SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Tourism: G20 countries seek to ease visa burdens"

Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY —Tourism ministers from G20 countries have made a formal declaration that they’ll seek to ease visa burdens to boost international travel and tourism, seen as a way to potentially add 5 million jobs and generate $206 million in tourism revenue by 2015, according to figures from the World Tourism Organization.

The recently adopted declaration encourages G20 countries to leverage new technologies to make travel  “more accessible, convenient and more efficient without a diminution of national security.” It also encourages countries look into increasing cooperation on bilateral, regional and international travel facilitation regimes.
Tourism ministers from G20 countries met May 16 with Mexican President Felipe Calderón to talk about boosting tourism, with Calderón promising that he would deliver the message to the other G20 heads of state.

WTO research shows that, of the 656 million international tourists who visited G20 countries in 2011, 110 million needed a visa, while millions more were deterred from traveling by the cost, waiting time and difficulty of obtaining a visa.

Areas of opportunity for facilitating travel include maximizing the use of information and communication technologies to improvevisa procedures, instituting electronic visa processing and establishing regional agreements for visa facilitation...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Greeley Tribune "A look at the numbers: London Olympic tourism"

via Greeley Tribune:

"Some numbers illustrating the demand for accommodation during the 2012 London Olympics, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12.
- Typical number of tourists visiting London in August: 1.5 million

- Estimated additional 2012 Olympic visitors from abroad: 294,000

- Estimated additional Olympic visitors from elsewhere in the UK: 587,000

- Total London hotel rooms: About 110,000

- Hotel rooms allocated to Olympic staff, affiliates and media: About 40,000

- Average hotel room rate in central London for Olympic period: 213 pounds ($341)

---Source: London and Partners, British Hospitality Association, Hotels.com"

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "ACRA going global with new revenue"

Don't look at how much more money ASCRA has to work with than GSCRA does down here in Glenwood Springs.  It's depressing.  The folks up in Aspen trust their tourism marketing decisions and ASCRA has shown by proven performance, that they are doing the right marketing for Aspen.  So much trust that they actually voted to raise taxes accordingly and give ASCRA more to work with.  How many times have we heard the 81601 folks chat up that they would be thrilled to do the same but first need to see both control and performance of the money we  already have?

Do look at  the detailed breakout.  Set the difference in monetary values aside.

My word, they sure do get a more balanced plan and practical, diversified approach  than GSCRA offers, don't they?

Could we even just piggyback off some of these promotions and events?  Please?  Pretty, please?

The folks are pretty desperate out here, 81601 tourism leaders.

just sayin that surely with this stark of a contrast, aren't there any light bulbs flipping on?

(Read what Aspen has going on?  Click title.  Comment to discuss.)

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "European tourism outperforms expectations'

"SUMMIT COUNTY — Continued economic uncertainty in parts of Europe didn’t hamper the tourism industry, which continues to outperform many other economic sectors. International tourist arrivals to the continent grew by a healthy 6 percent during the first eight months of 2011, according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization.

Some of the strongest growth came in countries facing major economic challenges, including Greece (up 14 percent), Ireland ( up 13 percent), Portugal ( up 11 percent) and Spain (up 8 percent)...."
(Summit Voice)

(Learn more?  Click title. Comment to discuss)