MICE and TOURISM around the World e-Magazine vol. 25, issue 1, January 2022
online since 1997
HER MAJESTY’s Platinum Reign Europe Requires ETIAS From Travellers Travel Bans Continue … AGAIN DANTE’s Renaissance New ‘CITY’ Status Honour for JUBILEE in 2022 FRANCE Ongoing ‘’Health Crisis’’ No Food & Drink On Transport COME FROM AWAY, West End theatre treat
MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2022 edition – Online since 1997
Contents 6 Message from the Editor 8-10 HER MAJESTY’s Platinum Reign 13 Europe Requires ETIAS From Travellers 14 CHINA and CUBA Join Forces on the New Silk Road
8-10 Her Majesty’s Platinum Reign
15 LAOS, Open to Fully Vaccinated Tourists in 2022 16 Travel Bans Continue … AGAIN 19 PLATINUM Superbloom! 20-22 DANTE’s Renaissance 25 ‘Meet The Bidder 2022’ POLAND 26 FITVEN, International Tourism Fair Venezuela 29 Event Date CHANGES 31-33 New ‘CITY’ Status Honour for JUBILEE in 2022
20-22 Dante’s Renaissance
Villages
35 FRANCE Ongoing ‘’Health Crisis’’ No Food & Drink On Transport 37 BRITISH AIRWAYS Routes and New Gatwick Short-Haul Subsidiary 38-40 COME FROM AWAY, West End theatre treat
38-40 Come From Away, West End theatre treat
Message from
Caroline-Artemis WELCOME TO 2022! th
Welcome to the 25 volume and first edition of the e-Magazine for 2022. This is a very special year for the United Kingdom. This year sees Her Majesty The Queen celebrate her Platinum year of reign; that’s 70 years of service to her country and the commonwealth of Nations. The year expects to see a number of unique and varied events taking place both across the UK and around the world. Even if you have nothing to do with the UK, or are not a keen royalist, this is an amazing achievement to acknowledge. The longest reigning monarch in history title is held by Louis XIV of France who ruled for 72 years and 110 days. Overall, HM The Queen has now moved up to 4th on the list of the world’s longest reigning monarchs. HM is preceded by Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand who ruled for 70 years, 126 days and Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein who reigned for 70 years and 91 days.
We will be following the celebrations throughout the year and starting with this edition, we highlight the City Competition and the Superbloom project at the iconic Tower of London. We wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year! We also look forward to seeing you at events around the world, restrictions allowing! With best New Year wishes,
Caroline-Artemis Laspas co-founder & editor
HER MAJESTY’S PLATINUM REIGN by Caroline-Artemis Laspas
This year Her Majesty the Queen will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of servi ce to her country on the British throne. Throughout the year, the country and the Commonwealth will join in this once in a lifetime celebration. It is a truly historic moment as it will be the first time a British Monarch has celebrated a Platinum Jubilee. In 2022, Her Majesty the Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as head of state of the United Kingdom, after ascending to the throne on 6th February 1952 at just 25 years old. Throughout 2022, The Queen and her family will be marking this historic milestone with many special engagements which will culminate in a 4 nd th day Platinum Jubilee weekend from 2 – 5 June. The 4 days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service. On 2nd June, the annual Queen’s Birthday Parade, commonly known as ‘Trooping the Colour’, will see over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians march in London’s Horse Guard’s to mark The Queen's official birthday. The parade will begin at Buckingham Palace, travel down The Mall to Horse Guard's Parade. Members of the Royal Family will travel on horseback and in carriages. At the end of the Parade, a traditional RAF fly-past will travel over Buckingham palace, watched by The Royal Family on the balcony. Another way the Jubilee will be marked is with the lighting of beacons. It is a long standing tradition for fire beacons to be lit to mark big occasions and this is almost as big as it gets! Therefore beacons will be lit across the UK and overseas territories as well as for the 1st time in each capital city of the Commonwealth nations. The 4th June is a day at the races. Racing horsing is a passion of Her Majesty and a day at the races is her most happy place. The Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse will be attended by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. In the evening, there is a ‘Platinum Party at the Palace’. A special live concert will be broadcast via the BBC from Buckingham Palace, seeing many famous performers entertain Her Majesty and the crowds.
Sunday 5th June is the ‘Big Jubilee Lunch’. Much like the street parties held after the end of WW2, t he idea is to get local communities together, to get to know each other better and just celebrate this iconic 7 decades of Her Majesty’s reign. I t can be tea on the village green, a BBQ in a neighbours garden, a street party, it doesn’t matter, it’s about coming together and sharing more of what w e have in common that what divides us. The Big Lunch will bring the Jubilee celebrations into the heart of every community. The Platinum Jubilee Pageant will feature more than 5,000 people from across the UK and the Commonwealth taking part in a varied display of street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival and costumes around Buckingham Palace and the surrounding streets. The party atmosphere will celebrate the platinum reign as well as honour the collective service of people and communities across the country. Her Majesty The Queen has ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history. That in itself is worth celebrating but combined with the traditional pomp and ceremony that accompanies many of the United Kingdom’s traditions; this is a perfect and historic moment in time to honour Her reign. God Save The Queen!
Regent stree, London, United Kingdom
TOURISM News
EUROPE REQUIRES ETIAS FROM TRAVELLERS FROM 60 COUNTRIES By the end of this year, all citizens from 60 countries will be required to apply for a ETIAS visa to enter the 26 member states of Europe. The ETIAS permit pre-screens and background checks applicants who wish to enter Europe for a period of less th an 3 months. The process is all done online and includes details of the trip to Europe. Applicatns must have a biometric passport, an email ad dress and a credit/debit card to pay the one-time permit issuance fee. Once approved, the ETIAS is valid for 3 consecutive years or until the passport linked to the permit expires. All information submitted for the ETIAS visa application will be collated with securit y bases such as Interpol and other databases. Citizens who travel from other countries and have to apply for the ETIAS permit are the following: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Korea South, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates , United States, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United Kingdom, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan, East Timor, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vanuatu and Venezuela.
BILLION OF £ IN NEW HOTEL INVESTMENT IN ATTICA, GREECE Across the region of Attica which incorporates Athens, the port of Pireaus, the islands of Salamina, Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Kythira and the Antikythira Island, is to see the locations of Sounio, Saronida, Glyfada and Elliniko have a new wave of hotel development in the coming years. New hotel complexes and seaside resorts are scheduled to begin an investment boom in the region. Foreign and Greek investments are in place to help upgrade Greek tourism as well as pushing a rise in the average per capita expenditure per trip. This has already increased in 2021 by more than 25% compared to 2019, as Greek tourism is seeing dynamic growth rates in key markets like the USA. A group of American investors is heading up a large tourist complex in Sounio. Home to the Temple of Poseidon and one of the most spectacular sunsets in Greece, Sounio, has become a top destination due to its natural beauty, the archeological site and its close location to the airport and the capital. Along the Attica Riviera and the town of Saronida another development of a large new hotel unit is planned. On the east coast of Attica, at Punta Zeza, the Israeli interest Brown Hotels
who has already bought several Athens located hotels is to invest in a seaside resort. The 4* resort, will offer 179 rooms and suites, include a swimming pool, spa facilities, a gym and a conference room for 500 people. In Glyfada, the Asteria Glyfada Hotel is being reconstructed into the first urban tourist resort nationwide. It will includ e a hotel unit of the One & Only chain, with a capacity of 400 beds, residences, but also commercial stores. There will also be restaurants and entertainment venues.
Elliniko, Athens, Greece
The biggest project of all is the redevelopment of the old Athens Airport site in Ellinko. The integrated tourist complex with Inspire Athens casino, to be developed by GEK Terna together with an American operator will see two hotels on the coastal site. Many other projects are underway in the city centre including the Voria, the hotel that will host the relocation of the Parnitha casino to Maroussi. The development will include a luxury hotel, event halls, restaurants, parking and green spaces. The French multinational hotelier, Accor plans for 4 new hotels in the capital adding to its existing 7 units already operating in the country, 4 of which are already in Athens. Omonia square, Athens, Greece
Brown Hotels is also investing in Athens and building its portfolio with property around the Plateia Omonia. The company already operates Brown Acropol, and is preparing another hotel in Euripides, as well as the reconstruction and revival of Sans Rival in Liossia. The Anda Hotel Athens of Radisson Individuals, which will operate on Bucharest Street, in Kolonaki, is set to open this year. The restored neoclassical building at the junction of Delphi and Didotou streets in Kolonaki is also being transformed into a boutique hotel.
CHINA AND CUBA JOIN FORCES ON THE NEW SILK ROAD China and Cuba plan to expand bilateral cooperation with the aim of promoting the development of the New Silk Road. It would also help Cuba’s economic recovery. In 2018 Cuba joined the initiative of the New Silk Road and only now has it been finalised with a plan for bilateral projects that include initiatives in infrastructure, technology, culture, education, tourism, energy, communications and biotechnology. The collaboration will help the Cuban economy; improve living conditions of the local population, as well as promoting cooperation between China and Latin America in the tourism and energy fields. Already China is one of Cuba's main political allies and its 2
nd
commercial partner.
FRANCE PLEDGE TO BOLSTER APPEAL FOR TOURISTS France is promising UK£1.62 billion to help boost the country’s appeal as a tourism destination in a plan to boost the tourism and hospitality industry in 2022. Renovating hotels, cafes, restaurants and other facilities to make them more eco -friendly, improving bicycle tourism, are part of the plan. In addition, simplify the rules to encourage investments in the tourism industry and increase jobs are key. The goal is to make France the top sustainable tourist destination by 2030.
Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
LAOS, OPEN TO FULLY VACCINATED TOURISTS IN 2022 Laos is preparing to reopen to tourists who are fully vaccinated; however, some quarantine may still be required. The ministry of tourism is preparing to reopen the country under the "Lao Travel Green Zone" programme, which will see Lao capital Vientiane, Vangvieng and Luang Prabang designated as "green zones" to ensure the safety of travellers and service providers. Areas described as green zones must have a population that is 70-80% vaccinated, while 9095% of service providers must also be vaccinated. Visitors can book tour packages on the condition that they have a certificate of entry, a vaccination certificate dated at least 14 days prior to entry, a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 done 72 hours or less before boarding a plane as well as on arrival in Laos. They are also required to use an app to track possible exposure to COVID-19 during their stay in Laos. Nong Khiaw, Luang Prabang Province, Laos
The aim is to welcome at least 1.9 million Lao visitors and more than 1 million foreign visitors in 2022.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN RUSSIA’S FAR EAST FOR TOURISTS FROM ISRAEL FLYING TO ASIA Russia and Israel are working on an agreement which would see Israeli tourists fly to Russia’s Far East region and vice versa. Both sides are working on building an infrastructure for the mutual flow of tourists as well as for tourist packages and flight connectivity between the two regions. With high levels of investment in Russia’s Far East region, the opportunity is for a yearround tourist destination to become a reality for both Russians and foreign visitors including from Israel.
TRAVEL BANS CONTINUE … AGAIN Just when we thought recovery looked likely, albeit slow, the travel industry is again hit with new travel restrictions and border closures. Despite the advice from the World Health Organisation saying that travel bans will not stop the spread of the virus, this policy is clearly favoured by many politicians around the world. The damage to lives and livelihoods is of far greater consequence than the spread of the virus. All the travel bans have come ‘after the horse has bolted’. It is clear now that the restriction of the ‘free movement of people’ is the aim of western governments, in addition to needing to know exactly where you have been via supposed ‘covid apps’ and PLF’s. The media continue to dangle a carrot in front of our noses in claiming that everything will be done and dusted by the end of March 2022. The light at the end of this very long tunnel is still a long way off and anyone who still believes that life will go back to ‘normal’ as it was in 2019 can continue to hang onto that non-existent hope.
HISTORIC ATHENS HILTON RENAMED Located in the centre of the Greek capital of Athens, the historic Hilton Hotel will change its name in 2024 to ‘Conrad’ (the first name of the founder of the Hiltons). The change comes following the signing of an agreement between the Hilton Group and the Ionian Hotel of the Konstantopoulos family. The new hotel will have seen extensive renovations and will offer 280 rooms and suites, as well as approx. 50 private residences. There will also be a private members club, several restaurants and themed shopping areas, making the site a new attraction for tourists and locals alike. The new hotel will bring together the luxury brands of Hilton, Conrad Residences and Waldorf Astoria Residences and give them a presence in Greece, as well as adding to their Europe expansion. Athens Hilton, Greece
The Hilton-Konstantopoulos agreement further strengthens the long-term and close cooperation of the two sides. The Hilton Athens opened its doors in 1963 as the first international chain hotel in the country.
USHUAIA, ARGENTINA NEW 5* SUSTAINABLE HILTON HOTEL The city of Ushuaia, is to welcome a new sustainable 5* hotel linked to the Hilton Hotels and Resorts consortium. It is due for completion by the end of 2023. It will be the first 5* Hilton group hotel in the province, offering 200 rooms and will help promote Tierra del Fuego as a tourism destination. In addition it will provide local jobs and support local industries. The self-sustainable hotel will be built on the southwest coast overlooking the Beagle Channel, offering excellent views of the sea, and the mountain landscape, while being close to downtown Ushuaia.
CHINA'S TOP TOURISM PLAYERS UNVEILED The top Chinese tourism players list was announced at a forum hosted by the China Tourism Academy and the China Tourism Association last month. The forum focus was on tourism development strategies and future trends. Top players include the Overseas Chinese Town, Trip.com Group and China Tourism Group. Tourism players have an important role in overcoming crisis like the pandemic and to help the whole tourism se ctor into prosperity. The tourism industry constantly needs reform, innovation and high-quality development as it goes into a new era. That involves highquality development and digitalisation for the future.
ITALIAN ASTRONAUT SUPPORTS SPACE TOURISM AND OUTER SPACE CINEMA PRODUCTION European Space Agency astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti, said she would be interested in watching a movie filmed in space. The astronaut will be the 1st European female to command the International Space Station (ISS) and is positive about space tourism. Now that space tourism is a reality, albeit for wealthy people or for ordinary people who were given a ticket by a wealthy pe rson! What space travel does is allows us all to learn, collect information, and improve and bolst er the reliability of technology. Recently a movie called ‘Challenge’ was filmed in space on the ISS for the 1st time in history. The story of the film is abou t a female doctor who agrees to go on a space mission to save a cosmonaut's life. The actress and film director spent 12 days aboard the ISS to film. The space drama is a joint project of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Channel One TV and the Yellow, Black and Whit e studio. The movie is expected for release by the end of 2022.
VIỆT NAM ‘BEST ASIAN RIVER CRUISE DESTINATION’ Việt Nam has been named Asia's best river cruise destination at the recent World Cruise Awards. Other winners in Asia included Singapore, who won the title of ‘Asia’s Best Cruise Destination 2021’; Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore won ‘Asia's Best Cruise Terminal 2021’ and the Dream Cruise won the title of ‘Asia’ Best Cruise Line 2021’. River cruises in Việt Nam have been gaining in popularity and developing fast in recent years attracting a lot of global attention among regional and international tourists. The sister event, the World Travel Awards honoured Việt Nam as Asia's Leading Destination 2021 and Asia's Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination 2021. At the World Golf Awards, Việt Nam was named as ‘Asia’s Best Golf Destination’ and ‘World’s Best Golf Destination’. And finally, at the World MICE Awards, Hồ Chí Minh City as Asia’s Best MICE Destination 2021.
CHINA, WINTER TRAVEL INCREASES With the Winter Olympics just around the corner, the winter tourism season is already under way in the north of China. A total of 22 winter tourism routes including skiing, hiking and gourmet food, covering popular tourist sites have been some of the incentives running to celebrate the Olympic culture and promote winter activities since November 2021. A winter carnival festival was held in Yanqing district, offering visitors the chance to enjoy 60 distinctive winter experien ces, including sports and gourmet food. Ski resorts, including the Harbin Ice and Snow World in northernmost Heilongjiang province and the Changbaishan International Resort in Northeast China's Jilin, have opened and already received many winter sports enthusiasts.
As part of the Winter Olympics venue, Zhangjiakou in Hebei province has increased its ski runs, renovated the snow making pipelines and sterilised snow clothes and tools to ensure visitors enjoy a safe visit as they experience the winter charm. Figures from the China Tourism Academy, note that a record 224 million Chinese people participated in ski and skating activities during the 201819 winter season, with winter tourism revenue reaching UK£44.5 billion.
Winter Olympics venue, Zhangjiakou, China
Winter sport also has its own Winter Tourism Plan 2021-2023, set up by The Ministry of Culture and Tourism to speed up winter sport and industry development, increase the supply of winter tourism products and push for high -quality development of the industry. Many regions are keen to offer winter tourism like Jilin province where its winter industry should reach UK£29 billion by 2025. It will see its local culture be integrated with winter elements as well as an ice and snow museum and art centre being developed.
Heilongjiang brought forward its winter plan to deliver an international winter travel destination by 2025. The province has also launched 6 travel routes and 5 major celebrations for this winter season.
Lake Songhua Resort, Jjilin, China
In Altay prefecture of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the traditional horsehide skis are available at local resorts. Visitors can not only try the horsehide skis, but also watch local craftsmen make the ancient winter footwear. A winter fishi ng carnival and pasture culture festival will take place so visitors can get a taste of how ethnic Chinese spend the season. Even southern regions and provinces are joining in the winter season with artificial snow attractions like the Sunac Snow Par k in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with indoor skiing and lessons all year around. So far, since opening in 2019, the park has given 180,000 training sessions to visitors. Guangdong also offers 20 indoor ice rinks.
PLATINUM SUPERBLOOM! As the UK and much of the world comes together to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, the famous and iconic Tower of London, will be the backdrop for a spectacular, colourful, vibrant field of flowers that will transform the T ower’s moat. More than 20 million flower seeds will be sown in the moat that will result in an eruption of colour from June to September, with flower displays and patterns creating a magical sight to see.
Called ‘Superbloom’ the flowers will encourage pollinators like bees and butterflies to this urban setting and welcome new wildlife too. Visitors will be able to walk along a winding pathway into the centre of the flowers. In addition, a special sound installati on and sculptural elements will draw visitors in the Superbloom will transport you into a natural world where you can take time to slow down and enjoy the nature surrounding you. The Tower’s ‘Superbloom’ is being created for the Platinum Jubilee but it is also going to stay as a permanent feature of th e moat, which in the 13th century was filled with water to defend the castle from intruders. The mo at will become a new natural landscape in the heart of the City of London. This is not the first time the moat has been used other than for its original purpose. During WW2 it was used to grow crops and in Victorian times it was used to graze livestock. This will be a permanent Jubilee Legacy that people can enjoy for years to come.
DANTE’S RENAISSANCE by Dimitri Laspas
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), is considered to be one of the greatest poets in Western literature and is viewed as the national poet of Italy. His influence reached not only Italian literature but also other aspects of the Renaissance. Dante made significant contributions to the early Renaissance and many of his ideas and themes were developed by later writers, artists, and thinkers. Dante contributed to the development of humanism, the use of the vernacular in literature and challenged the hegemonic nature of the Church and these helped to generate the cultural and intellectual changes known as the Renaissance, which transformed the world forever.
Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral Square, Florence, Italy
Dante was born into one of the chief families in Florence. He was married off by contract as a young boy to Gemma Donati, the daughter of another important family of the city as his mother died when he was just 12 years old. However, Dante had alreayd fallen in love with another young girl called Beatrice, who became his muse and who he loved all his life, even after she died at a young age. Her death led Dante to study philosophy and theology, as he tried to find some meaning in life. It is therefore no wonder that one of his best known works was ‘La Vita Nova’ (The New Life); a series of poems and short pieces related to Beatrice. He also wrote ‘the Banquet’ a series of longer poems. Dante was also revered as a great prose writer, (defined by any written work that follows a basic grammatical structure; think words and phrases arranged into sentences and paragraphs). He wrote an unfinished piece called ‘De vulgar eloquent’ (On the Eloquence of Vernacular), which debated for the development of an Italian literary language.
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Dante’s Divine Comedy
Dante’s work was varied and also included important political papers, his best known one being ‘De Monarchia’ in L atin. De Monarchia was unique at the time as it promoted a Universal Monarchy and the separation of Church and state. It stated that t he church should not be so powerful, which was seen as sacrilege by many people in the Catholic Church and for a time his work was banned by the Church. Dante was born before the Renaissance began, but he always had the mind of a Renaissance man. He is the first person to write a great work of literature for the people in their language. Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, is considered one of the greatest of his works in Western literature. It is an epic poem, divided into 3 parts and composed of 100 cantos. The theme is of an imagined account of Dante’s journey in the Christian afterlife. The three parts are the Inferno which depicts hell, the Purgatorio which details Purgatory and the last section is Heaven (Paradiso). The work looks at the human soul's journey to God, guided by the ‘shade’ or spirit of the great Roman poet Virgil. It aims to demonstrate how humans can become united to the love of God, which is seen as the fundamental force in the Universe. Dante wrote the Divine Comedy in the Tuscan dialect but also borrowed local dialects from other Italian regions as well as Latin. This brave move led to many writers no longer using Latin in their writings but to use their native dialect. Dante’s influence during the Renaissance spread beyond Italy and into the rest of Europe due to the idea that literary works could be written in the local language of the region. The majority of Renaissance writers in Italy and beyond began to write in their native tongues. As a result, the language of Dante became the official language of many Italian states. Without doubt, Dante’s Divine Comedy is an enduring literary masterpiece that has stood the test of time. He was far more than just a poet; he changed the nature of poetry of the period and decisively changed the direction of Western literature.
M.I.C.E & Events News Meetings, Incentives, Conferences , Exhibitions, Venues & Events
The spring edition of the ‘Meet the Bidder’ will take place th on 16 March 2022 in Warsaw, Poland.
‘MEET THE BIDDER 2022’ POLAND
The 2021 event saw 1,100 meetings take place and the event has been held since 2012 three times a year - in March, June and November. To date, Meet The Bidder events have been attended by around 600 exhibitors from all over the world and nearly a thousand managers and incentive travel professionals. Meet The Bidder has been classified as a ‘SMART Fair’, which perfectly defines the purpose and character of the event, which is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Also, as the event has grown, so too has the offering, which now includes a ‘New Investment Travel Zone’. The NIT zone presents new tourist investments: hotel facilities, conference centres and event spaces. The ‘Incentive Travel Excellence Night’, which is co-hosted by SITE Poland, is a perfect end for the Meet the Bidder Grand Edition. SITE Poland and Travel Bidder jointly promote excellence of incentive travel in front of 300 international professionals at a great banquet at the end of Meet The Bidder day in Warsaw. During the ITEx Night exhibitors, trade fair partners, SITE Poland members, Ambassadors, as well as representatives of other industry associations & industry media have an opportunity to meet and netwo rk in a leisurely atmosphere.
THE 43rd BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR 2022 The IFT International Tourism Fair is the most important tourist event in Serbia and in all of South-eastern Europe. The 43rd edition will be held from 24-27 February 2022 at the Belgrade Fair.
DUBAI ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 2022 REGISTRATION OPEN Registration is open for the next edition of the Dubai Association Conference, taking place on 21 February 2022. The event will feature a strong line-up of leaders from the global associations sector as well as Dubai’s public and private sector among its speakers and participants. Under the theme of ‘Associations and The New World: Resilience & Reinvention’, the 3rd edition of the conference will provide a platform for exploring how associations can adapt amid not just the aftermath and direct impact of the global pandemic, but shifting dynamics among the professions and industries they serve.
The need for people to come together is greater than ever the positive climate grows stronger in the tourism sector. Tourism Fair will focus on the recovery and renewal of tourism environment, as well as the promotion of trends innovations that will mark the future of the tourism industry.
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The most important tourism agencies will participate in the fair, as well as associations and organisations, hotels, tourist centres, airlines, and international tour operators. At a time when Serbia as a destination is seeing rapid development, investment in infrastructure, large private investments in the hotel industry in urban centres, spas and mountains, and also with fewer entrepreneurs in rural tourism, now is the time to be present at the IFT 2022.
Continuing the tradition of the previous two editions, the event will kick off with a session featuring the founders of the Dubai Associations Centre (DAC): His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and His Excellency Hamad Buamim, President & CEO, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Other sessions on the agenda will explore themes and topics including design thinking, policymaking priorities, innovation, diversity and revenues. Following the conference, delegates will be offered a full-day immersive visit to Expo 2020 Dubai to experience the thematic and national pavilions, attend celebrations and events, and sample cultures and cuisine from around the world. The conference is the flagship event of the Dubai Association Centre (DAC), which was established in 2014 to support and license regional and international associations in setting up an office or chapter in Dubai. DAC opened its state-of-the-art offices in One Central, DWTC in December 2019, providing a collaborative environment for registered associations.
PATA Annual Summit 2022 will for the 1st time be held in a West Asia destination. The 4-day summit will be hosted in various locations across the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, leading a global forum on sustainable growth and the value and quality of tourism today. Additionally, PATA delegates will visit Expo 2020 to gain insight on the sustainability, innovation and design best practices around the world, including PATA Destination Members’ pavilions. Join the in-person conference on 22-25 March 2022 to connect with like-minds and visit the world-class destination!
FITVEN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR ANZOÁTEGUI, VENEZUELA 2022 FitVen, the International Tourism Fair of Venezuela, will take place in the state of Anzoátegui. Anzoategui is located on the eastern side of the country and was chosen due to the multiple natural benefits and infrastructures that it offers for the development of tourism. With investment opportunities, work, hotels and an infrastructure with well-developed communication routes, it makes for the ideal tourism destination. To give more support to the tourism sector, 2022 will see the creation of a National Tourism Award, initially in 10 categories as entrepreneurship; agrotourism; ecotourism and historical tourism, among others.
8TH ATHENS INTERNATIONAL TOURISM & CULTURE EXPO 2021 Following the success of the in-person AITE 2021 in November, hosted buyers have highly rated the event and the meetings they conducted with exhibitors. 95% rated the B2B meetings as ‘Excellent’, while ‘Very Good’ was rated higher than 85%. Networking continued after the event with many deals completed after further co-operation between buyers and Greek suppliers for both 2022 and beyond.
tourismA 2021 INTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXHIBITION AND CONGRESS The tourismA 2021 exhibition was held in Florence Italy from 17-19 December last year. The annual 3-day event was held in the prestigious and central location of ‘Palazzo dei Congressi’. tourismA – the international exhibition of archaeology is aimed at all the cultural and economic realities active in archaeological, artis tic and monumental fields: private and public research institutes, archaeological parks and museums, tourist boards, tour operato rs and cultural associations.
LEÓN BIDS TO BE VENUE FOR TIANGUIS TURÍSTICO DE MÉXICO 2023 The city of León, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, has applied to be the host of the 2023 edition of Tianguis Turístico. As the most important event for the sector in Mexico and Latin America, León wants to offer itself as it has good infrastructure to welcome the international tourism community.
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URUGUAY TO HOST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM Religious tourism is one of the best ways to get to know the culture, history and traditions of a country, and therefore is one of the first opportunities to conduct tourism. Uruguay has multiple spiritual, mystical or devotional centres that regardless of personal beliefs, from the tourist point of view, the historical, patrimonial and architectural richness of the temples can be appreciated, as well as the works of art in paintings, pictures and stained glass seen from within these buildings. th
The 17 edition of the International Congress of Religious and Sustainable Tourism will be held in Uruguay, from 10-13 May 2022, combining activities between the cities of Salto and Paysandú. The 2021 edition was held in Spain and attracted 400 people, from 27 countries. Religious tourism results in about 300 million people a year, around the world travelling for religious purposes. Therefore Uruguay hopes to tap into this niche market and attract more religious tourists.
ITALY AT HAND - 2021 MILANO ITALY ENDS IN SUCCESS! Italy at Hand, the b2b MICE signature event organised in total safety by Convention Bureau Italia and ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board, with the aim of promoting the Italian MICE offer to the international business tourism market has closed with a great success, despite the latest critical Covid-19 updates worldwide: 1,156 business meetings were held between top international buyers and the main national MICE suppliers. During 3 days dedicated to business and informal and engaging activities inspired by Italy’s legendary tradition and heritage, 46 buyers from 18 different European countries met 35 qualified MICE operators from all over the country, including all the main Italian Destinations, Convention Centers, hotels and international hotel chains, top agencies and PCOs. Among the crucial factors that set off the event’s success, one of the most important was the collaboration with YesMilano Convention Bureau and with AIM Group International, which allowed to open the doors of some of the most exclusive locations in the city: Palazzo Serbelloni, a historical palace of timeless beauty which hosted the business meetings, the Starhotels Rosa Grand - Starhotels Collezione, in whose elegant spaces was held the opening night; Villa Necchi Campiglio, a stunning museum full of amazing art masterpieces, whose glass house hosted the elegant and sober gala dinner and the various hidden-in-plain-sight gems in Milan where the four networking activities between buyers and suppliers took place. "Given the peculiar and hard times the whole MICE Industry is living, let us say that the success of this edition is worth double" - says Carlotta Ferrari, Convention Bureau Italia President - "I am extremely proud of the results achieved by the third edition of Italy at Hand, especially due to the circumstances that we all very well know and that have made the organization exponentially more complex. I believe we have shown once again to the International MICE landscape that we are the reference point, together with ENIT, for the promotion of Business Tourism in Italy; but above all the passion that drives us in promoting Italy as a top-tier MICE Destination. Of course, virtual and hybrid are handy alternatives; however, after such an event it is clear how the sense of authentic connection and, consequently, the business that arises from participating in an onsite b2b event is unparalleled”- concludes Carlotta. In addition to the strategic collaboration between CBItalia and ENIT, the key to event’s success is also to ascribe to the 13 national and international strategic partners involved: among them, the host destination YesMilano Convention Bureau perfectly showed off its European city DNA; AIM Group International, the Creative Partner, pulled off an impeccable organization; UNA Group, NH Hotel Group and Starhotels, the Industry Partners, made their most exclusive and fascinating properties available to guests; and the international Media Partners C&IT - Conference & Incentive Travel, CIM - Conference & Incentive Management, CMW Conference & Meetings World, Meeting e Congressi, MICE & Tourism Around the World and TW- Tagungswirtschaft which guaranteed media exposure to the event from the first announcement in July until its very end.
FLORIDA DESTINATION OF HONOUR AT ANATO 2022 The ANATO National Board of Directors has announced Florida as the international destination guest of honour for the next edition of the ANATO Tourist Showcase in 2022. It will take place in person, from 23-25 February in Corferias, Bogotá, Colombia. The United States is the main destination country for Colombians, and has seen significant growth after opening up again in 2021. Colombian travellers to the US have increased 7% compared to January-October 2019 figures. US tourists also see Colombia as a popular destination with a 60% share of all visitors into the country for the same period of 2021. In November 2021, six airlines offer 233 direct weekly frequencies between Florida and Bogotá, Cali, Barranquilla, Medellín, Cartagena, Armenia, Pereira and Bucaramanga, with an offer of 40,025 seats.
EVENT DATE CHANGES As the world continues with the ups and downs of the ongoing ‘’health crisis’’ events are yet again being forced to change dates or postpone. Here are the latest changes among several other events: - IMEX in Frankfurt date change to 31 May – 2 June 2022. - AIME 2022 will be held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 21 – 23 March and online from 28 March – 01 April 2022 - BIT Milano 2022 is rescheduled to 10- 12 April 2022 - Ferien in Vienna is now taking place from 17-20 March 2022
- The Vakantiebeurs, due to take place from 12-16 January in Utrecht, the Netherlands has been cancelled. The next edition will take place from 12-15 January 2023.
Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom
NEW ‘CITY’ STATUS HONOUR FOR JUBILEE IN 2022 by Caroline Laspas
2022 is a big year for the United Kingdom; firstly HM The Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne with her Platinum Jubilee. The city of Birmingham is hosting the Commonwealth Games and the Unboxed F estival UK will bring people together and inspire the next generation as we renew and build back better from the coronavirus pandemic, via 10 spectacular creative projects that will demonstrate the nation’s talent in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths. It is truly a year of CELEBRATION! One of the varied activities taking place across the UK to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, is a rare completion that will rew ard a town or city with permanent ‘city status’ and ‘Lord Mayor or Provost status’. This is the first time in a decade that this opportunity on offer. Awarding ‘city’ status usually coincides with Jubilee years, as it did in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee. 4 towns became cities with one chosen from each part of the United Kingdom; Chelmsford (England), Perth (Scotland), St. Asaph (Wales) and Armagh (N. Ireland).
St. Asaph, Wales, United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted only by the Monarch. There are no special rights taken as a city, is it the prestige of recognition and local pride. There are currently 69 cities in the United Kingdom. Traditionally city status was deemed by a town having a cathedral. This tradition dates back to the early 1540s when King Henry VIII founded dioceses (each having a cathedral in the city). At that time just 6 towns were granted city status and were issued with formal patent letters. Over time, as the nation’s population grew, it was decided that the status of city would no longer be limited to having a cathedral and that a variety of criteria, including population size would be taken into consideration. Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom
Armagh North Ireland, United Kingdom
The city status competition is, for the first time open to cities from the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. As part of current government’s commitment to level up and increase opportunities across the whole of the United Kingdom, towns can present a case for why it deserves to be granted the honour of city status. The United Kingdom is home to a great number of diverse and unique communities brought together by a shared sense of civic pride. Applications from towns and cities need to show their distinct identities, sense of community, cultural infrastructure, interesting heritage, history and traditions, vibrant and welcoming community, record of innovation, sound governance and administration and associations with royalty, as well as any other particularly distinctive features, age, residents or communities who have made widely recognised significant contributions to society and cultural infrastructure. The entries will be individually considered, before recommendations will be made to Her Majesty The Queen. The number of awards made will depend on the strength of the applications received! Among the entries are Medway in Kent, Swindon in Wiltshire and Dudley in the West Midlands, Newport on the Isle of Wight and Ballymena, in County Antrim. Southend-on-Sea in Essex had also applied and has already been confirmed by The Queen with City status in honour of the town’s murdered, long-serving Member of Parliament, Mr David Ames, who had been bidding for city status for a long time. The final cities will be announced in 2022 as part of the Jubilee year.
FRANCE ONGOING ‘’HEALTH CRISIS’’ NO FOOD & DRINK ON TRANSPORT Passengers on all French public transport, as well as long distance trips, will no longer be able to eat or drink, in a bid to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant. This applies to all journeys by plane, train, bus and boats. As well as domestic and long distance flights. However, contradictions arise for example on flights. When we have always been advised to drink water on board to prevent dehydration at high altitude. All passengers are now required to remain seated and wear a face mask throughout the journey. IATA (International Air Transport Association) is asking for all governments to follow the advice of the World Health Organisation and immediately lift all travel bans, as it is clear that they have not reduced the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid. What it has done is had a great impact on lives and livelihoods.
IATA CALLS ON GOVERNMENTS TO CANCEL TRAVEL BANS
'After almost two years of the ‘health crisis’, we know a lot about the virus and the inability of travel restrictions to control its spread. But the discovery of ongoing never ending variants induced instant amnesia in governments that implemented instinctive restrictions in total contravention of the advice of the WHO, the global expert, 'said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.
AIR TRAFFIC FALLS BY 20% IN EUROPE Since the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, air passenger traffic in Europe has fallen by 20% since the variant was discovered. This is based on data from 40 airports in 25 EU countries, including large airports and small regional airfields. With flights banned for many African nations as well as other restrictions due to other nation’s new restrictions, it is no surprise that flight capacity has dropped.
AEROFLOT RESTARTS HAVANA-MOSCOW ROUTE Russian carrier Aeroflot has reinstated its route between Moscow and Havana airports. This helps boost tourist arrivals to Cuba and Aeroflot will offer at least 2 flights a week. Aeroflot's operations are carried out with Airbus A350 with capacity for approx. 316 passengers.
CATHAY PACIFIC REBOUND STOPPED IN ITS TRACKS WITH COVID RESTRICTIONS Cathay Pacific Airways, the largest airline in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is fairly optimistic about growth in air travel in the Chinese mainland and is preparing for potential capacity increases through business growth opportunities mainly due to the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Cathay Pacific is already preparing for more flights to resume to and fro the Chinese mainland. It has resumed flights between Hong Kong and 10 cities in the Chinese mainland. However, Hong Kong has gone into lockdown meaning that Cathay Pacific has immediately cuts its flight schedule, including cancelling passenger and cargo services to and from Hong Kong. It will operate a skeleton passenger schedule in January. It comes after Hong Kong announced tighter Covid-19 quarantine rules for air cargo crew. The knock on effect sees cargo-only passenger flights including from Europe, Riyadh and Dubai suspended until 6 January.
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BRITISH AIRWAYS ROUTES AND NEW GATWICK SHORT-HAUL SUBSIDIARY British Airways has announced the new initial destinations for its Gatwick subsidiary, which will begin flights from March 2022. Tickets to 35 short-haul destinations are now on sale. The airline has created a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick, similar to its operation from London City Airport, which operates under the British Airways name but exists as an entirely separate entity. BA short-haul flights will start operating with 3 Airbus short-haul aircraft, increasing to 18 aircraft by the end of May 2022. The subsidiary will be the start of short-haul flights from the London airport, which had been suspended as a result of health crisis in early spring 2020. Due to the ongoing pandemic several routes were transferred to Heathrow airport, some which will return to Gatwick, as well as being maintained at Heathrow, including Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Marrakech and Tenerife. Other new routes will be added at Gatwick including Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Milan Malpensa and Santorini. The new services will be branded and known as British Airways*. Customers will receive the same high level of service they expect of British Airways as well as enjoying the benefits of travelling with the UK’s flag carrier including a generous baggage allowance, free water and snacks, free seat selection at -24 hours and frequent flyer benefits which include lounge access.
GULF AIR IN-HOUSE RATING COURSE Gulf Air has developed an in-house type rating course for its pilots who fly Airbus to be qualified to fly its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet. Accredited by Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs, the course was fully conducted by Gulf Air’s experienced Bahraini instructors. With the launch of this programme, all future Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner type rating and operational training will continue to be under Gulf Air’s Flight Operations and Training administration.
AIR TRANSAT RESUMES FLIGHTS BETWEEN CANADA AND SCOTLAND Air Transat has resumed flights from Toronto, Canada to Glasgow in Scotland. It is the first North American route to serve Scotland in over a year. With 2 flights a week during winter and increased capacity to 4 flights a week in summer, the airline will use Airbus A321neoLR aircraft, which consumes 15% less fuel, generates 50% less cabin noise and produces around 5,000 tons less CO2 per year and reduces NOX emissions by 50% compared to previous generation Airbus aircraft.
HAINAN AIRLINES TRANSFERRED TO INVESTOR Hainan Airlines has transferred its core aviation business to Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, its strategic investor, in light of the carrier's parent company HNA Group going through bankruptcy and restructuring. Hainan Airlines saw an annual loss of UK£7.38 billion in 2020. th
Hainan Airlines is China’s 4 largest airline. and has a fleet of about 600 aircraft. The airlines problems are purely financial with huge debts. It has an excellent record for safety and is still a healthy business.
US RAIL INDUSTRY GETS HUGE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW Over UK£44 billion in funding from the agreed UK£736 billion infrastructure law will go to the USA’s passenger and freight rail systems, and the biggest investment into rail in Amtrak's history will go to repairs and new projects across the country. Some of projects include a new Hudson River tunnel between New York and New Jersey, a replacement of the Baltimore and Potomac River Tunnel, and a new bridge connecting Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Many of the projects have been under consideration pandemic sharply decreased the number of passengers and the funding from the infrastructure law allows for
since long before the commuting to work every day, many of them to finally be achieved. By 2035, Amtrak aims to expand its services to million passengers.
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LIGHTS DOWN, CURTAIN UP…. ‘COME FROM AWAY’: THE MUSICAL by Caroline-Artemis Laspas
In for another West End theatre treat! This is no exception for the latest show in town… Come From Away. So, all dressed up (a must in theatre etiquette!) and off to London’s Phoenix Theatre. ‘Come From Away’ has won many international awards, including 4 Olivier Awards including ‘Best New Musical’ and rightly so!
The musical is based on the true story of the citizens from the small town of Ganda, on Newfoundland Island in Canada, and the passengers on an American Airlines flight and the subsequent relationships created due to the town being used as a diversion airport in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Ganda, with a population of just 9,000 has an international airport which was used as a major refuelling stop for trans-Atlantic flights. Today aircraft have advanced without requiring a refuelling stop. On the 9th September 2001, when the U.S. shut down its airspace, Canada offered to accommodate inbound planes flying from Europe. Planes were diverted to Gander International Airport. Until they were allowed off the planes, the passengers had no idea why their flight had been diverted as this was pre-smartphone and social media.
That day, Ganda International Airport received 38 wide-bodied aircraft carrying 6,700 passengers from nearly 100 countries; all needed to be housed and fed. The citizens of Ganda welcomed them with open arms.
The musical with just 12 cast members play duo-roles; the passengers and crew on-board the American Airlines flight, as well as the roles of the locals in Ganda, from the Mayor, the Chief of Police, a teacher, librarian, Red Cross volunteers, Pharmacist, etc. Also highlighted was that the Pilot was the first female pilot American Airlines had ever had. Local residents took the passengers moose hunting, toured the local sights and hosted a huge BBQ’s utilising every BBQ the city had! Music, dance and song were a popular distraction with the help of free flowing Irish Whiskey and many passengers were offered accommodation and showers in people’s homes. Of course the requirements of so many in a town of so few presented its challenges and after a few days on being stranded in Ganda, tensions grew and religion became a factor of dispute. But even in times of darkness, human kindness triumphed. With a simple stage set using a large revolving circle centre-stage, a few tables and 12 chairs, together with an 8-piece band just stage-side, the hour and 40 minute production (with no interval – fabulous!) set the scene and with fantastic Irish folk music, emotive songs simple yet effective dancing and superb acting by all, the time just flew by. The experience changed everyone involved with many seeing their purpose in life change too for the better. After 5 days, the American Airlines flight was able to depart from Ganda onto its final destination, Dallas. There were fond farewells and many passengers offered to pay the locals for their sincere hospitality, but it was flatly refused. A few weeks later, letters and cards began arriving in Ganda to homes and businesses who had helped people, offering their most heartfelt thanks but also enclosed were donations, which totalled tens of thousands of dollars. At the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 many of the passengers returned to Ganda for a reunion and till today many families are still touch with their friends who ‘Came From Away’. In the bar of the theatre is a world map and one of the UK with an invitation to write your name on a label on to pin it on the map – as you can see, the board was over full, but a lovely idea to bring us al together. What strikes me most is that being old enough to remember and understand the gravity of the situation on that day in 2001, unlike so many today who were not even born; I can remember where I was and what I was doing as events unfolded. That in turn connects us to the understanding of the musical but also gives a very different perspective on the events of that day and those that immediately followed. This is a ‘must see’ musical and a wonderful evening of entertainment. You may think how can such a subject be successfully made into a musical; well, I just urge you all to book tickets and find out, you will not be disappointed!
