[Source: EventScotland] Taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 5 March, guests gathered to see 18 individuals, businesses and events honoured for their contribution to the tourism sector.

Paisley Halloween Festival took home the Best Cultural Event or Festival award, while Salomon Skyline Scotland 2018 was named Best Sporting Event. The business events sector was also recognised, with The All-Energy Exhibition & Conference 2019, which took place at the Scottish Event Campus lifting the trophy for Best Business Event.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018 was also recognised with the inaugural Inclusive Tourism accolade while Brigadier David Allfrey received the prestigious Johnstons of Elgin Silver Thistle Award for his exemplary work as Director of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and his wider contributions to Scotland’s tourism and events industry.

There was also a special award for The 2019 Solheim Cup. The special recognition award was accepted by European Solheim Cup Director for the Ladies European Tour, Polly Clark with a video message from Team Europe Captain, Catriona Matthew.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, said: "The Scottish Thistle Awards are a fantastic celebration of our vibrant tourism and events industry. Last night's final was as always a special event, congratulations to all the nominees and winners. For the events industry I was delighted to see Paisley Halloween Festival, Salomon Skyline Scotland 2018 and The All-Energy Exhibition & Conference 2019 all come away winners as well as the special recognition for The Solheim Cup and Silver Thistle for Brigadier David Alfrey. All were truly deserving."

[Source: VisitScotland] The award for Innovation in Tourism, sponsored by Geotourist, went to Invisible Cities in recognition of their use of innovation to commit to the future of tourism in Scotland. Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city. Judges commended the business for playing a major part in social tourism, as well as the role the business plays in supporting staff to gain transferrable skills to move onto other roles.

“On behalf of the industry panel, I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of the national winners of the 2019/20 Scottish Thistle Awards. These awards are firmly established within the tourism industry in Scotland and these winners should feel very proud to join the prestigious roll of honour that celebrates innovation, success and excellence in the Scottish hospitality and tourism sector,” said Rebecca Brooks, Chair of the Scottish Thistle Awards Industry Panel and VisitScotland Board Member.

The Scottish Thistle Awards are led by a panel of industry experts from several organisations including VisitScotland, Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards, Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards, the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, sportscotland and Wild Scotland.

For the full list of winners from the Scottish Thistle Awards national final visit www.scottishthistleawards.co.uk.

Entries and nominations for 2020/2021 awards are now live! Could your business or event join this prestigious role of honour? To be in with a chance click here to enter free today.

[Source: Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance] Figures released by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance demonstrate that the sport tourism industry continued to have a significant impact on the Canadian economy in 2017. According to custom data tabulations from the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) and the International Travel Survey (ITS), Canada saw a continued rise in the value of sport tourism, with a total expenditure of $6.8 billion, an increase of more than $33 million over 2016.

The most significant increases occurred in the spending of visitors from the USA and worldwide.

International sport tourism from both markets continued their steady increase with 2017 up 5 per cent over the previous year.

The volume of sport tourism visitors from the U.S. rose 3 per cent, while the volume of sport tourism visitors from overseas rose 2 per cent.

International visitors accounted for 35 per cent of the total value of sport tourism in Canada, up from 27 per cent in 2014.

“Canada continues to be a very attractive host country for many international events, which draws people coming to compete, support and spectate at those events,” said Rick Traer, CEO, Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance.

“We have a stellar reputation for our expertise in hosting both summer and winter sports, with excellent facilities, organizational abilities, welcoming volunteers, and strong hosting program financial support at the federal and provincial levels.”

There has also been a concerted effort to market Canada as a preferred host for international sport events, said Traer.

“Working with Destination Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, CBC Sports and a number of destinations across Canada, we have successfully marketed Canada on the world stage, at major international conferences including SportAccord and others.

“In 2017, Canada hosted 41 international events that qualified for funding under the federal government’s hosting program, second only to the USA in terms of the number held in any one country. That was a major factor in the growth of the sport tourism industry.”

Traer was also pleased to see the industry continue to thrive without a major multi-sport event held in 2017. “We saw visitation increase significantly in 2015, when Canada hosted both the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 in six different cities and the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games in Toronto. Seeing the steady increase in the past two years, without a major sport event as a draw, demonstrates just how effective our destinations and sport rights holders have been in bidding for and hosting events.”

Domestically in the sport tourism market, the number of overnight visitors from within Canada was virtually unchanged as compared to 2016 whereas the number of same-day travellers registered a 9 per cent decline. While there was a 4 per cent increase in the overall value of the sport tourism market for domestic overnight travellers, there was a surprising 21 per cent decrease in the value of same-day travellers. However, as the overnight market is significantly larger than the same-day market, the overall value of domestic sport tourism decreased slightly by 2 per cent overall.

A new brand and digital platform has been launched in Florence to promote the Italian city’s tourism offering.

Called ‘Destination Florence’, the project was revealed by the Firenze Convention and Visitors Bureau in partnership with the Municipality of Florence.

Destination Florence will be able to track tourism flow and to expand, deepen and diversify the experiential offerings. The main goals are to encourage incoming tourists with a high spending profile, to extend the average length of stay, to expand and diversify tourist offerings, to track attendances and tourism behavior and, overall, to improve the image of Florence worldwide.

The project also includes the www.destinationflorence.com portal, an important and strategic instrument for promotion and the digital hub of the city. The online platform will allow the cross selling of all the services of Florence, ranging from tickets for museums, theatres, sporting events, taxis, and city tours. Booking hotels will also be a feature of the platform through WebBookingPass, an integrated online platform.

Going fully live in July, the Destination Florence platform will also develop a system that allows to monitor the travellers’ presence, their habits and access to the most frequently used services. It will also allow to get deep knowledge about travellers origins and behaviors. For instance, these tools will help understand new methods and strategies for bookings, methods of operators certification, management of prices according to demand and how to encourage the return of visitors.

The Polish city of Krakow has been confirmed as the host city of the third International Congress on Ethics and Tourism on 27-28 April 2017.

The event is being organised by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with the European Commission (EC) and the Government of Poland, focussing on promoting a more sustainable tourism sector.

The 2nd International Congress on Ethics and Tourism took place in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito in 2012, following the first edition in Madrid in 2011.

The revival of the event in 2017 has particular significance as it coincides with the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to be celebrated throughout the year.

“I have gladly accepted the decision of the World Tourism Organization to choose Poland as a host for the third edition of the International Congress on Ethics and Tourism” said Witold Bańka, Minister of Sport and Tourism.

“Poland is actively channelling efforts to implement ethical standards among the tourism organisations in their everyday business. I am confident that the great atmosphere of Krakow, one of the most beautiful sites in Europe, will foster thoughtful discussions and yield positive results of the Congress.”

Issues of governance and corporate social responsibility, responsible consumption patterns and universal accessibility will be discussed, as well as effective management models for natural and cultural resources, UNWTO said in a statement.

Also on the agenda are inclusive tourism practices that spread the benefits of tourism development by empowering local communities and individuals – particularly women, youth, indigenous people and persons with disabilities. The congress will also highlight the competitive advantages of investing in a more inclusive and diverse tourism sector.

“With more than 1.2 billion international tourists crossing international borders in one single year and the prospects of continuous growth, it is crucial that we manage growth in an ethical and responsible manner” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.

“The tourism sector needs to build equitable partnerships and adopt effective national policies and sustainable business strategies in all areas of development.”

The 3rd International Congress on Ethics and Tourism will be held within the framework of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in the framework of the cooperation between UNWTO and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW), with the support of the EC and the Government of Poland.

A group of prominent companies and trade associations with sound CSR policies and strategies will sign a “Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism” at the event.

Qatar aims to almost double tourism’s share of GDP over the next 16 years through investments from government and business. The bold vision was announced at the launch of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 on Monday.

"Our aim is to have the tourism industry contribute a total of 5.1 per cent of GDP by 2030, up from 2.6 per cent today,” said Hassan Al Ibrahim, director of strategy at the Qatar Tourism Authority. 

“USD 40 to 45 billion of investments by the government and the private sector will make this vision a reality."

The FIFA World Cup in 2022 will be a phenomenal showcase for Qatar and the country is under pressure to deliver a legacy for the tourism and events sectors.

"The strategy strives to fully capitalise on Qatar's tourism potential and represents the aspirations of the Qatari people for the future of their country,” said His Excellency Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, chairman of the Qatar Tourism Authority.

The strategy envisions Qatar as “a world class hub with deep cultural roots”, further placing the country on the world tourism map and allowing people from around the world to recognize and appreciate what it has to offer via its unique culture and heritage.

"Tourism is a vital pillar in Qatar's development efforts and a key driver of socio-economic growth in the country" said Al Mohannadi.

1.2 million people visited Qatar in 2012, mainly from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. The tourism authority is seeking to widen the range of markets of origin by setting up eight new satellite offices in key outbound markets, in addition to existing offices in London and Paris. 

"Our target is to attract 7 million visitors to Qatar from all over the world by 2030," said Al Ibrahim. 

With a target of USD 10.7bn to be generated from tourism in 2030, the strategy places much greater emphasis on the private sector in the economy with an increased role for entrepreneurship and SMEs. 

It is hoped that investments in infrastructure already underway will bring rewards. The new Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), described by the tourism authority as a “game-changer for the MICE sector,” is scheduled to open in 2014. Also opening in 2014 is Hamad International Airport, which promises to become an important hub for transit passengers.