Search Results for2018
Domestic US airfares at a record low in 2018
In 2018 domestic US airfares fell to their lowest level since records began being kept in 1995, according to new research from credit card comparison site CompareCards.com. The average domestic itinerary airfare that year was USD 350, down 1.8% from the previous low of USD 356 in 2017. At the same time, the cost of flying has not decreased everywhere. According to the report, the average airfare at 19 of the 100 largest US airports actually increased year-over-year. Average airfare costs fell in 81 of the largest 100 airports in 2018, with some exceptions. Chicago – Midway saw the largest uptick in average airfare, increasing 6.58%, while airfares at Chicago O’Hare jumped 4.2%.
West Midlands sees record 131 million visitors in 2018
The West Midlands attracted a record 131 million visitors last year, with sporting spectacles, small screen smash-hits and cultural carnivals all playing a part in the region’s pulling power with tourists. The region welcomed a 2.6% increase in visitors in 2018 compared with the previous year. The findings were unveiled by the West Midlands Growth Company – which aims to attract visitors and events to the region – and research body Global Tourism Solutions. West Midlands hoteliers were chockful with check-ins thanks to a 0.8% increase in monthly average occupancy rates to an all-time high of 74.8%. Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company said: “This is such an exciting time for the West Midlands. The region has made its mark, with record numbers flocking to enjoy our cultural, sporting, culinary and heritage offer. With an events calendar boasting the British Science Festival in September, the 2021 UK City of Culture in Coventry and the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the spotlight is on the West Midlands more than ever, and we are determined to capitalise on this.” In 2018, the West Midlands’ sporting spectacles were in a league of their own. The region played host to the World Indoor Athletics Championships, Gymnastics World Cup and England v India Test Match. Premier League football – the number one sporting draw for international tourists to the UK – returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux Stadium after a six-year absence. The West Midlands switched on to screen tourism with the 2018 release of Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, filmed in Birmingham, and the global TV phenomenon Peaky Blinders, which is streamed to fans across the world on Netflix.
Cozystay surpasses 2018 bookings by 600% in 2019
Cozystay, a technology-first, accommodation group with a growing portfolio of hotels, vacation rentals, and resorts under management, announced that it surpassed its total number of 2018 booking by 600% within just the first half of 2019. “2019 is becoming a breakout year for Cozystay. We officially launched our Vacation Rental Service Standard (VRSS) and are rolling it out to all properties, regardless of whether the property is a vacation rental, hotel or resort,” said Galen Cheng, CEO of Cozystay. “Our vision is to offer our guests the feeling of home, wherever they choose to stay, and provide guests at each of these different categories of accommodation with the same, consistent high level of service. When you visit a Cozystay property - no matter what type, you will know what you can expect.” The Vancouver-based company leverages technology at every opportunity to streamline the management of its properties, this includes smart-locks, multi-channel customer service and property management. All properties offer safety certification and insurance coverage, professionally furnished properties, a bonded and insured cleaning team, highly trained account managers, as well as high-quality towels, linens and premium luxury mattresses. The company is also launching an integration with Tujia, China’s biggest short-term property rental company. Chinese travellers seeking rental properties on Tujia will now gain direct booking access to Cozystay branded properties. “This integration will help to increase the number of reservations that these properties receive,” added Cheng.
UAE medical tourism worth USD 3.2 billion in 2018
Medical tourism sales in the UAE increased 5.5% year-over-year to reach AED 12.1 billion (USD 3.2 billion) in 2018 with growth supported by a number of government-led initiatives and the rising number of medical tourists in the country, a new analysis released by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry revealed. The analysis, based on recent data from Euromonitor International and Fitch Solutions, found that health expenditure in the UAE amounted to an estimated AED 50.3 billion (USD 13.6 billion) in 2018, marking a 5.4% increase compared to the previous year. Key factors supporting this growth trend include new medical tourism initiatives implemented by government entities and increasing sector privatisation of the sector in the form of investment and the building state-of-the-art health facilities. Among the main initiatives recently introduced by the Dubai Health Authority is the Dubai Health Experience (DXH) which is the first medical tourism portal in the region enabling tourists to book their entire medical holiday online. Furthermore, the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) jointly launched the Abu Dhabi Medical Tourism e-portal, a digital platform that provides visitors to Abu Dhabi with all medical offerings and healthcare facilities available throughout the duration of their visit.
Turkey named sixth most visited country in the world in 2018 by UNWTO
UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has announced that Turkey was the sixth most visited destination in the world in the year 2018 with 46 million visitors. The UN’s travel arm has released its latest figures detailing the movement of tourists around the world in 2018. Last year, 1.4 billion holidaymakers left home for an overseas break, 5.6% more than in 2017. “This is a great achievement for Turkey and coming from UNWTO, this speaks about the credibility of data and numbers. By the end on 2019 we are expecting 55 million tourist arrivals. From India, the number of tourist arrivals to Turkey is expected to reach 2.5 lakh tourists. Apart from FITs we have also seen a surge in weddings and MICE travel from India to Turkey, which is our big focus,” said H.Deniz Ersoz, culture and tourism counsellor of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office in India.
Americans left record 768 million vacation days unused in 2018
US workers left a record number of vacation days on the table last year—768 million days, up 9 % from 2017—according to new research from the US Travel Association, Oxford Economics and Ipsos. Of the unused days, 236 million were forfeited completely, equating to USD 65.5 billion in lost benefits. More than half (55%) of workers reported they did not use all their allotted time off. While American workers are leaving more unused days on the table, they are also taking more days of paid time off. They took off an average of 17.2 days in 2017 and 17.4 days in 2018. Employment in the US is strong and the workforce is increasing, and American workers are now earning more paid time off—23.9 days of paid time off in 2018 compared to 23.2 days in 2017. The number of unused days climbed 9% in 2018 because the number of earned days is increasing faster than paid time off days used. The number of paid time off days used has been slowly rising since 2014. The latest study also discerned a broader economic cost. Over 80% of American workers say it is important to use their time off to travel, the report found, but they do not actually take the trip. If Americans used their time off to travel, the economic opportunity amounts to USD 151.5 billion in additional travel spending and two million American jobs. Reasons such as cost, difficulty in getting away from work and air travel hassles were cited in the study as being top barriers to travel. Consistent with previous US travel reports, the study shows that vacation planners use more of their time and take longer and more impactful vacations than non-planners. Nearly half (46%) of American households do not take the time to plan their vacations and lose out on a multitude of benefits. While older Americans take more time off than younger age groups, millennials use a greater share of their vacation days to travel (63%). Often at the height of their careers, Gen Xers are the most likely generation to travel for vacation to avoid burnout (63%) compared to millennials or baby boomers (both 55%).
Chinese tourists spend USD 130 billion overseas in 2018
Chinese tourists made 149 million overseas trips in 2018, with total spending amounting to USD 130 billion. The data marked a year-on-year increase of 14.7% and 13%, respectively. This was revealed by a recent report released by the China Tourism Academy. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the number of global travellers will exceed 1.8 billion by 2030. China is considered the world's fastest growing tourism market and will play a key role in the sector’s development. The domestic tourism market is also booming. In the first half of the year, China's domestic tourism revenue came in at CNY 2.78 trillion (USD 402 billion), up 13.5% year on year, according to the report. The academy has predicted domestic tourism revenue will expand by another 10% this year.
Orange County sets tourism record: Attracts over 50 million visitors in 2018
According to the Orange County Visitors Association (OCVA), Orange County in Southern California welcomed a record-breaking 50.16 million visitors in 2018. This tremendous milestone brought with it an impressive visitor spending of more than USD 13 billion. The over 50 million visitor achievement reflects a 1.6% increase in visitation over 2017 figures. With respect to visitor spending, the new tally is 4.2% higher than 2017 levels, with spend from Middle East visitors ranking eighth amongst international guests. The OCVA Dubai office also reached a milestone this month celebrating its fifth year since the opening of the regional office in the Middle East, making the OCVA the first and longest US destination to have a permanent promotional office in the Middle East. “Visitors from the Middle East travel to Orange County California knowing they will be provided both with a warm welcome and one-of-a-kind experiences,” said Ed Fuller, president and CEO, Orange County Visitors Association. OCVA is constantly working to build unique value-added packages for visitors from the Middle East while extending offering and reputation as a world-class destination, he added.
3.8% uptick in European business travel spending in 2018
European business travel spend will increase by 4.3% in 2019, according to the European Business Travel Barometer study published by American Express Global Business Travel (GBT). The European Business Travel Barometer is the longest-running study of European business travel. The 28th edition summarises 2018’s trends and insights while looking ahead to the end of 2019. It found that in 2018, the amount of money spent on business travel increased by 3.8% year on year, 0.4% more than was forecast in the previous barometer. There was also a 3.6% annual rise in the number of people travelling for work. Senior vice president and managing director of international at GBT, Elyes Mrad, said: “The findings of the study are positive. After a year of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, businesses are still focused on investing in travel to foster relationships and facilitate growth.” The research also revealed a shift in managed travel priorities. For the last three years, traveller security was the top of the list. This year, cost control takes precedence, followed by data security. Top priorities for managing a travel programme 1. Control and management of costs 2. Data security 3. Traveller security 4. Traveller satisfaction Despite being ranked fourth, 71% of businesses now measure traveller satisfaction compared to only 56% in the previous year. As a result, two-thirds (66%) of companies now use traveller satisfaction as a tool to improve employee engagement, which is reflected in a shift away from strict travel policies (a decrease of 16% between 2016 and 2018) in favour of greater flexibility. Mrad added: “The challenge businesses face is balancing cost efficiency and effectiveness, enabling travel to support their objectives, but at the same time, meeting the needs and expectations of employees. We expect to see a growing demand for flexible, smarter travel policies, tools and services that respond quickly to traveller feedback.” A summary of research results and analysis from the 2019 European Business Travel Barometer is available to download here. About the research The European Business Travel Barometer is an annual study of 1000 companies of all sizes, across 10 European countries conducted between September 2018 to November 2018.
2018 in review: Movers and shakers in the hotel space
Janus, the Roman god in which January is named after, has two heads, looking at opposite directions. It's simultaneously learning from the past and planning for the future. So, what does this mean for the hotel industry? Absolutely nothing. But we can learn by looking at the past, don’t we? Mergers, acquisitions, and billion-dollar funding rounds — so much have happened in 2018 and so I’ve thought of compiling them into one bite-sized piece. Up and coming OYO 105 La Maison d Ilona, Jakarta As I’ve mentioned in Champions of travel: Who won 2018 according to the TD team, my pick as the brand to watch for is OYO Rooms, founded by Ritesh Agarwal. The Indian startup is hailed as South Asia’s largest and fastest-growing brand, with over 12,000 asset owners spread across six countries including India, China, Malaysia, Nepal, the UK, the UAE and more recently, Indonesia. With more than USD 1 billion in the bank — you can bet OYO will push through with its new year’s resolutions. Acquisitions Hyatt acquires Two Roads Hospitality Alila Yangshuo - Two Roads Hospitality In 2018, we’ve seen companies purchase smaller groups to expand its portfolio and enter new markets. One of which is Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which announced to acquire Two Roads Hospitality and its 85 properties in eight countries. Through the USD 480 million acquisition, Hyatt will expand its presence into 23 new markets. Wyndham purchases La Quinta Holdings Ramada by Wyndham Lisbon In January last year, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement under which it will acquire La Quinta’s hotel franchise and hotel management businesses for USD 1.95 billion in cash. With the acquisition, the group seeks to expand 21 brands with over 9,000 hotels across more than 75 countries. Minor International takes over NH Hotels Anantara Riverside, Bangkok, a Minor Group property Back around June of last year, Thai-based hotel operator Minor International purchased HNA Group’s 25.2% stake of NH Hotels Group for USD 729 million. Moving forward to October, Minor International has won acceptances for 47.76% of NH Hotels Group, bringing its total stake to 94.14%. NH Hotels’ portfolio includes around 380 hotels in Europe and Latin America, while Minor has 161 properties across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. Global takeovers AccorHotels AccorHotels - Novotel AccorHotels, already one of the world’s largest hotel companies — promises to be even bigger in the next few years. All in 2018, the group filed a tender offer to purchase the remaining shares of Orbis, one of the largest hotel operators in Central and Eastern Europe; announced the completion of its acquisition of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts; and announced to open 500 hotels in South America by 2020. This puts the company on track of opening one hotel every single day by the following year. Marriott International London Marriott Hotel County Hall Also dominating the industry is the hospitality juggernaut Marriott International. Last year, the group managed to partner up with Alibaba to introduce facial recognition in China (proving its strength even after its online gaffe with the government); and announced to upgrade its portfolio, with over 30 projects in the MENA region and 35 in Europe. The group also appointed Publicis Groupe as its media representative and unified its loyalty programmes. Hilton Hilton, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, has no plans of slowing down, with an ambitious plan of growing its brand in Southeast Asia. The group currently has 40 hotels in operation with 50 properties in its pipeline. Over the next few years, Hilton will be opening milestone properties across the region. Other noteworthy groups are the US-based Dream Hotel Group, which aims to triple its global portfolio by 2022; Rotana, which plans on expanding in Africa, the Middle East and Europe; and Best Western, which is ready to open a number of properties in key Asian markets.
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January 2018 – Operational Excellence in Airports Summit 2018
World’s Leading Operation Excellence in Airports Summit focused on Providing Airports and Aviation Authorities with Proven Strategies and Innovation in
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Bright’s plans for 2019
Bright (Bringing Real Information & Guaranteed High Quality Training) has announced details of its 13 road shows for 2019. Exclusively
Bright’s plans for 2019
Bright (Bringing Real Information & Guaranteed High Quality Training) has announced details of its 13 road shows for 2019. Exclusively
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