M&TatW e-Magazine MICE & TOURISM around the World the global monthly online magazine since 1997 vol. 23, issue 12, December 2020
It’s that time of year! Global Tourism Economy Forum Our Grand World Are We Heading for a QR Code Based Global Travel System New Zealand to target rich tourists
To our 23,188 subscribers and clients
Thank You Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Successful 2021
MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine Volume 23, Issue 12, December 2020 edition – Online since 1997
San Fernando , Philippines
Contents 8-11 IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR! 13 BEIJING 2022 remains on track 14 GREECE co-ordinates the Mediterranean diet in 2021 15 Global Tourism Economy Forum 16 The Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2021 rescheduled to 2022 29-33 OUR GRAND WORLD 37 ARE WE HEADING FOR A QR CODE BASED GLOBAL TRAVEL SYSTEM
Milano, Italy
37 NEW ZEALAND to target rich tourists Auckland
39 COLOMBIAN tourism stronger after the pandemic? 40 RUSSIA business travel revenues down St. Pertersburg
41 ASIA-PACIFIC agrees the world's largest free trade agreement 43 PORTUGAL tourism collapse 44 PRAGUE to build new tourism strategy towards domestic visitors 45 SLOVENIA national tourism holding plans halts
Prague, Czech republic
Message from
Caroline-Artemis Well, we made it to the end of the year! And what a year it was! One to remember for sure, but not for the right reasons! It is one that will go down in history that 2020 was a defining year for everyone in the world. With the various restrictions we have all lived with, for however long, or for however many times, it has taught us that the simple things in life are the dearest to us all. From truly enjoying the view from your window, a walk in your local park, getting to know your neighbours to just taking a bit more time to think about life, the world and everything, 2020 has had a profound effect on us.
As the Christmas season arrives, it gives many of us a chance for something positive to focus on; a celebration, a birth and with that comes the wish for the most valuable things in life; family, love, peace to mankind, happiness and good health. With many nations still facing various forms of restrictions, this may not be a ‘normal’ Christmas, but it will still have the foundations of goodness, even if not all your favourite people are with you on Christmas Day. I hope that wherever you are and whoever you are able to be with, that the precious values of the simple life prevail this year and into the New Year and all that it holds. I, together with the whole MICE & TOURISM around the World e-magazine team wish you all a heartfelt…
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a
HAPPY, HEALTHY and
PROSPEROUS 2021!
Enjoy the last edition of 2020 of MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine
Caroline-Artemis Laspas co-founder & editor
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR! by Caroline-Artemis Laspas
Christmas streets decoration, Athens, Greece
For many who celebrate Christmas, it is a season of year filled with many time honoured traditions. Many would have been pasted down from generation to generation as well as traditions which people feel ‘make’ Christmas special. I know that my Christmas is not complete without listening to the HM The Queen’s Speech at 3pm on Christmas Day and then the present opening can start! One family member has a list of 3 films that have to be watched in the lead up to Christmas; The Holiday, The Snowman and The Polar Express. One of the traditions my father remembers was his grandfather in Scotland putting a labelled basket full with festive goodies inside on the train destined for London and the excitement at going to collect it from the station. From big traditions to little ones, it is these details that make the memories and help carry on the annual festivities year after year!
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
There are many well-known traditions relating to Christmas like decorating the tree, singing carols, kissing under the mistletoe, the Nativity scene, advent calendars (traditional ones, not chocolate ones!), writing a letter to Father Christmas (no age limit I assure you), leaving out a glass of milk and a mince pie for Father Christmas (although there are m any variations on what is left out!), and you mustn’t forget a carrot for Rudolph the reindeer! Then there is the food; from mince pies (there is no meat in these), Christ mas roast turkey and all the trimmings like ‘Pigs in Blankets’ (mini sausages wrapped in bacon), to Christmas pudding and cake, seasonal cookies and do not forget the Christmas crackers! This tradition comes from the symbol of the three Wise men who brought gift s to Baby Jesus. Once pulled open with friend and family with a ‘snap’, inside each one is a small gift, a silly joke and a paper crown hat, symbolising the birth of a new King.
www.miceandtourismaroundtheworld.com
This year many of us will not be travelling around the world to celebrate Christmas with friends and family abroad nor experience Christmas in another country, so here are some interesting traditions favoured by some nations across the globe. St. Nicolas’s Day is the 6th December. In many Germanic nations this is the most important day in the festive season when gif ts are exchanged. The tradition of leaving chocolate coins, dried fruit and nuts in the bottom of children’s stockings come from St. Nicolas. He would leave these outside the houses of the poor with a blessing of good health. In Sweden, the Yule Goat has been a Christmas symbol dating back to ancient pagan festivals. In the Philippines, the city of San Fernando holds a Giant Lantern Festival with huge lanterns of thousands of spinning lights illuminating the night sky that symbolise the Star of Bethlehem. San Fernando is the ‘Christmas Capital of the Philippines.’ Sweden
Japan has only an estimated 1% Christian population, but it is a national tradition at Christmas to eat a Kentucky Fried Chicken meal! The tradition started after a successful advertising campaign by the company in 1974 called ‘Kentucky for Christmas!’ Special Christmas boxes are pre-ordered months in advance due to huge popularity and there are huge queues to collect the meal on the day! In Iceland, for 13 nights before Christmas (not 12 days), children place their shoes by the window before going to bed. In the morning, the Yule Lads (elves) would have visited and either left candy in their shoes for good children or rotten potatoes if they had been naughty!
On a Finnish Christmas morning, families traditionally eat porridge topped with cinnamon. Whoever finds the almond placed ins ide one of the puddings ‘wins’. At the end of the day everyone heads for the sauna. On the Island of Martinique in the Caribbean, ‘la ribote’ is a tradition where families visit their neighbours during Advent and on New Year's Day offer traditional foods like yams, boudin créole, pâtés salés, and pork stew. They also sing Christmas carols addi ng their own creole verses to traditional lyrics.
www.bmlinternational.co.uk
The Irish leave a big red candle in their front window overnight, as a welcoming symbol of warmth and shelter for the holiday season. Christmas in Barbados involves a baked ham, decorated with pineapple, a rum cake, and Jug Jug, a dish inspired from the island’s Scottish influence, combining pigeon peas, guinea corn flour, herbs, and salt meat. Families in Brazil and Portugal celebrate on Christmas Eve with a late dinner and exchanging present at midnight. Midnight mass sees family and friends gather, followed by fireworks in the town square. Orthodox Christians in Ukraine celebrate Christmas Day on 7th January by dressing in traditional outfits and walking through their towns singing carols. So, it is clear that friends and family are central to all nations’ traditions with food taking a leading role too. There are many beautiful differences in races and cultures around the world, but at all our foundations we have far more in common than not.
M.I.C.E & Events News Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions & Venues
RIBA AWARDS IN 2022 The RIBA has announced the next call for UK awards entries will be next year in readiness for the 2022 RIBA Awards. The 2021 RIBA UK Awards will be selected from the shortlist for the 2020 RIBA Regional, RIAS, and RSAW Awards. The RIBA will continue to build on its rigorous eligibility and judging criteria, and, from the 2022 RIBA Awards, will require all project entries to have been in use for one year. This change will enable judges to assess projects with even more detail on their performance, more extensive client feedback, and a better understanding of how the project functions within its civic, communal and environmental context. It will also add greater focus to the sustainability criteria – further aligning them with the standards set out in the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge.
BEIJING 2022 REMAINS ON TRACK The International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Beijing 2022 Organising Committee have concluded a virtual Joint Project Review for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
A COVID-19 countermeasure working group has been set up to fully prepare for all eventualities. This provided the IOC and IPC with an opportunity to share the extensive work being undertaken for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Having set Beijing 2022 the target of taking the Paralympic Winter Games to the next level, they continue to make strong progress despite the unprecedented challenges they face as an Organising Committee. As far as competition venues go, Beijing 2022 reported that these all remain on track to be completed by the end of this year.
CENTREPIECE AT MELBOURNE PARK TO SHOWCASE AT VIRTUAL AND HYBRID EVENTS CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park, located in the heart of Melbourne city and the surrounding premier events precinct will be showcased in a series of upcoming virtual and hybrid events; including the PCOA 2020 Annual Conference, Associations Forum National Conference and AIME 2021. With the countdown on for the venue’s grand opening next year, delegates attending the upcoming events can expect the latest updates from Melbourne’s newest venue, and the opportunity to register interest for its hard hat tours in early 2021. Hard hat tours will allow guests to experience first-hand the flexible and dynamic event spaces – from The Grand Hall, with capabilities to transform into a cocktail party for 3,000 guests, a gala dinner for up to 1,400 guests or a conference of any size – to its abundance of break out spaces and outdoor terraces with uninterrupted views of the Melbourne city skyline.
www.miceandtourismaroundtheworld.com
GREECE CO-ORDINATES THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET IN 2021 An Intergovernmental Teleconference was held between the Pylos-Nestor Municipality and the Maniatakeion Foundation in Greece. The teleconference was organised by Morocco, as part of the network of countries involved in the Mediterranean Diet in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. In the teleconference, the 7 countries, Greece-Koroni, Spain-Soria, Italy-Cilento, Croatia–Hvar & Brac, Cyprus-Agros, Morocco–Chefchaouen and Portugal-Tavira presented the actions for the preservation and promotion of the Mediterranean Diet, as well as their cooperation with other stakeholders. Greece will now undertake the presidency and coordination of the actions that will take place in 2021 for the Mediterranean Diet. The presidency will focus on strengthening the cooperation of the network, as well as the connection of the nutritional model with education, sustainability, and the impact of climate change.
KOREA MICE BUREAU INTRODUCES NEW SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS In response to the continued COVID-19 situation, Korea MICE Bureau, under the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), released an updated COVID-19 support programme for International Conventions to provide extra assistance to groups affected by the pandemic. The new support programme allows for more conventions to receive support with relaxed eligibility criteria, and introduces adjustments which take hybrid and online events into account. Whereas the previous support provided different eligibility criteria depending on whether the convention was hosted by an international organisation or not, the new support programme will provide a single eligibility criterion for all international conventions. Under the new eligibility criteria, all conventions must have a minimum of 100 total attendees with at least 50 foreign attendees, and the event must last 1 day or longer. Further, online, offline and hybrid meetings all qualify for support, and the total attendee count will include both online and offline attendees. International conventions which satisfy the above criteria are further distinguished into A and B Type events depending on th e event start date. Conventions with a starting date between 10 November 2020 – 30 June 2021 will fall under Type A, and events with a start date between 13 April – 9 November 2020 will fall under Type B.
CONVENTA 2021 Unfortunately, the epidemiological situation is not improving at the rate expected. In line with its responsible event realisation protocol, Conventa 2021 has been rescheduled and will take place from 25-26 August 2021 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Conventa will be held together with its younger brother, Conventa Crossover, the festival of events and live marketing. Organisers are certain that the synergy will bring even more added value and new business opportunities for exhibitors and hosted buyers. Expect an inspiring programme in line with the following schedule:
25 August 2021 from 10.00 to 17.00 - Conventa 2021: One2One meetings 26 August 2021 from 10.00 to 17.00 - Conventa 2021: One2One meetings 27 August 2021 from 09.00 to 21.00 - Conventa Crossover 2021 Conventa will remain the main regional MICE event of 2021 Once every year, Conventa turns Ljubljana into a celebration and gathering of the regional meetings industry. 2021 will be no different, despite all of the obstacles faced. As human-to-human connections are irreplaceable, the organisers sincerely hope to meet as many people as possible in person. Changing the date will hopefully allow that to happen.
GLOBAL TOURISM ECONOMY FORUM The 9th edition of Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) will be virtual and will gather over 30 prom inent international leaders across public and private sectors on 9 December 2020 on the theme of Solidarity and Innovation: Reshaping Tourism in the New Global Economy. This year’s forum will occur during a time of unprecedented global upheaval arising fr om the COVID-19 pandemic. At GTEF 2020, the spirit of solidarity to foster closer partnerships and collaborations, and examine the innovative initiatives and technologies that will help the tourism sector to adapt to the ‘New Normal’ will be upheld. Discus sions will showcase best industry practice to rebuild confidence and stimulate market vitality and create new development opportunities as the way forward for a more sustainable and resilient global tourism economy.
JOINT CREATIVE FORUM LJUBLJANA & INNOVATION DAY EVENT More than 500 representatives of the economy, creative sector and politics from over 50 countries took part in an online event; a merger of the annual Creative Forum Ljubljana and Innovation Day. This year’s Creative Forum wanted to achieve a stronger business component. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry wanted a stronger international component for its Innovation Day, so the events were merged into a single online event. Creativeforum.si, a new inter-sectoral platform, was created to support the cultural and creative sectors, and strengthen Slovenia’s image as a green and creative country. Hosting the event online was an opportunity to reach out to more people, including geographically. More than 500 participants from over 50 countries took part. The programme included a debate on the creation of policies to connect the ‘traditional’ industries with the creative sector, and a presentation of companies building their success on connections between the cultural and creative sectors.
CHRISTCHURCH CONVENTION CENTRE OPENING DELAYED The opening of Christchurch's new convention centre, ‘Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre’ has been delayed until the middle of next year with events likely to be nd held in the 2 half of 2021. The health crisis has had a major impact on the construction project.
www.bmlinternational.co.uk
NOVÉ LIDO WILL EXPAND CENTER OF BRATISLAVA A modern multifunctional cultural and congress facility is set for the centre of Bratislava. The construction of a new nation al cultural and congress centre will see the main square of the future Nové Lido district, directly opposite the Slovak National Theatre, as an ideal place for such an important social facility. The extension of the modern centre of Bratislava on both si des of the Danube and their connection by a promenade bridge will make it possible to create a cultural axis from the Old Town with its galleries, museums, concert halls and theatres to Petržalka. The Nové Lido waterfront district project will bring diverse opportunities for leisure, housing and much-needed new jobs in Petržalka.
The cultural and congress centre in Novi Lid is organised in one main and two smaller halls, which can be divided and are accessible by up to 3 outside separate entrances. It is complemented by a hotel. The large hall has a capacity of up to 5,000 standing and seated spectators at a concert, 3,000 seated visitors to a congress, conference or classical music concert. It can be divided into 2, 3 and 4 separate halls for events from 500 to 1,500 participants. There are also 2 other halls for a maximum of 200 and 500 visitors and several seminar rooms. The project also takes into account the requirement for smaller exhibition areas, which are required by congress partners. The flexibility of the centre gives space to a variety of functions, forms and genres, from exhibitions, through rea ding and small stage forms to film performances, premieres and festivals, large musicals and concerts. It can also be used for corporate eve nts, balls, beasts, ribbons or wreaths. Smaller events can also be organized on the roof garden.
THE ASEAN TOURISM FORUM (ATF) 2021 RESCHEDULED TO 2022 Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia has been closely monitoring the situation. While some countries have successfully contained the virus, resurgent cases have also been observed in other countries. With the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambodia and countries worldwide are still imposing restrictions on large-scale events and travel. Proceeding with ATF 2021 in this climate will be challenging as foreign delegation, media, sellers, buyers and trade visitors have expressed concerns about travelling. The Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia has thus made the decision to postpone ATF 2021, originally scheduled from 17-23 January 2021, to January 2022 in view of these considerations. Exact dates to be confirmed soon.
IT&CMA AND CTW ASIA-PACIFIC 2020 VIRTUAL SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDES ITS 5-DAY WEEK-LONG BUSINESS-DRIVEN FESTIVAL - 16 TO 20 NOVEMBER 2020
Go online to…. Playbacks Of All Virtual Sessions / Review Exhibitors / Catch Up On The Show Dailies And more!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 28 - 30 September 2021 - Bangkok, Thailand
11TH AMORGOS TOURISM FILM FESTIVAL: SPAIN WIN’S THE GRAND PRIX AMORGOS 2020. HELP, produced by Madrid Destino for the Municipality of Madrid wins the Grand Prix Award at the 2020 Amorgos Tourism Film Festival. The 11th Amorgos Tourism Film Festival took place in Amorgos, Greece between 11-14 November 2020. Due to the international lock downs and complications related to the spread of coronavirus globally, the Festival was held and released exclusively online. The International Jury awarded films from 15 countries. Portugal was the country with most winners, seven in total, followed by Spain with four, three for Germany, two for France, Italy, Japan, and Austria and one winner from Greece, Denmark, Ukraine, Maldives, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, UK and Peru. The 11th Amorgos Tourism Film Festival received more than 700 competing entries from more than 50 countries, which reflect the Festival’s competitive and international character. In parallel with the video screenings, various speeches were held during the 4 -day event. The importance of films for the local economy was presented by renowned Greek journalist, Kostas Margaritis, as well as a speech about Amorgos as a filming location by 360MediaTV producer Laurence Koe. Mrs. Ioanna Dretta, the CEO of Marketing Greece, spoke on the importance of travel video marketing for Greece, while the Hellenic Film Commission, represented by its director, Mrs. Venia Vergou, held a panel discussion on “Film Commissions, Film Production, and Tourism Development go hand in hand”. Santi Valldeperez presented a very relevant talk on Travel Videos and their significance for Tourism industry, and Aristarchos Papadaniel discussed Transmedia Storytelling: Where the story travels through media.
Aegialis Hotel & Spa, Amorgos, Greece
The virtual Festival was held exclusively at the Aegialis Hotel & Spa in Amorgos, Greece. You can watch the 11th Amorgos Film Festival on the official website www.amorgosfilmfestival.com or on the dedicate YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCFUd2fkG0EavwAHNFsHrZw 11TH AMORGOS TOURISM FILM FESTIVAL 2020 WINNERS Grand Prix: Help (Spain) Tourism Destination – Country Promotion Greece Places (Greece) - Silver Award Seek less, find more (Austria) - Gold Award Tourism Destination – Region Promotion I'm from Principe (Portugal) - Silver Award Fjordlandet - let the saga begin (Denmark) - Silver Award The time has come! (Portugal) – Silver Award Nothing much but much more (Bosnia & Herzegovina) - Gold Award Tourism Services The inspiration behind an old manor house hotel renovation (Japan) - Silver Award Heritance Aarah Maldives (Maldives) - Silver Award You only love once (Portugal) - Gold Award Independent Travel Video Transsiberian Dream (Germany) - Silver Award Goa, A Piece of Peace (Portugal) - Silver Award White Angels of Camargue - Europe’s Last Cowboys (France) Silver Award Doha trip. Qatar Timelapse & Hyperlapse (Ukraine) - Silver Award Two Deaf Travellers (UK) - Silver Award Shades of Wilderness (Austria) - Gold Award The Nameless Call (Italy) - Gold Award
Tourism Destination – City Promotion Heraklion: Discover the other part of yourself (Greece) – Silver Award Seeing Differently (Japan) - Silver Award Club of Cool Cities (Germany) - Silver Award Help (Spain) - Gold Award Tourism Product Find yourself in Viseu (Portugal) - Silver Award in Mice / Events Tu me acostumbraste (Spain) - Gold Award in Mice / Events Hunger for experiences (Spain) - Gold Award in Gastronomy MTB Stories (Portugal) – Silver Award in Eco-Tourism Victor Zambrano is a National Geographic Explorer (Peru) - Gold Award in Eco-Tourism The Captain (Spain) - Gold Award in Cultural Tourism
Travel TV/Vlog Esta Pessoa em São Pedro de Moel (Portugal) - Silver Award Off Episodio 1 and 2 (Italy) - Gold Award Special Award Holika (France) - Special Jury Award Ritornare (Switzerland) - Special Jury Award Lanzarote | The Wonder (France) - Special Jury Award
www.amorgosfilmfestival.com
PHILOSOPHY OF ARCHITECTURE by Dimitri Laspas
The Parthenon, Athens, Greece
Athens, Greece
When did you last go ‘wow’ at a building, or admire the magnificent ceiling above you or feel content to have been there and seen that? You probably took a photo of yourself with that building in the background to remind yourself you had been there! Windsor Castle, UK
Whether it was The Acropolis of Athens, Windsor Castle, The Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, or the Tate Modern. They are all architectural icons along with so many millions of others around the world. Welcome to the world of the philosophy of architecture! Tourism and architecture are a perfect synergy. Many global architectural buildings draw crowds to them despite being new or old in style, design or purpose; they have themselves become tourist attractions. Here we look deeper into the philosophy of architecture and its link to tourism. Architecture gives the original essence of a place to visitors. Through tourism, architecture survives the test of time. It attracts visitors to its modern structures, either as a single building or a city like modern Dubai, UAE, or ancient Sienna in Italy or Quito in Ecuador. Ask any tourist why they choose to visit a particular destination and they will say ‘to see the sites and its history’.
Quito, Ecuador
Architecture is a foundation of that. For example, tourists to Cuba will want to experience the traditional architecture of the Havana streets; in Athens it’s to see the Parthenon and The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio; in Milan, Italy it will be to visit the Duomo; while in Australia, people flock to see the Sydney Opera House or in Brazil it’s the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro. All these places make up part of that destinations history be it ancient, old or new.
It is therefore not surprising that millions of pounds are spent on preserving and restoring old historic places like cathedrals, temples, palaces, castles, monasteries, stately homes, museums, etc all with the aim to attract tourists and in turn increase revenues for the upkeep of the buildings, promotion and to support the local communities with direct and indirect jobs.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In turn, investment in better facilities and infrastructure for tourists to experiences these architectural sites has led to tourism becoming one of the main sources of income for many nations. When given the project to reconstruct the older part of town or cities, architects face the question of what kind of reconstruction? Preserve the old by incorporating the new or getting rid of the old and creating a futuristic area whereby ignoring the city’s past. On the whole, many projects very successfully mix the old with the new, or they preserve the old city and create a new city next to it. For example, the old city of Vilnius, Lithuania and the new city with skyscrapers on the other side of the river. At the end of the day, architecture is a work of art, but on a big scale. It has to be functional, safe and be fit for purpose, but above all, it has to look the part, even if its design defies gravity or is totally different from the rest of its surroundings. For example, the V&A Dundee in Scotland.
Dundee Scotland, UK
Vilnius, Lithuania
Today, the overall topic of the philosophical thinking on architecture is limited compared to other art forms like film or literature. If you take the buildings of Moscow, the feel is from its Soviet communist past, while the Hermitage in St. Petersburg takes your breath away with its size, and artist façade, but both give off a sense of strength and power from the past and yet both are wonderfully still preserved and enjoyed.
Moscow, Russia
Our experience of architecture comes from both inside and outside the structure. The pleasure in architectural beauty and its positive aesthetics contributes to how we take in our environment. The way we experience architectural objects contributes to how we comprehend, and interact with those objects. The new Design Museum in London is the world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form from architecture and fashion to graphics, product and industrial design and the building both inside and outside reflects that. Architecture is a fundamentally social art form. There are two main reasons why; the central aim of architecture is to design shelter and so meet a variety of social needs. Secondly, architecture is a social process or activity that engages people across society. Aghia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey There are more and more hotel companies around the world who take the time, effort and investment to convert old buildings or at least parts of them and convert them into a hotel, giving them a new lease of life, when the other option may well have be to destroy the building. Hotels like these are an attraction in their own right, much more than simply being a place to stay. They can offer guests a chance to experience the setting of a bygone era, but with the addition of modern luxuries. Take London’s St Pancras Renaissance Hotel with its distinctive gothic towers and turrets. It originally opened in 1873 as the Midland Grand Hotel and closed in 1935. It was vacant for over 80 years yet today we see the spectacular mix of old restoration offering modern facilities. Alila Yangshuo in Guilin, China was built as a sugar mill and is now a 117-room resort located in the karst mountainous area. Built in the early 1920s by a Chinese entrepreneur hoping to make his fortune by growing sugar, hardships lead to its closure before it was repurposed as we see it today. St Pancras Renaissance Hotel Alila Yangshuo Hotel
1898 The Post, Ghent, Belgium; was once the main post office of the beautiful canal city of Ghent. Its neo-Gothic façade was embellished with over 100 crests, statues and a magnificent clock. It is now a Zannier Hotel with aptly named rooms like The Stamp, The Postcard, The Envelope and The Letter.
1898 The Post
There is one almost uniquely global feature that many nations have used in their architecture. If you look at the seat of power in many nations, like town halls, courts, state offices, etc you will see a pattern in the design: the classic representation of Greek columns and the triangular plinth; Symbolising democracy and justice; a place for the people.
Parliament Building, Vienna, Austria
The Greek Columns
The case that architecture can be political is in a sense true. Governments engage architects to design structures that express political programmatic messages, and citizens do political battle over architectural designs or preservation decisions. Many government projects will have a message they wish to give to its people, like that of strength and power.
The Capitol, Washington DC, United States of America
The Old Supreme Court, Singapore
The power of architecture cannot be underestimated. It is all around us and acts as a symbol of the past and for the future. It has a direct relation to us and with our development of culture. How we feel about a building says a lot about the philosophy of the design, its purpose and how we use the space it provides. As Sir Winston Churchill said “WE SHAPE OUR BUILDINGS; THEREAFTER THEY SHAPE US’.
Airline & Aviation News
IATA TO HELP AIRLINES WITH HEALTH CRISIS GUIDE The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published an airline health self-assessment list to support the covid-19 guidelines as the airlines industry begins to recover. The new initiative is in the global standard framework of temporary risk-based measures for governments. It can also be used for the air transport value chain for safe operations during the covid-19 crisis. With safety always the number one priority for air travel, the guide has been produced with input from industry, public health authorities and governments. The take-off guide ‘is the global standard for safe operations’.
TEMPORARY FLIGHTS FROM AUSTRIAN AIRLINES TO CROATIA Austrian Airlines will begin temporary flights on the Vienna-Zagreb route, during the Christmas and New Year holidays, operating 14 flights between the capitals of Austria and Croatia. Flights will operate from 18 December to 3 January. Austrian Airlines will offer 1,152 seats between Vienna and Zagreb in 3 weeks of operation. After 3rd January flights will stop until 1st March 2021 when Austrian plans to resume daily traffic between Zagreb and Vienna.
COOPERATION FOR JOINT CODESHARES FROM ISRAEL’S EL AL AIRLINES, UAE’S ETIHAD El Al Israel Airlines and Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ national airline, have agreed ‘to explore deeper cooperation’ such as joint codeshares between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv as well as other destinations. In September both countries agreed to establish normal diplomatic relations and now the aviation sector is seeing an extension of that. The MoU is aimed at greater commercial cooperation in various areas such as cargo, engineering and pilot and cabin crew training facilities between both parties. Etihad is to start daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv from 28 March 2021. El Al has not yet announced flights to the UAE, although some smaller carriers Arkia and Israir plan to launch flights to Dubai very soon. El Al separately confirmed it would restart flights 3 times a week to Newark, New Jersey in the USA from 1 December as well as to JFK Airport in New York and to Moscow, Russia. Israel’s borders are closed to foreigners until the end of 2020; however El Al has already resumed flights to New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Zurich, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Athens and Kiev for Israeli citizens.
CORRIDOR FLIGHTS BETWEEN ITALY AND THE USA Rome’s Fiumicino Airport will st be the 1 EU airport to connect with some destinations in the USA, with no quarantine on either side. The agreement between Delta Air Lines and Alitalia is the first travel corridor linking the US and Europe since countries introduced isolation rules during the Covid-19 crisis. The new arrangement will begin in December on a trial basis and under ministry supervision. If successful it will be widely available into summer 2021.
BRAZIL RE OPENS MOST OF ITS AIR SPACE At the height of the pandemic, Brazil’s airlines reduced operations by 99%. From December, the civil aviation sector has bounced back expecting to be operating at 80% of the capacity it registered in the same month last year. Recently there has been increased flights with Brazilian airlines and international flights in December are expected to be at 45% of the capacity seen a year ago.
INCREASED FLIGHTS TO CUBA FROM AIR CANADA Air Canada has announced it will increase in its flights to Cuba. Flights from Montreal to Varadero are regular at once a week. The airline already flies to Cayo Coco in the Jardines del Rey tourist region. All Cuba's international airports are open, except Havana Jose Marti International, which operates only for humanitarian and cargo flights.
ALASKA AIRLINES NEW LEASED 737-9 MAX Alaska Airlines has upgraded its fleet with an agreement where it will sell 10 Airbus A320s to Air Lease Corporation, and subsequently lease 13 new Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft from them. The 13 737-9 MAX aircraft will be delivered from Q4 2021 through 2022. Alaska will lease the A320s back from Air Lease for a short period of time after the transaction closes. The MAX aircraft are 20% more fuel efficient and generate 20% less carbon emissions per seat than the A320s they will replace. The aircraft can also fly 600 miles farther than Alaska's current A320, which gives the opportunity for more nonstop routes and new destinations. The 13 leased aircraft are in addition to the 32 MAX Alaska currently has on order with Boeing, of which 5 are expected to be flying by summer 2021. Alaska will begin flying the 737-9 MAX in March 2021. ISRAEL AEROSPACE TO SERVICE GULF AIR PLANES WHILE IN ISRAEL State-owned defence contractor Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is to service planes from Bahraini airline Gulf Air that land in Israel. After the normalisation of ties between the 2 nations. 14 weekly commercial flights between Manama and Tel Aviv are to begin soon. IAI said it would provide similar deals with other airlines in the region after Israel normalised ties with the UAE recently.
CARRIERS GET SUBSIDIES TO FLY TO SLOVENIA Eight airlines; Turkish Airlines, Swiss Air, Air Serbia, Montenegro Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Wizzair and LOT are to e ach receive state subsidies to operate flights to Slovenia. The first instalment of the incentive is worth UK£889.198. Lufthansa will be the biggest beneficiary with UK£334.844, followed by Air France (UK£158.975) and Turkish Airlines (UK£134.040). The remaining 5 will get under UK£90.245 each, with Swiss Air eligible for the lowest amount, UK£19.899. The scheme commits the airlines to operating scheduled flights to at least 1 airport in Slovenia twice a week in the 2021 summer season, between 28 March and 30 October. This is the first of 3 such plans to help improve Slovenia’s air links following the coronavirus epidemic. Applications for the next 2 subsidy incentives will be opened in June and October 2021. The subsidies are capped at UK£27 per passenger.
AIRLINK LAUNCHES ROUTE BETWEEN TANZANIA AND SOUTH AFRICA Airlink will again connect Tanzania with South Africa with its 1st scheduled passenger flights between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg this month. “Airlink is excited looking forward to establishing direct services - and flying its brand new colours – on this new route for us between Tanzania’s capital and Johannesburg. The two cities enjoy special historical, significant political and economically vital commercial bonds as regional trading hubs for business and leisure travel and tourism. We are also in the process of appointing a local general sales agent to represent us in the Tanzanian market,” said Airlink CEO, Rodger Foster.
OUR GRAND WORLD by Maria-Elizabeth Perez
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E
We have many ‘grand’ things in our world and many of them are involved in tourism, be it something we travel in, stay in or just visit as part of our tourism journey. Things can be grand due to being the longest, fastest, highest or widest. Here we look at some of the world’s ‘largest’.
CAVE: Hang Son Doong in Vietnam is the largest known natural cave in the world. Opened to tourists in 2013, the 3 million year old river cave is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
HOTEL: Abraj Kudai has yet to be completed, due to delays and funding issues. But once complete the hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia will be the largest hotel in the world. It will consist of a ring of 12 towers 45 stories high, with 10,000 bedrooms, 70 restaurants, and 4 rooftop helipads. Abraj Kudai
Grand Mosque
CARPET: The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is home to the largest hand-woven carpet in the world. It has many special and unique elements and measures 5,630m².
www.bmlinternational.co.uk
TREE: Measuring a huge 100.8m, the yellow meranti tree can be found in on the Island of Borneo in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Located in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, if also protects Borneo’s iconic and endangered orangutan, clouded leopard, and forest elephants.
CHURCH: St.Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is the largest cathedral in the world. It stretches over 186m in length and has an internal area of 15160sq.m. The magnificent central dome of the cathedral rises to 136m high. St.Peter’s basilica is the seat of Catholicism. The vast cathedral can accommodate 20000 prayers at a time.
CRUISE SHIP: Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas is an 18-deck cruise ship and is currently the largest passenger ship in the world, measuring 1,188 feet. There are 22 restaurants, 24 pools, 2,759 cabins, a park with over 20,000 tropical plants as well as the world's tallest water slide at sea.
SWIMMING POOL: San Alfonso del Mar. Located at the San Alfonso del Mar resort near to Santiago, Chile holds this title. It is the size of about 16 football fields and in places is 115ft deep. There are paddle boats and canoes to use on it and you cannot see from one end to the other!
TEMPLE: Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring 1,626,000 m2. It was built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city.
HOTEL SUITE: The largest hotel suite is the Royal Suite at the Grand Hills Hotel & Spa located in Broummana, Lebanon. It measures a total of 4,131 m². The building is comprised of 6 floors and is surrounded by private gard ens and swimming pools, none of which are included in the measurements for the suite measurement!
AIRPORT: This is a title that has changed hands frequently in recent years. It is currently held by t he new Beijing Daxing International Airport, China. The terminal building spans over 7.5 million sq.ft, It is expected to also become the world’s busiest, with 100 million passengers passing through by 2040.
Tourism News Europe, Americas, Asia & Africa
Aegina island, Greece
ARE WE HEADING FOR A QR CODE BASED GLOBAL TRAVEL SYSTEM
In a bid to get global travel and tourism back on its feet, there is talk of a ‘global mechanism’ that would involve using QR codes to get us back to pre-covid19 levels of international travel and life in general! The QR ’app’ would be used to help establish a traveller's health status, in addition to allowing for synchronised policies and standards that can establish 'fast tracks' to facilitate the orderly flow of the people. However, some human rights groups feel this is a step too far and fear the codes could be used for broader political monitoring, control and exclusion.
Some nations, like China already use this kind of QR code ‘apps’ to help contain the Covid-19 virus and are easily read on a mobile phone. In Singapore and Australia QR code ’apps’ are used for contract tracing, in restaurants, shopping malls and workplaces etc. Users would be issued with a traffic-light style health code; ‘green’ for someone allowed to travel freely; ‘orange’ or ‘red’ indicating that they need to quarantine and...! Reopening travel routes remains a challenge for most countries, as cases continue to rise accordingly, preventing free tr avel. Many people are hanging all their hopes on the ‘vaccine’. While many governments are hesitating, some have confirmed it will not be compulsory for citizens to have the vaccine, they have purposefully thrown the responsibility onto the ‘private’ sector by suggesting that any passenger, employee, client should prove they are vaccinated if they wish to travel, go to work, socialise, or enter a shop etc. The readjusting and recovery from the Covid-19 ’era’ will continue for the next few years, even with a vaccine in place (despite that fact it remains to be seen how successful it will be, or what side effects there could be long term), however that is not before global unemployment, poverty and the automation of systems reaches unprecedented levels. We are entering a 4th revolution; automation. We have the opportunity to press the reset button before it’s too late for the planet and humankind and the only positive aspect is that so far it has been peaceful. Mankind can be easily manipulated through fear and if are told you will die then you will agree to comply with whatever anyone says in order to survive. This is the fast implementation of the 4th revolution, without which the path we were on would have been catastrophic. With the great reset, we have hopefully been brought back down to our grass roots and will now look at the world and what’s important and sustainable for humankind rather than being busy pretending to be celebrities, narcissist and/or egotistic.
NEW ZEALAND TO TARGET RICH TOURISTS New Zealand has pressed the ‘reset’ button! In a clear message, it will not return to pre March 2020 ‘business as usual’ and will instead aim to target wealthy tourists rather than mass tourists, campers and backpackers. By targeting high-spending tourists and charging them more, local communities would then not foot the bill for infrastructure and environmental impacts of tourism.
Archway Islands, New Zealand
Trip.com SEES INCREASED DEMAND IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG FOLLOWING TRAVEL BUBBLE The online international online travel services provider, Trip.com has seen a surge in demand for Singapore -Hong Kong leisure travel, after the announcement of the travel bubble. Search for flights from Hong Kong to Singapore grew by 300%, while a 200 % increase in Singapore local hotel searches. The data also shows a significant rise in the search volume for travel products fr om Singapore to Hong Kong, with a 200% increase for flights, and a 150% increase for hotels.
IHG LAUNCHES VIBRANT VOCO™ BRAND IN THE UNITED STATES WITH 1ST AMERICAS OPENING IHG® Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel groups, has announced the opening of the first voco™ hotel in the Americas – voco The Franklin New York. Following an extensive renovation, the 50-room hotel, originally built in 1930, is now a reimagined classic with contemporary touches. Located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, the hotel is near top attractions like Museum Mile, Central Park and Madison Avenue shopping. The cosy guestrooms at voco provide modern amenities such as a spa-like shower and fast Wi-Fi. Like all voco hotels, the Franklin New York will promote sustainability through luxurious bedding that’s made from 100% recycled materials, bulk amenity bath products and aerated shower heads to decrease water usage. voco hotels also reduce, on average, 300 plastic bottles per guest room every year by providing micro-filtered water in-room instead of single-use bottles. voco will also enter the St Augustine, Florida, and Columbia, Missouri, US markets soon with openings expected in early 2021.
UAE LAUNCHES TOURIST VISAS FOR ISRAELIS The UAE has launched a tourist visa for Israeli citizens as part of the normalisation of relations between the 2 countries. This is a temporary measure until a visa waiver agreement is place meaning allowing Israelis visiting the UAE to get a visa on arrival. The same will apply to Emiratis visiting Israel.
Fujairah Fort, U.A.E
The UAE was only the 3rd Arab country to normalise ties with Israel following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Since the agreement with the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan have also begun normalised relations with Israel.
COLOMBIAN TOURISM STRONGER AFTER THE PANDEMIC? As it comes out of the Coronavirus pandemic, Colombian tourism feels it will recover well and boost employment and the economy with a slow but sure recovery as it is an attractive market for international tourists. In 2019 it received 3.9 million tourists, which represents UK£4.9 billion in income; equivalent to 2.1% of GDP. That exceeds the combined earnings from flower, coffee and banana exports meaning that tourism has become an engine of the economy. Guane village Barichara, Colombia
Colombia has achieved a good image globally and its tourism industry will be faster to recover than many countries in the region, but they will have to focus on 3 key aspects for a successful return. Firstly, biosecurity and governance; the government departments which were not involved beforehand in the sector will now need to work with the private sector. Secondly, it must communicate security and trust and finally it should take to opportunity to update the business plan, for opening target markets, be it local, national, regional or international.
RUSSIA BUSINESS TRAVEL REVENUES DOWN Business travel revenue in Russia due to the Covid-19 situation has dropped by 80% compared to 2019. The situation is a bit more positive in the hotel and resort segment, where an increased demand was recorded during the summer and early autumn due to good weather. Overall the recovery will be longer than first predicted.
Vladivostok, Russia
MALAYSIA 2021 TOURISM BUDGET
Investing in domestic tourism will help the country to increase competitiveness of the domestic health tourism industry and would contribute to ensuring that the country remains a chosen destination. Considering the on-going situation, where regional competitors like Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, who are actively promoting health tourism, would see Malaysia left behind if it took no initiatives to aid the economic recovery. Due to the pandemic, health tourism industry revenue dropped by 7075% in 2020, compared to 2019. If the sector delays its recover, it will take until 2028-30 to fully recover. Health tourism also impacts tourism, hotel, hospitality, retail and transportation, in creating jobs and business opportunities, especially for small and medium businesses.
Crystal Mosque Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
Part of the 2021 budget will be to upgrading infrastructure and promotion of cultural villages in Terengganu, Melaka, Sarawak and Negeri Sembilan.
TOURISM IS BACK IN CUBA
Havana, Cuba
Tourism has returned to Cuba in particular to Jardines del Rey, in the central-northern part of the island. Of the 1,402 passengers who arrived at the Jardines del Rey international airport since September, only 2 have tested positive for Covid-19. Visitors have shown positive self-responsibility and the Cuban sanitary protocol for aeronautical and tourist operations have all worked well together to achieve these positive results. The 2 tourists arrived from Canada and were asymptomatic and did not generate a chain of infection.
IN 2021 GREECE HOPEFUL FOR 50% OF REVENUE FROM 2019 FIGURES ‘We hope for the best and prepare for the worst’. That was the message sent out by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, referring to the prospects of the sector for 2021. For 2021 he predicts 50% of the revenues of 2019 if the health situation develops well. The estimate is based on forecasts from airlines and tourism companies. The last quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 are definitive and 100% lost for tourism. Greek tourism in 2020 lost almost 80% of the income it had in 2019. Entering 2021, it must be decided at central European level that each country no longer has the right to set its own rules, but that there should be a single rule, which can also be strict, such as a mandatory test and even at the airport. Metsovo, Greece
ASIA-PACIFIC AGREES THE WORLD'S LARGEST FREE TRADE AGREEMENT The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), the largest free trade agreement on the planet, has been signed by 15 countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) sealed the pact: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Together, these states account for 30% of global GDP and roughly the same proportion of the world's population. The agreement will open up world trade and will be instrument in avoiding trade conflicts with the likes of the USA and China The RCEP lays the foundation for a new period of comprehensive and long-term cooperation for the benefit of all the signatories and will be in operation early next year.
LOUVRE HOTELS GROUP EXPANDS IN EUROPE Europe's 2nd largest hotel group Louvre Hotels Group, (a subsidiary of Jin Jiang International) has expanded its network in Europe with ten ‘7 Days Premium’ hotels previously owned by its sister company Plateno. With 1,180 hotels across France and Europe, Louvre Hotels Group offers accommodation from 1-5* and includes the brands Hôtels & Préférence, Royal Tulip, Golden Tulip, Campanile, Kyriad, Tulip Inn, and Première Classe. The ten acquired ‘7 Days Premium’ hotels are 3 and 3 star categories offering from 95 to 200 rooms and are located in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Ansfelden), Germany (Munich, Leipzig, Berlin), and Italy (Venice). The group’s iconic brand Campanile now represents more than 400 hotels in some 15 countries.
BAHRAIN AND ISRAEL MoU ON TOURISM Bahrain and Israel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the tourism sector. Tourism in Bahrain is active and has a developed infrastructure. That combined with the tourism openness with Israel within the framework of MOU which also supports peace will have a positive impact on enriching the tourism sector and supporting it between the two countries. LOSSES OF UK£25 BILLION FOR GERMAN TOURISM INDUSTRY IN 2020 Turnover losses of UK£25 billion to date have been seen by the tourism industry in Germany; 80% of the turnover of the previous year. Travel businesses are still closed and thousands of jobs are at risk. Travel restrictions will continue to affect tourism businesses in the New Year too. Lufthansa which despite receiving state aid of UK£8.17 billion, has taken a long time to refund customers. Lufthansa Group airlines (Brussels Airlines, Austrian, Edelweiss, Eurowings, Germanwings, Swiss) have returned more than UK£3.12 billion to more than 8.4 million passengers.
PORTUGAL TOURISM COLLAPSE Stuttgart, Germany
From January to September 2020 almost 10 million fewer tourists visited due to the pandemic crisis. This represents a fall of 73.8%, where the tourism sector represents 8.7% of GDP. In total, the Portuguese hotel sector hosted 8.7 million people over a 9-month period; a 59.3% drop in numbers and a 64.5% drop in turnover to UK£1.12 billion. The number of foreign tourists fell to 3.4 million down from 13 million in January to September 2019. The domestic market recorded a drop of 36.9%, to 5.3 million visitors.
British tourists are Portugal's largest market and they increased from late August to mid-September due to a temporary lifting of travel restrictions imposed by the UK. From April - July, overnight stays of British tourists fell by more than 90%, then fell to 79.9% in August and then to 70.7% in September. VENEZUELA ALLOWS TOURISM IN DECEMBER AND MAINTAINS QUARANTINE The re-opening of the tourism sector has been given the go ahead in Venezuela in a controlled way. Tourist areas will open with strict biosafety protocols in order to stimulate the tourism sector at the end of 2020 and to allow the celebration of Christmas.
PRAGUE TO BUILD NEW TOURISM STRATEGY TOWARDS DOMESTIC VISITORS Prague, Czech Rec
Prague’s new inbound tourism strategy is to focus more on the city’s residents as well as on attracting more domestic visitors. City leaders, together with the Prague City Tourism co and the Prague City Hall Institute of Planning and Development created the Business Roadmap for tourism to the city, ensuring a balance in economic benefits and a sustainable approach to tourism in the capital. Already being implemented are new tourist routes outside the city centre as well as preparation for smart tourism app.
CHINA GOLDEN WEEK HOLIDAY PUMPED UP TOURISM 637 million Chinese tourists took domestic trips during the 8 day Golden Week holiday in early October. More than 45% of China's population took trips within the country and spend UK£54.5 billion; a decline of 21% for domestic tourists from last year's Golden Week and a 30% decline for spending. However, it is still considered a bounce-back from the coronavirus pandemic. Travel within the country, and within cities was restricted from January this year as China fought the spread of the virus. During the 5-day Labour Day holiday in May, domestic tourism revenue was down nearly 60% from the previous year. With many Chinese tourists unable to travel abroad due to global travel restrictions, those who previously travelled to Hong Kong and South Korea for duty-free shopping turned to the southern Chinese island of Hainan instead, spending UK£60.75 million at duty free shops during the first 5 days of the holiday.
China
China has reported no locally transmitted coronavirus infections since 16th August and restrictions have been eased. To help boost confidence and further travel numbers, online travel platforms are offering discounts on hotels, attractions and packages.
Bergue, France
FRENCH TOURISM STILL RESPONSIVE DESPITE COVID-19 France employs 1 million in the tourism sector and its goal is for designing, selling and hosting tourist stays. The health crisis has weakened the sector but it is very adaptable. The country offers many highly recognised diplomas and training levels across the sector that offer the skills required for the many changes that tourism has seen over the past couple of years. With degree courses, placements and professional licences training is often accompanied by internships in tourism companies. Whether you want to thrive in business tourism or move towards an event-based training programme, France has many options and opportunities to succeed and bring back tourism on top.
SLOVENIA NATIONAL TOURISM HOLDING PLANS HALTS
The plan to create a national state-owned tourism holding has hit a problem with budget. A key portion of the plan was the purchase of a 43% stake in tourism company Sava. Sava owns hotels and spas around the country and was a major element of the plan to pool together tourism assets and create a national holding that would have sufficient capital to undertake much needed investments. In addition due to being shut for months due to covid-19 it is likely to affect the value of the company. Discussions continue.
YOUNGER SAUDI’S OPTING FOR TOURISM JOBS As the world’s largest exporter of oil, a job in the sector was the one most of the young population opted for. However, as the country continues to open up to the outside world, young Saudi Arabian’s are seeing tourism and hospitality careers high on the list of options. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy away from oil and gas and encourages growth in sectors like tourism and IT. It is this focus that has led its youth to envision careers in the sector as more rewarding than those in the oil and gas industry. In a recent survey, 91% of the young Saudis were interested in pursuing a career in tourism or IT compared to 77% who were interested in a career in petrochemicals. 85% of Saudi youth believe there are good opportunities in tourism and hospitality while 57% feel that the tourism and hospitality industries will provide them with the salaries and resources they expect from life.
www.bmlinternational.co.uk