HG Travel Recognised As Leading Inbound Tour Operator With Coveted Vietnam Tourism Award 2016

Leading Southeast Asian destination management company (DMC), HG Travel, has been recognised as one of the country's "Leading Inbound Tour Operators" at the 16th annual Vietnam Tourism Awards, given to tourism companies that have demonstrated excellence in their products and client services.

Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet, managing director of of HG Travel Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) receives the annual Vietnam Tourism Award at Hanoi Opera House. For high res image please click here.

Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet, managing director of HG Travel Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), received the award on behalf of the company at a prestigious award ceremony held on 7 July, 2016 at the Hanoi Opera House.

"HG Travel currently handles 50,000 inbound arrivals from regional and global source markets. We're truly honoured to have been recognised for our contribution to tourism in Vietnam," said Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet.

Presented annually by the Vietnam Tourism Association, in partnership with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Vietnam Tourism Award has become one of the most coveted accolades for local and international tourism enterprises operating in the country.

"This year's award is even more special as it accompanies the 56th anniversary of Vietnam Tourism Day," said HG Holdings CEO Tran Thanh Nam. "It also comes on the back of the recent extension of visa exemptions for visitors from some of our key source markets. We will therefore continue showcasing the best that this country has to offer to the world."

The accolade is particularly timely given HG Travel's strategic Asia-wide rollout plan over the next 12 months. The Hanoi-headquartered DMC is establishing a network of operations in the region – manned by seasoned experts in all key markets – to bolster its established presence in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

About HG Travel:
Established in 1997, HG Travel Group has become a leading destination management company specializing in travel to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. With offices worldwide staffed with travel professionals, the company provides trade partners with access to a comprehensive range of travel products and services. In 2015 it handled over 50,000 arrivals to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar managed by its offices and on the ground expertise in each of the countries.

Film Tourism Boosts European Rail Bookings

According to Rail Europe, the world's largest distributor rail passes and tickets, European cities and countries that have made it to the big screens continue to play a significant role in attracting travellers from Australia and New Zealand.

Manager Australasia of Rail Europe, Ingrid Kocijan, says there is no doubt that the upward trend in rail bookings to certain destinations is due to their direct involvement in major blockbuster movies or TV series.

"While film-induced tourism considerably influences our booking numbers, when combined with the increased accessibility and affordability to travel to Europe, numbers can skyrocket, " says Ingrid. "This year, for example, we can report that countries including Spain, Austria and Switzerland, all of which have been involved in major motion pictures recently, enjoyed a healthy increase in the number of train travellers from Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2016.

Year-on-year records show that Rail Europe bookings for Spain increased by 15% from Jan-May this year, while Austria bookings went up by just over 10%. The biggest increase, however, came from rail package bookings for Switzerland, which recorded close to 80% increase during the same period.

Austria provided a number of spectacular filming locations for Spectre, the 24th series of the long running Bond Franchise, while Switzerland was featured in the true story of British ski-jumper Eddie Edwards, Eddie the Eagle and the critically acclaimed UK mini series of The Night Manager.

Then there was the filming of the fifth and sixth season of American fantasy TV series, Game of Thrones, which took place in the southern region of Andalucía and Navarra in northern Spain. Part of the latest Bourne Franchise, Jason Bourne, was also filmed in Spain, specifically in Barcelona.

"Often, film tourism can help put lesser known destinations on the radar for travellers, while increasing visitor numbers to major urban hubs," adds Ingrid. "For a continent like Europe, this works tremendously well for train travellers as the rail network is extremely wide, highly efficient, convenient and importantly for many travellers, cost effective."

Australasia continues to deliver impressive sales numbers when compared to other more populous regions, dominating as one of Rail Europe's top three regions for ticket sales globally.

The Cyber Pickpocket you’ll never see coming: RFID card security for travellers

It’s the call no one wants to get. It’s the first week of your month-long holiday. Your credit card has been skimmed and the bank is cancelling your card. Okay, most banks will guarantee the money and you won’t lose, but you can end up spending the rest of your holiday trying to obtain a new card.

"Oh, no!"

I was lucky. It was a short trip and I was home before my bank called telling me my card had been compromised and that they were cancelling it. As it turned out, all my travelling companions had fallen victim, most likely at the same time by the same perpetrator. We got off lightly.

Racking our brains, we all tried to figure out which store we’d been to that may have stolen our credit card details. My bank was not being at all helpful, just telling me that it was some time during my trip to Fiji the week prior.

Now fast forward to a travel expo I attended today and I meet Mike Casey of Travel Guard who is displaying an array of wallets, passport holders and document folios touting a big ‘digital security’ sign.

Yes, I knew about the RFID (Radio-frequency identification) technology being rapidly introduced into our bank cards, passports and even hotel keycards. Yes, I knew there were concerns about the security of this technology. And yes, I knew there were consumer countermeasures available for folks like me.

Wallets full of cards and data

What I did not know was just how darned easy it is to actually acquire the data from people’s cards without them even knowing.

“Watch this,” says Mike as he grabs an old bank card and his smartphone. “All I need to do is pass the phone next to your card and … voila … I have all your data, card number, expiry date, everything.”

The phone is equipped with a readily and legally available card reader downloaded from Google Play Store. Of course, to convert that data into something useful, some more kit is required but the ease of that was demonstrated to guests at a recent hacker conference in Washington. Security researcher, Kristin Paget, used about $350 in equipment to wirelessly read a volunteer’s RFID-enabled credit card and then encode its key data onto a blank card. Then, in the next minute, she used that newly encoded card to make a payment to herself.

When I related my Fiji experience to Mike, he was certain that we’d fallen victim to a skimming racket that likely captured data from all our cards and everyone else’s around us. In such an instance, Mike believes a hacker used simple, hobby store components to build an enhanced RFID scanner with sufficient range to capture data at a distance outside one’s normal ‘personal space.’

Cards displaying the payWave logo contain RFID technology

“Hackers are building these longer range devices into backpacks and suitcases, then lurking at places like airports and shopping malls and literally scooping heaps of data,” says Mike.

This disconcerting practice is supported by police reports.

"If I had one of those [devices] in my pocket, satchel or briefcase, and you were standing next to me on a train and your wallet was in your back pocket and I moved near enough to activate the signal on the RFID, well then I've got your details," said Detective Inspector Brian Hay, from Queensland Police's fraud and cybercrime squad.

Travel Guard RFID blocking card

The expert credit-security company, Veda, analysed frauds on Australian banks and credit providers, finding an overall rise of 27 per cent and a 103 per cent spike in identity theft in 2014.

There are other shortcomings and vulnerabilities in the whole RFID system that I will leave you, the reader, to determine for yourself with a few minutes of Google research.

So, having been (most likely) the victim of RFID data theft myself, I would advocate the purchase of what Mike was selling, namely a range of Travel Guard security wallets and blocking cards. I now have one in my pocket.

There are others who would argue that the risk of RFID data theft is so low that the fear is generated so that vendors of blocking technology can keep selling their stuff. The reader will need to make that decision for themselves, but after travelling for years through airports and hotels all around the world, they finally got me and I’m not taking the risk anymore.

For details and purchasing information, visit: www.travelguard.net.au

PATA announces 2016 Grand and Gold Award Winners

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2106 PATA Grand and Gold Awards. Proudly supported and sponsored by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) for the last 21 years, this year's awards recognise the achievements of 26 separate organisations and individuals.

PATA will present 31 Grand and Gold Awards to such organisations as the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), EXO Travel, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hotel ICON, Jetwing Hotels, Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia, Tourism Authority of Thailand and Tourism Malaysia.

The awards luncheon and presentation takes place at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Greater Jakarta, Banten Province, Indonesia on Friday, September 9, 2016 during PATA Travel Mart 2016.

Miss Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, said, “The PATA Gold Awards 2016 winners reveal a variety of creative new ways that can be effective in advancing the tourism industry while following sustainable principles, in a valuable contribution to inspire good practices in the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific.”

Dr. Mario Hardy, PATA CEO, added, “On behalf of PATA, I would like to congratulate the 2016 Grand and Gold Award winners and to thank all of this year’s participants for their submissions. This year’s winners exemplify the values of the Association in working towards a more responsible travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region and we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at the PATA Gold Awards luncheon and presentation at PATA Travel Mart 2016 in Indonesia.

The PATA Grand Awards are presented to outstanding entries in four principal categories: Marketing; Education and Training; Environment, and Heritage and Culture.

Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka will receive the 2016 PATA Grand Award for Education and Training for its ‘A Journey of Hope and Progress - The Jetwing Youth Development Project’. The Jetwing Youth Development Project (JYDP) is an initiative designed to empower rural youth who are underprivileged and do not enjoy the opportunities for higher education or meaningful career prospects. Providing free training to school leavers from disadvantaged families in locations of Jetwing Hotels around the country, JYDP offers both practical and theoretical training to prepare them for a career in the travel and tourism industry. JYDP enables them to acquire suitable employment within Jetwing Hotels as well as creating equal opportunities for them to find employment elsewhere. As well as providing them with life skills, they also gain valuable exposure to communities beyond their village helping towards positive cultural integration.

The Environmental award will be presented to Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, for its ‘Sands ECO360°’. With the ECO360° Meetings programme, Marina Bay Sands provides like-minded clients with responsible meeting practices as part of its standard services at no additional cost. The programme offers additional options which can help clients to meet their event’s specific sustainability priorities such as increasing the options in the local food harvest menu(freshest ingredients sourced), developing the quality and quantity of the venue’s communications to event participants, producing a complimentary event impact statement and improving the energy efficiency of the MICE building.

The Heritage and Culture Award will be awarded to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), for its ‘One and Only Project in Discover Thainess Campaign’. The TAT organised ‘One and Only Project in Discover Thainess Campaign’ by inviting any foreigners who are interested in Thainess and have experienced Thailand’s traveling to participate in the Project. The participants were required to submit their video clips under the theme of ‘Discover Thainess’, filmed in any of these five topics: Muay Thai, Thai dancing, Thai cooking, Thai flower garland making and Thai language.

Three teams, with two persons in each team, were invited to Thailand to participate in activities related to these five topics. . Video clips of their activities in Thailand were uploaded daily onwww.tourismthailand.org/discoverthainess. Visitors to this website voted to determine the winner.

The Marketing Award will be presented to Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) for its ‘Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations Campaign’. In order to fully utilise the power of social media the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched a promotion for the Hong Kong’s New Year Countdown Celebrations with an integrated campaign that allowed people around the world to broadcast their blessings to their loved ones as well as to participate at the New Year Countdown event via a live-stream broadcast.

PATA Grand Award 2016
Education and Training
A Journey of Hope and Progress - The Jetwing Youth Development Project
Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka

PATA Grand Award 2016
Environment
Sands ECO360°
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

PATA Grand Award 2016
Heritage and Culture
One and Only Project in Discover Thainess Campaign
Tourism Authority of Thailand

PATA Grand Award 2016
Marketing
Hong Kong New Years Countdown Celebrations Campaign
Hong Kong Tourism Board

********************************************************
PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing - Primary Government Destination
Total Solar Eclipse Indonesia
Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing - Secondary Government Destination
NSW South Coast Campaign
Destination NSW, Australia

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing - Carrier
Match.com Brand Partnership
Fiji Airways, USA

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing - Hotel
Ways to wow
Hotel ICON, Hong Kong SAR

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing - Industry
Thailand Boutique Awards
Krungthai Card Public Company Limited, Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing - Youth Travel
Universal Studios Singapore's Halloween Horror Nights 5
Resort World Sentosa, Singapore

PATA Gold Award 2016
CSR
EXO Travel CSR Programme
EXO Travel, Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2016
Education and Training
Introducing young TEC – New Zealand training future tourism leaders
Tourism Export Council New Zealand

PATA Gold Award 2016
Environment - Corporate Environmental Programme
The TreadRight Foundation's Wild Coverage across Planet
The Travel Corporation

PATA Gold Award 2016
Environment - Ecotourism Project
Low Carbon Holiday Initiative Project
DASTA, Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2016
Environment - Educational Programme
Eco Walk the Frangipani Langkawi Resort and Spa
The Frangipani Langkawi Resort and Spa, Malaysia

PATA Gold Award 2016
Heritage and Culture - Heritage
Stone Houses, the heritage of Matsu Islands
Tourism Bureau, Chinese Taipei

PATA Gold Award 2016
Heritage and Culture - Culture
Lalare Orchestra
Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Consumer Travel Brochure
Perfect Moments - Luxury Travel by SOTC
SOTC Travel Services Pvt. Ltd., India

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Mobile Travel Application
Step Out, Macao Mobile App
Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao SAR

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Promotional Travel Video
Visit Nepal after the Earthquake
Adventure Travel Trade Association, USA

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Public Relations Campaign
Papua New Guinea's Past, Present, Future Photo Exhibit Event
Tourism Papua New Guinea, USA

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - E-Newsletter
Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter
Kerala Tourism, India

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media
Visit Kerala
Kerala Tourism, India

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Travel Advertisement Print Media
2016 Calendar: K-Food
Korea Tourism Organization, Korea (ROK)

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Travel Poster
Landmark of Malaysia
Tourism Malaysia

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Web site
Mekong Tourism.org Digital Platform
Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2016
Marketing Media - Social Media
Discover Hong Kong Facebook Fan Page
Hong Kong Tourism Board

PATA Gold Award 2016
Travel Journalism - Destination Article
Da Nang Breathing Fire by Roderick Eime
Vacation & Travel, October/November 2015, Australia

PATA Gold Award 2016
Travel Journalism - Industry Business Article
The New Glamorous, TTG Asia Luxury December 2015
by Mimi Hudoyo and Raini Hamdi
TTG Asia Media PTE LTD, Singapore

PATA Gold Award 2016
Travel Journalism - Travel Guide Book
Thailand from the Air
Tourism Authority of Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2016
Travel Journalism - Travel Photograph
Journey of the Wanderer by Handi Lakonso
Colours, Inflight magazine of Garuda Indonesia, April 2015
Agency Fish, Indonesia

Honourable Mention
PATA Gold Award 2016 - Marketing
The RoadTrip: Asia 2015
Contiki Holidays, United Kingdom



About PATA

Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 29 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 63 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 43 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members' desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA's Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney and London.

Switzerland Tourism: See Basel from a Rhine Swim

Switzerland Tourism suggests travellers visiting Basel this summer to join in the fun at the annual Basel Rhine Swim taking place on 16 August.

Hosted by the Swiss Lifesaving Society SLRG Basel, the event not only promotes the sport, but importantly, appreciating the city's natural assets and a healthy lifestyle.

Director of Switzerland Tourism AU & NZ, Mark Wettstein, says swimming in the Rhine during the warm summer months is very much a popular local activity which more visitors should participate in as it helps them meet locals and experience the local lifestyle.

"There is no better way to experience a city like a local than to jump in and do what they do," says Mark. "Swimming in the Rhine to relax and cool off on a warm day is what many locals enjoy doing whether it's during the day, after work or on weekends. It's social and as a visitor, it also gives one a slightly different perspective of the city and of city life in Switzerland.

"The fact is we are never far from the mountains or water in Switzerland, and every opportunity we have, be it in the city or countryside, we will try to connect with our surrounds as much as possible through activities and events," he adds. "And we strongly encourage our visitors to do the same as that makes up a large part of their authentic Swiss experience.

Basel is a 53min train ride from Zurich and 1hr from Luzern. The Basel Rhine Swim event is scheduled to start at 18:00hr on Tuesday 16 August at Schaffhauserrheinweg 93 by the Münsterfähre ferry on the bank of the Rhine in Kleinbasel. It will end at Leuengasse / Johanniterbrücke.

Accompanied by water vessels and lifeguards, swimmers at the event can drift down the Rhine for about 15 minutes over a distance of approximately 1.8 km. During the event, the Rhine will be closed to boats and ships.

As a safety precaution, visitors should speak to locals on the common rules of swimming in the Rhine as the waterway is shared with river cruise ships and boats. More information can also be obtained from the local tourist office or on www.myswitzerland.com and www.basel.ch.

EagleRider Australia opens in Melbourne

The Australian arm of EagleRider is proud to announce the opening of a new location that has truly been a long time coming. Having already serviced the cities of Cairns, Sydney, and Brisbane, it's only natural that the great city of Melbourne is the next to receive full access to all that the world of motorcycling has to offer.

Centrally located on the doorstep to Yarra Valley, EagleRider Melbourne allows quick access to iconic motorcycling hits like the Black Spur Road, the Great Ocean Road, the Victorian Alps, North East Victoria, Phillip Island, and the mighty Australian outback.


Chris McIntyre, Founder and CEO of EagleRider, comments on the new location: "Managed by Stephen Camm—an avid rider himself—EagleRider Melbourne enables the adventures and dreams of thousands of new Australians and we are proud to make that happen for the country and the people that have been so good to us."

Wine country, gold fields, riverside locations and panoramic ocean views... See it all there at EagleRider Melbourne!

NSW’s top accommodation and business events hotels honoured at industry’s night of nights

NSW's top accommodation hotels were honoured last night at a glittering ceremony in the new Grand Ballroom of the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney which saw the Park Hyatt Sydney and Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley recognised as the deluxe hotels of the year (Sydney and Regional).

A crowd of more than 600 industry representatives gathered at the Four Points by Sheraton for the industry's "night of nights": the 2016 Tourism Accommodation Australia (NSW) Awards for Excellence.

The TAA Awards marked the first tourism industry event attended by Keith Pitt MP in his newly appointed role as Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment in the Federal Government.

A record 300 plus nominations were received this year from 71 hotels across 34 categories showcasing the best in the accommodation sector.

The Park Hyatt Sydney won Sydney Deluxe Hotel of the Year whilst Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley took out the Regional Deluxe Hotel of the Year title.

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour is Sydney Superior Hotel of the Year, while Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains won Regional Superior Hotel of the Year.

The award for Mid-range Hotel of the Year went to Atura Blacktown which also won Brasserie/Café of the Year for its Roadhouse Bar and Grill.

The State's leading business events hotels were also recognised, with the award for Function Venue of the Year going to InterContinental Sydney Double Bay; Conference Hotel of the Year Metropolitan Hotels went to Sheraton on the Park; and Château Élan at The Vintage Hunter Valley was named Conference Hotel of the Year Regional Hotels.

The award for Redeveloped Hotel of the Year went to The Old Clare Hotel while Apartment/Suite Hotel of the Year was won by Fraser Suites Sydney.

The Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley were the most successful regional areas, with The Hydro Majestic Hotel taking the award for Hotel Chef of the Year (Mate Herceg) and Lilianfels' Darley's Restaurant named Regional Restaurant of the Year. Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley took out two awards for individual excellence.

Staff from the Hilton Sydney had a good night with Morgan Meredith grabbing the gong for Hotel Industry Rising Star and Hayden Gibson winning the award for Employee Excellence in Service.

Last night's entries into the TAA NSW Hall of Fame, recognising 3 consecutive years of excellence in the category, were The Sydney Boulevard Hotel for Outstanding Community Service and Achievement and the InterContinental Sydney for Workplace Health and Safety Hotel of the Year.

Chair of TAA NSW Peter Tudehope said the excellent quality of all nominees and winners showed the very high standards of the tourism accommodation industry in NSW.

"NSW truly is setting a high benchmark for the rest of Australia, and indeed internationally, when it comes to accommodation hotels," he said.

"The quality of our venues really is on display here tonight . Our award winners represent the huge investment, hard work, dedication and drive of our industry right across NSW; from the regions to the heart of the Sydney CBD. I congratulate all winners."

2016 TAA (NSW) Award for Excellence winners also include:

·        Health Club and Spa Facilities of the Year: Emirates One&Only Spa, Wolgan Valley (Regional winner) and The Darling Spa, The Star (Metropolitan winner)

·        Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year (Deluxe): Bentley Restaurant + Bar, Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney and Momofuku Seiobo, The Star (joint winners)

·        Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year (Mid-Range/Superior hotels): Steeds Club Grill & Bar, Rydges Parramatta

·        Workplace Health and Safety Hotel of the Year: Crowne Plaza, Terrigal

·        Outstanding Achievement in Training: Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney

·        Outstanding Community Service and Achievement: The Westin Sydney

·        Best Environmental Practices (Metropolitan): InterContinental Sydney

·        Best Environmental Practices (Regional): Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley

 www.tourismaccommodation.com.au