Tourism Briefs (29 July - 4 August 2013)

Cheapest and Most Expensive Destinations 

Hotel comparison website trivago.co.uk has compiled a list of the ten cheapest and ten most expensive holiday destinations this summer. Popular honeymoon destination Bora Bora in the French Polynesia is the world’s most expensive destination this July and August, with one night costing an average of £497. On the other end of the scale is backpacker destination Patong Beach in Thailand, where one night will cost an average of just £33. 

(Traveldailynews.com) 

 

Sweden Draws More Tourists 

The number of international tourists visiting Sweden has increased in the recent years. According to a new report by , this positive trend is set to continue to 2017, bolstered by the attraction of Sweden’s unique natural phenomena. According to the report, tourism in Sweden is primarily nature-based. Key tourist attractions include the northern lights (or the aurora borealis), ice hotels and the country’s 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Ice Hotel at Jukkasjarvi, for example, attracts more than 50,000 tourists every year. According to the report, inbound tourist arrivals rose from 8.9 million in 2008 to 10.9 million in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.22%. This trend is expected to continue between 2013 and 2017. (Traveldailynews.com) 

 

Global Tourism on a High 

A total of 298 million international tourists traveled worldwide between January and April 2013, 12 million more than in the same period last year according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Prospects for the current tourism peak season remain positive with some 435 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the May-August period. International tourist arrivals grew by 4.3 per cent in the first four months of 2013 to reach a total of 298 million, up from 286 million, despite a challenging global economic environment. Results were positive in all regions, with the strongest growth in Asia and the Pacific (+6 per cent), Europe (+5 Per cent) and the Middle East (+5 Per cent) and weaker growth in the Americas (+1 per cent) and Africa (+2 per cent). (Traveldailynews.com) 

 

National Tourism Conference Held in India 

The Indian Ministry of Tourism held a National Tourism Conference with State Tourism Ministers in New Delhi. The conference discussed the future strategies for realizing the full tourism potential of the country. The meeting was chaired by Union Tourism Minister Dr K Chiranjeevi. The meeting assumed a significant importance as India’s tourism industry has been hit by natural calamities and incidents. The conference launched a new campaign ‘I Respect Women’ with the Ministry of Tourism issuing badges in Hindi and 10 international languages. The conference also deliberate on various agenda items, which included the safety and security of tourists, Campaign Clean India to improve cleanliness at important tourist destinations, rationalization of taxes to make Indian tourism products competitive and bringing uniformity in the structure of road taxes and promote seamless travel among others. (Traveldailymedia.com)