HolidayWeekly

The Voice of Tourism in Pakistan

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volume 60-2021

Transforming Tourism | UNWTO Unveils Startup Competition Winners

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MADRID: Startups from around the world have been recognised for their contributions to sustainable and responsible tourism in the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition.

Supported by the United Nations Innovation Network, the competition attracted some 10,000 initial proposals. This was narrowed down to 25 winners across 18 countries. Shortlisted finalists were judged according to criteria which included the potential of the startups to contribute to a specific goal, their ability to be scaled-up, and the maturity of both the product and the team behind it.

UNWTO’s selection of 25 winners from 18 countries for its startup competition highlights tourism’s widespread ability to contribute to the SDGs

The 25 winning startups, selected by a jury made up of leaders from across the tourism sector, offer distinct solutions for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Americas led the way in submitting winning proposals, with nine of the competition winners coming from the region. Europe provided eight winners, Asia and the Pacific six, and Africa and the Middle East one winner each.

“The winners show the power of new ideas for transforming our sector”, said UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili in recognising tourism’s potential to contribute to all SDGs. He added: “By embracing innovation, we can realise this potential and build a better future for people and planet through tourism.”

Lisandro Menu-Marque, director-general of international business development for Globalia and Wakalua, said: “The collaboration of institutions, governments and corporations will help host and scale up many of these projects through the Wakalua Hub, to make tourism a much more sustainable, responsible and socially impactful sector, all with the support of the UNWTO.”

The winners and the SDG that the startup will help advance are as follows:

•SDG1 – No poverty- Etnica (Guatemala), • SDG2 – Zero hunger Ifarm Agritech (Kenya),• SDG3 – Good health and well-being  BlueDot (Canada),• SDG4 – Quality education Immersion India (India),• SDG5 – Gender equality  Sisterwave (Brazil), • SDG6 – Clean water and sanitation, ECOLOO Greentech Malaysia SDN BHD (Malaysia), Zero Mass Water (United States of America), • SDG7 – Affordable and clean energy  BeFC (France),Enexor BioEnergy (United States of America) Swimsol (Austria), • SDG8 – Good jobs and economic growth Clio Muse Tours PC (Greece),Community Homestay Network (Nepal), • SDG9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure DefinedCrowd (United States of America),FREED GROUP (aka TravelFlan) (Hong Kong),• SDG10 – Reduced inequalities Travaxy – accessible travel (Israel),• SDG11 – Sustainable cities and communities  Metrica6 (Spain),Tobadaa (Egypt), SDG12 – Sustainable consumption and production Lumitics (Singapore),• SDG13 – Climate action ClimateTrade (Spain),Opus 12, Inc. (United States of America), Safety Line (France),• SDG14 – Life below water  Seven Clean Seas (Singapore),• SDG16 – Peace, justice and string institutions Impulse Travel (Colombia), • SDG17 – Partnerships for the goals Nibi (Colombia), Siliconbali (Portugal).

Georgia Appointed | Official Host Country of ITB Berlin

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Georgia and ITB Berlin have agreed a wide-ranging partnership that will span three years. As early as this year Georgia will be the digital adventure & sustainability partner of ITB Berlin Now 2021.  As the name suggests, nature and sustainability are the focus of this partnership.

In 2022, as the official cultural destination of ITB Berlin, Georgia will highlight its cultural heritage.

The title of official host country will follow in 2023.

In cooperation with ITB Berlin, the host country traditionally organises the grand opening show of ITB Berlin and will be highlighted during the entire trade event.

“Georgia spans a cultural bridge between Europe and Asia and is an absolutely fascinating country, whose wide-ranging tourism attractions awaken the pioneering spirit in travellers in all kinds of ways,” said David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin.

“We are delighted that Georgia has entered into such a long-term partnership with us.

“As a result I am sure we will be able to host our guests with an exceptionally large platform.”

For the very first time, the eastern European destination will become the official host country of ITB Berlin in 2023.

The republic has 3.7 million inhabitants and is popular with visitors due to a wealth of cultural attractions, the variety of architectural styles in the capital Tbilisi, mountain ranges, hillside monasteries, beaches on the Black Sea and the ancient winegrowing region of Kakheti.

“Even in these times, during and after the Coronavirus pandemic, ITB Berlin continues to be the tourism industry’s most important global platform,” said Medea Janiashvili, the acting head of Georgians National Tourism Administration.

“This three-year partnership will massively help to draw attention to our hospitable country among visitors all over the world.”

Etihad Airways, Gulf Air | Sign Commercial Partnership

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ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, have signed a strategic commercial cooperation agreement (SCCA) to deepen their partnership between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain and beyond the respective hubs.

The wide-ranging SCCA, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, sets out specific actions for deepening and broadening commercial cooperation, building on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2018.

The SCCA envisages a phased approach to closer collaboration between the partners. In the first phase, by June 2021, the scope of the partners’ codeshare agreement, first signed in 2019, will be significantly expanded. Etihad and Gulf Air will be able to offer up to an additional 30 combined destinations beyond the Abu Dhabi and Bahrain hubs, across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia.

The partners will work together to optimise joint operations on the Abu Dhabi-Bahrain route, with improvements to network connectivity over each of the partners’ hubs. The partners will also enhance their respective offerings to premium tier customers of Etihad Guest and Falconflyer, including reciprocal lounge access at the hubs and enhanced recognition through a guest’s journey, regardless of the operating airline.

The strategic commercial cooperation agreement was signed by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, and Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer.

Tony Douglas said: “This agreement reinforces the strength of the ongoing partnership between our two airlines. We look forward to exploring pragmatic ways in which the two carriers can increasingly work seamlessly between our two capitals, enhance benefits and customer experience for our most frequent travellers and further extend the reach of our joint networks beyond our hubs.”

Captain AlAlawi said: “Our relationship with Etihad Airways has always been strong and today we are reaching a higher level of collaboration with many more opportunities in the horizon between the national carriers of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. This agreement will empower both of us to offer a more elevated experience to passengers and widen their travel options.”

Digital Ticket for 33 Countries | Eurail Launches Mobile Passes

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Rail Europe is releasing through its API and its agents’ website a mobile version of the famous Eurail passes which allows travellers to cross from 1 up to 33 countries on several railways with one pass only.

Travellers will have to download the “Rail Planner” mobile application and enter their name and pass number. They will then be able to foresee their itinerary, plan for journeys and keep all groups or families’ passes in one space.  

In the app, travellers create day tickets for each trip they make and that they show to the ticket inspectors. This procedure in the app replaces the paper travel diary that was used with the paper Eurail Pass.

There Are Two Versions of the Eurail Pass:

The Global pass which allows travellers to travel around 33 countries in a determined period of time

The One Country passes for visiting a specific European country. More than 300,000 travellers chose to travel with a Eurail pass each year.

The mobile pass is a paperless ticket that can be added instantly to your phone. With everything on one app from planning your trip to boarding the train, you can explore 33 European countries with ease and enjoy more freedom than ever before.

Buy now, travel up to 11 months later. No need to choose a start date until the moment you’re ready to travel. Free, instant delivery – add it straight to the app. Free replacement pass if you lose your phone.

UAE Allows | Boeing 737 Max To Return To Skies

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ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority has lifted its ban on Boeing’s 737 Max, allowing the plane to return to its skies after being grounded for nearly two years following a pair of deadly crashes, a report said.

 Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the authority, said lifting of the ban on the aircraft was a result of the “intensive efforts made by the technical committee at the authority through evaluating all the technical requirements in accordance with the requirements by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration.”

 “It resulted in the committee determining that those technical requirements should be met by the companies to ensure the return of the aircraft to the skies again,” he explained.

Al Suwaidi explained that the latest decision “includes the correct measures to be applied by airlines operating the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, most notably updating the MCAS system, pilot training procedures and the operational readiness of all aircraft before operating again, in addition to the flight permit procedures that will be issued by the authority for each aircraft.”

 GCAA Director-General noted that the safety decision also includes the technical requirements that must be met by foreign companies’ Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are expected to operate in the country’s airspace.

“We emphasise GCAA’s commitment to guarantee the safe return of the aircraft to the country’s airspace,” Al Suwaidi continued.

 Ismail Al Baloushi, Assistant Director-General for Aviation Safety Affairs, said: “We will be closely monitoring and making sure that the companies are meeting these technical requirements before their aircraft operate again.”

The Seasoned Hotelier | Athar Khan Joins Ramada Islamabad

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ISLAMABAD: Mr. Athar Khan, a senior hotelier who has vast working experience of various departments of Five Stars Hotels and thirty five years of hotel management experience at variety of establishments has joined Ramada by Wyndham Islamabad.

Athar Khan started his hospitality career with Hilton International Hotel Lahore (Now Avari hotel) back in 1985,where he served 12 years in Front Office Department at different assignments and then after completing his MBA in Marketing he moved in Sales Department.

He joined Hashoo Group in 2001 and Served in Sales and marketing for 10 years and in 2011 he was promoted as Corporate Director of Privilege Club, where he served 7 years.

In between he served Seven Stars Motel/Hotel as Director Operations and in Hotel Crown Plaza as Director Sales.

Recently he joined Ramada by Wyndham Islamabad as Director of Sales & Marketing.

Holiday Weekly wishes him good luck and hope that Ramada by Wyndham Islamabad will be benefitted by his remarkable services.

Tourism Suffers Tremendously | Europe Saw 70% Decline In Int’l Arrivals In 2020

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BRUSSELS: Europe recorded a 70% fall in international arrivals in 2020, the European Tourism Commission (ETC) has reported.

The ETC’s latest European Tourism Trends & Prospects report forecast a “gradual recovery” in 2021 and a return to the levels of 2019 by 2023 following the worst year for international tourism to Europe in more than three decades.

ETC executive director Eduardo Santander predicted “a slow restart of travel across Europe in the spring, with a gradual return to a ‘new normality’ through summer and autumn 2021”.

He said: “A return to travel will happen with new consumer habits, calling for agile responses from the sector. Potential travellers are likely to travel more slowly, closer to home and to lesser-known destinations.”

The fall in international arrivals ranged country by country from 51% to 85%.

Destinations most reliant on international tourism suffered the steepest falls, with Montenegro suffering an 85% decline and Cyprus 84%.

Spain recorded a 77% decline in international visitors. However, Austria saw only a 53% decline, although it was forced to introduce a blanket tourism ban in early 2021.

The ETC noted many hotels remained closed throughout most of 2020, despite an easing of restrictions on domestic travel which provided business to hotels that remained open before the second wave of Covid-19.

The report suggests predictions of a collapse in business travel “are unlikely to materialise” despite a slower recovery of the sector. It forecasts a return of international business travel to pre-coronavirus levels by 2024, with domestic business travel recovering by 2023.

16th Cholistan Jeep Rally 2021 | Sahibzada Sultan Wins The Crown, Nadir Magsi Stands 2nd

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BAHWALPUR: Sahibzada Sultan has won the 16th Cholistan Jeep Rally. Mir Nadir Magsi remained on second position while Jaffar Imran got third position. A large number of spectators were present at the starting point of the race. The Cholistan Desert Rally 2021 was kicked off on Friday, February 12 at Derawar Fort in the Cholistan area.

Board of Directors of Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab Dr Soahial Zafar Cheema and Managing Director TDCP Tanveer Jabbar flagged off the vehicles of prepared category race. As many as 43 vehicles are participating in the prepared category.

TDCP, The Islamia University Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Cholistan Development Authority have set up various stalls on the site of the rally. A food street was also the part of the event.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar skilfully drove a car on the track of Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally 2021. Other participants in the rally lauded the driving skills of the chief minister, said a handout issued here on Sunday.

The CM said that he really enjoyed driving on the track, adding that he wanted to participate in the competition.

He said the Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally had become a mega event of Pakistan. In future, international drivers would also be invited to the rally. He said that the Cholistan Desert Rally was not only promoting tourism but also helping restore the soft image of Pakistan.

The CM congratulated the administration and the departments concerned for successfully holding the Jeep Rally. He termed the public interest in the event a good omen.

Sardar Usman Buzdar said that potential in tourism can be used for strengthening the economy. In a statement issued here on Sunday, February 14, the CM said that tourism sector would be promoted by ensuring basic amenities in far-flung areas like Marri, Koh-e-Suleman and Cholistan.

The promotion of tourism would create employment opportunities for local people, he said. He mentioned that in order to provide water in these remote areas, construction of underground storage water tanks would be considered.

The government was paying special attention on the development of backward areas, adding that now no area would be deprived of development. Composite development of all the backward areas of Punjab was the goal of PTI government, he maintained.