Emirates to start services to Brussels,Icelandair flies again to Iceland

Ministry neither confirms nor
denies talk of first lady’s
Japan trip
First lady Chou Mei-ching (standing / CNA file photo).
Taipei, May 1 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither
confirmed nor denied Thursday whether first lady Chow Meiching will visit Japan for upcoming events centered on the
exhibition of treasured Chinese artifacts belonging to Taiwan,
saying only that the relevant activities are still in the
planning stage.
The ministry also dismissed a report that Chow will visit
Fukushima Prefecture, the area still recovering from the 2011
earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear meltdown.
Taiwan and Japan are still discussing the details of the
exhibition of collections from Taiwan’s National Palace Museum
(NPM) in Japan for the first time, said ministry spokeswoman
Anna Kao, adding that the museum is in charge of arranging
related events.
Kao’s remarks were a response to a report in online news
outlet Storm Media earlier in the day that said Chow will
attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Tokyo
National Museum in June, the first time she has been linked to
activities related to the exhibition.
The NPM, one of the world’s largest depositories of imperial
Chinese art and artifacts, has signed an agreement with two
Japanese museums to lend collections on a reciprocal basis.
It will exhibit 231 artifacts at the Tokyo museum from June 24
to Sept. 15 and later in the year at the Kyushu National
Museum from Oct. 7 to Nov. 30, while the NPM’s southern branch
in Chiayi County is set to display 150 artifacts from the two
Japanese museums in 2016.
Kao also brushed off Storm Media’s report that the first lady
would visit Fukushima in northeast Japan, saying that the
ministry planned no such itinerary.
The possibility of Chow visiting Fukushima caused a stir in
the local media at a time of heated debate over the fate of
Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant.
Amid a series of antinuclear protests, the administration of
President Ma Ying-jeou decided not to activate the plant’s
first reactor when safety inspections wrap up and to stop work
on the second reactor. The question of whether the plant
should be put into operation in the future has been put off to
a national referendum at an undetermined date.
(By Tang Pei-chun and Elaine Hou)
ENDITEM/WH
Halting 4th nuclear plant may
have lasting consequences:
experts
Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Halting the
construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant will have
little effect on the country’s manufacturing sector in the
short term, experts said Thursday, but they cautioned that it
could have a negative influence in the long run.
Taiwan’s manufacturing activity has not yet been affected by
the dispute over the power plant, but the potential for future
power shortages or electricity rationing will likely
discourage local and foreign investment, said Wu Chung-shu,
president of the Taipei-based Chung-Hua Institution for
Economic Research
“We really need practical discussion about such issues,
including the recent protests against the fourth nuclear power
plant and a trade-in-services agreement with China,” Wu said
during a press conference held by the think tank in which it
said Taiwan’s manufacturing activity continued to signal
moderate expansion in April despite a drop in the purchasing
managers index.
“We should avoid political and emotional discussion and refer
to the experiences of other countries,” he said.
The economist urged the government to draft an energy policy
based on pertinent analysis after weighing the pros and cons
of the power plant. “Never ignore the balance between costs
and efficiency,” he added.
It will take time for Taiwan, which relies on imports for 98
percent of its fossil fuel, to move toward becoming nuclearfree, Wu said, adding that the public should consider which is
riskier — operating the fourth nuclear plant or extending the
lifespans of the three existing plants.
Kamhon Kan, an economics researcher at Academia Sinica,
Taiwan’s top research institute, echoed Wu’s opinion, saying
that the public should consider if scrapping the nuclear power
plant and the service trade pact with China can allow Taiwan
to maintain economic growth.
Meanwhile, Steve Lai, executive director of the Supply
Management Institute in Taiwan, also urged the protesters to
be aware that energy costs in Taiwan play a critical role in
the nation’s production competitiveness.
Construction of the fourth plant’s nearly completed no. 1 and
no. 2 reactors has been halted. The no. 1 reactor, which is
currently undergoing safety inspections, will not be brought
online once the inspections are complete, according to the
government.
The Executive Yuan has also promised to convene a national
energy conference as soon as possible “to ensure there will be
no cause for worry over future power supplies.”
The opposition parties and anti-nuclear groups have increased
their pressure on the administration since April and have been
demanding that the project be scrapped altogether to avoid the
danger of radioactive pollution.
(By James Lee)
ENDITEM/J
Tang Prize’s focus on rule of
law can help economies: U.S.
scholar
Lance Liebman (left), the William S. Beinecke Professor of Law at Columbia
Law School, and law scholar Christian Starck (center)
Taipei, May 1 (CNA) A leading U.S. law scholar said if the
Tang Prize in Rule of Law could bring attention to the
importance of fair legal systems, it could help countries
create more stable economies.
The relationship between a functioning judicial system and a
stable and growing economy is a close one, and if the Tang
Prize raises awareness of that, it can help economic growth,
Lance Liebman, the William S. Beinecke Professor of Law at
Columbia Law School, said in Taipei Wednesday.
To encourage people to invest and start new businesses, it is
crucial to have a trustworthy legal system where disputes can
be resolved in a fair manner, Liebman said in an interview
with CNA.
“I think the role of law in economies and in economic life,
political life and social life is huge,” said Liebman, who is
also director of the American Law Institute.
“When Communism ended in parts of Europe, and as countries
like (South) Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia advance toward
forms of democracy, building a legal structure that is
trustworthy, fair, avoids corruption and can lead to fair
decisions is very important,” he said.
Even in the United States, much can be done to improve the
legal system there, where corruption still exists, he said.
Whether
countries
are
moving
toward
greater
levels
of
democracy or simply trying to strengthen their economy,
“improving their legal systems is always on the list of things
that needs to be done,” said the former Dean of Columbia Law
School.
Moreover, with business transactions now increasing across
national borders, Liebman said, there is a great need for
arbitration and legal systems that can deal with cross-border
disputes.
“All of this needs to be studied and can be done better than
we do it now,” he said.
While problems in the legal systems will not be resolved by
giving a prize, Liebman said, the Tang Prize in Rule of Law
has the potential to raise awareness and encourage more
research on this important subject.
The people who oversee the prize and select the winners are
going to help define what needs to be done to strengthen the
rule of law, he said.
Meanwhile, Christian Starck, a prominent law scholar from
Germany who was also visiting Taiwan, noted that the rule of
law is a problem not only in underdeveloped or developing
countries, but also in Europe.
Ukraine, for example, is not stable and still has a lot of
corruption, said the emeritus professor of public law at
University of Gottingen.
He said the Tang Prize, which hands out awards in the
categories of sustainable development, biopharmaceutical
science, sinology and rule of law, addresses issues that are
important to the current era.
The Nobel Prize was established at the end of the 19th century
to tackle problems of that time, but now there are new issues,
said Starck, a former president and current member of the
Gottingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Turning to legal studies in Taiwan, Starck said when he first
visited Taiwan in 1976, the country was still under
authoritarian rule but since then has made “a very good
progress” in constitutionalism and rule of law. Starck has
taught several prominent Taiwanese scholars, including former
Justice of the Constitutional Court Hsu Tzong-li.
Starck and Liebman were both invited to Taiwan by the Tang
Prize Foundation.
Established in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin, the
Tang Prize is seen to supplement the Nobel Prize by honoring
top researchers in the rule of law and three other areas that
are critical to the 21st century.
Sometimes dubbed the “Asian Nobel Prize,” the Tang Prize is in
the process of selecting its first batch of laureates based on
the originality and impact of their research, irrespective of
nationality or ethnicity.
The Tang Prize in the Rule of Law recognizes individuals or
institutions that have made significant contributions to the
advancement of legal theory or practice and the realization of
rule of law in contemporary societies, according to the Tang
Prize Foundation.
The winners of the Tang Prize, selected by a panel of judges
convened by Taiwan’s top research institute Academia Sinica,
will be announced June 18.
An award ceremony will take place three months later on Sept.
18. Up to three winners in each category will share a cash
prize of NT$50 million (US$1.65 million).
The biennial prize takes its name from China’s Tang Dynasty
(618-907 A.D.), a period seen as the height of ancient Chinese
civilization and characterized by liberal policies and robust
cultural activity.
(By Christie Chen)
ENDITEM/sc/pc
YouBike ridership to surpass
20 million
Taipei,
April
30
(CNA)
Taipei
City’s popular YouBike public bicycle system could see its 20
millionth rider next month, the Taipei City Government said
Wednesday.
That number would be a huge leap for the YouBike system, which
saw its 10 millionth bike rental just this past November.
The municipal Department of Transportation, which manages the
system, attributed the exponential growth to an increase in
the numbers of both rental stations and bicycles.
“Ridership so far this year has at least tripled compared with
the same period in 2013,” said transportation official Liu
Chia-yu.
When the milestone of 10 million riders was reached, there
were 4,165 bikes available at 124 rental stations across the
capital. City data showed that the number today has since
jumped to 5,235 bikes at 159 rental stations.
Liu said the network sees more than 50,000 users each day.
At present, YouBike’s 1.6 million registered users can enjoy
the bikes for free for the first half hour of each ride and
pay NT$10 (US$0.3) for every subsequent half hour.
Service quality on the automated network has been boosted,
according to Liu, since a progressive pricing system was
introduced Oct. 1 to discourage use of the bikes for extended
periods of time and ensure availability.
The new pricing scheme means rental fees stay at a rate of
NT$10 per half hour for the first four hours of rental. The
half-hourly rate then rises to NT$20 before jumping to NT$30
per half hour after eight hours of continuous rental. As
before, the first half hour of each ride is still free.
(By Lee Hsin-Yin)
ENDITEM/WH
Taiwan event to join in
Flickr global photo-shooting
campaign
Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Shutterbugs
in Taiwan will for the first time get to officially
participate in the Flickr Photo Walk set for May 4 to
celebrate the popular photo-sharing website’s 10th
anniversary.
Some 80 Flickr users in Taipei have registered to take part in
the worldwide campaign to take pictures of 160-year-old
buildings at Dadaocheng in Taipei, according to Tenz Shih, the
customer care operations manager for Asia-Pacific at Yahoo
Inc., Flickr’s parent company.
“To make our operations in Taiwan more localized, we are
thinking about not only the ways to run an online community,
but also how to create face-to-face opportunities for these
online users,” Shih said at a media briefing.
This year’s Photo Walk is set to attract people in 60 cities
in 40 countries to gather at notable locations and snap
pictures of points of interest, according to Flickr.
The website’s first Taiwan campaign was launched in August
last year, when it teamed up with the Tourism Bureau to
showcase Taiwan’s unique scenery and culture and set up a
local customer service center.
Taiwanese users ranked eighth for unique Flickr tags worldwide
in 2013, trailing behind only photographers in Japan, the
U.S., France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and
Australia. China and India ranked ninth and 10th.
Flickr, which launched a revamped version of its website in
May last year with larger space for storage and enhanced
mobile support, now has more than 92 million users worldwide
who have contributed nearly 10 billion photos to the site.
On April 18, Flickr launched a new revamp of its mobile app
that allows users to record up to 30 seconds of HD videos
using its new live filters.
(By Jeffrey Wu)
ENDITEM/WH
Cinema ‘toolkit’ launched to
promote
Taiwanese
films
abroad
(From http://toolkit.tfi.org.tw)
Taipei, April 28 (CNA) The Ministry of Culture on Monday
launched a cinema “toolkit” providing online information on
Taiwanese films that is aimed at promoting Taiwanese culture
overseas.
The “toolkit,” or website, includes English and Chinese
information on 70 Taiwanese films, which are categorized under
nine themes: youth, the city, cultural conflict, gender,
literature, history, society, indigenous peoples and the
environment.
It is part of the ministry’s plan to launch a series of
“cultural toolkits” to help overseas groups, communities and
schools organize events that feature Taiwanese literature,
film, performing arts and fine arts.
The cinema “toolkit” is the first of the series to be
launched.
Groups or schools interested in screening Taiwanese films can
rent the 70 films in DVD formats for free at Taiwan’s overseas
embassies and representative offices and at “Taiwan Academy”
centers in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, according to the
ministry.
Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai said her ministry drew the
“toolkit” idea from France, which provides online information
on thousands of its films to promote its culture overseas.
“Culture is the best resource that Taiwan has to make friends
with the world,” Lung said.
She said an important goal of the toolkits is to allow a
foreign teacher who might not know much about Taiwan to easily
organize a Taiwan festival on the country’s films, culture or
art.
Among the 70 films are several by prominent Taiwanese
directors, such as Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Edward Yang and
Tsai Ming-liang. There are also award-winning features and
documentaries, Taiwanese-language films and films dating back
to the 1950s and 60s.
All of the films have been subtitled in English.
The toolkits will first be available in English and Chinese,
and then in other languages such as French, German and
Spanish. More films will also be added to the list in the
future, the ministry said.
The cinema “toolkits” are available at toolkit.tfi.org.tw.
(By Christie Chen)
ENDITEM/ls
Acer
unveils
new
2-in-1
notebook, tablets in New York
Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Taiwan’s
Acer Inc. has launched a lineup of consumer PCs to cater to
back-to-school demand in the United States amid a sluggish
global PC market.
The nine new products unveiled Tuesday at a press conference
in New York included the Aspire Switch 10 — Acer’s first 2in-1 hybrid device combining a laptop and tablet — as well as
two new 7-inch Iconia tablets, Aspire E Series notebooks and
all-in-one desktop PCs.
The event also marked the first appearance at a global event
by Jason Chen since he joined the company in January as Acer’s
CEO and corporate president.
“Acer has built its reputation by putting personal computing
in the hands of the many and making technology accessible for
more people,” Chen said in a press release.
“Today we demonstrate how our products are the best example
yet of this mission — how we are using technology to create
better connections between people and their information and
bringing happiness to more people,” he said.
The Aspire Switch 10 combines a notebook and a tablet in one
flexible device that is suitable for touch input, typing,
viewing and sharing files.
It is touted by Acer as one of the thinnest 2-in-1 devices on
the market and features a 10.1-inch display with a resolution
of 1366 x 768 pixels, up to 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and
an Intel Atom Bay Trail T quad-core processor.
The Aspire Switch 10 will be available in late May in Pan
America at US$379.99 and in Europe, Middle East and Africa
regions at 349 euros.
“The market is experiencing explosive growth in the 2-in-1
category, and Acer has been a leading innovator,” said Peter
Han, vice president of Worldwide OEM Marketing at Microsoft
Corp.
“We are looking forward to partnering with Acer on the launch
of their new Acer Aspire Switch, which will provide customers
with a great Windows 8.1 experience for both touch and
keyboard,” Han said.
(By Jeffrey Wu)
ENDITEM/ls
Accor puts digital technology
at the heart of the customer
experience
Exclusive digital service to reinvent the Welcome in
Accor hotels
1,000 Accor hotels worldwide equipped with innovative
new digital welcome by end 2014
Accor announces the worldwide implementation of a digital
solution that revolutionizes guest welcome in its hotels. The
objective is simple: use digital technology to offer customers
an unprecedented personalized welcome. Guest welcome is less
devoted to administrative formalities, making the hotelier
entirely available to greet guests, cater for their individual
needs or simply help them save time.
“Our ability to constantly integrate new technologies and
improve the way we serve our guests and hotels is at the heart
of our innovation strategy, to make Accor the most audacious
and innovative hotel operator. Accor definitely places digital
technology at the service of its guests at every stage of
their hotel experience – before, during and after their stay –
adapting its hotel services to the new modes of consumption
which are more mobile and connected…” explains Vivek
Badrinath, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Marketing, Digital
Solutions, Distribution and Information Systems.
This innovative service, which was designed in close
collaboration with the hotel operating teams, will be offered
to all loyalty card or subscription card holders and to
customers booking directly through Accor via: accorhotels.com,
the brand websites, mobile applications, or by phone directly
with the hotel, etc.
Original and personalized, this innovative welcoming is
deployed across all Accor brands and will be adapted by each
brand to fit its service offering, depending on their segment,
market positioning and establishments’ specificities.
Four steps for a simpler, more personalized hotel welcome
Two days before their hotel stay, guests are invited to
prepare their check-in online if they have booked directly
with Accor or if they are loyalty card or subscription card
holders.
On the arrival day, guests receive a welcome message by SMS,
confirming that their room and key are ready and offering very
useful practical information to simplify their trip (transport
services to the hotel, car park access codes, etc.).
When guests arrive in the hotel, their key has been prepared
and is handed over immediately without the usual
administrative formalities. The hotelier is even more
available to greet guests and cater for their requests.
On the departure day, guests can leave rapidly. To check out,
they simply have to hand in their key to indicate that their
room has been vacated. The invoice is sent to them by email.
With the massive deployment of this digital solution Accor is
clearly providing an online service that is consistent with
new consumer habits. Over two billion people currently have a
smartphone and 47% of travel searches are made from mobile
phones, making them the preferred device for finding,
preparing and organizing a trip*.
This new system has been tested in approximately twenty
establishments in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium
and the Netherlands. It is now deployed in 60 hotels in 13
countries. The ambition is to roll out this solution in 1,000
hotels, or close to 30% of the network, by the end of 2014.
Brazil, where Accor is the market leader, will boast the
largest number of equipped hotels, since the service will be
offered in nearly all the establishments in most of the cities
hosting football world cup matches as of June 2014.
“This innovation focusses on giving our guests a warm,
personalized welcome and on saving time thanks to new
technologies. The first feedback from hotels already equipped
with the system is very encouraging since more than 90% of
guests who used this service say they are willing to do so
again. Queues are diminishing and hoteliers are more available
for their guests. They can devote themselves completely to
their passion, the job of host.” explains Christine Pouletty,
the project’s Manager.
Showcase.travel Alsace Sells
Out
Showcase.travel Alsace, a new
travel trade event created by the European tourism
association ETOA and Tourism Alsace has hit capacity within
just two weeks of its launch.
Capitalising
on
new
flight
connections
to
Strasbourg, Showcase.travel Alsace will bring tour operators
to the region for a B2B workshop with tourism suppliers from
throughout Alsace and will provide an opportunity for tour
operator buyers to experience the tourism offer first-hand
during a three day familiarisation tour.
Connecting in just over two hours from London Victoria train
station, France’s smallest region has much to offer visitors;
from feudal castles to Romanesque churches, its famous wood
framed houses and romantic ruins perched on the peaks of the
Vosges, regional gastronomy and a varied calendar of cultural
events. The MICE industry benefits from a selection of 8,000
bedrooms across 135 hotels and from 2016 the redeveloped
convention centre will offer three auditoriums, 25 committee
rooms, a 2,000m² catering space, and a 10,000m² adaptable
space for exhibitions, catering and conferences.
Frederic Ereny, Operations Director at EuroVista
Holidays said: ‘I’m attending Showcase.travel Alsace to
increase my knowledge of the region and to make contact with
new partners in order to develop our presence in the area.
Alsace is an interesting destination for our customers and
this event will allow me to experience the region first hand.’
Cyril
Brid,
Deputy
Director
of
Promotion
&
Business
Development at the Alsace Business and Tourism Development
Organisation said: ‘With increased connectivity to an already
attractive destination, the Alsace tourist board is delighted
to be hosting Showcase.travel to highlight the accessible
tourist offer to operators.
The fact that both buyer and
supplier registrations were so successful is testament to the
draw of the region as well as the format of the event’.
Thomas Dubus, CEO of Strasbourg International Airport said:
‘The arrival of easyJet and Transavia.com in 2014 to
Strasbourg illustrates the successful strategic repositioning
of the airport and demonstrates the potential for further
development of new European and international routes.
The
addition of new low cost carriers has resulted in a marked
growth, with 1.2 million passengers having passed through
Strasbourg Airport during 2013.’
In addition to the lead taken by Tourism Alsace and ETOA, the
event is being supported by Strasbourg International Airport,
the Strasbourg Convention Bureau, the Strasbourg – Grande île
UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Strasbourg Tourist Office.
Showcase.travel Alsace is part of a series of promotional
destination events taking place in established and emerging
destinations throughout Europe, organised by ETOA in
partnership with Tourist Boards.
Other destinations where
Showcase.travel events have already been hosted include Athens
and Paris, with more in the pipeline for the future.
Showcase.travel Alsace is taking place on 21st – 25th May 2014,
with a B2B workshop in Strasbourg and a fam trip programme
incorporating places of interest across the region.
For all Showcase.travel events ETOA provides destinations with
travel trade buyers and a B2B workshop, as well as PR and
branding support. In turn destinations offer buyers a fully
hosted programme of fam trips and social events. For more
information please contact Arran Wiltshire via email or call
+44 (0)207 3070834.
Berlin
–
an
upcoming
destination for luxury travel
The
Virtuoso
network
investigates market for luxury
holidays in Berlin / Current
figures:
Spending
by
international tourists in Berlin
reached new record highs in 2013
Berlin, April, 2014 Berlin has continued to establish itself
as a destination for luxury travel. From 26 to 29 April
approximately 500 participants in the “Virtuoso” Symposium
were guests in Berlin to inform themselves about the city’s
offers for the upmarket travel sector. For the first time
ever, the world’s leading association of international luxury
tour operators has held its annual symposium in the German
capital.
“We are delighted to have won the Virtuoso Symposium for
Berlin,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. Affluent
visitors are a tourist group that is rapidly growing in the
city, and thanks to the Virtuoso network, we are able to reach
them all over the world. Virtuoso will attract man many more
international visitors to whom we can prove: Berlin offers
everything that the discerning luxury traveler is looking
for.”
During the last four days, the city has presented itself as a
destination to the international representatives of the luxury
travel industry from 38 countries. The Rocco Forte Hotel de
Rome, KaDeWe department store and The Ritz-Carlton, The Regent
and the Adlon Kempinski hotels were among the attractions
which showcased their attraction for the upmarket target
group.
Matthew D. Upchurch, Chairman and CEO of Virtuoso Network,
draws a positive balance: “Berlin has been a revelation for
many Symposium attendees and those familiar with the city are
enjoying the opportunity to experience it in a more exclusive
way. With its art and culture, intriguing venues and worldclass cuisine, Berlin has been an ideal location to bring
together the 500+ travel executives and suppliers who joined
us this week. Currently Berlin accounts for 46 percent of our
hotel sales to Germany and I am certain that will increase as
we share our experience with our clients.”
Affluent international tourists in Berlin: average 327 euros
per tax-free purchase
A recent survey by the financial services provider Global Blue
confirmed the increased popularity of Berlin among wealthier
international guests.Visitor spending in Berlin reached new
levels in 2013. Chinese visitors lead the list, spending an
average of 594 euros per purchase, followed by visitors from
Ukraine (EUR 430) and Russia (EUR 366). Arab (EUR 331),
American (EUR 338), Swiss (EUR 253) and Brazilian (EUR 241)
visitor also spend freely in Berlin, mainly in the fashion,
jewellery, leather goods, and electronics sectors. On average,
international visitors spent EUR 327per tax-free
purchase (2012: EUR 317). Hotel guests in in general in 2013
spent an average of EUR 204.70 per day for accommodation,
restaurants, shopping and events.The number of wealthy guests
in the city grew during 2013, originating mainly from the Arab
Gulf States (2013: + 33.6% compared to the previous year),
China (+ 21.7%) and Russia (+ 21.5%).
visitBerlin Marketing for the luxury tourist
Since 2012, visitBerlin has increased their marketing in the
luxury segment and adjusted their offers accordingly. On the
website exklusiv.visitBerlin.de, tourists can find an overview
of exclusive hotels, tips on events, spas and spa services,
shopping, gourmet restaurants and delicatessens, galleries and
operas, private shuttles, as well as information regarding
sports such as horse riding and golfing.
In addition, Berlin participates in luxury trade fairs abroad
such as in Russia, Asia (“International Luxury Travel Market”
in Shanghai, “Beijing International Top Personal Goods &
Luxury” in Beijing), in the Arabian Gulf States, Scandinavia
(“Vagabond” in Copenhagen) and Brazil (“Travel Week”).
Voices of the participants
hashtag #virtuososym
via
Twitter
under
the
About Virtuoso The Virtuoso Symposium was held in Berlin for
the first time ever between 26 and 29 April 2014. During the
event, 500 of the most influential decision makers in the
luxury travel industry gathered, the management of Virtuoso
members from countries such as the USA, Canada, Brazil and
Australia, as well as selected travel providers. After the
close of the Symposium, the participants were invited to get
to know Germany and Berlin by joining various tours. As a
leading network of luxury travel industry stakeholders,
Virtuoso includes over 330 agencies with more than 7,200
specialists in elite travel from 20 countries in North and
South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand and
more than 1,250 of the world’s best hotels, tour operators and
top destinations. The 2013 symposium was held in Buenos
Aires. www.virtuoso.com;virtuosomeetings.virtuoso.com/Symposiu
m/2014.aspx