Starfish Travel Corporation Team

By examining variables like the proportion of international students, cost of living, safety, post-graduate visas, Google searches, and nightlife, the experts at Moving to Spain have identified the top 10 best towns for studying abroad. According to the study, Montreux, Switzerland, holds the record for having the greatest proportion of international students, with more than 99% of its students originating from outside.Maastricht has been crowned the greatest European city for studying abroad. With 24,200 university searches made there last year, it is one of the most popular destinations. The majority of the courses are taught in English, and half of the students here are from outside the country.A one-bedroom apartment in Cluj-Napoca costs just €452, making it the European city with the most affordable housing for fresh graduates. With costs of €551 and €567, respectively, Budapest and Logrono are in second and third place.Munich, on the other hand, stands out as the most costly city to live in, with a one-bedroom apartment renting for an average of €1,344.With safety ratings of 80 out of 100, Maastricht and Munich have been declared the safest cities in Europe. Barcelona, with a rating of 49/100, is thought to be the least secure city.Spain is the #1 destination for international students, with Valencia, Logroo, Madrid, and Barcelona all placing in the top 10. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/these-are-the-most-diverse-university-cities-in-europe/

The most breathtaking settings from renowned films can be seen, according to information provided to movie and television fans looking for memorable sites to visit. Ten famous filming locations across the world have been investigated by travel experts at StressFreeCarRental.com to motivate tourists to organize their upcoming vacation. With 96% of individuals confessing to visiting locations connected to their favorite films or television shows at least once in their lifetime, film and TV tourism is a developing trend. It has been made clear where to go for those who wish to live out what they have seen on TV and emulate their beloved characters. Currently, the UK is the most sought-after screen tourism destination due to the enduring popularity of the Harry Potter franchise. Film enthusiasts can simply travel to Scotland and immerse themselves in the real-life magnificent scenery that was the inspiration for many outside sequences in the movies. Other filming destinations with breathtaking scenery include Queenstown, New Zealand, where The Hobbit trilogy was produced, and Salzburg, Austria, where The Sound of Music was filmed. Here are the top 10 breathtaking filming locations for holiday inspiration, according to StressFreeCarRental.com: 1. Scotland, Harry Potter A train on a bridge Automatically generated description Scotland had a significant impact on J.K. Rowling’s creation of the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry, and a lot of the filming took place in the breathtakingly gorgeous terrain. As the students return to Hogwarts through the Scottish Highlands, they travel from Loch Shield in Lochaber, a freshwater lake and the site of the Triwizard Tournament, to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, also known as the Hogwarts Express. Many of the movie’s exterior shots, particularly those that focus on Hogwarts, were shot in stunning but unsettling rural Scottish locations that are open to exploration. 2. Thailand’s Beach, number seven a structure along a riverautomatically generated description Pride and Prejudice contains a famous and stunning view of the Peak District in Derbyshire. The breathtaking views of valleys and rivers exhibiting the magnificence of the British countryside range from the rough gritstone edge where Elizabeth Bennet daydreamed about My Darcy to. The majestic Chatsworth House, a historic property that was used for many of its exterior and interior sequences and is perhaps among the most stunning country houses in Britain, was also utilized in the 2005 film adaptation. The magnificent house, known as the “jewel in the Peak District’s crown,” is open for visitors to view. 3. The Third is PS I Love You, Ireland. over a river on a stone bridge. automatically generated description The stunning scenery in PS I Love You, which was filmed in many locations throughout Ireland, including Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains. The area exudes an overpowering romantic allure, offering breathtaking and entrancing panoramic vistas where nature is in full bloom with rolling hills and lush woodland. The tragic romance beautifully highlights the Irish landscape and wildlife by flitting between numerous locations in both Wicklow and Dublin. 4. The Sound of Music, Austrian city of Salzburg A hilltop white castle with mountains in the distance automatically generated description Due to its abundance of filming locations and monuments from the movie, Salzburg, Austria, will be on the trip wish lists of Sound of Music enthusiasts everywhere. The majestic Salzburg Cathedral, the breathtaking Mirabell Gardens, and the picturesque Austrian countryside are all featured in this timeless masterpiece. Fortunately, there is a thorough Original Sound of Music Tour that travels around Salzburg city and the lake district, taking visitors to both the filming locations and the important cultural landmarks in the area. 5. The Greek movie Mama Mia a cliffside Casa Malaparte that is above waterautomatically generated description popular feel-good film Several sites in Greece, primarily the islands of Skopelos and Skiathos, were used for the filming of Mama Mia. The church of Agios Ioannis to Kastri in Skopelos served as the backdrop for the romantic wedding scenes that featured a church located atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and breathtaking Skopelos coastlines. Greece is renowned for its beauty, with its crystalline waters, secluded white sand beaches, rocky coves, and turquoise waterways, and the movie has only increased people’s desire to travel there. 6. The Hobbit Trilogy, from New Zealand a lakeside water millautomatically generated description The Hobbit was filmed in New Zealand, where its breathtaking and distinctive landscapes are featured throughout, as is well known, and it has since grown to be a significant advertisement for travel to NZ. Today, tourists travel from far and wide to see the locations used in the trilogy, including Lake Pukaki, which served as the setting for Lake Town and is famous for its breathtaking views, and the Southern Alps, which run the length of the South Island and are home to stunning glaciers, waterfalls, and valleys. Fans can travel to the nation to follow in Bilbo and Gandalf’s footsteps and take in the breathtaking views of “the home of Middle Earth.” 7. Thailand’s Beach, number seven Tropical island as seen from aboveautomatically generated description Koh Phi Phi Le, an island of the Phi Phi Archipelago in the Thai province of Krabi, is well-known for serving as the backdrop for the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach. The island does not offer accommodations for overnight stays, although travelers can travel there for day visits. The beach location, dubbed Maya Bay, was closed to visitors in 2018 for conservation in order to give the coral and fauna time to recover. A magnificent coral reef bay and towering cliffs surround the main beach, which is only 200 meters long and has soft white sand. 8. Canyonlands, Utah’s Thelma and Louise. a river traversing a canyonautomatically generated description Driving the Shafer trail will take you to Dead Horse Point Stake Park, the location of the famous Thelma and Louise cliff scene. The road, which is 1500 feet high, winds its way through Canyonlands National Park’s vibrant sandstone cliffs. Fans of the movie will be aware with the state’s renowned landscapes, which include

The Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) hosted the 17th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2023 (ITE HCMC 2023) from September 7-9, 2023. The occasion, which ranks among the top tourism trade promotion activities in Vietnam, aims to open the door for sustainable growth in the nation’s expanding travel sector. More than 3,500 participants from 45 provinces and towns and 42 nations and territories participated in the event, reiterating ITE HCMC’s status as the biggest tourism exhibition in the Mekong region. A distinguished group of guests, including Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, a former member of the Politburo and former president, Mr. Truong Hoa Binh, a former member of the Politburo and a former permanent deputy prime minister of the government, Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, a former member of the Politburo and a former secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Ms. Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, a former ITE HCMC 2023 also had the distinction of hosting guests from nearby nations, such as officials from the Tourism Authorities of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Cambodia. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman, Phan Van Mai, emphasized the tourism industry’s encouraging signals of recovery. Over 87 million tourists visited Vietnam in the first eight months of 2023, accounting for 70% of the total number of visitors in 2019. Of them, 7.8 million were foreigners, representing a stunning 5.4-fold increase over the same period in 2022. More than VND 482 trillion was earned from tourism overall. During the same time period, Ho Chi Minh City alone welcomed nearly 25 million people, which was 63% more than in 2019. The number of foreign visitors increased by 105.2% when compared to 2022, and the city’s tourism industry generated more than VND 100,000 billion. These accomplishments are a result of recent international cooperation on cross-border travel. In order to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Vietnam, promote cross-border travel, and maximize tourism revenue, Mr. Mai emphasized the critical role that ITE HCMC plays in facilitating trade relations between Vietnamese tourism enterprises, enterprises from Mekong delta countries, and companies from both established and emerging global markets. Over 3,500 participants from 44 Vietnamese provinces and 41 other nations and territories attended this year’s ITE HCMC, which has as its subject “Connectivity, Growth, Sustainability,” and offers a wide range of professional events. The conference covers urgent topics such digital transformation, reorganizing human resources, destination marketing, communication strategies, enhancing the competitiveness and quality of tourism services, green tourism trends, medical tourism, and sports tourism. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/ite-hcmc-2023-kicks-off-with-a-focus-on-sustainability-and-connectivity/

Ala Andriuta has joined DidaTravel, a tech-driven global travel distribution company, as Head of Destination Marketing. This newly created position is intended to foster strong collaborations with National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) worldwide and assist them in utilizing DidaTravel’s broad travel distribution reach to achieve their strategic growth goals. DidaTravel, the world’s fastest-growing B2B travel distributor, is in a good position to assist NTOs and DMOs worldwide in gaining simple access to high-value, hard-to-reach segments of the travel industry, such as offline travel agents, tour operators, travel consortia, airlines, and loyalty point programs that collectively have a significant impact on how many people choose to travel around the world. Ala will assist NTOs and DMOs in custom designing marketing and business development strategies that are in line with their visitor growth targets and make sure that their destination is promoted to the most pertinent source markets and segments of the global travel trade. Ala will report directly to Gareth Matthews, DidaTravel’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This is an exciting initiative for DidaTravel, as we aim to make available our rapidly expanding travel distribution channels to NTOs and DMOs globally and help them drive significant visitor growth from the source markets that are most relevant to them,” said Gareth Matthews, Chief Marketing Officer. We are confident that Ala will use her knowledge in the sector to forge strong relationships with these significant organizations in this position. Ala Andriuta, DidaTravel’s recently hired Head of Destination Marketing, continues, “I’m thrilled to be joining DidaTravel, the world’s fastest-growing B2B travel distributor, in this fantastic new role, and I’m really looking forward to building long-term, strategic partnerships with DMOs and NTOs around the world. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/didatravel-appoints-ala-andriuta-as-head-of-destination-marketing/

The Minnesota State Fair is the most popular American event on Instagram and TikTok, according to recent data. For each State Fair, JeffBet looked at the number of Instagram hashtags and TikTok views to determine which ones the public took the most pictures of. With more than 365,400 Instagram hashtags and 132 million TikTok views, Minnesota’s State Fair is the most Instagrammable and TikToked State Fair in the United States. The most widely used hashtag is “#mnstatefair,” which has received 79 million TikTok views and 267,427 Instagram postings. In terms of attendance, it is the second-largest State Fair behind Texas. With over 339,485 Instagram posts and 128 million TikTok views, Texas Texas State Fair, also known as “Big Tex,” is the second most popular event on both platforms and is reportedly the biggest in the United States in terms of attendance. The most widely used hashtag is “#statefairoftexas,” which has been used on over 188,470 Instagram posts and has had over 69 million TikTok views. Third on both platforms, Iowa Iowa State Fair has 98 million TikTok views and over 104,805 Instagram posts. ‘#iowastatefair,’ the most used hashtag, has been seen 98 million times on TikTok and appears in over 101,065 Instagram posts. With 66 million TikTok views and 55,957 Instagram posts, Indiana Indiana State Fair comes in fourth. ‘#indianastatefair’ has been used on more than 53,314 Instagram posts and has received 66 million TikTok views. The ninth-placed Indiana State Fair is less well-liked on Instagram. On TikTok, it comes in fourth place and makes up the majority of the total. Florida State Fair is ranked fifth overall. It is less well-liked on Instagram, where it is ranked 12th with over 40,848 posts. On TikTok, the fair has over 52 million views, yet ranks fifth. The most prominent hashtag is “#floridastatefair,” which has 44 million TikTok views and is used in over 34,279 Instagram photos. On both platforms, California California State Fair is ranked sixth with 62,956 Instagram posts and 51 million TikTok views. The festival is ranked sixth as of today because to the use of the hashtag #castatefair on over 29,112 Instagram posts and over 43 million TikTok videos. With over 62,809 Instagram posts and 45 million TikTok views, Arizona’s Arizona State Fair comes in sixth on both platforms. On TikTok, the hashtag “#arizonastatefair” has been seen over 24 million times, and on Instagram, the hashtag “#azstatefair” has been used in over 37,691 posts. Eighth place goes to the North Carolina State Fair. It ranks seventh on TikTok and is the fourth most Instagrammable festival. 44 million TikTok views and over 104,322 Instagram posts have been made about the festival. The most popular hashtag, “#ncstatefair,” is responsible for nearly all 44 million TikTok views and over 100,223 Instagram postings. Nineth place goes to the West Virginia State Fair. With 8,742 Instagram posts including the festival’s tags, it has a below-average performance, ranking 31st in the United States. With almost 28 million views, it ranks eighth on TikTok. On TikTok, the hashtag “statefairofwestvirginia” obtains over 22 million views, while over 5,319 Instagram photos most frequently utilize the hashtag “wvstatefair.” Tenth place goes to Oklahoma Oklahoma State Fair, which also ranks tenth on TikTok and seventeenth on Instagram. There are 27 million views on TikTok and over 23,911 posts on Instagram. Over 12,030 Instagram posts with the hashtag “#okstatefair” have received the most engagement, and over 17 million views on TikTok. ‘State fairs are a great way for families to have fun while supporting their local community,’ a representative for JeffBet said. ‘They exhibit the finest of each region’s cuisine and culture. However, few research have examined their use of social media, particularly among members of Gen Z and Alpha. Due to its eye-watering 132 million views on TikTok alone, the Minnesota State Fair is the most popular event on TikTok and Instagram, according to this data. Minnesota’s State Fair produces almost one in six of all internet activity while having only 1.7% of the country’s population, even surpassing Texas for the top rank. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/most-popular-state-fairs-in-the-u-s-on-instagram-and-tiktok/

With Indonesia Hospitality Group, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (“Wyndham”) recently signed three new contracts. This precedes its attendance at the next Tourism, Hotel Investment & Networking Conference (THINC) 2023, which will be place in Indonesia on September 6 and 7. The Howard Johnson by Wyndham brand was introduced in Indonesia through Howard Johnson by Wyndham Pekalongan in February of this year, after the earlier signing of an exclusive development deal between Wyndham and Indonesia Hospitality Group. These new contracts mark the Howard Johnson by Wyndham brand’s continued growth in Indonesia as Wyndham creatively adapts to owners’ business needs to support them in maximizing growth prospects. The agreements were signed at a good time because Technavio projects that Indonesia’s domestic tourism and hospitality sectors will expand by US$21.93 billion between 2022 and 2026. Additionally, Technavio observed that these sectors will expand at a CAGR of 11.81% during the forecast period, with a 6.09% annual growth rate beginning in 2022. Expanding Quickly in Indonesia Wyndham actively engages potential owners and partners to build a foundation of trust and cooperation since owner loyalty is at the core of its ongoing expansion. Even during the pandemic, Wyndham leveraged its ‘OwnerFirst’ mindset to engage its stakeholders, and these connections continued to grow stronger. The properties covered by the three most recent agreements include the following ones: Howard Johnson by Wyndham Kota Kedoya Jakarta, Howard Johnson by Wyndham. Howard Johnson by Wyndham Treepark Tangerang and LA Hub South Jakarta. With a recognizable brand, a long history dating back to 1925, and a focus on providing warm, genuine experiences for guests, Howard Johnson by Wyndham gives franchise owners an excellent chance to connect with travelers looking for mid- to upper-midscale lodging. “Indonesia has and always will be an integral market for Wyndham’s Asia Pacific growth strategy, particularly so with the rapid rise in international and domestic tourism numbers,” said Matt Holmes, Vice President of Business Development South East Asia & the Pacific Rim (SEAPR), for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. We are pleased to be expanding our presence across Indonesia with the Howard Johnson by Wyndham brand offering in order to reach larger milestones by strengthening our cooperation with Indonesia Hospitality Group and leveraging their in-depth knowledge of the local market. As we continue to uphold our commitment to making hotel travel accessible to everyone, we look forward to providing more thrilling guest experiences across our network of hotels. “With the full reopening of borders across Asia Pacific, we observed a strong travel demand for travelers to visit Indonesia,” said Nathania Putri Budidjaja, Director of the Indonesia Hospitality Group. As a result, the Indonesia Hospitality Group is experiencing an exciting time as we work with Wyndham Hotels and Resorts to launch the Howard Johnson by Wyndham brand in Indonesia. We’re excited to use Wyndham’s in-depth knowledge of the market and their commercial and operational expertise to make sure all of our guests have a great time while staying in these recently launched and soon-to-be opened hotels. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/wyndham-hotels-resorts-expands-indonesia-presence-with-indonesia-hospitality-group/

The world’s largest hospitality company, Accor, has a strong pipeline for its luxury hotel portfolio across Europe and North Africa, including Pullman, Mövenpick, and Swissôtel. With 46 properties totaling 7,360 rooms scheduled to open by the end of 2027, the group has signed 10 luxury hotels across the region so far this year, including six from Mövenpick, two from Pullman, and two from Swissôtel. The group’s footprint in the Mediterranean basin will be strengthened by Accor’s premium growth, which includes locations in both tourist hotspots and ancient cities. It will also experience growth in Eastern European countries like Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Albania, and Montenegro, providing a chance to diversify its offering to European travelers. Pullman Hotels & Resorts are Accor’s most opulent selection, and they are situated in some of the most sought-after locations on earth. Pullman appeals to the cosmopolitan visitor seeking the best with its 4- and 5-star establishments. Nine additional additions will bring 1,589 new rooms to the brand’s portfolio in Europe and North Africa, including properties in Guadeloupe and the upcoming Pullman Okol Resort Golf & Spa in Bulgaria, which is scheduled to open in winter 2023. Albania, Croatia, Germany, and Montenegro will all have openings this year, as will the Pullman Kolasin Breza. With 23 forthcoming openings in the area, Mövenpick is in the lead thanks to its versatility as a conversion brand. The brand, which has Swiss roots that go back to the 1940s, offers a variety of modern city and resort hotels with a focus on making the ordinary special. As part of its development into Europe and North Africa, a variety of resorts and hotels will open in nations like Algeria, Croatia, Switzerland, Italy, and Azerbaijan with the eagerly awaited Movenpick Winterpark Baku. With the recent openings of Mövenpick Samarkand Hotel in Uzbekistan and Mövenpick BalaLand Resort in Hungary, the portfolio in Eastern Europe has expanded. Swissôtel brings together Swiss hospitality, clever design, and regional flair. In Eastern Europe, where 14 hotels totaling 2,334 rooms are opening in countries including Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Moldova, and Georgia, its expansion is accelerating. The Swissôtel Tbilisi will open later this year. Philippe Bijaoui, Chief Development Officer, Europe & North Africa for Accor’s Economy, Midscale, and Premium brands, remarked in response to the region’s development strength: “Driving our premium brands across the region is a vital component of that. Our recent restructure has given us a laser-eyed focus. Our premium portfolio, which now accounts for 16% of our total pipeline, is a significant area of focus for our development plan since we believe it has a ton of unrealized potential. We have a lot of faith in the capabilities of companies like Mövenpick to help us raise our density in strategic places since they are a perfect conversion brand. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/accor-drives-premium-brand-growth/

Leading players in the region’s hospitality business claim that hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia are failing to grasp the “green premium” and how to use it to draw in quality visitors. One of the key messages from PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), Southeast Asia’s largest sustainability forum, held this week at SAii Laguna with over 1,000 participants, was that hotels and resorts are lagging behind peers in other regions of the world when it comes to leveraging the advantages associated with sustainable tourism. “Unlike in Europe or North America, hotel developers in Southeast Asia have generally failed to make sustainability a requirement. It’s a significant divergence, according to Bill Barnett, general director of C9 Hotelworks, a hospitality and real estate advising firm that organized PHIST alongside Greenview and the Phuket Hotels Association. Star designer Bill Bensley and KP Ho, the founder and executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and Laguna Resorts and Hotels, were among the other knowledgeable speakers at PHIST who urged resort owners to recognize the broader advantages of sustainable tourism. Resorts can reduce expenses and earn goodwill by setting the standard for environmentally friendly or thoughtful activities that include farm-to-fork dining, sourcing organic food from nearby farmers, trash management, and energy reduction. By doing this, they may increase their attractiveness to customers who prioritize ethical, environmentally friendly, and — perhaps most significantly — distinctive experiences. STR Global’s Area Director for Asia Pacific, Jesper Palmqvist, organized a roundtable at PHIST where representatives from prestigious resort brands like Six Senses and Soneva talked about future environmental best practices. He concurred that the Southeast Asian hospitality sector needs to be more proactive about making significant reforms. It’s critical that the sector creates green champions, best practice guides, and training materials that hotels can customize, said the expert. Also necessary is to put pressure on hotels to obtain worldwide sustainability certification. This would demonstrate a greater desire to adopt new environmental criteria and remain on top of trends. As some of the largest names in the region’s hospitality industry gathered for PHIST, other debates about how to take advantage of the potential provided by sustainable tourism came to the forefront. Laguna Phuket was transformed by KP Ho into Southeast Asia’s top integrated resort development from a bleak moonscape of scarred land abandoned by the tin mining industry and deemed uninhabitable by the UN. Some of Asia’s most captivating sustainable tourism experiences have been curated by Bill Bensley. For instance, His Shinta Mani Wild in Cambodia provides upscale camping while using the money raised to protect the area’s protected nature sanctuary from logging, mining, and poaching. This year’s PHIST featured 16 interactive seminars, over 30 exhibitors, and a wide range of subjects for discussion, including the “green premium” and how to influence it. The circular sustainable economy, green hotel loans and start-up funds, farm-to-table cuisine, environmental hospitality design, data collection, and measurement, greentech innovation, marketing sustainable hotels, water conservation, sustainable wellness, and other topics were discussed during the workshop. The Asia Pacific Outdoor Lodging Association (APOLA), a trade organization created to direct, promote, and structure the development of the region’s growing outdoor lodging industry, was established immediately before PHIST. The goal of APOLA will be to define regional standards, create awareness, create an accounting system for project financing, and inform the sector about the benefits of this sustainable, low-impact hospitality model. Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/hotels-need-to-leverage-sustainability-and-grasp-the-green-premium-phist/