SBWire

The main event impacting incoming tourism to Poland in 2012 was EURO 2012. The football matches attracted several hundred thousand fans from countries with teams participating in the championship. Another factor that has helped boost the number of incoming tourists has been fast development of medical tourism and a qualitative business environment in main Polish cities influencing growth in business tourism.

The Mauritian travel and tourism market suffered a significant downfall in 2009 due to the eurozone crisis, as the country's tourism sector was largely dependent on international visitors, particularly from European countries. Following 2009, growth was recorded in international arrivals and expenditure, driven by government initiatives to promote Mauritian tourism offerings in key source markets in Europe, as well as in emerging markets such as China and India.

Inbound travel to Hungary is largely dependent on the economic strength of key source markets in Europe; as such, we saw little growth in 2012. More positive figures were seen in 2013, with arrivals reaching 10.7mn, up from 10.4mn in 2012. We expect growth in inbound arrivals to accelerate from 2014 to reach an annual arrivals figure of 13.0mn in 2018. Only one country from outside Europe makes it into the top 10 markets for arrivals to Hungary, and in the longer term, diversification would reduce Hungary's vulnerability to economic downturn among its neighbours.

The Mauritian travel and tourism market suffered a significant downfall in 2009 due to the eurozone crisis, as the country's tourism sector was largely dependent on international visitors, particularly from European countries. Following 2009, growth was recorded in international arrivals and expenditure, driven by government initiatives to promote Mauritian tourism offerings in key source markets in Europe, as well as in emerging markets such as China and India.

Health and wellness tourism in South Korea showed positive retail current value growth in 2012, of 5%; this was mostly due to the increasing popularity of medical tourism in South Korea. In 2009, the South Korean government announced medical tourism as a key area for future growth, and related policies and support have been provided to the public and private sectors. The Ministry of Health and Wellness announced that medical tourism has been seeing remarkable growth in the number of patients...

Although the number of outgoing trips fell by 1% in 2012, tourist expenditure increased by 4%. The slight decrease in the number of trips can be explained by the on-going economic recession in Europe while the increase in tourist expenditure shows that people who are travelling are willing to spend more in order to have quality or even luxury holidays.

TUI AG has had a successful year in 2013, with a rise in group profit enabling a dividend payment to shareholders for the first time in five years. The company appointed a new CEO who implemented the oneTUI restructuring plan which aimed to reduce costs, streamline administrative processes and position the company business model towards content and brand orientated value. The UK and the Nordic region were the key success areas for the company in 2013, while France and Germany underperformed.

There are a range of factors that make China's IT market very attractive with strong growth prospects including the size of population, rising incomes, relatively low penetration of products and solutions and a supportive policy environment. IT spending growth in China is expected to outperform on a regional and global basis, with a CAGR of 9.7% forecast 2014-2018 as IT spending increases as a share of GDP. However, China's IT market is not without its challenges as the pool of first-time buyers diminishes and vendors struggle in the face of high levels of piracy, cyber security issues, intense competition and price-sensitive consumers. The outlook is positive overall, but as China develops, its IT market evolves and vendors offering tablets and hybrids/convertibles and services firms with strong cloud computing product portfolios are expected to outperform.

BMI holds a very positive outlook on tourism in China, with a confluence of factors expected to result in increases across all of our key market indicators throughout our forecast period to 2018. Strong domestic economic growth, and increasingly affluent middle class, is boosting outbound travel, while a relaxation of visa requirements and improvement in connectivity is driving growth in inbound arrivals.

BMI expects growth across a range of key indicators in the Thai tourism market throughout our forecast period. Despite continuing political unrest in the capital, Bangkok, we expect an increase in the number of visitors overall, with growth concentrated in traditionally popular beach destinations such as Phuket, or mountain resorts in the north of the country, in Chiang Mai.

The Brazil Tourism Report examines the significant long-term potential being offered by the local tourism industry, especially as the country is to host first the FIFA Football World Cup this year and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. However, the report also highlights long-term structural weaknesses facing Brazil's tourism market, particularly in the realm of national transport infrastructure and the shortage of hotels across the country. The latter issue indicates long-term development potential, but could lead to supply shortages during the 2014 and 2016 sporting events. The report also analyses the growth and risk management strategies being employed by some of the leading hotel players in the Brazilian tourism sector as they seek to maximise the tremendous growth opportunities.

As the spring time approaches, two things come to mind. Spring break and vacation. The spring is a time to travel to exotic islands and tropical destinations, like Hawaii. With the sights, sounds, and entertainment that Hawaii has to offer, one of the most unique experiences to take part in is a deep sea fishing excursion off the coast of Kauai. When out at sea, groups can see the outline of the island while sailing on the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. This March, Ohana Fishing Charters is announcing a ten percent discount on advance bookings for their deep sea fishing in Kauai.

Anyone looking for a bit of a bargain in the European health spa market would do well to consider Croatia. The northern coastal area in particular has a long tradition of attracting seekers of well being. And the country is stunningly beautiful.

The US Tourism Report examines the long-term potential offered by the tourism industry but highlights that the weakness of the European economies may put downward pressure on arrivals in the short term. In 2014, we forecast tourist arrivals to reach 59.9mn, representing year-on-year (y-o-y) growth of 4.1%. Growth is forecast to remain around this rate throughout the rest of the forecast period to 2018.

BookTheSpot.com, a South Africa accommodation reservations service, recently announced the launch of its new site. The new website allows users to view and book rooms in a variety of top-rated, comfortable, and secure bed & breakfasts in South Africa.

China Tour Center is a leading travel agency providing customized travel packages to various parts of China to enable customers make maximum out of their travel to this beautiful Asian country. The travel agency has great experience, expertise, efficiency and knowledge of the travel industry in China that it uses to offer great tour experience to customers at highly affordable prices.

As the warmer weather is approaching, many people are gearing up for the 2014 wedding season. As finishing touches are put on the event, groomsmen are beginning to plan the ultimate bachelor party for the groom. When looking for destinations with a plethora of entertainment for the last night or weekend trip with the guys before marriage, The Diving Horse Gentlemen's Club and Steakhouse is pleased to announce they are hosting bachelor parties this spring season.

BMI has extended its forecast period to 2018. We continue to believe that the short-term outlook for Kenyan tourism remains clouded, although there may be scope for stronger growth in visitor numbers and revenue figures towards the end of the forecast period.

Kathy Nesbit Vacations Inc., a Florida based company, is one of the most trusted names in Fort Myers for planning beach vacations. The company promises to offer best beach condo rentals at an affordable price range.

According to the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism, around 60% of tourists visit Morocco for leisure purposes because of the cultural heritage of the country. Historical buildings like Hassan in Rabat and Al Koutoubia in Marrakech and cities such as Fes attract many tourists because of their cultural heritage and many of them prefer to go there in order to discover the roots of many traditional jobs like carpentry. Many tourists also go there to see how old Fes people make leather from the skin of...

In April 2012, a State of Emergency was declared in Fiji as flash flooding and extreme weather conditions caused the Fijian government to take the extreme measure of discouraging inbound tourists, as safety could not be assured. Then, in December 2012, Tropical Cyclone Evan hit Fiji, causing flooding and widespread damage to infrastructure and utilities. However, tourism officials were quick to point out that the majority of tourism infrastructure damage remained cosmetic and that service...

Morocco has a population of over 31 million people. However only 1.8 million trips were taken abroad in 2012. Morocco suffers from poverty and social inequalities which create imbalanced standards of living (ie, "the poor get poorer and the rich get richer"). The unemployment rate in Morocco in 2012 was still high and the country is classified amongst the world's low- to middle-income countries. The majority of Moroccans people are bilingual; they speak at least Arabic and French and some speak...

Ardmore, Pennsylvania — The first lessons about foreign cultures and the world around us often begin in the classroom with the help of textbooks and teachers. To help teachers bring foreign travel and cultural lessons to life for their students, GEEO believes teachers should have the opportunity to experience worldwide travel firsthand.

Teachers spend countless hours investing in their students, often at their own expense. Lesson planning, test preparation, committee meetings, extracurricular activities, classroom management—inspiring the leaders of tomorrow has never presented more of a challenge. The Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) offers teachers a chance to refresh and an opportunity to invest in themselves. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization specializing in discounted teacher travel at geeo.org, GEEO has assembled an inspiring selection of summer trips to the Far East that will allow educators a truly unforgettable experience.

The concept of a ‘Boutique Hotel’ has been a growing trend in the tourism industry. Today, more and more travelers want to indulge in luxury on their vacation and these hotels provide a perfect getaway to the otherwise busy people. Now, there is a new addition to this increasingly popular breed of hotels. Boutique hotel Playa Hermosa which goes by the name ‘La Gaviota Tropical’ announced its launch to give tourists as well as locals pure delight.