Among adventure sports, Switzerland’s tourism landscape is famous for skiing and hiking. Now the country wants to add cycling to it. According to figures obtained, about a million and a half people visit Switzerland for cycling during the summer months. A third of those happen to be on round trips. Majority of these cyclists visit from either Austria, Belgium, Poland, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic and the UK, besides those form the home country itself. The Swiss tourism authorities are planning a series of gala events to promote this such as media conferences, foreign correspondents being invited, brochures being printed and discussions with opinion leaders. The Mountain Bike World Championship will also take place in September this year. One business innovation the authorities have envisaged this year to attract the beginner-lever cyclists is to have specific circuits for them. Specific bike hotels are also being planned. Being one of the costliest camping destinations in Europe, means that this initiative will ease the financial burden on visitors.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/swiss-board-to-focus-on-cycling-tourism-news10559

Uploaded Date:07 June 2018

The Caribbean region is heavily dependent on tourism for its annual revenues. Figures provided cite a total of US$ 50 billion contributed each year to the overall GDP of the region. That is why new, unique solutions keep getting brought out to make the process smoother. The latest in a long line is a strategic partnership between the Caribbean Tourism Development Agency (ADTC) and Bitt Inc. to develop a cryptocurrency-based payment solution. As per business intelligence provided by the World Bank, about half the resident population in the Caribbean region still does not have bank accounts. This is why, cryptocurrency can ease the payments process as it will make formal digital channels easier to access. This could also benefit the exchange rate implications for both imports and exports.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/caribbean-tourism-to-introduce-cryptocurrencies-news10560

Uploaded Date:05 June 2018

Tourism based around alcoholic drinks such as wine, whisky and beer has really caught on the fancy of travelers. That is why the largest alcohol producers and distributors are finding innovative methods to market their Brands. Diageo for example leveraged its Guinness brand in Ireland by creating the Storehouse which remains the most attractive single destination in the country with 1.7 million tourist arrivals last year itself. Over a marketing research study, it was gauged that for over a third of the people visiting Ireland, the Storehouse had a prominent place. The USA and China contribute a major chunk of inbound arrivals to Ireland. Similarly, Diageo is now trying to replicate this success in Scotland through its Johnnie Walker whisky brand with a £ 150 million investment over three years. The company will partner with Scotland tourism to promote the brand and attract tourists. Twelve existing distilleries will also be upgraded as part of the process.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/scotland-to-attract-with-whiskey-tourism-news10567

Uploaded Date: 05 June 2018

Russia expects a massive windfall of inbound tourist arrivals to the country this summer due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup. It expects tourists from not only the thirty-two competing nations, but also elsewhere. A million and a half foreigners are expected to arrive with nearly two million tickets already sold for various matches of the event. The maximum number of foreign arrivals are expected to be from the USA, Brazil, Germany and Columbia. Tourism has generally been rising as in industry in Russia, with contributions expected to touch US$ 2 billion this year with a major contribution arising from the world cup. Moscow and St. Petersburg are obviously expected to bear the bulk of incoming tourists. This is set to generate a plethora of tourism jobs in the country. The average room occupancy in hotels in the two biggest cities is expected to reach 80 and 71 percent each for Moscow and St. Petersburg respectively. Infrastructure has specifically been developed by the government to ensure the cup is a grand success.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/fifa-world-cup-will-attract-many-visitors-news10612

Uploaded Date:05 June 2018

Botswana was considered one of the world’s poorest countries about half a century back when it gained independence. Steadily the country improved thanks to its vast diamond reserves managed by the government. Yet, those diamonds won’t last forever, so other alternatives need to be thought out. Meat exports remains one such. But the one offering the greatest hope is sustainable tourism. Botswana has tremendous natural capital that is being leveraged for sustainable tourism purposes. This includes the Okavango delta, the river of the same, name, the Chobe National Park and the Kalahari Desert. The country is also home to some of the largest mammal species. The Botswana National Tourism Organization (BTO) has also been awarded for Tourism for Tomorrow by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). As per data provided by the national authorities, the inbound tourist numbers stacked up to two million in 2016, and directly contributed to a 3.9% growth in the GDP. In addition, about thirty-five thousand direct tourism jobs have been generated, and about one-hundred and twenty-five thousand indirect ones.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/botswana-developing-sustainable-travel-options-news10596

Uploaded Date:01 June 2018

Browsing patterns on online travel websites tells its own story. That is why comScore conducted a study to understand these patterns in the five biggest markets within the EU. This study has brought out some insightful business intelligence. Germany leads with the maximum expenditure, but France has witnessed the highest growth. In the UK, a staggering ninety-four percent of all thirty-nine million unique users, visit travel sites. Germany is on the other end of the scale at about two-thirds of its total. The people from the UK and Spain tend to visit travel sites more often but spend less time per visit. Those from Italy, France and Germany on the other hand visit less often but spend longer each visit. With mobile phones becoming increasingly popular as mediums of usage, travel companies need to up the ante on their digital marketing efforts. Most used websites from desktops are those of Ryanair, Airbnb and Trip Advisor, while Uber may be added to the list when it comes to apps.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/online-travel-behavior-around-europe-news10611

Uploaded Date:01 June 2018

Conde Nast Johansens took on a tourism consulting assignment to gauge the moods and expectations of the luxury travel segment. This study reveals that the average spend per head by luxury travelers tends to be between 3,400 and 6,200 euros with Barcelona and New York being the preferred destinations. Other European cities popular on this circuit are- Copenhagen, Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Dublin, Rome and Venice. This segment was also acutely aware of environmental concerns. The concept of luxury tourism too differs according to situation as the term is rather subjective. As per the study, nearly half of luxury travelers seek deluxe rooms, followed by those wanting basic rooms and suites. Luxury urban traveler is quite popular among the segment especially for Spanish villas. For those avoiding conventional hotels, there are those who look out for apartments, country houses or exclusive vacation properties. A surprising find of this study is that majority opt for economy class travel. Digital marketing is by far the best way to reach this segment as more than ninety percent have confessed to using popular travel websites, with travel magazines ranked second.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/luxury-travelers-under-the-spotlight-news10604

Uploaded Date: 30 May 2018