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All work to promote sustainable tourism.

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The news article above shows what the leader of WTO mentioned at ITB 2015. The most prominent point he made is the fact that technology is shaping the future of tourism, and it is now becoming much easier to travel, due to technological enhancements.

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Exam Question involving WTO June 2007 (OCR) 

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Exam Question involving WTO June 2007 (OCR) 

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Question 4

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Exam Question involving ABTA June 2011 (OCR)

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Exam Question involving ABTA June 2011 (OCR)

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Question 4b

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Case Study: Travel and Technological Revolutions: UNWTO Secretary-General at ITB 2015

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Case Study: Travel and Technological Revolutions: UNWTO Secretary-General at ITB 2015

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Speaking at the opening of ITB Berlin, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai underscored how the travel and the technological revolutions are shaping our society and how technology is changing the tourism sector. On the latter, he highlighted three main trends: the emergence of new business models, the call for accountability and the need for shared responsibility.

"Collaborative consumption is breeding new business models as individuals have found ways to profit by sharing their assets, be they real estate, vehicles or skills. While we must welcome innovation, we must also underline the need for the sector to find progressive solutions to safeguard consumer rights and quality standards and to ensure a level playing field for all businesses to thrive competitively", said Rifai.

New digital platforms directly connecting consumers with companies and destinations are additional game changers. While consumers are increasingly easier to reach, they also have access to more information and opportunities to voice their opinions: "Today's consumers can be the whistle-blowers for unethical practices or the biggest ambassadors for great experiences", noted Rifai. "Going beyond words or slogans, destinations and companies must find ways to adapt and build their brand on concrete and relevant actions".

"With the power brought in by technology comes also a bigger responsibility - a shared responsibility towards the planet and ​people" alerted Rifai.

" Over one billion tourists travel across international borders each year; I trust that this is a movement of hope; of opportunities to build a better world; a world of respect and understanding as we can never hate the one who has hosted us. We are thus part of a much bigger, transformative force that can instigate real change in the world; let's take this power and act with responsibility", concluded Mr. Rifai.

In 2014, international tourism grew once again above expectations. With a rise of 4.7% and a new record of 1,138 million tourists travelling the world in one single year, tourism delivered positive news amid a slow and uneven global economic recovery and geopolitical challenges.

Full opening speech by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai (as prepared for delivery)
UNWTO activities at ITB
UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218

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The Travel and Technological Revolutions: UNWTO Secretary-General at ITB 2015

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Speaking at the opening of ITB Berlin, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai underscored how the travel and the technological revolutions are shaping our society and how technology is changing the tourism sector. On the latter, he highlighted three main trends: the emergence of new business models, the call for accountability and the need for shared responsibility.

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What are the values and attitudes of WTO?

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What are the values and attitudes of WTO?

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The World Tourism Organisation want to ensure that they promote tourism in a positive way, and they want to do this by ensuring and reassuring people around the world that tourism is safe and fun. They are also quite persistent in maintaining relationships with the Business Council organisations, so that tourism facilities such as these are maintained and perform to a high standard.

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How does this develop international travel?

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How does this develop international travel?

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Because of the fact that WTO advertise tourism, they are essentially selling it to customers, and as members of the Business Council are closely monitored by the WTO, the quality of these services is in fact high, so customers are reassured that they will have a good experience while they are on holiday.

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How does this impact international travellers?

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How does this impact international travellers?

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As mentioned before, the Business Council is made up of airlines, hotel chains, tour operators etc., and the WTO can then encourage these companies to perform better, so this impacts international travellers in the way that travellers will receive a better service as a result, because they are maintained by BC.

Positives - Service received by an airline or a hotel chain which is a part of the Business Council, will as a result be better than a company that isn't, because this company has received encouragement from the World Tourism Organisation. They also give the public an overview of what they plan to do to improve tourism in the future.

Negative - They don't really get involved in terms of if a customer complains and they demand compensation, since the WTO are more behind the scenes than other authoritative companies.

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The roles and responsibilities of WTO are to promote tourism around the world. The Business Council, which is a part of WTO, is made up of 350 members, which consist of airlines, hotel chains, tour operators, trade associations, consultants, promotion boards and educational institutions. The WTO then assist these companies in making sure that they achieve their full potential, and guide them in offering the best in terms of tourism to tourists.

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The World Tourism Organisation is funded by the UN and also shareholders.

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What are their aims and what is their mission statement?

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What are their aims and what is their mission statement?

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The aim of the World Tourism Organisation is to contribute to tourism in all of the different continents of the world. help promote tourism in the different parts of the world too through representatives which each are assigned to a continent, e.gWTO . a rep in Africa.

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WTO (World Tourism Organisation) are an organisation which is part of the UN, and it is their job to promote tourism around the world, in terms of how sustainable, and how accessible it is. 156 countries are part of WTO.

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Exam Question including ABTA June 2012 (OCR)

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Exam Question including ABTA June 2012 (OCR)

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Question 4b

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The article above is from the ABTA website, and the article is about holiday booking fraud. ABTA, in the article, essentially tells customers about what holiday booking fraud is, who is vulnerable, and how to reduce the risk of being a victim of it. ABTA also, in a way, promote themselves here, where they talk about how to reduce the risk, they tell the consumer that they should check if a company is part of an association such as ABTA, so they recommend that customers use their site to search for travel agencies which are a part of ABTA.

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Case Study: ABTA, Get Safe Online, and Action Fraud warn holidaymakers

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Case Study: ABTA, Get Safe Online, and Action Fraud warn holidaymakers

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New report suggests fraudsters con unwary travellers out of millions a year, with accommodation, group tours and airline bookings most vulnerable

ABTA - The Travel Association is today launching a new campaign with the support of Get Safe Online, Action Fraud and the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) to warn the general public about the dangers posed by holiday booking fraud. As part of the campaign research undertaken by the NFIB for the first time measures the scale of the crime and exposes common tactics used by fraudsters. The organisations have also published advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of holiday booking fraud: www.abta.com/holidayfraud

What is holiday booking fraud?

Holiday booking fraud is when consumers hand over money only to discover the holiday, accommodation or flight they paid for doesn't exist, or the booking hasn't been made. Fraudsters are conning unsuspecting holidaymakers and travellers out of thousands of pounds each year or leaving them stranded with nowhere to stay through fake websites, false advertising, bogus phone calls and email scams.

Types of holiday fraud

New research by the NFIB shows close to 1,000 cases of holiday fraud reported in 2012 costing consumers approximately £1.5M. As this is the first time the NFIB has started to quantify holiday booking fraud it estimates that these figures may represent just the tip of the iceberg.

The most common types of holiday booking fraud are:

Airline tickets - where a customer believes they are booking a flight and receives a fake ticket or pays for a ticket that never turns up. This is the most common type of booking fraud, accounting for 45% of holiday booking fraud reported to the Police in 2012.

Holiday accommodation - a third (33%) of holiday fraud victims in 2012 were scammed by the fraudulent advertisement of holiday villas and apartments, with some arriving at their destination to discover they had nowhere to stay. A high percentage of cases were reported in Spain and in London during the Olympics. The rise of self-catering villa rental sites where owners advertise directly to the consumer has made this a common target for fraudsters. A YouGov poll for ABTA* shows that one in five (19%) adults say they have paid directly for private accommodation into the owner's bank account, rising to a third (33%) of those with three or more children.

Package holiday fraud - fraudsters like to target those booking group, sports and religious packages with deals and special offers. Major events in long-haul destinations are a particular target for fraudsters, such as the Hajj and major sporting events such as The Ashes. This is because these sorts of events are often expensive due to high demand so deals can be attractive and many travellers are booking on behalf of a group, meaning that the value of the booking is high.

Visa applications - particularly the ESTA visa requirement for the US, also appear to be an emerging target for fraudsters.

Who is at risk?

Anyone booking a holiday is at risk. The report found males are slightly more likely to have reported a case of holiday fraud than females and those aged 30-49 were also more likely to have been a victim of holiday fraud. Fraud applies to both overseas and UK bookings.

Certain behaviours can increase risk, particularly when booking online, such as not researching the holiday company properly. According to the YouGov poll for ABTA one in ten consumers (9%) does nothing to research their travel company, such as checking if it is a member of a trade association such as ABTA (which has a code of conduct in place to protect consumers), not asking friends and family for recommendations, nor running a web search. In addition, a quarter of holidaymakers (27%) are prepared to pay £200 or more as an upfront payment or deposit to secure their holiday booking, with 7% willing to put down £500 or more.

Mark Tanzer, CEO ABTA said: "Unfortunately, travel arrangements booked online can attract criminals because of the large sums of money involved and because they can hide behind a fake website or email. It's particularly distressing for people when they might save up for months or even years for their holiday, or to visit family overseas, only to discover the flight or hotel doesn't exist, or the booking has never been made. Many are left devastated as they cannot afford another holiday. You should always verify that your travel company is a Member of a trade association such as ABTA, research the company thoroughly and never pay into an individual's bank account by direct bank transfer."

Deputy Director of the NFIB, DCI Pete O'Doherty said: "The internet has revolutionised the way we look for and book our holidays. Unfortunately it is also enabling fraudsters to prey upon people's desires to create that perfect break for friends and family, using online offers of villas, hotels and flights that are either double-booked or simply don't exist. Last year the NFIB continued to receive hundreds of reports of holiday fraud but the actual number of victims could be much greater, with some people still reluctant to come forward and say they have fallen foul of the fraudsters. Only by knowing the true nature and scale of the problem can we identify and effectively target those most responsible for this damaging and distressing crime, which is why it is so important for victims of holiday fraud to contact Action Fraud."

Tony Neate, CEO, Getsafeonline.org said: "Holidays are meant to be highlights in our year, so it can be particularly painful to get caught out by fraudsters if you're booking yours online. But there are ways to keep yourself safe and make sure that you don't get caught out. For example, if you do your research properly you should be able to find multiple online reviews of the holiday you're booking, as well as the website you're booking it though. If you can't you may want to think again. You should then always pay on a credit card because it offers you more protection, and before entering your details check the link is secure by looking out for a padlock symbol in the browser window frame and 'https://' at the beginning of the web address. The 's' stands for 'secure'."

A guidance leaflet with tips to help consumers avoid becoming a victim of fraud is available at: www.abta.com/holidayfraud

About ABTA

ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for over 65 years. Our purpose is to help our Members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence.

The ABTA brand stands for support, protection and expertise. This means consumers have confidence in ABTA and a strong trust in ABTA Members. These qualities are core to us as they ensure that holidaymakers remain confident in the holiday products that they buy from our Members.

We help our Members and their customers navigate through today's changing travel landscape by raising standards in the industry; offering schemes of financial protection; providing an independent complaints resolution service should something go wrong; giving guidance on issues from sustainability to health and safety and by presenting a united voice to government to ensure the industry and the public get a fair deal.

ABTA currently has around 1,200 Members, with a combined annual UK turnover of £33.07 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member or Partner means, and how we help the British public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com.

Case studies available on request

*The research was conducted by YouGov Plc for ABTA. Total sample size was 2072 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th - 20th February 2013. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

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ABTA, Get Safe Online and Action Fraud Warn Holidaymakers: Look Before you Book - ABTA

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New report suggests fraudsters con unwary travellers out of millions a year, with accommodation, group tours and airline bookings most vulnerable ABTA - The Travel Association is today launching a new campaign with the support of Get Safe Online, Action Fraud and the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) to warn the general public about the dangers posed by holiday booking fraud.

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The roles and responsibilities of ABTA are that they ensure that people who book holidays through travel companies that are a part of ABTA are protected through the entirety of their holiday, from booking the holiday to when the holiday ends. ABTA are also responsible for making sure that all of the members of ABTA are following their Code of Conduct, and if they are not, and travellers begin to complain, then ABTA then must investigate and see where they are not following the rules. ABTA do state on their website that they are not responsible for compensation claims from people who are complaining about a specific travel agent.

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ABTA is funded by a number of different sources, such as travel agents who are part of the association, and the public.