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Day two of the annual World Travel Market show got off to an exciting start with many exhibitors and their trading partners arriving at Excel on time. This was day 2 of the designated trade days at WTM. On the seminar and event programme side, there were many interesting sessions. The highlights for the day for me were the following:-

Low Cost Airline CEO Panel Debate which took place between 11h00 and 12h00. The discussion facilitated by John Strickland of JLS Consulting asked the pertinent question to concerning the low cost airline sector considering the prevailing turbulent environment to the CEO’s of Clickair and Tim Claydon who is commercial Advisor at Asia AirX.

World Travel Market Global Trends Report in association with Euromonitor. The report explorers the leading new trends emerging within the industry focusing on key regions and topics. The 2008 report identifies the next generation of trends in the travel and tourism industry which offers a diverse range of opportunities world-wide.

According to the report, the Middle East enjoys a growing expatriate community turning to the region as a holiday destination (Expatriate travel boost the Middle East). On the African continent, the report states that fair trade holidays in Sub-Saharan Africa are the cusp of going mainstream – it thus features our very own Fair Trade in Tourism SA (FTTSA) and their work around (Fairtrade tourism in Africa).

The report states that Asian business travel is benefiting from the current financial crisis as companies shift to Asia for growth potential (Asia benefit from sub-prime blues - living the good second life in Asia). Latin America are going long haul in search of international experiences (Latin Americans go long haul), whereas North Americans are increasingly looking to travel “with a conscience”(North American opt for philanthropic travel). In Europe, travel networking resonates with consumers, boosting hospitality tourism and home exchanges (Travel networking in Europe), while in the UK, “free” has become the new word for innovative forms of payment.

UNWTO Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market on responding to the economic downturn and staying on course with the climate and poverty reduction agendas.

Country as Brand – the unveiling of the Country Brand Index 2008 Rankings which is organised by Futurebrand in association with Weber Shandwick. Unlike in 2007 where South Africa made a strong showing, in 2008 SA didn’t make it in any of the categories while Australia and Egypt took top honours.

AUSTRALIA earns the top spot as the world’s top country brand for the third year in a row, according to the 2008 Country Brand Index (CBI) officially released at WTM yesterday. In second place was Canada, followed by the US, Italy and Switzerland in the top five positions. No Southern African countries appeared in the CBI’s top 10 Country Brands, nor did they feature anywhere in other ‘best country for’ criteria despite a good performance in last year’s results.

Mozambique was last year named as one of four countries that were currently "in vogue" in the annual ranking. South Africa also came third in authenticity behind New Zealand and China, fourth in outdoor activities, fifth in natural beauty and fifth as a "rising star" in last year’s report.

The CBI identified China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Croatia, respectively, as the top three “rising stars” – those likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years. Also making the list this year are Vietnam, India and Cuba. The CBI examines how countries are branded and ranked according to key criteria, and identifies emerging global trends in the world’s fastest growing economic sector – travel and tourism, which accounts for US$5.9 trillion of economic activity worldwide this year and more than 238 million jobs.

Key trends identified by the report include inter-generational travel, medical tourism, mainstream luxury, ‘stay-cations’, ‘poverty travel’ and a rise in off-the-beaten-track trips. Specialised travel such as women travelling on their own, grandchildren travelling with grandparents and finite travel (visits to places:-

Best Country Brand Ideal for Business - United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy

Best Country Brand to Extend a Business Trip - Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Japan, Ireland

Best Country Brand for Art & Culture - Italy, France, Egypt, Japan, Greece

Best Country Brand for Authenticity - New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, India, Egypt

Best Country Brand for Beach Maldives, Tahiti, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Australia

Best Country Brand for Families - Canada, Spain, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand\

Best Country Brand for History - Egypt, Italy, France, Greece, Israel

Best Country Brand for Resort & Lodging Options - United Arab Emirates, United States, Maldives, Australia, Switzerland

Best Country Brand for Natural Beauty - New Zealand, Maldives, Switzerland, Norway, Australia

Best Country Brand for Nightlife - Japan, Brazil, Spain, Thailand, United States

Best Country Brand for Fine Dining - Italy, France, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland

Best Country Brand for Outdoor Activities & Sports - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Belize, Switzerland

Best Country Brand for Rest & Relaxation - Maldives, Tahiti, New Zealand, Fiji, Bahamas

Best Country Brand for Safety - Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark

Best Country Brand for Shopping - United States, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Thailand, Japan

Best Country Brand for Value for Money - Thailand, India, Mexico, Czech Republic, Poland

Best Country Brand You Would Most Like to Live In - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Scotland

Best Country Brand for Ease of Travel - Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, Germany

Best Country Brand for Standard of Living - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Switzerland

Best Country Brand for Political Freedom - Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway

Best Country Brand for Advanced Technology - Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany

Best Country Brand for Quality Products - Japan, United States, Germany, France, Italy

Best Country Brand for Most Impressive Last Year - China, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Japan

5. The 2008 World Travel Market Awards – and the winners are listed below.

Oman Ministry of Tourism wins one of ten prestigious Global Award

Micato Safaris & AmericaShare wins one of ten prestigious global award

Global CEO for Cox & Kings India Ltd wins one of ten prestigious global award at WTM

Lanta-Tur Voyage wins one of ten prestigious global award at WTM

Superclubs & Sonesta Hotels &Resorts wins of ten prestigious award at WTM

Pestana Group wins of ten prestigious Global Award at WTM

Governor of the State of Santa Catarina wins of ten prestigious Global Award at WTM

Albatravel wins of ten prestigious Global Award at WTM

Port de Barcelona wins of ten prestigious Global Award at WTM

6. The annual World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)Cocktail

The annual WTTC networking and cocktail function took place tonight at its traditional venue Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, Central London. The President and CEO of the WTTC Jean Claude Baumgarten and his Chairman Jeffrey Kent of Abercrombie & Kent addressed the audience.

The event is a must on the WTM calendar as it attracts key global leaders and decision makers in the travel and hospitality industry. “it’s a great networking function if you consider that the WTTC as an organisation has to date 102 members which includes industry heavy weights such as Morgan Stanley, Marriott International, IHG (Intercontinental Hotel Group, Emirates, Wyndham, Carlson Wagonlit, American Express and Tsogo Sun as the only African member to mention a few.

Jean Claude Baumgarten will take part in the first ever WTM Global Economic Forum on Thursday 13th November 2008.

The “2008 Global Tourism Summit Highlight” document was unveiled at during the event and the announcement that the 2009 Global Tourism Summit will take place in Brazil in May. Calls for entries on the WTTC’s “Tourism for Tomorrow awards” were officially opened at the function. For more information on the awards and highlights on the 2008 Global Tourism Summit which took place in Dubai from 18th to 20th April, please visit the TBCSA website on www.tbcsa.travel or www.wttc.org