INTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS GREW BY 7%

International tourist arrivals grew by 7% in the first four months of 2010, according to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. "This growth confirms the recovery trend that began in the last quarter of 2009", stressed the organization.
The latest edition of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Barometer has ensured that international tourist arrivals grew by 7% over the months of January and April this year. For the organization, this increase "confirms the recovery trend that began in the last quarter of 2009," despite the difficult situation in recent months, and expects international tourist arrivals to grow for the rest of the year between 3 % and 4%.

While the April results were affected by the closure for a week of European airspace, globally the pace of recovery is faster than originally planned, largely driven by emerging markets, has informed the WTO as a statement. Although only 30 countries have reported data for May, "the vast majority are positive, clearly indicating the continuation of the current rate increases." Source: Nexotur 30.06.10

FERRAN ADRIÀ WILL PROMOTE SPANISH GASTONOMIC TOURISM AROUND THE WORLD

The Spanish Government will promote gastronomic tourism overseas together with Mr. Ferran Adrià, who will become the ambassador for the Spanish Brand for the next few years. The news were presented in London, by Mr. Joan Mesquida, Secretary of Tourism, during the presentation of the I European Congress of Tourism and Gastronomy that will take place in Madrid on May 24 and 25, 2010.

This congress is part of the events organized by the Spanish European Presidency, and its objective is to position Spain as a world reference for gastronomic tourism. Mr. Adrià will be the image of this advertising campaign under the message “I need Spain”. Mr. Ferran Adrà will promote vanguard cuisine as well as traditional dishes and “tapas”. Spain has 4 out of the 8 best restaurants in the world, amongst which Adrià’s “El Bulli” is number one. According to the Industry Ministry, 5.5 million visitors have stated that Spanish cuisine and wines were one of the main motivations for them to visit Spain. Source: Comunicatur 04.03.2010

CHINA WILL BE THE THIRD DESTINATION IN THE WORLD IN 2020, BEHIND THE USA AND FRANCE

According to a study by Amadeus; Brazil, Russia, India and China will become great tourism issuers in the future, given their economies’ improvement.
A traveler increasingly informed and demanding, a move towards a travelling experience increasingly influenced by interactive technologies and the proliferation of minority segments; are the three characteristics that will mark the evolution of the tourism sector, according to the study by Amadeus.

LONDON WILL INVEST 12.000 MILLION EUROS IN TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURES UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF THE “GAMES”

Until the 27th of July 2012, date when the inaugural ceremony of the Olympic Games in London will take place, the tourist sector of the Capital city will be benefited with an investment of 12.000 million Euros. According to Visit London, this quantity is going to be directed to a wide range of infrastructures and services. The city will count with 17 new hotels, increasing the hotel offer in 13.300 rooms. In addition, an important part of this amount will be invested on an improvement and expansion of the network of urban transport, with the extension of the East London line and the redesigning of light train service (DLR) or the new cycle lane and the city bridges.

The provisional representative adviser of Visit London, Sally Chatterjee assures that ”with the countdown started, we can already see how the city changes”. “We have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the world what it is exactly that London can offer and all these investments will benefit, not only the Londoners, but also the people who visit us in the next years”, she added.

Source: www.nexotur.com
Date: 17.11.2009

CETA COLLABORATES WITH THE INTERNATIONAL JOINT WORLD CULTURAL TOURISM CONFERENCE

CETA MASTERS ad published in the conference year book

Every year in Southeast Asia, an important event in tourism takes place: the International Joint World Cultural Tourism Conference. CETA is the European representative of this event, while it also takes part of it, participating in the conference itself. Other countries being represented in this conference include Korea, China, the Philippines, Japan and the USA, amongst others.

This year’s edition, the 10th one, will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, and the main topic will be “Innovations and Strategies”. If you wish to get more information regarding this event, please visit their website: http://www.kasct.co.kr

THE WTO PROMOTES TOURISM AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE CURRENT WORLD-WIDE CRISIS

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has stated that this activity can represent an important motor for the economy of the countries in this time of crisis, even though people have less money to travel. In a study on the perspective of the world-wide tourism in 2009, the organism indicated that although it is possible that this sector does not grow at the same levels that it did in the past years, it is possible that itmaintains a certain dynamics.
This is that, against the growth of up to six percent that reported in previous years, now tourism registers growth of one or two percent, number that in a context of world-wide crisis is not despicable.
In fact, the dependent institution of the Organization of the United Nations, WTO, recommended the Member States to analyze alternative strategies to the tourism which they traditionally receive, to adapt themselves to the circumstances that will appear this year.
It mentioned, as an example, the case of China, that on a population bigger than  6 thousand million inhabitants, counts on an enormous potential for the domestic tourism, that will help them surpass the economic crisis.
Although the document recognizes that not all the countries count on ample possibilities that its domestic tourism replaces the international, yet it is possible to attract foreign tourists of nearer destinations and, therefore, to more accessible prices.
In any case, "mobility is intrinsic to the human being, and therefore, in spite of the economic difficulties, it is possible to suppose that people will continue to travel" , the study states.
For this reason, the WTO anticipated that the tourist sector can be a motor that helps to palliate the negative effects of the economic crisis.

Source: Yahoo! News January 2009

AN UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

The first submarine museum in the world will be in Alexandria, in the east port, about 200 km from Cairo. The ruins of several palaces, such as the Meditations and Cleopatra's, destroyed by several earthquakes, and other important archaeological remains (Egyptian Greek and Roman ...) are still under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. An international scientific committee will discuss the various proposals submitted to make this idea a reality, although the one proposed by the architect Jacques Rougerie has already been seen and liked around the world. His idea for the Museum opens to the surface in the form of four candles, with one hand connected to the coast, from where visitors will be transported to the area through underwater fiberglass tunnels.

Source Revista Savia, epoca IV, nº 64 - January 2009