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Professional Development
  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 02/11/2013 • 1 Comments

    Las Vegas Sees Highest Convention Attendance in Four Years

    Las Vegas—where this year's WEC is being held—welcomed a record 39.7 million visitors in 2012, approximately a half-million more visitors than the previous high of 39.2 million set in 2007. The record visitation generated more than US$40 billion in economic impact for the local economy last year.

    The 2012 year-end statistics, released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), point to continued recovery for Las Vegas tourism with increases in all of the key core indicators.

    "The record visitation is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our resort partners and every employee who works in the industry," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the LVCVA. "Tourism is the economic leader for Southern Nevada and the entire state, so we are encouraged to see positive signs of continued growth for the industry. With more than $2 billion of reinvestment in the destination, Las Vegas is well positioned for continued growth in 2013 and on the threshold of hosting more than 40 million visitors."

    Other highlights include

    • Compared to 2011, visitor volume increased 2.1 percent in 2012 with approximately 800,000 more guests, allowing the destination to reach 39.7 million annual visitors.
    • Gradual improvement in the meeting and convention industry with 4.9 million delegates attending a convention, trade show or meeting in 2012, reflecting a 1.6 percent increase over last year. This is the highest convention attendance in four years.
    • Las Vegas hosted 21,615 meetings, tradeshows or conventions in 2012, up 13.6 percent from the 2011 total of 19,029. The 2012 total is the highest number of meetings and conventions held in Las Vegas since 2008.
    • Average citywide occupancy was up 0.6 percentage points to 84.4 percent for 2012. Las Vegas’ citywide occupancy is 23 percentage points higher than the national average of 61.4 percent. With industry-leading occupancy of 84.4 percent for its 150,481 rooms, Las Vegas fills more rooms per night on average than any destination in North America. 

    Another positive indicator for Southern Nevada’s tourism industry is the addition of nearly 23,000 jobs in the resort-industry since the recessionary low in November 2009. Tourism supports 370,000 jobs, or 46 percent of all the local jobs.

    Additional information regarding Las Vegas 2012 visitors will be available later this spring when the LVCVA releases its annual "Visitor Profile Study," detailing visitor trends, attitudes, behaviors and spending habits while visiting the destination. 



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 02/08/2013 • 0 Comments

    Ramon Alvarez Award Created and Announced

    At FITUR in Madrid, Spain, the Excelencias Awards were announced last month. These awards aim to encourage excellence in different areas of the tourism industry.

    Ramon Alvarez, president and founder of Convenco - GSAR Marketing, who passed away in July 2012, received the Posthumous Excelencias Award for a whole life dedicated to the tourism industry. The award was collected by Charo Trabado, general manager of GSAR Marketing.

    As a recognition of his achievements and contributions to the tourism industry, the Excelencias Group has created the Ramon Alvarez Award in his honor. This award will be part of the Excelencias Awards from the next FITUR edition going forward, and it will be delivered to a personality in the tourism field.

    To learn more about Alavarez, please see Michael Pinchera's blog entry from last July.



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 11/22/2011 • 0 Comments

    Scotland's Winning Years

    "Scotland is in danger of missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 'change the face of tourism' in the country over the next three years," warned VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay via the Scotsman.

    "Cantlay wants business to start planning now on how to benefit from the eagerly-awaited Disney/Pixar animated film Brave, which is released next year, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the Ryder Cup in 2014."

    The Winning Years initiative...was launched soon after the revelation that the number of overseas visitors was down by 17 percent in the first half of 2011, while the U.K. as a whole saw a 5 percent increase. The total of U.K. visitors to Scotland, however, increased 6 percent in this same time period.

    "Cantlay admitted the industry was at a major 'crossroads' this year, insisting it had been outperforming many European rivals in withstanding the impact of the economic downturn, but was also in danger of failing to make the most of a three-year sporting and cultural bonanza."

    Image (CC) theedinburghblog.co.uk



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 11/10/2011 • 1 Comments

    Free Nationwide Wi-Fi

    Free Wi-Fi from here?

    Tomorrow, one country in the world will have free, nationwide Wi-Fi access. Surprisingly, that country is Barbados.

    Yes, the beautiful Caribbean island with a thriving international business landscape and diverse cultures--from Carnival to Diwali. The project called 11.11.11 ON launches on Nov. 11, 2011. (Get it? Binary.) The key reasons for implementing this enlightened tech advance are many.

    1. Show the world that the island views technology and global business as a priority.
    2. Enhance the communications infrastructure for Barbados-based business.
    3. Allow Bajan (or what non-locals might incorrectly call "Barbadian") business greater access to the global marketplace.
    4. Expand connectivity options for tourists--a trip to the southern Caribbean no longer means being unplugged (unless you want it to).
    5. Expedite the nation's social and productivity development.

    All of those are outstanding reasons for an island nation to embrace free, widespread Wi-Fi for all.

    And now I can move to Barbados and continue writing and editing One+ content remotely :) 

    For more information, check out www.barbadosentrepreneurshipfoundation.org.

    Image: (CC) ian 1602



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 10/09/2011 • 1 Comments

    Ray Bloom Named Industry Visionary

    The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) recently announced that Ray Bloom, IMEX Group Chairman, is the first person to be named to ICTP’s “Industry Visionaries” roll. ICTP has long been a supporter of IMEX America, and, equally important, has been a friend and admirer of Ray Bloom and what he has done for the meeting industry.

    When Bloom was about to launch EIBTM more than 20 years ago, he visited with ICTP President Geoffrey Lipman in Geneva and laid out his plans to create the biggest MICE event ever. He had no backers—just an embryonic plan and a vision. Lipman remembers listening to Ray, smiling and thinking, “He’s charming, but he’s crazy!”

    Over the years, Bloom proved Lipman wrong on the second point, and he even asked Lipman to keynote his first exhibition. Over the years, Lipman has had that honor several times—each to a bigger, more committed audience.

    Today, Bloom is on the verge of fulfilling his great vision for the third time and in the process is playing an important role in advancing the travel industry on the world stage. He still remains the warm, personal, family-oriented man who has time for every exhibitor no matter whether they are big, small or simply a start-up.

    Bloom's exhibitions are very important to ICPT, because they embody ICTP’s driving principles—the search for quality and recognition of the importance of the green agenda. The IMEX exhibitions also demonstrate the key contribution of the business travel sector to the broader visitor economy—a fact that is often lost in the word “tourism” and is frequently unrecognized by the policymakers who so strongly influence the collective destinies related to tourism.

    “We are proud to make Ray Bloom the first name on ICTP’s 'Industry Visionaries' roll," Lipman said. "We salute him as a visionary, a creator and, above all, as someone who has remained a fundamentally decent person despite his great success.”



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 08/01/2011 • 0 Comments

    Big Island Returns to Original Name

    Tourism officials are changing the way they refer to Hawaii’s Big Island and returning to the island’s Hawaiian name, Hawaii. To avoid confusion with the state name, everyone is encouraged to use Hawaii Island when referring to the island. 

    The neighbor islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Kauai, Molokai, Kahoolawe and Niihau were also independently named by early Hawaiians. But when King Kamehameha the Great, who hailed from Hawaii Island, unified all of the islands under his rule in 1810, the Kingdom of Hawaii was established and it encompassed all the islands. When the Kingdom was overthrown in 1893, and the Territory of Hawaii was established (followed by Statehood) Hawaii became the name for the entire chain of islands.

    “Our name is Hawaii,” said Big Island Visitors Bureau Executive Director George Applegate. “We’ve used the nickname, ‘Big Island,’ for the last 25 years to distinguish Hawaii, the island from Hawaii, the state. The ‘Big Island’ nickname has since become part of our history and people are connected to it, but it’s not the name of our island. Identifying our island by nickname has not always set well with many people who live, work and play here. The nickname has confused some visitors, who think the ‘Big Island’ means ‘big city,’ and mistake Hawaii Island for Oahu, home to the state capital of Honolulu. We will introduce the island as Hawaii Island moving forward.”



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 06/16/2011 • 1 Comments

    Olympic Event Helps With Tourism

    Awareness of Canada as a tourism destination, created through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is translating into travel bookings in the Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC) core markets as a result of post-Games marketing campaigns.

    Highlights include:

    • 290,000 British travelers were inspired by Canada’s marketing campaigns to book flights to Canada—almost double 2009 and triple 2008 figures. Tourism revenues from this market were up over 2009 by CAD$134 million (from $256 million to $380 million), reflecting the additional traffic.
    • More than 70,000 Australians shifted from considering a trip to Canada to making a firm booking in 2010—twice 2009 numbers. Revenues rose from $62 million to $117 million.
    • Some 128,000 German travelers were persuaded by CTC marketing campaigns to book a trip to Canada in 2010, up from 91,000 the previous year. Revenues rose by $61 million to $196 million.
    • CTC marketing campaigns convinced 120,000 French travellers to take a trip to Canada, generating $160 million in revenues.
    • CTC’s media and public relations activity around the games resulted in global coverage for travel to Canada and roughly $1 billion in “advertising value equivalency” in 2010. 


    These figures come from an interim report, "Tourism Steps Up to the Podium," prepared by the CTC. This interim accounting examines the early results from the Government of Canada’s investment in a $26-million, tourism-focused strategy to leverage the games.

    "As host of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Canada seized the opportunity to showcase the spirit and hospitality of its people and the natural wonder of our attractions to the world,” said the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism). "Our tourism industry is poised to build on the successful collaboration of public and private partners as we focus on drawing many more visitors to Canada." 

    As part of its tourism strategy, Canada became the first hosting country to successfully integrate new, high-definition footage of tourism experiences into the coverage of the games by international broadcasters. Audiences around the globe followed the games, and also got a taste of the Canadian adventures that await them here in all regions of the country.

    “From the outset, we knew that our job was to market Canada—to use the games platform to advance Canada’s tourism brand,” said Michele McKenzie, CTC president and CEO. “Through innovative campaigns, bold strategy and judicious investments, we are competing to keep Canada front of mind as a premier tourism destination in 2011 and beyond, ensuring that international travelers can find—and experience—the Canada they saw on their screens during the games.”



  • Posted by Jessie States at
    12:00AM 01/18/2011 • 0 Comments

    Queensland: Please Come Visit

    Queensland officials are urging Australians to support the flood-impacted region by visiting the state and boosting its economy. Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor says that while Queensland faces its most challenging natural disaster, tourism and business events must continue. 

    "We have seen lives lost and communities devastated by these floods and our state will face one of the toughest challenges it has ever experienced to recover from this tragedy," he said. "During all of this, it has been heartening to see the community stand together and support each other as we face this unimaginable loss."

    Lawlor asks national and international visitors to continue planning trips in Queensland and supporting local businesses that have been hit hard by the floods.  Tourism contributes AUD$9.2 billion per annum to the state, directly employing 122,000 people and indirectly employing 100,000 more. 

    "I want to assure travellers that Queensland's tourism destinations unaffected by flooding still have the red carpet rolled out to welcome interstate and international visitors and are very much operating," he said late last week. 

    Areas such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Whitsundays, Far North and North Queensland are functioning normally.



  • Posted by Jessie States at
    12:00AM 01/18/2011 • 0 Comments

    It's Baaack...

    Global tourism mirrored its international events counterpart last year, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, with arrivals up 7 percent to 935 million. As we know, the meetings market also saw huge gains, and industry professionals predict an additional 8 percent jump in international events in 2011 (FutureWatch). 

    As for the tourism numbers, the U.N. reports that most destinations posted positive figures, sufficient to offset recent losses or bring them close to this target. However, recovery came at different speeds and was primarily driven by emerging economies. 

    ASIA (+13%) was the first region to recover. International arrivals reached a new record at 204 million last year, up from 181 million in 2009.

    AFRICA (+6% to 49 million), the only region to show positive figures in 2009, maintained growth during 2010, benefiting from increasing economic dynamism and the hosting of events such as the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. 

    MIDDLE EAST (+14% to 60 million) saw almost all destinations grow by 10% or more.

    EUROPE (+3% to 471 million) recovery was slower than in other regions due to the air traffic disruption caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano and the economic uncertainty affecting the euro zone. However, the sector gained momentum from the second half of the year and some individual countries performed well above the regional average, though not sufficient to bring overall results above the losses of 2009.

    AMERICAS (+8% to 151 million) rebounded from the decline in 2009 brought on by the economic hardship suffered in North America and the impact of the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak. The return to growth in the US economy has helped improve the region’s results as a whole, as did the increasing regional integration in Central and South America and the vitality of Latin American economies. Growth was strongest in SOUTH AMERICA (+10%).  

    Among the top outbound tourism markets in terms of expenditure abroad, emerging economies continued to drive growth: China (+17%), the Russian Federation (+26%), Saudi Arabia (+28%) and Brazil (+52%). Of the traditional source markets, Australia (+9%), Canada (+8%), Japan (+7%) and France (+4%) rebounded, while more modest growth (2%) came from the U.S., Germany and Italy. Expenditure abroad from the U.K. was still down by 4% in 2010. 

    The UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow between 4% to 5% in 2011, a rate slightly above the long-term average. Persistent high unemployment will remain a concern though, with a gradual recovery in employment expected for 2011 still too weak to compensate for the jobs lost during the economic crisis. The tendency to introduce and increase taxation on travel as a means of balancing public accounts represents a further challenge to the sector.



  • Posted by Blair Potter at
    12:00AM 12/16/2010 • 0 Comments

    Chernobyl Gets Down to Business

    Good news for nuclear disaster fans: the Chernobyl nuclear power plant will soon be open to tourists. Fingers crossed for a Chernobyl Conference & Exhibition Centre in the near future.

    Ukraine will open the zone around the Chernobyl reactor to visitors at some point next year, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry (via the Associated Press). Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 exploded in 1986 and spewed radiation over much of northern Europe, causing massive resettlement from areas contaminated with radiation fallout in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

    The highly contaminated area within a 30-mile radius of the exploded reactor was sealed off in the aftermath of the explosion, and all visits were prohibited. Several hundred evacuees have returned to their villages despite a government ban, and firms now offer tours, but the government says the tours are illegal and safety is not guaranteed. The new, government-sanctioned tours will be "medically safe and informative."



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