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A R O U N D T H E W O R L D
www.bepaidtotravel.com
January 2012
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The International Guide Academy Welcomes you the first newsletter of 2012
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International tourist spending in U.S. is set to break record
Spending by foreign visitors to the U.S. totaled $127 billion in the first 10 months of 2011 and is on pace to break the $141 billion record set in 2008, the U.S. tourism agency says. The figure is expected to top $152 billion for 2011, the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries reports. International visitor spending in October was $13.1 billion, a 13% rise over the total in October 2010. Source: Los Angeles Times(12/28)
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WHAT'S NEW WITH OUR GRADUATES:
IGA GRADUATE KELLY ROSSITER WORKS FOR TAUCK WORLD DISCOVERY
IGA GRADUATE DAN DIECKHAUS WORKS FOR QUEENSLANDER TOURS 
IGA GRADUATE SANDY GREGORY (fifth from the right) LEADING A TOUR IN NEW ZEALAND 
IGA GRADUATE GABRIEL BIANCHI HAVING FUN LEADING A TOUR IN MONUMENT VALLEY 
IGA GRADUATE MICHELLE WHITTAKER AT THE ROMAN FORUM |
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As a reminder, your next International Tour Director Certification course is being held in Denver March 10 - 18; and a Tour Director course followed by a Tour Guide course will be held in New England in late April.
The Tour Guide program is revolutionary.
In conjunction with Sugar Tours, IGA is holding the Tour Guide course onboard a motorcoach every day and we will travel throughout New England while you are learning. This is a double-bonus for you! You get the world's best Tour Guide Training and you also get New England Destination Awareness, which will be beneficial to you when finding jobs.
If you have friends, family, acquaintances, etc. who would benefit from our Tour Director or Tour Guide courses, please let them know. If you recommend someone who completes this program, you will receive a referral bonus check in the mail from us shortly after they graduate. Make sure they put your name on the "referred by" line on the enrollment form.
Details can be found at: www.bepaidtotravel.com/Classes.aspx
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Faith-based tourism has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry, only exceeded by Adventure tourism:
Buddhist religion lures visitors to many Asian countries ranging from Nepal, and India to Japan, while Christians are attracted to countries in the Middle East, Europe or the Americas.
Among the most popular religious destinations are the so-called Bible lands or places, which follow the history of Christianity in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, etc.
Lourdes in France is perhaps the largest pilgrimage place, which annually draws millions of visitors, mainly Catholics. Yet France offers much more to faith travelers including the famous Parisian cathedrals such as Chartres and Notre Dame, or the Mont St. Michel abbey that dates back to 11thcentury.
Latin America, as well as the U.S., present a variety of mission trails and those keen on Christian roots will enjoy travelling through Greece or Italy, and even Scotland and Ireland. Source: Tourism-Review.com 23 January 2012
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Southwest Airlines unveiled a new, eco-friendly plane cabin for certain models of its 737 and 717 aircraft that it hopes will generate additional revenue. Among the low-cost carrier's planned changes (called "Evolve"):
- lighter, low-profile seats that use the frame of previous seats and are covered by a fabric more durable than traditional leather;
- more under-seat space for carry-on luggage and pet carriers;
- reduced seat recline from three inches to two inches, which Southwest says "preserves onboard personal living space while still allowing for ample seat adjustment";
- recyclable carpet, installed in squares, which allows for easy, inexpensive replacement.
Bob Jordan, Southwest's executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said the new cabin would be installed, starting in March, on its fleet of 737-700s, as well as the 737-700 and 717 aircraft of AirTran, which Southwest purchased in 2010.
He said the installation process on Southwest's aircraft - which will cost an estimated $60 million - should be complete by mid-2013; he also said the weight savings generated by the new, lighter seating could save Southwest $10 million in fuel costs annually.
---source: TRO
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International tourist arrivals grew by over 4% in 2011 to 980 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. With growth expected to continue in 2012, at a somewhat slower rate, international tourist arrivals are on track to reach the milestone one billion mark later this year.
International tourist arrivals grew by 4.4% in 2011 to a total 980 million, up from 939 million in 2010, in a year characterised by a stalled global economic recovery, major political changes in the Middle East and North Africa and natural disasters in Japan. By region, Europe (+6%) was the best performer, while by subregion South-America (+10%) topped the ranking. Contrary to previous years, growth was higher in advanced economies (+5.0%) than in emerging ones (+3.8%), due largely to the strong results in Europe, and the setbacks in the Middle East and North Africa.
"International tourism hit new records in 2011 despite the challenging conditions," said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. "For a sector directly responsible for 5% of the world's GDP, 6% of total exports and employing one out of every 12 people in advanced and emerging economies alike these results are encouraging, coming as they do at a time in which we urgently need levers to stimulate growth and job creation," he added.
Despite persistent economic uncertainty, tourist arrivals to Europe reached 503 million in 2011, accounting for 28 million of the 41 million additional international arrivals recorded worldwide. Central and Eastern Europe and Southern Mediterranean destinations (+8% each) experienced the best results. Although part of the growth in Southern Mediterranean Europe resulted from a shift in traffic away from the Middle East and North Africa, destinations in the Mediterranean also profited from improved outbound flows from markets such as Scandinavia, Germany and the Russian Federation.
Asia and the Pacific (+6%) was up 11 million arrivals in 2011, reaching a total 216 million international tourists. South Asia and South-East Asia (both +9%) benefited from strong intraregional demand, while growth was comparatively weaker in North-East Asia (+4%) and Oceania (+0.3%), partly due to the temporary decline in the Japanese outbound market.
The Americas (+4%) saw an increase of 6 million arrivals, reaching 156 million in total. South America, up by 10% for the second consecutive year, continued to lead growth. Central America and the Caribbean (both +4%) maintained the growth rates of 2010. North America, with a 3% increase, hit the 100 million tourists mark in 2011.
Africa maintained international arrivals at 50 million, as the gain of two million by Sub-Saharan destinations (+7%) was offset by the losses in North Africa (-12%). The Middle East (-8%) lost an estimated 5 million international tourist arrivals, totalling 55 million. Nevertheless, some destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates sustained steady growth.
Available data on international tourism receipts and expenditure for 2011 closely follows the positive trend in arrivals. Among the top ten tourist destinations, receipts were up significantly in the USA (+12%), Spain (+9%), Hong Kong (China) (+25%) and the UK (+7%). The top spenders were led by emerging source markets - China (+38%), Russia (+21%), Brazil (+32%) and India (+32%) - followed by traditional markets, with the growth in expenditure of travelers from Germany (+4%) and the USA (+5%) above the levels of previous years.
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You might want to look into this. The US State Department has a travel registration tool: Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_4789.html
If the situation in a country becomes dangerous, by registering your trip in STEP, the State Department can contact you in the event of a disaster, emergency or other crisis, and give you instructions, including for evacuation, if necessary.
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It is always a great time to update your information with IGA. Send us an email with updated information on what you have accomplished in the last year, including where you led tour, what companies you have worked for, etc. This enable others to see what you have been doing.
Did you know that over 70% of companies hiring throughout the USA now do research first on those being considered and this includes such places as Facebook, Youtube and during the year, we at IGA received a number of phone calls from hiring companies asking specifically about graduates on the web site. Having your accomplishments out there does not hurt you and might even help in landing that next assignment. Make sure you include that your certification was from the International Guide Academy. This gives reviewers of your social media items, your blogs, your bios, etc. a recognized reference as well as a place to contact for more information about you.
Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter at "bepaidtotravel". If you are on Twitter let us know and we will follow you.
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"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."
--Maya Angelou
" Too often. . .I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." --Louis L'Amore
"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list" --Susan Sontag
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Thank you for being a part of our Email family. We want the information we send to you about the Travel and Tourism Industry and about our certification programs to be meaningful to you. If at any time you wish not to continue to receive these emails, please just click on the unsubscribe link below. We hope (of course) that you remain on our growing list of those interested in this industry and we also welcome any suggestions you have.
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Daniel Slater - President
International Guide Academy, Inc.
PO Box 370190 Denver, CO 80237 303.780.0131 |
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