this season
BUSINESS TRAVEL
Emerging markets fuel travel growth
New research reveals developing economies are driving the business travel sector
The business travel sector is forecast to grow by 3.7% per year over the next decade, thanks to signifi cant growth within emerging markets. That’s according to new research
from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which valued the sector at around $1.2 trillion (£928.8bn). The report expounded that
Havana in June, the fi rst US hotel to open in Cuba in nearly 60 years. However, Marriot has said it may change its future plans for hotels in Cuba in the light of President Trump’s decision to roll back Obama administration policies. These allowed private US businesses to make fi nancial transactions with the Cuban military — which controls a share of the country’s tourism and hotel sector. Marriot said in a statement that “the full eff ect on our current and planned operations in Cuba may depend on related forthcoming regulations.” Despite this, Accor and Iberostar also have luxury hotels planned.
kempinski.com
within developing economies, business travel plays a leading role in driving exports and helping to grow the country’s wider tourism sector. It found that 14 of the top 20 countries where business travel represents the highest proportion of total travel and tourism GDP in 2016 are those classifi ed as the ‘least developed countries’ by the UN.
Business travel has advanced
rapidly over the past fi ve years in many emerging markets, such as DR Congo (up 32% between 2011-16), Qatar (up 25%) and Azerbaij an (up 21%). The report included a top 10 list of countries with the strongest forecast annual business growth, headed by China (9.5%), and with Myanmar (8.7%), Rwanda (8.5%), Gabon (8.5%) and Cambodia (7.4%) set to perform strongly. David Scowsill, president and
CEO of the WTTC, said: “Travel and tourism generates $7.6 trillion (£5.88 trillion) in GDP and supports over 292 million jobs. Business travel is a vital part of the sector, and is a key catalyst for global growth. It drives the relationships, investments, supply chains and logistics that support international trade fl ows.”
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
NEW NOBU Nobu Hotel Shoreditch opened in London on 1 July. It features 143 rooms and seven suites, a meeting space, lobby bar and a 240-seat restaurant, which spans almost the entire footprint of the hotel. There will also be a pocket garden, which creates a public space intended to be an oasis in the heart of east London.
nobuhotelshoreditch.com
TRAVELPORT HOTELZON APP Corporate travel booking platform Travelport Hotelzon has released a new app to enable travel agents and business travellers to book, amend or cancel hotels directly from their smartphone. Chief operating off icer Mathias Andersson said: “It’s indisputable that today’s ever-connected business traveller needs to be able to manage their business travel on the go and their mobile devices must support this need.”
EUROSTAR BUSINESS BOOST Eurostar’s revenues jumped by 15% in the first quarter of 2017 to £232m, in part due to a rise in business travellers. While the overall number of
passengers increased by 2%, the firm saw a 9% increase in the number of UK business travellers. The train operator said the business travel market was “proving robust”, and pointed to its new business class lounge at Paris Gare du Nord and the introduction of onboard wi-fi as measures which have attracted business travellers.
countrybycountry.com | ABTA Magazine
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