January 15, 2007
Following closely on the heels of the report regarding the resurgence of the airline industry in our last issue (Airlines Eye First Post-9/11 Profit), 2007 has begun with a flurry of activity in the international airline industry – ranging from mergers and the awarding of a most sought-after route, to new rules for long-range flights, the launch of a “new era” in aviation and a brewing fare war:
· Can Delta Win Battle To Keep Flying Solo?
In the two months since US Airways Group Inc. announced its hostile bid for Delta Air Lines Inc., the embattled carrier has mounted a high-octane campaign of grass-roots organizing and fierce political lobbying to try to stay independent – but all that has succeeded in doing is attracting a higher offer and a potential new suitor says The Wall Street Journal.
· United Wins China Route – And A Huge Potential Payoff
The Houston Chronicle reports that United Airlines looks like the winner of the fight for a lucrative new China route, trumping bids by Continental Airlines and other carriers. The Department of Transportation announced its tentative award to United on Tuesday.
The potential payoff looks huge for United, which along with Northwest Airlines is already one of two dominant carriers to the region. CreditSights airline analyst Roger King estimated that the seven flights a week on the route could bring United roughly $200 million a year in additional revenue and boost the value of the airline.
· Airtran Raises Bid For Midwest To $345M
AirTran raised its offer for Midwest by almost 18% to about $345 million, reports USA Today, after its earlier bid for the regional airline was rejected last month. The new offer is equivalent to $13.25 per Midwest share, based on the closing price of AirTran common stock on Monday. The offer consists of $6.625 in cash and 0.5884 shares of AirTran common stock for each Midwest share.
· Virgin: 'Let Me Fly'
Virgin America, a new low-fare airline, is set to take off. There's just one problem reports Forbes: America won't let them. After a 13-month delay, on December 27 the U.S. Department of Transportation rejected Virgin's application on foreign ownership grounds. So Virgin America is planning to take the fight to the passengers. The linchpin of the campaign: letVAfly.com, where people can sign petitions urging Congress and the DOT to give Virgin its wings. The airline will push people there
through cheap viral marketing on social media sites Digg, YouTube and Boing Boing, along with a few pricier newspaper ads.
· EU Seeks Open Skies With Canada
The EU, which hopes to jumpstart transatlantic open skies negotiations this week in meetings with US officials in Brussels, said yesterday that it plans to seek a separate open skies accord with Canada.
According to Air Transport World, the European Commission said an EU-Canada deal "may generate consumer benefits of at least $94 million through lower fares and could create 3,700 jobs in the first year." Canada currently has separate bilateral agreements with 17 EU member states, accords the EC said are in conflict with current EU law. The Canadian Airports Council embraced the proposal, urging the Canadian government "to make concluding an agreement a priority."
· FAA Revamps Rules For Long-Range Flights
Federal aviation regulators will require jets that fly for hours over desolate oceans or polar regions where there are no airports to have a plan to take care of passengers and extinguish cargo fires in the event of an emergency. The Federal Aviation Administration regulation, reports USA Today, spells out rules under which the latest generation of long-range jets can fly virtually any route in the world, including over the South Pole.
· New Aviation Era
Eclipse Aviation delivered the first so-called very-light jet to a customer on December 31 The New York Times has reported. The delivery of the jet, with a current price tag of $1.52 million, starts a new era in which 5,000 of the inexpensive little jets, produced by several manufacturers and able to land at about 5,000 airports, are expected to be in the skies within 10 years.
· NWA Close To Filing Exit Plan
Northwest Airlines will move a step closer to exiting bankruptcy when it files its reorganization plan with a U.S. court. The airline, according to The Detroit News, Detroit Metropolitan Airport's largest carrier with more than 500 daily departures, said it has no plans to ask federal bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper for an extension beyond the January 16 deadline. Northwest has said it plans to exit bankruptcy by late spring or early summer.
· Nation's Legacy Airlines Will Give The Low-Cost Carriers A Price Fight
As hostile merger bids continue among commercial airlines this year, another sort of power play is brewing says the Orlando Sentinel. The low-cost carriers, recently the most profitable in the industry, will be scrambling to compete for the first time in years with legacy airlines on price and customer service, analysts project. "The low-cost carriers are now going to be in for the battle of their lives," said Terry Trippler, who tracks the industry for
myvacationpassport.com.
While low-cost carriers such as JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines are setting new standards for customer service, the traditional legacy carriers such as Delta Air Lines and United Airlines will be forced to compete on price, Trippler predicted. "I think the price wars are going to be started by the legacies, and the two of them are going to battle and the consumer is going to win in 2007," he said.
· BA Restricts Checked Baggage, Will Charge Fixed Fees For Extras
British Airways said it will change its baggage policy from February 13 by placing restrictions on the number and size of bags that can be checked and charging customers fixed fees of up to £120 ($232) per excess bag. According to Air Transport World long-haul economy passengers will be restricted to one checked bag weighing no more than 23 kg. (50 lb.) as well as one piece of sporting equipment, such as a golf bag. Passengers traveling long-haul to select locations, including North America, still will be
able to check two bags.
Hotel Companies Placing More Importance On Fitness Centers
Hotel companies are stacking more importance on fitness centers, with many creating brand standards says Hotel & Motel Management. Not having a fitness center is almost like not having a swimming pool – they're increasingly considered a standard amenity, said Chris White, senior v.p. of planning and design services for WTS International, a consulting and management firm.
Most guests using the fitness center today are people who exercise as part of their regular routine at home. They have minimum expectations of what a fitness center should include, White said. "I don't think most hotel fitness center users are expecting to make huge gains in their fitness routines," he said. "They have too much going on while traveling. For those people, the motivation is to not lose whatever gains they have made."
The No. 1 problem John Sarver, director of design and development, True Fitness, sees is hotel companies making decisions for fitness centers without the advice of a facility designer. The advisor should be more than a personal trainer, Sarver said.
Another mistake is not being committed to the amenity, he said. Hotels should dedicate enough space to be able to compete with other hotels. For a full-service hotel, size should be 600 square feet to 1,200 square feet.
Study: Most Marketers Plan To Boost E-Mail Efforts
Eighty-five percent of marketers and marketing service providers expect that their budgets for online direct marketing will increase in 2007, according to a new study by Alterian, a marketing software provider.
Media Daily reports that for the study, Alterian surveyed 540 marketers, agencies and marketing service providers in North America and Europe last October. The majority of respondents--about 69%--said they specifically planned to increase e-mail spending. "E-mail marketing has quickly become the most popular form of online marketing today," the study stated. About four in 10 marketers--38%--said they planned to increase their use of personalized landing pages, while around 33% said they planned to increase use of banner ads.
But despite the planned surge, online spending remains relatively low compared to spending in traditional media. Sixty-one percent of respondents reported expenditures of less than $500,000 annually on online marketing, compared to 28% who reported spending more than $5 million on offline campaigns.
Singapore Ends 2006 On A High
After a record-breaking performance of the tourism industry, Singapore is in news for healthy growth of its economy says ehotelier. The city-state’s economy expanded at its fastest rate in the fourth quarter of 2006, based on advanced estimates. According to data from the Trade and Industry Ministry, the economy grew at an annualized rate of 7.6% in Q4 compared with the previous three months, which is higher than economists’ expectations.
Tourism is among the sectors in the news. According to a media report, Singapore has also been seeking to diversify its economy to reduce its dependence on exports.
Among the highlights of 2006 was Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong scrapping bans on gaming and bar-top dancing in an attempt to lure more visitors to Singapore, where Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Genting Bhd. are spending more than $6 billion building casinos. The licenses for the building of the city-state’s first two casino resorts are expected to nearly double the annual tourist visits to 17 million by 2015.
Abu Dhabi's Louvre A Big Earner For France
Contested plans to build an annex of the Paris Louvre as part of a luxury tourism complex in Abu Dhabi are to earn the French state up to 700 million euros (900 million dollars), a report said Wednesday.
According to France's Le Monde newspaper, reports Hotel Travel News, a French delegation will travel to the United Arab Emirates late this month to finalize details of the deal – notably on whether the new museum will carry the name "Louvre". The French culture ministry refused to comment on the report.
The new museum satellite, planned for 2012, is one of five to be built as part of a "culture district" on Saadiyat Island, the future site of a multi-billion-dollar tourist resort just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Under the terms of the contract, Abu Dhabi would reportedly pay France 150 million euros to provide it with four exhibitions per year, for 10 years, drawn from major French museums including the Louvre. During that time, Abu Dhabi plans to spend an annual 40 million euros on establishing its own collection, the report said.
Survey: Security And Cost Top Priorities
Traveler security and cutting costs remain the highest priorities in the preliminary findings of a survey of travel managers and business travelers says BusinessTravelEurope. The poll suggests that issues like carbon trading and climate change do not yet appear to be a major factor in corporate decision making.
The global poll is being carried out by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) and KDS, a major travel IT company. It was launched last November to assess the industry’s focus on carbon emissions and identify any other trends. An ACTE spokesman said: "Early indications from respondents show that traveler security and cost reduction remain the highest priorities in corporate travel decisions, whereas considerations of environmental impact are awarded a far lower priority."
Pod Hotel In Manhattan
BD Hotels has opened the 347-room Pod Hotel, an economy property where roughly half the guestrooms have shared bathrooms. With rates starting at $89 a night, the hotel, which was formerly the Pickwick Arms, targets travelers 20-35 years old. To appeal to this group's technology sensibilities, the hotel features iPod docking stations, complimentary WiFi and personal LCD-screen televisions.
According to HotelBusiness, Richard Born and Ira Drukier, partners in BD Hotels, also own The Chambers in New York and Minneapolis and The Maritime and The Mercer, both in New York, among other properties.
Apple iPhone Expected To Spur Mobile Marketing
Apple's new video iPod/cell phone combo could well transform the nascent mobile advertising field, marketing executives said Tuesday. "A killer app, overnight, can change what happens," said Gene Keenan, vice president of mobile services for digital marketing network Isobar. The iPhone, he added, with its ability to display high-quality video, could easily be such an app. "Apple has definitely sparked a revolution with this phone."
The new Wi-Fi-enabled device, unveiled Tuesday at MacWorld, says Online Media Daily, lets users make phone calls via Cingular, and also download and play music and videos; Apple also has partnered with Yahoo and Google to incorporate their search engines and email. In addition, with a wide 3.5-inch screen, the phone offers new promise for wireless video ads.
"This is the beachhead for converging mobile devices. It's a music player, video player and a phone all together," said Tom Burgess, CEO of mobile marketing technology company Third Screen Media. "There's no doubt that it is a step in the right direction for a more robust marketing medium."
UNWTO: Tourism To Grow 4% In 2007
Ehotelier reports that the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has said that 2007 should be a critical year to consolidate tourism as a key agent in the fight against poverty and a primary tool for sustainable development.
Against a projection of continuing worldwide growth in international tourism of more than 4% for international arrivals and revenues, Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli called for renewed effort to include sustainable tourism in the international development agenda, as a key tool to advance the Millennium Development Goals.
Hotel Rooms Scarce In Winter Hotspots
Sun-seeking travelers will likely find it tough to snare a room at upscale hotels and resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean this winter. And with occupancy levels up, some hotels are also raising rates says a report in The Wall Street Journal.
The development comes as somewhat of a surprise to industry watchers. Demand was expected to be damped both because of concerns about residual damage after the 2005 hurricane season and new rules requiring Americans returning from Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada to carry passports.
But especially calm weather and an increase in European and Asian travelers to the area are boosting demand. Bookings to both Mexico and the Caribbean are up over 40% year over year at Orbitz and Cheap Tickets, two online booking services owned by Travelport. The average daily rate at hotels in Mexico climbed 7.9% to $107.82 in November, the most recent month for which data are available, compared to Nov. of 2005, according to Smith Travel Research. In the Caribbean, the increase was 3.3% to $150.16.
A $750,000 Room? Hilton, Starwood Sell Time Shares In New York
Time shares, once known for high-pressure sales pitches for properties that sometimes were never built, are attracting more members in Manhattan as hotel companies expand fractional ownership beyond resort destinations says Bloomberg. A time share is a form of joint ownership that for a one-time payment gives buyers the rights to a hotel room, apartment or house for a certain amount of time each year, until they sell it or pass it to their heirs.
At the St. Regis, where a two-bedroom hotel suite may cost more than $2,500 a night, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has sold about half of its 22 four-week time-share blocks for as much as $750,000. Owners pay $17,500 a year for maintenance, fees and taxes.
Study: Sponsorships Yield Superior ROI
At a time when growing numbers of consumers try to avoid commercial messages anyway they can, new research shows that so-called "true" online sponsorship programs (one client; no hard sell) generate significantly better results for marketers in terms of intent to purchase, brand recognition and ROI than traditional ads.
A new study being published this week in the Journal of Advertising Research tracked 28 separate Internet sponsorship trials by marketers such as Intel, Sony and Volvo. It found that on average the sponsoring brand received a lift in "intent to purchase" seven times greater than the typical TV spot, said veteran media researcher Bill Harvey of TRA Inc. and a co-author of the study. According to AdWeek sponsors also realized far greater ROI levels than those achieved by regular spot
advertisers in TV, radio and print, said Harvey.
In separate programs, Sony and Intel sponsored online courses teaching people how to be better digital photographers. In both cases, for every dollar spent on the sponsorship (the programs were produced by third parties), the marketer received $50 in retail spending. By comparison, ROI for traditional media ads is roughly 2-to-1, according to MMA, a unit of Aegis that analyzes marketing models.
"The reality is that much of advertising doesn't work," said Harvey. But sponsorship appears to be a "precious subspecies" with proven results. "When a consumer is given good content and there's no catch and no spots, it causes a stop-and-look-again effect," he added.
Unprecedented Half-Billion Dollar Facelift For Waikiki
A half billion dollar-plus program is renovating an old favorite of tourists: Waikiki. The area fell on hard times in recent years with its main drag dominated by low-rent hotels and fallen down shopping centers. The money is being spent on new and renovated hotels and restaurants. Projects also include new public spaces designed to bring light, trees and Hawaiian entertainment into what had become a warren of narrow streets and concrete blocks, says TravelMole.
London Tops European Hotel Survey
London has been ranked top European market in revenue per available room (RevPAR) for 2006, according to data presented by professional services firm KPMG and global benchmarking provider The Bench. According to Hotel Travel News London achieved a RevPAR of EUR166.63, up 18.49% on last year.
This was driven by an average room rate (ARR) of EUR205.30 and Occupancy of 81.7%. London was closely followed by Moscow, boasting the highest ARR at EUR222.53 ranking second in absolute RevPAR (EUR161.78), up 15.1% on last year. Dubai ranked third with an absolute RevPAR result of EUR156.03. Global figures for 2006 show improved performances worldwide with RevPAR growth in Europe rising by 11.61%; USA up 7.5% and Asia Pacific increasing by 20.12%.
When In Paris, Shrug As Parisians Do
A Paris tourism agency is ready to concede what many Americans and Britons have long contended: The French are rude. France's famed indifference toward outsiders is actually part of the country's charm and can be a marketing asset, says the Paris Ile-de-France tourism office. The office has launched an online ad campaign called "C'est so Paris" – "It's so Paris" – designed to show foreign tourists "how to cop the Parisian attitude."
The campaign, says USA Today, was put together to address concerns that the British – France's biggest source of tourism revenue – have begun to find the French so off-putting that they are visiting in fewer numbers. The campaign's English-language website – www.cestsoparis.com – shows British tourists how to decode and mimic the gestures of condescending waiters, indifferent taxi drivers and pouting Mademoiselles. It encourages Britons to "act" French, even if they
can't speak a word of the language.
Hawaii’s No-Smoking Law Could Lead To Decline In Japanese Tourists
Hawaii's no-smoking law, which went into effect on November 16, has raised fears Japanese tourists, one of the state’s biggest markets, will give the island a miss says ehotelier. The law prohibits smoking in all public areas including airports, restaurants, bowling alleys and malls. It is also now illegal to light up in partially enclosed areas, bars and less than 20 feet from doorways and windows.
Businesses have put up no-smoking signs, ashtrays removed in hotels, restaurants and bars in a move to educate guests where they can smoke. Thirteen other US states and hundreds of cities are now complying with the comprehensive no-smoking laws.
"Japan is a smoker's paradise," said Rie Koyama, a Japanese tourist. "Smokers may avoid going to Hawaii."
Hilton To Expand Presence In Asia With Development Deals
Hilton Hotels Corp. signed an agreement with Thailand-based developer Hillcrest Development Ltd. to manage the Conrad Koh Samui Resort and Spa. Scheduled to open in late 2008, the hotel will be marketed under Hilton's Conrad Hotels portfolio reports Travel Weekly.
The luxury property will feature 79 villas and 39 Conrad Residential villas overlooking Aow Thai Beach at the southwest tip of the island. Each villa will have plunge pools and outdoor sundecks, and the resort will feature a full-service spa, several restaurants and meetings facilities.
Hilton, meanwhile, also formed an alliance with the real estate arm of Deutsche Bank Group and private equity firm H&Q Asia Pacific to acquire and develop hotels under the Hilton Garden Inn brand across China. The group signed a letter of understanding to operate some 5,000 hotel rooms in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and other key urban centers throughout China.
Nevada Casinos Report Record $2.1 Billion Profit For 2006
A new report shows Nevada's major hotel-casinos posted their highest net income ever in fiscal 2006 – a combined $2.1 billion. The report by the state Gaming Control Board also showed that the 274 resorts had $5.4 billion in earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA – the indicator that analysts watch most closely.
The EBITDA, 23% of the resorts' $24.08 billion in total revenue for the fiscal year that ended last June 30, compares with $4.5 billion in EBITDA in the previous fiscal year. The previous year's revenue total was $21.4 billion and its net was $1.8 billion says Associated Press. "We have record net income and record revenues," GCB analyst Frank Streshley said in going over the board's annual Gaming Abstract. "There was substantial growth in all revenue areas, not just
gaming."
Dog Massage At Spa Of Sarasota Ritz-Carlton, A Pilot Program For The Hotel Chain
Austin ricochets around the Ritz-Carlton hotel room, bouncing from bed to chair and leaping high to lick the face of his personal masseuse. He's an energetic 4-year-old pug, so there is a lot of wriggling as his "privileged pup" pet massage begins. But soon his eyelids droop and his tiny muscles relax under the soothing touch of Darlene Davison, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota's spa director.
"OK, sweetheart, OK. There you go," coos Davison, creator of the luxury hotel chain's latest indulgence –the $130 dog massage. Figure in the hotel's 20-pound weight limit and the additional $125 nonrefundable pet fee and the "privileged pup" plan comes out to a minimum of $12.75 per pound. And that's the basic package says Fox News.
For another $220, the Ritz throws in gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room pet massage, a choice of nail buffing or nail polish, a souvenir photo, a brisk walk over Sarasota's scenic Ringling Bridge and a gourmet meal of organic stew and designer water served on a silver tray.
The Ritz packages remain a budget buster for the average pet owner. An hour on the massage table at the Ritz equals an average year's worth of dog grooming and treats. Davison said the blow is softened a bit by the obligatory massage lesson. Florida law says veterinary procedures – including massages – must be done in a vet's office unless it is for educational purposes. So Davison and five other dog-certified spa employees use the hour to demonstrate Swedish, sports or relaxation massage techniques to dog owners.
Boston Prepares Welcome Mat For Japanese Tourists
Following the lead of other U.S. localities, says USA Today, Boston is banking on the latest Japanese sports superstar to boost its number of tourists from Japan. The Boston Red Sox last month signed pitching phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka to a six-year, $52 million contract. The right-hander, whose first name is pronounced dice-kay, in March led Japan to the championship of the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
Red Sox executives, along with city and state officials, are at "the earliest stages of trying to package tickets with travel opportunities," to attract visitors from Japan, says Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino. "His popularity and recognition are gigantic," Lucchino says.
Matsuzaka's arrival will freshen Boston's tourism pitch after 20 years of showcasing its academic institutions, historical sites and proximity to Cape Cod, says William MacDougall, CEO of Tourism Massachusetts, the agency that markets Boston and Massachusetts worldwide.
MacDougall already expects Massachusetts this year will win at least 20,000 extra visitors from Japan, worth an additional $75 million in economic impact. The new Japan connection could even help the city win non-stop air service between Boston and Japan, he says.
2007 To Be Another Banner Year For UAE Hotel Industry
Occupancy rates will continue to be strong and room rates and revenue per available room of UAE's hotels will rise in 2007. The expected increase is due to an anticipated increase in tourism says GulfNews. The bulk of new hotels currently under construction are not expected to hit the market for another two years, according to a senior manager of Ernst and Young.
"I would say 2007 would be another banner year for the industry. Occupancy will still remain above 80 per cent for sure. However, as you move out into 2008-2009, you won't be seeing the same rate growth that we have been seeing in the past. Right now we are seeing extraordinary rate performance," said Paul Arnold, senior manager at Ernst and Young's Real Estate, Hospitality and Leisure Advisory Services division in Dubai.
According to the consultancy's latest Middle East Hotel Benchmark Survey, hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi saw their occupancy go down marginally in 2006, but they have enjoyed a strong uptick in average daily room rates.
Dubai occupancy was 84.9% from January to November over the past year, according to the survey, a slight dip from 86.6% during the same period in 2005. Room rates, however, were up from $201 to $238, an increase of about 18.3%.
Cruise Industry Poised For Record-Breaking 2007
Last year should set another record for the US cruise industry. And full steam ahead?
"For 2007, new and refurbished ships will continue to raise the bar with even more innovative facilities and amenities; new ports of call are keeping itineraries fresh and exciting; and increased enrichment programming is completely in sync with today's quests for experiential vacation options," according to Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).
Interest in cruise vacations has reached new heights, says CLIA: a record number of ships - 100 - that have, or will, enter service between 2000 and 2010. Seven new ships debuted in 2006, and another nine are scheduled to launch in 2007 says TravelMole.
With more than 150 vessels, carrying from as few as 50 guests to as many as 3,600, CLIA cruise lines appeal to multigenerational travelers, including baby boomers, families, newlyweds, Gen-Xers, seniors, first-time and repeat sailors – and everyone else in between.
One trend noted by CLIA: cruise vacationers are choosing more often to upgrade to balcony and suite accommodations. Another trend: purchasing itineraries that are longer and more often to exotic locales.
Hotels Are Big Business In Seattle
Seattleites fancy themselves a welcoming bunch – provided that guests come, spend their money and leave. With a rash of new high-end hotels slated to open in the next two years, the city is poised to help more and more visitors do just that says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Seattle's hotel market is booming in the core. Although hotels are normally built at a rate of one every other year, recent demand has fueled construction on at least four hotels slated to open by 2008, and three opened in 2006. At least six more hotels are in the design and planning phases, and developers are talking about still more.
Vacancy rates have fallen to near-record lows, and the average room price has spiked above $150 per night – about $50 higher than the national average. Tourism and city officials tout Seattle's growing popularity as the reason – and hope that hundreds more feet will patter through the central business district at night.
Seventy Things To Watch In 2007
JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth-largest in the world, has announced 70 "in" products, services and trends that will help to define 2007. "Trends are illustrated by the products and services that exemplify them," says leading trendspotter Marian Salzman, EVP, chief marketing officer of JWT Worldwide and co-author of the new book Next Now (Palgrave Macmillan), a travelogue into the near future. "By examining what resonates with consumers, we can identify the larger patterns that will shape our lives in the years to come."
"As globalization continues to make our world seem smaller, localization will come to a head in 2007," says Ann Mack, director of trendspotting at JWT. "We'll put great emphasis on sourcing everything from food to textiles. Decadent and excessive consumption will fall to the wayside as we stress quality, minimal environmental impact and support of local producers."
A few selections from the list of 70:
1. Skype/VoIP
5. Shrinky Dink technology (TVs are flat and hidden, iPods are down to half an ounce, speakers are smaller and less visible, and so on)
19. Iceland
36. RSS feeds
47. Soft, natural hair
58. Mash-ups (music, Web sites, everything)
63. "Kidults"
69. Europeans getting fatter
70. Age shuffling (40 is the new 20, for example)
Global Rush For Beatles Hotel
Liverpool’s new Beatles-themed hotel has had close to 2,000 enquiries about rooms almost a year before it is due to open and four months before staff are due to start taking bookings. According to the Liverpool Daily Post detailed artists’ impress- ions of the 110-room Hard Days Night Hotel went on public display at the launch of this year’s Mathew Street festival. Managers also launched a website and announced booking lines would open next April, ahead of the hotel’s expected opening some time in autumn
2007.
But fans have proved Beatlemania is alive and well, and, four decades since the Fab Four’s first visit to Tokyo, around 1,000 Japanese fans have already emailed the HDN team to find out about booking a room. So far, around 50% of queries have come from Japan, around 30% from the US and 20% from Europe, mostly the UK, Holland and Germany.
Western Australian Tourism Council Seeks Skilled Workers Overseas
The Western Australian Tourism Council wants skilled labor from overseas brought into the state to ease pressure on the industry reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The state's unemployment rate dropped to 3.1% in December and the council's Ron Buckey says people are being lured away from tourism to high-paying jobs in the mining sector.
He says about 14,000 staff are needed in Western Australia and bringing in hundreds of skilled workers from overseas could help the situation. "I don't see this shortage being eased in the next 12 months at all to be quite honest with you," he said. "I think that we would hope that the skilled labor could get here in the next months, but quite clearly it's an enormous effort to secure the right people and more importantly get the right approvals from government agencies to allow them to come in."
Dracula's Castle Goes Up For Sale
The Habsburg family said Wednesday that it wanted to sell a Transylvanian castle famous for its connections to the 15th century medieval ruler who inspired Dracula for 60 million euros, or $78 million, to the local authorities, an attorney said. The local council says it is interested in buying Bran Castle, but a government minister criticized the price tag, calling it too expensive.
Dominic Habsburg, the owner, insisted the family had honorable intentions. "We are trying to find the best way to preserve the castle in the interest of the family and the people of Bran," Habsburg said in a statement made available exclusively to The Associated Press.
The castle was returned to Habsburg, a New York architect, on May 26, decades after it was confiscated by the communists from Habsburg's mother, Princess Ileana, in 1948, the year the royals were forced to leave the country.
Eurostar Sees Record Sales As Fliers Switch
Eurostar has seen record sales in 2006 as passengers switched over from airlines due to tighter security and fog delays at U.K. airports. Sales rose 12% on the year to GBP518.3 million from GBP463.8 million with the number of passengers carried rising 5.4% to 7.85 million, says Hotel Travel News. The number of leisure travelers rose 4.5% with business traveler numbers increased over 17%.
Increased security at airports since last summer and foggy weather in the U.K. shortly before Christmas meant thousands of passengers switched from airlines to the train, Eurostar said.
Marriott Aims To Double French Hotel Capacity Within 3 Years
Marriott International plans to double its hotel capacity in France within three years, as part of the company's goal of a 30% increase in rooms outside North America by the end of 2009.
According to Forbes, Marriott currently has 2,238 rooms in eight hotels across France, and will expand by both acquisitions and new hotel construction, said Rupprecht Queitsch, director of the Paris Rive Gauche hotel, acquired from Accor last year. Queitsch was speaking at a press conference for the launch of a new 'business chic' concept for the Rive Gauche hotel, which is currently going through a 35-40 Mln Euro
renovation.
Canada Fears Drop In U.S. Tourism
Canadian tourism officials fear new U.S. passport rules will mean a sharp drop in visitors from south of the border. The country has already seen a sharp drop in U.S. tourists because of the stronger Canadian dollar, reports UPI. Requiring border-crossers to go through the expense and inconvenience of getting a passport instead of flashing a driver's license and birth certificate is likely to bring more pain.
"This just aggravates the problem," Christopher Jones of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada said. "We are already experiencing a precipitous drop in tourism. It's adding salt to the wound."
Starting Jan. 23, air travelers from Canada, Caribbean countries and Mexico must have passports. The regulation is scheduled to take effect for land crossings by June 2009. Canadian officials say those most likely to be deterred are families, senior citizen groups and school groups who make casual excursions across the border, like to see Niagara Falls from the other side.
Tourism Zones Designated In Zimbabwe
The government has designated six tourist sites as Tourism Development Zones in an effort to boost Zimbabwe’s tourism industry reports the Zimbabwe Herald. In a notice published in yesterday’s Government Gazette, Environment and Tourism Minister Cde Francis Nhema said the areas were declared Tourism Development Zones in terms of the Tourism Act.
The six are Midlands Province Tourism Development Zone, Rhodes-Matopos, Kariba and Zambezi Valley, Mudzi, Eastern Highlands and Lake Chivero and Manyame.
Zimbabwe’s tourism industry is recovering from a decline in arrivals as a result of negative Western media publicity over the land reform programme which Government embarked on in 2000 to address colonial imbalances. The country recorded a 45% increase in tourist arrivals last year with at least 1.6 million tourists visiting the country between January and September last year.
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