Welcome
 This issue, we bring you news of tourism's entry into the virtual world of Second Life; best practice in harnessing the natural environment; and advice on introducing a mentoring scheme for tourism staff. We review the key messages from recent conferences including the World Travel Monitor Forum and the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism.
All this, plus the latest research and reports, e-business and international news, plus upcoming events for the travel and tourism professional.
Roger Carter
Managing Editor
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Natural Tourism: Making more of the natural environment and landscape resources of an area for tourism development is a key component of many tourism development strategies. We look at the way this is being tackled in the Northwest region of England.
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How to Engage with the Portable Generation: Their ears are adorned with cell phones, fingers deftly tapping text, iPods poppin' and laptops magically imbedded on knees. These are the people who will represent our destinations for years to come.
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Research and Reports - What's New?
The Travel Industry Association ( TIA) has published a new report on Social Media and Travel which explores the ways in which social networking is developing, how travel companies are currently using it, and offers suggestions for future application.
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Two new reports from PhoCusWright offer insights into online trends. PhoCusWright's US Online Travel Overview Seventh Edition continues the detailed tracking of the largest online travel market in the world.
The PhoCusWright Travel 2.0 Consumer Technology Survey examines consumer adoption and usage patterns associated with Web 2.0 and Travel 2.0 technologies. This research, which focusses on traveller shopping behaviour and influence, is one in a series of publications that highlight the findings from the larger research initiative.
Both reports are available online to PhoCusWright subscribers.
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Online travel bookings in China were worth $1.5 billion in 2006, and average annual increases of 60 percent will push the Chinese market to $15.4 billion in 2011, according to new research by eMarketer. The Asia-Pacific Online Travel report analyses the diverse digital economies of the region, with special emphasis on China and India, and suggests that expansion will be underpinned by meteoric economic growth, relaxation of overseas travel restrictions and a fast-growing internet user population.
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A new edition of the Outbound Travel Information and Booking Behavior of the Europeans has been published by IPK International. The study is based on IPK's European Travel Monitor data and provides details of information sources used, offers comparisons between Western versus Eastern European behaviours, and highlights the role played by tourist boards. The cost of the report is EUR 2,850.
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 The PATA Annual Statistical Report 2006 brings together visitor arrivals data and outbound travel statistics of selected Asia Pacific countries and other tourism-related data, such as length of stay, visitor expenditure, hotel occupancy rates, national tourism organisation budgets. The report, produced by the Pacific Asia Travel Association ( PATA) costs US$500 (US$250 to members).
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PATA's Asia Pacific Tourism Forecasts 2007 - 2009 provides a comprehensive numeric insight into the pattern of this year's growth, detailing those sub-regions that are riding high and which are slowing down; which destinations are enjoying a tourism boom and which ones are still on the road to recovery.
This edition also includes a new chapter on regional forecasts for China PRC and Thailand, plus forecasts for the US destinations Guam and Hawaii and Sarawak in Malaysia. The report can be bought online at a cost of US$ 700 (US$350 for members).
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As a travel distribution channel, the internet has matured, but how do the research and booking activities of online leisure travellers who have shifted entirely to online travel buying differ from those who have not yet fully embraced online booking?
A new study by Jupiter Research, the US Online Travel Consumer Survey 2007, offers an insight into current trends and makes some suggestions for strategies to keep businesses competitive online. The report costs US$ 1,500.
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The National Leisure Travel Monitor, produced by YPB&R / Yankelovich, is a comprehensive marketing tool based on a survey of 1,880 US leisure travellers. The study, which costs US$ 2,050, reveals that Americans are now more 'time poor' than ever before.
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Chinese tourists like to travel in comfort when they travel overseas, according to a new report, the Nielsen China Outbound Travel Monitor 2007. Dr Grace Pan, head of Travel and Leisure Research for The Nielsen Company, commented: 'Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and the travel industry needs to monitor changes and trends in their travel preferences, attitudes and perceptions towards various destinations.'
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 As a country of some 1.1 billion residents, India has emerged rapidly as a major source of international travellers each year, according to researchers at PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Capitalising on this statistic is the focus of PATA's Total Tourism India report, available online at a cost of US$750 (member price US$250).
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PhoCusWright and Travel Tech Consulting have co-authored a new study on current and emerging trends in corporate travel technology. With the emergence of Travel 2.0 technologies in the consumer market, Corporate Travel Technology: Today and Tomorrow looks at key corporate travel software applications and describes current features and functionality of various corporate travel applications. The report costs US$ 600 and is available online.
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A new study by JD Power, reveals that overall satisfaction with hotel accommodation has increased, with only the luxury segment declining slightly in satisfaction versus 2005 figures.
The 2006 North America Guest Satisfaction Index Study, now in its 10th year, measures overall hotel guest satisfaction across six hotel segments: luxury, upscale, mid-scale full service, mid-scale limited service, economy/budget and extended stay.
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TripAdvisor last month published the results of its Annual Travel Trends Survey which surveyed more than 2,500 travellers from around the world. Top trends identified in the survey are concerns about germs, the growth of green tourism, and opposition to cell phone use on planes. TripAdvisor also unveiled its TravelCast list of emerging hotspots for 2008 with Jerba, Tunisia, topping the list.
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 A new report on the student travel market, Global Study of Young Independent Travellers, has been published by the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation ( WYSE).
The study, New Horizons II, updates research undertaken 5 years ago and provides fresh insights and trend data about one of the world's fastest growing niche travel markets. The research reveals that young travellers are spending more on travel, booking more online, travelling further and are experience hungry.
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The World Travel Market ( WTM), in conjunction with gay marketing agency, Out Now Consulting, held a Gay and Lesbian Travel MasterClass earlier this month. Attendees were provided with a State of the Gay Travel World summary paper which set out the essential 2007 gay travel segment data from the US, Europe and Australia.
Fiona Jeffery, Managing Director of World Travel Market, commented: ‘In a survey carried out by the Travel Industry Association ( TIA), the majority of gay men (53%) and lesbians (69%) reported that a place generally identified as safe and free from intimidation and threats - is one of the top three ways they consider a destination as gay-friendly.'
Key Article
Second Life:
Tourism moves into a virtual reality
The internet has become an essential platform upon which destinations can promote themselves to potential visitors. But now there's more, much more. Forget interactive slideshows, online video streaming, downloadable podcasts... now destinations are moving into the futuristic world of virtual reality.
 Second Life ( SL) is an internet-based 3-D virtual world. A downloadable client programme, called the Second Life Viewer, enables its users, called residents, to interact with each other through motional avatars (an internet user's representation of him/herself), providing an advanced level of a social network service. Around 10 million accounts have been opened since SL launched in 2003.
The possibilities this brings to the travel and tourism industry are endless and, already, DMOs have begun the process of creating virtual destinations. Netherlands Tourism recently opened a national tourism board in Second Life, providing visitors with the chance to become part of an interactive community.
Earlier this year, the city of Galveston launched a virtual replica of itself in Second Life. 'Second Life Galveston Island is about promoting Galveston Island tourism to a new audience,' said Jim Cordell, vice president and chief creative officer of Galveston.com. 'Our debut within Second Life will give digital travellers a chance to unwind their virtual selves in our social areas, take guided virtual tours, learn about Galveston history, and interact with new virtual friends from around the globe.'
Just last month, Tourism Ireland launched the world's first tourism marketing campaign in Second Life. As part of this marketing campaign, Tourism Ireland sponsored a range of events and activities, including concerts, fashion shows, and photographic exhibitions, in Second Life's replica city of Dublin.
 'Tourism Ireland is committed to using e-marketing to the best possible effect in promoting Ireland as a holiday destination and our involvement in Second Life is about finding new ways to connect to today's web-savvy consumer', said Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland's Director of Central Marketing. 'The organisation has already doubled its digital marketing spend over the past three years, to 14% of all marketing activity - an investment of EUR 6.5 million last year. We plan to spend close to a quarter of its entire marketing budget online in 2008.'
For more information, visit the Second Life website.
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International Tourism:
UNWTO predicts full steam ahead
International tourist arrivals for the first eight months of 2007 point to a continuation of the sustained growth rate experienced over the past few years. And, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, this trend is likely to continue through the remainder of 2007, with year-end growth estimated at 5.7 percent, with international arrivals achieving around 880 to 900 million.
Emerging destinations in Asia and the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East have been the main growth drivers. Although well above their respective long-term averages, the more mature regions of Europe and the Americas have showed a more moderate pace.
While regional trends may vary as new data becomes available, Asia and the Pacific is currently the star regional performer, recording an increase through August of 10 percent, ahead of the Middle East and Africa, both with 8 percent.
 The continued growth in international tourism has been supported by a strong global economy expanding at around 5 percent for the fourth consecutive year. The world's emerging market and developing economies registered particularly strong GDP growth, although may not continue indefinitely in a context oil prices approaching US$ 100 a barrel.
UNWTO analysts suggest these preliminary 2007 figures confirm the resilience of tourism demand in the face of external factors such as turbulent financial markets, security and health issues, and increased taxation of air transport. However, they warn that these factors may already have started to weaken consumer confidence in some markets leading, possibly, to a reduction in the overall demand for international travel.
Destination Brand Watch
Newfoundland and Labrador's tourism marketing campaign has received top honours at the annual Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise Advertising Awards ( ICE).
 Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, commented: 'We know that travellers are seeking compelling, authentic experiences to unique destinations, and we feel Newfoundland and Labrador offers those experiences. The advertising campaign showcases who we really are - a natural, yet surprisingly exotic destination that goes far beyond the packaged, run-of-the-mill kind of tourism other destinations offer.'
Elements of the winning tourism marketing campaign can be viewed online.
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In a bold move Tourism New Zealand has staked its claim as the youngest country on earth.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive, George Hickton, says the campaign conjures up images of a country that is 'fresh and enthusiastic and prepared to give it a go'. He adds: 'In a sense it explains why New Zealand does things differently, it explains our enthusiasm and freshness and because we are young we may get it right in the future.'
The new campaign also features state-of-the-art digital imagery which brings the youngest country claim to life. The makers of the movie version of Lord of the Rings, Weta Digital, have made the opening sequence of the commercial which includes a mountain emerging from the sea.
Dates for Your Diary
Some key events for tourism destination professionals taking place over the coming months:
The Search Engine Strategies Conference and Expo 2007 will be held in Chicago, USA, between the 3rd and 7th December. The conference offers expertise, information on the latest research, and up-to-the-minute coding tactics.
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Luxury Travel Expo 2007, which will be held on December 4th - 6th in Las Vegas, is dedicated to providing suppliers and agents with a forum for dialogue and education concerning the luxury travel market. More info...
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The Arab World Travel and Tourism Exchange 2007 ( AWTTE) is a travel trade show taking place in Beirut, Lebanon, from 6th to 9th December. Now in its eighth year, the event will showcase the latest travel products in Lebanon and the Middle East and take the theme of 'venture via hospitality'.
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Guilin, China, is the venue for the First International Forum on Tourism Education. The forum will take place between the 12th and 13th December and is being organised by the World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) and the Chinese government. The aim is to encourage dialogue between tourism education providers and practitioners on emerging issues related to tourism education.
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Travel Distribution Technology 2008, organised by EyeForTravel, will be held in London, January 16th to 17th.
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 eTourism: The View from the Future is the theme of ENTER 2008, which will be held in Innsbruck from the 23rd to 25th January. Organised by the International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism ( IFITT), ENTER 2008 offers a forum for academics, industry and government to present and debate state-of-the-art research on the application of information and communication technologies in tourism and travel. This year's event will include keynote speakers from UNWTO and Microsoft.
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CRM in Travel USA 2008 looks at CRM from a marketing perspective, focussing on improving customer satisfaction and increasing customer loyalty and retention. The event will take place in New Orleans, from the 29th - 30th January and is organised by EyeForTravel.
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FITUR 2008, the world's largest travel show after ITB Berlin, will take place in Spain from the 30th January to the 3rd February.
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The World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) will be holding its International Seminar on Sustainable Development of Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe in Vilnius, Lithuania, from the 28th February to the 1st March.
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A new event, Social Media Strategies for Travel 2008, organised by EyeForTravel, looks at user generated content and social networking in travel and aims to provide practical advice on how to exploit these trends and engage consumers via a personalised interactive approach. The event will be held in San Francisco between the 5th and 6th March.
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March 5th - 9th are the dates for next year's ITB Berlin. With 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and regions, ITB represents the full spectrum of global tourism at all levels.
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EyeForTravel's Travel Distribution Summit is now in its 11th year and offers a mix of executive level strategic conferences and 'how-to' seminars. The summit will be held in London from the 20th to 21st May.
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International News
DMOs:
More achieve accreditation
Thirteen more destination marketing organisations have achieved accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program ( DMAP), bringing the total to forty. DMAP is an industry-wide programme developed by the Destination Marketing Association International ( DMAI) to establish a consistent standard for destination marketing operations.
To become accredited a DMO must successfully complete a rigorous application process, requiring evidence of compliance with 54 mandatory standards and 33 voluntary standards, covering a variety of topics including governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, etc.
Convention Centres:
New best practice guide
The Destination Marketing Association International ( DMAI) and the International Association of Assembly Managers ( IAAM) have released guidelines for best practice in the meetings industry. The report, Best Practices for Convention Center Sales and Convention Center Operations, are intended to facilitate partnership, provide joint advocacy and identify common objectives for DMOs and convention facilities.
‘The report is a tool for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and convention facilities to better serve the destination customer, providing a seamless positive experience from the beginning of the sales cycle through move out,' said Steve Moore, co-chair and president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix CVB.
Montréal:
Signs Geotourism Charter
Montréal has become the first city, and the seventh global destination, to sign the National Geographic Society's Geotourism Charter, joining Guatemala, Honduras, Norway, Romania and the US states of Arizona and Rhode Island.
Geotourism Charters are a key element of the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations ( CSD), which aims to protect the world's most distinctive places through wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship.
‘In signing the charter, Montréal can provide more appealing experiences for visitors and increased support for Montréal's significant heritage sites, urban cultural centers and green space conservation,' said John Francis, National Geographic's vice president for research, conservation and exploration. 
Caribbean:
United tourism strategy
Delegates at the recent Caribbean Tourism Conference called for a reinvigorated, cohesive and collective Caribbean brand. Caribbean Tourism Organization ( CTO) Secretary General, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, said: ‘We are strengthened as one and it has been proven that we succeed when we speak with one voice.'
One project that demonstrates the cohesive approach is a new website which members, industry partners, media and the public are able to reference as a go-to resource on the region. Other language-specific versions, including a Chinese market site, are also planned.
Climate Change:
PATA backs aviation's efforts
Travel and tourism has to speak with one voice to counter misconceptions that persist about air travel's impact on the environment, PATA's David Gillbanks, told delegates at the recent International Air Transport Authority's Asia Pacific Communications Conference.
'Accounting for only 2% of global carbon emissions, aviation still manages to take the brunt of bad press and consumer angst related to climate change,' he said. 'Unless we make concerted efforts to collectively address the issue and communicate our positive actions and intentions, regulators will take the initiative from us.'
PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, is challenging travel and tourism leaders to help develop, agree and sign on to a truly cross-sector response to climate change... the CEO Challenge.
Air Travel:
Rapid growth predicted
The International Air Transport Association ( IATA) has forecast that the air transport industry will handle 2.75 billion passengers by 2011... 620 million more passengers than in 2006.
International passenger demand is expected to rise from 760 million passengers in 2006 to 980 million in 2011 at an annual average growth rate (AAGR) of 5.1%. Domestic passenger demand is expected grow from 1.37 billion passengers in 2006 to 1.77 billion in 2011, an AAGR of 5.3%, fuelled by expansion in the Indian and Chinese domestic markets.
‘The numbers clearly show that the world wants to fly. And it also needs to fly. Air transport is critical to the fabric of the global economy, playing a critical role in wealth generation and poverty reduction. The livelihoods of 32 million people are tied to aviation, accounting for US$ 3.5 trillion in economic activity,' said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO.
e-Business News
Europe:
Internet usage soars
The European region recorded its largest ever internet audience in September with a 5 percent year over year growth, reaching 226.7 million unique visitors aged 15 or older. Russia had the fastest growing online audience this period, increasing 23 percent to 14.6 million unique visitors, followed by Spain, which grew 18 percent to 14.5 million unique visitors, and Ireland, which grew 16 percent to 1.5 million.
These figures, released by comScore earlier this month, are based on data collected through the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service.
UNWTO:
New software developed
The World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) has developed new Software for Measuring Accommodation Services aimed at providing support to national tourism organisations in the collection and organisation of data.
Antonio Massieu, Head of UNWTO's Section of Statistics and Economic Measurement of Tourism, said the tool would enable the development of national systems for collecting tourism statistics. The software includes the Monthly Accommodation Statistics (MAS) programme, a manual and an introductory presentation. The user-friendly MAS application runs on Excel and is available in English, French and Spanish.
Social Networking:
New road trip planner
TripWiser, a Web 2.0 company, has launched Road Tripper 2.0, a social trip planner which personalises road trip itineraries and enables trip routes to be shared with friends.
The planner aims to help travellers to plan their road trips to destinations in North America and Europe in a few easy steps. They can utilise more than 100 road trips created by other travellers or plan a road trip with friends from scratch. The site also provides a road trip blog.
Internet:
Top 25 sites travel sites
Travel + Leisure magazine has published a list of its top 25 travel sites. The list includes sites providing a range of information and services, from booking flights to mapping routes; from weather forecasting to health and safety issues.
Online Booking:
Expedia's profits rise
Expedia has announced that its gross bookings increased 21% for the third quarter of 2007 compared with the third quarter of 2006. North America bookings increased 13%, Europe bookings increased 47% and other bookings (primarily Expedia Corporate Travel and Asia Pacific operations) increased by 27%.
Revenue increased 24 percent for the third quarter with North America revenue increased by 19 percent, and Europe revenue by 37 percent. Barry Diller, Expedia Chairman, said: ‘These are good results, and our ability to keep them coming depends on the right balance of investment and profitable growth.'
Conference HighlightsThe World Travel Monitor Forum 2007 was held last month in Pisa, Italy. Sponsored by ITB Berlin for the second year, the event was organised by IPK International in co-operation with the European Travel Commission ( ETC).
One of the main messages to come out of the three days of presentations and intensive discussions between world tourism experts was the anticipated fourth consecutive year of sustained worldwide growth and the continuation of this trend in 2008, albeit at the slightly lower rate of 4.5 percent.
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The 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, which took place last month in Davos, Switzerland, urged the entire tourism sector to regard climate change as one of the greatest challenges to sustainable development.
The conference was organised by UNWTO, in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO) and supported by the World Economic Forum ( WEF) and the Swiss Government.
UNWTO Assistant Secretary-General Geoffrey Lipman said: 'We know that the solutions for climate change and for poverty are interrelated. We leave Davos more optimistic about our future on the common agreement to build upon quadruple bottom line sustainability of economic, social, environmental and climate responsiveness.'
The Davos Declaration and results of this conference provided the basis for the UNWTO Minister's Summit on Tourism and Climate Change which took place at the World Travel Market earlier this month.
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