Oberoi
talks to Breaking Travel News at World Travel Awards Asia Australasia Gala Ceremony hosted at the Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort Spa on 1st October 2013.

By: breakingtravelnews

Read the rest here:

Oberoi - Video

Whether theyre crashing at a hostel or staying at a luxury hotel, world travelers want to experience local culture. But do they ever consider how their presence affects the places they visit?

A new documentary film, Gringo Trails, shines a light on the dangers facing some tourist spots in developing countries when they dont control an influx of travelers.

- Pegi Vail, producer of "Gringo Trails"

The movie, which includes footage spanning three decades, was beautifully shot in several exotic locales, including the lush green Amazon jungles of South America, the arid lands of Timbuktu, Mali and the tropical beaches of Thailand.

Its director, Pegi Vail, associate director of media, culture, and history at New York University, wrote her dissertation on the gentrification of tourism in Bolivia.

As an anthropologist, I had a desire to look at my own tribe. Im a longtime traveler and backpacker. I wanted to make a visual ethnography of backpack culture around the world and the long-term observation of some of these places, Vail told FoxNews.com.

Some of the films most powerful images compare tourist destinations in the 1980s and 90s with how they look now. Vail found old video from other anthropologists and returned several times to spots she visited over the course of more than 20 years while working on her dissertation.

The movie opens in the Amazon jungle in Bolivia known for its dynamic biodiversity where too many tourists are threatening the wildlife and land in some areas. Natives and guides say the tourists need to be educated on the sights they visit to help preserve the areas.

Pictures of one Bolivian community, Incahuasi which hosts one of the largest salt deserts in the world show how an increase in tourism in the last decade has dramatically changed the landscape. Hundreds of buses and cars bring in 40,000 tourists each year, and they have created deep tracks in the desert, changing its formerly pristine vista. Locals complain that native animals have migrated elsewhere out of fear.

Gringo Trails is a compelling documentary that will make even couch potatoes want to explore its enchanting locales. Vails pace is quick, and she uses travel expert interviews and amusing anecdotes with seasoned tourists to move the story along.

Go here to read the rest:

World travel destructive?

In 2013 in Hong Kong:

- The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP was HKD464.1bn, (21.8% of GDP). - The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by the sector was 716,571 jobs (19.1% of total employment). - Travel & Tourism investment was HKD48.6bn, or 9.4% of total investment. It is projected to rise by 0.7% in 2014.

Each year, WTTC undertakes an economic analysis of the impact of the Travel & Tourism sector in 184 countries.

In 2013, globally:

- Travel & Tourism's total contribution to the global economy rose to 9.5% (nearly US $7 trillion) - Travel & Tourism continues to outperform the wider economy in terms of economic growth (3% vs. 2%) - Travel & Tourism not only outpaced the wider economy, but also grew faster than other significant industries such as financial and business services, retail and distribution, public services, transport and manufacturing. - 4.7 million new jobs were created as a result of tourism activity - The industry supported nearly 266 million jobs - so 1 in 11 of all jobs in the world. - Visitor exports, the measure of money spent by international tourists, exceeded expectations rose by 4% to US$1.3trillion and by more than 10.2% within South East Asia. - T&T investment grew by 2.9%. - South East Asia leads the pack in terms of both total Travel & Tourism economic and employment growth at 7.9% and 4.1% respectively. - In Europe, both total Travel & Tourism GDP and employment growth have exceeded expectations, boosted by strong demand from long-haul markets. - There was particularly strong expenditure growth from travellers of China, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt in 2013 to other destinations. - Economies which benefited from expanded revenues from hosting international travellers included the US, UK, Thailand, Hong Kong, Turkey, Japan, Greece, Russia and Indonesia.

In 2014, globally:

- Travel & Tourism growth is expected to outpace growth in the whole economy (4.3% vs. 2.8%) - T&T investment is forecast to increase by 5.6% increase - It is anticipated that there will be a 4.8% increase in visitor exports. - At 8.3%, China is expected to grow the most of any G20 country in 2014. - The sector is expected to generate around 6.5 million new jobs.

David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC, says 2013 proved another successful year for the sector; "Travel & Tourism's contribution to the world economy grew for the fourth consecutive year in 2013, helped especially by strong demand from international travellers. Visitor exports, the measure of money spent by these international tourists, rose by 3.9% at a global level year on year, to US$1.3 trillion, and by over 10% within South East Asia. It is clear that the growth in Travel & Tourism demand from emerging markets continues with pace, as the burgeoning middle-classes, especially from Asia and Latin America, are willing and more able than ever to travel both within and beyond their borders."

However, Mr Scowsill reminds governments that they need to take action; "The outlook for Travel & Tourism for the next ten years looks extremely favourable, with growth forecast of more than 4% annually. This will require Governments to implement more open visa regimes and to adopt intelligent rather than punitive taxation policies. It is also critical that public and private partnerships ensure that long term infrastructure and human resource needs are planned responsibly and sustainably, to absorb the inevitable growth that we are forecasting. If the right steps are taken, Travel & Tourism can be a true force for good."

Please refer to the reports for more details.

Read the original here:

In 2013 in Hong Kong:

TRAVEL and tourism investments in the Philippines are expected to grow by 3.8 percent to P84.39 billion this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Last year, the sector accounted for P81.3 billion or 3.6 percent of total investments, contributing 11.3 percent of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generating 4,295,110 jobs, or 11.3 percent of total employment.

WTTC is an international organization of travel industry executives promoting travel and tourism. Each year, the organization undertakes an economic analysis of the impact of the travel and tourism sector in 184 countries.

Fast growth

In 2013, the sectors contribution to the global economy rose to 9.5 percent or $7 trillion, not only outpacing the wider economy but also growing faster than other significant sectors such as financial and business services, transport and manufacturing, the report said.

It generated nearly 266,000,000 jobs or 8.9 percent of total world employment or one in 11 jobs on the planet.

WTTC president and chief executive officer David Scowsill said in a report emailed to Sun.Star Cebu that 2013 was another successful year for the sector. He said that for four consecutive years now, the strong demand of international travelers fueled the growth of the sector.

Visitor exports, the measure of money spent by these international tourists, rose by 3.9 percent at a global level year on year, to $1.3trillion, and by over 10 percent within South East Asia, he said.

It is clear that the growth in travel and tourism demand from emerging markets continues with pace, as large rising middle- classes, especially from Asia and Latin America, are willing and more able than ever to travel both within and beyond their borders.

Scowsill said the sustained demand in the sector together with its ability to generate high levels of employment continues to prove the importance and value of the sector as a tool for economic development and job creation.

See the original post:

Tourism investments seen to grow 3.8%

The year 2014 is expected to be a year of above-average growth for Travel & Tourism in India to counteract a weak performance for domestic travel in 2013. That is according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which has unveiled its Annual Economic Impact Data and forecasts for India today.

WTTC is the global authority on the economic and social impact of the Travel & Tourism Industry. WTTCs Annual Economic Impact Report 2014 for India shows Travel & Tourisms economic contribution is expected to grow by 7.3% this year, outperforming the general economy by 2.5 percentage points.

Revenues gained from domestic tourism rose by 5.1% in 2013 and is expected to increase by 8.2% in 2014. The amount that International visitors spent in India rose by 6.2% in 2013 but is forecast to slow to a 2.9% growth rate in 2014.

President and CEO of WTTC, David Scowsill, says the predicted boost to tourism in 2014 will be appreciated after a tough year for the general economy in India; Inbound tourism is continuing to grow both in terms of international tourist arrivals and international tourism receipts. But, it is the domestic market which will see particularly strong growth in 2014 with more investment and more Indians travelling.

The Government of India has recently announced that it proposes to extend visa on arrival and Electronic Travel Authorization for tourists from 180 countries and to speed up the application process for those still requiring a paper visa to only three days. David Scowsill says that WTTC and WTTC India Initiative welcome this historic initiative; This is a result of our continuing conversations with the Government authorities to encourage Freedom to Travel for legitimate, bona fide tourists who want to visit India. It will give a necessary boost and competitive advantage to India against other destinations in South Asia and Middle East. This will also provide a major thrust to jobs and employment both direct and indirectly linked with the tourism sector in India. We hope the Government ensures an effective rollout of this much-anticipated program before the ensuing tourist season in 2014. Long term, we would also encourage India to move towards e-visa applications.

A study undertaken by WTTC and UNWTO in 2012 (The Impact of Visa Facilitation on Job Creation in the G20 Economies, May 2012. UNWTO and WTTC) shows that India will gain from improvements to its visa regime. The research estimates that improved visa facilitation could result in up to 6 million more international visitors for India, resulting in US$8 million more spend and creating 1.8 million jobs over three years.

Mr Scowsill continues; This latest announcement is a significant step towards achieving these substantial economic gains. A simple additional step of adding the capability for mulitiple entry to these visas on arrival for a longer period such as 6 months could allow India to capitalise on the long term potential from Travel & Tourism.

In 2013 Travel & Tourism contributed INR6,631.6 billion to the economy of India and generated 35 million jobs.

The WTTC research also highlights the size of Travel & Tourism around the world:

In 2013, Travel & Tourism contributed US$7 trillion to the global economy and is expected to grow by 4.2% in 2014. The total global contribution of Travel & Tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by the industry, was 266 million jobs (8.9% of total employment) one in 11 of all jobs on the planet

Read more here:

Above average growth forecast for travel biz following a slow 2013