Lunch in France has been listed by the United Nations as one of mankind’s most cherished cultural treasures, alongside the Peking opera and Spanish flamenco dancing. While many around the world raised eyebrows, it came as no surprise in Paris where for centuries, people have been convinced that...

International tourism is heralding the good news of a complete recovery from the decline suffered under the impact of the global economic crisis of the last two years.  The reason for the current optimism is the actual performance last year (2010), which was forecast to reach levels of up to 50 million...

Just as jumbo jets transformed a pastime of the privileged few on cruiseliners into an age of mass tourism, it was the back-packing hippies who transformed tourism from a pastime of visiting places merely to see and relax into an interactive experience with people and cultures. The hippie, counter-culture...

The travel and tourism industry claims that as a major generator of foreign income and local jobs, it is a driver of national economies.  Yet, it is generally shy of flexing its political muscle to engage lawmakers in framing economic policies or social legislation.  There are, however, a few exceptions...

Roger Brooks, CEO of Destination Development International, in a presentation to calTIA‘s 2010 tourism conference examined the primary ingredients of change and pointed to 10 things that need to be done to survive in this “brand” new age of tourism.

If the rate of change inside your organization is greater than or equal to the rate of change outside, you’re probably in good shape.  If it’s slower, you’re toast. As the very nature of the travel and meeting business changes dramatically, one of  the world’s favorite tourism...

There is light at the end of the tunnel, according to Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC).  Emerging from the darkness of 2009 when the State of California recorded negative results in tourism arrivals and tourist spending,  the outlook for...

BATW International Consultant,  Lakshman Ratnapala writes that tourism is in an year of transformation. —————————– I recall a former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Solomon Bandaranaike, expounding his vision of the world in an address to...

Culinary culture has been a major aspect of the tourism promotions of the West for decades, from Paris and Rome to New York and San Francisco.  That culture is now being promoted vigorously in Asia from Beijing and Hong Kong to Manila and Bangkok.  Other destinations such as Taipei, Singapore and Mumbai...

San Francisco and the Bay Area received a dose of both good news and bad news last month (March, 2010). The good news is that President Obama has at last signed the Travel Promotion Act into law. With that the United Stated is equipping itself to compete in the international travel market by promoting...