Leading Markets at Berlin's Tourism Exhibition

Adventure tours and eco-tourism are among the fastest growing markets in the tourism sector, a trend accurately mirrored by events at ITB Berlin.

In the Trends & Events Hall (4.1) a total of 123 tour operators, tourism boards and organisations representing 31 countries are presenting their latest Adventure Eco, Youth Travel and Economy Accommodation products, with information on expeditions, diving holidays and nature tours, as well as sustainable tourism.

Numerous international exhibitors can be found in the Adventure Eco section in particular, among them Tourism for Peace Jenin & Gilboa, a tourism project from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

SHARKPROJECT

On March 11th, for the first time at the world’s leading travel trade show, a Shark Day organised by SHARKPROJECT will be taking place at ITB Berlin 2011, sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

According to a survey by the North Atlantic Dalhousie University in Halifax, over the past six years the number of deep sea sharks has fallen by 80 per cent.

At a podium discussion representatives of international tourism organisations as well as the celebrity figure and actor Hannes Jaenicke, who for years has been championing wildlife conservation, will discuss Marine biodiversity, sharks and tourism – which is the aggressor?

Next weekend at ITB, visitors will also be able to see the MS Haitanic exhibition and the film entitled Hannes Jaenicke im Einsatz für Haie.

(Source Breaking Travel News)

Dinning in style when you flying!

In order to control their costs many Airlines have been rudely attacked the meals served to passengers. Maybe this could sound like a cost effective idea but had affected consumers preference into the long run.

Flight search engine Skyscanner has released a list of the top 10 airlines for in-flight meals - and not one Australian or US airline made the cut.

So which airline should you pick if you want a tasty mid-air treat?

Emirates came out on top in the survey, with the eastern flavour also proving to be popular with six of the top 10 airlines based in the Middle East and Asia.

Four European airlines made the grade, with Lufthansa coming second and Russian carrier Aeroflot scoring fourth place.

“Emirates is passionate about providing great in-flight cuisine and we see it as a crucial part of our product offering. Individual menus are carefully planned for each route we serve to ensure we cater for the diverse cultures and preferences of our international customers,” Robin Padgett, Emirates' Vice President - Aircraft Catering, said.

More than 1200 people were asked to rate their in-flight meals based on taste, presentation and choice.

An overall calculation was then made for each of the 35 airlines featured in the survey.

Skyscanner Director Barry Smith said that airlines are placing more importance on the quality of food they serve.

"Although there are some notable exceptions, airlines are making huge efforts to provide good-quality meals, with many even appointing celebrity chefs as consultants," Mr Smith said.

“It is interesting to see these Middle Eastern and Asian airlines ranking so highly.

"Airline food is notorious for being bland and perhaps it is the use of these strong eastern flavours and spices that is contributing to their popularity. Possibly it’s also because exotic flavours get people in a holiday mood.”

The top ten highest scoring airlines were:

1. Emirates

2. Lufthansa

3. Singapore Airlines

4. Aeroflot

5. Qatar

6. Malaysia Airlines

7. Thai Airways

8. Etihad

9. KLM

10. Air France

(Source Travelnews.com)

More growth to Travel Revenue in 2011

Great news for travel industry!!! According to the Asian Travel News the hotel industry continued to recover in January 2011 with strong growth in both global hotel revenue and bookings, according to data from Pegasus Solutions’ The Pegasus View.
Driven by demand and assisted by rate growth, business travel revenue rose by more than +40% over January of last year, while leisure revenue jumped nearly +15% over the same period in 2010.
The report also forecast growth in business and leisure bookings through mid-year based on business on the books. Forward-looking data for bookings made through the mostly corporate global distribution systems (GDS), show an average monthly growth rate potential of more than +20% through the second quarter. Average daily rate (ADR) for the channel will continue at the same or an even stronger pace than that realized in Q4 2010, while length of stay (LOS) will also expand.
“The travel industry’s rebound is a direct result of a healing economy and increased corporate travel,” said Mike Kistner, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solutions. “As corporate profits and competition return, companies are sending executives and sales teams back on the road. The accompanying growth in length of stay and booking lead times suggest more of these trips are made of group travel, conferences and meetings, which are a boon for hotels.”
The outlook for the leisure market also reflects positively for hotels. Bookings to-date made via online channels, or the alternative distribution systems (ADS), show increases of more than +10% over 2010 through spring and into summer. ADR in this channel will continue a slow and steady climb as well, while LOS will remain static. Look-to-book ratios, a product of online consumer comparisons and transaction processing inefficiency, continue to grow by over +40%, and will remain an issue for the industry.
“Consumers will travel as much or more in the coming year. A strong, but slightly smaller majority will also spend as much or more on travel in 2011 than in 2010 – they plan to spend, but spend wisely by shortening trips or aggressively shopping rates,” added Kistner. “Hotels would do well to examine their revenue management strategies to make sure they don’t risk losing the business or revenue to be had with inapt rates that are too high to sell rooms, or too low to make a profit.”
 Data reported in The Pegasus View comes from billions of transactions processed monthly by Pegasus Solutions, one of the world’s largest global processors of hotel transactions. It reflects data drawn from both GDS and ADS transactions, representing the business and leisure markets respectively for approximately 90,000 hotels worldwide.

Travel Industry is conquering Internet

“The growth trajectory for those who intend to purchase travel products via their mobile device is extremely strong, and is projected to nearly double in 2011”.

Internet without any doubt has shifted the marketplace and has influenced everyday consumer’s behaviour and lifestyle. The social networks and mobile devices are the two major trends which are leading consumer’s behaviour and choices. Here are the  two newest reports, PhoCusWright explores how these sweeping trends—mobile and social networks—are changing how consumers shop for, purchase and share their travel experiences. Based on a comprehensive survey of online travellers, PhoCusWright’s Traveler Technology Survey 2010:

PhoCusWright’s Traveler Technology Survey 2010: Mobile reveals some significant trends in device ownership, and explores the types of activities that travellers perform (and plan to perform) on mobile devices. Among the report highlights:

Keeping in touch
Among online travellers who carry smart phones, more carry touch screen devices than non-touch screen devices. However, only a third of those touch screen smart phones are iPhones, suggesting that some travel companies should broaden their mobile strategy.

See what is on tap
“The growth trajectory for those who intend to purchase travel products via their mobile device is extremely strong, and is projected to nearly double in 2011”.

PhoCusWright’s Traveler Technology Survey 2010: Social Networks. In particular, the report focuses on travel-related communications and activities on social networks, and how this activity impacts the travel planning and sharing processes. Research highlights include:

Posting is the new postcard
While posting about general subjects is far more common than travel-related posts, nearly four in 10 social media users have posted something about travel, underscoring the importance of having a coherent social media strategy.

“Fans” or not, travellers connect with companies online
Relatively few social network users are “fans” of travel companies online; however, more than one third of online travelers have interacted with a travel company through an online social network via a computer.

These targeted reports on mobile and social networks are each based on PhoCusWright’s Traveler Technology Survey 2010, which examines consumer behaviour and attitudes toward a broad array of innovations in travel technology, including new tools, functions, and platforms. The way today’s travellers use technology to plan, shop, and buy their travel is constantly changing; these reports help travel companies understand the fundamental trends and stay in the game.

Top destinations in Europe

As we are in the mid of February there are a lot planning or have already planned their holidays!!This is exciting itself. Three European countries seem to be more appealing for the vacation holders according to the British Travel AwardsTop 100 Travel Companies magazine.

SPAIN & THE GREEK ISLANDS - as the pound strengthens against the Euro and tour operators can respond to competition from Turkey and Egypt. Therefore, 2011 is set to see the return of some excellent deals to old favoruites such as Spain and Greece. Seville continues to represent exceptional value for tourists from the UK - the city is well serviced by low-cost airlines and you can bag a weekend break for as little as £70 with some of the bidget airlines. With the Greek Islands the nations favourite beach holiday destination, Rhodes is a big tip - after heavy investment in recent years has led to a flurry of quality new five star hotels opening recently.

CROATIA - Thomas Cook has reintroduced Croatia as a package-holiday destination for 2011, with its all-inclusive and boutique hotels a real draw in the exclusive resorts of Rovinij and Makarska. Dubrovnik on the Adriatic Sea remains a a popular choice, with the 45-day annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival, featuring live plays, concerts, and games not to be missed.