Friday, May 17, 2013
Trinidad and Tobago Joins UN World Tourism Organization
Trinidad and Tobago Joins UN World Tourism Organization
Trinidad and Tobago has officially become a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai announced this week.
Trinidad, which, unlike much of the region, has derived the vast majority of its GDP from the gas and oil sector, as opposed to tourism, is now looking to make a push in the sector.
“We are very happy to welcome Trinidad and Tobago back into the Organization, a country which was in fact a founding member of UNWTO as it pertained to the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (IUOTO), the predecessor of UNWTO,” Rifai said. “Trinidad and Tobago has placed tourism as a priority within its strategy to diversify the national economy and we look forward to working with the tourism sector in the country to achieve this objective.”
At the recent Sustainable Tourism Conference in Trinidad, Tourism Minister Stephen Cadiz said the country would soon be unveiling a global marketing strategy for tourism.
allAfrica.com: Mauritania: Growing Gardens in the Desert Heat of Mauritania
allAfrica.com: Mauritania: Growing Gardens in the Desert Heat of Mauritania
It is hot and the midday sun scorches the sand.
Mile after mile of travel and there is not a body of water to be seen. Animal carcasses rot on the side of the road. Yet amid this harsh desert climate, among a cluster of communities, tomatoes, onions and watermelon grow.
This is Mauritania, a west African country home to three million people, more than one third of whom are hungry. The Brakna region, in the south, has the highest malnutrition rates in the country, particularly among children under the age of five.
When last year's drought wiped out crops and sent food prices soaring, the Mauritanian Red Crescent Society and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) responded by adopting a twin track approach, delivering emergency food aid while working with communities to plan for long-term resilience.
"This approach is successful because we got communities involved from the start," says Dennis Bariyanga, IFRC Food Security Operations Manager.
"We developed a plan together, tapping into local knowledge. Then we brought in the technical expertise to help achieve our goals."
Results include the formation of 28 women's cooperatives, which received vegetable seeds and training on how to grow produce that can withstand the extremes of the desert climate. Three wells were rehabilitated and equipped with solar panels, making it easier to meet the water needs of people, gardens and livestock.
Gardens are now flourishing, women are selling produce in the market, and generating income for their families which last year had none. And farmers, after using improved seeds, tools and farming techniques have this year harvested 90 tons of sorghum compared to just 14 tons last year.
During a visit to the area of Maghta Lahjar, IFRC President Tadateru Konoé helped distribute goats to families whose young children are suffering from malnutrition.
Female goats are provided as they can produce much needed vitamin-rich milk for children. Since the programme was introduced, the malnutrition rate has dropped, down nine per cent over the past year.
"I am very impressed by what I am seeing," said President Konoé. "These combined efforts are producing healthier communities, healthier children. However, there is still more to do. The needs remain immense."
Red Cross Red Crescent food security programming across the Sahel has assisted almost 700,000 people. A modest achievement when millions are still suffering from lack of food, but it is not an issue the Movement can tackle alone.
"Our role is to assist and to complement. Real change will come from the communities themselves," said President Konoé. "We will promote flexible use of funding and new partnerships with the public and private sector.
And governments must also be held accountable. I call on the political leadership in the Sahel region to increase investment in community infrastructure and social services, and to further support their National Societies so they can fulfil their role as auxiliary to government."
For those who have already received assistance, the results are more than theoretical. In Mauritania, one woman put her calloused hands under running water for the first time, "This water will make my life easier, my hands softer. You are helping me become a woman again," she said.
SignUp4 Launches Sabre Red App for Travel Management integration
SignUp4 Launches Sabre Red App for Travel Management integration
SignUp4, the leading provider of strategic meetings management technology and Sabre Travel Network, a global technology company serving travel agencies, buyers and suppliers have unveiled a new Sabre Red App which integrates SignUp4’s Event and Travel Management Systems directly into the Sabre Red Workspace environment. The SignUp4 Red App will be available to travel agents through the Sabre Red App Centre.
SignUp4 Travel gives the booking agent real-time access to live attendee registration data for events in SignUp4’s Event Management System (EMS). As an attendee registers for the event on SignUp4, the agent is notified within the app and is able to then immediately create the PNR based upon the specific travel requirements noted by the traveler during registration. SignUp4 Travel will then merge the PNR info – air, hotel, transportation – from Sabre back into the attendee registration record within the SignUp4 database, providing unprecedented reporting access for the event planner and travel manager.
Creating fewer steps for the travel manager ensures reduced errors and significant time savings with increased travel compliance.
Matt Curry, SignUp4’s Director of Business Development, said “At SignUp4 we are constantly looking for ways to simplify the day-to-day operations of our customers. This integration will reduce time and motion for our travel agency partners while offering enhanced visibility to the end client.”
“The travel agency business is a highly competitive segment of the travel industry. To be successful, agencies must maximize efficiency and productivity while at the same time delivering excellent customer care and unique services,” said Chris Kroeger, Senior Vice President for Sabre Travel Network. “SignUp4’s Red App does just that for travel agents and their clients.”
If you are a current SignUp4 and Sabre customer and are interested in learning more, please contact advocates(at)signup4(dot)com. You can also visit the Sabre Red App Centre.
About Sabre
Sabre Travel Network provides technology services to the travel industry. It operates the world's largest travel marketplace, connecting travel buyers and sellers through the Sabre global distribution system (GDS). Its innovative technology connects 350,000 travel agents to more than 400 airlines, 100,000 hotels, 25 car rental brands, 50 rail providers, 13 cruise lines and other global travel suppliers. More than $100 billion of travel is purchased through this marketplace annually.
Sabre Travel Network provides technology services to the travel industry. It operates the world's largest travel marketplace, connecting travel buyers and sellers through the Sabre global distribution system (GDS). Its innovative technology connects 350,000 travel agents to more than 400 airlines, 100,000 hotels, 25 car rental brands, 50 rail providers, 13 cruise lines and other global travel suppliers. More than $100 billion of travel is purchased through this marketplace annually.
About SignUp4
SignUp4 is the innovative meetings intelligence provider offering the highest quality strategic meetings management solutions with an affordable unlimited usage model. The goal of SignUp4′s meetings intelligence suite is to streamline workflows, simplify and drive registrations, efficiently manage travel logistics, improve communications, and provide visibility into meeting spend for leveraging contract negotiations and increasing ROI. With over a decade of experience, 3,500 users and over 80 of the Fortune 500, we understand the value of your time and events. Learn more at http://www.signup4.com follow us @SignUp4.
SignUp4 is the innovative meetings intelligence provider offering the highest quality strategic meetings management solutions with an affordable unlimited usage model. The goal of SignUp4′s meetings intelligence suite is to streamline workflows, simplify and drive registrations, efficiently manage travel logistics, improve communications, and provide visibility into meeting spend for leveraging contract negotiations and increasing ROI. With over a decade of experience, 3,500 users and over 80 of the Fortune 500, we understand the value of your time and events. Learn more at http://www.signup4.com follow us @SignUp4.
Travel Leaders Rolls Out Select Hotel Program for Luxury Agents and Their Clients | Travel Agent Central
Travel Leaders Rolls Out Select Hotel Program for Luxury Agents and Their Clients | Travel Agent Central
Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com) is introducing the latest addition to its suite of hotel programs. It's publicly unveiling its Select Hotel Program, which is reserved exclusively for its top luxury-producing travel agencies and their clients.
The program features 447 of the world’s most prestigious hotel and resort properties, and all participating hotels offer competitive rates along with complimentary breakfasts, special VIP amenities, early check-ins and late check-outs (when available) and room upgrades (upon availability).
The program was soft-launched in tandem with theTravel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program, introduced earlier this year. The group introduced a Stream Prepaid Hotel program in 2011.
“As we began building our suite of hotel programs, we knew that perhaps the most critical, integral crowning jewel we needed was an essential luxury component.," said Barry Liben, CEO, Travel Leaders Group. "Travel Leaders Group’s Select Hotel Program provides our top luxury-oriented agencies – with a proven track record of delivering high-yielding clients – with direct access to over 400 of the world’s most luxurious, premier properties that understand the tremendous value behind the Travel Leaders Group name."
“We’re enormously proud that in recognition of the number of sophisticated guests we’re able to bring to these distinguished hoteliers that every single one of them is offering excellent commissionable rates, complimentary breakfasts, VIP amenities and much more," Liben said.
Travel Leaders Group’s suite of hotel programs includes:
Select Hotel Program: This offers 447 of the most luxurious hotels worldwide available directly through the GDS using TZE in Worldspan, Sabre and Amadeus and TZEL in Apollo/Galileo.
Travel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program: Now the fastest growing hotel program in the industry with over 30,000 hotels around the world, Travel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program covers all chain scales; more than 70 percent of those offer free wireless, more than 50 percent of those offer complimentary breakfasts and more than 50 percent offer gratis parking.
The overwhelming majority of all Travel Leaders Group hotel bookings are made by agents using the GDS, and this program has eliminated the need for the organization and its individual business units to participate directly in other aggregators’ programs. The code for booking the Travel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program is 7TL for Travelport and Amadeus and TL7 for Sabre.
Stream Prepaid Hotel Program – Now with over $1 million in bookings per month, Stream features 70,000 hotels worldwide with competitive rates with a guaranteed 12 percent commission on all prepaid rates. The program is available through Travel Leaders Group's online portal for ease of use by its agents.
Travel Leaders Group is one of North America’s largest travel companies – encompassing over 30 percent of all traditional travel agents. Annual gross sales are approximately $18 billion.
Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com) is introducing the latest addition to its suite of hotel programs. It's publicly unveiling its Select Hotel Program, which is reserved exclusively for its top luxury-producing travel agencies and their clients.
The program features 447 of the world’s most prestigious hotel and resort properties, and all participating hotels offer competitive rates along with complimentary breakfasts, special VIP amenities, early check-ins and late check-outs (when available) and room upgrades (upon availability).
The program was soft-launched in tandem with theTravel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program, introduced earlier this year. The group introduced a Stream Prepaid Hotel program in 2011.
“As we began building our suite of hotel programs, we knew that perhaps the most critical, integral crowning jewel we needed was an essential luxury component.," said Barry Liben, CEO, Travel Leaders Group. "Travel Leaders Group’s Select Hotel Program provides our top luxury-oriented agencies – with a proven track record of delivering high-yielding clients – with direct access to over 400 of the world’s most luxurious, premier properties that understand the tremendous value behind the Travel Leaders Group name."
“We’re enormously proud that in recognition of the number of sophisticated guests we’re able to bring to these distinguished hoteliers that every single one of them is offering excellent commissionable rates, complimentary breakfasts, VIP amenities and much more," Liben said.
Travel Leaders Group’s suite of hotel programs includes:
Select Hotel Program: This offers 447 of the most luxurious hotels worldwide available directly through the GDS using TZE in Worldspan, Sabre and Amadeus and TZEL in Apollo/Galileo.
Travel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program: Now the fastest growing hotel program in the industry with over 30,000 hotels around the world, Travel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program covers all chain scales; more than 70 percent of those offer free wireless, more than 50 percent of those offer complimentary breakfasts and more than 50 percent offer gratis parking.
The overwhelming majority of all Travel Leaders Group hotel bookings are made by agents using the GDS, and this program has eliminated the need for the organization and its individual business units to participate directly in other aggregators’ programs. The code for booking the Travel Leaders Group Worldwide Hotel Program is 7TL for Travelport and Amadeus and TL7 for Sabre.
Stream Prepaid Hotel Program – Now with over $1 million in bookings per month, Stream features 70,000 hotels worldwide with competitive rates with a guaranteed 12 percent commission on all prepaid rates. The program is available through Travel Leaders Group's online portal for ease of use by its agents.
Travel Leaders Group is one of North America’s largest travel companies – encompassing over 30 percent of all traditional travel agents. Annual gross sales are approximately $18 billion.
Treetop accommodations growing in popularity - Hindustan Times
Treetop accommodations growing in popularity - Hindustan Times
Adventurous travelers interested in branching out may want to consider looking beyond the standard hotel room and gazing further afield at an increasingly popular kind of accommodation: treehouse hotels.
It’s a concept that may appeal to nature lovers interested in intimate, wild,
jungle experiences, as well as those seeking unique but luxurious experiences given the wide spectrum of treehouse accommodations that have become available in recent years.
Adventurous travelers interested in branching out may want to consider looking beyond the standard hotel room and gazing further afield at an increasingly popular kind of accommodation: treehouse hotels.
It’s a concept that may appeal to nature lovers interested in intimate, wild,
Think hot tubs, a log fire, outdoor pools and showers.
Online travel website TripAdvisor’s newly released list of vacation rental treehouses, for instance, includes the Treehouse Hideaway in Canterbury, UK, which includes all the amenities expected of a standard hotel and then some: heated floors, a 60-inch cinema screenwith surround sound, WiFi, fireplace and separate kitchen.
Missing from TripAdvisor’s list of treetop accommodations, meanwhile, is the uber-hip and trendy Treehotel in Sweden, a project that enlisted innovative Scandinavian designers to come up with concepts like the Mirrorcube which reflects its surroundings and is well camouflaged in the Swedish forest.
Here are Tripadvisor’s picks for treehouse hotels around the world:
Exotic Treehouse at Kilauea Volcano, HawaiiPerched in the rainforest, mid-canopy near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the treehouse is pitched as a romantic, honeymoon destination and includes a queen-sized bed, cedar hot tub, outdoor shower.
Tropical Treehouse, Puerto RicoIf you’re looking for more of a traditional Swiss Family Robinson-type concept, the Tropical Treehouse offers more rudimentary, open-air accommodations that come with a shower, kitchenette, queen-sized bed and views of the ocean.
Treehouse Hideaway, Canterbury, UKBuilt six meters above ground, the Treehouse Hideaway comes with all the amenities expected of a standard hotel and then some: heated floors, a 60-inch cinema screen with surround sound, hot tub, WiFi, log fireplace, robes, slippers and separate kitchen.
Into the Woods, Whippingham, UKGeared towards families, the spacious, treehouse includes a living pod that comes with a kitchen area, dining table, and sofa, while the sleeping pod can sleep six.
The Treehouse, Taunton, UKDecorated in the style of the English countryside, the sprawling luxury cabin sleeps five people and includes a cedar hot tub, a wood burning stove, leather sofas, and a winding staircase that leads to bedrooms upstairs.
Summer Travel Forecast: Vacationers are planning ahead, seeking value over budget, and... -- ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Summer Travel Forecast: Vacationers are planning ahead, seeking value over budget, and... -- ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
RELATED LINKS
http://www.destinationhotels.com
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A new consumer survey focused on travel for the upcoming summer season unveils some surprising trends, from a renewed interest in planning ahead to a primary focus on value rather than strict budget considerations. Results from the March 2013 study conducted by Destination Hotels & Resorts (Destination), the nation's fourth largest hospitality management company, also revealed that more than half of travelers are planning at least one trip without the kids. A snapshot of the survey's ten key findings is below, full results and analysis can be found in Destination's online media center.
1. Travelers are Learning the Early Bird Gets the Worm (and Best Rate).Bucking the post-recession boom of flash-sales and last-minute-deals, vacation planners are beginning to shop ahead again. Destination has seen the booking window among leisure travelers increase by almost a full day year-over-year; this trend is anticipated to continue for 2013, with 40 percent of survey respondents already on the hunt for their perfect summer trip.
2. When it Comes to Vacation, More is More.Travelers are looking to vacation often this summer. 76 percent plan to take as many short trips as possible, compared to only 22 percent eying a more traditional, week-or-longer summer escape.
3. We are No Longer Living in a Budget World.Almost three-quarters of survey participants indicated that one of the most important elements in their final travel booking decision was value, beating out cost/budget as the prime consideration.
4. Social Media Isn't Just, er, Social. It's a Critical Planning Tool.Two-thirds of participants indicated that they spend time on a hotel's social channels before visiting. An overwhelming majority – 80 percent – noted that they browse online reviews when researching and booking their trips.
5. Foodies are Still On the Rise.It is no secret that Americans have taken 'foodie' mainstream - and that was certainly evident when participants were asked to share the most important considerations in booking their vacation. 15 percent ranked 'locally inspired cuisine' as the most important, can't-live-without resort amenity.
6. Summer Travelers Aren't Always Kidding Around.Summer may be known as the heart of family-travel season, but more than a third of those surveyed indicated they do not travel with children, period.
7. The Family That Travels Together Plays Together. Those who are traveling with children made it clear: while they appreciate "kids' camps" to entertain their little ones on some vacations - they also want to spend quality time with their children. 69 percent of respondents are seeking accommodations and destinations that offer new experiences the entire family can do together, with a focus on the outdoors.
8. There's A Reason They Call It 'Classic'Back to basics it is! Folks are looking to keep it simple when it comes to summer travel. 22 percent of participants identified a sight-seeing road trip as the most appealing type of vacation, and more than 82 percent (!) think America's National Parks are hot this year.
9. New Experiences Wait For No One… Else. Solo travel will continue to be a hot topic in 2013. 65 percent of people who plan to travel alone will be seeking out classes or interactive learning programs. More adventurous by nature, single travelers indicated a strong interest in learning a new skill (from surfing to climbing), and will be crossing items off their bucket list this summer.
10. Vacations Learn to Get Cutting Edge, Literally.
A large majority of travelers are seeking to learn new skills during their vacations. Culinary classes are extremely popular - with 38 percent of respondents indicating they would be interested in a cooking or wine/beer tasting course – as are adventure skills, with 52 percent of respondents looking for lessons in active/outdoor activities.
A large majority of travelers are seeking to learn new skills during their vacations. Culinary classes are extremely popular - with 38 percent of respondents indicating they would be interested in a cooking or wine/beer tasting course – as are adventure skills, with 52 percent of respondents looking for lessons in active/outdoor activities.
About Destination Hotels & ResortsDestination Hotels & Resorts is a privately held hospitality management company headquartered in Colorado. With 40 independent, luxury and upscale hotels, resorts and golf clubs, Destination is the fourth largest hospitality management company in the country. The company's portfolio features more than 9,600 guest rooms, 18 golf courses and 16 full-service spas. Destination Hotels & Resorts properties are located in key metropolitan and resort markets including Los Angeles,Chicago, Boston, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Aspen, Lake Tahoe, Seattle, Denver, Austin and San Diego. The company is a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based investment, development and management firm Lowe Enterprises and the Lowe Hospitality Group. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/destination. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationHotels
SOURCE Destination Hotels & Resorts
RELATED LINKS
http://www.destinationhotels.com
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