Travel Business News

AirGuide Business, Feb 4, 2008

Feb 4, 2008

World tourism exceeds expectations in 2007. The year 2007 exceeded the expectations for international tourism with arrivals reaching new record figures close to 900 million. The results confirm both the sustained growth path of the past years and the resilience of the sector regarding external factors. This development has been supported by a strong world economy, which has experienced its longest period of sustained growth for more than two decades. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism arrivals expanded by 6% in 2007, to 898 million international tourist arrivals, as compared to 2006. Jan 31, 2008

Airline Reporting Corporation

ARC Files Opening Submission with Arbitration Panel. The Airline Reporting Corporation filed its opening submission with the Independent Arbitration Panel (IAP) in ARC's dispute with ASTA over the reporting board's annual administrative fees. ASTA is opposed to the fee hikes and has taken the issue to the IAP for resolution. In a statement, ARC said it made changes in its fee program this year, including raising the fee for independent and home office locations to $395, and "rolling a number of miscellaneous matters that had been separately charged into the annual fee." ARC's statement also described the benefits travel agencies receive from its accreditation and settlement systems, and the many enhancements, such as the interactive reporting system (IAR) and the Document Retrieval System that ARC has added over the years. ARC said it feels that these are points that strongly support the fee hikes and at the same time refute the claims of ASTA that the benefits agents receive from ARC are "incidental" and "largely an illusion." The airline agency asserted that it is fair to increase the percentage contributions made by agents, and that the overall costs when viewed in absolute terms or in comparison with other expenditures are fair and reasonable. Feb 2, 2008

Amadeus

Amadeus' New Three-Year Guarantee Wins Support. Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, has extended its Full Content Option introduced in 2005 for another three years. It guarantees travel agents and corporations in Europe efficient access to an airlines' full range of fares through Amadeus until year-end 2010. Thirty-four airlines have already signed up for the program, including Air France-KLM, Iberia, Alitalia, TAP Air Portugal, Air Europa and Malev. A further 29 airlines have signed one-year full content agreements, according to David Jones, executive vice president, commercial, Amadeus. Jan 31, 2008

California Travel Tourism Commission

California Touts Wine and Food. The California Wine Institute and the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) are promoting the state's wine and cuisine offerings through a campaign called "Land of Food and Wine" and targeting what it calls culinary connoisseurs. A new website (www.landoffoodandwine.com) will debut soon at wine and food and travel media events in New York. In February, a national TV campaign featuring Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, will begin. The new website will feature an interactive Wine Region Explorer, showing the best California wine regions and wine and food itineraries, the best way to find local favorite eateries, blogs featuring wine and food luminaries, and a chance to win exclusive culinary adventures in California. According to the Travel Industry Association, 17 percent of American leisure travelers, or 27.3 million people, have engaged in culinary or wine-related activities while traveling. These travelers are well-educated and more affluent than other U.S. travelers and cross most age groups. Feb 3, 2008

Carlson Hotels Worldwide

Gullaksen To Lead Regent Luxury Group. Carlson Hotels Worldwide has promoted Bjorn Gullaksen to president and CEO of The Regent Luxury Group. Gullaksen will retain his responsibilities as executive vice president of managed hotels and resorts for Carlson Hotels Worldwide, the Americas, according to Minneapolis-based Carlson. "Regent Hotels and Resorts are poised for strong growth worldwide," said Jay Witzel, president and CEO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide. "Under Gullaksen's leadership, we look forward to building on the existing strong heritage and presence of Regent, bringing the Regent experience to new destinations around the world." Future global developments include Bangkok, Abu Dhabi and Dubrovnik. A Carlson spokesperson tells Travel Agent that Mark Conroy, who was president of the Regent hotel brand, will now concentrate on leading Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Carlson's cruise line before it was sold to Apollo Management. Jan 30, 2008

Carlson Leisure

Carlson Acquisition Affirms Confidence in Travel Agent Distribution Channel. In a stunning affirmation of the value of travel agents, Minneapolis-based Carlson agreed to the acquisition of its Carlson Leisure Group (CLG) led by Michael Batt. Batt has formed a new company Travel Acquisitions Group (TAG) to acquire the group. Jan 30, 2008