Ultimate Service Awards 2002 recipients announced

The 2002 Ultimate Service Award recipients have been announced.  The Award, announced at the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin, is the only global awards programme that recognises and rewards service excellence in the hotel industry.

Good service can make or break a persons perception of a good hotel and the Award is aimed at acknowledging those hotels that go out of their way to ensure customers’ visits are enjoyable and memorable.

Hans Lindh, Head of the Hotel and Restaurant Industry at American Express Establishment Services Group Europe, one of the sponsors of the Award, said:

"Research of our Card members has shown that 'quality of service' and 'location' are the two most important factors in deciding where to stay.  Interestingly, price is only seen as important by one in six Card members.  This year's winners have all placed customer service at the core of their business and the consumers’ vote has shown that this really makes the difference."

Only in its second year, the Ultimate Service Award attracted over three times as many votes than in 2001. Hotel customers from 157 countries voted for the hotels they believed offered exceptional service via Ultimate Service Awards partners’ websites: CNN and Taylor Nelson Sofres.

The Award covers nine territories and only one hotel is awarded in each category. The territories covered are: Africa, Asia, Europe, Australasia/Pacific, Caribbean/Central America, Europe, Indian subcontinent /Ocean, Middle East, North America and South America.

The recipients in alphabetical order by region are:

Region:                        Africa                                    Region:               Asia

Hotel:                         Sheraton                                  Hotel:               Grand Hyatt

Location:                     Addis Ababa, Ethiopia                Location:            Shanghai, China

Owned by:                  MIDROC Ethiopia Plc               Owned by:       Jinmao Company

GM:                           Jean Pierre Manigoff                  GM:                  Edward Tai

Region:                        Australasia/Pacific                  Region:              Caribbean/Central America

Hotel:                         Four Points by Sheraton              Hotel:               Hotel Cariblue

Location:                      Sydney, Australia                       Location:         Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Owned by:                  General Property Trust                 Owned by:       Leonardo Preseglioy

GM:                            Wayne Buckingham                     GM:                Sandra Zerneri

Region:                        Europe                                     Region:            Indian Sub-cont/Indian Ocean

Hotel:                         Courtyard by Marriott                    Hotel:               Leela Palace

Location:                      Berlin, Germany                          Location:            Bangalore, India

Owned by:                   HPI Germany Hotelbesitz GmbH  Owned by:       Hotel Leelaventure Ltd

GM:                            Sasha Rudnik                              GM:                 Eric Swanson

Region:                        Middle East                             Region:                North America

Hotel:                           Burj Al Arab                             Hotel:                  Sheraton Fallsview

Location:                      Dubai                                       Location:               Niagara Falls

Owned by:                  Jumeirah Beach Resort LLC      Owned by:             Ronzap Investments

GM:                           Christophe Schnyder                 GM:                    Tony Zappitelli

Region:                        South America

Hotel:                         Hotel InterContinental

Locations:                    Buenos Aires

Owned by:                 Nuevas Fronteras SA.

The Ultimate Service Awards are sponsored by CNN Partner Hotels, American Express, Taylor Nelson Sofres and Continental Airlines

About the Ultimate Service Award

The Ultimate Service Award has been set up by a distinguished planning committee, which genuinely cares about service delivery. The launch committee comprised:

Mary Gostelow, writer
Gordon Campbell Gray, owner of One Aldwych Hotel, London
Richard Garland, Richmond International and the RGA
Jane Lorigan, Taylor Nelson Sofres
Clive Nicholaou, Taylor Nelson Sofres Hospitality and Leisure
Trent Walsh, director of GAP and Leading Quality Assurance

Their work would not have been possible without the continuing support and guidance of representatives of partners: CNN, American Express, Continental Airlines, Taylor Nelson Sofres, Villeroy and Boch and Jonathan Worsley, Co-Chairman of the International Hotel Investment Forum, Berlin.

Many top associations, including the World Travel & Tourism council, also support the awards.

*  The complete list of the supervisory board are, in alphabetical order
Giovanni Angelini, md/coo Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president World Travel & Tourism CounciL WTTC
Sven Boinet, member of the management board, Accor
|Regis Bulot, president/ceo Relais & Chateaux
Peter Cass, president/ceo IndeCorp Corporation
ennie Chua, president/coo Raffles International
Bob Cotter, coo Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Edouard Ettedgui, ceo Mandari Oriental Hotel Group
Ed Fuller, president/md Marriott Lodging International
Wolf Hengst, president/coo Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
Dieter Huckestein, president hotels division Hilton Hotels Corporation
Paul McManus. president/ceo Leading Hotels of the World Ltd
Curtis Carlson Nelson, president/ceo Carlson Hospitality Worldwide)
PRS (Biki) Oberoi, vice-chairman/md The Oberoi Group
Thomas R Oliver, chairman/ceo Six Continents Hotels & Resorts
Eric Pfeffer, President, International Hotel & Restaurant Association
Georg Rafael, managing director Rafael Group SAM
Kurt Ritter, president/.ceo Rezidor SAS Hospitality
Brett Tollman, ceo Red Carnation Hotels
Reto Wittwer, president/ceo Kempinski Hotels & Resorts

About CNN:

CNN is the world’s leading global 24-hour news network and is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. The CNN brand is available to one billion people worldwide, via the 35 CNN branded television, internet, radio and mobile services produced by the CNN News Group, an AOL Time Warner company.  CNN has major production centres in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong and Mexico City    www.cnn.com/hotels

About American Express

·      American Express is a diversified worldwide travel and financial services company, founded in 1850.  It is a leader in charge and credit cards, traveller’s cheques, financial planning, investment products, insurance services and international banking.

·      There are more than 55 million American Express Cards in circulation worldwide.  American Express issues Green, Blue, Gold, Platinum and Centurion Cards to Card members.  It also issues the Corporate Card and Purchasing Card to corporations to help them manage their T&E expenditure.

About Taylor Nelson Sofres Hospitality and Leisure

Taylor Nelson Sofres Hospitality & Leisure (TNS H&L) is the specialist Hospitality Industry team within Taylor Nelson Sofres, the fourth largest marketing information group in the world. With over 100 hospitality industry researchers around the world, TNS H&L provides global customer satisfaction and brand audit programmes for many of the industries leading players. Through its international network of 230 offices in more than 50 countries, Taylor Nelson Sofres provides market information services in over 100 countries to national and multi-national organisations. It is ranked as the fourth largest market information group in the world.  Further information on TNS is available from the corporate website: http://www.tnsofres.com

About Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,100 departures daily to 122 domestic and 90 international destinations. Operating hubs in New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, Continental serves more international cities than any other U.S. carrier, including extensive service throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit continental.com. Continental was named the 2001 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World, as well as the 1996 Airline of the Year, making it the only carrier to receive this honor twice in five years. For the fourth consecutive year, Continental was named one of the 100 Best Places to Work For by FORTUNE magazine, and is ranked the nation's No. 1 airline in customer satisfaction for long and short-haul flights by Frequent Flyer Magazine and J.D. Power and Associates. Continental has received numerous awards for its BusinessFirst premium cabin (Condé Nast Traveler, OAG, Entrepreneur and SmartMoney magazines), OnePass frequent flyer program (InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards) and overall operations and management (FORTUNE magazine). www.continental.com

Thistle blocks Orb bid to sell off 37 hotels

Caterer.com  -  Thistle Hotels will refuse investment group Orb's proposed sale of 37 Thistle-managed properties to Newcastle entrepreneur Allan Rankin until its dispute with Orb is resolved.

Jersey-based Orb Estates announced it would sell its Thistle-managed hotels to Rankin, chief executive of Ultimate Leisure Group, last week.

Thistle is suing Orb for £14m outstanding from the £600m sale of the 37 properties last April. Orb, which disputes the claim, is also the subject of a serious fraud inquiry over other business dealings.

Orb has not disclosed the terms of the proposed sale, but Thistle confirmed it had not yet held any discussions with Rankin to discuss the deal.

"Any deal would very much depend on the structure of the negotiations," said a Thistle spokesman.

Should Rankin complete the deal, it is understood that he might convert several of the London properties into private residences.

Thistle has confirmed that a termination of any management contracts under new or current ownership would give it four times the full amount of the hotel's annual management fee in compensation.

Earlier this month Thistle Hotels rejected a £554.7m takeover bid from its biggest shareholder, Singapore investment firm BIL International, claiming the offer was "opportunistic" and "wholly inadequate".

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 27 March - 2 April 2003

Zig-zags, U-turns and circles take Banyan Tree to the top

TravelWeeklyEast.com  -  Building the Banyan Tree brand was something that was done more intuitively than with conscious forethought and it was certainly without a checklisted, annually updated business plan.

Relating The Banyan Tree Experience at an “Uncommon Practice” forum organised by Interbrand and Forum at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, chairman KP Ho (pictured) said, “What appears in retrospect to have been a straight and consistent journey towards progress was in reality and upon closer examination, a series of zig zags, U-turns, and even walking around in circles. But there was always a vision which served more as a compass than a road map.”

And that vision was to create a brand which would give the group “the proprietary advantages to compete globally”.

“From the outset, the objective of our brand-building was to create a sustainable platform upon which to grow – even if cheaper competitors and copycats stepped into our space.

“This was a fundamental imperative from the start, and originates from my own bitter lessons in our other businesses before embarking on Banyan Tree.”

Ho said other Singapore and Asian companies were facing the same dilemma Banyan Tree encountered 10 years ago, particularly in light of the China challenge.

“Before starting Banyan Tree, I had spent the previous 15-odd years working in our family business, which pretty much resembled the typical Overseas Chinese mini-conglomerate. We were into everything imaginable – primary commodities, trading, food products, consumer electronics, property development, construction – many things in many countries, but nothing dominant in any industry or any country.

“The common thread running through our businesses was that we were in essence contract manufacturers, agents, or traders. And our common competitive edge was cost. We had no particular proprietary advantages, whether it be in technology or design or brand appeal.

“But from the early 70s up to the late 80’s – almost two decades – the Asian Tiger economies were the most efficient, lowest cost producers of a wide range of products. It was good money while Asia boomed, and a lot of companies, including our family business, rode that wave.

“But when a sports shoe factory which we set up in Thailand with Japanese partners closed shop one year after opening because Indonesia had become a cheaper place to produce sports shoes, I intuitively knew that the writing was on the wall, and not just for Thailand, Indonesia even.

“Every country in Asia – Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, and ultimately China – were all vying for lowest-cost status. To rely on cost advantages one would have to run just to stand still.

“As for trading agencies, we represented European, Japanese and Korean consumer electronics brands in several countries, but it was always a Catch 22 relationship with our principals. If we did not make our annual budgets, they could appoint another agent. If we did too well, they would take over the business themselves.

“Why people would spend their whole lives promoting brands which they can lose anytime, was beyond me.”

Luckily for Ho, he acted on those foresights.

Today, he said, many Asian companies were facing the China juggernaut, and realise now that all the cost advantages they possessed have evaporated. “They did not use the good years to build up a brand or proprietary technology. They scramble now to set up operations in China for their old MNC customers, but realise that local Chinese firms are just as capable of being subcontractors to these MNCs.

“So, when I surveyed our corporate landscape 10 years ago the harsh conclusion was that most of our businesses were not sustainable. We needed a proprietary advantage to counter cost pressures. It could be a patented invention, but I was not technologically inclined. So the only alternative was to build a consumer brand which had to be not only sustainable, not only in Asia, but in a globalised marketplace.

“That imperative for survival, rather than vision for success, is the fundamental driving force behind Banyan Tree.

“If we are to survive in a global marketplace – and hospitality is perhaps one of the most global, because high-end tourists can easily choose between say, Portugal or Phuket, Greenland or Greece – we must be able to be among the best of breed not only in our back yard but in whatever markets our customers will go to.

“I realised this strategy was the only way we could be a price-maker and not price-taker. Any enterprise, even with innovations, can only set its own price until cheaper competitors emerge. In our case, innovative features such as pool villas and tropical spa pavilions, are no longer a monopoly of Banyan Tree.

“If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, we can take solace in being flattered. But with competitors emerging, the only way we can remain above price wars is to leverage the brand to generate a price premium and customer loyalty.”

Today, Banyan Tree has three core components to its business – hotels, spas, and the retail galleries.

“As we grew, we wanted the components to stand on their own. That has resulted in our spas setting up shop independently of our hotels – in Guam, Sydney, Hong Kong, Shanghai and elsewhere, and the galleries going off into independent ventures like the Museum Shop.

“As they do so they not only build new markets of their own, but they are extending the brand in new areas. This allows diversification and growth within a central strategy.”

Ho said another element of its growth strategy was not to confuse the brand by over-stretching and diluting its scope. Instead of creating Banyan Tree Inns or Grand Banyan Tree to cover the lower and higher segments of the market, it created the Angsana brand two years ago.

He said a successful brand was not only about specific product or service features, but about evoking emotional responses and recollections from customers.

The lesson? Focusing on a specific product feature or innovation by itself is not enough to ensure brand success. “You must ask yourself: what emotions do I want my customer to associate with my brand? And then painstakingly shape your product and service features – and of course your external advertising and marketing communications, to solicit that emotional response.”

He said a brand also needed core values which underpin its existence and motivate its shared community of colleagues and customers. “The values behind our brand: such as active caring for the physical and human environment; revitalising local communities; or creating pride and respect among the 30-odd nationalities who work in our hotels – such values hopefully give meaning to our colleagues.”

Said Ho, “Today, Asian companies are at the threshold of a new business paradigm.The cost advantages of the past two decades are no longer assurances of survival. To compete in a global marketplace, we have to own our customers through building brand loyalty and brand strength.

“How to do this will not be easy. Though brand-building has become the flavour of the month, one should not think that a snazzy logo and new name, and a bigger advertising budget, will solve our problems.

“Nevertheless, it is encouraging that companies have now embraced brand-building as a strategic imperative in any new venture.”  

Six Continents rejects pubs bid

The hotel and pubs company said Thursday, March 27, it has rejected a £2.8 billion ($4.4 billion) cash bid for its pubs business from an unnamed financial bidder, saying the offer was not "suitably attractive."

Speculation about potential bidders for the businesses of Six Continents has surrounded the company since it announced in 2002 it would split itself into two parts. Osmond's ill-fated £5.6 billion bid for the whole company earlier this year swept the speculation into a frenzy.

Six Continents said Thursday that it had received a number of expressions of interest from unnamed private equity firms. The board of Six Continents met with the unnamed financial bidder to evaluate the proposal but said it couldn't recommend it to shareholders. Advisers at Cazenove & Co., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Schroder Salomon Smith Barney agreed with the decision, the company said.

A spokesman for Osmond said the entrepreneur is not the anonymous bidder for the pubs business.

The rejection is unlikely to halt the takeover rumors. Analysts have said that the company is likely to wait for next month's demerger to go ahead and then consider any offers.

In February, Six Continents detailed its demerger plans. It said it will create two separate listed companies: Mitchells & Butlers plc, which will have about 2,100 pubs, and InterContinental Hotels Group plc, the owner of more than 3,200 hotels. Both are due to start trading April 15 on the London Stock Exchange.

The company has been struggling because of the slowdown in travel and tourism. Osmond took advantage of the shareholder apathy toward Six Continents' management and made a bid for the whole company, urging shareholders to vote to delay the demerger. But on March 12, shareholders voted in favor of the demerger, scuttling Osmond's bid.

Since then, newspapers have reported that the Laurel Pub Co., owned by Deutsche Bank AG's Morgan Grenfell Private Equity, CVC and former Nomura financier Guy Hands have shown an interest in the pub business. Pub operators have attracted much interest among financial buyers as the steady drinking habits of most Britons mean the companies offer a stable cash flow to pay down debt.

Six Continents said the bid from the financial buyer was subject to due diligence but not conditional on the deferment of the merger

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Citing business declines and uncertainties related to "Operation Iraqi Freedom," Hilton Hotels Corporation (NYSE:HLT) today revised the first quarter and full year 2003 guidance it provided on January 27, 2003.

The company said its first quarter 2003 estimates now anticipate a revenue per available room (RevPAR) decline of approximately 4 percent at its comparable owned hotels, with diluted earnings per share of break-even to $.01. This includes: 1) a pre-tax charge (required by current SEC guidance) of approximately $.03 per share related to the impairment of certain public company equity securities held by the company, and 2) a $.01 benefit from utilization of tax loss carryforwards.

For full year 2003, the company now anticipates a RevPAR decline of 1 to 2 percent at its comparable owned hotels, and diluted earnings per share in the high $.30 range.

While the company provided revised guidance for the quarter and full year, it noted that visibility remains extremely low, that the new estimates remain subject to change and could be further impacted by world events.

Hilton will report first quarter 2003 results on Wednesday, April 23, 2003.

Note: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities law, including statements concerning business strategies and their intended results, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the effects of economic conditions; supply and demand changes for hotel rooms; competitive conditions in the lodging industry, relationships with clients and property owners; the impact of government regulations; and the availability of capital to finance growth, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements herein.

Hotels revenues tumble amid war

Occupancy, room rates and revenues fall sharply

Reuters  -  U.S. hotel room rates and occupancy both declined sharply in the first week of the war on Iraq, confirming fears the conflict is keeping travelers at home, the industry’s benchmark survey said on Wednesday.

Revenue Per Available Room, which reflects prices paid for occupied rooms, fell 8.4 percent from a year ago to $51.76 in the week ending March 22, a survey by industry tracking firm Smith Travel Research showed.

The high-end properties in the biggest cities, which are also the biggest money-makers in the sector, did even worse, analysts said.

Room revenues at luxury hotels were down 10.3 percent. Urban hotels overall saw a decline of 11.8 percent and revenues in the bellwether market of New York tumbled 12.4 percent.

“If the quarter were to end today, we believe most companies would come in below their issued guidance,” Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Joe Greff wrote in a note.

Major companies have already forecast that room revenue would drop in the first quarter, but a long lead up to the war kept people on edge for weeks, further depressing an already weak market suffering from a sagging economy.

In the week ending March 22, occupancy dropped 4.8 percent and the average daily room rate fell 3.8 percent. The industry has been weak for more than a year, but recently occupancy had been stronger.

Revenue per available room dropped 2.7 percent in February and the slide has accelerated in each week of March.

Lehman Bros. analyst Joyce Minor also said companies risked missing estimates.

“The daily RevPAR (revenue per available room) trends defied expectations as upper upscale RevPAR declined 12 percent to 16 percent Sunday through Tuesday (national security level elevated to orange on Monday) and declined a more modest 9 percent to 10 percent on both Wednesday and Thursday, the first two days of the war,” she wrote.

 PricewaterhouseCoopers in a survey of its own had seen that in the following weekend after the war began, hotels in major cities saw cancellations of more than 20 percent for the following week, which it said confirmed its estimate that room demand overall would dip 5 percent during a short conflict.

The largest hotel chains include Marriott International Inc., Hilton Hotels Corp. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Pneumonia Travel Advisory Could Hurt Asian Economies

VOA -  The World Health Organization said it may issue a much more stringent travel advisory on Asian cities with deadly pneumonia outbreaks. A tougher warning could seriously hurt the Asian economy.

World Health Organization officials say international travel does not need to be disrupted to contain the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, known as SARS.

But if the disease, which can cause a severe form of pneumonia, continues to spread, the U.N. agency will toughen its warnings. The agency cannot almost all of them in Asia, and more than 15 have died. The worst hit cities are Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi.

WHO already has warned that those who have traveled to areas hit by SARS should seek immediate help if they develop high fevers, severe flu-like symptoms and signs of pneumonia. The agency recommends that airlines watch for passengers with such symptoms.

"We will review the data. If there is any evidence to modify it, we will modify the advisory," said Dick Thompson, a WHO spokesman.

Singapore this week has quarantined at least 740 people who may have been exposed to SARS. The country has reported 65 SARS cases.

The disease may first have appeared a few months ago in southern China, where at least 300 people developed symptoms similar to those seen in SARS. WHO officials are in China studying the outbreak.

The WHO said Hong Kong is its biggest concern because of the daily rise in the number of cases. Almost 290 people have come down with SARS in Hong Kong. At least 10 have died.

The exact cause of the disease is not known. Researchers in Hong Kong, Europe, Australia and the United States have spotted several possible causes.

Until recently, officials said most SARS patients had a direct link to a handful of original patients in Hong Kong.

Liu Shao-Haei, an official with Hong Kong's Department of Health, said the government now is concerned SARS has spread to the wider community. "I think we have had cases in the community. It is alarming, very alarming," Mr. Liu said.

Already, concerns about SARS have cut sharply into Asia's tourism industry, adding to the damage done by fears linked to the war in Iraq. Hotels and airlines around the region are reporting a drop in bookings. In Hong Kong, some international rugby teams have withdrawn from the Rugby Sevens tournament, which begins Friday. The event normally draws several-thousand tourists.

A more stringent travel warning could be devastating to many Asian economies, particularly Singapore and Hong Kong, which are regional business and travel hubs. Many of the world's largest companies have their regional headquarters in Singapore and Hong Kong, and would find it difficult to do business if travel were restricted.

ASTA calls for industry unity, consumer support during war in Iraq  

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is calling on all travel industry suppliers to liberalize their cancellation and  re-booking fees in light of the coalition war with Iraq. Additionally, ASTA is asking airline carriers to waive their fees for issuing paper-tickets.

ASTA President and CEO Richard M. Copland, CTC, said, "As an industry, we understand that traveling at a time of military conflict can be extremely stressful for people, and consumers may feel more comfortable postponing or otherwise changing their plans. Given the seriousness of the situation and the stress that this war will have on an already weakened travel industry, it is our hope that industry leaders will be understanding of Americans` cautions and change their cancellation and refund policies to be more flexible, encouraging travelers to book now.

"Especially in difficult times, we need to work as a unified travel industry. Already some suppliers have altered their cancellation and rebooking policies in light of the current situation. They are to be commended," Copland continued. "We also are asking airlines to re-examine their policies on charging for issuing paper tickets. While e-tickets can help travelers avoid long check-in lines at airports, there are still some problems related to interlining. Paper tickets remain the preferred ticket type when it comes to transferring to another carrier in the event a passenger needs to rebook."

HSMAI responds to war with daily website postings of news, resources, sales and marketing strategies

As the landscape for hospitality sales and marketing professionals continues to be challenging and complex in these times of  war and uncertainty, the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is stepping up its website to include a Crisis Marketing Resource Center, providing news, information, marketing tactics and sales strategies for its members and all industry professionals.

"The conflicts in the Middle East further compound the anxiety of U.S. domestic terrorism, a languishing U.S. and global economy, Internet distribution complexities, and shifting consumer travel intentions and sentiments," states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA president & CEO of HSMAI. "With that, the traditional strategies and tactics we have all used in sales and marketing are also changing, and it is HSMAI`s responsibility to serve our membership by providing the appropriate tools and information that will help them continue to move forward and be successful."

Among HSMAI`s new initiatives:

A special Crisis Marketing Resource Center at www.hsmai.org will be updated daily to include:

1. A daily industry news feed.
2. Downloads to articles, research, expert analysis and predictions, and solutions to timely and day-to-day issues, such as:
• Iraqwarphobia: Marketing Through the Haze, by Peter C. Yesawich
• Potential War Impact on Travel and Tourism
• The Time to Prepare for a Crisis is Now: A Communications Primer
• 8 Quick Tips for Cancelled and Rescheduled Shows
3. Links to other leading industry organizations and research providers, including the Travel Industry Association (TIA), American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Convention Industry Council (CIC) and Smith Travel Research (STR).
4. Content of the current Industry Update newsletter and archive of past issues.

Beginning Monday, March 24, 2003, HSMAI has electronically sent to its members a weekly issue of Industry Update -- a compilation of news briefs from around the globe on the state of the hospitality, travel and tourism industry.

Furthermore, archives of timely articles from the HSMAI Marketing Review are now available free to members online. Additionally, live HSMAI eConference presentations provide resources of experts from around the industry in one-hour Web conferences designed as a convenient and effective way to grow one`s knowledge base in a wide variety of areas.  

Merged BTA and ETC body unveiled

Caterer.com -  Tourism minister Kim Howells has today unveiled the name for the new tourism body that will be formed when the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and English Tourism Council (ETC) merge on 1 April.

VisitBritain was officially launched by the minister at the British Travel Trade Fair in Birmingham today.

The creation of VisitBritain comes five months after culture secretary Tessa Jowell completed a review of the structure of tourism within Britain, resulting in the decision to merge the BTA and ETC.

One of VisitBritain’s immediate priorities will be to launch England’s first domestic marketing campaign for several years. Set to launch just after Easter, the campaign will aim to encourage British residents to take more holidays at home.

Outside of Britain, the organisation’s priority will be to reassure potential overseas visitors about travelling to Britain in the current political climate and develop recovery plans aimed at long-haul markets like the USA. It will also launch a campaign in Europe this autumn to promote short breaks in British cities.

VisitBritain will be funded by a grant from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). For the 2003-2004 financial year the DCMS has confirmed funding of £35.5m for the promotion of Britain overseas, and £14.1m for the domestic marketing of England.

Last month the planned merger of the BTA and ETC came under fire from a cross-party tourism committee, which said the merger was "not the best possible solution, and may not work."