India, Japan Strengthen Tourism Ties

India and Japan have resolved to strengthen cooperation in the tourism sector. Both the tourism ministries have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote bilateral tourism relations. A meeting was held in New Delhi on September 3 between Japan’s Senior Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Hiroshi Kajiyama and India’s Minister of State for Tourism, Dr K Chiranjeevi. Chiranjeevi informed his Japanese counterpart about the various measures being taken to improve Golf Tourism and MICE Tourism in India, which may be attractive to Japanese tourists and businessmen. Chiranjeevi has invited Japan to invest in the low budget hotel sector where India has liberalised the FDI route. Kajiyama said, “The proposal for investments in the budget hotel sector could form a part of the MoU between the two countries.” Furthermore, Kajiyama said he would like to lead a delegation of businessmen from Japan in the next meeting in which he hoped to conclude the MoU with India. (Traveldailymedia.com)

 

Boeing Forecasts Need for Pilots

Aircraft manufacturing giant, Boeing, has said the world will need over one million more commercial pilots and technicians in the next two decades to support the aircraft currently on order. In its 2013 Pilot and Technician Outlook, the company confirmed that around 498,000 new commercial pilots are going to be needed and 556,000 commercial airline maintenance technicians will need to be added to the staff counts of the world’s airlines. “The urgent demand for competent aviation personnel is a global issue that is here now and is very real,” said Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services. The industry forecast projects demand will be far more serious than in previous years, after many airlines have started putting in large orders to bolster their fleets. Overall pilot demand increased in every single region except for Europe, which decreased slightly on last year’s outlook. The most common aircraft type on order is single aisle models, and represents a global requirement of roughly 25,000 new pilots per year. (Traveldailymedia.com)

 

Countries Call For Closer Policies at UNWTO General Assembly

The General Debate of the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly has put a spotlight on the link between tourism and air transport policies. Countries attending called for closer coordination between both policies highlighting that too often these interlinked sectors are dissociated (Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe, 28 August). Delegations from the 120 UNWTO Members States intervening at the 20th Session of the UNWTO Assembly discussed air transport policies in their respective countries and called for measures and initiatives to increase connectivity. Countries further called for closer collaboration between tourism and air transport policies. Issues such as visa facilitation, the need to make airports more visitor friendly, taxation, open skies and the impact of low cost airlines were among the issues in debate. More than one billion tourists crossed international borders during 2012, over half of who travelled by air to their destinations. (Traveldailynews.com)

 

Could Technology Mean Game Over for Family Time on Holiday?

Parents surveyed in a recent poll by Villa Plus, an England based holiday company, have revealed that technology dominates their children’s holidays. Fifteen per cent of parents with children aged 18 or under who used IT devices on their last family holiday said, on average, their children used the technology for 3 hours or more every day. Moreover, almost a quarter (22 per cent) of respondents who’ve been on holiday with children said their kids usually used tablets on holiday, while over a third (35 per cent) said they used smartphones, and more than a quarter (27 per cent) stated they used games consoles. Teenagers aged between 15 and 18 are particularly devoted technology users, the data shows, with 62 per cent of parents with kids in this age group revealing they use a smartphone while on holiday. Parents of 15 to 18 year olds were also most likely to have a child who uses a laptop whilst on holiday (21 per cent). (Traveldailynews.com)