Tourism Review Online Magazine 04/2010 by Tourism Review Digital Network

APRIL, 2010

Dear readers, Welcome to the April issue of Tourism Review Online Magazine. If you are gloomy because the winter is over, pack your gear and set off for an icy tour. No matter whether you choose the north or south pole or even Icelandic glaciers you are sure to have some freezing fun. Read more in the Adventure supplement. For those who prefer a little bit of sun there is the Destination part this time focusing on South Africa. If you have enough of visit-five-countries-in-five-days tours and want to really get under the skin of your destination of choice, open the Ethical part presenting the popular Slow Travel movement. Festivals and their meaning for local communities are the topic of the Heritage part. Visit a tea festival in British Columbia, literary show in Hong Kong, or even an arts fest in the heart of Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Slovakia. First of all however get updated on the latest online travel trends in the Professional supplement. You might find some of the smart gadgets and apps quite useful. Enjoy the issue! Milada Sovadinova Editor

CONTENTS

MARCH, 2010

H E R I TAG E It’s FestIval tIme!

E t h i c a l

CONTENTS

Slow Down anD Travel Slow

Slow travel is one of the movements within the tourism industry gaining in popularity not only among travelers but also cities and regions. Learn why globetrotters prefer slow travel, visit Orvieto in Italy and learn a number of tricks how to make your trip much more enjoyable.

There are hundreds of thousands of festivals all around the world. No matter whether you are for films, books, arts, or history you can be sure there is a festival for you. Such events are however quite important also for the destinations’ tourism industry. Find out why.

HERITAGE: It’s Festival Time!.................................. 4

ETHICAL: Slow Down and Travel Slow...... 36

The Role of Cultural Events in the Tourism Industry........................................ 5 A Big Tea Party in Victoria, British Columbia. ........................................................... 7 Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival: Getting Better & Better.................................................................................................. 9 Bažant Pohoda – Festival of All Arts....................................................................... 11

Slow Travellers to Cities: Exploring a New Market Segment......................... 37 Italian Orvieto: Close to Your Heart............................................................................ 39 You Don’t Have to See the Must-Sees. ........................................................................ 41 Trend Experts Reveal the Travel Industry’s Quiet Revolution..................... 43 8 Ways to Spice Up Your Travels................................................................................... 45

Professional

De st i nat ion South AfricA: it’S PoSSible

Tourism in The online World

Travel and tourism is highly influenced by internet and online marketing trends. Check out the latest hot issues in the online travel world. Find out what gadgets and apps are available and why social media are so popular among tourism marketers.

The event number one in SA in 2010 is without doubt the World Cup. However, the country has much more to offer. Discover local castle, visit Durban, or go for safari. South African spa industry is also dynamically developing luring not only locals but also foreign spa enthusiasts.

Professional: Tourism in the Online World........ 13 Online Travel 2010:

Convergence–Metasearch–Social Media–Location-aware Mobile Apps. ..... 14 Internet as the Only Growth Channel in Hospitality...................................... 17 The Online Travel Market: Interesting Emerging Trends................................ 20 Understanding Online Travel Marketing Trends: Opportunities & Challenges........................................................................................ 22

Adventure

Destination: South Africa: It’s Possible............ 47 South Africa: Tourism Industry to Cash in on 2010............................................. 48 Travel and Tourism in South Africa. ....................................................................... 50 The Free State’s Castle Retreat................................................................................... 52 South AfricaN Spa Industry Fighting Off the Crisis........................................... 54 Visit Durban – The Surf City......................................................................................... 55

Fairs & Exhibitions

ExpEdition – FrozEn tours

T r av e l / T o u r i s m

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b y

r e g i o n s

Ever wondered where the best place to see the northern lights is? Or how to get to know Alaska or Iceland in the most adventurous way? Perhaps, you wonder what to do in Antarctica once you get there. Now you can find the answers.

ADVENTURE: Expedition – Frozen Tours........... 25 Holidays on Ice: Glaciers & Iceland.......................................................................... 26 Alaskan Adventure by Rail.......................................................................................... 28 The 3 Best Places to See the Northern Lights........................................................ 30 The Northernmost Town in the World................................................................... 32 Whale Watching in Antarctica – A Once in a Lifetime Experience................. 34

Fairs & Exhibitions: Travel/Tourism in APRIL 2010 by regions........................................................ 57 Western Europe. ............................................................................................................... 58 CENTRAL Europe................................................................................................................. 59 Africa/MIDDLE EAST...................................................................................................... 61 Asia & Pacific...................................................................................................................... 62

H E R I TAG E Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Festival Time!

H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time !

The Role of Cultural Events in the Tourism Industry T

experience of the ambience, customs and local culture.

hey don’t call them festivals for nothing; it is exciting, unique and full of life; it is a prime opportunity to attract tourism, generate positive media coverage and boost the local community. Since we were kids, we all remember the joy and excitement of festivals: the colorful clothing, the live music and the sweet smell of cotton candy. Although times have changed, festivals are still a source of enjoyment for many. For those in the tourism industry, festivals also carry a positive impact in three parallel areas: attracting tourism, improving the place’s image and supporting the local community.

Improving the Place’s Image Along with tourists, festivals attract journalists and other opinion leaders. For these audiences, festivals are a ‘media-event’, generating an opportunity for a magazine or a news story. Such stories may be different from the destination’s typical media frame – i.e. the way in which it’s regularly covered in the news media. Such media events are expending the place’s image and creating a window for positive media coverage. At the time of the festival, it is easier for destinations to demonstrate their positive facets, focusing the media’s attention on favorable occurrences. As part of getting ready for the festival, places can also prepare for the expected media attention. That, including the preparation of media kits, press room and local guides to show guests around.

Attracting Tourism First and foremost, festivals are a great anchor for attracting tourism. While the destination is always available, having a time-limited event encourage visitors to take advantage of this opportunity and visit the place during the event. For example, although many people are interested in visiting Brazil, the famous carnival in Rio de Janeiro creates a feeling of unique chance, pushing potential visitors to take full advantage of the activities. Festivals are also a prime opportunity to get to know the local culture and experience the essence of the place. During the event, visitors have a unique chance to interact with the local community, gaining a deeper Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

Support the Local Community For the residents themselves, festivals are a unique occasion to celebrate the local culture and interact within the community. For the residents of Munich, for example, the Oktoberfest is a long standing tradition where they can meet their friends, take pride in the Bavarian culture and enjoy local dishes such as Würstl, Brezn and Schweinsbraten. In the tourism context, festivals can boost the lo-

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H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time ! cal community in two major ways. First, people of the local culture are being flattered by the international interest in their culture. This enhances the residents’ pride and promotes the preservation and cultivation of the local culture. Second, the tourists and visitors are spending money within the community, enhancing the local economy and supporting restaurants, hotels and other tourismrelated businesses. By Eran Ketter Eran Ketter is a tourism marketing professional, the director of E. Ketter Consulting and the co-author of the book: "Media Strategies for Marketing Place in Crisis: Improving the Image of Cites, Countries and Tourist Destinations" (Elsevier, 2008). http://www.eKetter.com

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H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time !

A Big Tea Party in Victoria, British Columbia In

February 2010, the Victoria Tea Festival in British Columbia's capital, Victoria, celebrated its fourth successful year in a city long associated with tea and the rituals of tea. These include Asian and European traditions, along with many currentlyfashionable options adopted from around the world. For the modest sum of CAD$20 in advance or $25 at the door for a weekend pass, visitors travel to Victoria for this event from across North America to experience the pleasure of totally immersing in tea, the most widely-consumed beverage in the world after water. One or two days spent wandering two floors of creatively-decorated exhibitor booths will send visitors home with a bag full of tea tasting tips, information on the health benefits and nutritional values of various teas, and a mind-boggling range of recipes in which tea adds an illusive new flavour to a special menu. Who would know there are so many different teas to sample and learn about – from South Africa and South America to China to India! Booths are awash in tea samples, advice and fresh-baked tasty treats to complement each tea. Visitors also have opportunities to purchase hundreds of different teas (signature blends or pure leaf), tea-related products and exquisite tea wares. A range of inexpensive to one-of-a-kind extravagant gift ideas means there is something for everyone and every occasion. "Though we continue to attract a wide cross-section of ages to the Tea Festival, a significant part of the demographic attending is young, in their 20s

Each festival booth is distinctively decorated, serving samples of their signature tea products, chocolates, and tasty tea delicacies. © Alison Gardner

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H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time !

The writer samples Victoria’s most famous afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel Tea Lobby in combination with a fascinating 1.5 hour hotel tour by Walkabout Tours owner, Mandy Kray, in period costume. © Alison Gardner

and 30s," comments Lisa Stekelenburg, coordinator of the event since its inception. "People are looking beyond the traditional concepts of tea and tea drinking to learn about new trends and blends, tea pairings with food, health benefits and a variety of ways to make tea a part of the cuisine experience." Did you know that green tea is commonly served with seafood and white meat whereas Darjeeling tea goes best with red meats? Scheduled throughout each day are free one-hour lectures and tealaced cooking demonstrations, challenging the festival's 3,000 visitors to associate tea with many aspects of their life. One of Canada's highest-quality chocolate makers, Rogers Chocolates, used the 2010 festival as the perfect venue to launch three new dark chocolate bars, laced with Matcha, Chai or Earl Grey teas as distinctive taste tantalizers. There is also an admirable social conscience reflected in this festival. Raising awareness of Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

how teas such as South America's Yerba Maté are grown while protecting the rainforest and benefiting local indigenous communities provides inspirational food for thought. Orchestrated by an efficient, welcoming army of 200 volunteers, all funds raised from the festival go to support college daycare services and provide financial support for disadvantaged parents trying to upgrade their education. No one should visit Victoria and turn their thoughts to tea without paying homage to the Fairmont Empress Hotel (Fairmont.com/empress), the grand-dame that started this garden city's powerful association with afternoon tea 102 years ago. With its Old World charm still evident today, the hotel's elegantly-restored Tea Lobby and veranda overlooking Victoria's Inner Harbour serves 160,000 afternoon teas each year. Walkabout Tours (Walkabouts.ca) offers an entertaining insider Empress Hotel tour and afternoon tea package that puts guests right in the historical spirit. Here are some special venues around Victoria where afternoon tea is much more than a refreshing drink. All require advance bookings for what are creatively-served meal-sized teas. Tea menus are displayed on each website: The Butchart Gardens (Butchartgardens.com) serves tea daily in the historic Butchart home overlooking these famous gardens, noon to 3 p.m. Venus Sophia Tea Room (Venussophia.com) has recently opened a classic space of imaginative elegance, serving both a regular and a special-diet tea several times a week. Fairmont Empress Hotel (Fairmont.com/empress) has the most famous afternoon tea in North America, if not the world. Bookings from noon each day, with special menus to meet a variety of dietary requirements.

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Tula Tea owner, Libby Gibson, emphasizes the importance of absolutely fresh, pure leaf tea with no blends in her signature collection. © Alison Gardner

Point Ellice House and Gardens (Pointellicehouse.ca) offers tea and tour packages of this impressive national historic site from May to September, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hotel Grand Pacific (Hotelgrandpacific.com) serves afternoon teas with a distinctive "West Coast" menu, and also offers a reduced-price children's afternoon tea with special kid favourites, Thursday through Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

By Alison Gardner Editor/journalist, Alison Gardner, is a global expert on nature-based vacations and cultural/educational travel. Her Travel with a Challenge web magazine is a recognized source of new and established operators, accommodations and richly-illustrated feature articles covering all types of senior-friendly alternative travel. http://www.travelwithachallenge.com

H eritage : It â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fe st iv al Time !

Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival: Getting Better & Better W

hen a group of friends talking over coffee together came up with the idea, little did they realise that their idea for a literary festival would evolve into a premier event for bibliophiles in Asia. Perhaps not even referred to as a festival, the idea of bringing renowned writers to Hong Kong was new and exciting. Designed to celebrate creative writing in English, the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival emphasizes writing with an Asian connection. The Festival features both established and emerging authors and includes works in translation, literary fiction and non-fiction, poetry and scriptwriting. Ten years later, the Festival continues to promote the literary arts and love of literature. Held each year in March, the Festival offers a tenday programme of literary events featuring overseas and local authors. The Festival has become an important and significant event on the international arts calendar, with programmes that include winners of the world's leading Literary Prizes: Man Booker, Nobel Laureate, Pulitzer, National Book Award, Whitbread, Carnegie, Kiriyama, Prix Goncourt and the Commonwealth Writers Awards. The Festival's international status is clearly confirmed by both the quality of authors and range of countries represented. Each year, the programme offered promises to be as vibrant as Hong Kong is exciting, as dynamic as Hong Kong is cosmopolitan and as diverse as Hong Kong is multicultural. Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

Jennifer Murray

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;9â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time !

André Brink

The 2010 Festival has attracted literary icons that include Alexander McCall Smith, Louis de Bernières, André Brink, Su Tong and Junot Diaz. The level of interest, both locally and internationally is significant. Many of the venues are small and intimate, giving readers and authors an opportunity to interact. Aside from inviting well-recognized head-

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liners, the festival seeks to promote and encourage emerging writers. This year includes Rachel Kushner, a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, Mo Zhi Hong, winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award, and Hyejin Kim, whose first novel written in English is based on true events about present-day North Korea. Every year students are invited to experience a wonderful programme that allows them to interact with, learn from and be inspired by acclaimed, popular and beloved authors. The Festival commits to investing in the readers and writers of the future. By presenting a programme that allows readers and writers of all ages to interact, we wish to encourage an appreciation of the written word and to foster a love of literature. The 2010 Schools Programme is jam-packed with exciting sessions hosted by internationally acclaimed authors including Emily Gravett, Darren Shan, Junot Díaz, and Alexander McCall Smith. This year’s impressive programme ranges from an evening with acclaimed writer Louis de Bernières, to a talk where Ramachandra Guha shares his controversial viewpoint on contemporary Indian politics, and 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize winner Su Tong discusses contemporary Chinese writing. In South Africa: Overcoming the Shadow of the Past, André Brink and Mandla Langa discuss how to write within a system of political oppression. From panel discussions on subjects as diverse as crime, post-colonialism and historical fiction, to poetry and jazz evening, there is something for everyone. http://www.festival.org.hk

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H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time !

Bažant Pohoda – Festival of All Arts

sland of peace. Different Slovakia. Second Christmas. These are just few adjectives used by media to characterize the summer multicultural Festival Bažant Pohoda, which takes place at the city of Trenčín’s airport every year in July. In the valley of the river Váh enveloped by mountains and beautiful scenery of Trenčín’s castle, Pohoda,

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which means well-being or peace in Slovak, tries to live up to its name.

Famous Singers and Bands During the thirteen years of its existence, visitors enjoyed concerts of dance masters likeFat Boy Slim, The Prodigy, Moloko, Basement Jaxx,

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legendary Patti Smith, Joan Baez, Cesaria Evora, hip hopers The Streets, Wu Tang Clan or Dizzee Rascal, but also rock legends like Pixies, Garbage, Hives, Razorlight and pearls of world music such as Värttinä, Bajofondo Tangoclub, Buraka Som Sistema or Omara Portuondo. From Czech-Slovak home scene there were Marta Kubišová, Jaroslav Nohavica, Jana Kirschner, Meky Žbirka or Richard Müller, who considers his concert at Pohoda 2009 to be the best experience of his more than twenty year long carrier. Each year the Festival Bažant Pohoda brings to its visitors gems of different music genres.

H eritage : It ’s Fe st iv al Time !

Classical Music and Painting Workshops Although most of the summer festivals are only festivals of music, Pohoda offers its premises for all kinds of arts. Traditionally, the Saturday midday concert of classical music belongs to the highlight of the whole programme. To see thousands of young visitors to applaud the famous opera arias stormily, roaring to the tones of classics or dancing waltzes, is not only great experience for visitors themselves, but also for artists used to chamber atmosphere of opera halls. Each year there are performances of various theatre companies and nobody should miss readings of respected and also talented Slovak authors. Directly in the area of the airport visitors can take part in painting and many other artistic workshops; very popular is the Dance House where professionals teach people many different dances. Part of the programme is also break dance battle or competition in free style slam poetry recitation.

Visitors Are the Festival’s Soul

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When in 1997 a famous Slovak musician and a leader of the legendary alternative band Bez ladu a skladu – Michal Kaščák – organized the first year of the Pohoda Festival, he certainly did not know that he started to write the history of an event which is a cultural phenomenon not only in Slovakia. And not only because of the rich programme, but also because of many other attractions and great services. All this is greatly appreciated also by music lovers and professionals who usually try to avoid mass events. „People pump the life into our Festival. There wouldn’t be any sense in doing it without

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them,“ explained Kaščák his credo. This is the reason why visitors have at their disposal lot of amenities which are not common at other festivals – for example: drinking water for free, flushing toilets, showers with hot water, places for keeping and preparing their own food, well supplied hypermarket, but also voluntary alcohol checks, which are appreciated mainly by drivers leaving the Festival. Also, the organizers don’t overlook the young audience either – at the last year’s Festival, there were two stages in children’s park used for theatre performances, performances of children folk ensembles or for fairy tales readings. Parents with kids can use a special protected camping site, necessary equipment for nappy changing or refreshments, young music adepts can try different musical instruments.

Part of the City’s Culture The Festival became inseparable part of cultural life of Trenčín area. The city once called ‘The City of Fashion’ (because of a famous fashion fair), is now often called ‘The City of Pohoda’. The city mayor, Branislav Celler, knows that the organization of such a huge event is a great asset for his city. “Pohoda belongs to our city. Trenčín is and always wants to be the city of Pohoda,“ he stresses. Trenčín offers Pohoda’s visitors excellent facilities. Besides the majestic Trenčín Castle, there are also many possibilities for leisure time and sightseeing. First and foremost though Trenčín is the place for true peace – for Pohoda. http://www.pohodafestival.sk

P rofessiona l Tourism in the Online World

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d

Online Travel 2010: Convergence–Metasearch–Social Media–Location-aware Mobile Apps P

redicting online travel trends and developments is relatively easy, however to say exactly whether and when they will happen or how to make the most out of them for your business is the tricky thing. Despite the economic shake-up that rocked almost all industries, the online travel market remained relatively untroubled and even grew slightly during the recession. Whereas the total European travel market faces a double-digit decline through 2009 and 2010 the online market share for leisure and unmanaged business travel will increase from 28% in 2008 to an estimated 34% in 2010 (PhoCusWright, 21 Dec 2009). It seems like a side effect of the financial crisis that customers are increasingly searching online for cheap travel offers. Germany will even increase its online market share in Europe for online leisure and unmanaged business from 17% in the year 2008 to projected 20% in 2011. On the other hand, the UK’s share of online bookings in Europe will drop from 31% in 2008 to projected 26% in 2011 (PhoCusWright’s European Online Travel Overview, 2009). Emerging markets in the East such as Poland or Romania will also be able to increase their shares in the European online travel landscape. Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

Checkfelix.com searches through the websites of several hundred airlines and online travel agencies to find the cheapest deals for flights, hotels and rental cars.

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P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d

Augmented reality applications link the real and the virtual world and increase the user experience.

Travel Metasearch Platforms Are Mushrooming In line with the growing demand for online travel search, the fragmented European online travel industry and the price-sensitivity of the customers, the usage of travel metasearch websites will become more popular among European Internet users (PhoCusWright, 21 Dec 2009). Travel metasearch platforms such as Checkfelix.com or Kayak. com can be considered as meta-mediaries which aggregate tourism offerings from suppliers and intermediaries likewise. Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

The advantages for the customers are that they get access to a wider range of suppliers through a one-stop search and that they can compare offers and prices quickly and conveniently. Both suppliers as well as intermediaries gain greater exposure through metasearch platforms, however these meta-mediaries might have a negative effect on brand equity if the consumers focus mainly on the price.

Content Gets Contextualized and Personalized The consumption of online media will continue to grow due to increasing consumer empowerment

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– e.g. user generated content, viral marketing – and technology advancements (eMarketer, 14 December 2009). About 60% of online travelers use a social networking platform and 27% have already posted reviews of travel products (PhoCusWright’s Consumer Technology Survey 2009, 3rd Edition, Part 2: General Use of Social Media). Online content will become more distributed so that the same content will appear in multiple channels. Moreover, the content will be geared to the location and social situation of the users. Relevance, personalization and contextualization are the critical success factors for a precise targeting in order to reach the target audiences on a wide variety of platforms. Social media marketing and social commerce will become an integral part in the online marketing mix and companies will continue to shift marketing spending from traditional to online media. Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter will certainly remain the most attractive social networks for tourism businesses in 2010. However, the impact of earned media (i.e. the additional unpaid exposure that a brand receives when users share information about the brand online) on brand awareness and lead generation is still rather vague.

Mobile Is Moving into Mainstream Mobile applications and mobile advertising are moving into the mainstream as users are getting connected to the internet more often via smart phones. The convergence of location-based and context-aware mobile applications has the potential to engage and support travelers before the trip, enroute and after the journey and therefore will turn mobile apps into an integral part for travel planning and management. By the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will have smart phones through which they will be able to access internet on the move. Mobile travel bookings

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d ar which can be used to visualize any kind of georeferenced data. By pointing your smart phone to a certain direction the app will complement the reality with additional virtual information about mountain peaks in the vicinity.

Tell Me What You Are Looking for – Search by Voice

Google’s Search by Voice

will increase most likely for hotels and rental cars as these products are booked usually rather late. Mobile advertising spending will also gain a bigger share in the marketing mix with an increasing number of mobile users (eMarketer, 31 Dec 2009). The fusion of different technologies (e.g. internet, telephon, television) and applications will lead to new forms of media consumption and new marketing opportunities. Google’s $ 750 million purchase of AdMob can be also seen as an indicator that 2010 turns into the “year of mobile” (eMarketer, 8

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Dec 2009). However, many mobile and locationbased applications and services still lack a viable business and revenue model.

Linking the Real and the Virtual World Cutting-edge applications and services for the tourism industry will link the virtual and the physical world with a focus on search, video and mobile. Augmented reality apps will add to the customer experience. A good example to demonstrate augmented reality technology for tourism is Peak.

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Google has recently launched its Search by Voice application which makes searching easier and offers new possibilities for the users. Simply hold your mobile phone to your ear and speak the search inquiry after the beep. For example you can search for hotels in Lugano by saying “hotels lugano switzerland” or you can use the phone as a currency converter by saying simply “125 swiss francs in euros” and you will get the exact exchange rate. The next few years will doubtlessly bring significant changes in terms of online media usage, m-commerce and social commerce activities. Anticipating and monitoring those developments and reacting quickly means that you will be better prepared to remain competitive and capitalize on those trends. By Professor (FH) Mag. Christian Maurer Tourism & Leisure Management, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria. www.fh-krems.ac.at, Publisher of eTourism BlogoScope http://christian-maurer.blogspot.com

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d

Internet as the Only Growth Channel in Hospitality

The growth of the Internet channel for the top 30 hotel brands is not an isolated phenomenon. HeBS reported steady increases in direct online channel bookings across its hotel client portfolio, even in a difficult year like 2009. In dire economic times like these, characterized by sharp declines in travel demand, a comprehensive ROI-centric Internet marketing strategy can help hoteliers continue to generate much needed incremental revenues and out-smart their competition. Here are some of HeBS' findings based on the latest eTRAK benchmark report, surveys and industry data from PhoCusWright, ARC and our own research.

Top 30 Hotel Brands: CRS Hotel Bookings

The

latest eTRAK Full Year 2009 report on hotel bookings by channel yet again confirms that today, the online channel is the only growth channel in hospitality. In the difficult economic environment, when travel supply outweighed travel demand by far, Internet bookings

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for the top 30 hotel brands increased by a remarkable 6.6% in 2009 vs. 2008 (eTRAK). This increase in Internet bookings comes at the expense of the GDS (Global Distribution System) and Voice Channels, both of which have been declining for many years now.

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Internet Bookings * Brand Website * Third-Party/OTAs Brand GDS Bookings Brand Voice Bookings

2009 54.2% 70.9% 29.1% 23.6% 22.2%

2008 2009 vs. 2008 47.6% 6.6% 75.2% 24.8% 27.3% -3.7% 25.1% -2.9%

Internet Bookings * Brand Website * Third-Party/OTAs Brand GDS Bookings Brand Voice Bookings

2008 47.6% 75.2% 24.8% 27.3% 25.1%

2007 2008 vs. 2007 42.0% +5.6% 76.0% 24.0% 29.3% -1.9% 28.8% -3.7%

Source:

eTRAK

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d

GDS Channel Is in Steady Decline • GDS hotel bookings via the CRS (Central Reservation System) of the top 30 hotel brands declined by 3.7% 2009 vs. 2008, and constitute 23.6% of total CRS bookings in 2009 vs. 27.3% in 2008 (eTRAK). • Back in 2006, GDS CRS reservations constituted 31.3% of total CRS bookings for the top 30 brands. GDS share has decreased by 24.6% from 2006 to 2009, when it was reported at the 23.6% level. • Travel Agency Share from Total Travel Market in the U.S. dropped from 41% in 2006 to 33% in 2009 (PhoCusWright). • U.S. Travel Agency Locations decreased by 7% in 2009 vs. 2008. The number of locations has been decreasing at an average rate of 4% every year since 2001, and the number of travel agencies has declined from as high as 35,000 in 1995 to less than 16,450 in September 2009 (ARC, HeBS).

Google Testing Hotel Prices in Google Maps Google is testing a new feature within Google Maps: displaying specific hotel prices. The feature has been turned on for “a small portion of users.” The new feature is very straightforward: whenever you search for hotels in a specific region, you will have the ability to check the prices of hotels that show up in search results, based on the date and the number of nights you are staying. The data is based on advertised prices from sponsored results — the prices are essentially ads, albeit useful ones. M a s h a b l e. co m

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The Voice Channel Contribution Is Decreasing • Voice channel hotel bookings via the CRS of the top 30 hotel brands declined by 2.9% in 2009 vs. 2008, and now constitute 22.2% of total CRS booking in 2009 (eTRAK). • Last year's decrease is in addition to a decline of 2.8% for the full 2008 vs. 2007 (eTRAK). • The Voice Channel is in decline for the 6th consecutive year (HeBS). Back in 2006, voice reservations constituted 31.3% of total CRS bookings for the top 30 brands. Voice Reservation share decreased to 25.1% in 2008 and 22.2% in 2009.

The Shift from Offline to Online Channel is Permanent • 54.2% of overall CRS bookings for the top 30 hotel brands come from the online channel, which is an increase of 6.6% vs. 2008 (eTRAK). • 60% of leisure and 40% of business travel will be booked online in the U.S. this year (PhoCusWright). • 45% of hotel bookings in 2010 will be via the Internet (direct + indirect online channels) (HeBS).

Direct vs. Indirect Online Channel: Dynamics Follow the Economy Typical of economic times such as the present, the hotel industry (similar to post 9/11) has again "succumbed to the devil" in the face of the major OTAs (Online Travel Agencies). Since mid-2008 travel supply has outweighed demand and hoteliers have been more susceptible to panic, resulting in deep discounting and embracing of the OTAs. The result is that we have witnessed a significant shift from the direct online to the indirect online channel in 2009:

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• In 2009, 70.9% of online bookings came from the direct online channel (i.e. the major hotel brands' own websites), while 29.1% came from the indirect online channel (OTAs) (eTRAK). This constitutes a significant increase of the contribution from the OTAs compared to 2008, when 75.2% of online bookings came from the direct online channel, while 24.8% came from the OTAs. • Compare this to 2007, when the direct channel contributed 76% of CRS Internet bookings.

The Bottom Line: Focus on the Direct Online Channel Hoteliers need a robust Direct Online Channel Strategy, accompanied by adequate marketing funds to be able to take advantage of the steady growth in the Internet channel and shift from offline to online bookings in hospitality due to declining GDS and voice channels. Hoteliers must carefully employ ROI-centric initiatives, including website redesign, website optimization and SEO, paid search, email marketing, online display advertising and proven social media initiatives. Even in this economy, you should not decrease or eliminate your hotel Internet marketing budget. The

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d

Internet, and especially the direct online channel, is the only growth channel for hoteliers and the only "light at the end of the tunnel" in this environment. Even in these difficult times we see "Return on ad spend" (ROAS) as high as 3500% from Internet marketing campaigns we run for our clients.

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Market researchers provide various projections for the growth of the online travel channel in 2010, from a small decline as reported by a travel research company, to growth rates as high as 11% in 2010 as projected by eMarketer. These optimistic projections are supported by the leading e-Commerce research company, which declares that overall U.S. online sales will increase by 9% in 2010. HeBS believes that online travel, having always been the most dynamic and fast-growing segment of the overall online marketplace, will experience similar growth rates. Whatever the case might be, the online travel channel, and especially the direct online channel, provides hoteliers with the only viable option for any growth during this recession. By Max Starkov Max Starkov is Chief eBusiness Strategist at Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS). http://www.hospitalityebusiness.com

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The Online Travel Market: Interesting Emerging Trends with good reason; of the 12,600 people surveyed by TravelMole in 2009, 55% claimed to regularly research their holiday and compare prices online while a massive 73% had visited travel related blog sites to read fellow travellers’ feedback around holidays and destinations. Keeping a finger on the pulse of trends will allow marketers to anticipate change in the industry and adapt their strategies accordingly.

Woman & Oldies Are Leading the Online Travel Race

The

rise of the Internet is undeniable and when it comes to marketing and selling travel, it is the ideal tool. This can be attributed to its growing infrastructure, interactive nature and accessibility. That, and the fact that the internet is one of the primary means through which consumers research and book both business and leisure travel. New Media Trend Watch reported recently that travel marketers are planning to increase their eMarketing budgets by between 11% and 50% in 2010. And

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Late last year OrangeSmile.com published a report on internet trends in the online travel market. While acknowledging that overall 2/3 of bookings in 2009 were influenced by the Internet, the share of female and senior populations were growing with unprecedented speed. The online booking share attributed to women increased from 48% to 50% between 2006 and 2009 while in the seniors (55 years and over) group increased from 13.9% to 18.5% in the same time period. Dealing with the women first, this trend can be attributed to a number of factors. OrangeSmile conducted a survey that revealed that at least in part, this can be attributed to the fact that a growing number of women are in powerful positions in the workplace and increasingly travel alone for business. In addition, while women on average still earn less than their male counterparts, their salaries are increasing faster and a large proportion of their increasing disposable income is being spent on travel. Thirdly, women are closing the gap when it comes to awareness and understanding of

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technology. Finally, in an increasing proportion of families, women are responsible for organizing the family travel arrangements. When it comes to the more senior citizens, there are a few possible explanations. The most obvious one, according to the same study is the one that argues that while seniors may have been underrepresented in the early days of the internet, exposure to it is increasingly unavoidable so it is logical that more senior citizens have access. In addition, there is the fact that in general, the world population is aging and by this year the expected percentage of adults aged 55 and over was expected to have grown from 24% to 31.5%. This will directly affect global internet usage statistics and will reflect in travel.

The Rise of Mobile There’s little doubt in the minds of savvy marketers that Mobile Marketing is the next big thing in many industries. When it comes to travel, mobile devices offer a unique but enormous opportunity for travel providers to leverage Mobile Marketing solutions. Already, an ever increasing number of consumers are using mobile travel sites to access information, book flights and hotel rooms and rent cars. Travelocity reports 1,263 million unique visitors a month to their mobile site. If the Internet caused a wave of change in the travel industry, it’s doubtless that mobile devices will cause a second one. The reasons for this are fairly obvious. Phones are increasingly advanced technologically. In addition, even those who don’t carry them day to day are more likely to do so when travelling so as to enable them

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d to stay in contact with friends and family while giving them mobile access to resources, to their email and importantly, to the Internet. In the developed world, smartphones are swiftly becoming a commonly used tool for managing activities post booking. Of the travellers surveyed, more than 2/3 had a smartphone and of these, nearly half were 40 or older. This shows an interesting trend, explored in greater detail later on, that highlights that age stereotypes when it comes to the adoption of emerging technology are often inaccurate. Some smartphones, like the Apple iPhone, offer applications specifically designed to facilitate travel bookings. Accor’s iPhone app is personalized and in addition to giving users access to booking facilities in 3000 hotels from their phone, also memorises reservations, favourite hotels and can synchronise with your contacts. Hostelworld. com’s offering is even more advanced. Their application (for iPhones), offers, in addition to the Accor features, city maps of hostels in relation to the user’s current location. Other groups, including hotel.info, Best Western International and Ebookers (among others) have done much the same thing. This type of system will change the way in which people make travel arrangements. Jeffrey Boyd, the CEO of Priceline argued that more and more travellers will only book accommodation once they reach their destinations. This is because of the geolocationing, ease of information distribution and the built in and secure mechanism for payment offered by mobile devices.

number of travellers is starting to post videos in the same way as previously they posted reviews. YouTube features as the most popular site on which to post and view these clips. Travel providers aren’t unaware of this; 60% of travel marketers purport to be increasing budget allocation to marketing in this area and 90% of hoteliers surveyed for an Avalon report feel that online reviews should be monitored. However, of that 90%, the majority only check for online comments once every two weeks. Essentially though, it isn’t the fact that the internet provides consumers with a voice with which they can share their travel experiences, so much as whether these opinions influence the purchasing decisions of other potential visitors. Recently studies have shown that while Facebook and MySpace

The Rise of Social Media & Video When it comes to online travel, the social media, web PR and online reputation management web is a tangled one that is as dangerous as it is powerful. Tripadvisor reports that 20 new travel or destination reviews are added to it every minute. Something else to note is that consumers are turning to online videos to help them make decisions. Moreover, increasing Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

travel reviews have little or no impact on bookings, 88% of Trip Advisor visitors are influenced by what they read on the site.

People Are Weighing up Their Options: The Importance of Usability With a great deal of competition in the market and people weighing up their options, usability comes into the spotlight as an increasingly influential barrier to conversion. The research to travel window has expanded in the last few years with people holding out until the last minute for the best deal. In addition to this is the fact that 52% of potential travellers will look at three or more websites before making a booking. With hospitality sites losing up to 50% of potential bookings, according to iPerceptions Inc. as a result of price sensitivity and usability issues, hospitality providers need to start paying more attention to the ease with which potential customers can get information and make bookings. The truth of the matter is that while consumers are increasingly internet savvy, they still have trouble completing basic tasks like making payments and bookings. It is key to note that 1 of every 2 visitors to the 100 hospitality sites surveyed reported being unable to fulfill their goal of making a reservation. The organizations and websites who fix this first will reap the rewards. Trends in online travel marketing are diverse and vary according to the geography of both the consumer and the tourism provider. That said, globally trends seem to be moving in the same direction, particularly in the developed world. The variance thus is the rapidity with which things are changing on different sides of the globe and that should not drastically change how marketers respond to and leverage these trends. By Lyndi Lawson http://www.gottaquirk.com/author/lyndi-lawson/

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P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d

Understanding Online Travel Marketing Trends: Opportunities & Challenges

The

bigmouthmedia’s Online Travel Report 2010 published last November summarizes the findings of the company’s survey. The survey was sent out to the company’s database of travel clients, as well as to Tnooz – a third party website specialising in providing news and insights to the wider travel industry. In total 39 bigmouthmedia clients and 109 from the Tnooz database responded to the survey. Answers that had been completed by non-travel companies have been filtered out, in order to focus the findings relevant to the travel market.

Summary The economic climate put travel companies under pressure in 2009, and the industry is predicting Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

slow recovery in 2010. The market place challenges caused by the economic climate are still perceived to be the key obstacles, and the key market opportunity is expected to be continued growth of online travel sales, meaning the web has never been more important to the travel industry. An average 50% of total marketing budgets were allocated to the online channel in 2009 by the companies taking part in our survey. This figure is set to grow to 57% in 2010, and it's official that online spend will receive the lion’s share of budgets. Paid search was allocated 33% of budgets in 2009, but the growth of the channel is becoming more stagnant as travel companies are shifting budgets to social media and search engine optimisation. Online growth will require competitive digital strategies, which provide opportunities for growth but also pose key challenges – these include social media, cross-channel synergy and innovations. Other key challenges listed by the companies surveyed included consolidated measurements and reporting, and implementation of multivariate testing.

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Marketing Budget Allocation & Online Advertising Spend A key objective with the travel survey was to understand how large shares of travel companies' budgets are allocated to online spend, and how this differs between different sub-verticals. We found that: • The total online marketing share of budgets has increased steadily in the last few years, from 39% in 2008 to 50% in 2009 and 57% in 2010. • Villa and holiday rental sites have the largest share of online marketing budgets at 90%, followed by 85% for both OTA and Comparison and meta search engines. • Ferry and train companies have the lowest share of marketing budgets allocated to online spend, with 25% and 30% respectively. • In 2009, Paid search received the highest portion of online budgets with an average 33%, followed by SEO 18% and Display 17%. • In 2010, the majority of respondents will increase spend on Social Media & Online PR and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d • Other key challenges listed were consolidated measurements and reporting, and implementation of multivariate testing. • Improved customer experience/usability and improved ROI were also perceived to be top listing opportunities.

Innovations

Travel Market Opportunities & Challenges

Online Marketing Opportunities & Challenges

The survey conducted was designed to understand how travel companies perceived the key travel market opportunities and challenges in 2010. We found that: • Continued growth of online travel sales was identified as the key travel market opportunity. • Key market challenges were intensified by the poor economic climate and decreased business and leisure demand. Brand perception, increased competition and pressure to lower prices also scored highly.

The internet is gaining the bulk of the marketing budget from the companies surveyed, meaning that having the right strategies in place is more important than ever. We wanted to find out what the key online challenges and opportunities are perceived to be in 2010, and our study showed that: • Engaging in social media was listed as the key challenge, and the second highest opportunity was incorporating social media strategy. • Leveraging synergy between channels was perceived as the key online opportunity and the second highest scoring challenge.

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With 3 out of 5 Europeans now participating in social media regularly, social media provides key opportunities for the year ahead. Analysing the activities undertaken in 2009 against those planned for the year ahead, it is clear that the majority of travel companies surveyed are incorporating social media innovations as part of their strategy. The key findings are: • The number of companies taking part in social media in 2010 will be twice as many as those undertaking those activities in 2009. • Setting up a Twitter and Facebook page is the top social media priority planned, followed by blogger outreach. • Affiliate marketing was also listed as one of the activities companies will be adding to their marketing mix. • Multivariate testing had a high growth – only a handful of companies stated it was an activity they undertook in 2009, but 30 companies are planning to implement it in 2010. • PPC API feeds also had a high growth, being the eight highest scoring new activity planned for 2010.

Campaign Management– Agency vs. In-house The final question of the survey looked at what the channels travel companies had either outsourced to an agency or were managing in house.

P rofe s sional : Tour i sm in the O nline Wor l d The key findings are: • Display and Search Engine Optimisation were the two channels managed primarily by agencies. • Paid search was the third online channel with the highest share of agency management. • Email marketing and Social Media were the two channels primarily managed in-house.

Use of SEO and PPC should both determine, and change across, the various stages of campaigns – and also work differently for different brands. Integrated search requires testing, technology and resources. However, the rewards are significant and campaigns will work in synergy with investment decisions made with far more intelligence.

Recommendations–How to get the Digital Edge in 2010

Create a comprehensive Social Media strategy with clear objectives

The key online marketing opportunity stated by the companies taking part was leverage synergy between channels. A key to maximising results across all channels is to incorporate a holistic approach to marketing activity, both on and offline. Customers have changed the way they research and book travel online. Consequently, travel companies increasingly interact with users in different channels, and strategies should be holistic with a view of optimising each stage of interaction with the consumer. By aligning and integrating SEO, PPC, Affiliates, Display and Social Media strategies instead of viewing each as separate entities, results can be maximised. In order to understand the true relationship between channels and how to maximise their potential, it is advisable to run tests to determine how traffic and revenue are impacted by having keywords in different positions. For example, using a handful of high volume keywords with high natural ranking, we can analyse if moving the PPC position would save money that can be reinvested elsewhere. Based on the findings, we can determine if a top-tier keyword might benefit from full PPC support or a low-tier keyword have its PPC spending cut.

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It is clear from survey results that social media is going to be a key focus for travel companies online marketing, and it’s not hard to see why with 3 out of 5 Europeans now participating in social media regularly. The social media sphere is complex and the opportunities therein are also coupled with challenges to get it right. It is vital that travel companies starting to engage in online PR and social media have a comprehensive strategy in place with clear objectives and ownership. The key to successful social media campaigns are reporting to ensure your campaign reaching the KPIs and measurements you set out to achieve. Make sure your social media strategies are aligned with your other channels and evaluate your campaign in terms of SEO benefits, as a successful campaign will have a positive effect your search rankings.

(Excerpt from “Online Travel Report 2010: Understanding Online Travel Marketing Trends) By Anneli Ritari http://www.bigmouthmedia.com

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A dvent u re Expedition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Frozen Tours

A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s

Holidays on Ice: Glaciers & Iceland A

glacier is a heavy mass of ice that forms as layers of snow accumulate and compact over time, and then move slowly downhill as its weight responds to gravity. A visit to see one or several glacial ice giants tends to feature in most Iceland package holidays, and the most giant glacier you can visit is Vatnajökull.

Vatnajökull – Southeast Iceland Vatnajökull is an ice cap in the southeast of Iceland. Holidays here will take in the dramatic outskirts where the glacier meets the unfrozen land, the ice shapes, and the expanses of white. Jeep tours on the glacier are popular, and specialist holidays to Iceland might include a boat trip on a glacial lagoon called Jokulsarlon, where you can see strange ice forms in the water and the remarkable blue colours in the floating ice. Such tours will help you get a sense of the magnitude of the glacier, which is more than 900 metres thick at its deepest point and in terms of sheer bulk is it the largest glacier in Europe. As with many glaciers in Iceland, Vatnajökull covers a number of volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions beneath the ice cap create large volumes of meltwater. This water is usually released in flash-flood rivers, called 'runs,' but sometimes the water is trapped underneath the glacier, accumulating in size and pressure. When this pressure is released, it releases an avalanche of water known as an 'outburst'. Luckily, these outbursts tend to occur only about twice a decade so one is unlikely to coincide Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

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A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s valleys carved out by a glacier grinding and pulling at the rocks and mountainsides. It has created an area of natural beauty ideal for hiking holidays to Iceland, with exceptional views of scarred rock, the open spaces of marshes and woodland, and the Myrdalsjokull glacier at one end. The varied and difficult terrain makes for a challenging and exciting walk. A variety of excursions are available, more specialist holidays to Iceland might include the speed and excitement of snowmobiling on Myrdalsjokull. The Myrdalsjokull glacier sits upon a volcanic mountain (1,493 metres in height) at one end of the Thorsmork valley.

Skaftafell National Park

with your Iceland holidays. However, these outbursts are indeed angry, releasing something like the volume of the Mississippi river in the case of Vatnajökull, and are capable of destroying bridges and roads.

Thorsmork (Þórsmörk) – South Iceland The power that glaciers contain to alter the landscape is also plain to see in Thorsmork. The Thorsmork glacier valley is an area of wide flat-bottomed

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If your holidays to Iceland take you to Thorsmork, then you will be within thirty miles of Skaftafell National Park, a large and beautiful protected area. You might see arctic foxes here, and can enjoy the views in the country's most forgiving climate. A visit to Skaftafell might form part of an escorted tour. A specialist holidays' Iceland tour including Thorsmork and Skaftafell takes six days, and there are also eleven-night Iceland holidays traveling to glaciers in the west, south and southeast of this extraordinary island. By Vikki Beale Vikki Beale is a holiday expert for iceland2go, a specialist operator providing holidays to Iceland and Greenland. We provide luxury tailor-made itineraries and the finest package holidays Iceland can offer, with sights including glaciers, geysers, fjords, and the Northern Lights. http://www.iceland2go.com

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Alaskan Adventure by Rail

One

of the best ways to see the sights of Alaska is through a railroad tour! The Alaska Railroad is a railway that runs between Anchorage and Whittier and also from Anchorage to Fairbanks. On the southern Whittier route, the train also stops at Seward and on the northern route, it stops at Denali and Talkeetna. These tracks cover some of the most beautiful Alaskan countryside and the Alaska Railroad operates several scenic tours for tourists. Taking an Alaska Railroad tour is one of the best ways to view some of the more remote locations in

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Alaska's vast countryside. You will not have to worry about where you will stay each night, because the tours include your hotel accommodations at luxury hotels. You will stop periodically along the route to get out and enjoy some of the scenery, as well as mingle with native Alaskans. When you park yourself in the observation car, you will be gazing on some of the most beautiful views in the northern hemisphere. One of the most popular Alaskan train tours is offered by the Alaska Railroad and is called Alaska by Rail. This tour is designed for the railway enthusiast

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and takes riders through some of the local culture. You will explore the Kenai Fjords National Park, as well as the shoreline of Kenai. The train will take you into some of the interior areas of the state and you will revel in the wildlife of Denali National Park. One of the stops even allows travelers to ride a sternwheeler down the Fairbanks River! This is a nine-day tour, with eight nights in luxury hotels. It begins and ends in Anchorage. For those interested in a natural experience, the Visit Denali Tour offered by the Alaska Railroad takes guests on a three-day trip through the massive national park. This is a great way to experience the mountains that Alaska is so famous for. Do not be surprised if you see a herd of caribou on this trip! For the ultimate rail experience in Alaska, consider the Alaskan Odyssey trip. This is an elevenday tour of the entire state, starting at the Pacific and ending at the Arctic. It takes visitors to all of the most famous Alaskan destinations and includes transportation by train, plain and bus. You will experience the midnight sun over the Arctic Ocean, the thrill of the Arctic National Park and the opportunity to see some of Alaska's wildlife in Denali National Park. This tour also takes you through the vast tundra, an experience you are sure to never forget. The White Pass and Yukon Railroad offers tourist trips through the Alaska into the Yukon of Canada. This railway is historic, as it was built around the turn of the century during the height of the Klon-

Russian Alaska? Alaska over the centuries became part of Russia. On April 9, 1867, the US Senate purchased it from Russia for around seven million dollars at the time (around 134 million today counting inflation).

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dike Gold Rush. This trip takes you on cars that are recreations of the original cars through train stations that are also reminiscent of a time gone by. Like the other railway, you will enjoy the most stunning views on this trip and the cars have large windows for you to use to view the passing scenApr i l, 2 0 1 0

ery. Each car is also equipped with outside viewing platforms that you can use to get a taste of fresh air. By Michael Russell (independent guide to Alaska) http://EzineArticles.com

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A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Froz e n Tour s

The 3 Best Places to See the Northern Lights The

northern lights, aurora borealis, are an incredibly amazing display of nature, which can only really be appreciated in person. Photos do not do them justice. There are several countries in which it is possible to see the northern lights, and the 'best' of these is often argued. Clarity, brightness and awe-inspiring value of the lights are dependant almost completely on the time of year, weather and several other environmental factors. This can be another hurdle in deciding where to go. Here, we will clear up some of the confusion on where to go and present three of the best possible holidays for you so see the lights.

Norway In January, the arctic town of Tromso in northern Norway is easily one of the best places for a northern lights holiday. Situated over 300 km inside the Arctic Circle, the aurora borealis are viewable between 6 pm and 1 am every second day at the very least. For most of the month, Tromso lies in complete darkness as the sun never breaks the horizon. The biggest attraction of seeing the auroras in Tromso in January is the northern lights festival, held in honor of the lights, and to celebrate the first dawn of the year. It is also host to a variety of international music and boasts an awesome party atmosphere. This alone makes Tromso an excellent choice for you to see the northern lights. Even if the festival and party life isn't your scene, Tromso still stands at the forefront of aurora holiday destinations. Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

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A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s

Canada On almost the opposite side of the world, Canada provides another amazing place to see the northern lights. A one hour each way snowmobile ride north of Lake Superior, Ontario, offers yet another awesome display of the lights. Similar to Tromso, this is one of the coldest options for your trip, so be sure to pack your thickest and warmest gear! It is definitely not recommended to attempt the snowmobile ride yourself, especially if you have never lived in the area or experienced similar climates. Fortunately this doesn't affect your trip, as you can easily seek professional guidance. There are several tour operators in the area that do just that. Be sure to look around for the best deals.

Iceland The city of Reykjavik in Iceland is our final contender for the best place to see the northern lights. From the city itself, displays are not as spectacular due to the amount of street lighting affecting the

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view. Not to worry, further out of the city you can see the lights perfectly. Once again there are several operators in the area offering their professional guidance and expertise. The best part is that you are still close to all the city action. Iceland is situated in one of the most active areas of the Aurora Ovals – where the northern lights are formed. As long as there is clear sky, the lights are almost always visible. While we believe these are among the best places in the world to see the northern lights, there are quite a few other options. These include Sweden, Finland, Lapland, and Alaska. If you can't seem to arrive at a conclusion, there's no reason not to see them twice, or more, considering most places have an abundance of other activities including dog sledding, skiing and much more. What better time to start organizing your northern lights holiday. By Jimmy Red http://seethenorthernlights.com

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A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s

The Northernmost Town in the World

Hammerfest – the world’s northernmost town – is one of the most important travel destinations in Northern Norway. It has approx. 9,500 inhabitants, and a surface area of about 844 km2. It covers parts of the islands of Sørøya, Kvaløya and Seiland, and ever since it was awarded city status in 1789, it has been the natural centre of the region. Trade and industry is characterised by fishing, fish processing, the Snøhvit field (LNG), service industries and tourism. Kvalsund is a suburb of Hammerfest. Kvalsund’s approx. 1,200 inhabitants have 1,850 km2 at their disposal, most of which is open countryside. Kvalsund boasts excellent places for fishing and hunting. Repparfjord River is well-known as one of the best salmon rivers in Norway. Kvalsund became a separate municipality as early as in 1869. The administrative centre is in the village of the same name, Kvalsund. The municipality is centrally situated in west Finnmark with only a short distance to the nearest airport. The distance from the village of Kvalsund to Hammerfest is 32 km, and to Alta and Lakselv the distance is 112 km. The municipality is composed to a large extent of untouched countryside, which provides great opportunities for experiences on the sea and coast, lakes and rivers, valleys and mountains. In Kvalsund, there are also unique opportunities for sea

The Meridian Column in Hammerfest This column was erected as a symbol of the first measurements of the earth. The Russian astronomer Georg Wilhelm Struve took the initiative for the measurements, which ended here in Hammerfest in 1852. Hammerfest was the northernmost point on his meridian, and Ismail in Turkey the southernmost. Therefore you will find a similar column there. The Column is listed in the UNESCO world heritage list!

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A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s For the most part, the terrain rises steeply from the coast. In the north and west, the terrain is hilly, but it flattens out towards Sennalandet in the south. Sennalandet lies approximately 200-300 metres above sea level, and is a typical mountain plateau area which is divided by numerous rivers and lakes. Between the mainland and the two islands of Kvaløya and Seiland, there are two narrow sounds, Kvalsundet and Vargsundet. If you want to climb in the mountains, the highest mountain tops are Seilandsjøkelen (986 m) on the island of Seiland, Store Savgastat (713 m) to the south and Skinnfjellet (713 m) in the Kvalsunddalen valley, all of which are easily accessible. The biggest valleys in the municipality are Repparfjorddalen, Kvalsunddalen and Russelvdalen. fishing from the shore. On a tour around the municipality, you will also find rock carvings, a Sami church, a chapel built by German friends of peace, a stone monument from World War II, the Sami sacrificial stone “Stallo”, one of Norway’s longest suspension bridges, the world’s first tidal power station and much more.

Rivers, Mountains and Valleys Most of the municipality is an open recreational area and there are many excellent fishing lakes and rivers. The largest lakes are Doggevann, Nagjet, Nedre Saltvann and Trollvannet on the island of Seiland. One of Norway’s best salmon fishing rivers, the Repparfjord river, is also in Kvalsund municipality, and there are many other rivers where you can find salmon such as the Skaidielva, Kvalsundelva and Russelva rivers.

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Skaidi Skaidi, “the place where the rivers meet”, is where you will end up whether you are travelling from Nordkapp, Porsanger, Alta or Hammerfest. Skaidi is a prime destination for both summer and winter experiences. The settlement pattern in Hammerfest and Kvalsund is scattered. We find isolated houses in areas without roads, plus small villages as well as Hammerfest with all its amenities of urban living. The earliest traces of human settlement on the islands goes back some 9,000 years, several millennia after the remaining ice receded and made the area inhabitable for people and animals. The first settlers in the Hammerfest region were nomadic and subsisted on fishing and hunting. Nature has given the region mountains, coastline, fjords and mountain plateaus, a lively coastal heritage and incredible flora and fauna – all waiting for your discovery.

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What to Do Hammerfest is now very important for fishing and trade, especially ice fishing. Norwegians and foreign visitors can take part in this activity almost all year round as the brutal northern weather tends not to limit winter activities near the Arctic Circle. For mountain lovers, Hammerfest is far from short of peaks. The highest point is called Seilandsjokelen at 986 m. For those who just wish to see some interesting places, Hammerfest can also cater. There is a large range of rock carvings from various tribes of people and a Sami church. The Sami are a tribe of people, who mostly live in Finland.

Both Hammerfest and Kvalsund/Skaidi are excellent starting points to experience the mountains, plains, land and sea – in all seasons. Experience the midnight sun in the summer and the ice, snow, cold, darkness and the northern lights in the winter. The cultural life in Hammerfest and Kvlasund is dynamic, with many high-quality contributions within the fields of textile arts, wood carving, painting, music, dance and theatre. Our rich and versatile cultural life is best experienced all year round. Choose Hammerfest and/or Kvalsund as your point of departure for your holiday through Finnmark (a part of the Norwegian Lapland), to ensure a great start to your vacation, or finish your trip here for a memorable end to your holiday. You will feel the warmth of our welcome! http://www.hammerfest-turist.no

A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s

Whale Watching in Antarctica – A Once in a Lifetime Experience

ven though Antarctica is known for its extremely cold climate, it is still teeming with life. It is home to different kinds of animals that have the ability to withstand the harshness of the continent's climate. Antarctic animals include various species of fish, birds, and mammals. The mammals that live in the Antarctic region include seals and whales. There are indeed various species of whales that can be found in the waters of Antarctica that whale watching is one of the most common activities that the region's visitors enjoy. Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

Despite their gigantic size, whales prove to be lovable. The way they move gracefully through the water is just fascinating. They are highly intelligent creatures that they are able to communicate with each other over long distances for social reasons. They are mammals, so we share certain characteristics with them, and this is another reason why we are endeared to them. There are two groups of whales. These are the baleen whales and toothed whales. Instead of teeth, baleen whales have comb-like structures that

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are used to filter krill and fish from the water. The kinds of baleen whales that can be found in the waters of Antarctica include: • Blue Whale. While it is considered as the largest species of whale, it is also considered as the largest animal on earth. On the average, it weighs 84 tonnes and it is about 24 meters long. • Fin Whale. It is 20 meters long and grows to an average weight of 40 to 50 tonnes, making it the second largest of all the whales. • Sei Whale. They are smaller and more slender than the blue and fin whales. It grows up to 18.5 meters in length and weighs up to 29 tonnes. • Southern Right Whale. It may reach 18 meters in length and can weigh up to 96 tonnes. Its head, which is decorated with callosities, makes up to a quarter of its total length. • Humpback Whale. With a skin covered with warts, bumps, and encrusted barnacles, its average length and weight is 13 meters and 31 tonnes. • Minke Whale. Its average length and weight is 8 meters and 8 tonnes and it lives for about 50 years. Toothed whales, on the other hand, have sharp teeth that help them catch their prey, such as fish and squid. The kinds of toothed whales that can be found in the Antarctic are the Orca, Southern Bottlenose, Sperm, and Southern Fourtooth Whale. Dolphins can also be seen, which include the hourglass dolphin and the southern rightwhale dolphin. Whales and dolphins are almost the same and they

A DV E N T U R E : E x p e dit i on – Froz e n Tour s

differ only in size. Everything smaller than 4 meters is considered a dolphin. Other than various species of whales, various species of fish and birds can be found in the continent. These species of fish include Antarctic cod, ice fish, dragon fish, crocodile fish, rat-tailed fish, robber fish, hagfish, and skates. The birds, on the other hand, include penguins and albatrosses. Emperor, Gentoo, Adelie, King, Macaroni, and Rockhopper are some of the species of penguins that live in the continent. Species of albatross that can be seen are Wandering, Gray-headed, Lightlymaned sooty, and Black-browed albatross. When you visit Antarctica, whale watching is one thing that you cannot afford to miss. Observe these

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gentle and lovable giants as they elegantly move through the water. These mammals, our fellow mammals, just do not fail to fascinate us. Watching them is one reason why your Antarctic holiday is all worth it, making it an experience of a lifetime and an encounter with nature that you will surely cherish. By Jo Alelsto Jo is an author and publisher for 'Antarctica Bound', experts in Antarctic tours, Antarctic expeditions, and adventure cruises who are fully dedicated to providing the finest probable service and excellent price. http://www.antarcticabound.com

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E thica l Slow Down and Travel Slow

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Slow Travellers to Cities: Exploring a New Market Segment ants. Currently, about 100 towns worldwide are part of this group. They have committed to preserving local traditions, food, nature, agriculture and encourage a slower and happier way of life.

Authentic Travel Experience Slow travel is another important derivative of the slow movement. It is founded on a way of travelling which is the opposite of “must see” trips, but favours staying for a longer time in one destination, taking it easy and getting to know more the local communities and traditions in more depth. It enables travellers to enjoy a more authentic experience of living in a place, rather than just holidaying there. Slow travellers prefer to rent an apartment rather than staying in a hotel and enjoy activities such as shopping, walking, cycling, tasting local cuisine and attending cafés in their neighborhood which encourages interaction with local communities.

From Rural to City Tourism

The

slow movement started in Italy in 1986 through the creation of the Slow Food organization, aiming to preserve gastronomic traditions and organic agriculture against the homogenisation of food worldwide. The concept to regain time and the value traditions of quality and authenticity that are often neglected in today’s hectic societies was at the origin

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of other strands of the slow movement, such as Cittaslow and Slow Travel.

Cittaslow for a Better Quality of Life Founded in 1999, the Cittaslow association seeks to improve the quality of life in the towns that become members. A prerequisite for towns wanting to join the association is not to exceed 50,000 inhabit-

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So far slow travel has been associated with rural tourism and small towns. A typical example of slow travel in Europe is rural tourism including agriturismi in Italy or gîtes ruraux in France. In the U.S., slow travel is also mainly asso-

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Slow Travel City Destinations

ciated with rural tourism or with holidays in small towns or villages in Italy and France. However, Euromonitor International predicts that the next step will be an increasing interest in cities by slow travellers. Slow travel is not only about the destination, but is primarily the desire to be better travellers regardless of whether it is a rural or urban destination. Freed from the shackles of “must see” trips and “must do” activities, slow travellers are able to achieve this goal.

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Cities that preserve their traditions and offer tourists the opportunity to enjoy local experiences and interact with the community are particularly suitable for “slow city tourism”. For example European cities such as Rome and Barcelona have a lot to offer to slow travellers in terms of local traditions, culture, cuisine and events. Slow travellers to these cities typically rent a holiday apartment for at least one week, or alternatively stay in a bed and breakfast. Their main interest is not visiting the most famous tourist attractions, but rather exploring the neighborhood, street markets, popular restaurants, and areas of the city outside the usual tourist paths. They engage in closer contact with local communities in order to understand more about the local way of living and outlook. To attract slow travellers to cities, tourism authorities should promote their traditions, history, and way of life and cuisine in order to stress the unique attributes of the local culture to enrich the traveller’s experience. By Angelo Rossini (Euromonitor International’s Research Analyst) http://www.euromonitor.com

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Italian Orvieto: Close to Your Heart

low Travel, like the myriad of “slow” movements, is an outgrowth of the original slow movement – Slow Food. Slow Food was, of course, born in Italy in reaction to trends that tend to eliminate some of the traditional and proven ways that we enjoy and savor life. Orvieto, Italy is an interesting city presenting a snapshot of Slow Travel and not-so-slow-travel side by side. Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

Orvieto is in Umbria an hour north of Rome. A classic hilltop town with Etruscan roots, it is headquarters to the Slow Cities movement, which works with cities worldwide to promote slow living. One of Orvieto's most important community events is the week-long slow food festival called “Orvieto with Taste.” The city boasts Italy's best Gothic cathedral. And herein lies the Slow Travel/not-so-slow-travel juxtapo-

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sition. Situated as it is an hour north of Rome, along the route connecting destination superstars Rome and Florence, Orvieto, with its cathedral, is a draw. But it is not such a draw as to be a super destination. The result is that it is often a day trip from Rome, or a stop along the way for people traveling between Rome and Florence. Visitors arrive on the “rock” for a few hours, primarily to see the cathedral. They might also venture into some of the underground Etruscan caves riddling the rock, or visit one of the other guide book destinations such as St. Patrick's well. Some may walk up the main street to get to the cathedral rather than taking the bus, and therefore may wander off on some of the side streets. The result is that, while Orvieto can be busy during the day, by evening most of the tourists are gone, and possession has been returned to the natives. Go a little deeper and one finds Orvieto to be a wonderful city in which to spend a week, or even more. In a week-long stay one finds the difference between the experience of the Slow Traveler and his counterpart. What does a Slow Traveler see and experience that most visitors to Orvieto do not? And, by extension, what does any traveler experience anywhere s/he travels the Slow Travel way? S/he experiences: • Getting into and understanding the rhythm of an Italian day. It starts in the bar for coffee, a leisurely lunch and quiet time, the reawakening of town in late afternoon, the gathering on the streets for the passeggiata, the emptying of the streets at 8 for dinner, and the unbelievable quiet of the night. • The passeggiata, or several hour evening walk, that takes place every day. Staying longer, one begins to recognize people on the walk, observe three generations of a family arm-in-arm, note the courtships taking place, swim in the warm buzz of people conversing.

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• Traveling to the far end of the rock away from the cathedral and discover a restaurant with a James Beard decorated chef. • Beginning to appreciate the regional food which includes wild boar, local pasta called umbricelli, and a delectable olive oil that is one of the area's most important products. • Learning about the sublime local wine, Orvieto Classico, that runs from sweet to dry and includes a dessert wine. • Visiting the twice weekly market in which 60 percent of all goods must be local, the rest regional. Seeing the artichokes piled high in the spring, the pumpkins in the fall. Watching the interchange, the care with which food is selected, the camaraderie that exists. Perhaps recApr i l, 2 0 1 0

ognizing some of the people seen during the passeggiata. • Discovering the original statues that used to inhabit the cathedral including a stunningly executed ascension. These too are at the far end of the rock, and happen to be next door to a very local and excellent restaurant with a patio view out over the Umbrian countryside. • Finding the “other” church built 500 years before the cathedral with its simple, supple frescoes. • Enjoying the tranquil streets in the quiet morning before the tourists arrive. Or watching the sun set, reflecting off the gold facade of the cathedral. • Wandering down an alley to find the roots of the lace making tradition that is a strong part of Orvieto's heritage.

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This is what the Slow Traveler experiences in Orvieto, and something similar in other Italian towns – particularly those that are not the destination stars. It is not to say that this is a better way of travel. It is simply a different way, with its own set of rewards. The experiences are more human in nature, have more of a day-to-day quality, might even be described as humble. Yet, these experiences are those of life, they are closer to our own experience at home, they provide us insights into our own existence. Ultimately they are warm, personal, and very memorable. It is not a bad reward! By Kristi and Bill Steiner http://www.AdventuresInItaly.net

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You Don't Have to See the Must-Sees

to see some of them, but pick them according to your interests. If you are interested in art, line up to see the Mona Lisa in Paris. But if you aren't, find some other thing to do that interests you. Don't feel obligated to see the must-sees. There is no rule that you have to visit every major tourist site within reach. Do what you want to do. You travel for yourself, not to follow someone else's plan or to be able to return home and list off all the famous things you saw.

Cutting Through "Must-see" Materialism In the 1970's, I read a wonderful book called "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa (Shambhala Publications, 1973). It was about being materialistic even in spiritual matters. Many of us do not pick one spiritual path and go with it; instead we collect religions or spiritual paths. "We can deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques." It may be a stretch, but I think this idea can be applied to travel. Take a non-materialistic approach to travel. The travel experience is for you to enjoy, not for you to recount later to friends (besides, your friends are never as interested in your travel as you hope they will be, unless they too are travelers).

think it was in Frommer's Europe on $50 a day, in the late 80s, where I first came across the idea of "must-sees", the main tourist attractions designated as required viewing in each place. Must-sees are like the checklist of activities for a place. Do those and you have done the place, like the character Chevy Chase plays in the movie "National Lampoon's European Vacation", where he

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walks around Paris with his check list, looks at a site for a minute, then happily checks it off his list. That must-see is done, on to the next. When we first traveled in Europe, we dutifully went to these tourist attractions, but after awhile we started call them "must-not-sees". The must-sees are usually where all the tourists are. They are the famous museums, the famous sights. You will want

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Be Your Own Guide Everyone's interests are different, but we find that some of the best travel experiences come from following the same interests we pursue in everyday life. At home, we love to walk and do light hikes on local trails; no wonder we delight in a day of hiking in the Swiss Alps or the walking trails of England. At home, most days include a coffee and some social

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contact at our local coffee shop; finding a favorite café or tea room near our vacation rental and visiting it often enough to be recognized provides an unexpected amount of pleasure. Slow Travelers often describe how they combine personal interests and pleasure on vacation. They enroll in language courses, participate in cooking classes, study a region's wines, follow the "Perugino Trail", attend operas, and explore new extremes of partying. Robert from Santa Monica set out to visit every piazza in Rome which has an obelisk! This type of travel still allows you to see the sights, but centers around what means the most to you, personally; when you return home, you can't wait to start organizing the next trip! Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

Spend One Week in One Place Remember those Reader's Digest Condensed Books? War and Peace in 150 pages? Enough to know what the book is about, but not the full experience. Well, don't expect more from the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of Europe: five cities in ten days or worse, five countries in ten days. It is tempting to do a first trip to Europe like that, but I think this type of travel ultimately turns you away from travel. You do one trip to Europe, get a confusing overview, and never go back because you were running the whole time, you came home exhausted and your memory of the experience is a blur. The Slow Travel solution is to stay in one place for at least one week on each trip. Your itinerary

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may include any number of places, but be sure to include a stay in the same accommodation, preferably a vacation rental, for at least one week. This forces you to settle into the rhythm and experience of local life during a part of your travels. Staying in a vacation rental, instead of a hotel, is ideal for Slow Travel. You become a temporary resident of your chosen city, village or countryside area. This gives you the chance to shop for groceries, become a "regular" at a local cafe, attend the local market day and spend some time just relaxing in the comfort of your own house or apartment. You get to discover some lesser known activities and places of interest in "your" area. By Pauline Kenny http://www.slowtrav.com

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Trend Experts Reveal the Travel Industry's Quiet Revolution

ravel is undergoing a profound and even revolutionary shift, according to a broad new study by the leading global communications agency Euro RSCG Worldwide. The results of the study were released in KNOW magazine's "The Future of Travel: The New Vocabulary of Travel and Tourism." KNOW is a publication of the Euro RSCG Worldwide Knowledge Exchange, a global initiative that Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

pushes knowledge and insights across the Euro RSCG network of agencies. Analyzing the findings of its study of 2,357 adults in the U.S., France, and the U.K., Euro RSCG reveals how changes in consumer consciousness are molding entirely new modes of travel — and a new industry to service them.

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"For years, people have regarded travel as a way to splurge, an indulgence centered on escapism and fun," said Marian Salzman, president of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America. "Now, we're looking to make our travel experiences more meaningful and better aligned with our personal values and goals. With millions of people wanting to feel good about the impact they have on the world, there's been a reboot of travel values and expectations." The study places a special focus on the segment of respondents identified as Prosumers. This highly influential group is ahead of the curve in adopting a more mindful approach to consumption that incorporates concern for the environment, local communities, and the global citizenry. For Prosumers, travel is about much more than getting from Point A to Point B and back again. According to the study: • 66% consider themselves "Citizens of the World," suggesting a more globally minded attitude and approach. • 73% believe extensive travel is key to making a person more interesting. • And 59% contend that where and how they travel says a lot about who they are. • Where and how Prosumers travel is undergoing a decisive shift, as detailed

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in the report. Their objectives for vacation periods are changing and so are the demands they are placing on their brand partners. To lead in the category going forward, it is vital that brands fulfill these four imperatives: • Accept and embrace "green" as the standard way of doing business • Offer products and services that satisfy Prosumers' desire to live more mindfully • Master social media in order to engage Prosumers before, during, and after each travel experience • Embrace the new models of luxury and customer service Euro RSCG has identified Awareness of environmental impact has been all but absent from most travel considerations until recently. "Whereas not so long ago the issue of 'going green' was one of exhortation and persuasion," KNOW magazine explains, "now it is more a matter of shade, degree, and implementation." Brands and companies are finding that eco-consciousness has progressed from a fringe notion to a business manApr i l, 2 0 1 0

date. Euro RSCG research into the New Consumer (2009) has found that 74% of Prosumers feel good about making environmentally friendly choices, and 63% are paying more attention to the environmental and social impact of the products they buy. Travel and hospitality brands are speaking to this heightened consciousness through such means as ecoaccommodations built with reclaimed and recycled materials, "100 mile" menus centered on locally produced foods, energy-efficient "EcoRooms," and rewarding travelers for their green behaviors. Also revolutionizing the category is an emerging mindfulness among consumers fed up with excess consumption and our increasingly artificial, disconnected way of living. Euro RSCG has found that people are hungry for greater meaning in their lives: • 79% of Prosumers worry that society has become too shallow, focusing on things that don't really matter. • 66% worry that people have become too disconnected from the natural world, while 53% worry that digital communications are weakening human bonds.

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• Alarmed by current realities, 84% are making a real effort to improve who they are and how they live. "New modes of travel — including cultural and educational tourism, geotourism, voluntourism, and so-called slow travel — are catering to this newly emerging desire for more," said Claus Lindorff, managing director of Euro RSCG agency BETC Luxe. "The shifts in mindset behind these new modes of travel have been building strength for years. What has brought them to a broader market is the ascendancy of social media. Now that mainstream consumers can participate in real-time communities focused on a new approach to travel and living, this hyper-focus on social values in travel has blossomed." For brands, social media offer creative ways to keep Prosumers engaged well before and long after each actual travel event. New York City's Pod Hotel saw sales and traffic spike 40% after it created PodCulture, a closed social network in which guests can connect with one another and schedule get-togethers in advance of their stays. Such smart use of social media keeps brand conversations going and carries tremendous scope for a new generation of customer service offerings. This is of particular importance at a time when luxury and service are being redefined by consumers sick of tinny smiles and canned responses, and eager to engage with the real people behind the brand. Understanding this emerging world of travel — with all its overlapping and interconnected trends — will be vital for any brand looking to grow in the space. By Lisa Vanella http://www.eurorscg.com

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8 Ways to Spice Up Your Travels

ince travelling became a significant part of my lifestyle, I’d come to realize that a conventional travel itinerary was just not enough to feed my thirst for complete cultural immersion or adventurous endeavors. It was time to ditch the guidebook and delve a little deeper, to get to know my destination inside out. Slow travel (usually means spending more than a month at a place) definitely does the trick, but if you haven’t got the time, here are Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

some other ways to help spice up your journey and make it more than just travel.

1. Volunteer Over the past ten years, voluntourism has gained popularity, especially among young travelers. Many people include a short volunteering stint in their travel plans. I personally volunteered at an education office in a small village in Tanzania two years

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back – the emotional ride was one of the best times in my life. Programs such as the Peace Corps assign volunteers to places that need help. Many organizations require a program fee, so do your research before signing up.

2. Hop on a Cruise I’m not talking typical Caribbean party cruises. Think mid-sized cruises that bring you through the

E T H I C A L : S l ow D ow n and Trav el S l ow Guatemala, Argentina or Spain. Latin America is a top choice for language courses thanks to the low cost of living, rich culture and wide range of options available. These days, Mandarin is becoming the hottest language – so why not head further afield to Beijing? English is not commonly spoken, so you’ll definitely get plenty of practice.

isolated Norwegian fjords or the massive icebergs in the Arctic and island-hopping in the Galapagos. Cruising offers a different perspective, especially in remote and secluded areas like the North Pole. They allow us to get to territories that cannot be visited otherwise. Discount cruises can be an interesting way to travel and even a cost-cutting one.

7. Homestay

3. Learn a Skill From culinary classes to meditation courses, there are plenty of learning opportunities that gives you the chance to know the local culture better. Traveling to China? Take a tai-chi class or a kung-fu introductory course and you’ll leave with more than just photographs. In Japan, you can take a class from a veteran geisha to learn about their traditional ethics and behavior. Many embark on culinary tours around Italy and Spain to dig deeper into their gastronomy, learning to whip up typical Mediterranean dishes and sample local wine.

Most study-abroad programs consist of homestays where local families host you in the comfort of their homes, cooking you typical meals and speaking to you only in their language. Those who have had first-hand experience only have good things to say about this. Many build strong relations with their host families and often keep in touch after returning home. Even if you’re not on a study-abroad program, there are still many opportunities to go on a homestay. For instance, accommodation in Cuba is often in the form of homestays. They are cheaper and a better choice for many.

4. Couchsurf

8. Get a Part-time Job

The trend is here to stay: couchsurfing is now used worldwide, where members contact locals who are willing to offer them a couch to crash in or just meet up for a coffee. I personally have tried couchsurfing several times and have had amazing experiences every single time. It’s the perfect way to meet locals, understand their lifestyle, cultural habits and customs.

5. Book an Adventure Tour Whether you are climbing icebergs in the Patagonia or trekking through the Amazon Jungle, an adventure tour definitely gives you the thrills of

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travel. It challenges you to your limit, gives you an adrenaline-pumping experience and allows you to explore a part of the country you might not be able to on your own. A tour usually takes up a chunk of your travel budget, but hey, no pain no gain. It’s often cheaper to book the tour at your destination rather than through the internet.

6. Pick Up a New Language Another popular traveling option is language immersion: the most typical being Spanish classes in

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Work as diving instructor, teacher, chef, au-pair or cruise crew, there are thousands of working options available. For many countries, being a native English speaker gives you the advantage to find work easily. In Spain, you can easily find work as a teacher in an English summer camp. Depending on your skills, short-term work not only allows you to earn an extra income, but also gives you the experience of living and working in a new country. http://www.tipsfromthetlist.com

D estination S o u t h A f r i c a : I t â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s P o ss i b l e

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South Africa: Tourism Industry to Cash in on 2010 The

South African tourism industry is standing in wait to cash in on the 2010 FIFA World Cup which will be held for the first time in Africa. Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the tournament, which kicks off in less than 100 days, would help to push up the number of tourists visiting the country to 10 million this year. While the global tourism industry shrank 4 percent last year as a result of the global financial crisis, South Africa still ended up in positive territory, said Van Schalkwyk. "What we will do this year is to achieve what many people said four, five years ago was impossible. This year we will receive 10-million foreign tourists and that, in our view, is a major achievement." Van Schalkwyk was also confident that the country will be able to provide lodging for the expected 400 000 visitors between June and July. He reiterated that an extensive accommodation audit has

South Africa has spent 34 billion rand ($4.6 billion) to host the soccer World Cup, including building 10 world-class stadiums. About 130,000 jobs have been created since 2007 in the construction of five new stadiums and the refurbishment of five others. Bloomberg.com

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Tourism professionals fairly satisfied with the promotion South African tourism professionals are mostly satisfied with the preparations of the country’s authorities for the World Cup 2010. More than half of survey respondents (51.5%) stated that with respect to the infrastructure and quality of services provided to the World Cup visitors the authorities do fairly good job in getting ready for the event, although it still might be better. Tourism-Review.com

shown there is space for everyone. "We are confident that we will be able to deal with whatever for the duration of the World Cup." There are almost 19 000 establishments ranging from large formal to small informal businesses. The 200 000 plus rooms roughly translate into 405 000 beds. The Western Cape leads the pack with over 7 000 establishments. A new database for all establishments is already operational. While the FIFA World Cup will bring in visitors, Van Schalkwyk said all South Africans have a responsibility to help build tourism capacity. He said

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the World Cup would help entrench South Africa as an attractive destination for sports tourism, which presently accounts for 10 percent of all foreign arrivals. "We have all this infrastructure to use after 2010 and we have to roll out the post-2010 (plan) because on July 12, that show will leave South Africa and we will have to continue to build this industry," he said. http://allafrica.com

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Travel and Tourism in South Africa

Global Economy Slows down Tourist Spending The global credit crunch and slowdown in the global economy affected incoming tourist receipts dramatically in 2008. This was largely due to a lack of disposable income as a result of severe levels of debt in many developed countries around the world, although the volume of tourists remained positive, tourism spending declined dramatically. Unfortunately, as the global recession deepens, it is likely that the South African tourism industry will be further affected. Furthermore, consumers in more developed countries are tending towards being thrifty and trying to save their money rather than spend it on foreign holidays.

"Tourist" Needs to Be Redefined There is a major definitional question as to what defines a tourist in South Africa. Apparently South Africa's biggest volumes of international tourists come from countries such as Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. However what appears to be happening is that economic refugees are coming into the country on the tourist visas and then staying there so as to escape the problems they face in their home country. Furthermore, in the case of Lesotho for example, many citizens in fact work in South African mines, and the money they are spending in the country is not tourist income but rather should be counted as GDP as it is not foreign money.

ccording to Euromonitor International, in 2008, the South African economy continued to decline as the credit crunch deepened in to what many believe to be an impending recession that will last well into 2010, possibly longer. The decline comes as part of the economic cycle and the fact the South African economy has shown unprecedented growth since 2002. It is understood that no economy can Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

grow indefinitely, but the question looms as to the severity of the current economic decline. Debt is at an all-time high in South Africa which significantly affects consumer disposable income and retail good sales including volumes within the tourism industry. Furthermore, with the new national credit act having come into full affect, consumer access to credit has declined drastically in 2008.

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Internet Bookings Fuel Low Cost Carriers According to Euromonitor International, the internet exploded onto the South African market over the last five years period. This has been very advantageous for the domestic tourism industry with regards to on-line bookings. Household penetration of broadband internet is at an all-time high and

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has almost become a household necessity among middle- and upper-income consumers. This has spurred development in web pages and on-line booking systems which have been utilised particularly well by the low-cost carrier and airline industries. It is likely that this will become the main way to book flights in the future.

Gearing up for 2010 There is no question that the focus of the South African tourism industry in the next few years will be the FIFA World Cup. The entire tourism industry has been preparing itself for this single event to take place in July 2010. In this year, the South

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African government expects approximately 250-to300,000 international tourists. However, a question still looms as to whether it will suit South Africa to host the event or not and whether it will be beneficial to the economy. Germany is the only country in the history of the World Cup to break even and it is unlikely that South Africa will do the same. It may simply prolong the effects of the global economic crisis for a year or two more. (Extract from Euromonitor International’s report “Travel and Tourism in South Africa”) http://www.euromonitor.com

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The Free State's Castle Retreat

ince the Normans and Visigoths first rampaged across Europe centuries ago, a castle has always been a place of refuge; somewhere to retreat to in times of peril, when the outside world threatens to break down all of your carefully laid defences; an impenetrable fortress where you’ll be safe from your worst enemies. South Africa’s Free State province may be thankfully free of marauding barbarians, but deadlines, emails and other office bores had been massing at Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

the gates for some time, laying siege to my sanity. It was time to find a refuge. We hit the long road to Bethlehem, swung onto the R711 and, with quick stop in Clarens for a cappuccino and to marvel at how strip malls seem to be taking over, we're off through Fouriesburg and out onto the R26. A left, another left and a bit of gravel, and we arrived at the castle gates. “Welcome to Destiny Castle,” says Devlin Fogg, who manages what is surely one of South Africa’s

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most unusual getaways. High on a sandstone plateau, what was once a local businessman’s folly, left in ruins for years, has been transformed into a fairytale castle to call your own. We park our cars in a barn full of drying thatch and climb into a plush 4x4 for the transfer up to the castle. The steep road is not town-car friendly, but if you have an off-road vehicle you’re welcome to drive up yourself. “For some of our guests this is the only time their 4x4 has been off-road!” laughs Devlin. On the plateau the road evens out, and lush fields of grass lead the way to the front door, with its welcoming – and suitably European – rose garden. Built of hefty sandstone blocks the structure looks like the perfect escape for a few days, and up close you get a sense of just how much thought has gone into the design of Destiny Castle. On three levels in the main turret you discover the grand dining room, private cinema and topfloor lounge. Here antique pianos wait to have their ivories tinkled and portraits of Jan Smuts and Emily Hobhouse gaze down from the walls, a nod to the Anglo Boer War history in the surrounding hills. But the highlight of the rough stone turret is the rooftop deck, a crennelated look-out offering spectacular views over the surrounding countryside. On still evenings you may be treated to a starlit braai up here, but it’s a fabulous sundowner spot any day of the week. A few distant lights may twinkle in the valleys, but otherwise it feels like you have this corner of South Africa all to yourself. If the night’s a little chilly for dining al fresco, you sit down for a seven-course dinner at the grand communal table. It’s a silver and crystal affair where the European training of chef Urs Nydegger is artfully reflected on the plate. Set into the two-metrethick walls are wine racks stocked with bottles from

De s ti nation : S outh Af r i ca : It ’s Po ssibl e

some of the best Cape vineyards to enjoy with your meal. But there are no formal wine-lists, or printed menus here. The chef explains what you’ll be eating, and you’re welcome to select a bottle from the rack: “People should arrive here and feel as if it’s their castle,” Devlin tells me over a particularly good glass of Semillon. A separate courtyard ensures the revelry is kept away from the delightfully over-the-top Gothic bedrooms in a separate wing of the castle. Solid wooden doors require a hefty shove to make your way into the room – “All the better for keeping the deadlines out,” I think to myself – where a fourposter bed dominates the room. A free-standing tub has pride of place in the openplan bathroom (a recent trend that not all travellers may be wild about) with views through to the lounge and the landscape beyond. Deep leather armchairs inspire afternoons with a favourite book, or quality time spent chatting and gazing at the horizon, enjoying the silence.

Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

I’m not one to sit still for too long though, so I take myself off for a sunset walk before dinner. Wandering along the plateau I’m struck by how a castle perched on a rocky outcrop can blend into the landscape so easily. Built of locally quarried sandstone, the castle and its four bedrooms tower above the surrounding farmlands, so high the swallows have to look up at the parapet as they soar along the cliffs. Below, fields of golden grass and lush lucerne meander in the gentle valleys, carefully ploughed into concentric lines like crop circles from chilled-out aliens. To the north puffs of cumulus skip along like skimming stones on a bright blue pond above the flat plains of the Free State, while just a few kilometres south – literally across the nearby stream – is the neighbouring Kingdom of Lesotho. The Basotho are famous for their “equitable redistribution” of horses and cattle from South African farms. But, says Devlin: “We don’t really have any problems with the surrounding villages.” That may have something to do with the fact that the local chief keeps her own horses in the lush pastures here. The castle doesn’t currently offer horse riding, but there are activities aplenty to keep you busy. The 460-hectare reserve has wonderful walks laid out, along with some excellent single-track mountain-bike trails. The popular villages of Clarens and Ficksburg are not far off, while the Afri-Ski resort is also an easy drive away if you want to spend a day on the slopes in winter. The property is home to beautiful and ancient Bushman rock art.

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There is also a small spa on-site with hi-tech gadgets that allow you to DIY your own massages and steam room, but perhaps the true charm of Destiny Castle is its simple isolation, perched on the edge of a cliff away from the stress of daily life. “We call the castle a reflection resort,” says Devlin, “a place where you can simply come and reconnect with yourself, your loved one and your friends.” With only four rooms accommodating eight guests, it’s the perfect place for an intimate wedding, to celebrate a birthday milestone or one of those just-for-the-hell-of-it getaways that invariably create memories that last a lifetime. It’s still early in the year, but I’m sure – like me – you can already see the enemy approaching. Discretion is always the better part of valour; so when it feels like your defences won’t hold up … retreat! retreat! Photos: Destiny Castle By Richard Holmes http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.co.za

De s ti nation : S outh Af r i ca : It ’s Po ssibl e

South AfricaN Spa Industry Fighting Off the Crisis

outh Africa is home to over 200 spas which collectively generated revenue of ZAR380 million (approximately USD47 million) in 2008, according to Intelligent Spas’ latest Spa Benchmark Report. Spas employed over 2,500 people, which was a 15% increase on 2007 employment numbers. 45% of spas were day spas (not co-located with accommodation) and 55% were destination spas incorporating hotel, resort and retreat spas offering overnight accommodation. The growth in hotel and resort spas developments was stronger than the number of new day spas over recent years. The proportion of domestic tourists visiting spas fell in 2008 whereas the number of visits by local Number of Spas by Main Type 250 200 150 100 50 0 Day Spas Hotel Spas Resort Spas Source: Intelligent Spas, South Africa Spa Benchmark Report, October 2009, F=Forecast

Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

residents increased. International tourists made up over one fifth of visitors. Over two thirds of visits to hotel spas were from people not staying in the adjoining hotel, highlighting the importance of hotel and resort spas also catering to their local markets in terms of operational policies and procedures and incorporating local day spas in their competitor analysis activities.

Other Survey Results • Treatment revenue per spa decreased by 16% between 2007 and 2008. • Hotel spas achieved higher revenue per spa compared to day spas and resort spas. • Day spas achieved more daily visits per spa on average compared to hotel and resort spas. • Less than 30% of spa visits were from males. • Prices of standard spa treatments were higher at hotel spas in comparison to prices set by day spas and resort spas. • 77% of respondents stated clients are more price sensitive explaining clients had requested discounts, packaged treatments and added value.

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South Africa: Visitor Profiles by Residence 2007-2008 International tourists Domestic tourists Local residents 0%

10%

20% 2007

30%

40%

50%

2008

Source: Intelligent Spas, South Africa Spa Benchmark Report, October 2009

Industry Outlook The South African spa market is performing relatively well despite the global economic conditions and spa owners and managers have a positive outlook based on the following predictions: • Spa numbers are forecast to grow by 8%. • Visits to day spas are forecast to grow by 20%. • Revenue per spa is predicted to increase into 2010. By Julie Garrow (Managing Director, Intelligent Spas) http://www.IntelligentSpas.com

De s ti nation : S outh Af r i ca : It ’s Po ssibl e

Visit Durban – The Surf City

Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

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urban is the "girl next door' of South African cities – laid-back, fun, pretty and bursting with character. Situated on South Africa's eastern seaboard bordering the Indian Ocean, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban's year round summer climate makes it the ideal place to visit, especially if sun-drenched beaches and outdoor activities are what you're after. Durban – and KwaZulu-Natal – has one of the richest cultural heritages in South Africa, and is a melting pot of African, Eastern and Western influences. It is home to the Zulu nation, famously united by Shaka Zulu in the early 1800s, and was settled at the same time by the British and Boers from the Cape. Indentured labourers from India were brought in to work the sugar plantations in the 1860s, and traders, merchants and religious leaders followed them from the East. The result is the cultural and religious mix unique to Durban. Durban is most famous for its beaches which extend along the eastern edge of the city, collectively known as the Golden Mile. The wide beaches give ample space for bathers to soak up some rays, and the shark nets and professional lifeguards at every beach – as well as the fun waves – make swimming at Durban's beaches a favourite pastime. Durban is also known as "Surf City', thanks to its clean swell and hollow beach-breaks, which are ideal for experienced surfers, as well as those just learning to stand up on a board. At the southern end of the Golden Mile is uShaka Marine World, the largest marine theme park in Africa and one of the five largest aquariums in the world. Built into the recreation of a 1920s cargo shipwreck, it includes 500 metres of viewing tanks and exhibits. The park is also home to a 1200-seater "dolphinarium', dive tank, tropical snorkel reef and one of the largest collections of sharks in the southern hemisphere. uShaka Wet "n Wild caters for kids and parents alike, from fun,

De s ti nation : S outh Af r i ca : It ’s Po ssibl e

hair-raising water slides to a relaxing 450m river ride, and sun-bathing areas. uShaka Village Walk offers some of Durban's best boutique shopping, not to mention fine dining at a number of fantastic restaurants. Aliwal Shoal is a rocky reef just a 30-minute drive south of Durban and five kilometres offshore. Four kilometres in length, this is Durban's prime diving destination, where novice and experienced divers come to enjoy the range of gullies, overhangs and caves, ranging in depth from 5 to 35 metres. The reef is home to a wide variety of marine life, ranging from the tiny, brightly coloured nudibranchs to tropical fish and turtles, not to mention an array of hard and soft corals. The reef is especially well known for its abundance of fearsome looking Grey Nurse sharks, known locally as Ragged Tooth sharks or "raggies', which congregate here to mate between August and November. Two wrecks lying near the shoal, a bulk carrier called the "Produce', which sank in 1974, and the “Nebo”, which sank in 1884, Apr i l, 2 0 1 0

are excellent and challenging wrecks for more experienced divers. Those who prefer staying dry, and have more of an intellectual interest in the ocean can keep an eye out for the schools of Bottlenose dolphins which move up and down the coast all year round, frolicking in the waves and breaching in the water just behind backline. Between July and November each year, Humpback and Southern Right whales join them, and can be spotted easily from high points along the coast. A number of operators also offer the opportunity to go out to sea on small boats to get close to these enormous and gentle creatures. If you head 30 minutes inland from the ocean you'll come across the Valley of a Thousand Hills, a land of literally thousands of hills dotted with traditional homesteads and grazing livestock, tumbling down to the Umgeni River. The area combines laidback country living on the doorstep of indigenous culture. The area has been home to the Zulu people for centuries, and it's here that many of them

— 56 —

continue to live and practice their traditional lifestyle. You can experience their way of life through a visit to one of the Zulu cultural villages, where you'll be treated to traditional dancing, enter a practicing sangoma or traditional healer's hut and taste umqombothi, an African beer made from maize. History buffs and culture fundis are encouraged to follow the Inanda Heritage Trail, which visits some of Durban's most important historical sites. Mahatma Gandhi, an icon of peace the world over, lived in the Phoenix Settlement north of Durban, and his home has been turned into a monument. From there you can head to the Ohlange Institute in Inanda Township, where Nelson Mandela cast his historic vote in South Africa's first democratic elections. Also worth a visit is the Jumma Musjid Mosque in downtown Durban, the largest in the southern hemisphere. http://www.iafrica.com

Fairs & Exhibitions T r av e l / T o u r i s m

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A P RIL

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r e g i o n s

Fair s & E x hi b ition s : A PR I L , 2 0 1 0

Western Europe

VisitScotland Expo 2010 Location

Glasgow / UK

Start / End

14 April 2010 / 15 April 2010

Provider

Scottish Tourist Board

Contact

anne.sykes@visitscotland.com

ERA: Regional Airline Conference Location

Edinburgh / UK

Start / End

14 April 2010 / 15 April 2010

Provider

European Regions Airline Association

Contact

info@eraa.org

Turisme: International Tourism Salon in Catalonia

Frühjahrsmesse

Location

Barcelona / Spain

Start / End

15 April 2010 / 18 April 2010

Provider

Fira de Barcelona

Contact

saloturisme@firabcn.es

Destination Health: The Health & Medical Tourism Show London

Location

Dornbirn / Austria

Start / End

08 April 2010 / 11 April 2010

Location

London / UK

Provider

Dornbirner Messe GmbH

Start / End

17 April 2010 / 18 April 2010

Contact

helmut.haefele@messedornbirn.at

Provider

Independent

Contact

navmann@destinationhealth.co.uk

Anti-Aging World Congress Location

Monte-Carlo / Monaco

Start / End

08 April 2010 / 10 April 2010

Provider

EuroMediCom

Contact

emaa@euromedicom.com

World Congress of Snow and Mountain Tourism

Germany Travel Mart Location

Mainz / Germany

Start / End

18 April 2010 / 20 April 2010

Provider

GNTB

Contact

messen@germany.travel

Travolution Summit

Location

Ordino / Andorra

Start / End

Location

London / UK

13 April 2010 / 14 April 2010

Provider

Start / End

20 April 2010 / 20 April 2010

The Principality of Andorra

Contact

info@congresdeneu.ad

Provider

Travolution

Contact

Charlotte.Davies@travelweekly.co.uk

More events related to Travel/Tourism can be found here If you are an event provider you may consider to place your event in the above category, please click here If your event already is in the list you may consider using the enhanced listing. For replacement just click here

— 58 —

Fair s & E x hi b ition s : A PR I L , 2 0 1 0

CENTR AL Europe

Voyager Tourism Exhibition Location

Kielce / Poland

Start / End

09 April 2010 / 11 April 2010

Provider

Targi Kielce

Contact

voyager@targikielce.pl

Crotour - International Tourism Fair Location

Zagreb / Croatia

Start / End

14 April 2010 / 17 April 2010

Provider

Zagreb Fair

Contact

tourism@zv.hr

TOURSIB 2010

Leisure Without Borders Location

St Petersburg / Russia

Start / End

01 April 2010 / 04 April 2010

Provider

Restec Exhibition Company

Contact

ershova@restec.ru

Pristhina Travel Fair

Location

Novosibirsk / Russia

Start / End

15 April 2010 / 17 April 2010

Provider

ITE Group plc

Contact

travel@ite-exhibitions.com

Tourism, Leisure, Hotels Location

Chisinau / Moldova

Start / End

15 April 2010 / 17 April 2010

Provider

Moldexpo

Contact

info@moldexpo.md

International Destination Expo

Location

Prishtina / Kosovo

Location

Istanbul / Turkey

Start / End

01 April 2010 / 03 April 2010

Start / End

19 April 2010 / 22 April 2010

Provider

CEO shpk & Prishtina Fair

Provider

ASTA

Contact

lulzim@ceokos.com

Contact

askasta@asta.org

Samara Tour Expo Location

Samara / Russia

Start / End

07 April 2010 / 09 April 2010

Provider Contact

The Moscow Golf Show Location

Moscow / Russia

Start / End

23 April 2010 / 24 April 2010

RTE Group

Provider

aiGroup

tourism@rte-expo.ru

Contact

moscow@aigroup.ru

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Fair s & E x hi b ition s : A PR I L , 2 0 1 0 LATO - Fair of Tourism and Recreation Location

Warsaw / Poland

Start / End

24 April 2010 / 25 April 2010

Provider

MT Polska

Contact

lato@mtpolska.com.pl

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Fair s & E x hi b ition s : A PR I L , 2 0 1 0

Africa/MIDDLE EAST

A’sambeni: Africa Tour and Travel Expo Location

Bulawayo / Zimbabwe

Start / End

20 April 2010 / 24 April 2010

Provider

Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company

Contact

zitf@zitf.co.zw

CTF - Caucasus Tourism Fair Location

Tbilisi / Georgia

Start / End

23 April 2010 / 25 April 2010

Provider

Expo Georgia

Contact

expo@expogeorgia.ge

HORECA 2010

World Health Tourism Congress

Location

Beirut / Lebanon

Start / End

27 April 2010 / 30 April 2010

Provider

Horeca

Contact

info@hospitalityservices.com.lb

AITF International Travel & Tourism Fair

Location

Baku / Azerbaijan

Durban / South Africa

Start / End

28 April 2010 / 30 April 2010

01 April 2010 / 05 April 2010

Provider

Iteca Caspian Ltd ITE Group Plc

Aura Events

Contact

whtc@emirates.net.ae

pr-assistant@iteca.az

AWTTE Arab World Travel & Tourism Exchange Location

Beirut / Lebanon

Start / End

14 April 2010 / 16 April 2010

Provider

Al Iktissad Wal Aamal Group

Contact

dana.kaddouh@iktissad.com

World Holiday & Travel Fair Location

Johannesburg / South Africa

Start / End

16 April 2010 / 18 April 2010

Provider

Thebe Exhibitions & Projects

Contact

info@worldtravelfair.co.za

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Fair s & E x hi b ition s : A PR I L , 2 0 1 0

Asia & Pacific

Boat Asia 2010 Location

Singapore / Singapore

Start / End

15 April 2010 / 18 April 2010

Provider

TMX

Contact

michelelondoh@tmx.com.sg

Caravan, Camping, 4WD & Holiday Supershow Location

Sydney / Australia

Start / End

17 April 2010 / 25 April 2010

Provider

CIA (Caravan Industry Australia)

Contact

show@cciansw.com.au

Annual Meetings & Events Industry National Conference

ADEX - Asia Dive Expo

Location

Melbourne / Australia

Start / End

17 April 2010 / 20 April 2010

Provider

MEA

Contact

anna@mea.org.au

Routes Asia Pacific

Location

Singapore / Singapore

Start / End

09 April 2010 / 11 April 2010

Location

Adelaide / Australia

Provider

Asian Diver

Start / End

18 April 2010 / 20 April 2010

Contact

adex@asiandiver.com

Provider

Route Development Group

Contact

gerard.brown@routesonline.com

Travel Expo - Melbourne

Food & Hotel Asia 2010

Location

Melbourne / Australia

Start / End

10 April 2010 / 11 April 2010

Provider

Location

Singapore / Singapore

Expertise Events

Contact

info@expertiseevents.com.au

Start / End

20 April 2010 / 23 April 2010

Global Healthcare & Medical Tourism Conference Korea

Provider

Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd

Contact

cl@sesallworld.com

KITF Kazakhstan International Travel & Tourism Fair

Seoul / Korea

Location

Almaty / Kazakhstan

13 April 2010 / 16 April 2010

Start / End

21 April 2010 / 23 April 2010

Provider

Medical Tourism Association

Provider

Iteca ITE Group Plc

Contact

info@asiamedicaltourismcongress.com

Contact

tourism@iteca.kz

Location Start / End

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Fair s & E x hi b ition s : A PR I L , 2 0 1 0 Airport Cities World Conference and Exhibition Location

Beijing / China

Start / End

21 April 2010 / 23 April 2010

Provider

insight

Contact

andrewh@airportconference.com

Travel Distribution Summit Asia Location

Singapore / Singapore

Start / End

28 April 2010 / 29 April 2010

Provider

EyeforTravel

Contact

reece@eyefortravel.com

China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market (COTTM) Location

Beijing / China

Start / End

28 April 2010 / 30 April 2010

Provider

COTTM

Contact

anna@mea.org.au

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iŃ ons

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Business

SPA

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Expertise

Destination

General

Figures Economy

Security

New service

Problems

Transport

Ecology

People

Events

Special

TR Partner

Media Partner

Alarm

Advice

Polls Awards

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