Hilton Hotels & Resorts today opened its 10th hotel in China – Hilton Xi’an. Conveniently located in the heart of midtown Xi’an and just minutes away from the Ming City Wall and city landmark Bell Tower, it is Hilton Worldwide’s first Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in Northwest China and the company’s 20th hotel in the country.
Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide, said, “Xi’an has always been an important cultural and industrial hub, and now it is continuing its growth as a center of tourism. Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of hotels in China is growing rapidly with more than 80 properties in the pipeline, and we are extremely excited to now have a presence from our flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand in such a key location.”

by Reinhard Hohler, Chiang Mai
According to media sources in Phnom Penh, Cambodian and Thai travel agents are scheduled to meet to discuss ways to boost tourism in both countries after being affected by continuous border dispute since 2008, Chairman of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) Ang Kim Eang said.
The one-day meeting will be held on August 27 in coastal Sihanoukville, some 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh, he said, adding that it will bring together 28 Cambodian tour and travel agents and 66 Thai travel agents.

Werner Gessner, the wellknown Hospitality Specialist, has received the honorary award from the New York City Food & Beverages association for his contribution to the culinary field and trend setting in California cusine in Los Angeles / USA. He guided and planed several openings in Miami, New York City and Seattle. Washinghton was his latest opening, before returning back to Europe and then back to the middle east where he opened several 5 * hotels.
Now he is taking a creative break in Switzerland

Close to 1000 hosted buyers responded to the IMEX in Frankfurt 2011 post-show survey and results once again confirm IMEX’s commitment to outstanding business, networking and education opportunities. Lending further credence to a continued upswing in overall market activity and optimism, buyers confirmed they placed orders worth $508 million during the show, a rise of nearly 12.8% (2010: $450 million). The 1000 buyers also expect to place orders valued at around $2.2 billion in the nine months following the exhibition.
Other findings show that 14 hours was the average amount of time hosted buyers spent on the show floor meeting with exhibitors; another increase of 12% compared to last year. This statistic underpins the importance that IMEX attaches to not allowing education or exhibitor events to be held away from the show floor during business hours.

Solid growth in revenue: up 5.8% like-for-like1 to €2,973 million Steep increase in EBIT: up 44% like-for-like1 to €199 million Sharp improvement in EBITDAR margin: up 1.1 point to 30.2% * Solid financial position: funds from operations/adjusted net debt at 23.1%2 Expansion: full-year objective of 30,000 rooms confirmed Ongoing deployment of the asset management program with the disposal of 65 hotel properties during the period
First-half 2011 was shaped by: Continued strong growth led by a steady rise in occupancy rates and a gradual recovery in average room rates. Consolidation of the business model and a solid operating performance with a very good 51.5% flow-through ratio (excluding the impact of events in Egypt and Ivory Coast). Improvement in EBITDAR margin, up 1.1 point like-for-like to 30.2%. Pursuit of the disposal program: more than 7,400 rooms refinanced for an impact of €191 million on adjusted net debt.

With confidence in Thailand’s capability to host the World Expo 2020, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) debuts its newly launched project: ‘World Expo 2020: Believe in Thailand’. TCEB aims to enhance public awareness, support and participation in the bidding for the World Expo 2020. In cooperation with Bangkok Metropolitan Authority, Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery, TCEB is releasing the ‘World Expo Troop’ in six key business districts, highlighting ‘Bangkok…the Gateway to World Expo 2020 Ayutthaya’ as part of the campaign.