2018 Spring Edition
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
EVENTS
ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS
- AUTHENTIC AND TRANSFORMATIVE – THE TRAVEL BUZZWORDS
- IN THE FIELD WITH GUIDO GRAF | TASTING NEW PLACES
Gastronomy
- OLYMPIC GASTRONOMY
- GREAT LUNCH! LET’S WALK IT OFF… ON THE WAY OF ST JAMES
- FRENCH FLAVOUR AROUND THE GLOBE
- 2018: MACAO’S YEAR OF GASTRONOMY
Luxury in Middle East
ILTM Rising Stars
Cultural Tourism
Religious Tourism
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST
Transport
- NEW AIR TERMINAL IN MUSCAT
- KENYA AIRWAYS —TAKES ACTION ON ZEROTOLERANCE POLICY THROUGH STAFF TRAINING AND AWARENESS RAISING
- IATA WELCOMES SINGLE AFRICAN AIR TRANSPORT MARKET
- CONFIDENCE IS IN THE AIR FOR QATAR AIRWAYS
News Briefs
- ABU DHABI TOURISM HOTTING UP WITH SEVERAL MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
- TOURISM KEY FACTOR TO GROWTH IN OMAN
- US$10BN INVESTMENT IN BAHRAIN TOURISM SECTOR
- SAUDI HOSPITALITY SECTOR TO GROW 13.5% PER ANNUM TO 2022
- CAPE TOWN DEVELOPMENT NEARS COMPLETION
- NUMBERS EXPECTED TO RISE IN UGANDA’S GORILLA CENSUS
Facts & Figures
- STRONG RECOVERY IN NORTH AFRICA DRIVES REGION’S RESULTS
- SUSTAINED DEMAND IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH FEW DECLINES
Trending Destinations
- EUROPEANS BOOST VISITOR NUMBERS TO SHARJAH
- AMMAN, CENTRE OF ARAB CONTEMPORARY ARTS
- ABU DHABI SETS ITS SIGHTS ON 8.5 MILLION VISITORS BY 2021
- QATAR BENEFITS FROM VISA-FREE ENTRY
- TOURISM INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO MOROCCO’S DEVELOPMENT
- MAYOTTE TAKES LEADERSHIP OF VANILLA ISLANDS
- CÔTE D’IVOIRE BOOSTS ARRIVALS – AND INFRASTRUCTURE
- INANDA HERITAGE ROUTE: AN INSPIRING SOUTH AFRICAN OFFERING
- KENYA INVITES THE WORLD TO EXPERIENCE ITS YEAR-ROUND SAFARI
Trending Hotels
INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGIES
- ON-SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT IN THE HOTEL: I WANT IT ALL AND I WANT IT NOW
- IN THE FIELD WITH DAVID ESSERYK TWO WAYS ONE CAN ACCESS DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT… BUT ARE THEY INTERCHANGEABLE?
- STREAMING WITHOUT BORDERS
- IN-ROOM CONTENT – DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
- CHROMECAST ARRIVES IN HOTELS
- MY CONTENT ON YOUR SCREEN
- LED COMES TO HOSPITALITY
- ONE STEP BEYOND – THE WALL
- BLOCKCHAIN TEST-RUN AT NORDIC CHOICE
EDITORIAL: THE KENT EFFECT – FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AN ECO-TOURISM PIONEER
In undertaking research and conducting interviews for this edition of the Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport, the fact that tourism can really be beneficial for the planet has been highlighted in a very concrete way.
Indeed, Geoffrey Kent, the pioneer in African eco-tourism, hammered his desk with his fist to underline not just the importance, but the absolute essential nature of tourism, but even more so eco-tourism, in saving what’s left of the world’s fauna and flora. Local communities are able to be brought to understand that as tourists come to “shoot the animals with their cameras”, these same animals, and the forest they live in, must be protected at all cost, or the people will lose their livelihoods. Over time, this philosophy has resulted in not only a halting of the decline in mountain gorilla numbers in West Africa, but a slow but constant growth in their population over the past 20 years. If the same philosophy is applied on a global scale, perhaps we can turn around some of the damage that has been done in other regions. While Mr Kent is setting an example, we hope this example might be followed countless times in order to create a worldwide ripple effect, echoing the cries of the UNWTO last year with its Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development… a movement which is now, thankfully, ongoing.
This edition’s regional spotlight is the Middle East and Africa, where tourism growth is essential to aiding the growth and wellbeing of nations. Our Elite Travel Trends section highlights gastronomy in tourism – with local flavours adding to the memory of the experience. And in our innovations and technology section, we take a close-up look at streaming content… for those who want to choose their own content, when and where they want.
We hope you enjoy the read!