Qantas is the first airline to complete migration to

Best Western opent zijn derde
hotel in Antwerpen
Brussel, 13 oktober 2008. Best Western België is fier u aan te
kondigen dat het Best Western Hotel Docklands werd toegevoegd
tot zijn hotel portfolio.
Het Best Western Hotel Docklands is een 3 sterren hotel met 38
kamers. Elke kamer is modern, ruim, voorzien van Philip Starck
meubels en biedt alle gemakken die een verschil maken tijdens
het reizen zowel voor zakenmensen als voor toeristen; wifi,
kabeltelevisie, koffie-en theefaciliteiten en minibar zijn een
paar voorbeelden hiervan.
Het hotel is gelegen tussen het historisch centrum en de haven
van Antwerpen, de tweede grootste haven in Europa and de 4de
grootste haven in de wereld.
Best Western Hotel Docklands is vast en zeker de beste keuze
voor uw verblijf in Antwerpen. Het is gelegen dichtbij
nationale en internationale bedrijven die gelegen zijn in de
havendistrict maar ook dichtbij de shoppingzone, het
historisch hartje en het antwerps nachtleven.
De nabije omgeving biedt voldoende gratis parkeergelegenheden.
Best Western is een ledenorganisatie van
onafhankelijke hotels die marketing, reserverings- en
operationele ondersteuning geeft aan zijn leden.
Iberostar ouvre l’hôtel Rose
Hall Suites – en Jamaïque
Palma de Mallorca / Montego Bay 14 octobre 2008
Avec l’ouverture de l’hôtel
Iberostar Rose Hall Suites sur l’île de La Jamaïque, Iberostar
Hotels & Resorts poursuit son impressionnante expansion dans
les Caraïbes. L’hôtel cinq étoiles flambant neuf est le
deuxième d’une série de trois projets hôteliers qui forment
ensemble l’Iberostar Rose Hall Resorts. La construction
d’Iberostar Rose Hall Suites, une belle acquisition dans la
ligne de produits des luxueux hôtels Suites, a absorbé un
investissement de 58 millions d’euro.
L’hôtel de luxe construit dans le style colonial se situe tout
près de la plage de sable kilométrique de la magnifique baie
de Montego Bay et à moins de 20 minutes de l’aéroport. Le
concept architectural du designer José Deudero fut inspiré par
la proximité directe de l’océan. Iberostar Rose Hall Suites se
compose de 273 suites luxueuses, 44 suites Junior, 54 suites
Premium junior, 2 suites Presidential et 2 suites Premium
Presidential qui ont été construites au milieu d’un vaste
jardin caraïbe. Chaque suite est équipée de deux double-lits
ou d’un seul lit King Size, d’une TV à écran plat, d’un minibar entièrement approvisionné, d’une cafetière et même de
nécessaires de repassage. Dans la salle de bains, vous trouvez
aussi un bain massant et une douche. Le service des chambres
est disponible 24 heures sur 24, et le service All Inclusive
est lui aussi offert jour et nuit.
Les clients peuvent effectuer leurs explorations
gastronomiques non seulement au riche buffet, mais aussi en
réservant une table au restaurant mexicain ou au restaurant
méditerranéen, au Gourmet ou à la Steak House. Les meilleures
boissons caraïbes sont servies dans pas moins de sept bars
différents.
La piscine panoramique possède une vue sur l’océan et son bar
attend les clients juste à côté. Grâce à la Lazy River
artificielle, ou à l’Activity Swimming Pool avec chutes d’eau,
le plaisir nautique est garanti. Bien entendu, les enfants ont
droit à leur Miniclub et les adultes bénéficient
quotidiennement d’une impressionnante offre sportive notamment
composée de tennis, voile, kayaks, catamaran, plongée au tuba
ou d’aérobic sur la plage.
Pour une petite immersion réussie dans la culture caraïbe, les
clients peuvent assister à des cours de danse ou au cours de
langue jamaïcain qui vaut le détour ne fut ce que pour
apprendre son vocabulaire très sympathique. Et non des
moindres, Iberostar Rose Hall Suites présente également une
large offre en possibilités wellness.
Le soir, il y a bien entendu un programme de soirée adapté à
tout âge et assuré par des équipes d’animation très
appréciées.
Expansion
Avec le projet Iberostar Rose Hall, le groupe espagnol
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts poursuit plus que jamais sa
stratégie visant à offrir de luxueuses vacances uniques, de
qualité supérieure dans les plus beaux sites vacanciers du
monde. En novembre de cette année, le site Rose Hall
accueillera aussi l’ouverture de l’Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose
Hall. Ce dernier sera l’hôtel le plus luxueux de la nouvelle
catégorie des prestigieux hôtels Iberostar Grand Collection.
Iberostar opent Rose Hall
Suites hotel – Jamaica
Palma de Mallorca / Montego Bay 14 oktober 2008
Met de opening van het Iberostar
Rose Hall Suites hotel op het eiland Jamaica zet Iberostar
Hotels & Resorts haar indrukwekkende expansie in de Caraïben
verder. Het fonkelnieuwe vijfsterren hotel is het tweede in
een reeks van drie hotelprojecten die samen de Iberostar Rose
Hall Resorts vormen. Aan de bouw van Iberostar Rose Hall
Suites, een mooie aanwinst in de productlijn van de luxueuze
Suites hotels, hangt een investering vast van 58 miljoen euro.
Het in koloniale stijl gebouwde luxehotel bevindt zich meteen
aan het kilometerlange zandstrand van de prachtige baai van
Montego Bay en is amper 20 minuten van de luchthaven
verwijderd. Het architecturaal concept van designer José
Deudero werd geïnspireerd door de onmiddellijke nabijheid van
de Oceaan. Iberostar Rose Hall Suites bestaat uit 273 luxueuze
suites, 44 Junior suites, 54 Premium junior, 2 Presidential en
2 Premium Presidential suites die temidden van een ruime
Caraïbische tuin werden gebouwd. Elke suite is uitgerust met
twee dubbele bedden of één King Size bed, flatscreen tv, een
volledig gevulde minibar, koffiezet en zelfs strijkmateriaal.
In de badkamer tref je ook een whirlpool én een douche aan.
Roomservice staat 24 uur op 24 klaar en ook de All Inclusive
service wordt rond de klok aangeboden.
Gasten kunnen voor een culinaire ontdekking niet alleen
aanschuiven aan het rijkelijke buffet maar ook een tafel
reserveren in het Mexicaanse of Mediterrane restaurant, het
Gourmet of het Steak House. De beste Caraïbische drankjes
worden geserveerd in maar liefst zeven verschillende bars.
Het panoramische zwembad met uitzicht op de oceaan en poolbar
ligt er uitnodigend bij. Dankij de kunstmatige Lazy River, of
de Activity Swimming Pool mét watervallen is waterplezier
gegarandeerd. Uiteraard ontbreekt voor de kinderen de Miniclub
niet en voor volwassenen is er dagelijks een indrukwekkend
sportaanbod dat ondermeer bestaat uit tennis, zeilen,
kajakken, catamaran varen, snorkelen of aerobic op het strand.
Een snuifje Caraïbische cultuur doen hotelgasten ongetwijfeld
op tijdens de danslessen of de Jamaicaanse spraakcursus die
alleen al omwille van de leuke woordenschat een aanrader is.
Ook Iberostar Rose Hall Suites biedt een uitgereid aanbod aan
wellness mogelijkheden aan.
’s Avonds is er uiteraard een aangepast avondprogramma voor
jong én oud verzorgd door de zeer gewaarde animatieteams.
Expansie
Met het Iberostar Rose Hall project zet de Spaanse Iberostar
Hotels & Resorts groep haar strategie om unieke, hoogstaande
vakanties van superieure kwaliteit aan te bieden in ‘s werelds
mooiste vakantie-oorden meer dan ooit verder. In november van
dit jaar openent eveneens op de Rose Hall site het Iberostar
Grand Hotel Rose Hall. Dit wordt het meest luxueuze hotel dat
terecht thuis zal horen in de nieuwe categorie van
prestigieuze Iberostar Grand Collection hotels
Maiden voyage of Superfast I
The Board of Directors of Attica Group is pleased to announce
the deployment of the newly-built Superfast I in the PatrasIgoumenitsa-Bari route. The ultra-modern Ro-Pax vessel
Superfast I is the first of two sister vessels acquired by
Attica Group. Superfast I was built in Nuovi Cantieri Apuania
in Italy, and delivered earlier this month. Her sister vessel,
Superfast II, is due to be delivered in the course of the
second half of 2009.
Superfast I has an overall length of 199.1 meters, width of
26.6 meters and a draft of 6.4 meters. It can carry 950
passengers, 170 large trucks and 100 passenger cars at a
cruising speed of 24 knots. Her on board facilities include a
Restaurant, a Bar, a Casino, a Boutique, aircraft-type seats
and comfortable cabins. Her spacious accommodation and
tastefully-appointed lounge areas will turn every trip into an
unforgettable experience.
Survey shows ups and downs of
air travel
KUALA LUMPUR — Leading global market intelligence firm
Synovate, today released global survey results on airline
travel showing 56% of people choose ‘getting there quickly and
easily’ as the best thing about air travel and, once on board,
three quarters would like to be able to change seats if they
were unhappy with their allocation.
Synovate spoke with more than 10,000 respondents in 13 markets
across the world to find all about whether air travel was
pleasure or pain, the impact of fuel costs and surcharges,
easy-on-the-eye flight attendants, the frustrations of sitting
near other people’s children and chatty fellow passengers.
Transactional travel or sky-high service?
Synovate quizzed people who had travelled by air about the one
thing they best liked about being on a plane. For the
majority, it’s all about getting from point A to point B, with
56% choosing ‘It’s fast and it gets me where I need to be
quickly’ as the thing they most like about air travel. The
highest score for this attribute was from people in the United
States (US), with 84% agreeing.
Sheri Lambert, Senior Vice President of Travel & Leisure for
Synovate, said it was absolutely critical for air travel to be
convenient.
“Air travel in the US is largely transactional. It’s about
getting where you are going with as little fuss as possible.
This is mainly because the scale of the American air system is
enormous and so many people travel for work or business that
it’s nearly as common as taking a bus.
“The whole travel process has to be efficient or people start
to reconsider whether the trip is even worth it – not a
mindset the airlines want to encourage,” she said.
At the other end of the scale, 42% of Egyptians said their
greatest pleasure when it comes to flying is ‘being served’.
Synovate’s Managing Director for Egypt, Tamer El Naggar, said:
“Air travel is a big thing for Egyptians and the prestige
associated with it becomes an expectation. Getting on board an
airplane and being looked after is a very much sought-after
luxury.”
The seat of power
Much of what the survey highlighted was that the seat is the
‘make or break’ factor when it comes to flying pleasure or
pain. Some findings:
Two thirds of all respondents who had travelled by air
disagreed with the statement ‘I have no preference when it
comes to seating’ – the least fussy were the Filipinos (64%
agreed) and the most particular were the Thais (89%
disagreed).
Forty-one percent say they are ‘really fussy about my seat and
a bad one can ruin my flight experience’.
Three quarters say ‘I would like to have an option which
allowed me to change seats if I was unhappy’.
A massive 89% of Taiwanese, 87% of Americans, 84% of Thais and
83% of UK travellers agreed they would appreciate a seat swap
if they were less than thrilled with where they were asked to
park their posteriors.
Sheri Lambert said this would be bedlam for the airlines.
“It’s one thing to not like your seat when you are on a short
45-minute flight. Most of us can deal with that. But it’s
entirely another thing when you are cramped and miserable
across the US or travelling even farther afield.
“In an ideal world, travellers would always get to select
their first choice seat prior to departure. That is tough
though, especially given current flight loads.
“While large-scale programmes like this are challenging, it
does point to the role of options for passengers choosing
seats ahead of departure and informative websites like
www.seatexpert.com
“Indeed, some US carriers have experimented with seat
surcharges for those who prefer certain placements, but the
jury is still out on this one,” she said.
And it’s not always obvious things that drive the likes and
dislikes of nationalities. Some of the Thai respondents’
trepidation about seating can be attributed to culture, says
Synovate’s Managing Director for Thailand, Steven Britton.
“One of the things you are taught in Thailand – and is
reinforced all the time when you are growing up – is that you
should not step over people. Thais will do nearly anything to
avoid this. Airline seats are so tightly packed together in
economy that a Thai stuck in a window seat would probably
refrain from visiting the bathroom for hours rather than step
over several people.”
Up in the air about intimacy.
Very much related to the seat issue is who you sit next to.
Scott Lee, Executive Director of Synovate in Hong Kong, said
the crux of the issue here for most people is the forced
intimacy.
“Sharing your personal space with strangers is not something
that many people look forward to. Still, air travellers in
some markets seem quite ok with it – perhaps even relishing
the chance to meet new people – while people in other markets
like Hong Kong seem to want to shut down and avoid others.”
The study asked people to agree or disagree with a series of
statements, one of which was ‘I prefer sitting next to someone
of my own sex’. Overall, a little over one third of
respondents agreed with this (34%). The highest agrees were
from Hong Kong (65%), Malaysia (57%) and Thailand (53%).
When this is broken down by gender, women are far more likely
to answer in the affirmative than men. Forty-four percent of
all women travellers say they want to sit next to someone of
their own gender, while only 24% of men do. In Hong Kong, 78%
of women want to sit next to another woman.
“There are a couple of factors at work here. One may be
awkwardness between men and women – in some markets sexual
tension, and in others, related to religion – plus it must be
said that men seem to always take the arm rest and as much leg
room as possible… often without thinking about it. No wonder
women want to avoid us,” Mr Lee said.
But not everyone avoids social contact. The study also asked
whether respondents agreed with the statement ‘I enjoy making
conversation with the people sitting next to me’ and, overall,
57% agree. People from Malaysia and the Philippines most like
a chat (77% and 74% respectively) and those from Thailand (60%
disagreed), Taiwan (58%) and Hong Kong (57%) do not.
Children shouldn’t be seen, or heard
t turns out not everyone hates sitting near children. In good
news for paranoid parents, two thirds of our air traveller
respondents disagreed with the statement ‘I get frustrated
when sitting next to or near children’.
However, Britons were found to be most intolerant of children
on planes with 55% agreeing they find sitting near the
smallest travellers to be frustrating. They were closely
followed by Hong Kongers (52% agreed). Least likely to get
frustrated were German travellers with only 15% agreeing.
Looking at the results by gender, it is not too surprising to
see that overall women are far more tolerant of air-borne
kids. However, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 48% of women
agreed they find sitting near children frustrating and only
24% of men did.
George Christodoulides, Managing Director of Synovate in the
UAE, said this may, in part, be due to large families and
gender roles.
“When it comes to supervising children men tend to be fairly
hands-off, while women travellers may be so busy empathising
with harassed mothers that they are not really able to relax
themselves.”
Air travel to nose dive?
Will people even get on planes in the current economic
environment? Across the markets surveyed, Synovate asked air
travellers to choose one answer that best summed up the effect
of fuel surcharges and increased costs of air travel for their
situation. The study was conducted in July and, in cautiously
good news for airlines, the highest overall answer was 39% who
said ‘I would consider looking for airlines offering cheaper
flights’. This was the highest in Brazil at 62%, followed by
Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) at 48%.
Synovate’s CEO for the UK, Michelle Norman, said people are
not necessarily curtailing their travel plans, but they are
bargain-hunting on prices.
“There was strong demand for budget carriers over the summer –
people have not been willing to cancel their summer breaks.
Budget airlines are a well-established means of travel in the
UK, plus domestic holidays have the reputation of being rather
expensive.
“The true test for the airlines – and the sustainability of
their passenger loads – is about to come though. With a rocky
economy and the traditionally slower winter period
approaching, we may see some carriers running a little emptier
and suspending some routes,” she said.
Eighteen percent of Thais, 17% of Germans and 16% of Britons
and Americans said they would now consider alternative modes
of transport for their travel.
“As people ponder planes, trains or automobiles, we need to
also realise the impact of all the talk of carbon footprints.
Certainly in Germany and the UK, there has been huge publicity
about this and how other means of transport like trains may be
better for the environment,” Ms Norman said.
How can an airline fly high?
Pleasing people is tough. Pleasing people at 30,000 feet is
even tougher. So how does an airline stand out?
Scott Lee says brand positioning is critical to loyalty, but
the basics have to be in place first. “Before anything else,
an airline needs to treat people like human beings and
quickly, efficiently and safely get them to where they are
going. It’s certainly not rocket science but some carriers are
not always able to deliver on this.
“One thing that stood out in this survey was that in markets
where the national carrier was strong on service and
reputation, places like Dubai, Hong Kong and Thailand, people
had higher expectations. They expect more because they get
more.
“These
carriers
are
then
able
to
build
the
emotional
connection that creates committed loyalty. There are people in
Hong Kong who will do just about anything to take all their
flights on a particular airline, describing themselves as
’emotionally dependent’. The bond is strong, they feel secure,
and that’s what carriers should work towards,” he said.
Curiosities
• Only 4% of all people across the markets surveyed nominated
airline food as their favourite part of flying. However, it
doesn’t matter if it’s the chicken or the fish for 12% of
Filipinos and 11% of people from the UAE, who look forward to
tucking in whenever they get on board.
• Hong Kongers are most likely to have laptops out in-flight,
with 11% saying the chance to get some work done without
interruption is what they like best about air travel.
• Plane and seat design are critical to passenger
satisfaction. Sixty-three percent of air travellers say they
prefer window seats… tricky to keep everyone happy!
• Coffee, tea or me? Only three percent of air travellers in
the markets surveyed said the thing they most liked about
flying was ‘attractive flight attendants’. However, Synovate’s
focus group experience is that, once mid-conversation, a large
proportion of people rather sheepishly admit this is an
important part of the in-flight experience… perhaps something
people will admit to face-to-face only!
About the Synovate global air travel survey
This In:fact survey looked at air travel and covered more than
10,000 respondents in 13 markets around the world – Brazil,
Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America
(USA). Of the 13,000 surveyed, 6,900 said they had travelled
by air and these people answered the majority of the
questions. The study was conducted in July 2008 using online,
telephone and face-to-face methodologies.
About Synovate
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc,
generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing
solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global
support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions.
Synovate employs over 6,000 staff across 63 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.
Thomas Cook Belgium proteste
contre les taxes sur les
billets d’avion
Thomas Cook Belgium (Thomas Cook, Neckermann, Pegase)
trouve la proposition du gouvernement fédéral de prélever une
taxe sur les billets d’avion inacceptable. Une telle mesure
constitue une charge supplémentaire pour le secteur qui a déjà
été fort touché par les frais de carburant élevés.
La taxe prévue sur les billets d’avion (d’après ce qu’on dit
10 euros/passager pour toutes les destinations, 40 euros pour
la Classe Business et pour les vols long courrier) est une
atteinte supplémentaire au pouvoir d’achat du vacancier.
Thomas Cook Belgium trouve cette mesure particulièrement
négative pour le consommateur étant donné que celle-ci affecte
fortement le budget « temps libre » des familles.
Nos clients travaillent dur pendant toute l’année pour pouvoir
payer leurs vacances et, par conséquent, il est
fondamentalement injuste d’affecter à nouveau leur budget de
vacances.
Thomas Cook Belgium estime que cette mesure est fort
discriminatoire, étant donné que la taxe sera uniquement
prélevée sur les billets d’avion et sur aucun autre moyen de
transport. Les 132 millions d’euros que cette mesure devra
rapporter au gouvernement, devra uniquement venir du traffic
aérien de passagers. Le cargo n’est pas affecté.
Une telle mesure risque d’avoir des conséquences négatives
très lourdes sur l’emploi dans les secteurs du tourisme et de
l’aviation, qui se trouvent déjà dans une situation difficile
en ce moment.
Thomas Cook Belgium demande avec insistance au gouvernement de
ne pas instaurer cette mesure dans l’intérêt du consommateur
et de l’emploi.
bmi announces key codeshare
agreement
with
Brussels
Airlines
bmi today announced a key
codeshare agreement with Brussels Airlines that serves to
double the number of bmi UK destinations from Brussels
National Airport. Under the codeshare agreement flights to
Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle – operated by
Brussels Airlines – will be added to Edinburgh, Leeds
Bradford, East Midlands and London Heathrow, which bmi already
serves from Brussels.
The codeshare agreement, which enters into operation on 26
October, greatly expands bmi’s UK reach and its service
offering for its Brussels-based business passengers, enhancing
the airline’s commitment to being better for business. Under
the agreement bmi passengers can book flights from Brussels to
these four new destinations directly through flybmi.com.
The agreement adds a total of 12 daily services with bmi
flight numbers from Brussels to the four new destinations:
five daily flights to Birmingham, four to Manchester, two to
Bristol, and a daily flight to Newcastle. bmi currently
operates up to seven services a day to London Heathrow and up
to three services a day each to Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and
East Midlands airports. The new connections will provide bmi
passengers with increased services from Brussels, offering an
unrivalled 28 non-stop flights to the UK each weekday and
nearly 200 flights each week.
Tim Bye, bmi deputy chief executive officer, said: “This
agreement with Brussels Airlines provides our passengers with
a great deal more flexibility when planning their journeys to
Britain. The business ties between Brussels and the UK are
spread widely across Britain, and bmi passengers now have the
opportunity to fly point-to-point from Brussels to a great
selection of regional airports across the country as well as
connecting to our wider network via our Heathrow hub.”
“Thanks to this partnership we are able to consolidate our
presence in the British market and offer three additional
destinations,” said Erik Follet, EVP Business Strategy,
Brussels Airlines. “This codeshare agreement clearly presents
a win/win opportunity for both business and leisure passengers
of both Brussels Airlines and bmi.”
Members of bmi’s Diamond Club will also be able to benefit
from the new agreement and earn destination miles on the
additional services operated by Brussels Airlines.
A year of innovations
The agreement with Brussels Airlines is yet another in a long
list of milestones that have marked out bmi’s strategy of
being the airline partner that’s better for business. Over the
past year bmi has:
Greatly expanded its network to consolidate its presence
throughout Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa;
announced a code share agreement with United Airlines,
enhancing bmi’s transatlantic activities;
Unveiled its innovative Company Rewards scheme, aimed
specifically at Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs);
Expanded network
The full integration of the BMED network extended the bmi
network to a wide range of mid and long haul destinations in
EMEA and Central Asia: Addis Ababa; Aleppo; Almaty; Baku;
Beirut; Bishkek; Cairo; Damascus; Dammam; Freetown; Jeddah;
Khartoum; Moscow Domodedovo; Riyadh; Tbilisi; Tehran; Tel
Aviv; Yerevan.
By expanding its codesharing agreement with Star Alliance
partner United Airlines, in March 2008 bmi added five new US
destinations to its codeshare route network from London
Heathrow: Chicago; Denver; Los Angeles; San Francisco, and
Washington DC.
Company Rewards
In May 2008 bmi launched Company Rewards, a loyalty programme
aimed at Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that rewards
companies in particular for their regular custom. The reward
scheme allows companies to earn points for each flight
purchased for one of their employees.
Innovating in customer service
Consolidating its entire London Heathrow operations in the
recently refurbished Terminal one has resulted in faster
transfer times and shorter security queues for bmi passengers.
Moreover, refurbished check-in desks, new lounges and fewer
crowds mean that bmi’s passengers travelling to, from or
through London Heathrow now enjoy an altogether smoother, more
efficient and stress-free airport experience.
bmi became the first UK airline to test a paperless boarding
system, with delivery of electronic boarding passes to
passengers’ mobile phones or PDAs. This innovative procedure
aims at allowing passengers to bypass the airport check-in
desk, and has been launched initially on services from
Edinburgh and Manchester to London Heathrow (one way) and from
Belfast City to London Heathrow (return), with plans to roll
the system out to more destinations on the airline’s network
in the near future.
WORLDHOTELS’ Brøchner Hotels
Becomes World’s First Carbon
Neutral Hotel Group
Brøchner Hotels in Copenhagen,
the WORLDHOTELS affiliated Danish hotel group has become the
world’s first “carbon neutral” hotel group.
The family-owned Danish group comprises four hotels that have
set a global benchmark as the first to become 100 per cent
climate-neutral.
They are the Hotel Kong Arthur, Ibsens Hotel, Hotel Danmark
and the famous Hotel Fox, nominated several times for best
idea, best design, best innovation and more.
“A great number of major international hotel chains are
working actively on measures to reduce energy and climate
impact with ambitious goals of becoming climate neutral one
day. However, we are actually — the first chain in the world –
as confirmed by the International Hotel and Restaurant
Association – which has actually achieved it,” said co-owner
and General Manager, Kirsten Brøchner.
The Brøchner Hotels’ CO2 neutrality has been achieved via a 5step Climate Plan that includes among others acquisition and
destruction of quotas through the European system for trade
with CO2 quotas. The trade-off equalled the hotel chain’s
entire CO2 emission in 2007 and 2008.
Consequently, the total limit for CO2 emission in the EU has
been lowered and quota prices forced up, pressurizing energy
companies and the industry to find new and more climatefriendly ways to produce energy.
Kirsten Brøchner’s motivation behind the hotel chain’s climate
move is “primarily a wish to take personal responsibility for
solving global climate problems”.
Brøchner Hotels hopes to persuade other hotels to join the
global climate struggle.
Interested groups and individual hotels can learn more from
the hotel group’s website: www.co2neutral-hotels.com.
With 500 outstanding hotels in 300 destinations, across 70
countries, WORLDHOTELS is the most established Europe-based
global marketing and distribution network for independent
hotels and regional hotel brands, with a strong emphasis on
properties with character and distinction.
WORLDHOTELS was recently voted ‘Best Independent Hospitality
Organization’ in the TravelWeekly (Asia) 2008 Awards.
ITB Berlin Convention Market
Trends & Innovations
Focus on headline topics as the world’s largest tourism
convention looks at the future of travel
Outstanding events with high-ranking speakers at the world’s
largest and most important convention from 11 to 15 March 2009
– latest, up-to-the-minute topics: corporate social
responsibility, MICE, tourism and culture
Berlin, 14 Oct. 2008 – As a
leading think tank of the global travel industry the ITB
Berlin Convention Market Trends & Innovations has become an
important meeting place for decision-makers. The successful
concept of the world’s leading travel industry convention
continues, with three new aspects supplementing it in 2009.
This is the first time that this leading event, the ITB Berlin
Convention, is to devote an entire day to Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) in tourism. Professor Dr. Roland Conrady,
science
head of the ITB Berlin Convention Market Trends & Innovations:
“CSR is not a fad, instead it is a pre-condition for ensuring
long-term, economic success, and that companies can compete.”
The first ITB Berlin CSR Day will exclusively present the
results of a survey on consumer price awareness with regards
to CSR. Leading keynote speakers will present their
experiences and visions. The event will also focus on best
practices and experiences in other sectors, and will put
forward concrete suggestions for making CSR work in the
tourism industry.
The new programme item MICE is sure to stir up great interest
at the Business Travel Days. For business travel planners,
meetings, incentives, conventions and events are becoming ever
more important. Tourism industry experts will be discussing
every aspect of this dynamic growth market. All the major
exhibitors addressing convention, meetings and incentives
issues will be at the ITB Berlin, which represents an ideal
platform for business travel planners, where they can receive
first-hand tips. The ITB Berlin Tourism and Culture Day will
also provide a fresh impetus. For the first time, numerous
sessions at the ITB Berlin Convention will illustrate how the
potential which tourism and culture has to offer can be
combined and exploited. This event will be held under the
aegis of Ruhr.2010, the official partner region of the ITB
Berlin 2009.
From 11 to 15 March 2009, under the slogan of “Where the world
shapes the future”, there will be nearly 80 outstanding events
taking place, with more than 200 speakers. The ITB Berlin
Convention Market Trends & Innovations is based on a fourfold
concept: the outstanding travel
technology conference entitled PhoCusWright@ITB, held in
collaboration with a leading US consultancy, the ITB Berlin
Business Travel Forum, destination themes, and the successful
theme days, i.e. ITB Berlin Future Day, ITB Berlin Hospitality
Day and ITB Berlin Aviation Day.
Visitor attendance at last year’s ITB Berlin Convention Market
Trends & Innovations, with its attractive programme, highranking speakers and panel guests from business and politics
was remarkable, and reached record levels. A total of 11,000
trade visitors from around the world
took part, an increase of 25 per cent over last year.
The ITB Berlin 2009 will be taking place from 11 to 15 March.
The period from the Wednesday to the Friday is reserved for
trade
visitors.
More
details
are
available
at
www.itb-berlin.com
Official ITB Berlin Partner Region 2009:
Metropolis Ruhr – European Capital of Culture 2010
.
Tourism Bureau chief Janice
Lai heads for China
The nation’s top tourism official left for China on Monday on
a promotional tour to attract Chinese tourists.
Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai (賴瑟珍) is in China
in her capacity as chairwoman of the nonprofit Taiwan Tourism
Association.
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