The Thailand Tourism Awards were first introduced by TAT in 1996 with the recognition and endorsement of the World Tourism Organisation. The awards recognise and honour tourism-related organisations in the private and public sectors which have played a significant direct and indirect role in tourism development. The Thailand Tourism Award is Thailand’s Hallmark of Excellence, a symbol of assurance in the outstanding quality and reliability of tourism products and services offered by a particular organisation or operator.

Madrid. UNWTO launches its new long-term research programme UNWTO Future Vision: Tourism Towards 2030. The study will forecast international tourism growth through the year 2030 and identify key actual and future trends and their impact on tourism development. It will combine industry data with the views of UNWTO members, tourism practitioners, trends experts and academics around the world. This initiative will update the previous Tourism 2020 Vision, which has become the definitive global reference on the future of tourism.

When the German Julia Tillmann landed at Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport, the woman from Düsseldorf, who arrived on the AY704, was surprised by Finnish airline Finnair, who welcomed her with a flower bouquet. Julia Tillmann was this year’s one millionth passenger, using Helsinki as a hub en route to Asia.

In light of the proposed economic stimulus package and the proposal of a permanent reduction of VAT rates for labor intensive services, Ernst Burgbacher, parliamentary executive of the FDP party, explains:

I request the federal government to finally drop its resistance against a reduction of VAT rates for the hotel industry and gastronomy in Germany. In light of the current economic situation, it is high time for an improvement of the general regulations pertaining to tourism policies.

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During the third quarter of 2008, Air Berlin PLC was able to increase its operating profits by 57 percent compared to the reference period of the previous year. The net gain was increased by 43.3 percent. For the first time, the one billion margin was surpassed in a three months period. „This is the best quarterly performance in the history of our company“, said CEO Joachim Hunold.