UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) and the Government of the Principality of Andorra have agreed to organize a leading global tourism forum during the first quarter of 2011.

The announcement was made jointly by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and the Minister of Economy and Finance of Andorra, Pere López, following the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the UNWTO.Themis Foundation held on 12 April in Andorrala Vella.

Both GSAR Marketing MICE travel trade markets, MITM Euromed and MITM Americas, Meetings and Incentive Travel Market, have new webs: www.mitmeuromed.com and www.mitmamericas.com.

Now, both webs are more user friendly, clear, easy to work with and fully informative.

by Joachim Fischer, presently in Guangzhou, China

Spain International Exhibition Office announced a new gastronomic project with Michelin chefs to showcase the Spanish food & drink culture during Shanghai EXPO.

Food & drink is the resource of the culture fusion. There will be 217 countries to attend the Shanghai World EXPO and there is no better chance to exhibit the rich Spanish food and its products in this world class event.

by Joachim Fischer, The Garden Hotel, Guangzhou, China

The Lingnan Group is one of the largest travel trade groups in China and takes advantage of all its unique resources to provide superior services and the highest standard of quality to its customers.

Under the Lingnan brand name are more than 62 Hotels with series brands throughout China including several five-star hotels, such as the Garden Hotel Guangzhou, the first and only “Chinese platinum 5-Star Hotel” in South China

by Joachim Fischer, Guangzhou, China

The Rezidor Hotel Group – one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide – announces the appointment of Elie Younes as Vice President Business Development Middle East & Africa. Based in Dubai, Younes will directly report to Puneet Chhatwal, Rezidor’s Chief Development Officer at the group’s head office in Brussels.

by Joachim Fischer, currently in Guangzhou, China

More than 20 years ago, the present editor-in-chief of Tourism-Insider, Joachim Fischer, paid his first visit to the South Chinese city of Guangzhou, also known as Canton.

In the 5-Star White Swan Hotel on the city’s Shamian peninsula he met Xie Wei Jie, the former trainee, who had recently gotten back from a language and training course in Germany. The young Chinese was happy to meet somebody from Germany with whom he could talk in his new language.