16th May and the 48th Meeting of the Commission for the Americas Technical seminar in Mexico, from the 21st to 22nd May.
* * *
An international seminar on climate change, organised by the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP)- will be held in Oxford, UK, from the 8th to 10th April - Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the tourism sector: Framework, tools and practices.
* * *
The ASTA International Destination Expo ( IDE) provides agents and suppliers with the chance to capture outbound business to Europe. The expo will be held in France, from 12th to 16th April.
* * *
The Chinese outbound travel and tourism sector is fast becoming one of the largest outbound tourism markets in the world. Find out more at the China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market ( COTTM). The event will be held in Beijing, China, from the 14th to 16th April.
* * *
 STAY in touch with the latest distribution, innovation and technology issues at No Vacancy, one of Australia's leading accommodation industry conferences. It's being held in Sydney on April 15th.
* * *
The 8th Annual Resort Conference will be held in San Diego, USA, from the 16th to 18th April. Find out more...
* * *
Now in its 15th year, SATTE is a leading networking opportunity for travel and tourism in India and South Asia. The exhibition will take place in New Delhi, India, from the 18th to 20th April.
* * *
The International Congress on Religious and Cultural Tourism will be held in Portugal, April 22nd to 24th. More info...
* * *
Organisers of IMEX, the award-winning global meetings industry exhibition, are reporting increased participation from all sectors of the industry at this year's Frankfurt show. The event will be held in Germany from April 22nd to 24th.
* * *
The 4th Airline Distribution Conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur from the 22nd to 24th April. This year's conference will include a keynote speech from Idris Jala, Managing Director of Malaysia Airlines, who transformed the airline from near bankruptcy to profitability in less than 18 months.
* * *
Travolution and PhoCusWright have joined forces to present a conference exploring the evolving European online travel market. Taking place on April 24th in London, UK, the conference will bring together high-level speakers, networking opportunities and in-depth discussions on key topics.
* * *
 The 1st PATA CEO Challenge 2008 – Confronting Climate Change – is the first opportunity for the entire travel and tourism industry in Asia Pacific, across both private and public sectors, from NTOs to airlines, hotels to tour operators, to come together and agree on practical solutions to confront climate change.
The CEO Challenge is led by PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Chair of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC), and keynote speaker at the conference, Dr Pachauri, commented: 'Travel and tourism can make a difference in the fight against climate change and I urge industry leaders to take steps to fight climate change before governments pass legislation forcing them to act.'
* * *
From the 8th to 10th May, Tunisia will host the 14th International Mediterranean Tourism Market, the annual Mediterranean, African and Arabic tourism exchange.
* * *
The Arabian Travel Market this year celebrates its 15th anniversary and is expected to attract over 23,000 industry players from more than 100 countries. The event takes place in Dubai from the 6th to 9th May.
* * *
A new strategic partnership with Yahoo! Canada has enabled the 3rd Online Revealed Conference to expand. The event, which takes place in Canada from the 13th to 14th May, now includes educational workshops on search engine optimisation, online marketing strategies, search marketing, Web 2.0, social networking and building communities.
* * *
One of the world's biggest events for travel marketing, pricing and technology executives, the Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2008, will take place in London, UK, from 20th to 21st May.
* * *
The 6th Asia-Pacific CHRIE Conference and THE-ICE International Panel of Experts Forum 2008 will be taking place in Perth, Western Australia, from the 21st to 24th May. This year’s theme is Developing and Delivering Industry - Relevant Education and Research.
* * *
The 6th National Conference on Tourism Futures will be held from the 2nd to 4th June in Queensland, Australia. This year’s conference theme ‘Global Market, Competitive Edge’ will focus on the ways and means that destinations can maintain or achieve a competitive edge despite operating in an increasingly globalised and homogenised world.
* * *
Tanzania is to host a summit on tourism and infrastructure development that aims to address not only Tanzania but the entire African continent. The Sullivan Summit VIII, 'The Summit of a Lifetime', will take place in Tanzania, from June 2nd to 6th.
Conference Highlights
Well, it's not quite a conference but we thought a recent entry on the YouTube, the free video-sharing website, was worth a mention. The Overseas Development Institute ( ODI) has used the YouTube platform to upload a short message explaining the opportunities that tourism presents for developing countries. The ODI is an independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.
|
International News
VisitBritain:
Sustainable tourism strategy
Britain's national tourism office, VisitBritain, has launched a new strategy aimed at promoting sustainable businesses and encouraging responsible visitors. Green Start will enable accredited English accommodation providers and visitor attractions to get the maximum marketing impact from their green credentials.
Jason Freezer, VisitBritain's sustainable tourism manager, said: 'VisitBritain is committed to encouraging sustainable businesses. However, nearly two-thirds tell us they need more guidance on developing their business in that way.
'Green Start is an initial step in helping more of our tourism businesses improve their existing practices and signal to visitors that they recognise the increasing importance and value of sustainable good practice.'
Caribbean:
Sustainable tourism programme
The Turks and Caicos Islands will give the Caribbean region its first 'green island' in the near future as part of the government's sustainable tourism programme, according to Premier Michael Misick.
The statement was made at a news conference to launch the 10th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development which, this year, has a theme of Keeping the Right Balance: Sustaining the Caribbean Coastal Product.
Destinations:
Accreditation programme grows
Seven more destination marketing organisations (DMOs) have recently achieved accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Programme ( DMAP).
DMAP is an industry-wide scheme developed by the Destination Marketing Association International ( DMAI) to establish a consistent standard for destination marketing operations. Currently there are a total of 47 accredited DMOs but DMAI anticipates that nearly 100 DMOs will be accredited by the end of the 2008 application process.
'There are many objectives behind the accreditation program, but it all comes back to increased credibility with customers,' commented Michael Gehrisch, president and CEO of DMAI. 'Earning the DMAP accreditation assures members of the local DMO, local government officials, visitors and business partners that their trust is well-placed in the DMO.'
Destinations:
Lonely Planet hot list
The annual Lonely Planet Bluelist - The Best in Travel 2008 captures what’s hot in travel for the coming year, featuring a collection of the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences from around the world.
ASEANTA:
Awards for Excellence
Tourism Malaysia received the ASEAN Tourism Association ( ASEANTA) Awards for Excellence in Tourism 2008 for the Best ASEAN Marketing and Promotional Campaign category for its highly acclaimed The Time Is Now, The Place Is Malaysia campaign.
The ASEANTA Awards for Excellence in Tourism are granted to organisations and individuals that have excelled in their contribution to the development and promotion of tourism in ASEAN.
Meetings:
Top ten trends listed
Green will be the overriding trend in the meetings and conferences industry this year, according to a survey by Benchmark Hospitality International. Their analysts have predicted the widespread introduction of trends such as the use of personal laptops to reduce the need for paper, health food replacing more traditional conference fare, and outdoor group activities to encourage team-building.
The complete list is available on the BHI website.
e-Business News
Europe:
Internet hot spots listed
Germany is the largest internet market in Europe, in terms of sheer size, followed by Russia and the UK, according to recent estimates by eMarketer analysts. The region contains some of the world's internet usage leaders, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where penetration is around 80% of the population but, in contrast, countries such as Greece, Russia, Poland and Italy lag well behind the European average.
Data from Eurostat shows that 80% to 90% of 16 to 24 year-olds are weekly internet users in most countries in Europe. Some of the notable exceptions to this high penetration rate are in the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, and Italy, which are all below the regional average. Further information on these findings is available on the eMarketer website.
Europe:
Internet distribution trends update
An update of Carl H. Marcussen's report into Trends in European Internet Distribution of Travel and Tourism Services has been published by the Centre for Regional and Tourism Research ( CRT) in Denmark.
The research reveals that online travel sales increased by 24% from 2006 to 2007 and reached EUR 49.4 billion in the European market in 2007 - or 19.4% of the market (up from EUR 39.7 billion or 16% in 2006). A further increase of about 18% during 2008 to about EUR 58.4 billion may be expected (22.5% of the market). The European online travel market could increase by another 8.5 billion EUR or 15% in 2009 to reach EUR 67 billion.
Travelocity:
To power official US website
The Travel Industry Association ( TIA) has announced that Travelocity will be the provider for DiscoverAmerica.com, the official travel and tourism website of the US.
Scheduled to launch in spring 2008, the site will reach the top five inbound markets to the US (the UK, Germany, Canada, Mexico and Japan) which account for around 75 percent or 37 million international visitors each year. It will feature in-depth content on US states, territories and destinations as well as activities, official entry requirements, a community network and mapping.
VisitBritain:
Links online shop with airline
A new partnership between national tourism agency, VisitBritain, and airline BMI is helping British tourism businesses reach a greater pool of consumers and potential visitors.
For the first time, VisitBritain has 'white labeled' its online shop with BMI branding, selling British tourism products such as travel cards, tickets to attractions and events, meals out, hotel guides, books and maps.
Thailand:
New mini-website launched
As part of the Amazing Thailand marketing campaign, the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT) has launched a new mini website.
The site offers information on more than 2,000 tourism products such as hotels, tours, attractions and restaurants, plus there's a directory of agents. It also provides over 300 exclusive travel deals for inbound travellers and social networking capabilities.
Cape Town:
To partner lastminute.com
A Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA) between Cape Town Routes Unlimited ( CTRU) and UK-based travel operator, lastminute.com, has been announced.
Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of CTRU, the official tourism destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape province, said: 'The JMA plays an essential role in encouraging the growth of visitor volumes, spend and yield, ultimately helping to increase destination brand awareness in some of our core markets such as the United Kingdom, USA and especially Germany. It takes our often limited marketing budget and resources so much further and stretches the value of our marketing initiatives.'
Dubai:
Online initiatives
Two new online initiatives are being launched by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing ( DTCM). An online travel reservation system will soon be available on the Dubai website, offering car rentals and airline tickets as well as hotel bookings in 12 languages and in over 160 currencies.
Plus, unhappy visitors can now express their grievances online via the DCTM website. The DTCM Director General, Khalid A bin Sulayem, said the new e-complaints system was a step towards the march on the road to excellence outlined by the Dubai government as part of the e-governance initiative.
Scotland:
New website
VisitScotland.com will launch its new website next month, marking the most significant change to the tourism destination site in 6 years.
Focus groups with stakeholders last year produced some innovative thinking and the new website will incorporate features such as travel tickets and packaged experiences, increased listings and a new directory of tourism services and attractions.
Marco Truffelli, Chief Executive of VisitScotland.com, commented: 'This is a tangible step in e-enabling our tourism service providers, helping them to make more money out of the internet and make our contribution to the 50% growth target by 2015'.
|
