May 2022 Edition

MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine

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MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine vol. 25, issue 5, May 2022

PLATINUM JUBLIEE The countdown is on!

JAPAN Strawberry Sensation!

An Interview with… Ms. Anna Nowicka, Poland DES MOINES Iowa State, U.S.A The BIRTH OF SOUND

online since 1997

MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine Volume 25, Issue 5, May 2022 edition – Online since 1997

Contents 7-10 PLATINUM JUBLIEE 13 EUROPE Woes Lead Tourists to Look …

14 HOPE for WORLD TOURISM Growth …

15 VENICE, ITALY postpones tourist tax 16 PACIFIC REGION Returns to Positive …

7-10 PLATINUM JUBLIEE

17 LOS ANGELES Tourism on Venice Beach 19 GREECE Suspends…

20 COLOMBIA Top Country to Recover the …

21-23 JAPAN Strawberry Sensation!

25-26 An Interview with… Ms. Anna Nowicka 29 10 Years of EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION SUMMIT Better Together 30 New Dates for IT&CM China & CTW China 31 PANAMA Prepares New Trade Fairs 32 PHILOXENIA 2022 Looking Forward to …

33 URUGUAY to Host 67th UNWTO…

21-23 JAPAN Strawberry s

35 DISCOVERING ARCHITECTURE 2022 36 Convention & Visitors Bureaus Recognises GLOBAL MEETINGS INDUSTRY DAY 2022 38-40 DES MOINES Iowa State, U.S.A 43 34th IATA Ground Handling Conference 44 NEW LONGEST NON STOP 45 NEW CEO FOR EL AL Israel Airlines 46-49 The BIRTH of SOUND

46-49 The BIRTH of SOUND

Message from

Caroline-Artemis Welcome to the May edition!!

As we begin repainting the country red, white and blue in preparation for HM Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee next month, such events always raise the question of whether the monarchy attracts tourists to the UK. Whether you are a supporter or not of the Royal family, the evidence points positively to that fact that they do pull in the crowds, both at home and from abroad.

Seeing where all the pomp and ceremony took place or to actually be there in the thick of the celebrations is a once in a lifetime experience and you don’t it anywhere else in the world other than in the UK! In 2011 when Prince William got married the UK’s Association of Leading Visitor Attractions claimed it:

‘Saw an additional 600,000 people come to London for the weekend, 60% from UK, 40% from overseas, spending £107m … The value to ‘brand Britain’ due to global media coverage was approximately UK£1 billion.’

The Office for National Statistics also saw an increase; ‘during April 2011, an extra 350,000 visitors travelled to the UK compared to 2010’.

With over 2 billion watching the ceremony on TV, all eyes were on London and that ultimately led to people wanting to come and see these special places in real life. The story was much the same the following year for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Ten years on and a big and rare celebration is heading our way. As a niche sector, Royal tourism was doing well pre-pandemic, with good ticket sales; approx. UK£50 million and merchandise sales reaching UK£20 million. With the Platinum Jubilee almost upon us, it should help boost Royal tourism even more.

Happy Painting... in-between reading the May edition of the e-magazine!

Caroline-Artemis Laspas co-founder & editor

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PLATINUM JUBLIEE The countdown is on!

by Caroline-Artemis Laspas

As we count down to HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, marking her 70 years on the British throne, here we take a look at the history of Jubilee’s.

Jubilees’ have been around for a very long time. They began back in 1300AD with the Roman Catholic Church th celebrating every 25 year as a time for forgiving sins and reconciliation. The last one was in 2000.

A Royal Jubilee marks the reign of a Monarch and is often celebrated around the world. Only a few British Monarchs has achieved 50 years of reign, while a Golden Jubilee is very rare!

The main Jubilee milestones are: Silver jubilee, 25th anniversary; Ruby jubilee, 40th anniversary; Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary; Diamond jubilee, 60th anniversary; Sapphire jubilee, 65th anniversary and the Platinum jubilee, for a 70th anniversary.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated all these key moments of her reign with the last being a forthcoming national weekend of thanks and celebration for her service and dedication to her country and the commonwealth. She celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee was the most recent in 2012.

King George III was the first British monarch to celebrate 50 years on the throne in 1809. There was a church service, a grand fete, fireworks and a procession through London as well as a thanksgiving dinner at Mansion House (still used today for various key dinners and events).

Queen Victoria was the next Monarch to reach a Golden Jubilee, celebrated in 1887. It involved a Royal banquet at Buckingham Palace in the presence of 50 foreign kings, princes, and heads of state from the British overseas colonies. There was also a very long procession through London escorted by the Indian cavalry, with Queen Victoria riding in a gilded State landau, drawn by 6 cream-coloured horses. The finale was an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waving to cheering crowds. The evening saw a huge firework display in the grounds of the Palace.

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

King George III

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was in 1897 with a service at St Paul's Cathedral, followed by a procession through London, back to Buckingham Palace. She wrote in her diary "No one ever, I believe, has met with such an ovation as was given to me, passing through those 6 miles of streets . . . The cheering was quite deafening & every face seemed to be filled with real joy. I was much moved and gratified."

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has always been a national moment for thanks, celebration and reflection. The country comes together to focus on its national identity and unity.

The Silver Jubilee: In 1977 there were various events held across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, including the lighting of a chain of bonfire beacons, starting at Windsor and spreading across the United Kingdom.

The Queen wished to see as many people as possible in this special year and so carried out 6 Jubilee tours across the United Kingdom and abroad in just 3 months. Official overseas visits were made to Western Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Canada and the West Indies.

Queen Victoria

The Queen rode in the Gold State Coach to St Paul's Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving attended by heads of state from around the world and other dignitaries. This was followed by a lunch where Her Majesty declared 'My Lord Mayor, when I was twenty-one I pledged my life to the service of our people and I asked for God's help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do not regret nor retract one word of it.'

The Queen then waved to cheering crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Street parties up and down the land took place with communities coming together to celebrate the big occasion.

The final event was a flotilla of boats progressing down the River Thames from Greenwich to Lambeth. The Queen also opened the Silver Jubilee Walkway and the new South Bank Jubilee Gardens. The finale was a firework display, and a procession of lighted carriages, carrying The Queen back to Buckingham Palace.

The Golden Jubilee in 2002 had a focus on 6 jubilee themes: Celebration, Community, Service, Past and future, Giving thanks and Commonwealth.

Again several overseas tours to the Commonwealth were taken by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, as well as around the United Kingdom.

The Diamond Jubilee in 2012 was again a fabulous mix of tradition and pageantry with the country painted red while and blue!

The Diamond Jubilee weekend celebrations saw events across the country and Commonwealth.

‘Big Jubilee Lunches’ were held across the United Kingdom to further encourage getting to know your neighbours and to strengthen the community spirit.

The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant saw 1,000 boats sailed up the Thames with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh travelling in the Royal Barge as the centrepiece of the flotilla.

A Diamond Jubilee concert took place outside Buckingham Palace with singers old and new represented. Afterwards, The Queen lit the National Beacon, the start of a network of 2,012 Beacons lit throughout communities and the Commonwealth.

The finale was a service at St Paul’s Cathedral followed by lunch at Westminster Hall, and a Carriage Procession to Buckingham Palace complete with balcony appearance and a RAF Flypast.

In the middle of these milestones, HM The Queen had another very special celebration and achievement… Longest Reigning Monarch!

On 9th September 2015 The Queen became Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch.

The Royal Barge

The Sapphire Jubilee was marked in 2017. The Queen became the first British Monarch to mark their Sapphire Jubilee. With each of these milestones, it a day of sadness for Her Majesty as it is the day her father passed away. To mark this Jubilee, an official photo was released of Her Majesty wearing a collection of sapphire jewe llery given to her by her father as a wedding gift in 1947.

This brings us up to date with the countdown to June 2022 and the preparations for the PLATINUM JUBILEE celebrations that will yet again see the nation and commonwealth join together to mark this truly unique and historic moment in history. It will be a long time that such a long reign will be marked again purely based on the ages of the Heir and next in line being HRH Prince Charles and his eldest son, HRH Prince William.

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TOURISM News

Saitn Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom

VISIT ENGLAND ANNOUNCES 2nd ROUND OF DMO MARKETING RECOVERY FUND Visit England has approved for 11 successful applicants to move forward to the 2nd round of its Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Marketing Recovery Fund.

The UK£1 million fund is aimed to support the recovery of tourism in England, and runs from March to the end of June. This helps DMOs to maximise VisitEngland’s national ‘Escape the Everyday’ city-focused campaign to drive bookings of local tourism products.

The ‘Escape the Everyday – Enjoy an English city break this spring,' focuses on cities and city attractions which have been hit particularly hard by the lack of domestic and international visitors. It is estimated by VisitEngland that the loss to the economy in domestic visitor spending in England reached about UK£77 billion, over 2020 and 2021.

FAITH: INDIA TOURISM VISION TILL 2035 FAITH, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India has published an India tourism vision with goals and benchmarks as the country commemorates 75 years of independence.

The aim is to make Indian tourism preferred and loved by global and domestic tourists, creating economic and wealth creation opportunities for tourism, travel and hospitality entrepreneurs for India, positioning tourism as a social economic job and infrastructure creator for India, and becoming a role model sector for sustainable and inclusive growth.

FAITH 2035 vision document sets out 'action goals' including a target of 75 million inbound tourists, 7.5 billion domestic tourism visits, offering 75 million direct and indirect employment opportunities from tourism in public and private sector in hotels, travels agencies and tour operations, tourism transportation, food services, destination management and services which are looking after tourists.

In addition to seeing 75 million outbound travellers from India being among the other goals.

The industry body said its tourism vision 2035 proposes 4 strategic pillars to achieve the goals such as a shared national tourism approach, value accretive regulations, investment drivers and market excellence.

EUROPE WOES LEAD TOURISTS TO LOOK TO THE AMERICAS FOR HOLIDAYS THIS YEAR Tourism is definitely not back as before, but there is an upturn in demand as people are fed up to be in their houses and have missed out on life over the past two years. More people are still opting for closer to home destinations and visiting relatives. In addition, the global cost of living crisis will see tourism hit again and in terms of destinations, the current instability in Ukraine is leading to people opting for non-European destinations, like the American continent.

Tourism now needs to focus on 3 key factors: safety, sustainability and inclusion. Tourists today have different needs and expectations and so tourist offerings need to change to meet these needs.

Asia is still limited and with restricted entry, not as easy as before.

China is totally closed and travel to Russia is not wise for some.

Over the past 2 decades, Europe has built its tourism sector on the large numbers of Chinese and Asian (including Indian), as well as Russian tourists, all high spenders. Now they are not coming and the resulting fall not only in arrivals from these source markets but the lost revenue for Europe will be drastic over the next year or so. There is also no other equal market from where to fill the gap!

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HOPE FOR WORLD TOURISM GROWTH OF 5.8% OVER NEXT DECADE According to the WTTC, it is expected that one of the great beneficiaries in the next decade will be employment, as well as the new destinations that are investing in the development of competitive infrastructure.

Tourism, was one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, today the wheels are starting to turn again as nations open up again for international tourism. Growth of approx. 5.8% is expected for the next 10 years, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

The reason for this is simple! People still have a ‘need’ and a desire to travel, especially after two years at home!

In addition, tourism is expected to generate 126 million new jobs, 61% concentrated in the Asian continent over the next decade.

Tourism can bounce back as people have the money they saved from not travelling during the pandemic to now spend on a vacation, however, the cost of living crisis could slow this big spend down.

This expected growth could see the sector recover in 2023 to levels seen in 2019. Within the framework of the 21st edition of the global WTTC summit held in Manila, Philippines, Julia Simpson, its president, explained that the recovery is already evident. “In 2019 our sector contributed UK£7.6 trillion to the global economy, which was more than 10% of global GDP. By 2020, the industry lost 50% of its value, in addition to 62 million jobs. However, last year it began to recover and we can speak of a contribution to the world economy of UK£4.6 trillion”. Statistics show that by the end of 2022 global tourism will have recovered more, bringing in UK£6.65 trillion.

CRUISE TO A CRUISE BARGAIN Any cruise ship needs to run on maximum capacity; ie no empty cabins.

Fewer passengers means the less money spent on drinks, excursions etc.

Once a cruise line knows it has sold all it can at maximum cost, only then will it try to fill empty cabins by offering discounts. As a cruise passenger wanting a bargain you need to be flexible and know how the last minute booking system of cruise lines works.

Finding that deal takes time and research so you will need to be on the ball and ready for hunting that great deal.

A cruise ship will want as many cabins filled as possible … almost at any cost!

‘NICARAGUA, NATURALMENTE BELLA’ NEW TOURISM PROMOTION CAMPAIGN Nicaragua, Naturalmente Bella is the new campaign promoted by INTUR, the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism, in order to promote the tourist destinations of the Central American country.

Intur says that, 'as the slogan says, what we want to make known is precisely the natural beauties of this land of lakes and volcanoes where more than 50% of our territory is a protected area, biosphere reserve, with that living culture, human warmth that is breathed in every corner’.

It is intended to highlight responsible, nature-friendly tourism.

DEMAND FOR TRAVEL IN GREECE International travel to Greece has returned to pre-pandemic levels, despite the unrest in East Europe, even with the potential for overspill into other nations. Since February interest in tourism in Greece has not dropped a lot and as time has gone on, the drop has become even less. The key markets for Greece include Germany, the UK, the USA, France and Italy. Now, interest in tourism is very positive, giving optimism to Greece for the coming summer season.

Aegina island, Greece

BATH HOTELS REACH FINALS FOR PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL TOURISM EXCELLENCE AWARDS Visit West celebrates Bath’s hotel scene!

VisitEngland has today announced that two Bath hotels are have been nominated for the National Tourism annual Awards for Excellence. The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa featured in the ‘Large Hotel of the Year’ category and No. 15 by GuestHouse, Bath a finalist in the ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ category.

Applications to the nationally recognised awards – which celebrate the businesses in tourism across England who have delivered excellence during the last year - were put forward for judging from businesses across England and went through a rigorous judging process by handpicked tourism industry experts.

Gold, silver and bronze winners will be announced on June 8, 2022, in a ceremony in Birmingham.

Visit West Director of Tourism Kathryn Davis said: “We are absolutely thrilled for the teams at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa and No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath who thoroughly deserve to be named in the top three hotels in their category for these prestigious national awards. They have already achieved so much in the local and regional awards and so we will be cheering them on when the winners are announced on 8 June.”

No. 15 By Guesthouse Bath General Manager Guillaume Lesage said: “I am so delighted for the team at No.15 by GuestHouse, it has been an amazing few weeks of trophies and nominations. Being Finalist in the Visit England excellence award is true recognition of their hard work and the fantastic delivery of our service Ethos.”

VisitEngland Chief Executive Patricia Yates said: “Millions of jobs and local economies depend on tourism and this year’s awards are also a timely opportunity to acknowledge the determination and dedication of tourism businesses as they rebuild and continue to champion best practice and customer service excellence, providing visitors with a stand-out experience.”

Celebrating Bath’s Hospitality Businesses Bath’s hotel scene is steadily recovering from the last few years with new openings and many recent award nominations. A 212-bedroom Hampton by Hilton opened earlier in the spring following the opening of The Yard in Bath last year, while Fragrance Hotels are forging ahead with plans to develop the former Royal Mineral Water Hospital in the city centre into a 160-room luxury spa hotel.

The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa also recently won an award from The Hotel Marketing Association for best social media campaign and is now looking ahead to the Queen’s Jubilee with a glorious afternoon tea event with music in the gardens of the hotel and a ‘Jubilee Joy’ package - two nights in a luxurious room or suite, a Jubilee themed cocktail, a champaign afternoon tea and a 6course Tasting Menu on one night – prices start from UK£530 per room per night.

VENICE, ITALY POSTPONES TOURIST TAX The purchasing of a ticket to access the Italian city of Venice has been postponed until 2023, but a reservation system to enter the city will be implemented this summer. Venice will be the first city in the world to implement such a system.

From June, tourists who want to visit Venice will need to make an advance reservation.

From 2023 the fee to enter will be between UK£2.5-UK£8.50. The decision to postpone is due to 2 years of pandemic and suffering for many operators.

Initially, no one will be penalised for not making a reservation or prevented from visiting the city or its historic centre.

The advantages for those who book in advance, since those who booked will have secured the purchase of tickets in museums and public transport will be allowed to move up the queue from those who have not made a reservation.

Venice, Italy

Achieving a more balanced management of tourism is the objective of the Venetian authorities.

PACIFIC REGION RETURNS TO POSITIVE TOURISM GROWTH The Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022 report believes that after 2 years of recession due to Covid-19, the Pacific is expected to return to positive growth in 2022.

Growth in the Pacific is expected to resume at an average of 3.9% in 2022 and 5.4% in 2023.

With increased vaccination rates and the reopening of borders positive economic growth will return. However, high cost of living and the impact of the Ukraine situation also effect the region on the other side of the world.

In 2021, growth in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the biggest economy in the Pacific, was slowed by two COVID-19 surges, as well as a very low vaccination rate.

Fiji, the subregion’s 2nd largest economy, is projected to record 7.1% growth in 2022 and 8.5% in 2023. The opening of the country’s borders in December 2021 gives hope for a revival in tourism; key to a quick economic turnaround and rises in employment. However, international competition is going to be strong.

In the Solomon Islands in January this year saw covid spread for the first time. The Solomon Islands economy is expected to contract by 3% in 2022 because of restrictions on mobility and domestic transportation, and associated health impacts of the pandemic.

Vatatu’s economic growth is forecast at 1% in 2022, with growth in public services as well as a recovery in agriculture and construction offset by the domestic transmission of COVID-19. Growth is forecast at 4% in 2023 as the tourism sector revives.

The South Pacific economies of the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tonga were almost untouched by the pandemic giving time for almost total vaccination of the population. Growth in the Cook Islands is expected to be 9.1% in 2022 and 11.2% in 2023. The economic recovery in Niue will similarly depend on safely easing restrictions and reopening to tourists.

Papua New Guinea

With no clear sign of borders reopening in Samoa, growth in 2022 is expected to be just 0.4% and with growth of 2.2% for 2023. The biggest risk to the economic outlook would be any escalation in the community transmission of COVID-19 and a delay in restoring tourism. The delayed reopening of borders in Tonga due to the recent volcanic eruption and community transmission of COVID-19 are likely to slow its long-term tourism recovery with an economic contraction of 1.2% for 2022 and a return to positive growth of 2.9% in 2023 assuming borders reopen.

The North Pacific economies contracted in 2021, as travel and mobility restrictions continued to suppress tourism in Palau and trade in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Marshall Islands. Economic growth of 2.2% is expected in the FSM in 2022, increasing to 4.2% in 2023, while the Marshall Islands economy is projected to see growth of 1.2% in 2022, and up to 2.2% in 2023. Growth in the Palau is expected to reach 9.4% in 2022 before accelerating to 18.3% in 2023, allowing for a gradual return to pre-pandemic levels of international arrivals.

Finally, the report sees growth in the Central Pacific economies of Kiribati and Tuvalu and slower growth in Nauru in 2022. Rises in global oil prices is bad news for these import-dependent economies. Growth of 1.8% is expected in Kiribati in 2022, picking up to 2.3% in 2023.

Nauru’s economic growth will slow to 1% in 2022 and rise to 2.4% in 2023. Tuvalu will experience 3% growth in 2022 and again in 2023.

PREFERRED HOTELS & RESORTS TAPPED BY VIRGIN HOTELS TO BE ITS GLOBAL BRAND PARTNER From the flagship in Chicago to upcoming openings, Virgin Hotels Becomes the Newest Additions to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts L.V.X. Collection.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts – the world’s largest provider of sales, marketing, and distribution to independent hotels – is pleased to announce a new agreement with Virgin Hotels that encompasses Virgin Hotels properties in key U.S. cities. With immediate effect, Virgin Hotels Chicago, Virgin Hotels Dallas, Virgin Hotels New Orleans, and Virgin Hotels Nashville are the newest additions to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts L.V.X. Collection, which represents worldly and illustrious hotels located in vibrant city centres or destination escapes, providing guests with memorable dining, entertainment, and wellness experiences.

As Virgin Hotels continues to grow, more hotels will join the brand portfolio. Inspired by a shared passion for personalised, heartfelt service along with dynamic, authentic programming, this alliance is designed to create greater global awareness of the Virgin Hotels brand and its growing portfolio, leveraging Preferred’s global infrastructure and its vast influence in sparking demand and action among key audiences worldwide.

All of the aforementioned Virgin Hotels properties now have access to Preferred’s unmatched expertise in the leisure, corporate, and group sales travel sectors, as well as its innovative marketing and distribution solutions. While continuing to provide a distinctly personalised experience to travellers through Virgin Hotels’ preferences and loyalty programme, The Know, all properties will also benefit from participation in I Prefer Hotel Rewards, Preferred’s points-based guest loyalty programme.

GUYANA FOCUS ON ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL Guyana is aiming to focus its draw of tourists based on becoming the entertainment capital of the region. The recent Rodeo 2022 at Lethem, Region Nine is proof of this! With a full schedule of sporting and entertainment activities on offer with good attendance, highlighted the positive signs that this is a sector they can develop further. This new culture of festivity is the result of several factors, including the relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions.

The Rupununi Rodeo is a major national event and together with neighbouring Brazil with its huge population could catapult the sport into a global sporting activity. The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) was recently launched in Guyana, which will commence in August 2022. Cricket is another big sporting event for the country.

Sports and entertainment are high on the agenda of the government future plans with the infrastructure of sports and tourism, to be strengthened and training programmes created in areas such as hospitality, event management and culinary skills with a view to making the industry more competitive. The infrastructure is already responding well to these new develo-pments with the construction of new top-class hotels, transportation and other logistical support and more strategic interventions in terms of public security.

One interesting development Regatta in Bartica, Rodeo in and Monkey Mountain, all

is diversification of the tourism package to accommodate the varied interests of visitors. The Lethem, the Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls in Region Eight with its beautiful mountain ranges in Kato come together to create that Magnificent Province for which the country is internationally famous.

Guyana is blessed with a rich diversity of flora and fauna and a vast rainforest making it a natural tourist and entertainment destination.

LOS ANGELES TOURISM ON VENICE BEACH Venice beach, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

With increased crime levels in Los Angeles, U.S.A., the local police is increasing its presence in the Venice Beach area as it is a top tourist hotspot during the summer.

The increase in crime is partly due to increased homeless people who live in encampments and RVs close by as well as high drug addicts in the area too, this is also leading to high amounts of rubbish too seen throughout the Venice neighbourhood.

Venice Beach has been the centre of most of Los Angeles’s debate over homelessness and crime as last year saw hundreds of encampments cleared by officials.

Venice Beach is a small coastal town with a vibrant, diverse community of small business owners and artists, yet it has the highest number of homeless people (2,000) living on its streets after Skid Row (4,000).

Citywide, Los Angeles has over 41,000 homeless people, and the county has over 62,000.

WALES, UNITED KINGDOM INTRODUCES TOURIST TAX Caernarfon Castle,Wales, United Kingdom

The Welsh authorities plan to introduce a specific tourist tax in the autumn of 2022. This could mean travellers opt for other destinations, but with tourism already seeing good signs of growth, Wales hopes it will help support its tourism sector further.

Many travellers are still choosing to holiday within the UK for now, due to a number of factors and a holiday at home is going to be less than one aboard.

Forecasts for Welsh tourism expect to reach 12.6 million this year outpacing pre-pandemic levels. The tax would avoid the peak summer months, but October and November are still popular months for travel within the UK.

BEYOND BEAUTY MASHPI LODGE ECUADOR Mashpi Lodge is a nature lover’s delight. Set amid the 3,200-acre Mashpi Reserve, the property is surrounded by the Ecuadorian Choco rainforest.

Hiking trails lead guests past gushing waterfalls, lush greenery and wild inhabitants, including hundreds of species of birds, butterflies, jungle frogs and even pumas.

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Almost in the middle of nowhere, yet it is located just 70 miles from Quito, taking about 3 hours to get there over a raw landscape. Mashpi Lodge organises transfers from Quito hotels.

The Lodge is designed as the ideal springboard for exploring the biodiverse world of its reserve. It combines high levels of modern comfort, service, guided excursions, and cuisine hitherto unheard of in a tropical forest environment anywhere else in the world.

ZIMBABWE LAUNCHES NATIONAL TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNT (TSA) Tourism is a key player in the Zimbabwe economy representing 6.3% of GDP in 2019. The country has also made the move from its national currency being the US dollar to the Zimbabwean dollar.

The Tourism Satellite Account - TSA was created as part of the Zimbabwe Destination Development Programme and supported by International Finance Corporation (IFC). In addition to recording the number of tourists visiting the country, the initiative also provides monetary and non-monetary tourism data related to demand and supply and measures the value of expenditure on goods and services across all types of tourism as well as the value of tourism-sector industries producing goods and/or services. It is used to quantify the tourism sectors contribution to GDP and national employment rates.

Tourism in Zimbabwe has been badly hit by the pandemic with fewer tourists and continued travel restrictions. Policymakers in Zimbabwe now have the opportunity to support the recovery of the tourism sector through stimulating traveller demand, and sustainably allowing entry into the country.

The development of the TSA is one of the key milestone projects for the tourism sector under the National Development Strategy (NDS1 2021-2025).

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

GREECE SUSPENDS COVID RESTRICTIONS TO ATTRACT MORE TOURISTS Meteora, Thessalia, Greece

From 1st May, Greece will not require vaccination and recovery certificates to be shown to get into most places.

However, this is a temporary measure and measures will be reviewed again in September.

It is still an entry requirement to the country to present vaccination and recovery certificates.

Many countries around the world are postponing or cancelling the necessity to show certificates of vaccination, in order to boost their tourism industry and attract holidaymakers, who are all keen to travel after 2 years stuck in their homes.

REGENT HOTELS & RESORTS DEBUTS IN VIETNAM ON PHU QUOC ISLAND IHG Hotels & Resorts debuts its 1st resort in South East Asia under its upper luxury brand, Regent Hotels & Resorts, with the opening of Regent Phu Quoc. Located off the southwest coast of Vietnam alongside a UNESCO-designated World Biosphere Reserve, the all-suites-and-villas resort offers a serene luxury.

The resort sees traditional Vietnamese vernacular and contemporarily designed interiors with a soothing colours.

Expansive windows and verandas invite natural light in, transforming suites and villas into light, airy private havens complemented by framed views of landscaped gardens or majestic ocean scenes.

In the coming months, additional restaurants and bars will be introduced: Oku, the only restaurant with an Omakase counter in Phu Quoc, and Bar Jade, a speakeasy showcasing fine artisanal spirits and custom cocktails mixed with fresh local herbs. Guests will also be invited on a journey of discovery with the resort’s very own Catamaran, Serenity.

INNOVATION, EDUCATION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT: UNWTO STRENGTHENS PARTNERSHIP WITH SAUDI ARABIA Regent Hotels & Resorts

As it continues to build tourism as a driver of its alternative economy, Saudi Arabia and UNWTO have been working on further opportunity and development across the Middle East and beyond.

Following the opening last year of the Regional Office for the Middle East in Riyadh, plans for a range of projects have been progressing as cooperation between UNWTO and the Kingdom increases.

A range of projects is being designed to establish UNWTO’s Regional Office as a leader in tourism for rural development while also making the opportunities of tourism available to everyone through a range of education initiatives.

Among the projects is the UNWTO Global Tourism and Rural Development Programme, aimed at making tourism a pillar of growth and opportunity for rural communities.

The Programme includes the world’s Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO initiative, now in its 2nd year after the inaugural competition drew huge interest from destinations in every global regions.

Alongside this, the Regional Office will also Al Khulb Park, Saudi Arabia

focus on knowledge creation for policy and business practices, training and skills development and Technical Assistance on the ground, with plans also in place to establish a first Tourism and Rural Development Observatory in Riyadh.

UNWTO will also support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) embrace digitalisation with partnerships with the largest technology companies such as Amadeus, Mastercard, Cisco, Telefónica, amongst others already established. The UNWTO Digital Futures Programme aims to provide training on connectivity, ecommerce, big data and analytics, and online payments and security, to as many as 20,000 SMEs in 22 countries, including 5,000 in the first 12 months. Later this month (25-26 March), a UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures innovation forum will be in the United Arab Emirates.

The goal of creating more added-value jobs in tourism through education will utilise a new UNWTO Knowledge Lab based in Riyadh, while a first Observatory on Quality of Tourism Education and Jobs will also be established to monitor the advancement of the strategy. To ensure the benefits of tourism education are enjoyed as widely as possible, 10 new online courses will be made available in Arabic through the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, and UNWTO will also work with higher education providers from the region through the new Tourism Faculty Development Programme.

Riyad, Saudi Arabia

The UNWTO Regional Office for the Middle East will be a hub for promoting green investments in the tourism sector, both in the region and worldwide, including through projects developed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other partners such as the Saudi Tourism Development Fund (TDF) – responding to the UNWTO climate action framework.

COLOMBIA TOP COUNTRY TO RECOVER THE FASTEST WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURISM COUNCIL Embalse Penol-Guatape, Colombia

The reactivation of tourism in Colombia is going from strength to strength with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) saying that the strategies the local government has been developing to encourage the industry is seeing positive results.

Colombia, along with Mexico and Brazil, are currently leaders in regional tourism because they have been able to reduce restrictions without affecting the health of locals and tourists.

EUROPE‘SLARGEST PULLMAN HOTEL REOPENS: PULLMAN PARIS MONTPARNASSE Pullman Hotels & Resorts is delighted to introduce the fresh new style of Pullman Paris Montparnasse, a 115m, avant-garde skyscraper designed by Pierre Dufau in 1972, and a landmark of modern architecture in the heart of Paris. The flagship property sits within a new complex and is part of a larger project that will revitalise the Montparnasse station (which handles more than 60 million commuters a year, transform the Montparnasse Tower (by 2024) and reconnect to the Gaîté quarter and its theatres.

Pullman Paris Montparnasse will launch the Artist’s Playground in 2022, one of the pillars of the Pullman brand: an immersive exploration of digital art. The works are displayed on a series of screens throughout the hotel and reflect the neighbourhood, its architecture, its daylight and nocturnal rhythms.

In addition to these screens, the property will feature other digital cre ations, such as a 40-meter outdoor fresco and 3D printed sculptures. The Artist’s Playground and its installations constitute an astonishing art collection that will be continually refreshed.

At 115m above the city, Skybar at Pullman Paris Montparnasse is the highest open-air rooftop bar in Paris. Following openings in Miami, Los Angeles and Nassau Bahamas, the latest Skybar features a cocktail bar and terrace on the hotel’s 32nd floor, with a VIP area that boasts Paris’s most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower and skyline.

Pullman Paris Montparnasse is also committed to recycling more than 10 types of waste products and it will reduce waste by using refillable product dispensers in all bathrooms; go paperless, no longer use single use plastic and offer more vegetarian meal options, among other initiatives.

日本いちごセンセーション

by Manami-Etsuko Uehara

Strawberries and Cream is a quintessentially English summer day refresher, just as sushi is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. So it is amazing that around the other side of the earth, Japan is BIG in STRAWBERRIES! Today, strawberries are one of the biggest exports from Japan to the rest of Asia.

The farmers have, in true Japanese style, mastered the art of growing and cultivating this deliciously bright red sweet juicy fruit.

Strawberries are so popular in Japan that even a house in Tokyo exists in the shape of a strawberry. Although it does not sell strawberries,it’s still a testament to how loved this fruit is.

So well-known and popular are Japanese strawberries that they are now part of several tourist trails, especially during harvest time with many pick-your-own greenhouse and open field opportunities. Strawberry picking is a popular past-time in many areas of Japan, including Yamanashi, Niigata, and Kochi Prefectures.

In addition, the Japanese are also the largest consumers of raw strawberries in the world!

During the six-to-eight week period in June and July in the summer in the United Kingdom, strawberries are at their best and a must-eat!

They are synonymous as the food to eat, with fresh cream during the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships each year. In 2019, there were 191,930 portions of strawberries served, that’s approx. 27 tons of strawberries! Popularity is so great that the varieties of strawberry and season have widened giving Early Season, Midseason, and Late Season fruits.

In Japan, they currently cultivate 312 varieties of strawberries, with approx. 50 varieties available in the marketplace.

The 4 top varieties are とちおとめ (tochiotome), あまおう (amaou), 紅ほっぺ (benihoppe), and さがほのか (sagahonoka).

In a normal supermarket a packet of strawberries costs about UK£2.40-UK£3.60, and in a higher end store 15 strawberries can cost about UK£24-UK£30.

In season a standard supermarket punnet of strawberries weighing 400g would cost approx.

UK£2.50.

There is something very satisfying about picking any of your own food and the same goes for strawberries (except you must remember to put them in your basket and not eat them as you pick!)

outside in dripping with bright only for an afternoon.

Picking your own strawberries is great fun and above all, if done the old fashioned way, as you travel up the rows of heavily laden plants, red jewels, you smell the warm summer earth and truly get back to nature; even if

Some Japanese strawberry farms allow you to pick and eat as many strawberries as you like. There is a time limit of around 45 minutes, during which you can eat the strawberries!

All across Japan strawberries plantations can be found, both in open fields and in greenhouses, with most offering opportunities for fruit picking at the right time for the harvest. It all depends on the weather and where in Japan they are grown.

If picking from a greenhouse, then the season is often longer as the climate inside is more stable, but the outdoor weather does determine when the harvest will begin. Warms region of Japan will see harvest earlier than colder regions.

For tradition open-field strawberry picking the weather is everything and the season is short. Hokkaido is a popular place for strawberry picking.

Just picking and eating strawberries is what most of us are happy to do, but in Japan some have taken their love of strawberries to another level.

This is the Bijin Hime (meaning Beautiful Princess) Strawberry; a giant species that is about the size of a tennis ball and weighs over 100grs.

It is strawberry ‘royalty’ with a price tag to match, selling for approximately UK£350 per strawberry!

Bijin Hime Strawberry

The strawberries are grown in the fertile soil of Hashima-shi located between Kiso River and Nagara River and are the most expensive strawberry in the world, partly due to the very limited number of 500 fruits produced each year.

The process required to cultivate the strawberry is very complex and it took over 15 years of trial and error for the farmer to get it right and to grow the fruit.

Other than the picking season on mainland Japan, the tropical island of Okinawa also offers many opportunities for strawberry picking as its climate is so conducive to growing the fruit, giving more red juicy fruit.

With many farms across the island the harvest season is almost all year round, the most popular places are Ginoza and Nakagusuku villages as well as at Minatogawa.

So next time you are in Japan, take the sweetness of summer with you and visit a strawberry field!

An Interview with…

Ms. Anna Nowicka Project Coordinator of Meet the Bidder Warsaw, Poland Meet the Bidder is the MICE B2B Sales event that takes place three times a year in Warsaw, Poland. In an interview with Ms. Anna Nowicka (Project Coordinator) MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine discovers more about the ideas behind it and what the future holds for the Polish tourism and MICE industry.

MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine were present at the Spring edition in March, where this interview took place.

What was the catalyst that made you decide to launch

Meet the Bidder?

We know the incentive travel sector for long time. It was clear that there is a need of a platform for the personal meeting Suppliers like hotels, DMC, convention bureaus with Buyers – the representatives of Polish travel companies, mostly from MICE Sector. It was a moment when Meet the Bidder was created .

What were the main challenges you faced when launching the event and was i t always intended to be 3 editions per year?

Meet the Bidder started as a small event with limited number of participants and it has increased into the pretty large event with 3 annual editions. Now it is based on large meeting space in Warsaw but still each edition has its own character. There are some Exhibitors and Buyers who return to us regularly but also each time there are also new Suppliers and new Visitors including Hosted Buyers. COVID-19 caused of course the gap in 2020 but in November 2021 we were happy to announce WE ARE BACK together with 45 Exhibitors and 80 Visitors.

What is the key success of Meet the Bidder exhibition and workshop?

It is a good question. We have already made the mark Meet the Bidder visible in the calendar of worldwide events. The formula of B2B meetings with the leading travel companies really makes a business work. It is a fruitful tool for both sides. For Exh ibitors there is no need to visit office by office in different cities to present the current offer spending time for travelling. Ins tead of it during one day they can reach all product managers who are active in business, who are interested in getting the best offer to win new bids and send groups.

From Buyers’ side it is a good opportunity to get to know personally suppliers, in a short talk to judge if they can be prope r partners, to know new hotels and imagine new events that could be hold in these venues. It is a very helpful tool in their work.

What is your ‘one wish’ that would revolutionise/improve the event?

If the Gold Sponsor would come with idea to use the event for bigger promotion campaign, we could use own experience and contacts to show our potential, to raise the event on the upper level including the accompanying events like Gala Night, Discussion Forum and other ideas we have in mind.

The 2022 editions of Meet the Bidder must be a positive sign of hope that will boost the MICE and Travel sector, which is what the industry needs more than ever. How do you perceive the current situation across Europe and how will it affect the industry?

Yes, in fact it is a good moment when both - business sector and leisure /luxury travel sector – are developing again because people dream to move after the lockdown caused by pandemic. Unfortunately the war in Ukrain e has influenced the current situation, what is not surprising at all

The June edition, I assume, is the largest edition among the 3 per year. What will be different from the other 2 editions and what new things will it bring to the exhibitors and buyers.

Usually, the November edition is the biggest but this time we have the 30th Jubilee Edition of Meet the Bidder and we expect it can be a special event. This time MICE Bingo is planned not only for the lucky Buyers but also for Exhibitors (another Bingo category).

Ms. Anna Nowicka, what is the best thing about your job and what are your successes in attracting prospect exhibitors and buyers to attend the Meet the Bidder June edition?

I am happy to use my experience gained in travel business working now - since September - in the Travel Bidder Team. Travel marketing shows new perspectives. I am glad to be still be in touch with people from the travel sector – from abroad and from Poland. I know that my job is useful, I can see the results organizing and running personally the Meet the Bidder fair, having such a positive feedback after the event like in November 2021 or March 2022. Some Buyers are already invited personally receiving Green Invitation during the Spring Edition and some others have got information about this special event recently and we will encourage them to come to celebrate with us the 30th Jubilee Edition of Meet the Bidder!!

Finally, we are well aware that the mass tourism market will slow down radically and the luxury market will overtake in the near future. Do you have any plans to expand into a luxury travel and tourism exhibition, that still covers the Polish and regional markets? As far as we are aware, there is no such event taking place in this region of Europe?

We can see a trend in tourism toward tailor-made tours, smaller-scale fam-events, and trips organized by teams not only by big companies as well as luxury trips in a way to have a higher amoun t of money spent on privatized services. We are already enlarged our Visitors group from the idea to be just MICE HUB into the event for MICE and LUXURY travel sector. The next step would be to choose one of the editions – maybe next summer – for this niche market. Besides from the environmental perspective mass tourism is worse than small groups and we need to take it also into consideration!

www.MeetTheBidder.com

M.I.C.E & Events News Meetings, Incentives, Conferences , Exhibitions, Venues & Events

10 YEARS OF EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION SUMMIT BETTER TOGETHER The European Association Summit is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Under the motto ‘Better Together’, a special edition of the EAS will be held on 3-5 May in Brussels.

The 10th edition: Representatives of international associations will discuss the ups and downs of the sector. The aim is not just to exchange thoughts and find inspiration; various associations will also join forces during EAS22. This 10th edition is entirely dedicated to connection. Hence the motto ‘Better Together’.

Brussels: With more than 2,500 headquarters in Brussels, the number of international associations in the capital city continues to grow.

Brussels therefore ranks 1st as a hub for international associations. It is no coincidence that the 10th edition of the European Association Summit is taking place here. In the heart of Europe, more than 200 locations offer the space and opportunity to host events with international appeal. Moreover, during the pandemic, Brussels profiled itself as a hub for hybrid events.

A hybrid event: The Egg Brussels, near Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid, was chosen as the location. However, the European Association Summit can be participated from anywhere with the programme offering a combination of onsite and online sessions. These range from ‘solid solutions,’ 45-minute workshops, ‘bright ideas,’ short 15-minute sessions, ‘the floor is yours’, longer presentations and discussions of real-world examples, to ‘service showcases’ that present services and tools well suited to international associations.

Better Together: Looking for solutions together, working out new ideas and discussing real-life examples. This will take place in various forms during the EAS22. The programme is divided into 5 themes: be.smarter (about leadership), be.closer (about engagement), be.fresher (about hybrid events), be.brighter (about communication) and be.brussels (about Brussels infrastructure).

Participants can design their own programme based on their particular needs and interests.

This edition's speakers include Dianna Steinbach (ESAE, ISSA), Mounia Heddad-Masson (EASL), Maria Linkova-Nijs (Cefic), Gareth Harding (Clear Europe), Marjorie Anderson (LLC), Cyril Ritchie (UIA), Martin Sirk (Global Association Hubs), Nadia Rubtsova (Business & Events Academy), and Sina Bünte (DigitalMind.events).

There will be an in-depth look at organising hybrid events, attracting young people, sustainability, crisis communication, leadership, training and other aspects of the international association sector.

Patrick Bontinck, CEO of visit.brussels, and Elisabeth Van Ingelgem, Director of Strategy & International Development, will kick things off with an overview of the Brussels infrastructure. In total, more than 30 sessions are scheduled.

Enrolment and information: Some 200 participants are expected. This year, there are various enrolment formulas. More information about the event can be found at www.easummit.brussels. For more information on the association activities of visit.brussels, please visit www.associations.brussels.

1ST INTERNATIONAL FAIR OF MEDICAL TOURISM AND WELL-BEING TO BE HELD IN CUBA The Cuban Ministry of Public Health, together with the Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, SA have joined forces for st the 1 edition of FITSaludCuba, the International Fair of Medical Tourism and Well-being.

FITSaludCuba will be held between 17-20 October 2022, at the Pabexpo fairgrounds in Havana. The event will take place alongside the 15th edition of the Health For All Fair.

For the rest, the new FITSaludCuba aims to expose the products, experiences and advances of health tourism in Cuba and in the world, with the aim of consolidating alliances and setting new pathways in the sustainable development of this sector. st

The 1 edition aims to deepen and allow the exchange of knowledge about this area in the Cuban nation and the rest of the world.

The Seminar will include topics: Marketing models for medical tourism and Trends in the development of wellness tourism.

THE REGION OF CENTRAL MACEDONIA AT SEATRADE CRUISE INTERNATIONAL For the 1st time, the Region of Central Macedonia participated together with the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation and the Thessaloniki Port Authority SA, in the Seatrade Cruise Global 2022 International Exhibition, which took place from 25-28 April in Miami, USA. The exhibition is the largest cruise exhibition in the world, where B2B meetings took place with representatives of the Region and cruise companies, as well as with the Mediterranean Cruise Port Association MedCruise and the International Cruise Association CLIA, in collaboration with the Organisation Thessaloniki SA and the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation.

The meetings revealed optimism that the port of Thessaloniki in the coming years will play a leading role as a stopover, but also to become a cruise homeport for cruises in the Mediterranean.

Already for 2022, more than 60 cruise arrivals have been confirmed in the port of Thessaloniki, a port that can receive up to 4 cruise ships at the same time with the necessary infrastructure in place.

The Region of Central Macedonia also plans to finance selected cruise companies through marketing support programmes, in order to strengthen cooperation with them.

Event visitors were keen to learn more about the multi-themed destination of Central Macedonia that combines the sun and sea with outdoor activities and culture, while cruise company representatives explored the possibilities of visiting other destinations as part of the cruise stop.

AEROSPACE LEADERS AT THE GLOBAL AEROSPACE SUMMIT The forthcoming Global Aerospace Summit, hosted by Mubadala, offers a unique opportunity for aerospace start-ups to gain access to 1,000+ senior leaders, benefit from mentorship clinics hosted by leading international companies and accelerators and take part in high-level networking.

The Summit will demonstrate how you can capitalise on Abu Dhabi’s growth as a global start-up hub for the aerospace sector.

Identify and meet the key partners and investors and discover how your start-up can be part of the new enterprise and technology ecosystem playing a foundational role in Abu Dhabi’s economic future.

Only 20 start-up attendee invitations available don't miss out on the opportunity, apply now…. https://go.aerospacesummit.com/l/715553/2022-04-11/sjmj6 UNWTO AND ITALY SET THE STAGE FOR GLOBAL YOUTH TOURISM SUMMIT EUROPE UNWTO is hosting the Global Youth Tourism Summit, this year in Sorrento, Italy, from 27 June - 3 July.

The Global Youth Tourism Summit is a unique platform to celebrate and empower the next generation of tourism leaders.

The Summit, organised by UNWTO in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Tourism and the Italian National Tourist Board, will provide a unique opportunity for young people aged between 12 and 18 to share their vision for the future of the sector.

For one week, 100 young delegates will network with and work alongside politicians, leading figures from across the tourism sector as well as from the worlds of entertainment and sports.

NEW DATES FOR IT&CM CHINA AND CTW CHINA 2022

In-Person Event: 12-14

July 2022 Virtual Networking: 27-28 July 2022

The organisers of IT&CM China and CTW China 2022 have announced that the Shanghai based MICE and Corporate Travel double bill events, due to take place in May this year, will now take place on 12-14 July 2022 at The Anandi Hotel and Spa Shanghai followed by an online networking and conference segment on 27-28 July 2022.

Organisers TTG Events and China-based CTG MICE Service Company Limited, in a joint statement stated that they were delighted to have the community gather in person again after two years and looked forward to renewing and rebuilding as recovery for the global tourism industry gathers speed.

For registration and more information, please visit www.itcmchina.com.

MICE & TOURISM around the World e-Magazine are honoured to be media affiliates for this 2022 edition.

PANAMA PREPARES NEW TRADE FAIRS FOR 2023 Three recent events held in Panama registered business deals worth UK£101 million.

Business was conducted with 32 countries presenting new opportunities, as well as some 13,000 national visitors and more than 2,000 international visitors were in attendance, resulting in 9,000 business contacts.

Amador Convention Center, Panama

Between the three in-person exhibitions, 850 companies from the 3 sectors of America, Europe, Asia and Africa participated. Among the countries participating in this 38th edition of Expocomer, Germany, Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, France, Guatemala, Guyana and Honduras stand out.

Exhibitors also attended from the Netherlands, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, and Venezuela.

The 14th Expologística welcomed 100 exhibitors who presented the latest technological and innovation trends in the sector.

At the 11th edition of Expoturismo, 138 companies participated, obtaining contracts by more than 150 buyers from Germany, Argentina. Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, France, Germany, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Spain.

MALAYSIA EASES RESTRICTION TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS The Malaysian government is to ease restriction for international travellers with effect from 1 May 2022.

Representing the business events industry, the national bureau underscored that the announcement marks another significant breakthrough for Malaysia since it reopened its borders this month and waived quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors.

The easing is in line with the nation’s transition to the endemic phase of the outbreak, as high vaccination rates have kept hospital admissions low.

Some of the new measures that directly benefit the international business events visitors are as follows: • Covid-19 insurance is no longer a requirement to enter Malaysia • Travellers exempt from taking pre- and post-departure tests (for fully vaccinated individuals aged 12 years and below) • Business events activities can be held without physical distancing • All economic sectors are allowed to operate

PHILOXENIA 2022 LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW CHALLENGE! PHILOXENIA is the annual tourism exhibition that since its inauguration in 1985 outlines the profile of tourism business in the country, while maintaining its strong brand name through the years. Organised each November at the International Exhibition & Conference Centre of Thessaloniki it constitutes a very strong meeting point of tourism in Greece.

Hosted Buyers Programme PHILOXENIA 2022 will host about 120 renowned tourism professionals from abroad in the most well-organised B2B tourism exhibition programme in the wider region of South-eastern Europe.

PHILOXENIA Conference The International Conference of PHILOXENIA is now an integral part of the entire event, which aims to explore current issues of concern to the tourism business community in the country. Renowned Greek and foreign speakers from the field of tourism, academics, researchers, representatives of organisations and prominent executives of tourism companies, meet at the conference panels presenting studies, views and successful case studies that highlight the quality characteristics of the tourism product.

VIRTUAL YOKOHAMA INTERACTIVE WEBSITE LAUNCHED nd

A new platform is on offer to introduce Japan’s 2 largest city to tourism and MICE industries; The Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) has launched a new website.

Named ‘Virtual Yokohama’, the platform allows the city to welcome business-related site visits virtually and to continue to compete for conventions amid governmental restrictions on international travel.

The interactive website features 360˚ images and videos of local scenery, landmarks, hotels, convention facilities, and attractions, alongside stylish illustrations by Satoshi Hashimoto, a Yokohama-born illustrator active in Japan and abroad.

As a compact city, with many of its major tourism attractions located within walking distance of its commercial hub, Yokohama suits both tourism and MICE needs, which is highlighted on the website.

There is information suitable for both day visitors and those spending the night. Options include 4 model itineraries, covering everything from classic tourist spots to off-the-beaten-track gems familiar only to local people, and half-day sightseeing tours, including those that trace the history of Yokohama’s port or showcase its panoramic views.

8 videos introduce unique venues where parties, seminars, and other business events can be held. Among those to choose from are Sky Garden, one of Japan’s highest observatory facilities; the historic Sankeien Garden; and Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, whose premises, which include an aquarium and amusement park, can be used exclusively.

The event where buyers meet the Italian hotels and operators Sestri Levante, March 30th-31st 2023 Since 1996 Discover Italy offers to sellers and buyers the opportunity to meet each other during a pure business day.

DISCOVER ITALY

th

The 7 edition of Discover Italy will take place on the 30-31 March 2023 at the ex “Convento dell’Annunziata” in Sestri Levante.

At the 2022 edition hosted buyers came from Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, UAE, France, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, UK, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, USA and Canada.

Discover Italy is a workshop entirely dedicated to the promotion of Italian trips and stays to a high number of selected buyers.

More than 4,500 meetings and a 70% of new buyers were present compared to last year.

Honorary guest was ENIT (Italian Tourist Board) who presented Italian tourism to the assembled hosted buyers.

Join the B2B SMART Fair for travel professionals as an Exhibitor during the 30th Jubilee Edition of Meet the Bidder e-mail: anna.nowicka@travel-bidder.com

www.MeetTheBidder.com URUGUAY TO HOST 67TH UNWTO REGIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE AMERICAS Uruguay will host the 67th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas, on 19-20 th th May 2022. The city of Punta del Este will hold the meeting on 19 May while on the 20 May the seminar on the International Code for the Protection of Tourists will take place, with the aim of deepening the exchange of knowledge on the different legal frameworks adopted by governments, which protect tourists affected by the emergencies.

AITE 2022 NEW DATES The 2022 edition of AITE will now take place from 3-5 November at the Zappeion Centre in the heart of Athens.

The 9th edition will bring together the top Greek supplies with international buyers from around the world.

The event covers the basic tourism categories of Leisure, Luxury and MICE & Business sectors. Following the pandemic, life and the trends in tourism have changed and in line with these changes, the AITE offers opportunities in Online Tourism, Religious and cultural tourism, as well as alternate tourism.

The event will bring 150 international buyers from 40 countries to Athens to meet with all sectors of Greek tourism.

Yet again MICE & TOURISM around the world are proud media partners for the event!

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THE GLOBAL WELLNESS SUMMIT ANNOUNCES THE “FUTURE OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE SYMPOSIUM” IN BANGKOK ON 20th MAY – IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MISKAWAAN HEALTH GROUP The first-of-its-kind event in Asia will bring together leading global medical experts and scientists to share the latest insights, research and trends in the rising field of functional medicine–a preventative, healthcare-meets-wellness approach that focuses on addressing the root cause of disease The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of international leaders in the multitrillion-dollar global wellness economy, today announced that the “Future of Functional Medicine Symposium” will take place in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, May 20th. The event, a partnership between GWS and Miskawaan Health Group (MHG), a global leader in functional medicine, will bring together top medical experts and scientists from around the world to explore the new directions and future opportunities in the fast-rising field of functional medicine.

It will be a packed day of keynotes and panels, with 25-plus doctors, researchers and wellness experts presenting on what’s ahead for functional medicine–with topics ranging from new integrative approaches in cancer care to how functional approaches are rethinking fertility and preventative cardiology to the relationship between gut health, the immune system and long Covid and how hormones impact longevity. High-ranking Thai government officials, including Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, will also discuss how Thailand is well-placed to become a world leader in functional medicine.

The symposium is a hybrid event and will be held in-person at the Anantara Siam Hotel in Bangkok from 8:30 AM to 5 PM on May 20.

Bringing New Clarity to Functional Medicine: Functional medicine is often mistakenly equated with “alternative medicine,” but it’s a distinct integrative medicine approach. According to the Institute for Functional Medicine, it is a systems biology-based approach where doctors focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease, in contrast to traditional medicine, which is structured to manage symptoms. The functional medicine model is highly individualised: Doctors spend time identifying a patient’s genetic, biochemical, environmental and lifestyle factors–and use evolving research and diagnostics in nutritional science, genomics, and epigenetics–to prevent and treat conditions. This symposium will create new clarity around, and awareness about, this whole-body approach to healthcare and wellbeing in the medical and wellness communities.

Anyone with an interest in integrative medicine, medical-wellness, anti-aging, “healthspan,” cancer prevention and treatment, biohacking, long Covid, and medical cannabis, will find the agenda eye-opening.

In-person registration is limited, and those attending will have the opportunity to interact with speakers and attend a networking lunch and evening cocktail reception. Virtual attendees can interact with speakers during dedicated Q&A sessions.

The symposium is a not-for-profit event: any excess revenue will be donated to Childline Thailand Foundation.

DISCOVERING ARCHITECTURE WITH THE 2022 EUMIES AWARDS Out & About: a showcase of the best contemporary European architecture within the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies Van Der Rohe Awards.

Located in over 25 European cities, approx. 30 shortlisted works will open their doors during May in a unique series of events.

Organised by Creative Europe, Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the indisputable expertise of Guiding Architects, citizens will have the opportunity to discover what makes an architecture project through guided tours, lectures, open days, exhibitions and exploring the backstage of buildings.

This first edition of Out & About will take place in: Barcelona, Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Cornellà de Llobregat, Ebeltoft, Ghent, Guécélard, Hasselt, Helensburgh / Baile Eilidh, Helsinki, Kourouta-Amaliada, Linz, Lisbon, London, Neustift im Stubaital, Oświęcim, Paris, Prague, Ptuj, Puig-Reig, Ribe, Romainville, Rybnik, Saclay, Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau, Stavanger, Tilburg, Turin, Vantaa, Vienna, and Wiener Neustadt.

THE ‘BRAINS’ BEHIND GLASGOW’S NEUROLOGY CONFERENCES During Brain Awareness Week (14-20 March 2022), Glasgow Convention Bureau took the time to acknowledge the tireless work of its Conference Ambassadors; the academics that work alongside its venues and with the Glasgow Convention Bureau team to host their academic meetings in the city.

Glasgow’s Conference Ambassadors create collaboration and debate to share knowledge and research innovations through the medium of the conference session room.

Over 70% of meetings held in Glasgow are led, or supported by, one of the city’s academic institutions, and in 2022 a remarkable number of conferences taking place in Glasgow are in the field of neurology; aligning to the city’s world-class research excellence in the sector.

Glasgow's neurology history: Glasgow’s links with neurology and neuroscience go back onver a century: In 1879 at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary hospital, Willian Macewen performed the world’s first successful brain tumour removal.

In 1968, Professor Bryan Jennett became the University of Glasgow’s, and Scotland’s, first Chair of Neurosurgery.

In 1974, he worked with Professor Graham Teasdale to create the Glasgow Coma Scale, which is used across the world to describe the level of consciousness after a brain injury.

This year and looking forward numerous events linked to these meetings will help to take the subject matter of the conferences outside the walls of the convention centre and into the community.

Glasgow is hosting the European Association for Neuro-Oncology and ESTRO, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, taking place in 2024.

CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUS RECOGNISES GLOBAL MEETINGS INDUSTRY DAY 2022 The Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, U.S.A. joined organisations across the globe th in support of the annual Global Meetings Industry Day that took place on 7 April.

GMID, led by the Meetings Mean Business industry advocacy coalition, spotlights the proven value that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions bring to businesses and the recovering local travel economy.

This year’s theme, Meet Safe, highlighted how safe, productive meetings are taking place now—offering a reminder of the importance of face-to-face professional interactions.

86% of business travellers are looking forward to traveling again. GMID is of particular importance this year as Springfield builds back its meetings and events sector following the pandemic. The U.S. saw a decline of UK£295 billion in business travel spending in the U.S. in 2020 and 2021—UK£143 billion which was due to the decline in meetings, conventions and trade shows.

Professional meetings and events accounted for 42% of all business travel spending and 11% of all travel spending in the U.S. prior to the ‘health crisis 2020-2022.

GIFTING OPPORTUNITIES AT 12TH MALAYSIA GIFTS FAIR Malaysian Gifts & Premium Association is back. The event recently took place in April and was organised by Malaysian Gifts & Premium Association (MGPA) and endorsed by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). The 3-day exhibition is ASEAN’s largest gifts, premium and stationary fair, bringing together various industry players from all over the world for exchange of ideas, sharing of knowledge and networking opportunities.

The 12th Malaysia Gifts Fair was strongly supported by Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

MGF 2022 was part of the 3R initiative (Reset, Restart and Responsible), a recovery programme announced by MyCEB. Malaysia Gifts Fair (MGF) serves a platform of both local and global gifts and premium industry players, comprising over 200 booths. This year, international exhibitors will be present in hybrid mode via MGF Online, with participation from reputable companies from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, and Indonesia.

MGPA hopes for a strong rebound in the industry as the borders reopening. The fair will be held from 22-24 June 2022 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

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DES MOINES Iowa State, U.S.A DISCOVER THE SURPRISES OF THIS BEST KEPT MID-WEST CITY

by Sandra McHarris

Des Moines is the capital of the state of Iowa, U.S.A. Located at the juncture of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River in the south-central part of the state, the city is best known as a ‘flyover’ state, meaning there is not much to see. However, this is far from true!

Des Moines offers that wonderful ‘slow tourism’, with interesting things to see and do as you discover the city which is in fact an energetic Midwest hub, packed with shopping, live entertainment, visual arts and more.

The State’s name ‘Iowa’ comes from the American Indian tribe of the same name. Iowa was part of a deal of 1803 between President Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte of France called the ‘Louisiana Purchase’ that brought it under U.S control.

The city name of ‘Des Moines’ is thought to come from one of 2 theories; that ‘Moines’ refers to the Trappist monks (Moines de la Trappe) who once lived at the mouth of the Des Moines River; or ‘Moines’ is derived from ‘Moingoana,’ a native tribe that once lived along the river banks.

Up until 1855, Iowa City was the capital of the State, but it was moved to a more central location in Des Moines, where the government occupied the Old Capital Building, which is now used by the University of Iowa.

The city was once known for its cornfields but diversified to services to become the capital of insurance company HQ’s! However its farming heritage is still alive with some great farmers markets, with of the best in the whole of the US! Fresh corn and bountiful seasonal products are on offer at every one.

In a bid to become a more cultural centre for its population to experience and enjoy and to give a true identity for the city, today, it has a wealth of great cultural institutions.

The Civic Centre is home to the symphony orchestra and Ballet Company, while the Des Moines Arts Centre houses th th fabulous collection of 19 and 20 century paintings and sculptures including works by Edward Hopper, Henri Matisse and Georgia O'Keefe, among others.

The Science Centre of Iowa originally opened in 1970 and moved to its current location in 2005. As an awardwinning museum, it features permanent and rotating hands-on exhibits as well as being home to a planetarium and an IMAX Theatre.

The Pappajohn Sculpture Park is a 4.4 acre area of open space located at a crossroads to downtown Des Moines. The park opened in 2009 and features artwork by many of the world’s most celebrated artists.

Around the city are many Victorian-style mansions open to visitors, including Hoyt Sherman Place (1877), Terrace Hill (1869), and the Wallace House (1870s), the home of statesman Henry Wallace. Salisbury House is a replica of the Tudor-style King’s House in Salisbury, England. A must-see is the historic Hohberger Building, built in 1895 and is one of the few remaining examples of a cast-iron column structure in the city. The State Capitol Building sits on a hilltop and offers a panoramic view of the city’s downtown. Constructed between 1871 and 1886 it is the only 5-domed capitol in the country.

The historic East Village is the most vibrant and diverse district, boasting many fine shopping, dining, nightlife and commerce opportunities. Located here on the banks of the Des Moines River, the Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheatre is a 2,000 capacity outdoor entertainment venue. With the city skyline as its backdrop, this stunning setting is the perfect place to see hear a live band under the stars!

The Des Moines Metro Opera has a wealth of events on throughout the year including a grand summer opera festival. It is one of the state’s largest performing arts organisations, producing over 100 performances a year in the area and surrounding region.

The Des Moines Art Festival offers a wide variety of visual art, live music, film, interactive art, and performances, echoing the spirit of Des Moines city.

Due to its location, Des Moines is at music crossroads, sat between routes 80 and 35 and as such has always been a stop-over for musicians travelling the county. The music scene in the city is therefore exciting and always changing.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is a vibrant, 10-acre public garden in the heart of downtown Des Moines, providing a wonderful experience through its design, innovative programme and stunning exhibits.

For sports lovers, a visit to any America destination must include watching a live baseball game; head to Principal Park, to catch a game, home field of the International League's Iowa Cubs. Alternatively catch a day at the races at nearby Prairie Meadows racetrack. Des Moines is an ideal destination for hiking and bike ride trails run through the city as well as out to Gray’s Lake Park. The Meredith Trail connects Gray’s Lake to Downtown Des Moines. The park has over 300 miles of trails making it a perfect place to get exercise or enjoy nature.

So, if you want to discover the true Midwest of America, with no gimmicks, head to Des Moines, Iowa…you will not be disappointed!

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34th IATA GROUND HANDLING CONFERENCE PARIS, FRANCE 31 May - 2 June 2022 People, Purpose & Passion - Building a Sustainable Future For Ground Ops

The IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC) is one of the industry's premier conferences, bringing together industry leaders from airlines, airports, ground service providers to manufacturers for a 3 day forum of networking and business development. It provides a unique platform for the discussion and implementation of industry standards, policies and procedures.

This year, it will focus on improving implementation procedures and operations, forging sustainable new agreements and leveraging and empowering the workforce to deliver sustainable sound solutions.

JAPAN AIRLINES INTERNATIONAL NETWORK PLANS In response to the changes caused by Covid-19, JAL is to increase the number of flights on East Asia routes (excluding Seoul routes) from June to July 2022 with additional flights on some Southeast Asia routes. JAL recommends the use of the Quarantine Fast Track provided by the Japanese government upon entry into Japan. Fast Track is available for those who have installed the "MySOS" application in advance and have confirmed that the screen on the application is green, meaning the procedures for arrival in Japan will be completed more smoothly.

JAL will increase the number of flights on the Hong Kong route from 4 outbound and 2 i nbound flights per week to and from Haneda and Narita during the period. The number of flights will be increased to 10 per week. Increase flights will also be available on the Narita-Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta and Haneda-Manila routes. This will make the Kuala Lumpur flight daily from July.

DRAMATIC INCREASE IN AIRPORT CHARGES IATA has warned that a proposed 37% increase in airport charges in the Netherlands risks significant damage to the recovery of air connectivity in the country.

Following a formal review in which IATA and several airlines participated, it accepted the airport’s position that due to losses incurred during the pandemic shutdown, it must raise airport charges by a cumulative 37% over the next 3 years.

Air travel has still not recovered from biggest hit in aviation history. IATA’s Connectivity Index shows the Netherlands is still 35% below its 2019 peak. The increased costs means the aviation sector in the Netherlands is not as competitive as it was.

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NEW AIRPORT IN HOHHOT INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA

Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia is to have a new international airport that expects to see passenger traffic of 28 million by 2024.

The existing Baita International Airport in Hohhot lacks the capacity to meet the demand. Baita International Airport is currently running beyond its designed capacity of 3 million passengers each year.

The civil aviation market in China has boomed in recent years. In 2017, China’s passenger traffic reached 552 million, increasing by 13% from 2016.

The new airport will be constructed at Qiaoshiying Town in the Horinger County, which is about 40 km away from the city centre, with a capacity of 28 million passengers, freight traffic of 320,000 tonnes each year and 244,000 aircraft movements in 2030.

The positive impacts of the Project include: (i) reduced travel time for passengers; (ii) enhanced efficiency for freight traffic; (iii) reduced noise pollution for the residences in Hohhot city, as the new airport replacing the Baita International Airport will be outside of the city centre; (iv) enhanced safety standards for passengers and reduced accidents; (v) business development in the scarce land space close to the city centre, where Baita International Airport is currently occupying; (vi) enhanced airport environment for passengers; (vii) boosting economic activities in Inner Mongolia, including China-Russia and China-Mongolia bilateral trade cooperation, tourism development.

The terminal will occupy 260,000sq.m, a 50,000sq.m transportation transfer centre and a 95,000sq.m parking building; the flight area will mainly construct 2 independent long-distance runways, and build 130 aircraft seats.

The long-term plan of the new airport is based on a passenger throughput of 65 million passengers, a cargo and mail throughput of 800,000 tons, and an aircraft take-off and landing of 511,000 sorties in 2050. A long-distance runway and a short-distance runway will be built on both sides of the existing runway. The total number of runways has reached 4; supporting facilities such as freight and catering will be built; and T2 and T3 terminals will be built on the east side of T1 terminal building to form a 3-floor integrated pattern.

NEW LONGEST NON STOP PASSENGER FLIGHT Due to the ban for aircraft to travel through Russian airspace, Cathay Pacific has had to divert its nonstop service between New York Airport and Hong Kong Airport, which has become the longest passenger route in terms of distance. It is operated using an Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

The Cathay Pacific flight will now cross the Atlantic to fly over the United Kingdom, then to southern Europe, and across Central Asia to reach Hong Kong. Previously, the route went over the Arctic and over central Russia, which represented a distance of 12,990kms with a flight time of 15 hours. The new route will cover 19,123kms, placing it above Singapore Airlines' flight between New York and Singapore (17,662kms).

However, Cathay Airlines' flight takes 17 hours against Singapore's 17 hours 30mins.

PLAN TO INCREASE FLIGHTS BETWEEN GUATEMALA AND MEXICO

The Mexican Ministry of Tourism has announced that 370,627 plane seats are scheduled from Guatemala to Mexico by 2022; 117% more than in 2021 (170,799 seats).

In 2021 travellers from Guatemala represented a tourism expenditure of UK£56 million in Mexico; an increase of 81.5% compared to 2020 figures. Central American tourists who arrived by air from Guatemala represented an increase of 60.5%, compared to the figures for 2020.

The main airlines that operated routes between Mexico and Guatemala in 2021 were Aeroméxico, Volaris and Transportes Aéreos Guatemaltecos (TAG Airlines), which together represented 97% of the offer, from January to December 2021.

Before the pandemic in 2019, 160,166 tourists arrived from Guatemala by air, but in 2020 that decreased by 75.7%.

In February this year, the Cancun-Flores, Guatemala route was launched, to strengthen the connectivity bridges of the Mayan World.

SHARJAH AIRPORT RECORDS OVER 3 MILLION PASSENGERS IN Q1 Over 3 million passengers arrived at Sharjah Airport in the 1st quarter of 2022; an increase of 119.2% compared to 1.3 million passengers in the same period last year.

The aircraft movement also saw an increase in the number of flights by 89% with 21,336 flights, compared to 11,279 flights last year.

In terms of cargo, the airport recorded more than 39,566 tons during the first 3 months of 2022, highlighting an increase of 26.39% compared to last year.

The easing of international travel restrictions as well as the gradual general recovery from the pandemic have allowed airlines to resume their previously suspended flights, resulting in growth.

NEW CEO FOR EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES Thre is a new CEO at the head of EL AL Israel Airlines; Ms. Dina Ben Tal Ganancia.

She will be the first woman to lead the company since its founding in 1948.

With more than 14 years of experience in the company, Ms. Dina Ben Tal Ganancia has held positions of responsibility throughout her career at the airline, including Vice President of Commercial and Industrial Affairs.

AVIANCA GROUP TO SELL SUBSIDIARY TO INVESTORS IN PERU Avianca Group International Limited continues with the process of selling non-strategic businesses that were proposed for exit from the bankruptcy law process under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

Therefore it is to sell a subsidiary that was established in Peru; Integrated Aeronautical Services (SAI), which has about 2,400 workers.

SAI currently provides ground assistance services to airlines such as Avianca, Iberia, Spirit, Delta, Volaris, Aeroméxico and Turkish Airlines.

FACE MASKS NOW OPTIONAL ON PLANES From now on mask wearing is now optional in airports and on-board some American continent countries airlines within the United States and flights between the U.S. and Belize, Costa Rica, or Mexico. However local regulations may still be required adherence to.

FALKLAND ISLANDS TO RESUME AIR LINKS WITH CHILE The Falkland Islands wishes to resume flights with Chile from 2 July 2022, provided that all necessary permissions are granted and mainland airports are open.

Following re-establishing the Chile flights, the Sao Paulo route hopes to be restored later on this year.

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THE BIRTH OF SOUND HOW TO PRESERVE THE HISTORICAL MEMORY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE DURING THE TRANSFORMATION

by Mrs. Olga Mamonova, co-founder of Russian Travel Digest

This year in Russia, 2022 is the Year of Folk Art and Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia. Here, Olga highlights how local tourism may be developed on the basis of the historical memory of the settlement accompanying with the sounds of domra and balalaika.

Musical instruments may be seen as universal elements of human cultural life since Paleolithic period. It may be argued that music means civilization.

Music had to be the part of rituals and spiritual development, although the first instruments may have been produced from cooking pots and hunting bows.

The sounds were extracted by observing natural phenomena, like the sound of the harp whose strings are touched by the wind. The development of musical instruments led to the appearance of stringed and plucked instruments or a combination of both.

Popular Greek musical instruments in ancient times were the lira and cithara - stringed plucked instruments made in the form of a curved frame and strings. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance many varieties of plucked instruments were found across Europe. The idea of playing a stringed instrument with a bow may have originated with the horse cultures of Central Asia, possibly in the IX century. Some of them including domra were later adopted in the Slavic territories and later – in Russia when the traditions of creating musical instruments were mixed with the Eastern ideas and approaches.

The history of domra, its development and evolution may be seen as one of the most intricate and dramatic. For the first time, a musical instrument named domra was mentioned in documents of the 16th century although earlier in Russia the tanbur-shaped instruments were used. Some references may be found in the church books and manuscripts. Medieval professional artists called buffoons played domra, horns and harps and during the kingdom of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 16th century, an Amusement chamber was created, where musicians played domra, etc.

Domra became a part of the cultural code of the country and it was most widely used in Russia in the 16-17th centuries. The church did not welcome the folk festivities as the satirical scenes with a social agenda and “pagan” music became the opposition to the church service. Unfortunately 70 years later during the kingdom of Tsar Alexey Romanov a decree in 1648 announced the prohibition of playing domra. It is unlikely any other musical instrument in the history of humanity has been subjected to such tragic extermination; it looks like the musical inquisition.

It is hard to believe that not only the playing of, but even the mentioning of domra was withdrawn; the instruments were coll ected by carts, then burned, broken and destroyed.

Forgotten for more than 200 years until the end of 19th century when the talented musical researcher and musician V. Andreev reconstructed a musical instrument accidentally found in 1896 in the Vyatka province of Russia. In 1948 the first department of folk instruments was opened in Moscow at the Gnesin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute (now The Gnesin Russian Academy of Music).

With the help of higher professional musical education, the folk domra passed worked its way onto the academic stage which had taken centuries for the violin to do.

Musical researchers assume that balalaika which became the obvious symbol of Russia, appeared historically not as an independent musical instrument but as a simplified version of domra.

It was first mentioned in 1688. The very first balalaikas were quite similar to domra, with semicircular body, not a triangular one. 200 years later, in 1888 the first performance of the ‘Circle of Balalaika Lovers’ took place in St.Petersburg, which appeared to be the birthday of the orchestra of Russian folk instruments. It was mentioned in Russian literature, and since the 20th century – in cinematography (for example, Balalaika, Doctor Zhivago, etc.) and even in rock-ballads (Scorpions).

Balalaika was lucky in that it prolonged the historical dialogue which domra had started with the audience and has since brought the beauty and drive of plucked instruments into the modern world. In 2022 the preservation and popular craft of manufacturing the balalaika and domra appears to be important for the historians, musicians, photographers and experts in local tourism.

The possibility of loss appeared to be the opportunity to save the art and craft in Shikhovo village.

The old town of Zvenigorod, not far from Moscow, unites the lovers of music, folk instruments, arts and those who try to cherish the historical memory of Zvenigorod region and Shikhovo village. “We all could hardly imagine that Paganini and Vivaldi can be played on three strings of domra and balalaika”, the audience shared the impressions of the concert dedicated to Shikhov's masters in Zvenigorod.

Shikhovo was famous for its musical factory producing balalaikas, domra and guitars in the 20th century where during its heyday over 300,000 guitars were produced annually.

At the beginning of the 20th century more than 10 crews worked in Shikhovo, where hundreds of craftsmen passed on their art from father to son.

There are now just 12 craftsmen left who can still continue the tradition of creating domras, however, the factory has now closed. As a result the tradition may be lost for good as an apprentice needs up to 6-7 years to master this craft.

The photo-exhibition ‘The birth of Sound’ by photographer Zaur Karamyzov, the director of Novator (the Union of Photographers and Cinematographers), presents the historical path of domra and balalaikas, created manually by the descendants of these craft founders.

The Shikhov craftsmen whose great-grandfathers and fathers lived in one village, who were taught how to create and play these typical Russian instruments, were deeply touched by the concert, when soloists of famous ensembles played old instruments, made by their ancestors, Shikhov masters Igor Yemelyanov and Viktor Pavlov.

The preservation and popularization of the craft is of interest for the public movement ‘Shikhov Strings’, Zvenigorod Vector and ‘The Foundation of Small Historical Towns Development’. Local historians and volunteers have highlighted the necessity to preserve the craft of folk instruments.

A series of concerts and exhibitions will be hold in different museums and open locations of Moscow and Zvenigorod in order to expose the craft and preserve the cultural heritage. Hopefully the Shikhov trade will be included in the official register of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia which will help to develop the training programmes for young craftsmen.

Photos by Zaur Karamyzov Special thanks to Inna Borisova and Sergey Kryachkov, Shikhov Strings Ms. Olga N. Mamonova, graduated from Moscow State Social University in 1999 (specialisation - sociology), has Ph.D. in sociology (Moscow State University, Russia, 2002) and M.Phil. in Sociology and Health Care (De Montfort University, UK, 2004).

She is a member of International and European Sociological Associations as well as a member of the Russian Society of Sociologists.

Olga is the author of more than 60 scientific and popular science publications, including a scientific monograph.

For several years she worked on a radio station and in scientific journals as a scientific editor, and then she came to market research and tourism industry.

Olga has experience in MICE industry and special projects, including the cooperation with federal organisations as well.

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