31 Mar, 2019
Global e-commerce sales up 13% to roughly $29 trillion in 2017 – UNCTAD report
Geneva, 29 March 2019 (UNCTAD media release) – Global e-commerce sales grew 13% in 2017, hitting an estimated $29 trillion, according to the latest numbers released today by UNCTAD. Editor’s Comment This could herald bad news for the future of shopping tourism. If consumers can buy whatever they want at a click of a button […]
more…18 Mar, 2019
June 14, 2019: First Forum on The Greatest Story in Global Tourism HiSTORY
Bangkok – At 0900 hrs on March 18, exactly 59 years ago, what was then known as the Tourist Organisation of Thailand opened for business. Its duty, in the words of Gen Chalermchai Charuvastr, its first Director-General, was to promote visitor arrivals by "creating a wholesome image" of the Thai more…11 Apr, 2018
FREE DOWNLOAD: The Next Big Thing – Thailand Outbound Travel Report 2018
Bangkok -- Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has made travel journalism history yet again by publishing the first report on the surging Thai outbound travel industry. The report is being made available FREE, thanks to support from Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat and Tourism Authority of Thailand more…17 Jul, 2017
FREE DOWNLOAD: The Olive Tree – How Travel & Tourism can Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The Olive Tree is the first and only publication designed to help Travel & Tourism become a more enthusiastic part of the solution in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Free download. Click on any of the images below. ============== The Olive Tree Edition 12, March-April 2019 [caption id="attachment_56967" align="aligncenter" width="424"] Click on more…1 Dec, 2016
Call for Entries: The First ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame
By Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire Bangkok – Today marks the launch of the ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame (ATTHoF), the first global website to honour the achievements of the many industry veterans and stalwarts who elevated this robust and dynamic industry to its present heights. Click here more…1 May, 2016
Can The Travel & Tourism Industry Think?
In 1998, Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, Professor in the Practice of Public Policy and Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, published a book called “Can Asians Think?” One review of the book says: “Asia's economies are poised to surpass those of more…31 Mar, 2019
Civil Society under attack in 111 countries, with populists, nationalists and extremists at the forefront
27 March 2019 (CIVICUS media release) - Civil society organisations providing humanitarian assistance to migrants and refugees are being targeted by governments mobilising right-wing populists, nationalists and extremist groups as the world faces a crisis of global compassion. This alarming trend is one of the findings of the State of Civil more…30 Mar, 2019
Sustainable Development Forum flags chasm between rhetoric and reality
Bangkok -- When Sabrina Rose Rasu, a young women's rights activist from Vanuatu, spoke at the Sixth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development on behalf of the Youth and Civil Society movements, she said explicitly, “We demand system change.” In four crystal clear words, she pinpointed both the problem (The System) more…15 Mar, 2019
Revealed: How Alwin Zecha and I helped the TAT bring the PATA HQ to Bangkok
Alwin Zecha, who passed away on 12 March 2019, was a passionate believer in the grandeur and glory of Asia. His multi-cultural background and multi-lingual capabilities allowed him to convert his passion into action, using the travel & tourism industry and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) as conjoined conduits. more…14 Mar, 2019
Asia Foundation releases results of first City Life Survey 2018 in Myanmar
Yangon, Asia Foundation media release, February 22, 2019 — According to a new survey released today by The Asia Foundation, urban residents in Myanmar’s cities report strong social cohesion and personal relationships. Trust is high, people are very charitable, and people say they are willing to make personal sacrifices to more…14 Mar, 2019
Humanity ‘at a crossroads’ as damage to planet poses growing risk to health, UN environment agency warns
United Nations, UN News Centre, 13 March 2019 - Human activity is damaging the planet so badly, exacerbated by climate change, that it will increasingly put our health at risk, warns a major report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), released on Wednesday at the UN Environment Assembly, currently taking more…13 Mar, 2019
As garbage mountains pile up, young Southeast Asian leaders seek ecotourism solutions
Luang Prabang – Appalled by the mountains of garbage and waste being generated by tourists and local citizens, emerging young leaders from Southeast Asian countries ended a five-day workshop in this UNESCO World Heritage City by pitching a broad range of reduce-reuse-recycle solutions designed to cutback everything from household waste more…8 Mar, 2019
What the “Industry of Peace” can learn from the Indo-Pak conflict
In 2018, the South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka) received a total of 27.9 million tourists, a minuscule market share of 2% of the 1.4 billion tourists recorded globally. By contrast, the Southeast Asian countries received 129.3 million visitors (market share: 9.2%) and the Northeast Asian more…5 Mar, 2019
Survey: 1 in 3 Older Adults Feel Lonely
By Kathleen Doheny Source: WebMD, March 4, 2019 -- One in three older adults say they lack companionship, a new poll has found, and the feeling is more likely in people with health problems. The poll of 2,000 adults ages 50 to 80 also found that one in four people surveyed say more…5 Mar, 2019
Alcoholics Anonymous Releases Pamphlets for Women and LGBTQ Alcoholics
Source: Alcoholics Anonymous -- “It doesn’t matter whether you are 16 or 60, rich or poor, college graduate or high school dropout, business executive or stay-at-home parent, a patient in a treatment facility, a prison inmate, or living on the street. Help is available.” So states a new pamphlet for women more…5 Mar, 2019
U.S. Alcohol Problems Grow as Booze Gets a Bigger Kick
By Matt Smith, WebMD Health News Feb. 14, 2019 -- Americans may not be drinking much more than they used to -- but they’re drinking more potent stuff.And that trend toward higher-alcohol drinks may be part of what’s driving an increase in alcohol-related deaths and illnesses, according to new research. Sales of more…5 Mar, 2019
Women Who Work Long Hours May Face More Depression – Study
By Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Feb. 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Feeling trapped behind a desk, a counter or on the factory floor does no favors for the mind. Now, research helps confirm that women with jobs that demand long hours may be more prone to depression. Researchers found that compared with more…5 Mar, 2019
WWF report reveals staggering impact of human life on Planet’s natural systems
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Human activity is pushing the planet’s natural systems that support life on earth to the edge, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018. The report presents a sobering picture of the impact of human activity on the world’s wildlife, forests, oceans, rivers and climate. It more…4 Mar, 2019
ITB Berlin good place to start monitoring “mental health” of Travel & Tourism executives
As the ITB Berlin, the world’s largest trade show, gets under way today, it may be a good time to shine a light on one of the most important UN Sustainable Development Goals – improved global health, or more specifically, mental health. “Health and Wellness” is one of the most high more…19 Feb, 2019
Asia-Pacific countries global leaders in mobile payments, report finds
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE), 15 Feb 2019 -- A new report highlights the growth in online and mobile payment services in Asia-Pacific. The report, entitled Asia-Pacific Online Payment Methods 2019, accents the potential growth of mobile wallets and showcases digital buyers' payment preferences in Asia-Pacific's top markets. The nations of the Asia-Pacific region more…18 Feb, 2019
Travel Impact Newswire Editor quits PATA membership. Here’s why.
Bangkok – This year, PATA began its third decade in Asia. I marked the occasion by terminating my membership. It was not an easy decision, but one I feel will actually benefit PATA over the long run. Everyone joins an association, or any club or organisation, for a reason. Mostly, it more…12 Feb, 2019
Nominations open for prestigious ASEAN Prize 2019
JAKARTA, 11 February 2019 - ASEAN is calling for nominations for the ASEAN Prize 2019—a prestigious regional award which aims to acknowledge the inspiring and outstanding achievements of an individual or organisation in fostering the ASEAN identity, promoting the ASEAN spirit and championing the ASEAN way. Nominees should have exceptional merit more…7 Feb, 2019
How Social Media is Dehumanising Humanity
Global communications, both professional and personal, is dominated by social media. Like legacy airlines and travel agents, the mainstream channels of media and marketing, such as newspapers, magazines, TV and Radio, are gradually losing ground to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the like. Note from the Editor This inaugural column by Reshma more…6 Feb, 2019
The best analysis of Thailand’s 2018 record-breaking visitor arrivals
Bangkok — A detailed and comprehensive analysis of Thailand’s 2018 visitor arrivals and expenditure released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports last week show some fascinating results that will have long-term implications for Thailand, ASEAN and the entire Asia-Pacific region. The two charts below show total Thai visitor arrivals and more…16 Jan, 2019
Global Cross-Channel Payment Fraud Grows 13% During 2018 Peak Holiday Season
NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- January 15, 2019 - New benchmark data from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW), a global provider of real-time electronic payment and banking solutions, revealed a 13 percent increase in fraud attempts in the ‘buy online pickup in-store’ (BOPIS) channel during the 2018 peak holiday season. Based on hundreds of millions of merchant transactions, including some of more…16 Jan, 2019
Data Breach Class Action Powerhouses Team Up to File Fifty-State Lawsuit Against Marriott Over Disastrous Data Breach
GREENBELT, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 10, 2019 -- National class action law firms DiCello Levitt; Hausfeld; Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll; Cohen & Gresser; and Kramon & Graham have teamed up to file the nation’s largest class action complaint against Marriott (NASDAQ: MAR) following a massive, long-running data breach at the company. With more…16 Jan, 2019
DiscoverEU gives 14,500 more young people the chance to explore Europe
Brussels, 14 January 2019, European Commission - Press release - More than 14,500 18-year-olds have been selected from almost 80,000 applications to receive a DiscoverEU travel pass. Participants will be able to travel between 15 April and 31 October 2019 for up to 30 days. The second round of the European more…11 Jan, 2019
Thailand plans seven ASEAN centres in 2019 to enhance regional sustainability, security and culture
Bangkok - Seven ASEAN Centres that could provide significant intellectual support for the growing challenge of managing the region’s rapidly growing travel & tourism industry are expected to be established/upgraded in Thailand over the course of 2019, when the kingdom will hold the chairmanship of the 10-member grouping. Ministry of Foreign more…8 Jan, 2019
India: Mass worker protests against Modi government ahead of elections
Brussels, 7 January 2019 (ITUC OnLine): Trade unions are holding a two day nationwide general strike 8 - 9 January in opposition to further attacks on working conditions in India. The government is under pressure ahead of elections as ITUC affiliates CFTUI, HMS, INTUC and SEWA with other unions in more…8 Jan, 2019
In “disruptive” move, Thai Tourism Minister publishes stats on scams, cheats and rogue cabbies
Bangkok - Thai Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat has taken an extraordinarily “disruptive” step by publicly releasing the results of a crackdown by the Thai Tourist Police on hundreds of scams, frauds and other illegal actions faced by visitors to Thailand between Jan-October 2018. [caption id="attachment_56814" align="aligncenter" width="261"] Mr Weerasak Kowsurat[/caption] This is more…24 Dec, 2018
Looking to liven up a boring tourism conference? Call “The Intrepid Traveller”
Many in the Asia-Pacific travel and tourism industry are familiar with publications such as TTG Asia, industry events such as IT&CMA, editorial personalities such as Yeoh Siew Hoon. Not many are aware of the behind-the-scenes persona who facilitated the rise of all three in the 1980s-90s. The 1980s was a golden more…19 Dec, 2018
First Buddhist University conf on SDGs mulls challenge of averting Global Warming AND Global Meltdown
Bangkok – When the Rector of the World Buddhist University (WBU), the Venerable Phra Anil Sakya was invited to speak recently at a conference of bankers and economists on alleviating poverty and implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, he asked if they had made a mistake inviting him in the more…13 Dec, 2018
FREE DOWNLOAD: Network of global law firms publishes expanded Anti-Corruption Compliance Guide
HOUSTON (PRWEB) December 12, 2018 - Lex Mundi, a network of independent law firms in 100+ countries, has published a global version of its anti-corruption guide. The Lex Mundi Global Anti-Corruption Compliance Guide, originally published earlier this year with a focus on Latin America, has been expanded into a global guide. more…13 Dec, 2018
New Era for Travel Journalism: Rating Bali on the First Tourism SDG Scorecard
Bali, Indonesia -- A new era for travel & tourism requires new genres of travel journalism. Today, I am proud to launch a new kind of travelogue that transcends the traditional been-there done-that narrative. Instead, it will track how well destinations are faring in relation to the UN Sustainable Development more…5 Dec, 2018
Loading ...
