The region of Crimea saw an increase in inbound tourists by about six-hundred thousand las year further

increase expected this year. This is according to business intelligence received from the chairman of the Crimea tourism committee. At this point, the capacity at Crimea cannot exceed six million of them due to fears of overcrowding at the main airport in the city of Simferopol. This is why, a new bridge is being constructed across the Kerch Strait, set to be inaugurated by end of the year. The bridge will ensure smoother flow of traffic and will increase the maximum carrying capacity to ten million. A slight reversal in this otherwise positive narrative is the fall in tourist numbers last fall, precipitated by rising prices and the re-opening of the Turkish market to Russian Tourists.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/crimea-tourism-relies-on-a-new-bridge-news10483

Uploaded Date:27 February 2018

Italy has traditionally been noted as a destination offering excellence in food, fashion, design and cultural motifs, attracting millions of foreign tourists each year. Now, the country is poised to focusing on another aspect- medical travel. Italy still lags way behind the numbers set by Thailand or Mexico at over a million, but steps have been taken in the right direction. As per a tourism consulting report submitted by the European Commission for Transport and Tourism, about 4.3 percent of all inbound travelers to Europe were here for health purposes. Italy itself receives about 2 billion Euros generated out of medical tourism. Overall, the country still remains a net exporter of medical travelers, primarily because costs abroad are lower. The ones arriving to Italy are for highly specialized treatments such as for oncology, neurology, orthopedics and cardiology. The main sources of inbound medical travel to Italy remain Switzerland, Russia and the Balkans.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/italy-plans-to-invest-more-in-medical-tourism-news10485

Uploaded Date:27 February 2018

The German Hotel and Restaurant Association or Dehoga has caught and subsequently fined several hotels accused of falsely claiming stars. At present, only about eight-thousand and three-hundred odd companies are awarded some form of stars, but many others have made false claims. A lot of these false claims were simply due to ignorance of the system, while some were merely border line offences. Now, Dehoga has introduced a formal star system for all hotels and restaurants. All violations are being reported to the Centre for Fighting Unfair Competition. Several tourism jobs could get lost as a result if parties are found guilty, as that would lead to an erosion of brand trust, and subsequent loss of business.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/german-hotel-industry-faces-false-star-ratings-news10484

Uploaded Date:23 February 2018

The return of Chinese tourists to France has coincided with the rejuvenation in sale of luxury watches. Inbound tourism of Chinese nationals had taken a dip due to the terror attacks and perceived lack of safety. Business intelligence provided by professional committee Francelat reveals that luxury watches have become the main component driving the entire watchmaking-jewelry-goldsmith segment. Chinese tourists on average spend more than fifteen-hundred Euros per person during visits as per a report by the Bank of France. While high-end watches comprise only 0.5 percent of total watch sales, they contribute about a third of the entire turnover. Most such high-end watches are either French or Swiss brands.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/chinese-tourists-buy-luxury-watches-more-news10480

Uploaded Date:23 February 2018

Favela tourism had caught up in the Brazilian megapolis of Rio de Janeiro but is now showing sings of decline. This is due to violence have erupted once again. Conflicts between the police and the drug dealers or between rival gangs of dealers is now a stark reality. There is the possibility of one being caught in the crossfire as happened with a Spanish woman recently when she got hot by a stray police bullet. The dream had begun in 2008 with the establishment of the Pacifying Police Units (UPP). Potential tourists will be warded off and travel jobs lost if the threat of violence does not dissipate. Unfortunately for the tourist trade, violence has only increased since 2014 and skyrocketed post the Olympics in 2016.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/favela-tourism-fights-worsened-safety-news10470

Uploaded Date:23 February 2018

Russia has a new plan up its alley to generate tourist interest. It plans to launch space travel missions from 2019 onwards. Leading this race is the company Energia which back in 1961 had put Yuri Gagarin into space, becoming the first to do so. The trip will cost a whopping US$ 100 million per head though costs will come down for the first volunteer for this as yet, unverified mission. For a start, it will be a ten-day trip for six people, replete with luxuries such as internet connection and toilets. Such as Richard Branson and Elon Musk belonging to rich western countries have been planning such space travel for a while, but Russia implemented this business innovation back in 2009 when Guy Laliberte was sent to the International Space Station.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/space-travel-developing-further-news10477

Uploaded Date:19 February 2018

War sites used to be the exclusive haunt among travelers of photojournalists. This was because such images primarily appeared on foreign affairs or crime journals. Now the trend has changed with war tourism fetching in the moolah in several parts of the globe, not least the ones most affected by war in recent times. It raises ethical questions, when tragedies get monetized. But for countries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina with a spiraling youth unemployment rate, there is little other option. Travelers can now visit war memorials such as Mostar where memorabilia has been crafted out of Kalashnikov shells or grenades. There is also the Sarajevo War Hospital and the city of Vukovar in neighbouring Croatia. The latter has positioned itself as a sun-and-sea destination with sites such as the Bay of Kutor, Plitvice lakes and Dubrovnik. Such business innovation around war or dark tourism is paying off, with number of travelers to Bosnia having diametrically shot up. Major travel sources remain Iran, Turkey, Italy and Germany.

Source:https://www.tourism-review.com/war-tourism-draws-thousands-to-the-balkans-news10475

Uploaded Date:17 February 2018