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World Tourism Day 2009: "Tourism – Celebrating Diversity"

World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on September 27, will be taking place this year in Accra, Ghana. As part of the official celebrations, UNWTO will collaborate with the host country to organize a Think Tank around the 2009 theme “Tourism: Celebrating Diversity."

This will be World Tourism Day’s 30th anniversary and presents an opportunity to highlight the wealth of cultural and natural diversity across the globe, as well as the role of sustainable tourism in preserving this diversity. Diversity has long been the driving force behind tourism which in turn has become an engine for socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, and international understanding. As world leaders come together to tackle the challenges of climate change and the economic crisis, diversity will continue to drive tourism, engendering international cooperation, and ensuring sustainable development.

Following the successful experience of previous World Tourism Day celebrations, UNWTO is organizing with the host, Ghana, a Think Tank based on the World Tourism Day Theme: “Tourism: Celebrating Diversity." Bringing together leading public and private tourism stakeholders, as well as members of the media and UNWTO representatives, the Think Tank promises to be instrumental in raising awareness of the significance of diversity and sustainable tourism.

The Think Tank will:

• Highlight tourism’s capacity to maintain diversity in the face of globalization

• Outline how tourism can enhance cultural and environmental diversity

• Consider the role of tourism in engendering international cooperation

The main purpose of World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic values.

Assistant Secretary-General & Spokesperson: Geoffrey Lipman Media Officer: Marcelo Risi T: +34 91-567-8178 / +34 91-567-8100 F: +34 91-567-8218 Email: comm@UNWTO.org Web: www.UNWTO.org

St. Maarten Prepares for its 8th Annual Regional Tradeshow SMART 2009

The travel industry of St. Maarten - St. Martin will be receiving international travel partners and wholesale travel agents for the staging and offer of the island's general hotel and tourism services.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten (PRWEB) May 18, 2009 -- The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, L'Office du Tourisme de St. Martin, St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association and L'Association des Hoteliers de St. Martin presents its 2009 St. Maarten - St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART).

St. Maarten SMART 2009

The 8th SMART edition will take place from Wednesday May 20th through Friday May 22nd, 2009 at the Radisson St. Martin Resort Marina & Spa. The SMART conference has become the first congress to showcase the hotels and general tourism services of the Northeastern Caribbean Region which include Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, Barbados and St. Maarten - St. Martin.

The SMART 2009 conference offers the perfect setting and business atmosphere for international buyers to meet one-on-one with suppliers of the Northeastern Caribbean Region's tourism industry. Over 50 supplier companies will be presenting their product to more than 30 buyers.

Suppliers and buyers will have this exclusive opportunity to go over business opportunities with decision making representatives all in one place. Starting from day one at the welcome reception, travel representatives will have the opportunity to socialize and talk business within a more relaxed environment.

The schedule for the 8th SMART conference is as follows:

May 20, 2009
Official Arrival Day for Buyers & Suppliers
2:00pm - 6:00pm............ Registration & Credentials Claiming
4:00pm - 6:00pm............ Supplier Tabletop Setup
7:30pm............................ Welcome Reception

May 21, 2009
7:30am - 9:30am............ Registration & Credentials Claiming
8:45am - 9:45am............ Buyer to Supplier Scheduling Session
10:00am - 5:30pm.......... Pre-Scheduled Appointments
12:30pm - 2:30pm..........A "Working Lunch" is provided
7:30pm...........................Farewell Party

May 22, 2009
9:00am - 12:00pm.......... Additional Optional Appointments
9:00am - 12:00pm.......... Small Hotels Sales & Marketing Training
9:00am - 4:30pm............ Hotel Visits, Island Tours

Jamaican Tourism under pressure

if there were still some uncertainty about the impact of the global crisis on the Jamaican economy, figures posted last week by the Jama ica Tourist Board (JTB) on visitor arrivals for March and the first quarter of the year leave no doubt that the tourist industry is hurting.

The drop in arrivals in March reverses increases in January and February and diminishes the hope that the island would return to a growth path after three consecutive months of declines from October to December 2008. It also resulted in a growth rate of only 0.6 per cent for the financial year 2008-09 as against an original target of 13.5 per cent. When account is taken of the new rooms opened during the period, this meagre growth means that sections of the industry experienced significantly lower occupancy levels.

The double-digit decline in US tourists in March, even after normalising for Easter traffic and other special circumstances in this month last year, suggests that the move by American consumers to cut spending on vacations has taken effect. In fact, this was the fifth straight monthly decline since the downturn in US visitor arrivals began in July 2008. With recent economic data showing that US consumer spending fell for the second consecutive month in April, we should anticipate further slippage in arrivals of American tourists in the months ahead.

Leading indicator

Such an outcome should not be surprising, since the unemployment rate, which is a leading indicator of consumer spending, is expected to continue a steep climb into 2010. Moreover, the pressure on consumers in a tight economy to save more means that they will be looking for bargains and hence, heavy discounting will be necessary to attract travel bookings. Not only will the tourist industry be buffeted by declining arrivals, but its revenues are going to be squeezed.

The return of Mexico, which is planning to mount a multimillion-dollar campaign to restore its brand and bring visitors back to Cancun and other competing resort areas, is being anticipated. It is another factor that will make the marketplace more turbulent for Jamaica and other Caribbean destinations in the late summer. Hotels in Cancun have already cut rates by 50-70 per cent and are offering credit worth up to US$250 for food and other items.

According to a senior vice-president of Apple Vacations, one of the leading tour operators doing business in Jamaica, Mexico is already offering holiday packages that are 70 per cent and 50 per cent cheaper for May and June, respectively. As he says, there will be "a bonanza of good deals this summer".

In the meantime, Jamaica is benefiting from the diversion in tourist traffic from Mexico. We have, therefore, done better in April and are enjoying higher arrivals in May than were earlier anticipated. After this temporary relief, the difficult prevailing economic conditions will make it extremely challenging for the industry to achieve even the modest growth target of six per cent.

Still, there are some positive features of the tourism landscape which should provide encouragement as the industry confronts the difficulties. First, the Canadian market is sustaining its powerful momentum, recording growth of 27.7 per cent in the January - March 2009 period, after the extraordinary 23.9 per cent increase in 2008. From all indications, this market has potential for further strong growth, especially as, so far, Canada has weathered the economic sto rm

much better than its powerful neighbour and the Euro zone region.

Positive responses

Second, the over 2,000 new hotel rooms by Iberostar, Fiesta and Riu, which have recently come on stream, will continue to spur interest in the destination, particularly in a market where consumers are going to be looking keenly for value. Other new products by Palmyra Resorts and Secrets are slated to come on to the market later this year and in 2010, adding more excitement to Jamaica's tourism offerings. Also, my impression is that improvements to our infrastructure are continuing to generate positive responses in the marketplace. These are factors that should enable the island to hold its own in a period of heightened competition.

Our heavy dependence on the US, which, in spite of the recent rapid growth of the Canadian market, still provides over 60 per cent of our visitors, remains an overpowering influence on the industry's prospects. At best, it will constrain the ability of the island to expand visitor arrivals over the next 18-24 months. The tourist industry cannot, therefore, be relied upon to offset the loss in foreign-exchange earnings by the bauxite sector and the falling inflows from remittances. Very likely, the returns from the industry will go down, even if we are fortunate to contain the slippage in arrivals.

At least, employment levels should not suffer major fallout since the additional jobs being created by the new hotels should help to offset job losses at existing properties. The buoyancy of recent years may not, however, return for some time.

By; Dennis Morrison

More training for tourism workers in Antigua

The Ministry of Tourism continues to place heavy focus on education and skills’ training for tourism and hospitality industry workers as the country’s mainstay industry is caught in a global economic downturn.

Its training series continued with a third programme scheduled to begin today, which targets employees in the front desk and housekeeping areas.

“This pragmatic action by the Ministry of Tourism aims at ensuring that employees continue to give the best possible experience to our visitors and that they (employees) continue to sharpen their skills in preparation for the economic recovery and beyond,” a press release stated.

Middle management employees along with prospective supervisors and managers will be exposed to training which covers the full range of skills needed to deliver maximum level of guest service in a productive and professional manner.

Thirty registered participants who applied to write the Certified Hospitality Department Trainer (CHDT) exam have been approved.

They will write the exam this Friday and will have the opportunity to earn the CHDT designation, internationally recognised and awarded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AH&LEI).

Manager of Tourism Education, Training and Awareness, Cynthia Simon, expressed confidence that tourism, a highly-resilient sector, will eventually return to strong growth.

She said that making this opportunity available is a confirmation of the ministry’s unswerving commitment to improving the human resource capacity of the tourism sector, and to excellence in the country’s tourism product offerings and services.

The series of training programmes executed as part of a capacity building project focusing on tourism training and certification, is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism and the Organization of American States (OAS).

Schiller International offers 15 scholarships to Caribbean students

chiller International University is partnering with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) to offer 15 scholarships to Caribbean hotel industry personnel and students pursuing hotel careers.

In a joint press release issued on February 23 from Puerto Rico, it was stated that Schiller offers US$45,000 annually in matching tuition funds to CHTAEF Scholars who are enrolled full-time. Students can move between campuses during their degree programme to grow their international exposure. Schiller also offers an on-line option whereby 2 semesters per academic year can be taken on-line and the summer semester on the Florida campus.

Kathy-Ann Bernard, Director of Recruitment, Caribbean, Schiller International University and a passionate Trinidadian said “I’m very excited by this partnership and really hope to welcome at least one national from every Caribbean country to Schiller in the coming years. Currently we have students from Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.”

She further noted that “Applications with CHTAEF is due March 16, 2009 and consideration will be given to applicants who have received an offer or an acceptance letter from Schiller International University”

Clive Barnes, Trustee CHTAEF commented “we are very happy to begin what promises to be a strong relationship with Schiller International University that offers great flexibility and international experiences to Caribbean students of International Tourism & Hospitality”

For more details one could visit the CHTAEF website  www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com click on EDUCATION FOUNDATION for full details, an Info-Sheet and an application form. Applicants may request info-sheet & application form by e-mailing foundation@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or asking their National Hotel Association.  Absolute final date for receipt of applications is 16th March 2009.

Schiller International University proposes education as a force to unite people, nations and cultures to encourage active development of international understanding. Since 1964, Schiller has been providing students around the world with the opportunity to learn in a truly global environment. 

An independent American university, Schiller has campuses in Florida USA, London UK and Leysin Switzerland that offer International Hotel & Tourism Management degrees at Associates, Bachelors and Masters levels. Students study with faculty from all over the world, in an environment that encourages diversity, leadership and international understanding. Schiller’s student body is represented by over 100 nations.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Education Foundation (CHTAEF) was established in 1987 as a non-profit organisation, through which scholarships and special assistance would be made available for the education of Caribbean hotel industry personnel and students pursuing hotel careers.

As part of its mission, the Foundation provides people throughout the Caribbean region with an awareness of the industry’s varied career opportunities, as well as technical and professional development. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded close to US$1 million in scholarships and grants to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hotel and tourism industry. 

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) aims to facilitate the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members’ needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.  CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism.

Today, tourism is widely recognised as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region - and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshalling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions.  CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 800 member hotels and 750 allied members.