Of the seven sheikhdoms that together make up the United Arab Emirates, perhaps just two – Dubai and Abu Dhabi – are familiar names. But while the two largest emirates ... Read more
Whatever the final outcome of the difficult negotiations between the UK and EU over Brexit, Ireland has had to re-assess its international marketing and try to address its over-dependence on ... Read more
While it is always risky to make public predictions, I think this year we will see a lot more discussion about aviation and climate change. The reason I say this ... Read more
There can’t be many brands that boast a global market share in excess of 65% but whose boss argues he has not yet reached more than 1% of the potential ... Read more
As a travel writer, I can tell the time of year just by looking at my email inbox. At Easter, the subject lines are usually filled with puns along the ... Read more
Tourism to China has traditionally been based around Beijing and Shanghai, but that could be in for a shake-up thanks to a boom in flights to regional cities. In the ... Read more
Many holidays to the Caribbean are all about palm trees and gleaming white sands – and with options ranging from mega-resorts to B&Bs, villas and luxury hotels, there’s certainly no ... Read more
Tunisia’s recovery from the impact of two devastating terrorist attacks three years ago has gathered pace during 2018. Figures from the country’s tourism ministry show that visitor arrivals for this ... Read more
Fifty years ago on December 24th 1968 the Apollo 8 astronauts took the famous Earthrise photograph as they orbited the moon, the first image of Earth captured by humans from ... Read more
When travelling around America in the 1980s, helpful signs directed you to park the car and photograph a view. With a camera back then, not a smartphone. These viewpoints were ... Read more
In a year where the accelerating breakdown of the world’s climate got yet more headlines (if not yet enough action), the travel industry also discovered that it was responsible for ... Read more
Social Enterprising is quickly becoming a buzz word and I have written about it before. One of the most recent trends however is how quickly food and drink focussed social ... Read more
I was at a conference the other day and, whilst awaiting the first speaker’s presentation, I was chatting with the lady next to me. I am not sure how it ... Read more
In six days, a video has raced up YouTube’s trending charts thanks to, at the time of writing, some 113 million views. It is not the latest Bieber or BTS ... Read more
In 2018 there has been very little discussion in the Responsible Tourism programme across WTM’s portfolio of trade shows in Cape Town, Dubai, London, Sao Paulo about the decarbonisation of ... Read more
Catch up on the Responsible Tourism sessions from WTM London right here… 1. Business Taking Responsibility for Security, Health and Safety At the heart of the responsibility agenda is taking ... Read more
Travelling affects quality of life. For beyond your customary trip, Puglia is the most effective cure to rejuvenate, enhance yourself and become aware of the world. Rather than a destination, ... Read more
Today at the UN Climate Conference in Katowice Poland, David Attenborough’s People’s Seat initiative will see the 92yr old naturalist use his position to share the voices of the many ... Read more
True or False: When we think of luxury destinations, images of overwater villas in the Maldives and luxury hotels and cars in Monte Carlo may come to mind. Answer: True. ... Read more
The analysis of an influencer’s worth is deepening daily, as brands turn away and genuine influencers turn on their wannabe colleagues. Two influencers in the past week called out others ... Read more
There is more coverage of the issue of overtourism in the mainstream press than in the trade press. Understandably destination marketers and many governments dislike the word “overtourism” being associated ... Read more
I quite often give presentations explaining the characteristics of our future consumers – Generations Y and Z when actually, they are just about all grown up now. Gen Y were ... Read more
Few people see Black Friday as a day for reflection. Along with its online sibling – Cyber Monday – It’s the apotheosis of consumption – a no-holds-barred scramble to ‘get ... Read more
The Responsible Tourism programme of talks, presentations, discussions and interviews held across all four WTM shows reflects the broad agenda of Responsible Tourism. At WTM London last week there were ... Read more
Technological advancement has been improving our everyday lives as well as public health, from refrigerating food in the 19th century, through seatbelts, to airbags and other innovations. Why would this ... Read more
Organised by WTM London To become a Finalist in the World Responsible Tourism Awards is a significant achievement, it marks you out as a leader in Responsible Tourism; it carries ... Read more
Travel is booming, with international trips expected to grow by 5 percent in 2018. We live, however, in an ever-changing world, and the travel industry needs to adapt continuously. Euromonitor ... Read more
Few people can have missed this week’s pictures of a flooded Venice, and the video of the pizza restaurant that channeled the Titanic’s violinists and kept serving pizzas with the ... Read more
It seems incredible that 20 years have passed since I launched Just a Drop at World Travel Market 1998. At the time, I was a new Exhibition Director and a ... Read more
Almost 104 million visitors travelled to Latin America in 2017, a figure expected to grow to 122.5 million by 2022, according to Euromonitor International. The US still makes up the ... Read more
Tour the conglomerate capital city of Kathmandu for a peek into the microcosm of Nepal’s colorful heritage and culture. Visit the quaint Pokhara city and replenish. Discover peace Lumbini, the ... Read more
Every year many of the world’s leaders in Responsible Tourism gather at WTM London and participate in the Responsible Tourism programme which forms a major part of the show, culminating ... Read more
A $12.2 billion price tag is a hefty one, but understandable when you consider what Marriott bought back in 2016 when it purchased Starwood. The combined company now boasts 30 ... Read more
Quite a few years ago (pre-Internet) I was commissioned to carry out a feasibility study for a large telecommunications organisation. The idea was to test the concept of an electronic ... Read more
Millions of visitors from across the globe will enjoy an exceptional experience at Expo 2020 Dubai, as the world comes together for a celebration of human ingenuity, culture and creativity. ... Read more
It has been a busy time in the wholesale sector in the past year or so, with some major deals cementing the hold of the big two players in the ... Read more
With two weeks to go before WTM London, I am proud and delighted that this year we will celebrate our 5th Women in Travel Meetup under the theme of ‘Make ... Read more
It’s been an amazing 5 years since we last had easyJet in the interview hot seat at WTM! Then Carolyn McCall had not long arrived as the airline’s new CEO ... Read more
According to American economist Theodore Levitt, the difference between creativity and innovation is: “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” Due to a market that is ... Read more
As the clock continues to count down to the UK’s official Brexit day, on 29 March 2019, the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union continue to unfold ... Read more
Last week Bhutan held only its third general election. And for the third time in a row, the Bhutanese people voted in a different party. And though this election got ... Read more
It was once a diseased, poverty-stricken southern town where many inhabitants lived in caves, but such is the transformation of Matera that next year sees it become a European Capital ... Read more
Four “excellent” shortlisted finalists will be going for gold in the ‘Best in Luxury’ category at the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM. The final four will ... Read more
We have talked for a long time now about how video is the future in the world of social media. That was underlined again last week when Snap announced the ... Read more
LGBT guests are in demand and the destinations that make the effort are in competition to be top choice for the LGBT traveller. The inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards ... Read more
France’s World Cup win will hopefully mark a positive turning point in the country’s global profile, following dark times around the terrorism attacks of recent years. The French government has ... Read more
Tomorrow is Global Ethics Day, inspired by Earth Day and established by the Carnegie Council. It is an opportunity to explore the meaning of ethics in international affairs. Much of ... Read more
For this latest blog I am delighted to interview another inspirational woman in travel, Kate Webb Co-Founder of Orbis Expeditions who will be speaking at the Women in Travel Meetup ... Read more
Shortlisted candidates are hoping they have the recipe for success in the ‘Best Food Tourism’ category of the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM London. The winner ... Read more
The rapidly evolving world of digital influencers will be recognised with a prestigious honour from the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM London. Contenders from across the ... Read more
A wedding or honeymoon overseas is often the most luxurious holiday a couple will have in their lifetime, and tapping into this market can be lucrative. WTM Buyers’ Club members ... Read more
As some of you out there might know, I’ve been toying with the idea of traveling more and working remotely. Also sometimes referred to as being a digital nomad, yes… ... Read more
Tourism campaigns in line to win an honour in the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM, say that being shortlisted is already a great achievement. Seven candidates ... Read more
Every single person reading this line is currently benefiting from the Everything as a Service (XaaS) business model, whether we realise it or not. No one is reading this article ... Read more
2018 is filled with news of natural disasters, worldwide political changes, and long-standing wars coming to an end. But there is one thing that is steadily being fought for over ... Read more
As a leading green destination, the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) is well versed in using tourism as a force for good – to raise awareness for the environment, support local ... Read more
There can’t be many same-sex couples who haven’t had unsettling experiences of one kind or another when they travel. Whether it’s the conundrum of twin or king-size beds, rooms stocked ... Read more
England had its hottest summer ever this year, while the UK as a whole equalled previous highs set since records began in 1910. The heatwave lasted 46 days, from June ... Read more
Four initiatives which help wildlife and the environment are contenders to win the responsible tourism honour at the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM. The winners will ... Read more
The judges have deliberated long and hard after reviewing all the applications, longlisting and then shortlisting, the finalists for this year’s World Responsible Tourism Awards have finally been decided. There ... Read more
It is portrayed as a tropical paradise in holiday brochures and is the Philippines’ top tourism hotspot, but Boracay hit the news for all the wrong reasons earlier this year. ... Read more
Nine ‘stand-out’ national tourism campaigns are vying to win at the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM. One of the experts on the judging panel was Caroline ... Read more
The inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards will shine a light on the Best Tourism Marketing Agencies out there from around the globe, highlighting outstanding and thought provoking campaigns that ... Read more
This new season Bulgaria will welcome tourists with hundreds of cultural events and a European capital of culture — Plovdiv 2019. The country will be a stage for a number ... Read more
Marvellous, multifaceted and thrillingly multicultural: Malaysia offers travellers an almost unbeatable range of experiences. Spread across Peninsular Malaysia, northern Borneo and scattered islands in between, the country encompasses rainforests, mountains, ... Read more
Global destinations are constantly striving to improve their technology offering to tourists in order to enhance the overall travel experience as well as help make a destination more liveable, resilient ... Read more
How can we better understand the growing economic, societal and environmental impacts of technology and innovation in tourism? That’s the question posed by the UNWTO on its website to promote ... Read more
Africa is the most challenging continent for air transport development, facing lack of infrastructure, a failure by many governments to adopt supportive policies to encourage growth, frequently high taxes and ... Read more
Iran is nothing if not ambitious. The nation’s 2025 Tourism Vision Plan aims to increase its share of annual international visitors to 20 million by the middle of the next ... Read more
The inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM London, celebrate the success of national, regional and city tourist boards and recognises outstanding private sector companies and individuals. One ... Read more
This year marks the 100th anniversary of British women gaining the right to vote and I was honoured to be asked by team at WTM London to chair a panel ... Read more
Abu Dhabi’s neighbouring emirate Dubai has been grabbing the headlines over the past couple of years with the opening of a host of major theme parks. But 2018 has been ... Read more
If I talked about a social network with hundreds of millions of users based around a feed of content curated from the best of what your friends, influencers and businesses ... Read more
The most popular category by far in the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, saw a whopping 27 organisations enter, leaving it up to the panel of esteemed industry judges ... Read more
Most of the focus on overtourism has been on cities, but it is also a challenge in rural areas. I am writing this at RTD14 which is looking at the ... Read more
This year at WTM London I will be running a Genesys Session called Must Have Web Technologies for 2019. I see travel as an information industry. When a purchase is ... Read more
As I checked into my most recent rest camp in South Africa’s Kruger Park a few days ago, I was handed a questionnaire created by South African National Parks. The ... Read more
There were two developments this week that will help social media organisers and brands improve their output in visuals. One concerns images, the other video. And both are designed to ... Read more
While there is little discussion of overtourism in the travel trade press and many destinations are in denial, the issue is hot in the national and local press. The issue ... Read more
Very large, successful multinational companies, whether they drill for oil, make cool technology products or are huge e-commerce platforms, tend to have one thing in common these days – they ... Read more
Changing consumer habits and technological advances are driving the car hire market into the digital age. Jenny Southan reports. At the end of last year I spent a month living ... Read more
Jost Krippendorf is the father of Responsible Tourism. In his seminal work on Holiday Makers, published in 1987, he foresaw the growth of the new form of tourism which had ... Read more
Catalysed by the recent hive of activity surrounding General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a few strands of thought from the past and present have come together in my mind to ... Read more
For the life of me, I fail to understand why a travel and tourism site starts a blog or a social media channel if it can’t maintain it. Mitigating circumstances ... Read more
What difference does tourism make to our daily lives? We create memories and enable people to rest and unwind. These are important things, but of themselves, all they do is ... Read more
The fact that travel is becoming increasingly mindful for travellers in search of their meaning is well documented and explains the rise of social impact businesses that have at their ... Read more
Guest Blog by Nick Pilbeam, Divisional Director, Reed Exhibitions I recently spent the day heading up the judging panel for the brand new International Travel & Tourism Awards that are ... Read more
The overtourism issue has a great deal in common with the issue of climate change. We’ve known for a long time that the problem of overcrowding exists and that no ... Read more
When working with bloggers on campaigns and projects (for Traverse) I often find myself hopping from blog to blog just to find contact details, Instagram or Twitter accounts. In the ... Read more
So this is how it begins. I was three years old in the UK’s last long hot summer. Too young to remember it directly, instead the parched earth photographs define ... Read more
What a difference a day makes. On Wednesday 25 July, Facebook’s share price reached $218.62, its highest ever, valuing the company at a whopping $615 billion, around the same as ... Read more
It took until 2018 for Dundee to even think about promoting itself, with VisitDundee being set up in preparation for the opening of the V&A in the city and the ... Read more
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the progress TUI is making in implementing their 2015-2020 Better Holidays, Better World strategy. They have understood that, to make real progress ... Read more
Last year the Swiss tourism industry experienced a record-breaking year in many markets, after a challenging period dominated by a strong Swiss franc and over-reliance on travellers from Europe. Total ... Read more
The news that Etihad passengers will be able to communicate with the airline via WhatsApp got me thinking about my own messaging apps. I use quite a few. On my ... Read more
“The man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.” – Henry David Thoreau Combining adventure with luxury travel ... Read more
For my latest blog, I am delighted to interview the passionate founder of Earth Changers, Vicky Smith. Like me, Vicky is passionate about empowering women through sustainable tourism and giving ... Read more
I read an interesting line the other day: the regular Instagram feed is getting boring as everybody is playing with video on the platform. The observation is down to two ... Read more
The TUI Group operates in 180 destinations, employs 67,000 people in more than 100 countries and provides holiday services to around 20m people. In size, they are world leaders. With ... Read more
Yesterday activist travel company Responsible Travel launched Crowded Out, a documentary about the growth of overtourism which is a consequence of exponential growth in travel and tourism bumping up against ... Read more
