According to a successful businessman, tourism, the second job provider and income maker in the Philippines, will most probably become the main player in the industry and immediately affect many Filipinos.

Chairman emeritus Robert Lim Joseph from the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies Inc. otherwise known as Naitas said tourism means job and booming tourism means more jobs and business.

Joseph called on tourism stakeholders to give full support to the newly legalised Tourism Act of 2009. Joseph added that it would initiate growth and development in the Philippines.

Based on the reports, medical tourism is going to be the “lone bright spot” in the country’s worsening economic scene. The chief statistician of the Philippines on the other hand gives warning about the recession that lies ahead.

Cynthia Carrion, Tourism undersecretary of the Philippines, announced that medical tourism sector performed better than expected during the first months of 2009 amidst global financial crunch compared to the first months of 2008.

Joseph revealed the growth in economy is caused by construction of hotels and restaurants which cost P87.16 billion in the first months of the year. The hotels and restaurants have employed a total of 1, 286 people in the process.

Forthcoming job opportunities are the result of the Department of Tourism’s endorsement of five big projects aimed at development worth P6.32 billion. The said development projects will also provide 6,340 jobs because of the construction of hotels and restaurants.

Tourists going to Kerala, India, can enjoy cruising its scenic backwaters after the tourism circuit of the Kadinamkulam backwater becomes operational. The district’s houseboat operation is already set, with the city’s tourists now going to Kollam.

The country’s tourists also have the option of cruising the boats in Poovar, Thiruvallom, Varkala and Pozhikkara. The current houseboat operations are focused in Alappuzha, Kumarakom and Kollam.

A senior official of the country’s tourism industry has stated that the commissioning of the Kadinamkulam backwater tourism project will lead to the houseboats’ introduction in Kerala.

Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is going to launch the tourism circuit’s construction activities on Thursday. This project has been financed by the Union Tourism Ministry and has been executed by the Kerala Small Industries Development Corporation. This project aims to restore the inner waterway to Varkala from Murukkumpuzha. It includes floating jetties, walkways, tourist facilitation centres, boat race viewing pavilion, electrification of children’s park, and landscaping.

The main beneficiaries of the project include the municipality of Attingal and the Mangalapuram, Anjuthengu and Chirayinkeezhu panchayats. The nearby panchayats are also expected to benefit once tourists begin flocking the cruise.

The floating jetty will be constructed in Koollampuzha, the Attingal Palace’s site. The project’s tourist facilitation centre will be built in Attingal, while the children’s park will be constructed in Thiruvarattukadavu.

The kingdom of Jordan in the Middle East has been noted for its desert-like appearance t. However, the physical appearance of the country surprisingly has no effect in its medical capabilities. Unknown to many, Jordan was recognised for their impressive techniques in health care. In several ways, this move would serve as a threat to the United States since tourists were being lured to the Middle East, instead.

Known as the Specialty Hospital, the institution is located in Amman Jordan and offers numerous packages relatively cheaper than those offered by the United States. The hospital’s ideology is focused on the development of their industries and services. In this manner, they may be able to generate more funds in order to improve the quality of work they provide their clients.

Evidently, Jordan makes use of their advancements in the medical field in order to be in tune with other nearby countries. Apparently, Jordan is not rich with oil, and solely relies on the income brought about by their tourism and the investments of foreigners. With the advent of increased health costs in the United States, it was easier for Jordan to penetrate the market.

Moreover, the impressive medical promotion Jordan offers has brought an estimated 600,000 Americans to the country. The numbers are expected to rise accordingly by the end of the year to as much as ten times the regular load.

As the New Year draws near, many people are almost done with their holiday plans. In the online survey conducted by ACNielsen, which involved more than 3,000 respondents aged 15 to 54 years old, eight out of ten Chinese people are preparing for a week-long holiday trip.

The survey reveals that most of the main reasons why Chinese citizens take a holiday during the season are family reunions. It also shows that 45% of the respondents will be going to China to attend the Spring Festival family events, 18% will travel to local holiday destinations, and nearly one in ten will be going abroad.

"In China, many people move to cities or provinces for better job opportunities. The Spring Festival and a family reunion are what most have been looking forward to after a long year of hard work", said ACNielsen China Head of Travel and Leisure Research, Grace Pan.

Several mainland travellers prefer the south, such as Macao, Hong Kong and other Asia-Pacific regions popularly known for being the best spots.

In the survey of those who booked for trips abroad, 74% wish to visit Hong Kong, while other destinations included in the top list of the mainland travellers are: Macao, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

Despite the freezing weather condition, 13% of the respondents want to visit Europe, Canada and the United States, though none of these countries have endorsed destination status.

According to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 45.9 million domestic visitors arrived at Orlando this year, compared with 45.1 million in 2006. The Bureau considers it the second-best domestic travel year, after 2005 when the area received 46.6 million visitors.

According to CVB CEO and President Gary Sain, the increase was due to many factors, though he mentions that the $68-million advertisement campaign the bureau initiated in 2007 was a chief factor.

Looking further into the statistics, it is seen that overall leisure travel, which comprises 77% of all domestic visits, rose to 35.3 million from 2006’s 34.5 million; a rise of 2.4%. Overnight leisure travel went up 3.9% to 23.5 million, as day leisure travel dropped 0.3% to 11.8 million.

Overall business travel to Orlando fell 0.5% to 10.57 million against 10.62 million last 2006. Day business travel rose 1.2% to 5.19 million while overnight business dropped 2.1% to 5.38%. In overnight travel business, the number of overnight group meetings dropped 4.5% to 3.8 million.

Travel to Orlando by Florida residents increased 2.4% to 24.5 million, while non-resident visitor travel rose 1% to 21.4%.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation in partnership with India tourism organised a promotional campaign called Explore Incredible Maharashtra. This project aims to boost India’s new tourism packages.

“The outbreak of the H1N1 flu in the state, not to forget the economic slowdown has affected tourism in the state quite extensively. We want to give the sector a push and this promotion is a way to revive the industry and get it up and running”, says MTDC general manager Vijay Chavan. This month-long campaign, which will start on 1 September, includes exhibiting displays in India Tourism’s Mumbai office in Churchgate.

Chavan explains that the aim of the campaign is to offer international and even domestic tourists a view of what Maharashtra can offer in the culture and art industry, including their cuisine. He also adds that the campaign is meant to demonstrate the state’s various tourist attractions.

Several cultural programmes are available every week in the campaign, which include textile, art, traditional craft, music and dance in Maharashtra.

The MTDC is also planning to take the promotion to the state’s other cities. In the meantime, the Maharashtra State Emporium known as Trimurti will exhibit and sell Maharashtra artefacts.

On the other hand, India Tourism has plans to launch similar programmes in order to endorse other states in India, such as Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Chhatisgarh, and Gujarat.

Almost 200 experts on culture and tourism gathered in Harare for the African Union-Sadc-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation during a meeting on culture and development as Africa aims to secure benefits for the South Africa World Cup 2010.

The meeting is the first of its kind in Africa which aims to raise awareness on the protection of the country’s heritage and harness its potential for cultural and economic growth in the region.

In addition, the two-day meeting wants to identify significant elements of superior quality cultural tourism schemes and improve beyond-boundary projects and programmes on culture.

All 14 members of the Sadc have representatives at secretary level. The meeting will tackle information dissemination and identification of different communication schemes as well as improve long-term plans to raise cultural awareness for future development.

Sylvester Nguni, the State Minister of Vice President Mujuru’s office, opens the conference by reading a speech where he encouraged the participants to think of applicable strategies to improve culture and tourism in the region.

Nguni added that the importance of tourism in economic growth is acknowledged all over the world. He stressed that improvements in tourism, African culture and development should go hand in hand.

After a challenging year for the tourism sector, positive 2009’s August figures and the forthcoming holiday season offers encouragement that the incoming Hebrew year of 5770 would see a continuous climb for the industry.

A statement announced by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that about 260,000 travellers entered Israel in August – a figure that was down from previous year’s unprecedented high of 265,000.

This year’s first half showed a major decline in arriving tourism caused by troubled security conditions as well as the global financial crisis. About 1.7 million visitors arrived in January through the month of August, 16 percent less than last year on the similar period and 16 percent more than in 2007.

The data revealed that about 212,000 travellers spent a minimum of one night in the country, with about 47,000 day tourists.

Numbers revealed that most incoming visitors in August were actually from Eastern Europe. Russia was the principal source with approximately 18,000 tourists, followed by Poland with approximately 6,000 tourists and Ukraine with only over 2,000.

Stas Meseznikov, Israel’s Tourism Minister said that their intense marketing efforts in the previous months are to be credited for the current growth.

He stated, "The new marketing positioning of Israel as the Holy Land, with Jerusalem at its centre, will continue to lead the Israeli tourism industry into growth.

Tourism businesses around the US were feeling the pressures of a soft economy.

Big cities like Washington and New York still grabbed more foreign tourists due to the weak dollar, although ticket sales were irregular, and locals were considering taking fewer, less-expensive and shorter trips.

According to a Rand McNally survey, two-thirds of US citizens with trips planned for the summer were either changing their plans to shorten their vacations or cancelling outright.

AAA forecasted the number of people planning on driving over 50 miles through the Memorial Day weekend dropped by one percent. AAA also said that air travel fell slightly.

Las Vegas was too feeling the strain. Room occupancy rates have dropped slightly, and casinos were forced to reduce the prices of their hotel rooms. MGM Mirage Inc. and local Station Casinos have reduced their work forces. Las Vegas Sands has reported an unexpected loss of $11.2 million in 2008’s first quarter. Some companies still made profits from selling their businesses; for example, Porsche that made 8.8 billion dollars by buying and selling Volkswagen.

Abroad, the anxiety among American tourists was being felt as well. The government-supported Visit Britain reported that the number of US citizens in Britain dropped slightly the previous year, and those visiting the country have held on to their money.

Figures revealed by the Arizona Office of Tourism displayed the consequence of the global economic crisis on the Phoenix area and the state.

Being conducted at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, the Governor’s Conference on Tourism was attracting industry officials and hoteliers from all over Arizona. The numbers announced to complete the event display the effect of crisis on the multi-million dollar hospitality industry of the state.

“The lodging industry is clearly in pain. Hotel economies track what is happening in the rest of the world”, declared Sherry Henry, the Arizona Tourism Director.

The Arizona figures account for the 37.4 million people who visited the state in 2008, showing a 3% decline from 2007. Approximately 26 million travellers stayed in Arizona, having a decrease of 3.3%; and business travel went down by 7.6%, amounting to 6.3 million visitors.

In addition, direct expenses by visitors decreased by slightly over 3% in 2008 — about $18.5 billion.

The figures also reveal the effect of residents visiting closer to their residents. While non-residents who visited the state decreased by 4.7; and approximately 9.8 million Arizonans travelled throughout the state, a decrease of only 2.9%.

And although visitors from abroad only made up 2.8% of Arizona’s total visitors, over half a million Canadians travelled to the state, mostly from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Visitors from Mexico also played importantly in those totals, with over 3.85 million travelling to the state.