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This week in Opportunities:

Continued Growth Signaled for Travel & Tourism Industry
Survey: European Travel to Remain Strong in '08
Opportunities Networking!
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS

Continued Growth Signaled for Travel & Tourism Industry

World Travel & Tourism is expected to generate close to US$8 trillion in 2008, rising to approximately US$15 trillion over the next ten years, according to the latest Tourism Satellite Accounting (TSA) research launched last week by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its strategic partner Accenture. Overall, the new TSA results reveal a moderate impact on the Travel & Tourism industry as a result of the global economic downturn, with its annual growth rate experiencing a slowdown in 2008, to 3%, in comparison to 3.9% in 2007. Looking past this present cyclical downturn, the long-term forecasts point to a mature but steady phase of growth for world Travel & Tourism between 2009 and 2018, averaging a growth rate of 4.4% per annum, supporting 297 million jobs and 10.5% of global GDP by 2018. WTTC President Jean-Claude Baumgarten explained "Challenges come from the US slowdown and the weak dollar, higher fuel costs and concerns about climate change. However, the continued strong expansion in emerging countries - both as tourism destinations and as an increasing source of international visitors - means that the industry's prospects remain bright into the medium term." Regionally Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East are experiencing higher growth rates than the world average, at 5.9%, 5.7% and 5.2% respectively, while the mature markets, most notably the Americas and Europe, are falling below the world average with a growth at 2.1% and 2.3 % respectively. The overall impact of this slowdown for mature markets is expected to be offset by the strength of the emerging markets explains John Walker, Chairman of Oxford Economics "In particular, China, India and other emerging markets are still growing rapidly, which will increase both business and leisure travel, while many countries in the Middle East are undertaking massive tourism-related investment programs." Moreover, even in countries where economic growth slows, there is likely to be a switch from international to domestic travel rather than a contraction in demand for Travel & Tourism. Among the 176 countries covered in the TSA research, the United States continues to maintain pole position as the largest Travel & Tourism economy, with its total demand accounting for more than US$1,747 billion this year. With a growth rate at 1.1% in 2008 the credit crunch is leading to a marked slowdown in US economic growth and is likely to restrict the business travel of those working in financial markets. Considerable ground has been made by the emerging markets which are experiencing rapid economic growth. In 2008, China will jump from fourth to second position above Japan and Germany and is forecasted to increase its Travel & Tourism Demand four-fold by 2018, accounting for US$2,465 billion, with an annual growth rate of 8.9%. Among the fastest growers in 2008, Macau leads with a growth rate at 22%. Highlighting the challenges of market volatility and external events faced by the industry, Alex Christou, Managing Partner of Accenture's Transportation & Travel Services said "High performance companies will differentiate themselves by being highly focused on their individual customers. The winners will be companies that take a balanced view, driving customer intimacy and product innovation while driving non-value added costs out of their operations."

Survey: European Travel to Remain Strong in '08

TripAdvisor has announced the results of its annual European travel survey, concluded last week, of more than 1,400 travelers worldwide. Sixty-five percent of respondents are planning to travel to/within Europe in the next 12 months, nearly equal to last year. Despite the weak dollar, exactly half of U.S. respondents intend to visit Europe this year, the same amount as one year ago. September appears to be the busiest month for travel in Europe this year, as 20 percent of respondents intend to visit at that time. Thirty percent of travelers said they are most likely to save money on their excursion to or within Europe by going off-peak. Forty-two percent of travelers (and 51 percent of Americans) expect to spend more money on this year's trip to Europe than on their previous trip there.

OPPORTUNITIES NETWORKING!

HSMAI's 10th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference Set for April 8, 2008 in Chicago

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is once again partnering with the Travel Industry Association (TIA) to present the 10th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference, held in conjunction with TIA’s TravelCom at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. One of the hottest and most attended events on the annual calendar, the one-day forum addresses such topics as search marketing, blogs, legal issues, metrics, future trends and much more. The event is targeted at individuals who are in corporate or regional positions dedicated to Internet Marketing or for those who want to learn more about this evolving medium. “Travel Internet marketing is an ever-evolving field, and it is imperative for all within the industry to remain on the cusp of current trends and issues,” states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president & CEO of HSMAI. “The strategy conference is designed to bring leading industry experts together to explore these topics through a series of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and open forums,” he added. Sponsors of the event include American Express and Open Hospitality. Registration for the HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference is available jointly with TIA’s TravelCom or separately. For more information or to register, visit www.travelinternetmarketing.org.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc. has announced that Assistant General Counsel Matt Henry, has been promoted to Vice President and General Counsel and Frontier's current Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO), Gerry Coady, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and CIO. Henry's promotion is coincident with the immediate departure of David Sislowski, formerly Frontier's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, who is leaving Frontier to pursue other opportunities. Sislowski's departure and both Henry's and Coady's promotions were effective March 7, 2008. Henry has been Frontier's Senior Corporate Counsel since February, 2003 and Coady joined Frontier in May, 2007.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Hilton Hotels Corporation has announced the appointment of Steven R. Goldman as President, Global Development and Real Estate. Goldman is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Sunstone Hotel Investors, a Real Estate Investment Trust that owns upscale hotels operated under various nationally recognized brands. Goldman will join Hilton as part of its new senior leadership team, which was announced today by Hilton’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher J. Nassetta. An industry veteran, Goldman has been involved in all aspects of real estate acquisition, finance, development, and operations for more than 25 years. He will join Hilton Hotels from Sunstone Hotel Investors, where he has been President, CEO, and a member of the Board of Directors, since March 2007. Prior to Sunstone, Goldman was Executive Vice President Acquisitions and Development and Chief Investment Officer of Global Hyatt Corporation, where he led the global development efforts and was responsible for capital investment for all Hyatt-owned real estate worldwide. Goldman has also held senior management positions with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, the Walt Disney Company, and Starwood Capital Group, a Connecticut-based private real estate investment firm. He received his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. Hilton also announced three promotions within the company. Ian Carter, the current CEO of Hilton International, will assume the newly-created role of President, Global Operations, with responsibility for global operations, sales and revenue management. Mark Wang, the current Head of Hilton Grand Vacations, Asia, has been promoted to President, Hilton Grand Vacations, and will oversee all global timeshare operations. Additionally, Tim Harvey will take on an expanded role and in addition to being CIO will now oversee Shared Brand Services... Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has announced the appointment of Sam Oliasami as General Manager for the 204 guest room Crowne Plaza Fairfield hotel in New Jersey. Crestline Hotels & Resorts manages the hotel for owners True North Fairfield Property Partners, LLC. Oliasami joins Crestline from Interstate Hotels where he enjoyed a 14 year career in hotel management operations. He last served as the General Manager for the Doral Tesoro Hotel & Golf Club in Ft. Worth, TX. He has also served as General Manager for the Waterford Marriott in Oklahoma City, OK, the Residence Inn by Marriott Medical Center, Houston, TX and The Inn at Great Neck in Long Island, NY. He began his hospitality career with Hyatt Regency Hotels where he served in various hotel management positions for ten years... Crestline also announced the appointment of Daniel P. Sparacino as Director of Sales & Marketing for the Sheraton Annapolis Hotel in Maryland. The Sheraton Annapolis is a full service hotel with 196 guest rooms located minutes from the center of Annapolis. Sparacino joins Crestline from The Kor Hotel Group where he was the Area Director of Sales & Marketing for the Sheraton Delfina Santa Monica and Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles hotels. He brings more than 17 years of hospitality industry sales and marketing experience to his new role having also held management positions with Accor Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Sparacino attended Salisbury State University in Maryland and continued his education through coursework at the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association... Choice Hotels International has announced that it has named Chris Malone chief marketing officer, with responsibility for the company's global consumer marketing, worldwide travel industry sales, e-commerce and reservations efforts. With over 20 years' marketing experience, Malone has a track record of driving business results and revenues at leading organizations such as Coca-Cola, the National Basketball Association and Procter & Gamble. In this position, Malone reports to Charles A. Ledsinger, Jr., the company's vice chairman and chief executive officer. Malone most recently served as Senior Vice President, Marketing for ARAMARK Corporation, a multinational food, facility and uniform services enterprise with over $12 billion in revenue annually. His successes during his five years at ARAMARK included adoption of its consumer-focused growth strategy, as well as developing and leading a variety of strategic marketing initiatives that helped establish ARAMARK as the industry leader in growth and brand innovation. Prior to joining ARAMARK, he was a co-founder and principal consultant at Zyman Marketing Group, a marketing strategy consultancy offering brand building, business strategy and growth acceleration services to companies across a number of industries. Malone holds a BS from the University of Maryland at College Park and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Travelport Limited, the parent company of the Travelport group of companies, has announced that Jon Hall has been named Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Hall will be responsible for global marketing and corporate communications, and will ultimately define Travelport's public profile through strategic brand management and optimization of global marketing opportunities across all of Travelport's businesses. Hall will report to Jeff Clarke, president and CEO of Travelport. Hall joins Travelport from WPP, where he was a consultant director in London and New York, responsible for the overall strategy and development of the technology business globally. He led the development and acquisition of multi-billion dollar accounts in the B2B and technology space. Previously, Hall held several positions at Dow Jones & Co. and was most recently global director of technology, responsible for sales and marketing for multiple platforms, overseeing a global team of executives. Earlier, Hall was global head of technology sales for the Financial Times Group, responsible for all aspects of planning, budgeting and forecasting across the Financial Times' technology portfolio. Hall is also a board director of the British American Business Council.

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