ASEAN Recognises Its Best Sustainable Tourism Products

ASEAN Recognises Its Best Sustainable Tourism Products
Seventeen winners in rural and urban products category in nine Southeast Asian countries have been awarded for sustainable tourism excellence

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – Seventeen winners of the inaugural ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards (ASTA) received recognition at a dedicated awards event at the end of the ASEAN Tourism Forum, 26 January in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

The new awards will now take place every two years as partial fulfilment of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025, much of which seeks to advance sustainable tourism objectives.

The nine winners in the Rural Sustainable Products category were Sothy’s Pepper Farm in Cambodia, Desa Wisata Nglanggeran in Indonesia, Tree Top Explorer in Lao PDR, KOPEL Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor in Malaysia, the Pindaya Region in Myanmar, Walk on the Wild Side in the Philippines, Kranji Countryside in Singapore, the Kao Yao Noi Community Based Ecotourism Club in Thailand, and the Stay with Tay Ethnic Village in Viet Nam.

The eight winners in the Urban Sustainable Products category were Wat Phnom Historical and Cultural Site in Cambodia, the Nusa Dua in Indonesia, Phousi Mountain in Lao PDR, the KL Forest Eco Park by KL Tower in Malaysia, the Kayin State’s Natural Limestone Caves in Myanmar, the Palina Greenbelt River Cruise Experience in the Philippines, the Marina Bay Precinct in Singapore, and the Phuket Natural Experience in Thailand.

“I congratulate all 17 ASTA recipients,” said Mr. Sounh Manivong, the Director General of Tourism Marketing in the Lao PDR Government. “I encourage tourists to experience these products first hand. They are all shining examples of sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia.”

Entries to the awards were assessed by the National Tourism Organization in each ASEAN member state. Judging criteria and scoring was standardised throughout the nine ASEAN countries that participated. Auditors took inspection visits to all short-listed sites.

For more information about ASTA and its awardees, please click here.

The next ASTA will take place at ATF in Brunei Darussalam in 2020.
Further information

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APTM 2015 – First Asian Premium Travel Mart

APTM 2015
First Asian Premium Travel Mart at SMX Convention Center, Manila, Philippines

MANILA, JUNE – The Asia Premium Travel Mart did take place from 26-28 May 2015 in Manila Philippines, at SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Premium travel is no longer about booking into nice hotels and going on picturesque tours. The discerning traveler has grown into a world quality explorer. The thought of going back to a hotel room with a huge bed surrounded by enormous fluffy pillows pale in comparison with Glam Camping in a luxurious tent under a clear sky in the middle of paradise. No longer are clients looking for just a simple weekend getaway for food and shopping but are instead going on immersion trips to experience a world they have never been a part of. Travel is no longer a science but has become Avant-garde art.

The Asia Premium Travel Mart or APTM positions itself as THE meeting place to bring together the world’s best travel counselors to exchange ideas, experiences and cooperation with the world’s best travel providers; what better place but in Southeast Asia where travel is a way of life.

Through rigid screening and qualifying, APTM is committed to bring together travel specialists, both Buyers and Sellers, with similar ideals on quality and inspiration; people who look to DISCOVER and Rediscover; EXPLORE boundaries; INDULGE in unique and heart-warming experiences.

But beyond the business exchange platform, APTM promises to deliver a week of great networking events, exciting cocktails and fantastic evening socials, as well as pre and post event tours to all qualified Premium participants.

All goes to show you that it is indeed, MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES!

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GOOD NEWS FOR IBTM INDIA

GOOD NEWS FOR IBTM INDIA
Visitors from 43 countries can now get their visa for India online

Both international exhibitors and Hosted Buyers attending ibtm india 2015 will benefit from the recent news that tourists travelling to India from 43 countries including the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Germany and Japan will no longer have to queue at their local consulates to obtain visas. Following the announcement, individuals may now apply online for their tourist visa-on-arrival, entitling them to a 30-day stay in the India.

The new visa-on-arrival rules will benefit 43 countries including Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kingdom of Tongo, Laos, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Papua & New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea (i.e. South Korea), Republic of Marshall Islands, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam and Vanuatu.

“This is very good news for our international exhibitors and Hosted Buyers attending ibtm india 2015 which will take place in Jaipur, from 1-3 September. These new visa rules will also help to unleash the huge potential of the country’s growing MICE industry,” said Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager ibtm india and ibtm africa, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Hosted Buyers registration for ibtm india 2015 will go live in May.

For further information on ibtm india 2015, please visit www.ibtmindia.com

 

ALLGAEU-ORIENT RALLY TRAILER

ALLGAEU-ORIENT RALLY TRAILER
The Allgaeu-Orient Rally 2012 from Oberstaufen to Baku

The Challenge:
2 Weeks – 13 Countries – 6,000 Kilometer and
No Highways – No Toll Roads – No Ferry Boats – No GPS!

The Allgaeu-Orient Rally is one of the largest Rally Events worldwide. Each year they have approx. 100 teams (each team goes with 3 vehicles). 2010 they had more than 250 cars/motorcycles with circa 500 participants.

Follow my worldwide travel adventures, sport events and incentives.
My adventures include the Allgaeu-Orient Rally (Germany to Azerbaijan), worldwide Marathon-Races, Adventure Trekking in Mongolia, China, Uzbekistan, Oman, Iceland, Thailand, Philippines, Russia and Eastern Europe.
My favorite tours are the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing (called The Vodka Train) as well as travelling along the Silk Road… Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan.

Iam trying to keep this Travel Blog updated with all my upcoming trips and adventures.
http://1001adventuretrips.wordpress.com

For general info you can follow my sites:
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GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SUCCESS WITH HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER MEETINGS INDUSTRY BUYERS CONFIRMED TO ATTEND

GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SUCCESS WITH HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER MEETINGS INDUSTRY BUYERS CONFIRMED TO ATTEND
www.gibtm.com

GIBTM, the leading Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in the Middle East, is gearing up for major business with meetings industry buyers from leading global financial, technology, agency, corporate and association companies signed up to attend the event which takes place annually at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 24-26 March, 2014.

Major names including Kuoni Events, TE Connectivity, UHY International, Medicongress, Mary Kay, HelmsBriscoe, FEI Company, China International Medicine Exchange Association International Service Center, Contendam and Portigon Financial Services have been accepted onto the highly sought after Hosted Buyer programme.

Last year, GIBTM saw 251 Hosted Buyers attend with 67% placing orders in excess of US$650,000 each. As a direct result of the growing demand witnessed from both exhibitors and buyers, the show has extended the Hosted Buyer Programme offering this year to accommodate over 300 buyers who are expected to participate in over 8,500 pre-scheduled appointments.

Exhibiting at GIBTM will provide regional and international suppliers with the opportunity to meet this highly targeted audience of buyers and achieve fast market penetration, which will be facilitated through the power of face-to-face meetings. Exhibitors will also be able to obtain competitive intelligence whilst establishing their company as a key player in the meetings and events industry.

The IBTM Meetings Industry Research for the Middle East, which was presented at last years show, identified the top ten countries for outbound business from the Middle East to be Turkey, Spain, France, Malaysia, India, UK, Indonesia, Philippines, USA and South Africa.

To find out more about GIBTM please visit http://www.gibtm.com
Join GIBTM on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.

Notes to Editors
For media enquiries, please contact:
Pamela Wils
Tel: +44 (0) 208 334 4005
Mob: +44 (0) 07900494467
Email: pamela.wils@cut-coms.co.uk

Sophie Ahad
Tel: +44 (0) 208 334 4009
Mob: +44 (0) 776 8211629
Email: sophie.ahad@cut-coms.co.uk

ASEAN Targets Chinese Tourists at CITM 2012 in Shanghai

ASEAN Targets Chinese Tourists at CITM 2012 in Shanghai
BANGKOK, November 2012 — ASEAN Tourism and China will draw closer together at the China International Travel Mart (CITM) in Shanghai, November 15-18.

The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has provided ASEAN with two booths to boost bilateral tourism relations. ASEAN is keen to increase the number of Chinese visitors to the region as China’s economy continues to grow the fastest in Asia Pacific.
According to the UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer report on the first half of 2012, ASEAN countries are some of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world, with international visitor arrivals into Myanmar up 36%, Cambodia 26%, Singapore 12%, Philippines 12%, Vietnam 11%, and Thailand 8%.

China continues to be the biggest or fastest growing contributor of international visitor arrivals to most of those destinations.

The UNWTO reported that Southeast Asia as a region showed a 9% increase in arrivals compared to 4% for Europe, 5% for America, and 7% for Africa.

Specifically, between China and Southeast Asia, ASEAN Secretariat statistics show that Chinese tourists visiting ASEAN increased from 3.9 million in 2007 to 7.3 million in 2011. The annual rate of increase accelerated from 6.3% to 9% in the same period. With further implementation of the November 2010 ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement, Chinese and ASEAN officials expect the rate of increase to grow faster.

“The latest forecasts we have are that China’s contribution to ASEAN’s international visitor arrivals will continue at an accelerated rate,” said Mr. Ma Mingqiang, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) in Beijing.

China has caught up with the European Union as the biggest supplier of tourists to ASEAN. China and Europe now each supply around 9% of ASEAN’s total international visitor arrivals.

At CITM the ASEAN nations of Southeast Asia will emphasize the region’s proximity to China, increasing low cost carrier links and an abundance of new travel products suitable for China’s emerging middle classes.

To make the point, ASEAN Tourism will launch a dedicated Chinese language website in January 2013 (www.dongnanya.travel). ASEAN in cooperation with the ASEAN-China Centre, will also feature Southeast Asian tourism content on SinaWeibo.com, China’s largest social media platform.

While Chinese visitors have frequented ASEAN’s cities, shopping malls and theme parks for years, ASEAN beach resorts now see a clear demand from a younger Chinese demographic for beach holidays, formerly the reserve of Western tourists and more recently Japanese and Korean travellers.

During CITM, ASEAN Tourism representatives will promote the ASEAN Tourism Forum, which takes place in Vientiane, Laos, 17-24 January 2013. Some 1,600 delegates including 150 ASEAN tourism ministers and officials, 800 ASEAN exhibitors, 400 international buyers, 150 international and local media and about 100 travel trade visitors are expected to attend.

Visitors to CITM can find out more about destination ASEAN at booths 5E12 and 5E13 in Hall 5 as well as at individual ASEAN NTO booths.
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Further information
Visit www.asean-tourism.com