New London-based trade association created
A new trade association has been set up in London to help promote new, emerging and established destinations to develop tourism worldwide.
The non-profit making Association for International Travel and Tourism (AITT) aims to provide an international information exchange platform and a range of skills and activities that will enable countries to develop their home-grown tourism industries.
Membership is open to everyone from national tourism offices, cities and resorts through to travel companies, individuals and students.
"We felt there was a gap in the market for a membership organisation that would help to awaken interest in new and emerging destinations as well as strengthening awareness of more established resorts and cities in every continent," said director general John Pinniger, who has worked as a consultant to several trade associations in the UK and who, between 2001 and 2010, was external relations advisor to the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
"The association will provide a range of services which include government and media relations, industry networking events and arranging international training programmes."
He said the body would be campaigning for ecologically sustainable tourism developments as well as helping to raise professional standards in the hospitality industry.
"This means putting national tourism offices in touch with the best training facilities in the UK and helping to set up local training academies," Pinniger added.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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