Source:  HubSpot

“To ensure that tourism can play a key role in creating employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly through linkages to the local economy, raising national income, improving the balance of payments, and boosting economic growth, priority should be given to facilitating travel and tourism,” said the Declaration.

Preliminary research prepared by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that certain improvements to visa processes could create an additional 5 million jobs for the G20 economies by 2015 and generate an additional US$206 billion in international tourism receipts.

In light of the role of visa facilitation in supporting economic growth and job creation, and given the current economic climate, the Declaration encourages the G20 to leverage new technologies to make travel “more accessible, convenient, and more efficient without a diminution of national security.” It further proposes countries look into increasing cooperation on bilateral, regional, and international travel facilitation regimes.

“UNWTO applauds the commitment of the G20 Ministers of Tourism to visa facilitation,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, on the occasion of the 4th Meeting of the T20. “This Declaration is an extremely positive signal to the international community that we are moving ahead on this issue of vital importance to the tourism sector and the global economy.”

The Ministers of Tourism and Heads of Delegations of the G20 countries met with the President of Mexico and current G20 Chair, Felipe Calderón, as well as with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Patricia Espinosa (Mérida, Mexico, May 16, 2012). President Calderón congratulated the T20 on its focus on visa facilitation and assured the ministers he would take their message forward to the G20.

Russia, which holds the 2013 Presidency of the G20, will host the 5th T20 Ministers’ Meeting.

Source: eTurbonews, UNWTO

8) How LinkedIn Works From Infographic Labs

Source:  HubSpot

The latest results of the travelhorizons™ quarterly report, co-authored by MMGY Global and the U.S. Travel Association, are based on a survey of 2,200 U.S. adults taken in April 2012.

“The April travelhorizons results come as welcome news for destinations and travel companies ahead of the summer and fall travel seasons,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “We are seeing a renewed enthusiasm for travel among consumers and barring any dramatic events, we believe that domestic travel will remain on solid footing through the summer travel season.”

Business travel is expected to improve slightly in the next six months, compared to the same timeframe as last year, with 17 percent of U.S. adults planning at least one business trip between May and October, a typically slow period for such travel. An encouraging sign that general business activity in the U.S. is on the mend is that business travelers took an average of 6.3 trips in the past twelve months, the highest average number in the past five years.

The overall Traveler Sentiment Index™ (TSI), which tracks Americans’ evolving attitudes toward travel, reached 93.5 in April, nearly ten points higher than April 2011 (March 2007=100). It was also significant that April’s TSI remained essentially unchanged from the level of 93.6 in February, bucking the concern and speculation that higher gasoline prices earlier in 2012 would depress travel sentiment, as it did in 2011.

“While a more substantial uptick in the overall Index would signal an even more robust turnaround from the industry’s recent malaise, the results of the April survey clearly reveal that travelers have become more confident in their personal financial situation. The forthcoming summer travel season is therefore a wonderful time for travel service suppliers to capitalize on this growing optimism,” said Peter Yesawich, vice chairman of MMGY Global.

Source: eTurboNews

7) The History of Marketing From HubSpot

Source:  HubSpot

Taiwan will approach the members of the new French Cabinet to discuss the proposal after the election is settled, Department of European Affairs Director–General James Lee (李光章) said.

Lee’s remarks came shortly after France finished its first round of presidential voting, with early results showing Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande in the lead over French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The two men face a run-off vote on May 6.

Lee told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session that Sarkozy’s second-place finish in the first round reflected the French people’s awareness of emerging economic problems, such as the country’s soaring unemployment rate.

However, Lee said a working holiday program with Taiwan should not affect France’s employment market because the two sides could approve an equal number of openings for youth every year.

Taiwan has been trying for years to reach a working holiday agreement with France, which has such arrangements with Canada, Japan, South Korea, the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

Taiwan is among the countries, including those in Central and South America, interested in making France a working holiday destination for young people. French administrative officials had indicated that it would be better if Taiwan waited until after the election to raise the issue, Lee said, adding that the French foreign ministry supported the idea.

Meanwhile, Taiwan announced it would revise regulations that impose restrictions on the employment of foreign graduates.

Foreign students are presently subject to employment restrictions placed on foreign white-collar workers, which require individuals seeking jobs in Taiwan to have at least two years of related work experience and be paid a minimum of NT$47,971 a month, Council of Labor Affairs Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) told a legislative hearing.

“The restrictions will be loosened by revising the law in the future,” she said at a joint hearing of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes and the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene committees.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) called for the relaxation of the restrictions, regarded as a major obstacle to attracting foreign talent.

Source: Taipei Times

Source:  HubSpot, mavenlink

WORKING holidaymakers are flocking to Australia thanks to its strong economy and high wages, with young people from Hong Kong and Taiwan leading the charge.

Latest research shows there was an 11 per cent rise in the number of working holidaymaker visas granted last year to overseas visitors to work in jobs such as fruit picking, tourism, hospitality and mining.

There was also a 34 per cent rise in second year working holiday visas, according to the Department of Immigration’s Working Holiday Visa report.

The number of working holidaymakers coming from Hong Kong rose by nearly 55 per cent, while Taiwan rose 43 per cent and Italy 30 per cent.

But overall most working holidaymakers come from the UK, South Korea and Ireland.

Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Felicia Mariani said Australia appealed to young working holiaymakers because of its strong economy.
“There’s not a whole lot of options to go to Europe and work at this time,” she said.

“Many nations in Europe are experiencing high unemployment rates, particularly in the youth sector.

“If you’re sitting in Asia then all of a sudden Australia looks like an attractive option.

“It has low unemployment and a high rate of pay.”

Ms Mariani said it was a win-win situation, with young workers bringing language skills which help in tourism.
ATEC wants the regional classification to the tourism industry extended to allow working holidaymakers to extend their visa by one year after completing 88 days of work in a regional area.

Source: news.com.au

5) How Mobile Is Being Used in 2012 From Milagro Mobile Marketing

Source:  HubSpot, Milagro

This is according to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) sponsored by American Express, launched on the first day of WTTC’s first Regional Summit of the Americas in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, from May 16-18.

The research, undertaken by Oxford Economics, shows that the sector’s direct contribution to the Americas GDP is US$666 billion, which is more than three times the GDP of automotive manufacturing and one-third larger than the global chemicals and mining industry.

Travel and tourism’s total contribution to GDP in the Americas was US$1.9trillion in 2011, or 8.6 percent of total GDP. This compares to 6 percent for automotive and mining and 7 percent for chemicals.

With 15 million direct employees in the Americas, travel and tourism is one of the leading employers in the region, surpassing the job creation of mining (2.5 m), chemicals manufacturing (2.5 m), automotive (4 m), and financial services (10 m).
The new research also showed that travel and tourism’s contribution to GDP is faster than most other sectors in the Americas. It will grow by 3.6 percent over the next 10 years, a faster growth rate than mining (1.5 percent), education (2 percent), chemicals (2.5 percent), and financial services (3.4 percent).

As the Americas Summit in the Riviera Maya commences, the research highlights the importance of travel and tourism in Mexico in terms of generating income and GDP in economies. It shows that travel and tourism spend is more powerful than most other sectors.

For example, in Mexico, every US$1 million spent on travel and tourism generates a further US$1.5 million to the economy as a whole, and 66 jobs (compared to an average of 42 for all sectors). The industry generates more jobs than all other sectors considered – double that of the automotive industry, 20 times that of mining and 6 times that of the financial services sector.

The story in other countries across the region is similar. The study looked at the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as Mexico.

Across all countries US$1 million in travel and tourism spend generates more jobs than the average of all sectors, and consistently generates more in terms of GDP than sectors such as automotive manufacturing, mining, and chemicals manufacturing.

David Scowsill, President and CEO, WTTC, said: “These numbers are extremely significant. For over 20 years, the World Travel & Tourism Council has spearheaded global and regional analysis of the economic impact of travel and tourism. WTTC has now taken this research one step further and assessed the role travel and tourism plays in the economy of the Americas in comparison to other economic sectors and also how this looks like on a regional level.

“The results are extraordinary. Within our industry, we have always known that travel and tourism is a vast contributor to economic growth and job creation. These figures bear out just how significant our industry is for the Americas region.

“These figures prove that it is time that the governments really sit up and take notice of the travel and tourism industry. As a driver of economic recovery and growth in a very turbulent time, the industry stands apart for the sheer scale of its ability to create jobs and growth in every part of the globe and especially in the Americas as shown by this study.”

Bill Glenn, President, Global Corporate Payments and Business Travel, American Express said: “With each release of regional data from the latest WTTC research, we continue to see the value that travel can bring to GDP, job creation, and other economic factors. We are pleased to sponsor this research and provide the industry with another valuable asset to use to promote the benefits of travel.”

At WTTC’s Global Summit in Tokyo in April, WTTC’s research revealed that travel and tourism’s direct contribution to world GDP of US$2 trillion (2.8 percent) is more than double the GDP of automotive manufacturing and one-third larger than the global chemicals industry. Travel and tourism generates roughly the same GDP as the global education and communications sectors, and about half that of the global banking and financial services industry.

Please click here to download the full report.

Source: eTurboNews