Travel and Tour World, a travel trade media and an information platform, is an all-inclusive and far-reaching B2B travel magazine. It aspires to build a network of travel and tour professionals across the globe to mark its presence in this increasingly competitive market. [TRAVELANDTOURWORLD.BLOGSPOT.COM]
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York Sea Grant are partnering to offer young boater safety training as part of the February 15-19, 2012 Central New York Boat Show at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY.
Never one to rest on its laurels, Crystal Cruises is introducing “A Year of New Developments” for 2012. Each month, the ultra-luxury line is introducing new destinations, shore-side adventures and an array of new product enhancements that add even more choices in wining, dining, evening and daytime entertainment, enrichment and fitness. From offering VIP service at the airport to easing check in, Crystal’s steadfast focus is on refining its guest vacation experience. 
The 2011 Finnair Change for Good campaign carried out by Finnair and UNICEF Finland collected almost 60 000 euros. Over 16 Christmas period collections the campaign, carried out on almost all international Finnair flights, has collected precisely 1,105,040 euros.
The Tampa Port Authority welcomed the announcement by Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers that it will launch a new multipurpose general cargo service between the Port of Tampa and Saint Petersburg, Russia. The service will begin with the arrival of Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers’ vessel M/V Baltic Mercur at the Port of Tampa. The service will operate on a monthly frequency using highly versatile ships, capable of carrying break bulk cargoes such as steel, as well as containers, roll-on/roll-off traffic, project cargoes, and bulk commodities.
The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games this week announced which venues across Brazil will host Pre-Games Training events. In total, 172 sports venues in 73 cities and 18 states in the five regions of Brazil were considered during the Pre-Games Training Venues Registering and Selection process.
The international travel bestseller is back nearly a decade after it first hit the bookshelves, 1000 Places To See Before You Die is being re released with over 200 entries for Britain. “Every trip to Britain guarantees surprises at every turn. England promises a remarkable variety of things to see, from world wonders to small and unsung gems - both man made and places of natural beauty. Scotland is empty and majestic, Wales a plethora of castles, and Belfast born again with an irresistible high-energy scene. And with everything within a relative small area, a visit to Great Britain is manageable and a delight - a veritable see-before-you-die experience”. Patricia Schultz, author.
IHG announced the opening of the Crowne Plaza Suites Tequendama Bogota, located adjacent to the iconic, 573-room Crowne Plaza Tequendama Bogota. Both properties are owned by Sociedad Hotelera Tequendama. The 30-story, 271-suite Crowne Plaza Suites Tequendama Bogotais located at the International Center Tequendama, a mixed-use building featuring meetings facilities, offices and apartments. 
Leading association management company, MCI, has entered into a new collaboration with the IMEX Group, organisers of worldwide exhibitions for the meetings, events and incentive travel industry, and MPI (Meeting Professionals International) to support the Future Leaders Forum (FLF). The global FLF programme is an initiative designed to encourage the best and brightest students to enter the meetings and incentive travel industry by offering education days, networking opportunities and internships. 
TravelShark announced the launch of a worldwide search to identify three charities to receive donations from the company’s new socially enabled photo-sharing application, TravelSharkPix. The three-week “TravelSharkPix Charity Hunt” allows users to suggest their favorite charity for consideration and rally popular support during an online vote to choose the winning organizations.
Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) continues to offer the lowest fares to Siem Reap, all domestic and select international destinations in a seat sale from January 31 to February 2, 2012 or until seats last. 
Turkish Airlines presents you round-trip flights between ISTANBUL and DONETSK, DNEPROPETROVSK, LVIV, SIMFEROPOL and TBILISI just for 119EUR, all tax and charges included. 
Amadeus has announced the creation of the world’s first interline Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) link. The application of EMD to interline partnerships means that participating airlines can now facilitate payment for and delivery of ancillary services across their partnerships and alliances. 
Mr. Belson Coutinho, Senior General Manager- eCommerce & Innovations, Jet Airways, has been conferred the prestigious ‘Excellence in E-Commerce & Innovation in Digital Marketing' at the 5th EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AWARDS 2012 held at the Indira International Innovation Summit.
ANA Group reported its consolidated financial results for the first nine months of fiscal year 2011. .jpg)
THAI Airways president, addressing the PATA Hub City Forum in Bangkok urged the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) to help make it easier for Thai nationals to get tourism visas.
Hannele Malin (MSc. Econ), 43, has been appointed Vice President, Internal Auditing at Finnair as of March 18, 2012. She has worked in different auditing and internal auditing roles since 1999 at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Stockmann, Fortum, and most recently in Deloitte & Touche Oy.
Construction of the new Crossrail station at Paddington enters a new phase from next month as excavation of the station box gets underway with some changes to transport services in the area.
Cathay Pacific Airways reopened its Level 7 Business Class Lounge of The Wing at Hong Kong International Airport following an extensive renovation. The newly opened 1,935-square-metre Level 7 lounge, together with the 1,002-square-metre Business Class Lounge on Level 6 that reopened in April last year, offers a new level of comfort and service for passengers flying out of Hong Kong.
Aer Lingus notes recently released statement on the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme. Aer Lingus confirmed that it is in discussions with parties involved in the IASS under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission (“LRC”). These parties include trade unions representing Aer Lingus members of the IASS as well as Dublin Airport Authority (“DAA”) and trade union representatives of DAA staff. These discussions follow on from meetings held in 2011, which were also facilitated by the LRC.
Courtyard Survey Release ImageChips and dip, family rooms earn top honors, says survey by Courtyard, the Official Hotel Sponsor of the NFL. Courtyard by Marriott, the Official Hotel Sponsor of the NFL, shares the results of its Super Bowl survey, revealing what party-goers chose as their favorite game-day foods and where they’ll be when Super Bowl XLVI kicks off on February 5.
Ryanair announced a Q3 profit of €15m compared to a Q3 loss of €10m last year. Revenues increased 13% to €844m as traffic fell 2% and ave. fares rose 17%. Unit costs rose 11% due to a 7% increase in sector lengths and an 18% increase in fuel costs. Excluding fuel, sector length adjusted unit costs declined by 1%.
Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) will commence long-haul flights in the 3rd quarter of 2013. The airline will lease up to 8 Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets beyond the range of CEB’s current fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. .jpg)
Passengers at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport can now enjoy a range of premium food options on sale in each lounge. 
QantasLink announced a significant boost to services throughout Queensland.
Chairman John Palmer says Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe this morning confirmed this will be his last year at the helm of the national carrier.
Airports strive for ever more eco-efficient ground operations including safe taxiway routing for pilots, all-weather guidance between the terminal gate and the runway, and control of aircraft and vehicles. Airbus ProSky is responding to this demand by complementing its Air Traffic Management (ATM) offerings with a powerful airport surface management system (SMAN) for Air Traffic Control centres worldwide. 
Three months after the new runway at Frankfurt Airport became operational, Lufthansa has drawn up an interim assessment. Since 21 October 2011, the on-time arrival performance rating has risen by more than 14 cent compared with the same period in the previous year, and remains constant at well above 80 per cent. For the first time for many years, Frankfurt is thus on a par with comparable international hubs such as Amsterdam, London Heathrow and Munich with which the airport is in direct competition. 
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has handed over the Olympic Village site to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on 27 January. The handover of the Village, on time, marks the start of the huge process to fit-out the new apartments and Village site ready to welcome athletes and officials from around the world in six months’ time.
JetBlue Airways Corporation announced that it will webcast a presentation at the Raymond James Global Airline Conference on February 2, 2012.
The official Watkins Glen and Schuyler County Travel Guide produced annually by the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce is here! In past years, the Travel Guide has been printed and released in the spring; but this year, it will be available beginning from January to December 2012.
In its dedication to its commitments for more than three decades, Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC has supported the global mission of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to find a cure for cancer by raising funds via its Sprint Four the Cure, a 5K fun run and walk, and Drive Fore the Cure, a golf tournament.  The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has launched a series of webinars for 2012 that will tackle topics such as crisis management, social media, sustainability, and cross-cultural training. Webinars are scheduled for two Wednesdays every month at 1300 hours Bangkok time. The first one is on Wednesday February 1 and is about crisis management.PATA CEO Martin J Craigs said: “Seismic shocks in the shape of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, bombs, political uprisings, and diseases do great harm to the travel industry. With due diligence, organizations and destinations can take practical steps to be prepared, minimize impacts and speed the bounce back. PATA’s crisis management webinars will give you insights, procedures and checklists to deal with crises much more effectively.” |
Preliminary results released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) show a collective increase of 6% year-on-year for international arrivals into Asia/Pacific destinations during each of the months of October and November 2011. For the first 11 months of the year, South Asia was the star growth performer, followed by Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Pacific, all of which saw tourism demand improve albeit at different rates of growth. This momentum is expected to continue for the rest of the year and paves the way for an expected full-year arrivals gain of 5-6% in 2011, above the global growth figure of 4%. The overall international visitor arrivals count to the wider Asia Pacific region – which includes North America - is expected to reach around 430 million for 2011. 
The Canadian hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics for the week of 15-21 January 2012, according to data from STR. In year-over-year measurements, the Canadian hotel industry’s occupancy ended the week with a 2.8-percent increase to 53.7 percent, its average daily rate rose 1.9 percent to CAD$122.51 and its revenue per available room was up 4.8 percent to CAD$65.73.
John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts announced Robert Henley’s new appointment as general manager of the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in the heart of downtown Springfield, Mo. 
Hilton Worldwide signed a management agreement with PT Nurtirta Nusa Lestari to bring the first DoubleTree by Hilton property to Indonesia. Scheduled to open in 2014, the 261-room DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta-Diponegoro, Indonesia will be conveniently located two kilometers away from the "Golden Triangle"..jpg)
Worldhotels is announcing three unique additions to its portfolio: Lux11 and The Weinmeister, both located in Berlin Mitte, and the Designhotel Elephant in Prague. All three belong to the prestigious Chambers Group and are truly prominent for their superb locations, distinctive architecture and compelling interior design attracting an eclectic audience of guests and locals.
Marriott International, Inc. has been named as one of “China’s Top Employers 2012” by the CRF Institute. It is the only hotel management company in the winners list.
Just three weeks after the launch of flights to Dublin, Emirates has announced a larger aircraft will be deployed on the route from 1st July.
Music has long been touted for its many therapeutic benefits, and relaxation is just one of the many effects that calming music can impart. A new treatment at The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Vail features a combination of soothing and upbeat music, transmitted by a custom-made massage table that allows one to not only hear, but actually feel the music. This technique takes massage to another level, allowing the recipient of the treatment to have an elevated sensory experience that incorporates sound, smell and touch.
Snow Fest is the largest winter carnival in the west, featuring over 60 events celebrating life in the High Sierra. It's a 10-day flurry of parades, parties, fireworks, entertainment, food, children's activities and fun for everyone which will continue from March 2-11, 2012, throughout North Lake Tahoe.
The Chedi by GHM, Chiang Mai’s only five-star hotel along the scenic Mae Ping, offers breathtaking views of traditional fishing boats floating past the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors of all eighty-four sleek guestrooms and is the perfect setting for the most romantic, stylish and pampered Valentine ever!
The European Travel Commission (ETC) has just published its fourth quarterly report on European Tourism in 2011 - Trends & Prospects.
Travelers needing an escape to sunny Baja have one more reason to book a Sea of Cortés yacht adventure with American Safari Cruises. All new reservations for cruises departing now through April 14, 2012 receive one complimentary hotel stay at Casa Natalia, a boutique hotel in San José del Cabo, Mexico. The 22-guest, upscale yacht Safari Quest sails weeklong Aquarium of the World adventure cruises from La Paz, Mexico through April. The offer is good only for guests flying into Cabo. The Safari Quest package includes transfers between airport, hotel and the yacht in La Paz, plus one complimentary night either pre- or post-cruise at the award-winning European-style Casa Natalia. Breakfast is included at the hotel. Transfer between Cabo and La Paz is via private shuttle. The package is valued at up to $900 per couple.
From April 1, 2012, Disneyland Paris invites its guests to celebrate its 20th anniversary, in sparkling and magical style. Throughout this exceptional year, lots of surprises and new features have been imagined, to provide an explosion of magic, lights and colour. Disneyland Park will be hosting “Disney Dreams®!”, an amazing night-time show, “Disney Magic on Parade!”, a new parade, and “Disney’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Train”, to have magical encounters with their favourite Disney characters. And to the delight of its visitors, Europe’s leading tourist destination will be donning extra special decor to celebrate this landmark anniversary in a fitting manner.
