News & Stories
Wiesbaden. Customers who have to pay less are not necessarily happier. The more businesses cater to the individual needs of their business travellers, the better yields can be optimised. Here, customer loyalty programmes can play an important role but some businesses avoid them.
Dubai. "The middle class is driving the industry into the future," explicitly said Daniel Silke, keynote speaker of the "Arabian Hotel Investment Conference" in Dubai last week, in his initial statement. A clear statement for a region where middle-class hotels are only being accepted slowly, as there is still a deep desire for luxury among locals. The political analyst from South Africa provided the Arabian and international guests with a credible picture by filtering global trends, which no region can evade. In this respect, Silke's lively speech about the future was also informative for other tourist experts.
Dubai. The glitzy city in the dessert is booming again - and is hitting its limits. It can be seen, heard and felt: Dubai is again suffocating in traffic. After the trade fair, 300 people waited an hour at an allocated taxi pick-up point for transport. Construction sites are everywhere, also in the suburbs; at popular tourist spots, another building is squeezed in between two existing buildings and popular beaches and parks are destroyed for new projects. More and more hotel restaurants obviously remain empty. One hotelier, who didn't want to be identified, said: Dubai is in the process of becoming the victim of its own success. The Arabian Travel Market this week was even more lively than last year.
Wiesbaden. On the spring conference of the VDR German Travel Management Association on Tuesday of this week, the important points that should get receive more political weight in the future were established. And at the same time, the new professional course of studies "Mobility Manager" should prepare for the challenges of the future.
Madrid. Madrid's popular Plaza de España may soon be known as Hotels Plaza since four chains plan to open several 4 and 5-star hotels between 2015 and 2017. The City Hall warmly welcomes all of them hoping for their positive impact on the national and international tourism.
Vienna. In Austria, a local benchmark system has been realised in the resort hotel industry for the first time. Pioneer was the region of Saalbach-Hinterglemm; the hoteliers there provided the first figures for the "hotel destination benchmark".
Vienna. Increases from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany provided Austria's tourism with highly satisfying occupancy in February. Therefore, the absence of many Russian guests in winter sports locations was of no great consequence. However, the forecasts for March and April are not as good.
Dubai. Dubai needs more midscale hotels. It is only as such that the destination can achieve its enormous goals in the future. This is also how Issam Kazim, the CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing, saw it at ITB.
Milan. There is an increasing demand, especially from new and emerging markets, as well as a general increase in the average overnight stays in hotels... But: This picture about the Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, worries more and more people considering what happened in London during the last Olympics. Fears of excessive room rates disheartened at least a part of the traditional incoming flow of visitors to the English capital. Italian tourist players were in a controversial mood about the Milan Expo 2015 during a recent round table held by Bocconi University and Skål International. The travel and accommodation industry representatives all declared a general optimistic approach towards the Universal Exposition, but then drew a picture with far more nuances - not necessarily all bright.
Milano. Expo in Milan opens on May 1: following the motto "Feeding the Planet – Energy for Life", the exposition is about nutrition, sustainability and energy. They are still working with full speed at the exposition grounds but some countries have not even started the construction of their pavilion yet. They expect more than 20 million visitors. However, the ticket sale has been slow. Concerning accommodation, they are relying on offers in the area around Milan too and on the good reachability of cities like Turin and Bologna. But there are also several new hotel openings in the city. Now, they are only trying to prevent exorbitant rates. A pre-opening visit to the Expo grounds.