Brilliant Icelandair Video

OK. Back to the frivolous. Now I've flown Icelandair many times and they are a brilliant airline - but this video for their new uniforms is barking.

My Icelandic's not up to scratch to be able to work out what they're taking about in the cabin - So if someone could translate I'd be most grateful!

..But I get the gist.

Enjoy (and sorry about the frame size..)

Tahrir Square a tourist destination?

Tourism experts are calling to make Tahrir Square a tourist destination as a memorial to the 18-day protests staged in the square which resulted in the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak's regime. While we applaud the idea, isn't this just a little premature?

Hisham Zaazou, assistant to the Tourism Minister, said squares worldwide, especially in European countries, have become tourist destinations due to their significance in history. Tahrir Square has become a symbol of a popular revolution, he said. There should be a memorial or an obelisk with photos of the 25 January revolution and a list of martyrs’ names in the square, added Zaazou, who anticipates that tourists will be interested in visiting.

Tourism expert Amr Badr suggested creating a mural in Tahrir Square about the revolution, and making the square part of tour programs.

Abdel Rahman Samir, member of the 25 January coalition, said artists, the ministries of culture and tourism, and governorate officials should coordinate efforts.

Protesters have already created an impromptu memorial in the square that includes photos and information about those who died during the protests.

However, with the departure of President Hosni Mubarak, only the first stage of Egypt's transformation will have been achieved. What follows could merely be a reorganization of the existing system without fundamental progress towards change. The next steps from the opposition are crucial and will essentially decide the direction of the revolution.

The army still holds all the cards, and it is one of their own, General Omar Suleiman, who has already assumed the interim presidency in all but name. As head of the General Intelligence Service since 1993 and a strong supporter of Egypt's pro-western stance, he has warily been accepted by the US as an acceptable face of the transition. But a genuine political and economic transition is clearly what the US now wants, and as the main sponsor of Egypt's military budget, is likely to have been exerting pressure on the army high command from behind the scenes.

Now that the military has publicly stated that it supports the 'legitimate demands of the people', the risk is that the speed of change may be blocked by satisfying the demands of the obvious losers in their midst. If a civilian political establishment is really going to take the place of the army in coming months, the senior military establishment will have to forego some of their considerable financial and material benefits.

The army may well have won plaudits for its restraint until now. If a continuation of military control with an acceptable civilian face is the outcome of the current turmoil, the world will continue to see protests re-emerging, as the reality sinks in that the fundamentals of state power have not changed.

We earnestly hope that a transition to a democratic state occurs peacefully and with open and transparent elections including all parties, including the National Democratic Party.

Then we can start thinking about building monuments, let's just wait a little while shall we?

Countries to Visit #23 - ALBANIA

We did some work in Montenegro last year and had the opportunity to pop over the border and have a quick look at life in Albania. We liked what we saw and so we are please to see this nice little piece in the Independent:

'Albania, a former Eastern-bloc country rebranding itself "a new Mediterranean love," is set to be one of the hottest destinations of 2011.

Named top of Lonely Planet's "countries to visit in 2011" last year and an "emerging destination" by the Financial Times, the country offers low prices, a good climate and a rapidly-developing infrastructure.

Visitor numbers were up 42.5 percent for the first three quarters of 2009, the most recent figures published by Albania Tourism, and although the majority of visitors still come from neighboring states such as Kosovo, Albania is putting itself on the map.

The Financial Times lauded the country's "quiet, affordable Mediterranean beaches" and rugged landscape, while Lonely Planet predicted "Albania won't be off the beaten track for much longer."

So what can this year's tourists look forward to when planning a trip to Albania?

1. Dig. Albania has a long history dating back to the Illyrian, Greek and Roman civilizations and is fast becoming an archeological hotspot again after a lull at the end of Communist rule. Don't miss learning about the history of Durres, which is built on top of the settlements of Epidamnos (or Dyrrachion).

2. Eat. Albania's food reflects its geographic position, partly Mediterranean, partly Asian. Tavë kosi, the national dish, is baked lamb and rice, served with yogurt sauce (phenomenally popular in its own right in Albania).

3. Get outdoors. Albania has a stunning landscape, offering adventure in the mountains and relaxation on the beaches. Don't miss Pogradec and Lake Ohri (on the Macedonian border), the 2.4 million-year-old lake protected by UNESCO for its biodiversity and harboring unique species covering the entire food chain.

4. Sunbathe. Both the Adriatic Coast and Ionian Coast offer beautiful, quiet beaches with warm temperatures, alongside towns with a rich cultural history.

5. Witness. Albania's capital Tirana is a relatively young city (founded 1614) and is still going through a period of intense change from the collapse of Communism over 20 years ago. Infrastructure is improving and the city is being tidied up in an attempt to make it more European - its evolution is a reflection of the country's development as a whole.'

http://www.albaniantourism.com/

We encourage people to have a look, you'll be surprised.

Chernobyl open for Visitors?

We are all for enterprising ideas, new products and exploring new markets but we think a tour of Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4 is probably a tour too far.

Nearly 25 years after Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4 exploded, wreaking nuclear devastation upon the surrounding area, the Ukrainian government is allowing tourists to enter the exclusion zone set up after the accident on official tours starting this year.

Though it was previously possible to tour the disaster zone through private tour companies, 2011 brings the first official and legal tours authorized by the Ukrainian government.

Visitors will tour the 30-mile radius exclusion zone on a route designed to minimize exposure to harmful radiation, and have the opportunity to see the reactor from a safe distance, in addition to viewing how nature has taken over the nearby ghost town of Pripyat, abandoned by its 50,000 residents after the disaster.

The disaster occurred on 26 April 1986, 01:23, at reactor number four at the plant, near the town of Pripyat during an unauthorized systems test.

A sudden power output surge took place, and when an attempt was made at an emergency shutdown, a more extreme spike in power output occurred which led to the rupture of a reactor vessel as well as a series of explosions.

This event exposed the graphite moderator components of the reactor to air and they ignited; the resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive area, including Pripyat.

The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union, and much of Europe. As of December 2000, 350,400 people had been evacuated and resettled from the most severely contaminated areas of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. According to official post-Soviet data, up to 70% of the fallout landed on Belarus.

Following the accident, Ukraine continued to operate the remaining reactors at Chernobyl for many years. The last reactor at the site was closed down in 2000.

Fifty deaths, all among the reactor staff and emergency workers, are directly attributed to the accident although it is estimated that there may ultimately be a total of 4,000 deaths attributable to the accident, due to increased cancer risk.

Leave well alone, we think.

Indian Airlines Set To Expand

It looks as though India's aviation industry is set to become a major employer once again.

The President of IndiGo, Mr Aditya Ghosh, stated that the airline will be adding between 1,000 and 1,200 staff members during this calendar year. “We will be hiring close to 400-500 cabin crew and about 400-odd airport personnel,” he said. Mr Ghosh, however, refused to speculate on how many people the airline will hire when it starts inducting the 180 Airbus aircraft that it has ordered.

Similarly, SpiceJet also plans to hire 1,000 crew and 40 pilots, while Air India Express plans to hire about 700 persons. About three years ago some airlines had to prune their staff strength due to weak passenger demand and rising input costs.

The increase in activity is mainly due to the increase in number of domestic passengers flown on a monthly basis compared with the previous year. Since this trend is expected to continue over the next few years, most airlines are taking steps to capture a larger share of the market. This includes not only hiring more support staff but also utilising more aircraft in their fleets.

While IndiGo plans to acquire 180 Airbus aircraft, Jet Airways has an order book of 49 aircraft which will be a mix of both Airbus and Boeing. In July last year, SpiceJet had signed a deal with Boeing to acquire 30 Boeing 737 at an estimated value of $2.7 billion.

“From the demand side, the Indian market is well positioned for growth for the next three to five years. The air traffic demand is likely to remain strong on the back of growth in the Indian economy, high disposable incomes and rising middle class aspirations.

“A majority of the air traffic still comes from the top six to eight metro destinations and has not extended to the tier-2 and -3 cities. However, with privatisation of 35 non-metro airports that scenario should change,” Mr Kapil Arora, Partner, Ernst & Young, said.

Tourism Outlooks for 2011

Despite a return to growth in 2010 there is a case for caution in looking at global travel expectations in the coming year. This is a time for measured analysis and focused response. The 2008/9 global financial crisis fundamentally changed the economic and consumer landscape.

The post-recession market and consumer are different and smart destinations will have to pro-actively find new offerings for new consumers in new markets, and adopt new ways of communicating with those value-conscious consumers. In doing so, they should take advantage of unique national selling points and a limited number of international collaborative opportunities.

The global economy, which is the main driver of travel and tourism, is slowly regaining momentum. But the recovery is fragile and uneven, and markets are shifting. At 6% economic growth, China, India and other emerging markets are expected to recover faster than traditional source markets. The European Union’s working population is declining, as is Japan’s. Yet, despite the strong growth prospects, emerging economies, particularly in Asia, face new inflation tendencies as well as potentially disruptive currency and trade pressures. Industrialized countries in North America and Europe, which account for more than 75% of global GDP, are expected to grow their economies at some 3%. And here unemployment has reached unacceptably high levels; responses to budget austerity and country bail outs in Europe threaten dramatic disruption in economic and particularly social stability; political gridlock in the US makes decisive national intervention more difficult, and hence significant G20 economic adjustment is becoming more complex.

In addition, geopolitical tensions in key hotspots are volatile and natural disasters and/or extreme weather events remain a constant uncertainty, with only negative impact potential (the 2010 Ash Cloud and the disruption caused by snow and ice storms to air travel on both sides of the Atlantic in December 2010 representing prime examples).These underlying conditions will affect travel and tourism in ways that increase the challenges but also open new opportunities. Industry prospects for 2011 should be viewed in this broad context.

On the negative side of the balance sheet, it is important to put 2010’s growth into a valid context of the previous steep declines. We are now back to 2008 performance levels. Moreover, the full return of business and consumer confidence will be slower than expected. Most consumers are still rattled after the financial crisis and household budgets have not yet recovered to the extent required. In hard times companies will continue to look to tight travel controls and with high unemployment it is easy to rationalize putting off a vacation, staying closer to home or trading down in price or length of stay. And revenue generation will remain tough. This was already the case in 2010 where yields grew everywhere at a slower pace than arrivals.There is no basis for expecting this to change in 2011.

Airlift is an important enabler of tourism. Despite travel demand being pretty robust, consumer confidence in the aviation sector has not recovered in the same way as business confidence. Analysts expect headwinds in leisure travel to continue for up to another three years, especially from Europe, and a mid-cycle market slowdown in passenger numbers has also been forecast for 2011. Global exchange rate volatility, oil prices and fuel hedging costs affect airline profits and tourist volumes alike. Although jet fuel prices are still significantly below the 2008 peak, they are rising steadily.There are also significant cost increases looming on the horizon – unilateral travel taxes, which have begun to spiral in Europe, are likely to become a bigger issue as governments scramble for fast revenue to plug budget gaps and as carbon pricing spreads. In addition, there are strong pressures on fuel prices and security costs which are increasingly important elements for the entire travel and tourism value chain, not just the pivotally important transport sector. Global security concerns continue to trigger cumbersome visa requirements and intrusive airport security systems, which in turn affect the quality of the traveller’s experience.

The positive side of the balance sheet is the changing recognition of the role of Travel and Tourism in key strategic economic areas. It is increasingly seen as part of the solution and a key sector to help the world avoid a jobless recovery. This is recognized, politically, by the T20 Tourism Ministers platform inaugurated by South African Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk in 2010, the World Economic Forum, UNWTO, WTTC, OECD, UNEP and various regional bodies and national governments.

The value of investment in travel infrastructure - the modernized airports, high speed trains and superhighways that were at the heart of many stimulus packages - have already created new jobs in construction, design and engineering and will enhance the long term growth and quality of our products. Similarly the intensifying competition to host mega-events is another sign of the same value add, as well as the massive global nation branding, infrastructure development and travel export promotion that comes with it.
The realisation of the value in trade terms of the booming outbound traffic flows from emerging markets in Asia, where China is on course to become the largest domestic, inbound and outbound travel market in the world during the next decade, as well as the strong tourism flows from Eastern Europe and Russia, and the market of one billion consumers in Africa, is at the heart of response to globally shifting markets. This does not render the traditional markets insignificant, and income per capita in these markets will still overshadow those in the emerging markets for some time. However, pre-financial crisis market segmentation and the indicated product diversification need to be continually reviewed. A risk management approach with domestic tourism as the mainstay of sustainability is required to hedge against currency volatility, external economic shocks, disasters and terrorism. So too the increased domestic and regional travel has demonstrated how our sector primes local economic development, supports small and medium enterprises and encourages consumer confidence, irrespective of the major long haul traffic flows.
We have also begun to establish our place in the green growth agenda, by the growing commitment of travel and tourism companies and communities to carbon neutral operations in line with the evolving climate change mitigation and poverty reduction imperatives. Policymakers and financiers are increasingly understanding that travel and tourism - including air transport - can deliver on any package of carbon reduction measures that governments are able and willing to implement themselves. In far less than a decade, a low-carbon value chain for the tourism sector in all its dimensions will be an important driver of competitiveness. Industry is already repositioning as Governments across the world start to put in place a tighter regulatory framework and introduce economic instruments that price carbon.

There are many micro ways to strengthen the Travel & Tourism balance sheet in 2011 and beyond, including focused marketing, creative product streams, new media and technology integration. These will mostly be played out at the national level where the fight for the new tourist flows from emerging markets will intensify, the competition to host mega events will hot up and the focus on national and regional promotion programs will deepen.
We are entering the age of the so-called ‘digital natives’ with technology increasingly replacing the traditional travel agent as the channel between consumers and travel offerings. In future, technology and e-marketing will increasingly drive the choice of destinations, the tailoring of holidays rather than the packaging of holidays, and new ways of booking and paying for travel. Consumers will also expect technologies to “take the hassle out of travel”, inter alia through online visa applications (e-visas), mobile maps, meta-search engines, blogs and podcasts.

Besides being more price conscious, the new consumer is also seeking more authentic product offerings. Significance in travel experiences are being redefined by consumers. The demand for mass-based leisure tourism is being replaced by a desire to connect emotionally with destinations, local people and local cultures. The customization of authentic cultural and nature-based experiences becomes critically important. New technology could help to facilitate this shift from generic product offerings to platforms where tourists tailor-make their desired experiences.

There are two areas where we need to develop collective and coherent positions as a sector in the short term.

Firstly, we must respond to the potential plethora of discriminatory travel taxes, where the UK APD has set a dangerous precedent that was touted as a fair green tax but is in fact an unfair, anti-trade tax on exports and imports. We should make this a collective public policy issue, establish a game plan for non-discriminatory fair travel taxes and demand that all monies collected by any government for so called green taxes be earmarked and used for those purposes with full involvement of the sector’s stakeholders. Clearly, these new trade barriers hit developing countries the hardest. Ironically, developing countries are taxed on precisely the service exports that give them a comparative advantage. These taxes also render the tourism sectors in the countries imposing them less competitive and impact on bottom lines in the airline industry.

Of particular concern is the absence of a multilaterally agreed regime for managing international aviation emissions. Aviation emissions were excluded from the Kyoto Protocol and to date there has been very little progress towards agreeing a global regime for aviation emissions in a post-2012 climate regime under ICAO or the UNFCCC. Rather, the landscape is now characterized by a patchwork of unilateral and minilateral policies and measures aimed at pricing aviation emissions. One cannot escape the impression that many of these national/regional initiatives are designed in a way that prioritises fiscal objectives over environmental effectiveness – while presenting the opposite position.

The UN Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Finance’s (AGF) report on sources of climate funding published in November 2010 has provided some new momentum to efforts to frame a global solution. The report covers potential sources of funding to meet the political commitment in Copenhagen to raise US$100 billion annually by 2020 for financing climate change mitigation and adaptation. The AGF estimates that some US$10 billion annually by 2020 could be raised from pricing emissions of international transportation, i.e. aviation and shipping, on the understanding that there will be “no net incidence on developing countries” and “between 25 and 50 per cent of total revenues” will be earmarked for climate funding. Besides the broader question on the architecture of the global climate change regime after 2012, key questions as this concept evolves include: could it become a single multilateral source of revenue raised from travel, thereby replacing the patchwork of opportunistic taxes levied on non-voting consumers; how will it fit into a broader global climate change regime that covers all economic sectors; how could the revenue be recycled to support green growth in travel and tourism; and what are the cost-benefit trade-offs from a broader welfare and socio-economic development perspective? The industry must The industry must seek rational and reasonable answers before the framework becomes embedded in policy and law.

Secondly, strategically, we should solidify our recognized role as the major job creation industry in the world, at a time when unemployment will dominate media headlines and political decision-making. Social inclusion and decent work are key elements. And in the related area of incentives for green growth, climate response and poverty reduction we should firmly establish our credentials as the catalytic sector for building climate resilient tourism infrastructure, adapting to unavoidable climate change, and decarbonising our economies – whilst at the same time building new opportunities for small entrepreneurs and community development. These are areas where the potential contribution of Travel and Tourism equals or exceeds any other area of the economy as an agent of change.

In conclusion, it is up to each destination to develop and leverage its existing platform, to reinforce its brand and competitive positioning, and to create the best possible strategic fit between where they are going and where the future is going. In doing so, they have to put consumers first in a sustainable way, and facilitate greater alignment across government and industry. And they have to get the message across that travel and tourism is an important driver of inclusive/shared economic growth, rapid job creation, service exports, happiness/well-being of individuals and communities, and social development, and, as such, that there is massive social good embedded in the sustainable development of the sector.

Skiing in Lebanon...?

We had an excellent couple of days at the World Travel Market in London last week. One of the more interesting items we stumbled upon was a press conference held by the Lebanon Tourism Minister HE Fady Abboud.

Lebanon's mountain area is receiving increasing interest, especially from Arab travellers and it even has six Ski resorts! It is one of the only countries in the Middle East where the skiing season runs from December to April and is just a 2-hour drive from Beirut. The skiing village of Kfardebian is becoming increasingly popular, with new boutique hotels that opened this year, and ski resort, Mzaar, is boosting about the opening of InterContinental Mountain Resort & Spa - the only InterContinental hotel in the world with direct access to ski slopes.

In 2010, Lebanon has seen considerable growth in the tourism industry, which can be attributed mainly to the return of stability and peace in the country and to the rapid development of several locatons in the captial and main cities of Lebanon.

Beirut has been number one out of 44 destinations, according to the New York Times and has also been designated as the “World Book Capital City 2010.” With Beirut being the cultural epicenter of Lebanon, Beirutis live life to the fullest here, taking in all the city's gastronomic delights and activities until the early hours of the morning.

While Arabic is Lebanon's official language, English and French are widely spoken. Most Lebanese speak at least two or three languages, and visitors will find no problems communicating, which helps travelers a lot.

This year, Lebanon is unparalled in terms of accolades and attractions and is aiming to receive 2 millions arrivals by the end of this year. The average stay in Lebanon is 9 days, with 77% percent of the tourists staying in Beirut.

The Tourism Minister added “But we cannot cope with a tourist increase of more than 10-15% percent, in our country you get value, good value, for money, and it is also one of the safest countries."

The total European vistors to the country was 453,522, of which UK visitors were the third largest to visit Lebanon, totaling 50,027, after France and Russia.

After long years of depression, Beirut is booming and so is the hospitality industry in the city. HMH opened it first Coral Suites Al Hamra in the heart of city, and CEO Michel Noblet sees an enormous potential in Lebnanon, which is emerging as the leading tourism and business hub in the region.

Earlier this year, a Four Seasons opened a 26-story hotel, which soars above the city and took more than 10 years to build. Before the end of the year, Hilton Hotels will be opening a 162-room contemporary hotel overlooking the city. There also plans to build a US$100 million, 270-room, 5-star Grand Hyatt in the downtown area, in addition to a new Kempinski Hotel, which is under construction.

But does this city need so many global players from the hotel industry? Mrs. Nazira El Atrache, General Manager of the five-star Hotel Le Bristol, Beirut, believes that in terms of competition, every single hotel has its niche. "We will be needing more 3- and 4-star hotels," she said.

The Lebanese financial sector was able to retain the trust and confidence of Arabs and foreign investors, who have a share of over 40% percent in investments in the country. The economic situation is stable and very strong, confirmed the Minister, with more than the largest proportion of these investments being held by locally-established commercial banks, precluding the need for them to acquire risky assests on the international financial market.

"Lebanese is not a nationality – but a profession," HE Fady Abboud stated.

Financial receipts from expatriates all over the world explain the broad increase in the flow of funds to the banking sectors over the past few months. As a matter of fact, the majority of the Lebanese population resides abroad. Nearly 4 million live in Lebanon, whereas 10 million live in South America - altogether 15 million Lebanese are living around the world.

Beirut is famous for its excellent cuisine and is a playground for the rich and famous. Anyone who wants a taste of Lebanon can even find it in one of London's 500 Lebanese restaurants, and don’t forget to order a bottle of good Lebanese wine, preferably from Ksara, Chateau Kefraya, or Chateau Musar.

Lebanon is one of the oldest sites of wine production, dating back 5,000 years to the Phoencians who were tending the vineyards, making wine, and trading with other cities long before the Greek and Romans arrived. The major wineries are located in the Southern Beqaa Valley, an hour-and-half drive from Beirut and its wineries, offering wine tours and wine tastings all year around.

Bekaa's major attraction is Baalbek with some of the largest Roman temples ever constructed located here. The Baalbek International Festival, the oldest and most well-known cultural event in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterrean, takes place in July and August 2011.