Airbnb moves into the workplace

THE meetings market (or MICE as it is called) is the next most lucrative sector for hotels and is the slowest in tech adoption. So it’s unsurprising that disruptive travel companies are shaking up the market. For independent hotels, this means both opportunity and increased competition.

Airbnb finally announced a few days ago that Airbnb for Work is expanding into services and experiences for a workplace audience to “help foster a sense of belonging—even at work.” We say finally because for those who have been monitoring Airbnb’s growth, it’s been clear that the company has been looking to expand into the workplace. Back in April 2018, Airbnb for Events was launched, aimed specifically for planners. The tool encourages attendees to book Airbnb accommodations through an interactive map of Airbnb listings embedded directly on the event site.

Airbnb reports this month that 700,000 companies have had employees sign up and book with the company’s business platform. Of all these companies, more than 300,000—up from 275,000 a few weeks ago—are directly engaged with Airbnb to help manage their travel.


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Travel and Tourism growth for the UK

TRAVEL & Tourism grew by over four times the rate of the wider UK economy in 2017, according to a new report recently launched by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). 

WTTC's latest annual research, in conjunction with Oxford Economics, shows the United Kingdom’s Travel & Tourism sector contribution to GDP grew by 6.2% in 2017, higher than the global average (4.6%) and more than four times faster than the UK’s economy as a whole (which grew by 1.5%). 

This growth translated into £214 billion contribution to GDP, 4 million jobs, and £29 billion in exports. This shows the role of Travel & Tourism in driving economic growth and creating jobs in Britain, and emphasises the vital importance of safeguarding the interests of the sector post-Brexit.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

New tourism industry platform

THREE successful online tourism directories have been brought together to form a comprehensive single digital platform, presenting tourism industry stakeholders in three sub-categories, catering for tourism organizations, trade travel events, and tour operators.

The brand new multilingual platform www.tourism-review.org connects the tourism world, giving international exposure to companies and organizations who think globally and act locally. It replaces the listing of travel organizations presented on tourism-review.com, which has successfully served the tourism industry since 2006. The new Tourism Review Directories digital platform was developed to deliver more presentation options for the listed organizations and to greatly extend their reach.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

International Business Destination: New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND has attracted business events that will deliver over $310 million to the #NewZealand economy.

The events were secured by Tourism New Zealand and industry over the last four years and will bring nearly 100,000 people to the country.

The result was announced at MEETINGS, New Zealand’s largest #business #tourism trade exhibition.

In Budget 2013 the government invested $34 million with Tourism New Zealand for the purpose of attracting meetings, incentives and conferences.

“We are really pleased with the significant return on investment we have made with the support of the New Zealand business events industry,” says René de Monchy, Director Trade, PR and Major Events.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

UK hospitality industry split over Brexit

A SURVEY of operators in the UK hospitality industry has found that 49% plan to vote leave in Thursday’s EU Referendum, while 43% plan to vote remain and 7% are still undecided. 

The survey by RPBi, the hospitality data specialist, found that the majority of recipients – whether voting to leave or to remain – believe a leave vote would have a ‘negative impact on the economy’.

The B2B survey received 1,915 responses from operators across all sectors of the hospitality industry. The aim: To determine the industry’s thoughts on the EU Referendum and the impact on recruitment and investment in the UK hospitality industry in the event of a leave vote.

Respondents taking part in the survey were asked the official referendum question: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”

Hospitality professionals in Wales were most in favour of voting to leave (64%), whilst those in London are the most likely to vote remain with 62.5%. Furthermore, the figures suggest that there will be more operators in Scotland voting to remain than leave; in all other regions, a higher percentage of hospitality professionals intend to vote leave. B&Bs and caterers are more likely to vote leave, with restaurants, hotels, and head offices more likely to vote remain.

Respondents, which included business owners and decision-makers, were also asked: “If the UK votes to leave the European Union, do you think it will be easier to recruit staff?” The majority thought there would be no impact (51%), with 34% stating it would be harder to recruit, 7% said it would be easier, to recruit and 8.5% said they “don’t know”.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Keith Britten, director of RPBi, said: ‘The results of the survey mirror recent national opinion polls. Surprisingly, for the hospitality industry, the majority of respondents said that there would be no impact on recruitment in the event of a leave vote; with only a third saying it would be harder to recruit.’

Further findings suggest that the older the respondent, the more likely they would be to vote leave – more than 50% of those over 55 intend to vote leave, as opposed to 26% for 25-34 year olds. Also, men are more likely to vote leave than women (50% vs 46%).

When asked “If the UK votes to leave the European Union, what do you think the impact will be on investment into the UK’s hospitality industry?”, more than a third of recipients said there would be “no impact” (38%), while 36% thought there would be reduced investment. In all, 13.5% stated there would be increased investment, and 12% said they “don’t know”.

Mr Britten concluded: ‘After analyzing the comments and survey results, the one key fact that stands out is that whichever way people decide to vote, the majority believe that a leave vote would have a negative impact on the economy. However, those voting to leave suggest that the negative impact will be short-lived and the benefits will be reaped in the long-term.”

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Plymouth takes steps toward cruise port …

MARINE consultants have been appointed to look at the economic case for a #cruiseterminal in #Plymouth, Devon. 

GP Wild International, whose clients have included CruiseScotland, Monaco, and the port city of Dubrovnik, is compiling a report which will examine the current cruise market, its future trends, and Plymouth’s place in the market.

A consortium comprising Plymouth City Council, Associated British Ports, the Plymouth and Devon Chamber of Commerce, Destination Plymouth, and Plymouth Waterfront Partnership has commissioned the report.

The study’s scope will include discussions with organizations such as the Ministry of Defence and the Environment Agency to get an overview of what would need to be achieved to overcome current constraints. 

Should the economic feasibility studies prove compelling, Plymouth would then aim to have an operational cruise liner berth in place for the Mayflower 400 commemorations in 2020.

A key part of the project will be an analysis of world cruise fleets in terms of ship length and passenger capacity, and the potential for ships to berth in Plymouth.

… as mayor gives nod to new London cruise port

PLANS for a London cruise terminal at #Greenwich have been given the thumbs up by mayor Boris Johnson.

The development, which was given approval by Greenwich Council last month, will also include 477 homes, a skills academy, restaurants, cafes, and bars. 

The London City Cruise Port at Enderby Wharf will be able to handle 55 cruise ships a year when it becomes operational in 2017. Ships carrying up to 1,600 passengers will be able to use the terminal.

The development will create almost 500 full-time jobs.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21823610@N07/2417997210">plymouth barbican evening</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/63056271@N03/8987424917">Columbus 2 leaving Greenwich</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)

Brittany Ferries gets EU emissions grant, but says it’s not enough

BRITTANY FERRIES has received almost £5 million from the European Union to help pay for low-emission exhaust systems. The grant will be used to install “scrubber” systems on three of its ships to reduce sulphur emissions. 

But #BrittanyFerries says the money is not enough, with the overall cost for fitting scrubbers to its fleet of six ships calculated at £63 million.

The EU last year ordered fuel sulphur levels to be reduced from 3.5% to 0.1% by last January, on the back of recommendations by The International Maritime Organization.

A company spokesman told The Portsmouth News: ‘We are one among a number of ferry companies including DFDS and Stena Line to have received this grant. It is a contribution towards the capital cost of fitting scrubbers to three of our ships this coming winter – Pont Aven, Armorique, and Mont St Michel – and we have received nothing for the three ships already done. 

‘The grant falls far short of the cost of fitting scrubbers to six ships. It is only 8% of the total. It helps, but falls far short of the incremental cost we have had to bear.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27406286@N05/4575570906">mv Bretagne, Brittany Ferries, off St Malo, Brittany, France</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Travel and tourism accounts for 9.4% of global employment, says WTTC

THE global #travelandtourism industry employs more people than car manufacturing, mining, and financial services combined, according to research by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). 

The WTTC Benchmarking Report 2015 shows the industry employed 105 million people directly in 2014 and supported 277 million jobs in total, or 9.4% of world employment.

The report assessed travel and tourism alongside eight sectors comparable in size and presence across 26 countries. It rates travel and tourism third of the eight as a major employer, behind the retail sector and agriculture.

The industry employs seven times as many workers direct as motor manufacturing (14 million), five times as many as chemicals (20 million), four times as many as banking or mining (both 27 million), and almost twice as many as financial services (59 million). 

The WTTC identifies the sector as the second-fastest growing globally, with annual growth forecast at 3.9% over the next ten years.

It calculates that travel and tourism generated $7.6 trillion of global gross domestic product last year, or 9.8%, putting it behind mining, financial services, and retail, but ahead of chemicals, agriculture, education, motor manufacturing, and banking.

WTTC president and chief executive David Scowsill said: ‘This research demonstrates the huge importance of travel and tourism in creating jobs around the world. It confirms that our sector is one of the biggest contributors to global GDP, and is forecast to outpace the global economy every year over the next decade.’



Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Malta tops for tourism investment, but …

THE Maltese government does the most to invest in and promote travel and tourism, according to a World Economic Forum report.

Its 2015 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report benchmarked 141 economies across 90 indicators to find out which countries are making the best use of their travel and tourism industries to maximize economic development and competitiveness.

#Malta is closely followed by Mauritius, Cyprus, and Singapore in prioritizing travel and tourism, with Iceland, Spain, the Dominican Republic, the Seychelles, Estonia, and Barbados completing the top 10.

But Malta ranks at 106th in price competitiveness. It also ranks poorly with regards its natural resources (115th , its cultural resources and business travel (90th), and its environmental sustainability (64th).

It ranked 40th in providing the best business environment, 25th in safety and security, 17th in health and hygiene, 60th in human resources and the labour market, 40th in international openness, 37th in air transport infrastructure, 22nd in ground and port infrastructure, and 24th in tourist service infrastructure.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45972156@N04/4227885525">Morning in Marsaxlokk</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

English attractions see visitor numbers continue to grow

VISITS to England’s attractions increased by four percent in 2014, according to #VisitEngland’s Annual Attractions survey. The figures continue the growth seen in 2013, highlighting the contribution they make to the tourism industry and the country’s economy … worth £106 billion in total. 

The East of England saw the biggest rise – up ten percent year-on-year – but the North-West (up six percent), North-East (seven percent), West Midlands (five percent) and the South-East )six per cent) also saw above average growth.

The #TowerofLondon remains the most visited attraction in the paid-for category with 3.1 million visits, an increase of 6.5 percent on last year, followed by Hylands House and Estate in Essex with 1.9 million visits, and #WestminsterAbbey with 1.8 million visits.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36028604@N00/6966904321">DSC_5268</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Costa Cruises to build world's largest passenger ships, as Brits say the Med is best

#COSTACRUISES is to build two ships each large enough to carry 6,000 passengers. No, that’s not an error; it’s not 600. It’s 6,000! 

The Carnival Corporation-owned brand will launch the ships in 2019 and 2020. The vessels will be built at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, and will be the first ships powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

The Costa new builds will have 600 more passengers than Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class.

Michael Thamm, chief executive of the Costa Group, said: ‘These ships will expand the leadership position for the Costa Group, the market leader in all major continental European markets. The multi-billion dollar contract with Meyer mirrors our strategy to constantly innovate our vacation offers and to deliver an unmatched #cruise experience to our guests.’

Group president Neil Palomba added: ‘The two Costa ships are a real innovation for the market, setting new standards for the whole industry: they will be the first green ships powered with LNG and they will offer a number of guest-friendly features.’

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: An ‘unmatched cruise experience’ … ‘guest-friendly features’. Some people might see a cruise ship carrying 6,000 passengers a holiday heaven; others, I suspect, might dismiss it as vacation hell!

Med tops for cruisers

THE Mediterranean remains the popular destination for British cruisers, according to a poll by the Cruise Critic website. Almost half of those polled voted for the Med, which was followed by the Caribbean (30%), Norwegian Fjords (18%), Canary Isles (15%), and Baltic (13%).


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: Costa.serena.istanbul.wmt by User:Wmeinhart - Wolfgang Meinhart, Hamburg - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons, http://www.flickr.com/photos/8688619@N08/4489711333">COSTA ROMANTICA</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)