Long-haul arrivals during fourth quarter of 2017

Long-haul arrivals during fourth quarter of 2017 consolidated a year of solid growth for tourism in Europe

The latest results from the Air Travellers’ Traffic Barometer*, produced by European Cities Marketing and ForwardKeys, consolidated a year of solid growth for long-haul inbound tourism in Europe, despite terror attacks targeting tourists in some major destinations earlier in 2017. Markets showed more resilience and relatively fast recovery to these tragic events.

Number of long haul travellers increased by 14.1% in Q4 2017 compared to Q4 2016
All international arrivals in Europe grew by 7.1% in Q4 2017, invigorated by long-haul travellers (+14.1%). While intra-European travel showed moderate growth (+2.8%), arrivals from almost all the other regions maintained growth rates above 10%. Asia and Oceania were the best performing markets.

Leisure travellers had the largest absolute growth
Traveller profile of long-haul arrivals revealed a leisure-related behaviour: the fastest growing segments were those with medium lengths of stay and medium-sized groups (2 to 5 pax per booking). The average lead time extended as a consequence of the fast growth for longer lead time segment (120+ days).

Top 10 destinations reveal a shift towards leisure-related travel
London (18% share) remained the top destination for long-haul travellers, but Paris (16%) gained ground when compared with the equivalent quarter in 2016. Mediterranean destinations Istanbul, Rome, and Madrid, managed to surpass business-related destinations Frankfurt and Amsterdam, revealing a shift towards leisure-related travel in comparison with Q4 2016.

Bookings for Q1 2018 reveal a positive prospect for long-haul arrivals
7 out of 10 top European destinations welcome increased forward bookings with double-digit growth, revealing the healthy outlook for long-haul arrivals in Q1 2018. Forward bookings confirm an optimistic travel outlook for Q1 2018 (international arrivals ahead by 9.7%), again fuelled by long-haul arrivals, ahead by 13.3%. Cities of Istanbul (+52.5%), Amsterdam (+20.1%) and Paris (+17.6%) are the most promising destinations in Q1, appearing in both top 10 rankings by volume and by growth.

All ECM members have exclusive access to the complete European Cities Marketing-ForwardKeys Air Travellers’ Traffic Barometer with all the graphs and analysis.

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Successful Recovery in European City Tourism in 2017: +7.7%

Successful Recovery in European City Tourism in 2017: +7.7%

European Cities Marketing (ECM) announced a 7.7% growth in city tourism in 2017, with the domestic market increasing by 5.2% and the international market by 9.2%, respectively. The top 10 cities in terms of bednights stayed the same as the previous year, with London, Paris, and Berlin at the top of the list.
As for source markets Russia showed a tremendous increase of 27.3%, followed by China (17.3%) and USA (15.5%), while Italy (-3.4%) continued to decrease. Tourism development 2017 was driven by a positive economic development in overseas markets, the volatility in international airline connectivity (airberlin, NIKI, Monarch, Alitalia), and travelers getting used to the increasing threat of terrorism around the world leading to a strong recovery and decreasing sensitivity.

European Cities Marketing reported the preliminary results from the forthcoming European Cities Benchmarking Report with the findings that European cities continued their growth with a 7.7% increase in 2017 in total bednights compared to 2016. International bednights growth (9.2%) surpassed domestic bednights growth (5.2%) in 2017. The preliminary data feature results from 65 out of 121 cities, representing a total of 456.9 million bednights.

The top performing cities in terms of total number of bednights stayed equal compared to last year. Madrid took over Barcelona (which was heavily affected by the Catalan referendum) as the 5th city in the ranking, while the other cities remained in the same ranking positions as last year. London had the highest number of bednights in 2017 with a 7.6% increase, followed by Paris (+7.5%), Berlin (+0.3%), and Rome (+2.4%). Prague (+7.5%), Amsterdam (+11.2%), and Munich (+11.7%) had the highest growth rate among the top 10 cities. Besides Barcelona which was heavily affected by the Catalan referendum, Berlin’s impressive growth seen in previous years suddenly stopped, mainly driven by airberlin which filed for bankruptcy in 2017.

For international bednights, the list of the cities is the same as last year as well. In the rankings, Prague took over Barcelona in the 4th place. London (+7.9%) and Paris (+11.1%) are the top two cities with the highest number of international bednights. On average top 10 cities increased 6.0% in international bednights in 2017. Amsterdam (+11.6%), Madrid (+11.4%), and Paris (+11.1%) had the highest growth in the top 10 list.

Successful recovery in European city tourism in 2017
“2017 was again an exceptional year for city tourism in Europe” confirms Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, ECM President. “After a rather difficult year 2016 marked by terrorist attacks and fears for further assaults in European cities, we are pleased to see the quick recovery when it comes to travelling to urban destinations in Europe. The strong positive development in bednights of crisis-shaken cities like Paris or London particularly confirm this hypothesis. This development shows the importance of travelling to cities which is not anymore only an option but rather a must in the yearly travel planning process for many tourists worldwide. In fact, when analyzing the travel behavior of the nine considered source markets, (except for Italy and Spain with a slight decrease) all other markets – especially the overseas markets – led to positive results in bednights and were driving growth. With Japan and Russia being strongly back on track, city tourism continues to prosper.”

Main Source Market Developments
Main source markets USA (12%), Germany (8%), and UK (7%) make up approximately 30% of the international source markets for European cities. Italy, Russia, and Japan as source markets were decreasing in terms of bednights since 2015. However, the Russian market recovered from last year’s decrease of 12.4% and had the highest increase with a growth rate of 27.3%. Italy continued its decrease by -3.4 %, however Japan turned around the decreasing streak into an increase of 6.2% in 2017. Besides Italy, the only other source market that showed a decrease was Spain (-0.4%).

ECM President, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr continues “We can see that European city tourism is still growing at an even faster pace than the years before. This development is particularly driven by positive economic developments in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) markets showing high percentage increases, as well as a strong recovery of tourism demand in cities affected by terrorism in 2016. Even though European cities have also struggled of crises in 2017, it seems that travelers are getting used to the increasing threat of terrorism around the world leading to a strong recovery and decreasing sensitivity. Since the demand in 2016 shifted from capitals and premiere league cities towards smaller cities and developing cities, city tourism in Europe could showcase its diversity which resulted in ongoing growth for the hidden gems in 2017.”

Charts and further data are available for free at http://www.europeancitiesmarketing.com. The 14th edition of the European Cities Marketing Benchmarking Report will be available as of July 2018, representing the leading source of European city tourism statistics in the world. The professional package of the report can be pre-ordered at a discount rate of -20% until the end of April.
The report is free for members of European Cities Marketing and can be ordered from:
http://www.europeancitiesmarketing.com/ecm-benchmarking-report

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European Cities Marketing announced new President

European Cities Marketing announced new President, Executive Committee and Board Members reflecting on strategic focus on City Marketing

ECM General Assembly last week saw the implementation of ECM Strategy 2017-2020 first steps, with the creation of an additional Vice-President position dedicated to City Marketing.

 

During ECM International Conference in Dubrovnik gathering 200 persons last week, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr (Graz, Austria) was elected the Association’s President for a duration of 2 years. The General Assembly also appointed Petra Stusek (Ljubljana, Slovenia) as Vice-President dedicated to Leisure & Tourism and Eduard Pieter Oud (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) as Vice-President dedicated to City Marketing.

 

The newly elected board members are as follows: Ignasi de Delàs (Barcelona, Spain), Bettina Reventlow-Mourier (Copenhagen, Denmark), Barbara Jamison (London, United Kingdom), Nicolas Lefebvre (Paris, France) and Marta Stawińska (Poznań, Poland).

Bettina Bunge (Dresden, Germany) pursues her role as Vice-President dedicated to the Meetings Industry and Philippe Vignon (Geneva, Switzerland) carries on with his role as Treasurer. Pier Paolo Mariotti (Bolzano, Italy), Erwin Van de Wiele (Ghent, Belgium) and Goran Pavlović (Opatija, Croatia) continue their mandates as ECM Board Members.

“It’s a real honour for me to have been elected ECM President once again. It really shows the trust that ECM members have in me. But this responsibility is also a challenge considering the difficult times and the transformations that DMOs are facing. But I am convinced that our strategic approach focusing on city marketing and the balance between residents, business travellers and visitors will help our destinations in their holistic position to stand still. I am really thrilled to take part in this adventure.” said freshly elected ECM President, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr.

Current ECM Executive Committee:

Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, President (Managing Director, Graz Tourist Office)

Petra Stusek, Vice-President Leisure & Tourism (CEO, Ljubljana Tourism)

Bettina Bunge, Vice-President Meetings Industry (Managing Director, Dresden Marketing)

Eduard Pieter Oud, Vice-President City Marketing (COO, Amsterdam Marketing)

Philippe Vignon, Treasurer (General Manager, Genève Tourisme & Congrès)

Board Members:

Ignasi de Delàs, (Deputy General Manager, Turisme de Barcelona)

Pier Paolo Mariotti (Meeting Manager, EURAC Convention Centre Bolzano)

Bettina Reventlow-Mourier (Deputy Convention Director, Wonderful Copenhagen)

Erwin Van de Wiele (CEO, Ghent Tourist Office)

Barbara Jamison (Head of Business Development – Europe, London & Partners)

Goran Pavlović (Head, Opatija Convention and Incentive Bureau)

Nicolas Lefebvre (CEO, Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris)

Marta Stawińska (Senior Project Manager – Tourism Development, Poznań Tourism Organisation)

 

European Cities Marketing

www.europeancitiesmarketing.com

 

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European Cities Marketing to launch the first Manifest on DMOs’ future

European Cities Marketing to launch the first Manifest on DMOs’ future

The report will look at the daily change and disruption occurring in European tourism; it sets out a vision on how Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) can empower to take on a leading role in city marketing and management.
This first ECM Manifest has been produced in partnership with TOPOSOPHY and will be launched during forthcoming ECM International Conference in Dubrovnik, May 31 – June 3, 2017.

After turbulence caused by terrorism, political shocks and major shifts in consumer travel behaviour, Marketing professionals attending this year’s European Cities Marketing (ECM) International Conference from across Europe and overseas will have one thing on their minds: disruption has become the new normal.
As most destination marketing organisations are still operated along traditional lines under the direction of local government, reacting rapidly to support tourism partners through these changes can be highly challenging.

This vision will be visible through a new paper titled The Future of DMOs: The ECM Manifest which will be presented in the opening session of the ECM International Conference, and distributed online from the start of the event.

“At last year’s Conference, TOPOSOPHY presented a landmark report for city marketers in Europe on the Sharing Economy. This year’s report focuses on the Future of DMOs. It gives a real vision of how they should re-organise their activities internally and externally, and emerge with a strengthened role in order to face the future with confidence”, said Manolis Psarros, CEO of Toposophy.

Commenting on this vision, ECM President Ignasi de Delàs added: “Throughout Europe, DMOs are facing similar demands to re-think what they do. Budget cuts, political pressure and shifts in consumer behaviour mean that it’s time for DMOs to find a new, strengthened role in attracting all types of talent, ideas and investment for their cities, regions and nations. ECM is already playing a strong role in supporting cities when disturbance is the only constant in urban travel. As practitioners, we want to share our vision with the tourism and meetings industry and this report is the perfect example of our work.”

The ECM International Conference will be held from May 31-June 3, 2017 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It will bring together Europe’s city marketers and tourism professionals with industry thought leaders and leading tourism academics from around the globe to debate and navigate the new normal in urban travel and tourism.

For more information and to receive your copy of the Manifest, please go on ECM Website www.europeancitiesmarketing.com

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International arrivals in Europe on fourth quarter of 2016 are increasing

International arrivals in Europe on fourth quarter of 2016 are increasing, boosted by long haul travellers

The latest results from the Air Travellers’ Traffic Barometer* produced by European Cities Marketing and ForwardKeys highlight a recovery for International arrivals in Europe on Q4 2016, marked by Intra European flows’ return to flat performance and good progress of long haul travellers.

Number of long haul travellers increased by 3.9% in Q4 2016 compared to Q4 2015
All International arrivals in Europe grew by 1.4%, especially fuelled by the surge of North America while Intra European flows stalled. The more beneficial exchange rate of the USD vs. Euro and GBP could be behind this very positive performance. Central & South American regions show a highly positive trend helped by visa waivers to countries such as Peru since March or Colombia since January 2016, the two fastest growing countries in the region.
Intra European flows, accounting for 60% of arrivals in Europe as per ForwardKeys database, have returned to a flat performance after four consecutive negative quarters.
Asia & Oceania and Africa have interrupted the previous negative trend of Q2 and Q3 2016 vs 2015. This is most likely related to the comparison with a very troubled Q4 2015 in Paris. Concerns over security affected all of Europe, as combined trips among its cities are very popular for long haul visitors.

Booking situation depicts a positive scenario for Q1 2017 compared to Q1 2016
Chinese New Year is taking centre stage as a major trigger for Chinese travel, pushing Asia & Oceania share to 15%. Central & South America maintain their rising path in bookings, following a successful Q4 2016, while the drop in bookings issued from Middle East is considerable.

Top growing destinations regarding bookings for Q1 2017 are distributed throughout the continent
Among the top 10 European destinations, only Istanbul sees a delayed booking situation vs. last year. This is no doubt related to the pressing terror threats and attacks. Unlike in the previous barometer, top growing destinations are not so much related to a sand and seaside experience but display a more varied map of northern and southern cultural corners with cities such as: Madeira, Lisbon, Tallinn, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Madrid, Venice, Seville and Milan.

All ECM members have exclusive access to the complete European Cities Marketing-ForwardKeys Air Travellers’ Traffic Barometer with all the graphs and analysis.

*This analyse is based on Air Reservation Data propriety of ForwardKeys® as of December 31, 2016.
Perimeter: Includes air reservations made by passengers arriving in Europe and staying at least one night in destination, therefore excluding: “Transits”, “Day trips”, “One-way trips” and “Returns”.
Arrival period: 1 October – 31 December 2016 vs. 1 October – 31 December 2015
Booking situation for next quarter: 1 January – 31 March 2017 vs. 1 January – 31 March 2016 according to bookings issued as of 31 December 2016 and as of 31 December 2015.

Mindfulness, interaction & common goals for TIC leaders – innovative ways to develop destination experience

Mindfulness, interaction & common goals for TIC leaders – innovative ways to develop destination experience

83 TIC managers and staff representing 49 leading European cities recently met in Dublin for the third edition of the TIC Expert Meeting to exchange knowledge and best practices on Tourist Information Centres (TIC).

The ECM TIC Expert Meeting is targeted to TIC managers and staff, whether they are ECM members or not. This initiative from European Cities Marketing (the only membership association strengthening city marketing in Europe with 100 cities onboard) is providing participants with an opportunity to improve their knowledge and also to share information on Tourist Information Centres with other destinations. For the third year in a row, the event was fully-booked showing once again the interest of TIC managers and staff in exchanging to improve their TICs.

Gabriela Schweinberger, International Business Coach and Consultant, hosted a workshop where attendees were divided into groups and given different problematic regarding TICs. This workshop was a platform for learning: attendees outlined common problems, goals and clients/visitors with nearly identical requirements. Together they searched for solutions and exchanged their experiences.

A panel discussion on mobile TICs (or itinerant TICs – Ed.) was also organised with Johanna Laxén, Tourist Information Advisor at Visit Helsinki and Federica Borini, TIC Coordinator at Turismo Torino e Provincia. Johanna described the mobile TIC system used during high season in Helsinki with staff walking around specific touristic areas providing maps and brochures to the tourists in need. While Federica explained that in Turin the mobile TIC system is used during events and volunteers help the tourists.

Last but not least, attendees were given the opportunity to work on personal development thanks to Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten who provided a masterclass on mindfulness. Did you know that you only need 10 minutes of meditation per day to feed your brain and it helps people overcome stress, develop greater mental focus and better interaction… which are important when you work in a TIC.

Richard Windischbacher, TIC Knowledge Group chairperson and TIC Manager at Graz Tourismus explained: “Tourist Information Centres are a source of inspiration for visitors in a city. The aim of our yearly event is to offer a mix of incentive and exchange opportunities for all the TIC experts’ attendees from large and small cities, from public and private organisations. The exchange of best practices, experience and know-how is the key to improve cities competitiveness. The TIC Expert Meeting allows attendees to benchmark themselves by learning about other TIC.”

The fourth edition of the TIC Expert Meeting will be held on October 26-27, 2017 in Budapest. Details will follow on European Cities Marketing website: www.europeancitiesmarketing.com

Hotel industry in Europe keeps a positive trend

Hotel industry in Europe keeps a positive trend for the first quarter of 2016 despite terrorism fear

The latest ECM-MKG European Destinations Observatory report* points out that for the first quarter of 2016, European hotels keep up the positive trend with a 0.6 point increase in Occupancy Rate and 1% growth in Average Daily Rate** allowing the RevPAR*** to improve by 2%.

Despite widespread growth, contrasts can be observed when it comes to individual country performance. Factors such as the migrant crisis – affecting tourism in certain destinations – and the security environment following the Brussels attacks in March impacted hotel performance in several key destinations across the continent.

While some capitals are affected by the terrorism fear…

As the city was directly hit by terrorism, Brussels’ RevPAR dropped by 7.4%, mostly due to a 5.5 points decrease in Occupancy Rate. Other European capitals, such as London and Berlin, were also affected by these events, raising doubts about European security in the eyes of foreign clientele.

At the same period France (except the capital) regained a growth track especially thanks to RevPAR improvement in the whole country: Reims (+13.1%), Lille (+8.2%) or Marseille (+7.4%), Paris is still recovering from the consequences of the November attacks on tourism with a RevPAR decrease by 9.2%.

… others seem to recover “market shares”

Prague has reached a strong RevPAR, with 18.3% growth for this indicator. The organisation of several international medical trade shows in Prague significantly stimulated hotel performance. Amsterdam was also among the frontrunners in the European landscape (+17.1% in RevPAR), as hotels benefitted from the organisation of the Fespa Digital Amsterdam and other international business events. Budapest also registered positive results, with a 10.7% increase in RevPAR due to gains in Occupancy Rate (+2.7 points) and Average Daily Rate (+5.1%). Polish hoteliers benefited from the European men’s handball championships at the beginning of the year. Warsaw and Poland report increases in the RevPAR by respectively 1.3% and 6.1% on the first quarter. Austria posted a RevPAR increase by 5.7%, it is better than the capital, Wien (+0.6%).

In Northern Europe, Edinburgh observed a RevPAR increase by 7.5%, a trend totally different from London or Liverpool which decreased by 4.5% and 1.8% respectively.

Finally, performance across Southern Europe continued to improve, boasting higher results than in the 2015 first quarter. RevPAR in Lisbon grew by 2.4%, it strongly increased in Spain with San Sebastian (+34%), Zaragoza (+25.9%), Malaga and Seville (+21.7%), Barcelona (+16%) and Madrid (+12.8%). Rome and Turin are on a positive trend, with RevPAR increase by 2.4% and 4.2%.

All ECM members have exclusive access to the complete ECM-MKG European Destinations Observatory report with all the graphs and analysis.
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European Cities Marketing and MKG confirm the good health of the hotel industry

European Cities Marketing and MKG confirm the good health of the hotel industry in Europe since the beginning of 2015

The results from the latest ECM-MKG European Destinations Observatory report* are in.
With an occupancy rate of 71% throughout the European Union at the end of three quarters in 2015, hotel chains gained 2 points over 2014 at the same period. Performances on the continent show an increase over last year thanks to growth in the ADR** (+3.5%) and a RevPAR*** up by 6.4%. Some destinations produced better results, depending on their geographic location. Once again the assortment of events held in some cities played a key role in the success of their performances.

Southern Europe cities are performing well. Italian cities’ results are driven by events.
The hospitality industry of San Sebastian, Seville, Zaragoza and Bilbao, all in the top 10 of RevPAR growth, is having a good year. Madrid and Malaga are following this trend too, with double-digit RevPAR growth by 11.8% and 12.1% respectively.
Meanwhile, with “EXPO Milano” (from May 1 till October 31), the city of Milan expects to welcome over 20 million visitors. For the moment, the city has experienced the strongest growth in RevPAR in Europe. Other cities in Italy record good results too with Venice and Turin; the city of romance saw its ADR rise by over 19% (helped by the “Biennale di Venezia“) leading to a RevPAR up by 17.3%, while the RevPAR in the capital of the Piedmont region increased by 12.3%. Bologna records similar results as Turin, but Rome is the only Italian city in this sample to be on a downtrend (RevPAR: -7.5%).

Following the trend of the first semester most Western Europe cities have good RevPAR results. UK main cities shine by their occupancy rates.
The United Kingdom cities continue to keep the lead in terms of occupancy rate with 84.4% for London, the main business destination in Europe, while Edinburgh is still in second position. But, from the beginning of the year, the RevPAR for these two cities followed a negative trend due to respective decreases in ADR by 4.5% and 4.6%.
In Germany, only Dusseldorf and Nuremberg recorded a downtrend in RevPAR. With solid business tourism, Stuttgart (Intergeo 2015), Cologne (IAW 2015) and Berlin (CMS 2015) saw their RevPAR increase.
In France, only Paris is on a slight downtrend, with a RevPAR down by 0.9%. Other cities in the country record good performances, Lille organised “EuroBasket 2015“, Cannes and Nice welcomed events and congresses, Bordeaux and Lyon had a good summer after business events in the first half of the year.
Benelux stayed on the right track from the beginning of the year, with a significant number of political events and meetings to explain its good performance. Brussels and Amsterdam respectively recorded a 6.4% and 7.3% increase in their RevPAR, while Luxembourg has the strongest RevPAR growth in this area (+14.8%).

Scandinavian and Eastern Europe cities also stay on a positive trend.
In Scandinavia, all cities are on a positive trend except Copenhagen and Helsinki showing a relative stabilisation in their RevPAR. Oslo and Stockholm record a combined increase in occupancy rate and ADR.
In Eastern Europe, international events improved results; Warsaw with “International Building & Interiors Exhibition 2015” produced growth in its RevPAR by 9.5%, since the beginning of the year. But, Budapest records the best RevPAR increase in this area (+12.5%) while Prague’s results remained stable (+0.6%).

All ECM members have exclusive access to the complete ECM-MKG European Destinations Observatory report with all the graphs and analysis.

SOUTH AFRICA – “IT’S THE PLACE TO BE”

SOUTH AFRICA – “IT’S THE PLACE TO BE”
MINISTER OF TOURISM IN SOUTH AFRICA, OUTLINES NEXT DECADE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MICE INDUSTRY

Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism for South Africa outlined how South Africa, as a world-class business events destination, will respond to the next decade in the face of rising interest in the African continent.

Speaking at ibtm world in Barcelona, Minister Hanekom outlined how South Africa hosted 124 international association conferences in 2014 alone which attracted just under 70 000 industry professionals. Of these 124 conferences, 81% were international rotating events. He also reminded all that the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB) has only been in existence for three years.

Looking to the future, SANCB has secured 163 bids for South Africa between 2016 and 2020, from industry sectors as diverse as mining, health and agriculture. Collectively they are expected to bring over 150,000 delegates to South Africa and contribute approximately R3.1billion to the economy.

“The potential of Africa for the MICE industry is exponential. The tide has turned, we can see that our growth opportunities are now also within the African market. There are 770 registered African Associations on the ICCA database. 178 of these are based in South Africa and 592 on the rest of the continent and 218 regional conferences were registered on the continent in 2014 resulting in 610 events over the last five years. South Africa only hosted 63 of these events in the past 5 years,” said Minister Hanekom.

The first African Association Society of Executives, which was formed this year, will hold its first AGM at Meetings Africa 2016, SANCB’s signature business events trade shows held annually in February at the Sandton convention Centre in Johannesburg. Other new developments include identifying and collaborating with a key strategic partner to oversee the management of the tradeshow going forward.

The Minister also announced the SANCB is most excited that the European Cities Marketing (ECM) programme is coming to South Africa. This will be the first time that this initiative takes place in South Africa just ahead of the 2016 edition of Meetings Africa.

Speaking at the press conference, alongside Minister Hanekom, ECM President Ignasi de Delàs, said, “We are really thrilled to have our first ECM Academy organised in South Africa. It’s a new landmark in ECM development to host the derived version of our successful ECM Summer School. The ECM Academy is a tailor-made course for partner organisations outside Europe. We will do our maximum to guarantee the success of the ECM Academy in Johannesburg by maintaining the highest standard of course content, recruiting the best speakers, and giving the latest examples showcasing the most up-to-date trends in the Meetings Industry.”

Hanekom also outlined how the Government is helping small businesses in the tourism sector by including them in shows like ibtm world.

“We have invited 4 of these enterprises with us here to exhibit at ibtm world this year – it’s an important trade show and gives them access to an international business platform,” added Minister Hanekom.

The South African National Government supports over 1.4 million jobs and investment continues in its climate change research and management of ocean resources as well as science and technology, minerals and gas exploration.

Summing up, Minister Hanekom said: “South Africa offer the business events industry excellent value for money, deliver authentic, memorable and enriching experiences in one of the most captivating, safest and beautiful countries that I am proud to call my home.”

Europe shows recovery signs

Europe shows recovery signs in terms of international arrivals after a slow down during first semester of 2015
The latest results from the Air Travellers’ Traffic Barometer* produced by European Cities Marketing and ForwardKeys highlight that Europe shows recovery signs: after a flat growth in Q2 2015, expectations are high regarding Intra-European bookings for Q3 2015, with a 5.4% growth.

During Q2 2015 international arrivals are growing slowly
During second quarter of 2015, all international source markets grew by 1.1% compared to previous year, mostly driven by long-haul travellers (+2.4%).
The Intra-European market (standing for 60% of all arrivals in Europe) increased by a small 0.2%.
Africa was also in a negative trend this 2nd quarter of 2015 with a -10.7% decrease.
Asia & Oceania maintain a healthy growth while North America still benefit from a favourable currency exchange.

International bookings to Europe for Q3 2015 are encouraging
Middle East had a negative variation in Q2 2015 due to events such as the oil pricing slump which reduced the purchasing power and the business travels. Ramadan (from June 18 to July 17), has affected negatively this quarter, but the perspectives for Q3 are promising with a 25.2% growth of bookings from this area.
Africa is up by +7.5% for future arrivals based on issued booking up to 30 of June. The region should recover the growing path after a bad performance during 2014 due to Ebola’s crisis.

The standard profile for long haul trips to Europe: last minute decision, 1-2 people, 1 week
Stays between 1 to 8 days predominate in second quarter of 2015, and showed interesting increases. However, the shortest stay had a timid growth, almost flat, likely due to the slowdown in the business profile of Middle East visitors. Regarding the lead time, most common segment is still late bookers, who decide the final trend in the last minute. Solo and couple travellers remain the main part of the total arrivals (74%) but Groups segment (6+ pax), despite its low volume, maintains a healthy growth (+7.1%), mostly due to the Asian market.

All ECM members have exclusive access to the complete European Cities Marketing – ForwardKeys Air Travellers’ Traffic Barometer with all the graphs and analysis.