The Travel Bug 24

Issue 24 - February 2007

Vanuatu Tourism TV - A World's First

A world first has been created with the launch of Vanuatu TV, an internet based TV station dedicated to bringing Vanuatu customs, tourism and business to the world in a vibrant TV style format. According to Grant Abbott, CEO of Vanuatu TV, “My brother Chris and I decided to create Vanuatu TV because after holidaying here in 2006 we could only find web sites on Vanuatu filled with pages and pages of words and pictures. Having spent over eight years developing TV programs for the net we decided to use our skills to showcase Vanuatu, the happiest place on earth and our home.” “So now with a simple mouse click in www.vanuatu.tv you have all of Vanuatu at your fingertips. So if you want to know where to eat, stay, play, visit or invest in Vanuatu before you get here, Vanuatu TV has dedicated TV programs featuring Vanuatu tour activities, accommodation, restaurants, business and real estate, all produced by experienced TV professionals and with seasoned TV presenters.” For more information click here. (Source: The Tribal Drum January 2007)

New Holiday Apartments in Port Vila

Holidaymakers looking to save on resort meals or dining out on getaways to Vanuatu, now have two new options in capital Port Vila – one in luxury 1- and 2-bedroom apartments similar to townhouses, and the other for the more budget conscious looking for comforts beyond the basics. The air-conditioned Lagoon Beach Resort Apartments under 5-minutes from town include king or twin-beds, fully-equipped kitchens, TV/DVD, washing machine, dryer and ironing facilities, 6-seat dining settings indoors and covered patios with outdoor 6-seat settings, and patios off master bedrooms. Living areas have an additional fold-out double sofa bed. (Source: Tribal Drum Newsletter January 2007)

2006 Record Year for World Tourism

With 842 million arrivals and a 4.5% growth rate, 2006 exceeded expectations as the tourism sector continued to enjoy above average results, making it a new record year for the industry. The latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer figures suggest that 2007 will consolidate this performance and turn into the fourth year of sustained growth. “Despite downside risks facing global tourism twelve months ago – in particular terrorism, health scares due to avian flu and rising oil prices – 2006 was another year of good growth above the long-term forecast rate of 4.1%, backed up by one of the longest periods of sustained economic expansion”, according to UNWTO Secretary General Francesco Frangialli. One of the features of 2006 has been the continued positive results of emerging destinations, underscoring the links to economic progress. As one of the most dynamic economic sectors, Tourism has a key role among the instruments to fight against poverty, thus becoming a primary tool for sustainable development. Click here for more information. (Source: UNWTO News Releases 29/01/2007)

Pacific Islands Institute Scholarship

The Pacific Islands Institute – Diana W. Lockwood Memorial Scholarship is a tuition-waiver scholarship awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student who is a citizen of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Rapa Nui, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Guam, Yap, Palau, Pohnpei, Saipan, Tinian, Kosrae, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands or Papua New Guinea. Pacific Islands Institute was created in 1989 to develop quality educational group travel programs. PII is dedicated to providing positive cultural interactions; to ensuring its programs and practices are culturally and environmentally sensitive; to involving local people in decision making; and to protecting, sustaining and respecting indigenous cultures and environments. For more information, please visit www.pac-island.com. (Source: Pacific Islands Institute)

South Pacific Tourism on Japan Mobile Phones

Japan’s mobile phone boom has been partly blamed for sluggish expenditure on international travel. The need to be cool and connected in Tokyo has resulted in average annual expenditure on mobile phones around JPY 100,000 (USD900), cutting heavily into disposable income formerly directed at overseas holidays. South Pacific Tourism has turned the challenge into an opportunity. Japanese will soon be sharing stunning digital scenes of the South Pacific with their friends. A tie-up with Tokyo’s Stargate Network will enable customers of the company to download the images for use as screensavers on their all-important hand-helds. South Pacific Tourism Chief Executive Tony Everitt noted “20th century-style expensive advertising in traditional media is losing effectiveness in our sophisticated Northern Hemisphere markets. The battlefield for destination awareness is now in digital media – the internet, blogs, skype, mobile phones, etc. We are delighted that this tie-up with Stargate enables us to cost-effectively put our message in front of our target market.” (Source: SPTO update)

Air New Zealand Launches New Brand Campaign

On January 28, Air New Zealand will be launching its new brand campaign on nationwide television, cinema, and outdoor billboards. It is the successor to the highly popular 'Being there is everything' series that ran from late 2002 through till the end of 2005. The new 'Amazing Journeys. Every Day' campaign, centres around three 90 second television commercials which were developed and filmed around New Zealand over the latter part of 2006. Air New Zealand General Manager Marketing Steve Bayliss says the 'Amazing Journeys' theme exemplifies the heart of Air New Zealand's brand. "The campaign showcases New Zealand's stunning landscape through breathtaking aerial shots. It creates powerful dreamlike sequences and encourages viewers to have a romantic connection with, and sense of pride in their country," says Mr Bayliss. Colenso BBDO's Creative Director Richard Maddocks says the agency's challenge was to dramatise - in an original and innovative way - the power of the real human emotions that Air New Zealand enables...every day. And also to rekindle the strong connection with the land and culture which is intrinsic to the Air New Zealand brand. "We also wanted bring back some of the magic of flight to the brand," says Mr Maddocks. (Source: Air New Zealand Media Release 26/01/2007)