As part of the EU-China Tourism Year, major TO's from across China were hosted in Europe on a fam tour this month.
The European Travel Commission (ETC), the European association of National Tourism Boards, in partnership with the European Tourism Association (ETOA) and several European destinations, hosted the first pan-European familiarisation trip to foster inbound tourism to the European Union from China on the occasion of the EU-China Tourism Year (ECTY).
From 8 March to 15 March 2018, 70 qualified tour operators from first and second tier cities across China -including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Jinan, Chongqing, Chengdu, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Wuhan, Nanjing and Xiamen- had the opportunity to experience European destinations through and beyond its famous gateway cities.
The Chinese tour operators organised into seven clusters that followed simultaneously different transnational itineraries based on their singular interests and product portfolio.
These destination clusters included fifteen countries in the macro-regions of the Adriatic, the Balkans, the Baltic, Benelux and Central Europe.
The itineraries included visits to landmark cities, cultural and natural attractions and meetings with local business as well as experiences at lesser-known destinations that are easily accessed from those traditional gateways.
The programme commenced with the Partnerships in European Tourism (PET) conference and B2B workshop between tourism-related European companies and Chinese operators hosted by ETC, ETOA and the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA) in Berlin on 6 and 7 March.
Both initiatives the pan-European FAM trips and the Partnerships in European Tourism are part of the programme of activities prepared by the European Commission during the EU-China Tourism Year.
The ECTY aims to promote the European Union as a travel destination in China, provide opportunities to increase bilateral cooperation as well as mutual understanding and create an incentive to make progress on market opening and visa facilitation.
China is the world’s largest travel market in terms of both outbound travel and expenditure. European destinations have strengthened their position in this market, attaining 13.4 million Chinese arrivals in 2017, accounting for a share of 14% of all outbound travel from China.
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Showing posts with label tour operators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tour operators. Show all posts
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Thursday, 27 April 2017
GREECE: German Tourists Flocking In To Greece
Tour operators assure that German tourists are regaining their trust and plan ahead for their holidays with Greece being a top destination choice this season.
The situation is very different from last year when tourists had been scared by the terrorist attacks in Paris, Istanbul and Brussels and were hesitant to book holiday packages.
"The willingness of citizens to travel abroad this year is great in all our markets despite the political and economic uncertainty that exists," says Peter Fankhauser, head of the Thomas Cook group and adds that reservations have increased by 10% compared to last year.
The same sentiment prevails in the announcements from Tui and DER Touristik while,baccording to the GfK Consumers' Institute, by the end of March bookings had increased by 5% having reached 64% of last year's total already.
However, last minute bookings are still open, mainly in July and it remains unclear whether reservations will reach or exceed 2015, a record year for tourism.
Greece is the country that attracts many holidaymakers, continuing thus the tradition of recent years. The popular destination benefits from the unstable political situation in Turkey. "At present, tourists are very skeptical about Turkey, and reservations are lower in 2017 than last year," said DER Touristik.
In particular TS, Jahn Reisen, Dertour, Meier's Weltreisen and ADAC are satisfied with the bookings. "Reservations for all destinations are up by single digits," says Rene Hertz, head of DER Touristik for Central Europe.
Having said all this, Spain remains the top preference of Germans. At the same time, tourism destinations in Germany are also greatly expanding, while Egypt is starting to experience a new period of rebirth, as 2016 was a very difficult year for the country and only 654,000 Germans visited it.
The consequences of the recent terrorist attack on the Coptic Christian minority with 40 dead and 110 injured remain unknown.
"Terrorism has an impact on tourist destinations and on travelers' behavior, but it does not affect travel," the FUR Institute reports.
Greek tourism officials are counting on a rise in demand from UAE travellers this year to support growth plans for the sector.
Visitor numbers from the UAE to the Greek capital of Athens jumped 20 per cent from 2015 to 2016, Elena Kountoura, the country’s tourism minister, told The National ahead of the opening of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Sunday.
She did not disclose exact figures.
The country now expects exponential growth in travel between the two countries since Emirates began operating a Dubai-Athens-Newark route in March.
The United States is home to the largest overseas Greek community in the world.
Mrs Kountoura said the Emirates flight was "very successful and the best flight they have right now for occupancy, beyond all expectations".
The increase in tourists to Greece from the UAE and wider Mena region, which showed 55 per cent growth year-on-year in 2016, is a promising development for a country beleaguered for almost seven years by a rolling crisis over its €321 billion (Dh1.26 trillion) debt pile, owed to domestic and international creditors, including other European Union member states.
"We expect 30 million visitors in 2017 assuming everything stays like it is," said Mrs Kountoura.
One million direct and indirect jobs
Tourism is worth 20 per cent of our GDP with one million direct and indirect jobs. It is hugely important to us and we have focused on extending the season, promoting different sectors like cultural tourism and religious tourism, pushed to open new markets, like the UAE and China.
Mrs Kountoura said that there was the possibility of meaningful cooperation on the tourism sector between Greece and the UAE.
Dubai has done an amazing job adding attractions and high-end tourists. Greece is known as a value-for-money destination where you can get great deals, and the cost of living is not high.
We were one of the first countries to agree to participate in Expo 2020 because we see the chance of working together. It is a totally different market as our target groups are not the same, we offer a cultural and ancient history combined with an island experience.
The ebullience of Greece’s tourism market, where the UK is third on its list of visitor numbers, could be tempered by the UK’s Brexit decision but is sanguine over the effects.
It has been suggested the no-frills operators such as Ryanair and easyJet may have to leave the UK if they still want to ply their trade in Europe.
We have spoken to UK businesses and they believe everybody want to make a successful business,said Mrs Kountoura. I am not going to second guess complicated conversations but focus on the positive.
The number of inbound tourists from China to Greece in the summer season of 2017 is expected to rise significantly, according to data. The projection is confirmed by a notable increase in tax free sales in Greece in the first 3-month period of 2017 compared to 2016.
A mere 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Greece last year, a number that is estimated to be much higher this year. Data released by Premiere Tax Free Greece show that visitors from China are choosing Greece as a destination, reoccupying first spot among the nationalities, as 31% of all Tax Free transactions was covered by Chinese in the first 3 months of 2017.
Chinese national spend an average of 330 euros with a preference to jewellery and clothing.
Russia, FYROM and the US choose our country with great fervour and contribute to a 60% rise in profits via Tax Free transactions in Athens, Rhodes and Thessaloniki”, said Aggeliki Kalogiannidou, marketing manager of Premiere Tax Free Greece.
She went on to add that purchases were up by 109% for Chinese, 65% by Russians, 87% by Americans and 37% by FYROM and Israel, a 200% rise compared to the first 3-month term of 2016.
Athens Tax Free is on top accounting for 52% of Tax Free transactions, while Thessaloniki came in second. It should be noted that two Chinese cultural exhibitions are scheduled to officially open on Thursday, April 27 in the framework of Sino-Hellenic cultural exchange year at the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
The situation is very different from last year when tourists had been scared by the terrorist attacks in Paris, Istanbul and Brussels and were hesitant to book holiday packages.
"The willingness of citizens to travel abroad this year is great in all our markets despite the political and economic uncertainty that exists," says Peter Fankhauser, head of the Thomas Cook group and adds that reservations have increased by 10% compared to last year.
The same sentiment prevails in the announcements from Tui and DER Touristik while,baccording to the GfK Consumers' Institute, by the end of March bookings had increased by 5% having reached 64% of last year's total already.
However, last minute bookings are still open, mainly in July and it remains unclear whether reservations will reach or exceed 2015, a record year for tourism.
Greece is the country that attracts many holidaymakers, continuing thus the tradition of recent years. The popular destination benefits from the unstable political situation in Turkey. "At present, tourists are very skeptical about Turkey, and reservations are lower in 2017 than last year," said DER Touristik.
In particular TS, Jahn Reisen, Dertour, Meier's Weltreisen and ADAC are satisfied with the bookings. "Reservations for all destinations are up by single digits," says Rene Hertz, head of DER Touristik for Central Europe.
Having said all this, Spain remains the top preference of Germans. At the same time, tourism destinations in Germany are also greatly expanding, while Egypt is starting to experience a new period of rebirth, as 2016 was a very difficult year for the country and only 654,000 Germans visited it.
The consequences of the recent terrorist attack on the Coptic Christian minority with 40 dead and 110 injured remain unknown.
"Terrorism has an impact on tourist destinations and on travelers' behavior, but it does not affect travel," the FUR Institute reports.
Greek tourism officials are counting on a rise in demand from UAE travellers this year to support growth plans for the sector.
Visitor numbers from the UAE to the Greek capital of Athens jumped 20 per cent from 2015 to 2016, Elena Kountoura, the country’s tourism minister, told The National ahead of the opening of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Sunday.
She did not disclose exact figures.
The country now expects exponential growth in travel between the two countries since Emirates began operating a Dubai-Athens-Newark route in March.
The United States is home to the largest overseas Greek community in the world.
Mrs Kountoura said the Emirates flight was "very successful and the best flight they have right now for occupancy, beyond all expectations".
The increase in tourists to Greece from the UAE and wider Mena region, which showed 55 per cent growth year-on-year in 2016, is a promising development for a country beleaguered for almost seven years by a rolling crisis over its €321 billion (Dh1.26 trillion) debt pile, owed to domestic and international creditors, including other European Union member states.
"We expect 30 million visitors in 2017 assuming everything stays like it is," said Mrs Kountoura.
One million direct and indirect jobs
Tourism is worth 20 per cent of our GDP with one million direct and indirect jobs. It is hugely important to us and we have focused on extending the season, promoting different sectors like cultural tourism and religious tourism, pushed to open new markets, like the UAE and China.
Mrs Kountoura said that there was the possibility of meaningful cooperation on the tourism sector between Greece and the UAE.
Dubai has done an amazing job adding attractions and high-end tourists. Greece is known as a value-for-money destination where you can get great deals, and the cost of living is not high.
We were one of the first countries to agree to participate in Expo 2020 because we see the chance of working together. It is a totally different market as our target groups are not the same, we offer a cultural and ancient history combined with an island experience.
The ebullience of Greece’s tourism market, where the UK is third on its list of visitor numbers, could be tempered by the UK’s Brexit decision but is sanguine over the effects.
It has been suggested the no-frills operators such as Ryanair and easyJet may have to leave the UK if they still want to ply their trade in Europe.
We have spoken to UK businesses and they believe everybody want to make a successful business,said Mrs Kountoura. I am not going to second guess complicated conversations but focus on the positive.
The number of inbound tourists from China to Greece in the summer season of 2017 is expected to rise significantly, according to data. The projection is confirmed by a notable increase in tax free sales in Greece in the first 3-month period of 2017 compared to 2016.
A mere 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Greece last year, a number that is estimated to be much higher this year. Data released by Premiere Tax Free Greece show that visitors from China are choosing Greece as a destination, reoccupying first spot among the nationalities, as 31% of all Tax Free transactions was covered by Chinese in the first 3 months of 2017.
Chinese national spend an average of 330 euros with a preference to jewellery and clothing.
Russia, FYROM and the US choose our country with great fervour and contribute to a 60% rise in profits via Tax Free transactions in Athens, Rhodes and Thessaloniki”, said Aggeliki Kalogiannidou, marketing manager of Premiere Tax Free Greece.
She went on to add that purchases were up by 109% for Chinese, 65% by Russians, 87% by Americans and 37% by FYROM and Israel, a 200% rise compared to the first 3-month term of 2016.
Athens Tax Free is on top accounting for 52% of Tax Free transactions, while Thessaloniki came in second. It should be noted that two Chinese cultural exhibitions are scheduled to officially open on Thursday, April 27 in the framework of Sino-Hellenic cultural exchange year at the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
Thursday, 2 February 2017
SLOVENIA: German Tour Operators In Slovenia Visit
The topic of the visit is Slovenia between the Alps and the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on the Slovenian coast, including the towns of Izola and Piran and the Sečoveljske soline saltpans.
The programme of the study visit also includes a visit to the Postojna Cave, the near-by Predjamski grad castle, the capital of Ljubljana and the lakeside resort of Bled.
Majda Rozina Dolenc of the STO office in Germany told the STA that study visits by partners always included visits to "Slovenian tourism icons", adding that the country's biggest competitive advantage was diversity.
This is the fourth visit from Germany after the April visit by 15 tour operators of historical sites and religious centres in Slovenia. In May, 40 tour operators visited the north of Slovenia, with the visit focusing on spas.
In June, a group of representatives of German tourism agencies visited the country as part of the Slovenian Incoming Workshop (SIW), the biggest business event of Slovenian tourism.
In October, German partners of the STO will visit the Terme Maribor spa and hotels in Portorož, while the representation office is also preparing a campaign in specialised German media for the end of the year.
Germany is a major market for Slovenia, as German tourists generated 10.9% of total overnight stays by foreign guests in the first eight months of the year.
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
UNITED KINGDOM: Cheap Pound To Attract More Tourists To UK
Tour operators in India expect a spurt in the number of travellers to the UK and Europe as a sharp fall in the British pound (GBP) value may make these destinations cheaper post Brexit. "The pound has depreciated against the rupee.
This would mean that travelling to the UK will be cheaper for Indians. This will aid our outbound business for the remainder of the year," Cox and Kings Ltd CFO Anil Khandelwal said.
Yatra.com President Sharat Dhall said: "Brexit has resulted in a big drop in the value of the pound and if this trend remains then we could see a surge in leisure tourism to Britain, as it will become significantly cheaper.
However, it is too early to establish that a weakness in pound will be sustained and we are yet to see any surge in travel bookings to the UK.
A drop in the Pound could also result in an increase in students from India choosing the UK as a destination as it will make education significantly cheaper there."
MakeMyTrip spokesperson said with British pound dropping, there is a possibility that of an increased number of travellers from India to UK and EU nations.
In a historic development, the UK has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as 'Brexit' camp trumped 'Remain' supporters in a down-to-wire referendum with far reaching implications for the world.
This would mean that travelling to the UK will be cheaper for Indians. This will aid our outbound business for the remainder of the year," Cox and Kings Ltd CFO Anil Khandelwal said.
Yatra.com President Sharat Dhall said: "Brexit has resulted in a big drop in the value of the pound and if this trend remains then we could see a surge in leisure tourism to Britain, as it will become significantly cheaper.
However, it is too early to establish that a weakness in pound will be sustained and we are yet to see any surge in travel bookings to the UK.
A drop in the Pound could also result in an increase in students from India choosing the UK as a destination as it will make education significantly cheaper there."
MakeMyTrip spokesperson said with British pound dropping, there is a possibility that of an increased number of travellers from India to UK and EU nations.
In a historic development, the UK has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as 'Brexit' camp trumped 'Remain' supporters in a down-to-wire referendum with far reaching implications for the world.
Tuesday, 10 November 2015
MALDIVES: State Of Emergency No Effect On Tourism. Says Tourism Minister
The Maldives’ new tourism minister said on Friday that the events that led President Abdulla Yameen to declare a state of emergency would not affect the safety of visitors to the islands.
Yameen announced a 30-day emergency on Wednesday, citing threats to national security after officials said an explosive device was discovered near his residence in Male, as well as stashes of weapons.
The Maldives’ pristine white sand beaches and turquoise waters attracted 1.2 million tourists last year. With visitors willing to spend as much as $1,000 a night at hideaway resorts, tourism accounted for 29 percent of the Indian Ocean nation’s GDP.
“I want to give an assurance that tourists will be safe and what has happened in the recent past has no bearing on their safety,” the minister, Moosa Zameer, said from Male.
“The security forces in Maldives will ensure their safety … The government has declared this state of emergency to ensure investigations are carried out and quickly restore confidence to the public and the visitors travelling … to ensure they’re in no danger from any arms and explosives.”
Zameer’s predecessor, Ahmed Adeeb, also the vice president, was impeached on Thursday after being detained on suspicion of involvement in a blast on Sept. 28 in a boat carrying Yameen.
The government first said the blast could have been caused by a mechanical failure, but later said it had been an attempt to assassinate the president.
However, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, asked to examine the boat, said it had found “no conclusive evidence” that a bomb had exploded there.
“Someone has tried to kill the president to get into power,” Zameer said.
“There will be some uncertainty. We’ve been working with all stakeholders including tour operators and international airlines. We have been trying to assess the situation and trying to minimise any impact for the tourism sector.”
Yameen announced a 30-day emergency on Wednesday, citing threats to national security after officials said an explosive device was discovered near his residence in Male, as well as stashes of weapons.
The Maldives’ pristine white sand beaches and turquoise waters attracted 1.2 million tourists last year. With visitors willing to spend as much as $1,000 a night at hideaway resorts, tourism accounted for 29 percent of the Indian Ocean nation’s GDP.
“I want to give an assurance that tourists will be safe and what has happened in the recent past has no bearing on their safety,” the minister, Moosa Zameer, said from Male.
“The security forces in Maldives will ensure their safety … The government has declared this state of emergency to ensure investigations are carried out and quickly restore confidence to the public and the visitors travelling … to ensure they’re in no danger from any arms and explosives.”
Zameer’s predecessor, Ahmed Adeeb, also the vice president, was impeached on Thursday after being detained on suspicion of involvement in a blast on Sept. 28 in a boat carrying Yameen.
The government first said the blast could have been caused by a mechanical failure, but later said it had been an attempt to assassinate the president.
However, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, asked to examine the boat, said it had found “no conclusive evidence” that a bomb had exploded there.
“Someone has tried to kill the president to get into power,” Zameer said.
“There will be some uncertainty. We’ve been working with all stakeholders including tour operators and international airlines. We have been trying to assess the situation and trying to minimise any impact for the tourism sector.”
Monday, 21 September 2015
Halal Tourism Conference 2016
We are pleased to announce HTC2016 will be hosted in Istanbul, Turkey from the 21st – 23rd March2016 at the Halic Congress Centre. The Conference will last two days and will bring together over 1,000 delegates from all over the world including Tourism Boards, Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Media, Hotels and Airlines.
Following the huge success of the first international Halal Tourism Conference in 2014 This year’s event promises to be bigger and better and will have additional presence from Hajj and Umrah providers, financial institutions, tourism project managers and consultants as well as all those who are keen to launch their brand to the growing Muslim travel market.
The conference agenda will be delivered by expert speakers from around the world and will focus on industry development of the halal tourism sector to meet the needs of the Muslim traveler. It will consist of keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops.
The exhibition will last for three days with the final day opened to trade and public. It will feature over 100 exhibitors from Turkey and the rest of the world. To be part of this event and to network with businesses and professionals focusing on halal tourism please register your interest.
Following the huge success of the first international Halal Tourism Conference in 2014 This year’s event promises to be bigger and better and will have additional presence from Hajj and Umrah providers, financial institutions, tourism project managers and consultants as well as all those who are keen to launch their brand to the growing Muslim travel market.
The conference agenda will be delivered by expert speakers from around the world and will focus on industry development of the halal tourism sector to meet the needs of the Muslim traveler. It will consist of keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops.
The exhibition will last for three days with the final day opened to trade and public. It will feature over 100 exhibitors from Turkey and the rest of the world. To be part of this event and to network with businesses and professionals focusing on halal tourism please register your interest.
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