INDONESIA: 100 Tourist Destinations Will Be Digitally Available

The management of at least 100 tourist destinations in Indonesia is set to be digitized to support sustainable tourism.

We are targeting to have 100 digital destinations across Indonesia by 2018, said the Tourism Ministry's information technology and digital department special staff, Samsriyono Nugroho, during the Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia (MIKTA) Forum in Yogyakarta on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.co.

Sustainable tourism comprises three management aspects, said Samsriyono, which are economy, environment and community developments.

Established in 2013, MIKTA is a cross-country communication platform that involves Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey and Australia. This year Indonesia serves as the country coordinator for the forum.

Samsriyono says there are things to consider in order to boost tourism digitization, such as how to encourage tourism exchange, which involves ensuring all small and big tourism businesses have gone digital to open the market.

This tourism database is crucial to be able to be globally accessible.

Once connected, Samsriyono said the next step would be exposing in detail the richness of each destination, such as batik crafting spots, traditional cooking classes, mountain trekking and other localities that highlight tourist villages' characteristics sought after by foreign travelers.

Exposing these locality details also encourages the residents of the destination to love their environment, local values and nature; hence we'll be able to reach the target of sustainable tourism, he added.

In addition to benefiting the market, Samsriyono said digital tourism could also help preserve the destination in collaboration with the locals.

For instance, using social media, the downside of a destination could be immediately noticed and handled. For example, a dirty tourist attraction could be found quickly and reported to the management.

Meanwhile, for tourism business people and the government, digital tourism can serve as a big source of data to map the tourism market based on destination interest, which will help put a focus on marketing plans.

For example, European and Japanese tourists are known to prefer heritage destinations like Borobudur and Prambanan temples.

Meanwhile, tourist markets like China are more interested in exploring the south part of Indonesia, which has many beaches.


Tourism Observer

HONG KONG: Chinese Tourists Made More Than 130 Million Outbound Trips In 2017 And Spent US$115 Billion

From T-shirts declaring disputed territories to brawls in luxury boutiques, the antics of Chinese tourists overseas have generated many a headline recently.

However, those who have made viral news are but a small percentage of the millions who now travel overseas, 130 million did so in 2017, a number that is expected to rise this year, according to a report by a think tank, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Eager to cash in on the significant spending power of the newly intrepid population, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, China accounts for more than a fifth of the money spent by outbound tourists.

Destinations around the world are clamouring to attract travellers from the Middle Kingdom. But do places actually experience a net benefit from the boom?

Here in Hong Kong, one of the most popular destinations for mainland Chinese tourists, the advantages are often overshadowed.

Tourism is one of the major pillars of the SAR’s economy, with the total expenditure associated with inbound tourists amounting to HK$296.7 billion last year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Nevertheless, a 2017 study published in the Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, which explored local residents’ perceptions towards visitors from across the border, found that although economic and educational gains are recognised, they are far outweighed by social and cultural concerns.

Those surveyed, pointed out that mainland Chinese are rude, and lack social etiquette and education.

However, a new generation of Chinese tourists who are opting out of tour packages in search of more authentic experiences is doing what it can to subvert the stereotype.

This demographic is of particular interest to developing destinations such as Laos, which welcomed 639,000 Chinese visitors in 2017, according to and where tourism officials and local residents alike are hopeful increasing numbers of visitors will have a positive effect.

Having declared 2018 the year to Visit Laos, authorities are working hard to improve infrastructure, much of it with the help of investment from China, which is not always welcomed with open arms.

Of course, there are many horror stories that illustrate the environmental and societal pressures brought to bear by the unfettered growth of tourism on a destination that is not completely prepared for it.

But, with strategic planning, a more sustainable approach and increased local involvement, there have been success stories.

Laos’ own Vang Vieng is a prime example, having overcome a tainted reputation to emerge as a destination popular with travellers from China and South Korea in search of a very different experience to that of the backpackers who came before them.

And while it may not be reaping quite the economic rewards it was at peak party time, Vang Vieng is now doing its thing with an eco-tourism tagline and without the heavy loss of life.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH KOREA: THAAD Anti-missiles,China Orders Travel Agencies To Stop Selling Trips To South Korea

South Korea suffered a 40% plunge in Chinese visitors last month, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.

Chinese tour groups have been canceling trips because of anger over the deployment of a controversial U.S.-built missile defense system in South Korea.

Chinese authorities are believed to have told travel agencies last month to stop selling trips to South Korea.

The outlook is bleak, too. Bookings for stays of four to eight nights by Chinese visitors are down 28% in the second quarter of 2017 compared with a year earlier.

China has vigorously opposed the stationing of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, complaining that it threatens security and fuels tensions in the region.

The South Korean government says the system is designed to reduce the threat from North Korean missiles.

South Korean businesses that rely on foreign tourists are feeling the chill. Chinese citizens accounted for eight million of the roughly 17 million people who visited South Korea last year and are big spenders.

There's been a big reduction in the number of groups of Chinese tourists in Seoul since the THAAD missile crisis, said Kil Ki-yon, the director of Seoul Tiger Bus, a company that takes Chinese visitors on tours of the city.

South Korean conglomerate Lotte said its duty free stores have taken a huge hit, too.

Sales to Chinese customers between mid-March and mid-April plunged 40% from a year earlier, according to a spokesman for the group.

Chinese tourists tend to account for as much as 80% of duty free sales, he added.

The difficulties come at a time when outbound travel by China's burgeoning middle class is surging. The Chinese spent $261 billion traveling abroad last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, a 12% increase compared with the previous year.

ForwardKeys said Southeast Asian countries are the most likely to benefit from South Korea's problems with China.

The tensions between Beijing and Seoul over THAAD show little sign of easing.

South Korea is pushing ahead with the system, parts of which have now arrived at the planned deployment site, the South Korean Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated its opposition, warning that "China will firmly take necessary measures to safeguard its own interests."

SOUTH KOREA: Chinese Tourists Desert South Korea Because Of Looming War With North Korea

During the May Day holiday, the Jeju Cruise Terminal in South Korea used to be packed with thousands of passengers from the ports of Shanghai, Tianjin and Qingdao disembarking from large cruise liners and boarding their tourist buses.

This year, however, little Putonghua could be heard during the holiday period, a major travel date for Chinese tourists.

The last time the port saw large numbers of Chinese faces may well have been March 11 when about 3,400 tourists refused to set their foot on the resort island in protest against South Korea’s decision to deploy a US-developed missile defence system to counter the threat of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.

3,300 Chinese cruise passengers stage boycott at South Korean resort amid missile shield row

Beijing says the system poses a threat to its own security and its stance has sparked Chinese consumer boycotts of South Korean products and restricted tourism, in particular, organised tours by travel agencies or cruise ships.

“The afternoons used to be our busiest hours when cruise ship passengers landed in Jeju and came for shopping,” said a saleswoman at the Jeju Shilla Duty Free shopping mall. “Now, no such thing.”

The saleswoman is one of the increasing number of Chinese people working in tourism in Jeju. Like many others, she is an ethnic Korean from China’s northeastern provinces.

As she can speak Putonghua and Korean it enabled her to get a job on the island, which last year received an estimated four million tourists from China.

China’s anger over THAAD missile shield will hit South Korea’s economic growth, central bank says

Since Jeju became a visa-free destination for Chinese passport holders in 2008, hotels, restaurants, stores and other service sectors have boomed.

But after the missile shield dispute escalated in March, the number of Chinese tourists to South Korea as a whole has plummeted. In March, 360,782 Chinese visited the country. That compares with 601,671 in the same month last year, a drop of 40 per cent. [One shopper laden with goods in Jeju. Photo: SCMP Pictures]

The Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju bills itself as one of the “world’s top 10 popular museums among Chinese visitors”, but during the May holiday it was mainly relying on South Korean visitors.

Next to it, the K-Pop Museum, a centre for Chinese fans of Korean pop culture, was still loudly playing hit songs, but visitors were limited and mostly from South Korea.

Li Shuang, a Chinese driver and tour guide who have been working in Jeju for three years, said the past couple of months have been very hard.

A colleague of Li’s added: “We should consider some alternative plans, maybe buying local goods and selling on the internet back to China.”

Hong Kong tourists flock to South Korea to fill in void left by Chinese

About eight million Chinese tourists travelled to South Korea last year, nearly half the total number of overseas visitors. Of the Chinese who came to South Korea, about half are believed to have visited Jeju.

Signs and notices in simplified Chinese characters can be seen at the tourist sites around the island. Popular Chinese domestic mobile payment apps such as AliPay and WeChat Pay can be used, from duty-free department stores to street corner convenience stores.

Some Chinese tourists are still in Jeju, particularly individual travellers outside tour groups. And the appetite for South Korean products and cheap international brands still appears to exist.

The South Korean retail giant Lotte is the target of a consumer boycott in China after it allowed the deployment of the missile system on some of its land.

China’s online boycott puts Lotte in cross hairs amid THAAD row

But one middle-aged woman from Shanghai was busy buying at its duty-free store in Jeju.

“I don’t care much about politics. It has little to do with us ordinary people,” she said, as she paid for designer bags. She and her friends had visited the store twice in two days.

Another tourist, Lin Lifen from Tianjin in northern China, holds a Lotte VIP card, given after US$10,000 has been spent on purchases. In her purse were more membership cards for other South Korean retailers.

“I’m just buying for friends. They like Korean cosmetics,” she said.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech Tourism Is Best Now Since 2000

The Czech tourism sector has enjoyed a bumper season in the first nine months of the year with 14.6 million tourists staying in accommodation.

That is the highest total since 2000 and 7.1 percent above the total during the same period in 2015.

Many more Czechs visited sites at home with stays up by just over half a million at 7.4 million.

The number of foreign visitors climbed by 419,000 to 7.1 million. Germans counted for 1.4 million of those visitors.

There were strong rises as well in the number of visitors from China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

THAILAND: Bangkok Beats London As World's Most Popular Travel Destination

The Thai capital of Bangkok has beaten London to be crowned the world's most popular travel destination this year, according to an annual ranking by global payments and technology company Mastercard.

Tourism has been one of the rare bright spots for Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, which has grappled with weak consumer confidence and exports after a 2014 coup the military said was aimed at ending months of political unrest.

Last month's wave of bomb blasts in southern Thailand, which police have blamed on Muslim separatists, appears to have had a limited effect on tourism.

Bangkok, also known as the "city of angels"', topped the 2016 listing of 132 cities, beating London, Paris and Dubai to become the city most visited by international travellers in the Mastercard Index of Global Destination Cities.

"It isn't a flash in the pan. Bangkok is in a strong position to be the top destination city for a long time," Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Mastercard chief economist said.

"There's the value for money, especially for visitors coming from high-income countries."

Thailand expects to welcome a record 33 million visitors this year, thanks to a jump in the number of Chinese tourists.

Sprawling Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international visitors in 2016, just ahead of second-ranked London, with 19.88 million visitors.

"The pollution makes it a less than ideal city to stay long term, but the food is second to none," James Donnelly, 31, a tourist from Britain who was visiting the city on his way to Vietnam, said.

Elsewhere in Asia, the Japanese city of Osaka has shown the strongest growth in international visitors over the past seven years, attracting tourists from neighbouring countries, particularly China and South Korea, said Mastercard.

The British capital topped the 2015 ranking of global destinations, but Mastercard did not say why some of its shine had rubbed off for travellers this year.

The two cities have topped the ranking for most of its history.

VIETNAM: Hoa Binh Lake Becomes National Tourist Area

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam’s Prime Minister has approved the plans, which cover a vast area of 1,200 hectares surrounding the lake, including the city of Hoa Binh and the districts of Da Bac, Cao Phong, Tan Lac and Mai Chau.

Development will focus on several key sectors, including ecotourism, adventure tourism, sports activities, MICE, and cultural tourism, including the area’s ethnic minorities. Tourism products such as “experiencing culture of the Muong ethnic minority and sightseeing around Hoa Binh Lake” have been identified.

The overall goal is to attract 630,000 visitors to the area by 2020, including 30,000 international tourists. This is then expected to increase 1.6 million visitors by 2030. International markets being prioritised include France, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Hoa Binh Lake is located approximately 100km southwest of Hanoi.

LATVIA: Riga Will Host Baltic Connecting 2016

The most important event in the Baltics for tourism professionals will be organized already for the 10th time.

The aim of the international tourism forum "Baltic Connecting" is to inform tourism industry professionals about tourism opportunities in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, by acquainting them with the tourism offers and services in the region, as well as create the opportunity for foreign tourism professionals to meet with potential cooperation partners in the Baltics and establish new contacts.

For the first time “Baltic Connecting 2016” will focus on the growing significance of long-haul markets, inviting to the Baltic region travel trade professionals from Japan, USA, China and South Korea.

The largest and most important event in the Baltics for tourism professionals "Baltic Connecting 2016" will be organized for the 10th time. The event will gather travel trade representatives to promote Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian tourism products and acquire new business contacts.

The programme will include: a workshop (4.10.2016 Latvia), consisting of destination presentations, scheduled individual B2B meetings and networking with Baltic travel agents and professionals from the different fields of the tourism industry, as well as socializing with representatives of travel companies from long-haul markets; international tourism conference(4.10.2016 Latvia) focusing on market trends, destination marketing and cooperation in attracting tourists from distant markets and study trips to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania (05.-08.10.2016) for travel trade professionals from long-haul markets, with the aim of introducing the attendees to the diverse tourism opportunities in the region.

IRAN: Foreign Tourists Spend Billions In Iran

Masoud Soltanifar, head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said that some five million foreign tourists visited Iran last year, spending at least 7.5 billion dollars.

"Currently, the country's income from tourism industry accounts for half a percent of the global revenue," Soltanifar said, adding that the government seeks to increase the figure to two percent by 2025, IRNA reported.

The senior official, who is also a deputy to the Iranian president, noted that Iran ranks 47th on the list of countries with highest tourist number, saying that given its tourist destinations, the country needs to attract some 20 million foreign visitors by 2025.

A New York Times report last month said tour operators in America have been speaking of a surge in bookings by many Americans who, undeterred by a State Department warning about travel risks to Iran, are keen on visiting the country.

Iranian officials said that the country's tourism sector aims to attract $30 billion by 2025.

Iran hosts some of the world's oldest cultural monuments, including 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and its varied terrain ranges from desert locales to ski resorts.

Iran tourism, however, reportedly suffers some deficiencies such as shortage of enough hotels and some financial restrictions for foreign money transfers.

Officials say hotel groups from Germany, Greece, South Korea and Singapore traveled to Iran last year for talks on hotel construction.

Europe's largest hotel group Accor has already built two four-star hotels at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside the capital, Tehran.

Also, the UAE-based Rotana plans to open a five-star 600-room hotel in Tehran and another in the city of Mashhad, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year.

United Airlines Takes Over Pan Am’s Pacific Routes

Three decades ago, an ailing Pan Am was looking for a solution to its financial woes. In order to raise cash to finance the acquisition of its Airbus A320s (order placed in 1984) and the A300s and A310s that were delivered, as well as still reeling from the failed merger with National, “The Chosen Instrument” as it was called opted to cut off its profitable left arm, selling its Pacific division to United Airlines on April 22, 1985.

The deal included all Pan Am routes and assets in the region (except Hawaii), 18 aircraft, which included Pan Am’s Boeing 747SPs and Lockheed L1011-500s, and 2,700 of its employees in the airline business, all for $750 million in cash (equivalent to almost $1,7 billion in today’s figures).

Though the routes were profitable for Pan Am, the airline felt that the upgrade cost to modern equipment would be prohibitive. On the other hand, United, which became the first airline to serve all 50 U.S. states in 1984, was in a favorable financial position and the deal , which came in effect on February 7, 1986, was the onset of its transformation as a global carrier.

Prior to the purchase of the routes, United’s only transoceanic services were to Tokyo via Seattle which began in 1983. Since then it has continued to build the most comprehensive route network of any U.S. carrier, offering the most trans-Pacific service. For the United, these routes have been consistently profitable, even during the post 9/11 crisis years.

For Pan Am, it was the beginning of the end. After half a century of pioneering experience in the Pacific, the distinctive Clipper service was gone for good in Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, leaving an enormous gap in its once massive route network.

In the following years, Pan Am would shed other company jewels like London Heathrow to United in 1990 and then most of its European network with the exception of Miami to Paris, in 1990-91. Marred with operational, financial and reputational setbacks, Pan Am was finally forced to declare bankruptcy on January 8, 1991 and ceased operation forever on December 4, 1991.

SEYCHELLES: Victoria In Carnival Sounds

Minister St. Ange with his colleagues from South Africa, Madagascar and the one and only Kitty Pope of Africa Diaspora Tourism in Atlanta Georgia

'This was the best opening I have seen and I have seen them all' did a fellow journalist say when the lights in the Stade Popiler went on again after the opening act of the 2016 Carnival International de Victoria had drawn to a close amid thundering applause from the spectators.
The VIP area was crowded, led by none other than President James Alix Michel, Vice President Faure, former President Sir Mancham and tourism ministers from South Africa, Madagascar and other dignitaries.

Two short speeches, both to the point, by the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board Ms. Sherin Naiken, followed by a trilingual address in English, Kreol and French of Tourism Minister St. Ange, set the tone for the rest of the night.

When the stage lit up and the annual carnival theme song was performed as opening act were spectators on the edge of their seats and the area under the three stages immediately crowded by TV teams and photo journalists, trying to capture the performers.

On stage went Brazil, China, Vietnam, India, Sweden, South Korea, Ethiopia as well as co-hosts of the event this year, South Africa and Reunion Island, all thrilling the crowds with flashy costumes and killer moves, the combination of which brought out cat whistles and screams from in particular the open stands where thousands of Seychellois has crammed into to see and be part of what has become the islands' main trademark festival.

In his speech did Minister St. Ange refer to the Seychelles carnival festival as the United Nations of Culture, and certainly is is the United Nations of Carnivalistas, who now come in ever larger numbers to this unique festival where - unlike their home carnivals where they perform - they now showcase their crafts and skills besides the most highly ranked carnival troupes from around the world.

The teams mentioned before will be joined in the parade by two German 'Karneval Vereine', from Duesseldorf and Cologne, others from Italy, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, in total 23 foreign performing floats and groups ready to do their thing this afternoon in the centre of Victoria.

It was evident, when invited guests crowded into the Gran Kaz Casino for the after party, that the hosts, staff of the Seychelles Tourism Board, the CEO of the Tourism Board and most notably Minister St. Ange, were beaming with pride for what they have achieved, perfect weather, a balmy evening under the full moon over the Seychelles' capital and a performance, as said already, better than any seen so far, rounded up by fireworks over the stadium at the end of the night's performance.

The Seychelles, a rainbow nation in its own right, perhaps more than any other nation on earth, has the spotlights of some 124 global media houses on them this weekend and going by the look of it, this will be a huge success once more to put the archipelago on the map.

Key sponsors, worth mentioning for helping to make this happen, were Air Seychelles / Etihad, Airtel Seychelles and among others also Kenya Airways, the Pride of Africa, which flew many of the African delegations to Mahe.

Today, come 3 p.m. will the carnival juggernaut waltz through Victoria, on a different route too from previous events, to give more locals and tourists the opportunity to line the streets and cheer on the performers, 23 foreign and dozens from the Seychelles, who have taken to the carnival like the proverbial fish to water.

RUSSIA: Visit Russia Tourism Office Opens In Hanoi

The Russian government opened a Visit Russia office in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi on April 14. The office aims to promote tourism in Russia from ASEAN and East Asian countries.

The office will work with travel agencies from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea.

“The main missions of the office are to create a positive image of Russia as a country favorable for tourism and recreation, increasing confidence in the Russian tourism industry, and promoting all regions and all types of tourism in Russia from Asia,” Alexander Basov, the head of the Hanoi office told RBTH.

According to the latest Russian government statistics, tourism from Asian countries to Russia grew significantly in 2015. Last year, arrivals from Thailand grew by 76 percent, while the number of tourists visiting Russia from Vietnam grew by 57 percent. In 2015, the number of South Korean tourists visiting Russia grew by 41 percent.

Visit Russia also has offices in China, Germany, Finland, Italy, Iran, Kuwait and the UAE.

In 2015, the organization held 11 familiarization trips for tour operators and members of the media. It also conducted nine road shows. Over 500 foreign tour operators approached Visit Russia for information on tourism in Russia last year.

USA: United Airlines Takes Over Pan Am’s Pacific Routes

Three decades ago, an ailing Pan Am was looking for a solution to its financial woes. In order to raise cash to finance the acquisition of its Airbus A320s (order placed in 1984) and the A300s and A310s that were delivered, as well as still reeling from the failed merger with National, “The Chosen Instrument” as it was called opted to cut off its profitable left arm, selling its Pacific division to United Airlines on April 22, 1985.

The deal included all Pan Am routes and assets in the region (except Hawaii), 18 aircraft, which included Pan Am’s Boeing 747SPs and Lockheed L1011-500s, and 2,700 of its employees in the airline business, all for $750 million in cash (equivalent to almost $1,7 billion in today’s figures).

Though the routes were profitable for Pan Am, the airline felt that the upgrade cost to modern equipment would be prohibitive. On the other hand, United, which became the first airline to serve all 50 U.S. states in 1984, was in a favorable financial position and the deal , which came in effect on February 7, 1986, was the onset of its transformation as a global carrier. Prior to the purchase of the routes, United’s only transoceanic services were to Tokyo via Seattle which began in 1983. Since then it has continued to build the most comprehensive route network of any U.S. carrier, offering the most trans-Pacific service. For the United, these routes have been consistently profitable, even during the post 9/11 crisis years.

For Pan Am, it was the beginning of the end. After half a century of pioneering experience in the Pacific, the distinctive Clipper service was gone for good in Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, leaving an enormous gap in its once massive route network. In the following years, Pan Am would shed other company jewels like London Heathrow to United in 1990 and then most of its European network with the exception of Miami to Paris, in 1990-91. Marred with operational, financial and reputational setbacks, Pan Am was finally forced to declare bankruptcy on January 8, 1991 and ceased operation forever on December 4, 1991.

UAE: Emirates Adds Flights To Egypt

The airline currently operates a double daily service between its Dubai International Airport hub and Cairo International Airport using Boeing 777-300ER equipment. The three new weekly rotations will be operated using a smaller Airbus A330-200, offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 183 in Economy.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) hub carrier, Emirates Airline is to increase its presence in the Egyptian market by increasing frequencies into the North African country by just over a fifth. The airline will introduce three additional weekly rotations between Dubai and Cairo from January 1, 2016, increasing its schedule to 17 return flights each week.

Emirates started operations to Cairo in April 1986 with three flights a week. Operations have steadily grown with increases in both frequency and capacity between Cairo and Dubai to match demand. The additional flights will boost the number of connection options that Emirates offers to passengers heading into or from Egypt’s capital city, to destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Americas.

The airline currently operates a double daily service between its Dubai International Airport hub and Cairo International Airport using Boeing 777-300ER equipment. The three new weekly rotations will be operated using a smaller Airbus A330-200, offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 183 in Economy.

“We are delighted to be able to grow our business in Cairo, on the back of commercial demand and great customer support. In the past eight years, the route has carried over 2.7 million passengers and moved over 200,000 tons of cargo,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations for Northern and Western Africa, Emirates Airline.

Cairo is a very popular destination for both business and leisure travellers, and is a gateway to many of the country’s major tourist attractions such as the Giza pyramids, the Great Sphinx, the ancient temples of Luxor dating back thousands of years and many more.

“We anticipate that our additional capacity will stimulate further growth in both tourism and business traffic on the route,” added Al-Ghaith.

In addition to the increased passenger capacity, the extra frequencies will allow Emirates SkyCargo to carry an additional 17 tons of cargo per trip including perishables, automotive spare parts, pharmaceutical products, and personal effects as well as electronics.

An estimated 382,000 passengers flew on Emirates’ flights between Dubai and Cairo in 2014, a market that is also served directly on an up to three times daily basis by EgyptAir. Analysis of MIDT data shows that local traffic accounted for a 54.2 per cent share of the total Emirates demand on the route last year.

A further 44 per cent connected via Dubai International Airport, with the remaining 1.8 per cent connecting in Cairo International Airport or bridge traffic connecting at both ends of the route. The largest behind and beyond markets at Dubai International Airport comprised Jakarta, Indonesia; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Shanghai, China; Doha, Qatar and Seoul Incheon, South Korea.

Looking at annual seat capacity versus segment demand, estimated load factor in this market has now risen for four consecutive years from a low of 52.4 per cent in 2011 (due to the Arab Spring and January 25 Revolution) to 76.2 per cent last year, its highest level since 2008. Last year, capacity on the route fell 3.8 per cent (from a record high of over one million two-way seats in 2013), but estimated segment demand rose 1.0 per cent, surpassing the 750,000 annual passengers for the first time.

CANADA: Vancouver Tourism With 9.4 million Visitors, Its A Record Break

Visitor numbers to Vancouver are set to reach record levels this year, according to the latest estimates by Tourism Vancouver. Approximately 9.4 million visitors will be clocked by the time Vancouver rings in the New Year with its new fireworks celebration event in downtown.

This is an increase of about 500,000 visitors over last year’s figures, making it the second consecutive record breaking year, with major growth in the markets from the United States, Japan, France, South Korea, Mexico, and China.

Visitor numbers from the United States, the largest international market, will grow by 8.3 per cent over last year’s number of 1.9 million overnight. About a quarter million visitors are expected from China, the largest overseas visitor market, after a growth rate of five per cent over 2014.

“There are a lot of contributing factors,” Tourism Vancouver spokesperson Amber Sessions told Vancity Buzz. “Certainly the global economy has been good, there is high consumer confidence in the United States, and the low Canadian dollar also helps. But it’s also a story of our destination sales and marketing paying off.”

Downtown hotels were near capacity for much of the summer: occupancy reached 90 per cent throughout July and August, except for five days. When the FIFA Women’s World Cup championship final was played on July 5, hotel occupancy soared to 99 per cent.

The month-long FIFA tournament was a major factor for the spike – a total of nine matches were played at B.C. Place Stadium, including major rivalries in the knockout stage. As well, 19 ‘citywide conventions’ were held in Vancouver such as the World Congress of Dermatology with 10,000 attendees, International Diabetes Federation with 8,000 attendees, and the Academy of Management with 11,000 attendees.

The official global TED Conference also returned to the city for its second year at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The high-calibre, annual week-long event was held in California prior to the move in 2014, and organizers confirmed earlier this year that Vancouver will remain as their home at least until 2017.

In March, Vancouver will begin its new role as the annual host of one of stops for the World Rugby Sevens Series. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors from around the world to the host cities each year.

Additionally, Vancouver’s cruise industry experienced another strong year, with more than 805,000 passengers on 32 ships making 228 voyages. The sailing season also began early and ended much later than usual: the first sailing was on March 28 and the last sailing was yesterday, December 15.

Another factor revolves around the high passenger growth rate experienced at Vancouver International Airport. A number of new major flight services were added this year, and the same is expected for 2016.

A new record of 20 million passengers is expected in 2015, up from 19.36 million in 2014 and 17.97 million in 2013.

TAJIKISTAN: More Than 147 Thousand Tourists Visited Tajikistan

A. Abdullozod, a chairman of the Committee of Sports, Youth and Tourism in the Government, presented the data regarding the tourism sphere.

More than 147 thousand tourists visited Tajikistan during the last 6 month.

Every tourist spent $500 in average during his trip. As a result, the tourism sector attracted more than 73 million dollars to the economy of the country. It’s a good result compared with previous years.

Most of the tourists come from South Korea, Armenia, Turkey, China, USA, Russia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Citizens of these countries are very interested in the history of the country, its cultural heritage and traditions.

CHINA: Tianjin Airlines Applies For Long Flights From Chongqing To Vancouver

Tianjin Airlines
Type Scheduled Carrier
Base Tianjin
Aircraft 91
Destinations 101
Routes 257
Daily Flights 409

Tianjin Airlines (GS, Tianjin) has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for permission to begin longhaul flights from Chongqing to Vancouver Int'l, Canada via Tianjin in June next year.

The carrier plans to operate the route 4x weekly using A330 plane. Should it secure the official greenlight, it would become the second Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou) subsidiary to operate intercontinental services after Capital Airlines (China) (JD, Beijing Capital) which launched flights to Europe this past summer.

Tianjin Airlines currently operates a fleet of eighteen A320-200s, fifty EMB-190s, and twenty-two ERJ-145s on flights across China as well as to Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Russia, and Taiwan.

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka Tourism Must Focus On Asian Tourism As Arrivals Reach 45%

Director Events of SLTPB Gayathri Dassanayake, Rohan Gunaratne Executive Director Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, Dr Rohantha Athukorala- Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau and Harsha Samaranayake - Brand & Media, Group Marketing Dialog

Asian accounts for 595,583 visitors to SL

The changing landscape of Sri Lanka tourism is seen in the latest tourist arrivals with Asian tourism accounting for 45.3% to the total crossing 595,583 arrivals as at end September 2015, as against Europe contribution dropping to 39% during the same period which is the reality we must face said Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau Chairman Dr Rohantha Athukorala. Sri Lanka Tourism will be the Tourism partner Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union( SLRFU) in the third leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series to be staged in next week in Colombo which is sponsored by telco giant Dialog.

The tournament this year will feature 12 men's and 8 women's teams taking part from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, UAE and Uzbekistan.

Sri Lanka a tourism marketing investment in the above countries is almost 300 million per annum and I am thankful for SLRFU for inviting us to partner the event. With the free TV space that will be allowed for Sri Lanka Tourism we can reach 40 million viewers in Asia which is a big win said Chairman Athukorala.

I sincerely thank the private sector for rallying round Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau with the next International travel Consumer fair coming up being ITB Asia 2016 that is to be staged in Singapore on the 22nd of October 2015. There are 23 top Destination Marketing a Companies from Sri Lanka taking part in the event with Sri Lanka a Tourism which can support conversion of a potential traveller from the media support we will get from the Asian Rugby Sevens partnership he said.

Research insight revelation that 23.2 million people had googled Sri Lanka tourism related searches in 2014 but conversion was only 1.5 million which is below industry consumer behavior norms. We must address this issue with strategic marketing which is the new age challenge for the tourism industry of Sri Lanka commented Dr Athukorala. The industry must move to scientific development via technology which is a global trend he voiced.

Almost 49% of the business into Sri Lanka from tourism are consumed by the informal sector and which is fueled positively by online travel companies like Air BnB, Agoda and Booking.com. This is called the shared economy of the world which is the new trend globally which Sri Lanka needs to accept the new reality and adjust opinioned Athukorala.

CHINA: Chinese Cosmetic Tourists Reap Regret In South Korea

Chinese businesswoman Chen Yili paid a South Korean hospital thousands of dollars to reshape her face in the hope she would look more like the glamourous stars she saw on television.

Instead she says she was disfigured by the operation – one of a growing number of Chinese women who claim shoddy procedures and a lack of regulation in South Korea's booming "medical tourism" industry, have left them physically scarred.

"They said they would design my face to look like a South Korean, and help me design a new nose, lips and chin, but (afterwards) when my friends saw my nose they were all shocked. They said it was crooked (and) ugly," Chen said.

Seoul on Friday announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics in a bid to protect medical tourists, especially those drawn by the country's huge plastic surgery industry.

The country is a cultural powerhouse in Asia – its soap operas and pop music videos are massively popular in China and often feature cosmetically-enhanced stars.

While China's domestic plastic surgery market is worth tens of billions of dollars, persistent safety concerns are driving growing numbers of wealthy consumers abroad.

South Korea has pushed hard to foster its so-called "medical tourism" industry, which was worth the equivalent of nearly $360 million in 2013, according to official figures.

China topped the medical tourist list with more 25,400 visitors, an increase of 70% from the previous year, the South Korean health ministry said.

Chinese tourists generally pay more than twice as much as locals for cosmetic procedures, Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly reported this month.

Cocktail of pills

Dozens of South Korean clinics have Chinese-language websites, some offering surgery alongside sightseeing vacations, with promotions offered during Chinese holidays.

One clinic promises to provide "almond shaped eyes" and a "magical V-shaped face" – considered the ideal of feminine beauty in much of East Asia, while another is seemingly full of glowing testimonials from past patients.

While most procedures in South Korea appear to occur without incident, last month attention focused on the industry after a 50-year-old Chinese woman was left in a coma by a clinic in Seoul's up-market Gangnam district.

As much as a third of Chinese patients' costs can go towards fees for brokers who act as liaisons for the hospitals, Chen said after making initial enquiries she was contacted "incessantly" by an agent and felt cajoled into having the surgery.

She spent more than $26,000 dollars on the surgery in 2010 at the Beauty Line clinic in Seoul. One of her procedures involved having cartilage taken from her chest and added to her nose to make it more prominent.

But upon returning to China, she began to suffer from nasal infections. Now staying at a clinic in Beijing she says her mental health suffered and she is taking 12 antidepressants each day.

"I've lost sleep, I can't meet with friends, and I suffer from depression, because my nose is just too ugly," she said.

"I feel tricked. I think the industry is protected by (South Korea's) government, because its a key source of revenue," she added.

South Korean fairytale

Park Ji-Hye, an official at South Korea's health ministry, told AFP that "activities involving illegal brokers and inflated fees, as well as disputes over malpractice, are sparking complaints from foreign patients".

Hoping to bring the industry into line, authorities last Friday declared owners of unregistered facilities treating foreign patients could be punished with jail sentences.

"Some clinics are treating Chinese patients without a state licence allowing them to treat foreign patients, because obviously that's where the money is," said Cho Soo-Young, spokesman of the association of Korean plastic surgeons.

Back in China, an online support group made up of hundreds of victims of alleged botched cosmetic procedures conducted in South Korea, has begun a campaign to highlight the problems.

"You start to believe that cosmetic surgery is something magical that can change your life. We have to take some responsibility ourselves, for not understanding the industry, and being too trusting." said group organiser Jin Weikun.

But many women in the group added that clinics had not warned them of potential risks.

Winnie Wang, 45, said she was "devastated, cried and even attempted suicide" after an operation in 2013 left her with unequally sized eyes.

Yu Lijun, a designer, underwent one of the most controversial procedures at Seoul's Faceline clinic – "double-jaw" surgery – which involves cutting the bone to produce a slimmer jawline. Today her mouth is visibly misaligned, making it hard to eat and prompting her to wear a facemask at all times.

Mi Yuanyuan, a Chinese actress, said a 2013 operation at the same clinic left her with regular pain in her nose, as well as numbness and hair-loss on her forehead.

"They said there weren't any risks," the 38-year-old said. "They said the surgeon was as famous as the Hermes bag I was carrying."

But Faceline disputed this saying Yu had been through two botched surgeries in China that had left her mouth crooked before coming to them for help fixing it.

"We sent Yu back several times because the risk was too big but eventually decided to treat her after her repeated pleas for weeks," the clinic said in a statement, adding that she did not follow post-surgery care instructions.

It also said Mi had signed a pre-surgery statement acknowledging potential side effects to her procedures.

Beauty Line, which is licensed to treat foreign patients, said it could not locate the file of a patient named Chen Yili, as its records are in Korean and do not contain patients' names in Chinese. The company did not return calls from AFP after being contacted by a reporter with proof of Wang's history at the clinic.

CHINA: Japan most popular for Chinese tourists

Japan is proving to be the most popular overseas destination for Chinese mainland tourists during the ongoing seven-day National Day holiday (from Oct. 1 to 7), according to a report from Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency.

Based on the company's booking information, Japan will top the overseas holiday destination list ahead of the traditional hot spots South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao, Taiwan and the United States.

Based on the company's booking information, Japan will top the overseas holiday destination list ahead of the traditional hot spots South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao, Taiwan and the United States.

Compared to the holiday period last year, the number of mainland visitors to Japan will double, according to a statement released by the China National Tourism Administration on Sunday.

The influx of mainland Chinese visitors has been a welcome shot in the arm for Japan's economy, with hotels in Tokyo seeing their occupancy rate increase to 93.5 percent, bouncing back to the level before the economic depression, according to a report from the Tourism Industry Association of Japan cited by the website China.org.cn on Monday.

In July, the Japan Tourism Agency estimated that there were 9.14 million foreign visitors to Japan in the first half of the year, up 46 percent from the same period last year and raising expectations for a record number of visitors in 2015.

It added the number of visitors from the Chinese mainland was around 2.18 million in the first six months, double the same period last year.

Hong Kong was the big loser during this year's holiday, according to the statement from China's tourism authority. There were 1.27 million visitor arrivals to the special administrative region during the first three days of the holiday, down 5.18 percent year-on-year, of which 430,000 were from the mainland.

On the other hand, South Korea has recovered from the heavy hit its tourism industry took because of the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome thanks to the introduction of preferential visa policies and tourist discounts.

The report from Ctrip suggests the United States is also attracting growing attention from Chinese tourists thanks to the introduction of more convenient visa policies for visitors from the mainland.

In 2014, there were over 2.18 million visitors from the mainland to the U.S., a year-on-year increase of 20 percent. The upward momentum continued in the first half of this year with a 16 percent increase year-on-year, according to a report from Tuniu, a Chinese online tourism service provider.

The three cities that mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited during his state visit to the U.S. — New York, Washington and Seattle — were the top choices for mainland tourists, said Tuniu based on its tourism services searching and booking information.

"The improved tourism environment including the smoother visa process and more experiences in outbound tourism have encouraged more Chinese tourists to go overseas by presenting them with more choices instead of just the traditional nearby hot spots such as Hong Kong, Thailand, and South Korea," said Xu Xiaolei, the spokesman for China Youth Travel Service.

The domestic tourism market is also expected to witness a holiday boom, with the number of holiday visits predicted to reach 750 million, according to a Xinhua News Agency report on Monday that cited data released by the Transport Ministry.

"Trips are concentrated on popular tourism places such as Beijing, and Guangdong, Sichuan and Anhui provinces," said Liu Pengfei, the ministry spokesman.

Over 640 million trips are expected to be made by rail, up 1.6 percent on the same period of last year.

The number of travelers using the railways on the peak days — the first and last two days of the holiday — are expected to exceed the peaks during this year's Spring Festival holiday, the China Railway Corporation said.

During the 40-days of the Spring Festival holiday rush, around 7.3 million people traveled by train each day. However, the daily figure transportation so far during the National Day holiday has been 13 million.

Top destinations:

1. Tokyo

2. South Korea

3. Thailand

4. Hong Kong

5. Macao

6. Taiwan

7. United States