At the beginning of June, I organised the recent Distribution Best Practice Forum for Travel Technology Initiative – www.tti.org. (TTI will be partnering with WTM to bring you the WTM ... Read more
Will TUI’s ongoing commitment to develop the sustainability of its portfolio, matched with its financial success, encourage more in industry to follow suit?
Surtrek runs luxury travel experiences across South America. jeremy Smith spoke to its founder Alfonso Tandazo about his inspirations, challenges and ideas.
I had the privilege of attending a speech last week by a gold medal winning Paralympian, from the 2012 games. David A. Smith MBE has been on a heart-rending journey ... Read more
Across the world, different cultures have perfect words that capture the essence of why we travel. This is language designed to inspire better holidays
If you are on Twitter, you won’t need any introduction to the concept of newsjacking. It is the, some say shameless, practice of jumping on board something that is happening ... Read more
Preparations are underway for World Responsible Tourism Day 2014 – and more than ever before the focus is on how operating responsibly is good for business.
Press registration for World Travel Market 2014 has recently opened for bloggers and whilst November may seem a long way away, it is worthwhile registering as early as possible to ... Read more
STA travel has stopped offering dolphin shows on its holidays. What does it say about our relationship with such intelligent animals that they exist at all?
If the industry’s workforce is to expand, productivity levels will need to increase, says Peter Ducker FIH, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality One of our industry’s most publicised ... Read more
There is one area of travel that technology has yet to tackle well. We are getting there but I don’t think that it is yet good enough. Pre-Internet when travel ... Read more
The New ‘Reconsider South Africa’ destination marketing video is causing a stir online. Is this viral hit greenwash, or an example of excellent tourism marketing?
By Professor Harold Goodwin On November 5th, World Responsible Tourism Day, there will be events taking place around the world as businesses and tourism organisations demonstrate what can be done ... Read more
There have been a few more blog posts doing the rounds recently announcing the death of the social media consultant. The broad argument goes that, as companies have gotten used ... Read more
Vote for who you want to win in 12 categories – inc. best destination, poverty reduction, wildlife conservation – in 2013 World Responsible Tourism Awards.
Peter Ducker FIH asks whether it is better for hotel operators to own property or not Optimism about hotel development, financing and property values is growing. At the annual International ... Read more
Facebook autoplay videos are the new Marmite – people either love them or hate them. Either way, they are hard to ignore. Starting last September, Facebook started trialling autoplay videos ... Read more
Nucleus, the brand, digital and intellectual property consultancy has been regularly surveying its clients since 2011, tracking the growth in mobile web browsing. The company’s latest survey highlights the continued ... Read more
Join Phocuswright as we discuss global online travel trends and the state of startups in Europe, and interview some of the most impressive demonstrators from The Travel Innovation Summit @ ... Read more
Tripzero says it will offset the carbon emissions caused by your transport and accommodation – for free – through a deal with Expedia. Is this a gamechanger?
Twitter has become a commercial beast for some time now. But until last week, I’d not really considered it as a potential business tool, instead using the network for chat. ... Read more
If there are large numbers of young people out of work, then why are major employers struggling to fill positions? Peter Ducker FIH, chief executive, Institute of Hospitality, reports. In ... Read more
You have just received a new Like on your brand’s Facebook page. Job done. In fact, the job is far from done and it is beginning to get even harder. ... Read more
What ideas and solutions were provided at the latest Responsible Tourism in Destinations conference? Harold Goodwin reports from an inspiring meeting of industry and campaigners
This year World Travel Market will be celebrating its 35th event. I thought it might be interesting to write a retrospective on how the technology exhibited at WTM has changed ... Read more
Social media is now an important part of the marketing mix for African travel organisations. The vast majority of businesses now have some form of social media presence. My company, ... Read more
The Center for Responsible Tourism’s new report says it has the statistics to prove responsible tourism is good for business. So why isn’t it using them?
Throughout the previous four years there have been two perennial questions we have been asked: Can a SME travel organisation like ours really benefit from working with travel bloggers? If ... Read more
Screenshot by Jennifer Van Grove/CNET There’s an old saying in journalism that goes like this: One is interesting, two is co-incidence, three is a blog post. That is to say, ... Read more
Is it possible to meet increasing demand for travel and tourism while protecting and promoting the wellbeing of the people who live in the destinations?
After an indescribably long journey from the U.S. to this untouched corner of Africa, I was happy to finally reach my hotel on Ibo Island, Mozambique The trip began like ... Read more
Should travel companies join Tripadvisor’s GreenLeader certification scheme? Harold Goodwin explains why he thinks it could be a game changer.. for good.
Cape Town International Airport has repeatedly been awarded Skytrax rankings and is served by more than 50 international airlines, as well as national carriers, so getting to Cape Town is ... Read more
The GDS (computerised–reservations systems) were originally created by the largest airlines to distribute their flights through travel agencies, but they then moved on to become independent firms. Industry observers see ... Read more
Thomas Cook Group has this week launched what it calls a “travel industry first”. Holidays to go! is a Twitter-driven offer engine that lets holidaymakers tweet at the company where ... Read more
This is a tale about the storyfication of travel. Once upon a time there was an industry called Travel. It sold holidays to People. People were happy. Travel would tell ... Read more
Travel Blogger Alliances Since the first travel blog post was written by Jeff Greenwald in 1994, there has always been collaboration of sorts between loose groups of travel bloggers. In ... Read more
Macabre Rhino Massacre The massive increase in the slaughter of southern Africa’s rhino population over the last seven years or so evokes a profoundly emotional response in many. There are ... Read more
For almost four years Travel Bloggers Unite have been privileged to be at the forefront of an exciting and burgeoning industry such as travel blogging. We have seen it grow ... Read more
Four members of the WTM team have just returned from a project visit to Kenya, accompanied by Just a Drop’s Nicola Baskerville and Colonel Mike Reynolds. The teams were visiting ... Read more
Image: Macca Sherifi More than 165 travel bloggers gathered in Newcastle/Gateshead at the weekend in the year’s first UK gathering, allowing observers (including me) to test the waters of the ... Read more
Four members of the WTM team have just returned from a project visit to Kenya, accompanied by Just a Drop’s Nicola Baskerville and Colonel Mike Reynolds. The teams were visiting ... Read more
What does the recent spate of economic good news mean for the UK hospitality industry? Peter Ducker FIH, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, shares his thoughts. After nearly ... Read more
Four members of the WTM team have just returned from a project visit to Kenya, accompanied by Just a Drop’s Nicola Baskerville and Colonel Mike Reynolds. The teams were visiting ... Read more
Cape Town recently claimed the top spot on the prestigious New York Times’ list of 52 Places to visit in 2014, ahead of destinations such as Los Angeles, the Vatican ... Read more
Facebook, which has just celebrated its tenth birthday, issued its latest results at the end of January and the results and comments from senior executives contained plenty of messages for ... Read more
Four members of the WTM team have just returned from a project visit to Kenya, accompanied by Just a Drop’s Nicola Baskerville and Colonel Mike Reynolds. The teams were visiting ... Read more
Stick a pin in a map of the UK and chances are that you’ll find an Instagram community at work in the area. From Cumbria to Dorset, groups have sprung ... Read more
For a unique event experience, Cape Town and CTICC is the perfect destination Situated at the foot of one of the world’s most iconic mountains, in the heart of South ... Read more
Icelandic travel company Elding offers responsible whale watching and is admirably open about its position on many issues – from whale meat to gay rights
Despite ever-mounting evidence to the contrary, accompanied by worsening weather conditions and terrible storms, many people act as if climate change was not real. Why?
2014 is set to be the year of the tablet. These user friendly devices are expected to make the long-expected jump to global acceptance. Recent figures show that 47.6 million ... Read more
Will tourism ministers focus more on the quality of tourists visiting a country rather than just the quantity? New Zealand’s approach may provide a way forward
South Africa’s response to the poaching crisis affecting rhinoceros and other wild animals has lessons for anyone working in tourism – whatever issues they face.
World Responsible Tourism Day 2013 saw the initiative grow in strength, with more companies using tourism to address issues from climate change to child protection.
This year, the monies raised at WTM will fund a specific project to bring clean water to two schools in Kenya. WTM is also covering the costs for four staff ... Read more
The growth of responsible tourism draws in people with an ever wider mix of experiences and skills. The events, speakers and participants at this year’s World Responsible Tourism Day at ... Read more
If you want to talk about climate change and tourism, from effects on destinations to seeing how resorts are adjusting, WTM is a pretty good place to start
Each month we feature a Logo user for World Responsible Tourism Day. But the growth of this initiative means most of the stories are still to be told. Next week ... Read more
Is the tourism industry at risk from protests over hotel working conditions? What would be the impacts of far reaching strikes and boycotts by hotel workers?
Agreement on aviation carbon emissions at International Civil Aviation Organisation was hailed by industry as a landmark. Looks like a backward step to me.
Smart travel companies ensure their consumers trust them about sustainability, recognising they do not need to feel uneasy or guilty about the impact of their holiday.
What organisations ensure experiences with animals in tourism are responsible, whether on safari, in zoos, birdwatching, fishing, scuba diving, taking elephant rides, or whale watching?
How should responsible hotels and lodges manage their tourism marketing so as to attract the sort of guests that appreciate and enhance what you are trying to do?
A new campaign aims to ensure travel agency and booking websites are meeting legal obligations for delivering accessibility information for flights and airports.
Responsible Tourism has become mainstream. Big operators and small business are making tourism more sustainable and sharing the story with their customers.
What makes us feel ownership and responsibility to somewhere we visit? Can tourism be used to preserve the essence of place and generate sustainable revenue?
World Responsible Tourism Day has debated orphanage tourism every year. And this is no different, with the industry still having a long way to go to be sure it isn’t ... Read more
Travel Boycotts have grown fast thanks to internet. But has it made them more effective? And how should companies and individuals working in responsible tourism respond?
What are the key issues in certification and responsible tourism? How is this part of the industry developing, who are the movers and shakers, and what are the pitfalls businesses ... Read more
Responsibility is judged on how I behave towards those others with whom I have relationships – my colleagues, friends, staff, guests, suppliers, community and the wider environment. What makes ... Read more
An international conference in Kumarakom, Kerala, reviewing progress made in the state since the International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations launched their local economic development initiative in 2008. ... Read more