Holiday & Travel

In Madrid at the international travel trade event FITUR last night was the day many had anxiously waiting for. The 14th UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism was announced.

Starting at 18.00h with a welcome cocktail the event was opened at 19.15 by the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, followed by a short remark by the president of FITUR/ FEMA

Sanjib Sarangi of the Indian Grameen Services (IGS) and Reena from the Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust attended the award ceremony and were overjoyed with the announcement of the award. They accepted the award and unfurled the Indian Tricolour at the stage. Indian Grameen Services overlooks the Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust project. Mangalajodi Trust was the only Indian nomination in this year’s UNWTO awards.

The winning projects, divided into four categories – Public Policy and Governance, Research and Technology, Enterprises, and Non-governmental Organizations –, have been announced at the UNWTO Awards Ceremony held Wednesday, 17th January evening in Madrid at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Spain (FITUR)

Today we honour the vision and commitment of individuals, administrations, companies and organizations that every day build a better future by harnessing the potential of tourism. The work of all the finalists of the 14 UNWTO Awards on Innovation is an inspiration to all of us”, underlined UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, in his opening remarks.

Attended by nearly 500 participants from different countries, the UNWTO Awards Ceremony, co-organized by IFEMA|FITUR, emphasized how the tourism community has embraced sustainable and innovative approaches.

The UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism are held annually to highlight and promote the work of organizations and individuals around the world that have impacted the tourism sector. Their achievements have served as an inspiration for competitive and sustainable tourism development and the promotion of the values of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the Innovation in Enterprises category Conservation and Livelihoods: Community managed Ecotourism at Mangalajodi,  Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust was shortlisted. Other nominated enterprises in this category were from Kenya, Italy and Philippines. Mangalajodi is one of the oldest village coming under Tangi block of Khurda district in Odisha, 75 km from Bhubaneswar towards Berhampur with a huge marshland along the northern edge of Chilika Lake. The area (about 10 sq.km) is primarily a fresh water zone connected by channels cut through the reed beds with the brakish water of Chilika lagoon. The numerous channels that crisscross through the greenery, harbour thousands of water birds, migratory and resident. Part of Chilika, 1165 sq.kms.brakish water estuarine lagoon of international importance. The wetland hosts more than 3,00,000 of birds in the peak season. October to March is the best time to visit this place. This region has is a significant global waterfowl habitat and is declared as an “Important Bird Area (IBA)”.

Last year, Lufthansa and Munich Airport welcomed over 30 million passengers to Terminal 2. To be more precise, 30.6 million passengers used the terminal for their travel needs in 2017, an increase of 10.6 percent compared to the previous year.

Wilken Bormann, CEO Hub Munich, and Munich Airport CEO Dr. Michael Kerkloh both agree: “The numbers show how popular Terminal 2 is with our passengers: a five-star airline and a five-star airport. Together, we offer our customers a 10-star product, translating to outstanding quality on the ground and on board. Munich is the only airport in all of Europe with this rare combination.”

Borman and Kerkloh are certain that this positive trend will also continue in 2018. As of March 25, Lufthansa will will have five A380 aircraft based in Munich and will be serving the destinations Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Beijing in its summer flight schedule. Two days later, a Lufthansa A350 will take off for its first flight from Munich to Singapore. Eurowings also has plans for additional growth in Munich.

Munich’s airport was already named Europe’s first “5-Star Airport” by London-based ratings agency Skytrax in 2015. In December 2017, Lufthansa joined them as the only European 5-star airline when they received the highest level of quality certification in international aviation from Skytrax. Another world best: Terminal 2, along with the Terminal 2 Satellite, which are operated jointly by the two companies, received a special award in March 2017: They were voted World’s Best Airport Terminal at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

As the January blues settle in and the weather gets wetter our minds turn to travel. Maybe one of your resolutions is to travel more this year, and who better to join you on your adventures than your canine companion.

Taking your dog travelling with you is a great idea but there are a few important things to remember when taking your pet pooch somewhere new.

As part of their ongoing “Happy Dogs, Happy Days” campaign, Lintbells, manufacturers of premium pet supplement YuCALM Dog, works with dog behavioural expert Dr. Emily Blackwell to offer owners some helpful tips and advice on how to keep their dogs happy and calm when visiting new places this year.

Dr Blackwell said: “The new year is a time for planning for lots of people. Whether your plans for 2018 involve moving house, going on a holiday or a day trip, or visiting friends and family a change in environment or routine can be stressful for some dogs. However there are a number of helpful tips you can do to help your dog settle in to somewhere new.

Smell

“Wherever you and your pooch are heading to in 2018 take their own bed, blanket and toys and anything else that may contain a familiar scent, this will help to create a consistent environment and will be reassuring to your dog.

Doggie Supplies

“It is also important to pack enough of your dog’s routine medication or supplements to last the whole trip, along with their usual food. And try to stick to their usual feeding times.

Plan ahead

“Before setting off to explore somewhere new make sure you check out potential dog walking places on the way and in the area of your destination -  it is important your dog still gets regular exercise while you are away. Also ensure your dog is wearing a tag with up-to-date contact details, in case they run off and are in an unfamiliar place.

Time

“Try to always allow your dog time to settle in and start with very brief separations, as they may find it distressing being left alone somewhere new. Also remember that your dog may encounter lots of things they may have not seen before, such as babies, livestock, traffic noises and this could cause stress. Try and gradually introduce them to these things, from a distance and associate them with something nice by rewarding them.

Supplement

“If your dog tends to be unsettled in new places you could consider using a natural calming supplement to help them relax more quickly in their new surroundings.”

• Valentine's Day Flights Love is in the air this Valentine's Day, so share a magical moment with the one you love at 450ft, looking out at the twinkling lights of Brighton and the south coast below. Price includes a glass of rosé Nyetimber sparkling wine per person from the Sky Bar on board the pod and a box of chocolates per couple.
• Drag me up! Valentine's Day Drag Queen Flight Enjoy a fun and raucous alternative Valentine's celebration with a hilarious drag act on the pod from renowned cabaret artist Dave Lynn, during an extended 45-minute pod flight. Includes a glass of award-winning Nyetimber sparkling wine per person.
• “Marry Me” Proposal Package Start your future together looking out at the distant horizon from 450ft, across the sea, the South Downs National Park and the beautiful Sussex coastline. The “Marry Me” proposal package includes two flights on the British Airways i360 pod at a time of your choosing, a bottle of local award-winning Nyetimber sparkling wine, half a dozen red roses and some chocolates.

Merlin Annual Pass is offering families the chance to bag the ultimate bargain - 52 weeks of family fun from just £109 per person! This is the BEST price for 2018 and an amazing offer that nobody should miss out on.

At an average cost of £13 per visit, the Merlin Annual Pass is one of the best value leisure tickets on the market. It opens the door to 32 magical worlds across the UK, so wherever you live, you’re guaranteed to have the ultimate passport to fun!

And there’s more! This is the year to make the magic happen as Merlin welcomes some exciting new additions for 2018. Alton Towers Resort will launch its brand new attraction, Wicker Man, the world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire, and Chessington World of Adventures Resort will welcome a family of four endangered Amur Tigers, as part of its much anticipated log flume, Land of the Tiger!

A new initiative promoting car-free travel to visitor attractions and venues in the UK, has been launched with an easy-to-use website aimed at helping travellers plan days-out without needing a car.

Good Journey shows visitors how to get to the UK's best attractions including arts centres, historic houses, museums and zoos - by train, bus, bike and by foot from anywhere in the UK. The new website offers step-by-step travel directions to the attractions and discounts of up to 50% for visitors who arrive via public transport, pedal power or on their own two feet. The website also features inviting itineraries to help visitors get the most from their day - ranging from the cultural capital of Edinburgh to Suffolk's secret Shotley Peninsular.

Good Journey's mission is to encourage both tourists and UK residents to enjoy the UK's best-loved attractions and landscapes, and enjoy the journey getting there. The initiative is supported by leading UK transport and conservation groups including the Campaign for Better Transport, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Cycling UK and Living Streets.

Nat Taplin, founder and director of Good Journey said, “One in four UK households don't own a car. Good Journey is all about opening up access to leisure, culture and the countryside for everyone. We also believe that you see more when you travel car-free and get a real flavour of the places you're visiting. The journey is time to relax – take in the view, sip a coffee, read a book, have a snooze – you can't do that while driving!”

Participating attractions are awarded the Good Journey Mark for welcoming car-free visitors.

VisitEngland has launched a digital campaign to promote round-the-clock activities and experiences across the UK, encouraging Brits to beat the January blues by taking a holiday at home.

The ‘24 Hours in the UK’ series of films, launched by VisitEngland and the tourism organisations of London, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, showcase activities across the UK throughout a 24-hour period.

As well as inspiring Brits to take a holiday at home, the campaign is asking people to vote for their favourite moment from the trips with the top five to be announced in the coming weeks.

Part of VisitEngland’s 2018 campaign ‘Join the World - Discover the UK’, the 24 short films by UK and international Instagrammers and bloggers, being released hourly throughout the day.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:

“From a street art tour in Bristol to early morning surfing at Scarborough in Yorkshire, from a torch-lit tour of the Roman Baths to exploring the wilds of Hampstead Heath in London, this campaign shows that England is bursting with activity not only round-the-clock but year-round, with experiences to suit all interests and ages.

“With many of us looking for travel inspiration to beat the winter blues, these snapshots of destinations across the country will get Brits booking mood-boosting experiences, and exploring more of the country, boosting growth from tourism.”

Latest official statistics show that more people are taking holidays at home and they are spending more too. From January to September 2017 Brits took 47 million domestic holidays in Great Britain, spending £11 billion, an increase of 5% and 6% respectively on the first nine months of the previous year.

Corinthia Hotel Budapest has been showered with four prestigious awards. In December the hotel was awarded the top prize in three categories at the 11th World Luxury Hotel Awards, held in Switzerland.

The World Luxury Hotel Awards provides true recognition to luxury hotels and resorts and has been setting the benchmark for service industry standards around the globe since 2006. Votes are cast from both travelers and guests from the world of luxury hospitality.

“It is truly an honor to be among the selected nominees and winners,” said Jean Pierre Mifsud, General Manager of Corinthia Hotel Budapest. “It is a credit to the hotel team, who are constantly striving to provide the most delightful stay to their guests.”

Corinthia Hotel Budapest scooped the following three awards:

• Luxury Historical Hotel 2017 in Eastern Europe • Luxury Hotel 2017 in Hungary • Luxury Spa Hotel 2017 in Hungary

In addition, the hotel has been bestowed the award, Hotel of the Year 2018 for Hungary, in the annual Travel and Hospitality Awards. They will be officially announced next month (February). A panel of judges agreed that Corinthia Hotel Budapest excelled in all the criteria for this category, spanning location, style and design, facilities, marketing and excellence in service.

TUI (formerly Thomson) the UK’s largest holiday brand, has today announced it has added an additional weekly flight to the popular Egyptian destination of Hurghada for summer 2018 operating out of Birmingham Airport.

Holidaymakers from the Midlands will now have even more choice when it comes to booking a holiday to Hurghada with TUI adding a Friday flight to the summer flying programme. Flights start in May 2018 and will now operate twice a week on a Monday and Friday.

The decision to add more flights is part of the holiday company’s plans to offer as much choice as possible, ensuring customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels such as the 5T TUI Magic Life Kalawy. As well as additional flights to Hurghada residents from in and around the Midlands now have a wide choice of destinations to choose from when booking their holidays this summer with the new route to Podgorica in Montenegro already on sale. Karen Switzer, Director of Aviation Planning for TUI UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our programme from Birmingham Airport for summer 2018. We have added a Friday flight to Hurghada meaning we now fly twice a week to the Red Sea destination and with this additional flight customers can now book 10 or 11 night holidays. In total we have over 62 routes for customers to choose from when booking their holidays from Birmingham Airport. Holidaymakers in the Midlands will now have wider access than ever before to our diverse collection of destinations and hotel concepts.”

William Pearson, Aviation Director of Birmingham Airport said: “It is great news that TUI is adding additional capacity to Hurghada for Summer 2018. This complements the 62 routes that TUI has to over 27 countries, offering even more exciting destinations to passengers flying from Birmingham Airport.”

Building on a landmark year in 2016, Cologne Bonn Airport delivered its best-ever year in terms of throughput in the airport’s history, concluding 2017 with new all-time records for both passenger traffic and cargo. As a result, 2017 becomes the fourth consecutive year that both passenger and cargo traffic has grown.

Handling 500,000 extra passengers in 2017 than in the previous year, Cologne Bonn produced a solid 4% passenger traffic growth, resulting in a total of 12.4 million passengers using the airport in 2017. Over one million passengers per month used the facility during April to October last year – the first time the airport has ever achieved this feat. Air freight also developed positively in 2017 ‒ processing 840,000 tons and representing a 7% increase ‒ another highpoint for Germany’s third-largest cargo airport.

With A319s being the most frequently-used passenger aircraft to be operated at the German airport (28,700 movements), and the 767-300 being the most-popular cargo aircraft (5,700 movements), Terminal 1’s boarding gate C20 saw the highest passenger use throughout 2017. Last year the airport was linked to 142 destinations in 48 countries, with Cape Town (9,465km) being the furthest network point with regular operations, while Leipzig-Halle (359km) was the closest destination served. Berlin Tegel ended the year as the most popular destination, with over 1.2 million passengers flying the busy domestic sector over the past 12 months.

The growth driver in passenger traffic in 2017 was above all Eurowings. Lufthansa’s in-house low-cost long-haul airline has added new destinations such as Cape Town and Windhoek, southern African cities which are only served out of Cologne Bonn in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. Eurowings has also expanded its range of domestic routes from the airport with extra services to Berlin and Hamburg, as well as a new route to Munich being added. Despite the bankruptcy of airberlin in October, which operated to Berlin Tegel and Munich from Cologne Bonn, the airport still managed to produce a passenger increase of 3% in Q4 of 2017.

Qatar Airways Group published its Sustainability Report 2016-17, providing a comprehensive review of the Group’s extensive commitment to environmental sustainability.

The airline demonstrated constant and rapid growth during 2016-17, with 14 per cent more passenger and cargo flights carrying significantly more passengers, adding 10 new routes to its global network, and growing its fleet from 182 to 196 aircraft in the 12 month period ending 31 March 2017. Hamad International Airport exhibited similar growth in 2016-17, serving 38.2 million passengers, managing 250,419 aircraft movements and handling 1.8 million tonnes of cargo.

Alongside this tremendous growth, through commitment to its environmental policy and objectives, Qatar Airways Group has demonstrated improvement in environmental performance across its business interests, including airline and airport operations, catering services, retail outlets and hotels.

Notably, Qatar Airways has continued to improve how efficiently it uses aviation fuel, making airline operations 2.5 per cent more carbon efficient than the previous year, building on the considerable efficiency gains reported in 2015-16. The airline’s ongoing fuel optimisation programme focuses on reducing weight, route optimisation, aircraft operations on the ground and technical performance.

During this period the airport achieved an 11.9 per cent improvement in carbon efficiency per passenger when compared to the previous year. It also became the first airport in the Gulf Co-operation Council to achieve Level 3 of Airports Council International’s carbon accreditation programme and set a new target to improve its carbon efficiency per passenger by 30 per cent before 2030.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Our environmental performance demonstrates that Qatar Airways takes its leadership role in the international aviation community very seriously. We lead by example in environmental matters, particularly the management of our carbon emissions and the protection of wildlife and endangered species. As a global airline serving more than 150 destinations on six continents, every corner of the globe is important to us. We are committed to our own sustainability journey as well as to contributing to the aviation industry’s target of carbon-neutral growth from 2020.”

The Sustainability Report provides many other examples of Qatar Airways Group’s environmental commitments in managing network growth, airport operations, waste management, water conservation, and protecting endangered wildlife. For example, Qatar Airways Group continues its dedication to the global fight against the illegal trade in endangered wildlife, and this year it developed plans to improve detection within its cargo and passenger network. Qatar Airways Group continues to collaborate with its peers, international bodies and regulatory authorities to tackle this important issue at the industry level.

The report outlines Qatar Airways Group‘s plans for environmental improvement to ensure sustainable growth across its operations. It reveals how the careful implementation of the principles and the processes of its environmental management systems throughout the Group is embedding a culture of environmental responsibility amongst its workforce. This is paramount as the airline continues its robust growth trajectory.

Aspiring super-spies can taste life in the fast lane at Layan Residences by Anantara in Phuket, as the tropical retreat launches a budget-blowing experience inspired by James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. From flying-in by private jet to handling the original golden gun from the 1974 film, this no-expense-spared escape is packed with thrilling VIP experiences.

The adventure kicks off in fabulous style as guests board a private jet from Bangkok to Phuket, before being whisked by chauffeur-driven limo to Villa Similan – the largest of the resort's 15 ultra-luxurious residences. Perched high on a hill with ocean and jungle views, this lavish eight-bedroom property oozes suave sophistication and comes with a live-in butler and an on-call private chef and spa therapist.

Featuring a chic indoor-outdoor design with freestanding bedrooms and living spaces, the villa has an elevated roof terrace, 22-metre infinity pool and massage room. A glass-clad wine room leads to the pièce de résistance: a 007-esque 'man cave' complete with leather sofas, an antique carved billiards table and 'the' legendary golden gun.

Used by the film's villain Francisco Scaramanga, the custom-built pistol famously consisted of several innocuous golden objects – a cufflink (trigger), gas lighter (bullet chamber), fountain pen (barrel) and cigarette case (handle) – so that it could be easily smuggled. Guests have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to handle this fabled weapon during a wine tasting with Anantara's wine guru, before retiring to the terrace for a specially prepared dinner.

This extravagant experience also includes a glamorous yacht cruise around Phang Nga Bay, where The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed, during which guests can sip free-flowing Krug champagne and tuck into a gourmet barbecue prepared by the onboard private chef. Scattered with mangrove-cloaked limestone karsts jutting dramatically out of the emerald water, the spectacular bay's most famous rock, 'James Bond Island', played a starring role in the movie as Scaramanga's hideout.

Back at the villa, guests can develop their Ninja skills with a private Muay Thai boxing lesson. They can then soak up the views over the Andaman Sea as their butler serves 007's signature dry Martini cocktail (shaken, not stirred) before heading to the cinema room for a private viewing of vintage James Bond films, reliving the iconic secret service agent's escapades as he outwits nemeses around the world.

When they're not exploring or unwinding in the villa, guests can enjoy the facilities at the main resort. In addition to a pampering spa, Anantara Layan Phuket offers a range of acclaimed dining options including Thai restaurant Dee Plee and a rooftop pop-up of the award-winning contemporary Japanese eatery Zuma which runs until 15 March 2018.

The Maldives has announced an 18.7% increase in UK visitor arrivals during November 2017, when compared with the same month in 2016. In total, 9,579 UK visitors travelled to the Maldives during November 2017, compared with 8,073 in November 2016.

Furthermore, UK visitors represented 7.9% of all visitors to the Maldives in November 2017, with a total of 94,258 UK visitors travelling to the Maldives in the first 11 months of 2017, a 1.1% year-on-year increase.

With regards to worldwide arrivals to the Maldives, the island nation witnessed a year-on-year growth of 15.2% in November 2017, with 120,506 international tourists visiting the Maldives during November 2017. The total number of arrivals to the Maldives in 2017 stood at 1,246,502 by the end of November and when compared with the same period in 2016, total tourist arrivals have increased by 6.8%.

To support the increasing demand for tourism in the Maldives, the country will welcome several new tourism developments during 2018, including expansion plans at the recently rebranded Velana International Airport and the opening of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge in July 2018. There are also expansion plans of the health services in the Maldives, providing world-class medical care to both the community and the tourism industry for 2018, as well as further developments taking place at the new Youth City, providing accommodation and employment for future generations on Hulhumalé, an island adjacent to the capital city.

Speaking at a recent press conference, His Excellency Mohamed Anil, Attorney General, said, “This is a very exciting time for the Maldives with a number of key infrastructure developments taking place during 2018 and beyond, which will benefit both tourists and the local community. Our tourism industry is continuing to expand and with 10 new hotel resorts opening during the next few years, we look forward to being able to accommodate even more visitors from overseas.”

Environmental charges at Heathrow are set to increase by 7% as the airport seeks to minimise its impact on local communities. From 1st January 2018, airlines will be incentivized to deploy their newest aircraft at Heathrow – making the airport cleaner and quieter for our local communities.

The introduction of the higher environmental charge forms part of Heathrow’s ambitious sustainability strategy Heathrow 2.0 which sets targets to deliver a more sustainable future for aviation. It includes an aspiration to make growth from a new runway at Heathrow carbon neutral, and the use of 100% renewable electricity at the airport from 2017 in a major step toward creating a zero-carbon airport. It also proposes establishing an airside ultra-low emission zone by 2025, to improve quality of life of local communities through cleaner air.

With new public transport like Crossrail, HS2 and rail links to the west and south on the horizon – the way people travel to Heathrow is also set to be transformed, helping the airport to reach its goal of 50% of passengers travelling by sustainable transport by 2030. Heathrow has also recently made a significant investment in electric vehicles and charging points at the airport as well as unveiling a new scheme to encourage colleagues to purchase low-emission vehicles. All of these measures combined will help the airport tackle emissions at the airport.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

“Heathrow is determined to reduce the airport’s environmental impacts. Increasing our environmental charges to incentivise airlines to bring their cleanest, quietest aircraft to Heathrow is the best way to cut emissions and shrink the noise footprint around the airport. It is a tangible step that will make a real difference to local communities.”

For one more year, FITUR will gather in Madrid the latest proposals and destinations of the world tourism industry, with a focus on sustainability and new technologies as the axis of transformation of the tourism sector. The show, organized by IFEMA from January 17 to 21 at Feria de Madrid, will once again be the international reference trade show for receptive and outgoing markets in Spain, Latin America, and the world.

Around 10,000 companies from 165 countries will showcase their proposals in an edition that will have India as a FITUR partner. As important components of the event, the new special section of the show, FITUR Festivales, will showcase the novelties of festivals as a touristic attraction. Also, FITUR will showcase the latest in 5G for tourism – it was selected for the launch of the first 5G digital innovation laboratory applied to the tourism and exhibition sector, promoted by IFEMA and 5TONIC, an entity founded by TELEFÓNICA, IMDEA Networks Institute, with ERICSSON as an additional member.

This has been a challenging year for Caribbean tourism. While the first half of the year saw exciting growth in both tourism infrastructure and tourist arrivals over the previous year, in September we were hit hard by a series of unusual hurricanes that not only destroyed property, but also took the lives of many of our citizens. We must never forget the souls we lost along the way.

Physically, we will recover. Our Caribbean people are a resilient population. We will put the bricks and mortar back together and the hotels and vegetation will rise again and shine in the brilliant sunlight.

We take this time, a season of celebration and joy and the promise of a new beginning, to both reflect on the preceding year and look forward to tomorrow. And we will take the time to give thanks.

Travelers coming to the countries that were impacted by the storms will now see various stages of the rebuild/recover effort. Some are already fully up to speed and ready for the winter; others, only partially so. Our affected islands respect the safety and security of guests and staff and are therefore being frank and open about their state of readiness.

As tourism is the main economic driver for most of the Caribbean, we place enormous emphasis on delivering value and a superb visitor experience. In the hurricane-affected islands guests in 2018 and beyond will expect to see a product that is rebuilt stronger, better and even more attractive than before. That’s the plan, however long it takes to deliver.

We are thankful that the vast majority of the Caribbean never got touched by the hurricanes, so those islands have continued to welcome visitors every day. For them it’s business as usual. We are grateful to the travel professionals, the many visitors and our citizens themselves who continue to share images of the Caribbean today. Those pictures tell a thousand realities.

We want to use this time to thank our member countries that were quick to come to the aid of others not so fortunate. We want to thank our partners, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, the airlines, cruise lines and the hotels across the region that have worked and are still working to bring the Caribbean back to normal operations. We want to thank our marketing and sales partners, the tour operators, wholesalers and travel agents from around the world who have stood by the region and continue to promote and sell our destinations. And we want to thank the media that have, for the most part, painted a proper picture of our region that is clearly open for business. Through it all, we are also eternally grateful to our visitors and to the Caribbean Diaspora who stand shoulder to shoulder with our region in times of need.

Recently we embarked on a strategy to substantially enhance the Caribbean’s engagement in Canada, to develop business in non-traditional areas and work closely with our members’ representatives for maximum impact. New travel agent training and certification, increased use of targeted social media, enhanced deployment of the CTO’s data analysis tools, and more focused engagement with the Caribbean Diaspora were all components of the 2017 strategy for Canada. The Canadian market was a strong performer for most of 2017, with arrivals up by 6.4 percent. We can now look forward to more expansion of that market in 2018.

We also continued to focus on our two primary markets, the United States and Europe, with the UK, in particular, taking a central role. These markets were more robust in 2017 and we trust this will continue in 2018.

We realized too, that intra-Caribbean tourism, which has also been on the rise, would need our continuous attention, especially under the current circumstances where the task of educating the travelling public and removing the barriers to intra-Caribbean travel will continue to be a challenge.

At the start of the year we declared 2017 the Year of Adventure in the Caribbean and we capitalized on this in multiple promotions with member countries and industry partners. The Caribbean Year of Adventure linked directly with the United Nations Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and allowed us to pair adventure with sustainability.

The year culminated with the World Tourism Organization holding its Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth, in Jamaica, followed by the CTO’s partnership with the Caribbean Development Bank to host the Climate Smart Sustainable Tourism Forum in St. Kitts.

For the New Year the CTO has declared 2018 The Year of Rejuvenation in the Caribbean. With wellness and rejuvenation being important aspects of the Caribbean tourism product, we are encouraging our member countries and private sector partners to plan and organize events and activities around that theme.

For travelers who focus on renewing body and spirit, the options are virtually endless; from beachfront workouts and yoga retreats, to wellness resorts and spa treatments, the notion of being rejuvenated in the Caribbean is one more reason to let us pamper you in 2018.

The 2018 Caribbean Year of Rejuvenation will be promoted through social media and traditional media channels and will create opportunities for locals, travelers and holiday/vacation planners to share their ideas on how to capture the Caribbean’s huge capacity for wellness and rejuvenation. It will be a time of rebirth for us and for those who come to share the joy of a Caribbean vacation experience.

We look forward to 2018 with optimism and excitement.

On behalf of our CTO Chairman, The Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, Bahamas Minister of Tourism, the CTO Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism, the Board of Directors, Members and Staff of the CTO, I thank you for your continued support of our region, and I wish you and yours a safe, peaceful and prosperous New Year.