WHAT AILS EUROPE? - On The Road Magazine Website. An ...

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ETOA Update... Open Letter to the Barcelona City Council (Ajuntament de Barcelona) Late March 2012 Issue 201 2 ETOA news / While we were off the road 3 People news 4 - 5 Places news 6 - 7 Transport news 8 Cruise news 9 Flight plan/ Hospitality news 10 -11 Hospitality news 12 - 14 Options and attractions 15 Travel Industry news 16 European Eccentrics 17 Graz 2012 Christmas Markets 18 ‘We Welcome Groups’ IN THE NEWS After downloading, save the magazine to your computer. Click the above titles to view articles, then click grey panels at the base of the pages to return to contents page. You can also click links throughout the magazine Chalk Farm Publishing Ltd, Riverside Lodge, Collier Close, Camerton, Bath BA2 0QB Publisher/Editor-Alan Bennett Tel: +44 (0) 1761 479 645 Fax: +44 (0) 1761 479 663 E-m: info@ontheroad.co.uk, info@chalkfarmpublishing.co.uk Design/artwork: Imageloading What ails Europe? continued from page 1 The hard options. Now, understanding the nature of Europe’s troubles offers only limited benefits to the Europeans themselves. The afflicted nations, in particular, have nothing but bad choices: Either they suffer the pains of deflation or they take the drastic step of leaving the euro, which won’t be politically feasible until or unless all else fails. Germany could help by reversing its own austerity policies and accepting higher inflation, but it won’t. For the rest of the world, he believes, getting Europe right makes a huge difference, because false stories about Europe are being used to push policies that would be cruel, destructive, or both. According to Kugman, the next time you hear people invoking the European example to demand that we destroy social-safety nets or slash spending in the face of a deeply depressed economy, here’s what you need to know, ” They have no idea what they’re talking about.“ By Alan Bennett We, the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) along with the International Road Transport Union (IRU), FECAV and ASTIC express our support for the foundation of a working group to look at the question of tour coaches in Barcelona, as laid out in a manifesto undersigned by ACAV, APIT, AUDICA and UCAVE. As such an initiative was promised by the City Council, and given that plans for coach restrictions are now being proposed by the authorities without such a group having convened, we feel that it is imperative that proper consultation take place. The initial proposals regard access to the Sagrada Familia, but recent debates at the City Hall show that a wider plan is being sought for the city. As the above manifesto rightly underlines, Barcelona is a leading city in the world of tourism. The revenue and, particularly in the current climate, the employment that the tourist sector provides is fundamental to the city’s economy. But this investment is fragile. And any extra burden, be it financial or structural, cannot be placed upon it lightly. Equally, when framing policy, it is logical that the professionals working within that sector should be involved every step of the way. Coach tourism is far too often presented as a problem rather than a solution; an image projected by local media and politicians and ultimately accepted by local populations. There is a tendency to single it out as the main cause of congestion, ignoring the fact that it is a green and efficient mode of travel. It compliments public transport and offers a neat way of handling millions of visitors, especially in a densely populated city such as Barcelona. Where there are challenges, such as at the Sagrada Familia, these should be faced. But, as our Group Tourism Charter states, consultation leads to more effective and creative solutions. Some cities have shown themselves to be enlightened when developing and improving their tourism infrastructure; others not. We very much hope that Barcelona falls into the former category and we look forward to engaging with policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure that the city continues to thrive as a destination. European Tour Operators Association, London, 7th March, 2012 Awaiting further response. City Fair 2012 The European Cities Workshop: A one-day event of pre-scheduled appointments dedicated to the lucrative and growing sector of city tourism. Organised in partnership with ECM (European Cities Marketing) The workshop will be held on the 25th June, Wembley Stadium, London HA9 0WS There is still time to register, either as a Tour Operator or supplier. Go to http://www.cityfair.travel/ to register or find out more. While we were off the road... Winners and losers among European airlines January 2012 opened with carnage among European carriers. Spanair based in Barcelona, Czech Connect airline, Italian carrier Air Alps, Cirrus Airlines of Germany and CargoItalia based in Milan were all forced to wind up their operations! This was followed in early February with the demise of the national carrier Malev, which had only just been re-nationalised by the Hungarian Government two years previously. But it’s not all losers. Budget airlines have been quick to move in on the flotsam and jetsam left behind in the demise of Malev. Wiz Air has seen its number of passengers rise by 13% to 1.4 million in 2011 and intends to inject 25billion forints into its Budapest based operation and has a target growth of plus 40% to 2 million passengers in 2012. Meanwhile EasyJet has seen its Hungarian traffic grow by 10% to 556,000 in 2011 - and where would we be without Ryanair who had ceased operating its Hungarian services two years ago? Well Ryanair has announced that it will start operating 31 Budapest routes from April with the goal of capturing 2million passengers in 2012. © Copyright 2012. Articles published in this magazine are copyright and should not be reproduced without permission from the publishers. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers and all information is given in good faith. No responsibility can be taken by the publishers for any errors or omissions, howsoever caused. Readers are advised to check upon any information given, and where relevant take professional advice before acting upon it. On the Road issue 201 Page 2
People news ...continued Institute of Hospitality Sir David Michels has assumed the Presidency of the Institute of Hospitality, Sir David takes over the presidency from Peter Lederer CBE FIH MI, chairman of Gleneagles Hotels. Sir David brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the table including the remarkable £4b merger of Hilton International and Hilton Hotels Corporation in 2006. In the same year he was knighted for services to the hotel and catering industry. His strong views on leadership and management are revealed in an interview the latest issue of Hospitality, the Institute’s quarterly magazine: “I learned the skills I needed by asking questions. I used to drive colleagues and the banks mad by constantly saying: ‘I don’t understand.’ You can’t know everything, but you need to know a bit of everything. So you either fluff it or you learn it and I’ve always learned it and I think that is very much part of leadership.” Rezidor Sir David Michels Earlier this year, The Rezidor Hotel Group announced an organisational restructure of their regional operations offices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company separates responsibilities for the core brands Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson on Area Vice President level, and supports the regional leaders with strengthened and consistent teams of area specialists in Finance & Control, IT, Purchasing, HR, Sales & Marketing, Revenue Management, and Technical Development. Under the leadership of Wolfgang M. Neumann, Executive Vice President and COO at Rezidor, 6 areas for Radisson Blu, their upper upscale brand, and 2 areas for the mid-market brand Park Inn by Radisson were created: Radisson Blu Nordics: Area Vice President Christian Gartmann, oversees 29 managed & leased and 20 franchised hotels in Rezidor’s home markets. Eastern Europe & Russia: Area Vice President Tom Flanagan. is responsible Gatwick Airport Willie McGillivray and Derek Hendry have joined the Executive Management Team. McGillivray as Product Development Director responsible for identifying and developing new products and services that best meet the different customer needs. Derek has joined as Construction Director and has responsibility for delivering the £1.2 billion investment programme. Around £20 million is currently being invested each month to provide the right facilities for passengers and airlines. Following the change of ownership two years ago, Gatwick has invested around £700 million in the airport. (HNTO) Ildiko Mezo has been appointed as the new Director of the UK for the Hungarian National Tourist Office (HNTO), based in the London office. Ms Mezo joins the HNTO from Visit Britain, the British Tourist Authority based in Budapest where she held the role of Manager for Central Europe looking after the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary from 2008. for 37 managed and 6 franchised properties. Western Europe & North West Africa: Michel Stalport, formerly District Director Northern France and General Manager at the Radisson Blu Resort Disneyland Paris, has been promoted to the role of Area Vice President. He heads 35 managed & leased and 9 franchised hotels in the region. Central Europe: Former Regional Director France & Benelux Willem Van der Zee hasbeen promoted to Area Vice President. He oversees 25 managed & leased and 16 franchised hotels. UK & Ireland: Philip Mahoney, formerly General Manager at The Regent Zagreb, has been promoted to Area Vice President, and carries the responsibility for 24 managed & leased and 4 franchised properties. Middle East & Sub Saharan Africa: Former Regional Director Radisson Blu & Hotel Missoni UK Mark Willis has been promoted to Area Vice President. He is responsible for 46 managed hotels. Ildiko Mezo Bath Tourism Plus Marnie Kovacs Nick Brooks-Sykes Experienced tourism professional, Nick Brooks-Sykes, has been appointed as Chief Executive of the destination marketing organisation for Bath and the surrounding area, Bath Tourism Plus. Nick’s previous roles have included Director of Tourism at the North West Development Agency and Head of Marketing Services at the North West Tourist Board. He has also helped shape the priorities and activities of the national tourism body, VisitEngland. Mark Willis Park Inn by Radisson Richard Moore has been nominated Area Vice President for the UK & Ireland and the Nordics. He reports directly to Eric de Neef, Senior Vice President Park Inn by Radisson, and is responsible for 30 leased managed and 7 franchised hotels. The appointment of an Area Vice President for Continental Europe has been postponed, and brand leader Eric de Neef takes direct responsibility for 49 managed & leased and 18 franchised properties. Simone Buckley Accor Jonathan Sheard has been appointed as Managing Director Operations, MGallery and Mercure hotels, UK and Ireland. In his new role, Sheard is responsible for leading MGallery and Mercure hotels in the UK and Ireland, including subsidiaries, managed hotels and franchisees. Sheard joined Accor in 1992 as General Manager for Novotel Sheffield. In 2006, he became Director of Operations, Novotel UK and he later became Director of Operations for Mercure UK. Estonia Tourist Board Enterprise Estonia/ Estonian Tourist Board has added a tourism promotion person to its office in London - Andrus Nõmm. He will be responsible for providing information for the travel trade, organising workshops and seminars, press and FAM trips Tel: + 44 2079474365 Andrus.Nomm@eas.ee The Ski Club of GB Its Chief Executive, Caroline Stuart-Taylor is leaving the Ski Club on 31st March 2012. Caroline will remain a member and Ski Club Leader. Jumeirah Group Adrian Bradley has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer to succeed Alaister Murray. Bradley joins Jumeirah from London & Regional Hotels, following an 11-year career at Hilton and an early career at PepsiCo and Millicom. Commenting on the appointment Jumeirah Group Executive Chairman, Gerald Lawless, said: “He comes at a time of rapid expansion, with six hotels newly opened in 2011 and a further six opening in 2012”. The Dubai-based luxury hospitality company, a member of Dubai Holding, received the World’s Excellent in Service Award at the World Travel Awards earlier this year. On the Road issue 201 Page 3
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