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The French Caribbean destination of St Martin will make history when it hosts the first state of the industry conference organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in September.

President of the St Martin Tourism Authority, Ida Zin-Ka-Ieu, and the CTO secretary general, Hugh Riley, made the announcement at a joint news conference. The event was also attended by Edward Dest, the marketing manager of Dutch St Maarten’s tourism bureau and Lisa Noel, the product development assistant, also of Dutch St Maarten.

“The Caribbean Tourism Organization is thrilled that St Martin has taken this opportunity to demonstrate its creativity to the Caribbean and the world by hosting our first ever state of the industry conference,” said Riley.

“We are excited about the event and we are confident that St Martin will make itself and the Caribbean proud.”

The September 14th-17th conference will look at the current state of the Caribbean tourism industry and how to deal with issues that impact on the sector, with a view to building for the future. Bringing together policymakers, executives and tourism industry professionals, this conference will mark the premiere State of the Industry Conference for CTO, who represents tourism for over 30 Caribbean countries.

This year’s conference will focus on the themes of beating the global recession and the ways to succeed within a competitive environment. Organized in part with the Saint-Martin Tourist Office, the event will also demonstrate the ways in which the Caribbean has overcome current economic challenges and how they are continuing to improve local tourism. Topics to be covered will include maximizing on limited resources, how to influence the affluent traveler, and tips on being competitive.

This conference will also see the return of the Tourism Youth Congress at which Caribbean youth will debate issues of concern to the tourism industry.

“This is a very important conference which deals with a number of issues that are relevant to St Martin and the Caribbean tourism sector,” added Ms. Zin-Ka-Ieu. “We are very pleased that the CTO has chosen St Martin to host this historic event.”

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion named Jim Evans, a longtime leader in the hospitality industry, its first CEO. Evans will be responsible for leading the Corporation's efforts to promote the United States as a travel destination and strengthen the U.S. tourism industry.

"I congratulate Jim on his appointment as the first CEO of the newly created Corporation for Travel Promotion," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. "Promoting tourism is an important part of the President's National Export Initiative and the overall U.S. economy, and we are fortunate to have Jim's leadership in growing this industry. I look forward to working with him to bring more visitors to our country."

"After considering dozens of candidates, Jim stood out to us as one of the most accomplished executives in the industry today, and he is the Board's unanimous choice to build America's first national program to attract international travel," said Diamond Resorts CEO Stephen J. Cloobeck, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Travel Promotion. "Jim's deep knowledge and decades of leadership in the travel industry are exactly what we need to build this organization."

Travel and tourism is one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries. Over the next 10 years, travel and tourism's total contribution to global GDP is forecast to rise to $9.2 trillion, bringing with it 65 million new jobs. By 2021, travel and tourism will be responsible for one in 10 jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Each overseas visitor to America spends an average of $4,000 per trip on hotels, restaurants, attractions, retail and other activities.

"Attracting more international travelers to the U.S. will benefit the industry and our country by creating jobs, growing exports and spurring economic growth," said Evans. "I am proud and excited to serve the travel industry - and our country - in carrying out this important mission."

The Travel Promotion Act, which created the Corporation for Travel Promotion, was signed into law in 2010 in order to help the U.S. capture a greater share of the global travel market. Once it is implemented, the entity will have a budget of up to $200 million, with half of the funding coming from the private sector and no cost to U.S. taxpayers. The program will be responsible for using advertising and other marketing tactics to help increase visitor spending in the U.S.

(Photo credit - photos.prnewswire.com)

Marriott Vacation Club was recently presented with two prestigious Stevie Awards in recognition of its outstanding sales and customer service teams at the fifth annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Marriott Vacation Club’s Global Owner Services was named winner of the People’s Choice Stevie Award for “Favorite Customer Service” in the Leisure and Tourism category, with over 177,000 votes cast by the general public, while the brand’s sales team was named “Sales Department of the Year” in the Hospitality and Tourism category.

“Being recognized for our outstanding customer service and our industry leading sales force is a great honor and a wonderful testament to the passion, hard work and commitment our teams put forth every day to serve our Owners and guests,” said Brian Miller, senior vice president of sales, marketing and service operations for Marriott Vacation Club International.

Marriott Vacation Club was also a finalist in five additional categories including:
Customer Service Department of the Year – Leisure & Tourism, Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats), Global Sales Team of the Year, National Sales Team of the Year, and Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year.

In previous years, Marriott Vacation Club has received Stevie Awards for Best Sales Organization, Best Customer Service Organization, and Contact Center of the Year.

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific has expressed its full support and solidarity with the people of Japan in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Holding their annual meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka (March 24-25, 2011), UNWTO members from Asia and the Pacific also discussed individual country concerns regarding their tourism sectors in light of persistent global economic challenges.

The 23rd Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for South Asia and the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific adopted a special resolution on Japan, expressing “support to, and solidarity with, the government of Japan and the Japanese people as a whole." The resolution stressed support to “Japan’s tourism industry in its endeavors to offer travel assistance to both foreign and local tourists to ensure their safety.”

The announcement came as Japan confirmed it would decommission four stricken reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant. Operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) made the announcement three weeks after failing to bring reactors 1 - 4 under control.

In his report to the Joint Commission, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said that while the recent catastrophe in Japan would have a short-term impact on Japanese tourism, “The dynamism and resilience of the tourism sector in Asia will contribute to foster continued growth throughout the region.”

International tourism in Asia and the Pacific grew by more than 13% in 2010, making it the first region to recover from the financial and economic crisis. Against this backdrop, UNWTO expects international tourist arrivals to Asia to grow between 7-9% in 2011.

An expanding economy is the primary driver of the tourism boom in both the business and the leisure segments in Asia, and the potential for tourism demand is still strong. “Destinations in the region are making significant efforts to tap this potential, putting targeted marketing strategies in place, such as the theme-year initiatives planned for 2011 in Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Nepal, Vietnam, and others,” said Rifai.

UNWTOis a specialized agency of the United ‎Nations and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. It serves as a ‎global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.‎ UNWTO plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, ‎sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the ‎interests of developing countries.

UNWTO's membership includes 154 countries, 7 territories, and over 400 Affiliate ‎Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations ‎and local tourism authorities.‎

A new report from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has singled out developing nations for praise following sharp increases in spending, as reported by Breaking Travel News.

Despite the continuing difficulties in the global economy, two thirds of national tourism organizations in developing countries increased their budgets last year the report finds.

The Budgets of National Tourism Organizations, 2008-2009 goes on to say that the trend can in part be attributed to the continuing trend towards establishing well-funded national tourism promotion agencies in emerging economies and the awareness of the potential for boosting tourism through increased promotion.

Carried out in conjunction with the European Travel Commission (ETC), the report adds the importance of additional funding as a complement to initial budgets seems to have been increasing.

Additional funds are used to cater for sporting mega-events; to promote big cultural events, business events, and expos; or to recover from specific disruptions affecting tourism such as natural disasters, health outbreaks, or the overall global economic crisis.

Another key finding of the publication has been the increased responsibility for domestic tourism among national tourism organizations. With consumers tending to travel closer to home in times of economic hardship, several destinations have seen domestic tourism endure the crisis better and even grow significantly.

The publication reports that 70% of respondents currently see domestic tourism as a core responsibility, more than double the equivalent share five years ago.
UNWTO estimates that domestic tourism represents four times the volume of international tourism, i.e., there are some 4 billion domestic tourist arrivals worldwide compared to the 880 million international tourist arrivals registered in 2009.

The publication further identifies e-marketing priorities and trends, in particular regarding the use of new technologies in tourism marketing and promotion. The report reveals that average spending on internet and e-marketing activities varies from $50,000 (USD) for some of the smaller ones to $5-7million (USD) for some of the largest and richest destinations.

The UNWTO report is good news for timeshare vacationers. You can find a timeshare rental or exchange in such emerging markets as Thailand, South Africa, China, and Indonesia.

The United States doesn't attract nearly as many foreign travelers as it used to. And to try to address that, the U.S. government and travel industry have just announced the launch of the new Corporation for Travel Promotion.

Until now, each U.S. state has been responsible for attracting its own domestic and international tourists. The United States has never promoted itself to the world as a whole country.

"The U.S. never needed to until after the 9-11 attacks," says Geoff Freeman of the U.S. Travel Association. "Then international neighbors started feeling like they weren't wanted."

The U.S. has seen fewer overseas visitors in every year since September 11, 2001. And the decline in tourism has cost the country an estimated 18,000 jobs. The Corporation for Travel Promotion is trying to bring back those jobs.

A public and private partnership between the government and the tourism industry, the CTP board members include Mark Schwab, senior vice president-alliances, International and Regulatory Affairs, United Airlines; Al Weiss, president, worldwide operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; and Caroline Beteta, president and CEO, California Travel & Tourism Commission.

The group says one of its first tasks will be convincing international travelers that the U.S. is looking forward to seeing them, and every state needs the power of the U.S. brand to encourage people to visit.

“Even California does. Certainly Mississippi does, or Tennessee,” says Caroline Beteta, president of California's Travel & Tourism Commission, and now also the vice chairwoman of the CTP. "We need people to be thinking about America. If they're not thinking about America, they'll never consider California."

Each state is still going to promote itself and its iconic landmarks, and Beteta says the CTP will also promote those same icons to attract first-time visitors.
"In China and India, where it's a life dream for somebody to visit America, they're going to be more responsive to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Las Vegas." But Beteta says the group plans to market all of the country — all the different experiences and food cultures that aren't as popular abroad. She calls it the "Undiscovered U.S."

The U.S. Travel Association's Freeman says getting Homeland Security to improve the visa system and create a more efficient and "friendly" entrance procedure will be the most challenging work for the CTP.

"We have to convince these leaders to embrace the idea that we can be the world's most secure country, while also being the world's most welcoming, while also being the world's most efficient, while also being a country that promotes commerce," Freeman said.

(Photo credit - greenpack.rec.org)

South Africa begins hosting the World Cup this month, shining the spotlight of world travel on not only that nation but all of Africa as well. In a previous post we talked about how international tourism is rebounding, especially in the Asia and Africa markets, and in another post we highlighted the month-long World Cup competition. A timeshare exchange can get you on board with the world's newest travel hotspot - Africa.

If you're wondering where in this huge continent to go, keep an eye out for the results of the "Travel Oscars," which will take place during the World Cup. Twelve hundred of Africa’s key "movers and shakers" will attend the most important event of the year for Africa's travel and tourism industry, on July 7, 2010, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The gathering for the World Travel Awards “Africa and Indian Ocean Ceremony 2010” will include CEOs and directors of some of the region’s leading travel companies, government ministers, heads of tourism departments and destinations, as well as industry association leaders.

“This is Africa’s finest night for tourism,” explains Graham E. Cooke, Founder and President, World Travel Awards. “It’s a once-a-year opportunity to recognize the exceptional quality, creativity and leading edge performance of Africa’s top operators. And because consumers use the awards as a benchmark of quality, the winners receive significant commercial benefits from the honor."

During the past few months, industry professionals around the world have been voting for the African companies and brands that they believe deserve to be recognized. The nominees are among 5,000 nominated African companies, spread across more than a 1,000 categories, including airlines, cruise companies, destinations, resorts and hotels.
World Travel Awards, described as the ‘Oscars’ of travel and tourism, was established 17 years ago and is the only global organization that encourages and supports improvement and development of the travel and tourism industry.

So pay attention to the winners, and give yourself the unique opportunity to explore this fascinating continent by taking advantage of your timeshare exchange program, one of the great bonuses of being a timeshare owner.

In a recent article from the Associated Press, it was reported that U.S. airlines are holding steady in this economy. This is due to the fact that many filed, or were close to filing bankruptcy in the last downturn, and they were forced to take a close look at their business. At that time, they reduced debt and cut labor costs so they emerged leaner and with fewer liabilities. This is helping them to weather the recession storm fairly well, though they are still faced with challenges.

Even with all those changes years ago, all the major U.S. Airline carriers lost money last year, except Southwest, and it is estimated that the worldwide airline industry will lose $9 billion this year. Even the reduction in the price of jet fuel is not helping because with no one paying for airline tickets, fuel costs are a mute point. Airlines are holding their own by stocking cash. Southwest has sold several jets and leased them back. US Airways Group Inc., and JetBlue Airways Corp. raised money by selling debt that could be converted to stock.

Reduction in passengers is the biggest problem. Noticeably people are traveling less. Business travelers have been grounded, or if they do fly are no longer sitting in first-class seats. Many personal leisure travelers are concerned about losing their jobs and have also reduced their travelling habits. In an effort to save money, American and Delta announced their plan to make even deeper cuts once the summer vacation season has passed, offering fewer flights or using smaller planes. Unfortunately, fewer flights means fewer jobs as there is less need for pilots, flight attendants and airplane mechanics.

Those who do choose to travel will be pleased to encounter some of the cheapest travel prices in years! Carriers have slashed summer fares in an effort to lure vacation hungry travelers out of hiding, so, for those who are willing, great deals are out there for the taking. This should be great news to those with vacation ownership, knowing that you can benefit from reduced airline fares as you book travel to your timeshare resort.

So, we can’t look to airlines to provide jobs to bolster the economy, but, it appears we can expect them to provide cheap air fare rates and if that will get people travelling again, that does help the economy through money spent in the tourism industry.