Tourism Growth ‘Exceeds Expectations’-UNWTO

International tourist arrivals increased by five per cent during the first half of 2013, reaching almost 500 million, according the latest data from the UNWTO. This level of growth exceeded the projection of 3-4 per cent made at the beginning of the year, and is also ahead of the UNWTO long-term’s ‘Tourism Towards 2030’ outlook, which projects annual growth of 3.8 per cent. Destinations around the world welcomed 494 million overnight visitors in the first six months of 2013, according to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, which was released to coincide with UNWTO 20th General Assembly. This marks a increase of approximately 25 million visitors compared to the first half of 2012, with demand for travel to emerging destinations increasing at a faster rate (+6 per cent) than in developed countries (+4 per cent). (Traveldailymedia.com)

 

StayWell Opens First Hotel in India

Australian hotel management company StayWell Hospitality Group has opened its first hotel in India – the Leisure Inn Grand Chanakya Jaipur. Located on the main MI Road in the Rajasthan city, the new property will offer “value for money and personalised services”, according to StayWell. And this launch marks the start of a major expansion for the company in India. It now plans to add six more properties in Gurgaon, Mumbai, Greater Noida, Raipur, Hyderabad and Goa in the next nine months, and aims to have a portfolio 25 properties across the country by 2015. StayWell now has a network of more than 27 properties in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, the UAE and now India. It plans to expand to 100 hotels within the next three years, including its first properties in China and Europe. (Traveldailymedia.com)

 

Global Corporate Bookings Surge in July 

Global corporate bookings grew +5.5 per cent over 2012’s level in July, according to Pegasus Solutions, the world’s largest processor of electronic hotel transactions. The promising uptick in business travel was accompanied by substantial leisure demand that paled in comparison to strong gains achieved last year. The mid-season growth spurt in business reservations came after the corporate channel leveled out at prior year volumes at the end of the second quarter. Rates paid through the global distribution systems (GDS) also pushed past second quarter levels that had ebbed slightly in June. By month-end, average daily rates (ADR) for corporate bookings surpassed prior year by +0.3 per cent, setting a year-to-date growth pace of +0.7 per cent over 2012.  (Traveldailynews.com) 

 

The World’s Best and Worst Airports for Connecting On Time  

Which are the best and worst airports for making connecting flights and why? Wayne Chen, president of Mo’Zippity Apps, discovered the answers while creating Connect On Time – the mobile app that provides specific gate-to-gate connect times for many of the world’s top destination airports. The picks are based upon the number of barriers and amount of time needed at each airport to get between its furthest gates once security and passport control lines have been cleared.

 

10 Best

1. Zurich Airport

2. Salt Lake City International 

3. Tampa International 

4. Orlando International 

5. Charlotte Douglas International 

6. Denver International 

7. London Stansted 

8. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International 

9. Dubai International 

10. Hong Kong International

 

10 Worst

1. Beijing Capital International 

2. London Heathrow 

3. Paris Charles de Gaulle 

4. Shanghai Pudong International 

5. Los Angeles International

6. Sydney Kingsford Smith 

7. Tokyo Narita International 

8. Boston Logan International 

9. Frankfurt International 

10. Chicago O’Hare International

(Traveldailynews.com)