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Karin, Isabell, and the #famousteam
- The influence of the US elections on travel behavior: A recent study shows that many Germans are making their travel behaviour to the USA dependent on the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election. Generation Y (40 per cent) and Generation Z (38 per cent) in particular state that they will adjust their travel plans to the USA depending on the outcome of the election. The outcome of the election also plays a role for Generation X (33%) and baby boomers (32%). In terms of election expectations, 51.6% of respondents predict Kamala Harris as the winner, while 24.7% see Donald Trump as the future president. The majority of baby boomers in particular (66.9%) believe that Harris will win, while the younger generations are more likely to see Trump as the possible winner. Read more
- “Overtourism is a problem for the entire industry”: Overtourism remains a controversial topic in the tourism industry, particularly in relation to the role of Airbnb. While critics such as the hotel industry blame the platform for rising rents and housing shortages, Airbnb denies these accusations. A study commissioned by Airbnb from the Fraunhofer IAO found that holiday homes have little impact on the housing market. Ellen Madeker, Head of Public Policy at Airbnb, stresses that the problem of overtourism affects the entire industry. Hotels in city centres also play a role in the concentration of tourists. Airbnb is trying to redirect tourist flows by encouraging flexible searches and rural accommodation. Madeker calls for shared responsibility and cooperation with destinations and politicians to find sustainable solutions. Read more
- Despite growth: tourism sector reduces emissions: Despite the global growth of the tourism sector, progress is being made in the area of sustainability. At the Global Summit of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in Perth, it was emphasised that the tourism sector's share of global emissions will fall from 7.8% (2019) to 6.7% (2023). This shows that environmentally friendly practices are being promoted despite economic expansion. WTTC President Julia Simpson emphasises that sustainability remains a key issue, even though challenges such as high energy consumption and the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the aviation industry remain. At the same time, Australia is investing 79 million Australian dollars in improving international flight connections in order to strengthen Perth as a central hub for tourism. Read more
- Finnair increases long-haul flights for the summer: Finnair is increasing its long-haul flights in the 2025 summer timetable, particularly to the USA and the Far East. In the USA, the airline is increasing frequencies to Chicago to almost daily and will fly to Dallas up to 11 times a week. Connections to Los Angeles and Seattle will also be expanded by two additional weekly flights. These expanded capacities offer travellers numerous connection options to North and South America and the US West Coast via the partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Despite the restrictions imposed by the ban on Russian overflights, Finnair is also focussing on Far East destinations. Daily flights to Osaka, where Expo 2025 is being held, are planned for the 2025 summer season, as well as additional connections to Nagoya and Shanghai. Finnair also flies to Helsinki several times a day from German cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich to ensure connections to long-haul flights. Read more
- Lufthansa suspends flights from Frankfurt to Beijing: Lufthansa will discontinue its daily direct flight from Frankfurt to Beijing from the coming winter timetable for economic reasons. This was confirmed by a company spokeswoman. Instead, there will be a daily connection from Munich to Beijing, which will be operated with a modern Airbus 350, which has lower paraffin costs. The older A-340 was previously used in Frankfurt. The move comes in the face of strong international competition, particularly from Chinese, Turkish and Gulf airlines, which benefit from lower cost structures and government subsidies. In addition, these airlines continue to use Russian airspace, which enables them to fly shorter and more cost-effective routes, while Western airlines avoid this airspace. Read more
- Flights already depart from MUC to 50 long-haul destinations: At Munich Airport, Lufthansa's southern hub, the range of long-haul routes is also growing in the 2024/2025 winter timetable, with connections to a total of 50 long-haul destinations, significantly increasing international connectivity. Lufthansa is increasingly relying on modern aircraft such as the Airbus A350, which flies to destinations such as S?o Paulo, Seattle, Vancouver and Johannesburg. The Airbus A380 is also being used on flights to Bangkok, Delhi and Los Angeles. Other airlines are also expanding their services. Discover is stationing long-haul aircraft in Munich and will be flying to Orlando, Windhoek and Calgary from March 2025. Vietnam Airlines, Gulf Air and Oman Air are also increasing their frequencies, and the Maldivian airline Beond is once again offering direct flights to the Maldives. Norwegian remains active in the winter and continues to fly twice a week to Málaga and Alicante. Overall, Munich Airport is showing no signs of losing connectivity and is continuing to increase its intercontinental services. Read more
- Winter flight schedule: These are the new destinations from Zurich: Zurich Airport's winter flight timetable, which will apply from 27 October 2024, brings with it numerous innovations and expansions. A total of 169 destinations will be served by 53 airlines. Edelweiss is offering new connections to Giza/Sphinx in Egypt, Salalah in Oman and Tunis in Tunisia. Easyjet is expanding its route network with flights to Bordeaux and Manchester. Oman Air is once again flying five times a week to Muscat, and Cathay Pacific is once again offering daily flights to Hong Kong. Etihad Airways is increasing its connections to Abu Dhabi to two daily flights by June 2025, while Air India is maintaining its evening flights to New Delhi. Ethiopian Airlines is increasing its connections to Addis Ababa and now flies daily. In addition, some summer connections such as those operated by Swiss to Seoul and Toronto will be integrated into the winter flight schedule ahead of schedule. Edelweiss is also extending the season for popular summer destinations such as Bilbao, Ibiza and Antalya and is expanding its offering for winter destinations in Scandinavia, including new flights to Troms? as well as Kittil? and Rovaniemi in Finland. Read more
- AUSTRALIA: Western Australia is aiming to attract more German visitors by promoting Perth as a key gateway. CEO Di Bain highlights plans to increase German tourism, which is playing a growing role in the region's post-pandemic recovery. In 2023, 24,000 German tourists visited Western Australia, and further growth is hoped for through improved air connectivity - potentially including a direct Frankfurt-Perth route. Key strategies include the 'Drive the Dream' campaign, featuring F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, which aims to appeal to adventurous German travellers who enjoy road trips and the outdoors. The region also plans to expand indigenous tourism experiences, an area of strong visitor interest but low participation. Sustainability is also at the heart of its efforts, with long-term plans under the WAVES 2033 strategy to increase visitor spending to A$25 billion and position Western Australia as a leader in indigenous and sustainable tourism. Read more
- ANTARCTIC: According to a recent study, increasing fires in the southern hemisphere, as well as more and more ships travelling in the Antarctic, are causing the Antarctic ice to melt more rapidly. This is caused by soot particles that are deposited on the ice and cause it to melt faster due to the lack of reflection of sunlight. According to official figures, the number of ship journeys in the Antarctic has risen from less than 200 to 540 per season since 2003. Read more
- CAMBODIA: In an exclusive interview with Vichit Ith, Director General of the Cambodia Tourism Board (CBT), the current situation of Cambodian tourism is highlighted. Despite a 22.5% increase in foreign visitors to 4.3 million in 2024, over 63% of these tourists come from ASEAN countries, while European markets are growing more slowly and only account for 9.7% of arrivals. The challenges for the European market lie in the lack of direct flights, Cambodia's sometimes negative image and the cost of visas. In order to set itself apart from neighbouring countries, Cambodia is planning to highlight its cultural and natural attractions. Advertising should emphasise the country's millennia-old identity and local communities. To this end, the CBT wants to work closely with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to initiate a ‘cultural renaissance’ that promotes art, gastronomy and traditional music. In addition, Cambodia will be represented at international trade fairs in 2024 to strengthen partnerships with private organisers and improve the tourism offering through cultural and ecotourism activities. Read more
- CUBA: The situation for tourists in Cuba is gradually stabilising after the power cuts and tropical storm Oscar. Following a nationwide power outage that occurred on Friday, electricity and drinking water supplies have been restored in many parts of Cuba, particularly in Havana. The tourist infrastructure is well prepared; most hotels in popular regions such as Havana and Varadero have emergency power generators so that operations can largely be maintained. In the east of the country, however, the situation is more critical, as a hurricane is making it difficult to restore the power grid. Travellers should be prepared for restrictions such as sporadic hot water supply and internet access. Public transport is limited, while international air traffic remains stable. The Federal Foreign Office warns of considerable restrictions in medical care and recommends that travellers keep themselves regularly informed via local media. The ongoing power cuts are part of a longer-term energy crisis caused by a dilapidated infrastructure and the US embargo. Read more
- ECUADOR: Air Europa and the Commercial Office of Ecuador in Italy and Switzerland invited travel professionals on a study trip to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. During the 11-day trip, participants had the opportunity to experience the country's cultural diversity, traditions and scenic highlights. Highlights included a visit to the Homero Ortega hat factory, an impressive hike to the Sierra Negra volcano and unique animal encounters on the Galápagos Islands. The group was accompanied by Nadine Billeter, Sales Executive of Air Europa Switzerland, who brought the participants back with many new impressions and exciting experiences. Air Europa, founded in 1986 and part of the Globalia Group, offers daily flights from Zurich to Madrid and connects over 55 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the USA and Latin America. Read more
- GREENLAND: A new international airport will open in Greenland's capital Nuuk on the south-west coast at the end of November, allowing larger aircraft to land for the first time and paving the way for direct flights from the USA and Europe. According to Visit Greenland, it is the first of three airport projects in Greenland that the authorities hope will boost the local economy. Two other airports, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, are under construction and are expected to be operational by 2026. Read more
- TURKEY: The Antalya Travel Fair starts on 23 October 2024 and offers a variety of events on the Sports & Health Stage that deal with important topics in the tourism industry. It will kick off with a panel on the ‘Development of Sports Tourism’ with Nida Kiraz and Sezgin ?zer from the Sports Tourism Association. On 24 October, the renowned Turkish historian ?lber Ortayl? will give a lecture on ‘Turkey, Tourism and Future Prospects’ at 4.30 pm, in which he will shed light on the country's tourism potential from a historical perspective. Also on 24 October, Turkish hoteliers and OTA operators will discuss the Turkish travel market. Sunay Ak?n, founder of the Turkish Toy Museum, will give a lecture on the cultural significance of tourism for Turkey on 25 October at 11.30 am. This will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘Women in Tourism’ at 1.00 pm, moderated by Tu??e Yolalan, in which leading women from the industry will talk about their role and importance. At 2.30 pm, ?zgür Demirta?, Dean of the Faculty of Finance at Sabanc? University, will give a lecture on the economic importance of tourism for Turkey. Read more
Owner @ #famecreativelab, #winelover association CEO & WSET Alumni. Tourism Leader @ #CorpsTouristique and #ArbeitsgemeinschaftKaribik. Loves Marketing, PR, Collaboration, Sustainability!
1 个月Very helpful!