by editorial office, cc

When thinking of Belgrade, one will imagine the juncture of the rivers Danube and Save, the monumental fortress of Kalemegdan, the shopping strip of Knez Mihailova, or a bustling, modern city in general. But there is more to the Balkan metropolis: More than a sixth of the city is covered with greenery – there are numerous parks and public green spaces for relaxing and resting the mind. Realizing this, tourism promoters have issued a new brochure called “Green Belgrade”. It is available in English at the Tourist Organization of Belgrade via e-mail at office@tob.co.yu.

by editorial office, chd

Hotel TV as source of industry debate: No television format has ever raised such heated discussion about the hotel industry. As „Hotel Inspector“, Heinz Horrmann, international hotel critic from Berlin and publisher of travel publications, is the focal point of the quite emotional discussions on service standards, test criteria, industry use and fouling one’s own nest. The new series on RTL, which recently achieved the top results of the day with a 17 percent market share (episode on Hotel Les Nations Berlin), had its biggest boost from a recommendation by federal association Dehoga – never officially confirmed, but reported by a reliable source – to better not apply for the TV examination.

An ambitious marketing plan, to stimulate both inbound and outbound markets with attractive promotional packages to bring MICE travelers to Thailand – estimated revenue for 2009: >Baht 40 billion

Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is moving fast to implement five new strategies to revive and stimulate Thailand’s MICE industry in 2009. As part of its highly integrated marketing and PR strategy, and a substantial injection of government funds to support special promotional packages, TCEB has brought together the public and private sectors to work together to address the challenges facing the MICE sector.

by editorial office, ch, tophotel

Severe crises were overcome, and the present difficulties, too, will do no harm to Kempinski Hotel Atlantic on the Außenalster pond in Hamburg, now 100 years in operation. The honorable establishment had its grand opening on May 02, 1909, and its 250 rooms were fully booked shortly after. Big times and names are linked with the establishment, which was fundamentally influenced by legends of the hotel business, such as Oscar H. Geyer (General Manager from 1932 to 68) and Karl T. Walterspiel (1986-1995).

Air Berlin, Germany’s second-largest airline company, was able to increase its revenue per available seat kilometer for April 2009, with revenue rising by 13 percent to 5.86 euro cents (04/2008: 5.19 euro cents). In comparison with the corresponding month of the previous year, the number of passengers transported decreased from 2,242,575 to 2,166,034 (-3.4 percent). Fleet capacity utilization narrowed to 76.4 percent (-2.4 percentage points), while capacity was reduced by 0.4 percent.

According to a recent survey, travelers expect a high level of comfort on flights. While the frequency of flights may decline due to the economic crisis, the expectations in regards to comfort stay. Travelers expect airlines to take measures with clear environmental implications. One thousand Germans were surveyed on the topic in February 2009.