Focus Page 284
Joburg rocks all summer
One month into 2011, and the pace of life in Joburg is back in the full swing of summer, as Africa’s most exciting city gears up to host a full roster of world-class events, including Joburg Fashion Week, ATP SA Tennis Open and Meetings Africa, which all take place this month.
Business as usual in Sharm el Sheikh
Whilst the eyes of the world media honed in on Cairo, 500km away in Sharm el Sheikh there are few signs that it is anything other than tourism business as usual. Further along the Red Sea, life in the popular beach resort of Hurghada appears to be equally unfazed.
What next for Egypt’s tourism?
Egypt’s tourism industry has been one of the few success stories of the global downturn. Excellent value, sun and ancient culture have proven a huge hit. But with ongoing protests, BTN looks at what the future holds for an industry that contributes over 11 percent to the country’s GDP.
Etihad sets new challenges at Worldwide Staff Conference
Etihad Airways has held its 2011 Worldwide Staff Conference at the Yas Marina Circuit at Yas Island. Making the address, James Hogan, CEO, said 2011 would be “the most important year” yet in the UAE flag carrier’s history as it sets new goals and underpins Abu Dhabi’s evolution into one of the world’s leading economic, political and cultural capitals.
Nicholas Cage becomes a Turkey fan
Turkey’s rise to tourism superstardom has received another boost after the actor Nicholas Cage arrived in the country to start filming scenes for the sequel to “Ghost Rider”. The Oscar winning actor met the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that he was keen to pay a visit to İstanbul, which was voted “Europe’s Leading Destination” by the World Travel Awards.
Abu Dhabi continues winning streak
Abu Dhabi’s growing portfolio of tourism attractions has led to it beating its hotel guest target by 8 percent last year, according to new figures released by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. Visitor arrivals rose year-on-year, helped by the addition of new world-class tourist attractions such as Ferrari World.
Joburg and New York strengthen links with new SAA
South African Airways is launching direct flights from Johannesburg to New York in a move that reflects the burgeoning business and tourism links between the City of Gold and the Big Apple. BTN takes a look at the growing synergy of the two financial hubs of their respective continents.
Virtual Meetings: Are We There Yet?
With some 7% of on-site corporate meeting attendance displaced by virtual meetings capability in 2010, video conferencing, telepresence and other once emergent forms of virtual meetings are now an important part of the corporate meetings landscape.
Fuerteventura holidays make a strong comeback!
The dawn of 2011 saw online travel retailer lowcostholidays.com smash its total annual site visits by 108 per cent year on year. Natural visits were also up by 143 per cent against 2010 giving lowcostholidays a big reason to look forward to a bumper year as more holidaymakers travel with this Hitwise top ten online travel provider.
China plans “mega-city” 26 times bigger than London
Chinese authorities have unveiled plans to create a “mega-city” the size of Switzerland, or 26 times the size of Greater London. The planners want to merge nine cities in Southern China, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, in order to spread industry, jobs and public services more evenly across the region.
Buoyant Caribbean Marketplace 2011 heralds tourism rebound
Attendance at Caribbean Marketplace 2011 in Jamaica rose 22 percent year-on-year as renewed confidence in the region’s travel and tourism economy led to a surge in interest from buyers.
Joburg – Africa’s business capital
Johannesburg’s burgeoning reputation as the business capital of Africa will be showcased next month when it plays host to Meetings Africa 2011. BTN looks at how business and MICE travel has become one of the fastest growing sectors of both Joburg’s and South Africa’s travel and tourism economy.