High Elevation Time for Three World Tourism Network Executives

The Himalayan Travel Mart recently partnered with the World Tourism Network, an organization with travel and tourism members and destinations in 132 countries.

World Tourism Network has been speaking out for the many Medium and Small size businesses in the global travel and tourism industry. (SMEs). WTN provides a network benefiting a conversation for SMEs with the public sector and larger players in the travel industry.

The 5-star downtown Hotel Yak and Yeti & Hotel Annapurna, situated in the heart of the capital city, Kathmandu, will host the event.

Mr. Vijay Poonoosamy, chairman of the Aviation Interest Group for the World Tourism Network and the founder and chairman of WTN Juergen Steinmetz, are among the speakers.

Members of the World Tourism Network are invited and encouraged to be part of this important event and meet fellow WTN members.

Himalayan Travel Mart (HTM) is Nepal’s premier international travel and tourism trade show facilitating unparalleled networking and business opportunities and valuable industry insights among the global tourism and hospitality organizations and individuals engaged in different aspects of tourism in the Himalayan region.

This Business to Business (B2B) mart offers a unique platform for tourism marketing and promotion, availing the remarkable gathering of Global Buyers, Himalayan Sellers, Travel Bloggers, Influencers, National and International Media, Travel Industry Professionals, and Delegates from around the world.

Three World Tourism Network members will speak at the Himalayan Travel Mart.

The keynote address will be presented by

Vijay Poonoosamy, WTN Aviation Chairman

Vijay Poonoosamy has over 30 years of experience in international law, good governance, public affairs, aviation, tourism, and international relations. He is renowned for his commitment to and advocacy for integrity, transparency, equity, inclusivity, and sustainability. In addition, he has an extensive global network.

Vijay was called to the Bar in London (Middle Temple) and Mauritius after earning his BA (Hons) in Law from the University of Nottingham, LL.M (International Law) from the London School of Economics & Political Science, and Post Graduate Diploma in Air and Space Law from the London Institute of World Affairs. He also holds a Certificate in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

Vijay has held several significant positions throughout his career, including Director of Legal and International Affairs of Air Mauritius, Managing Director of Air Mauritius, Executive Chairman of Airports of Mauritius, Chief Operating Officer of the Commonwealth Association for Corporate Governance, and Vice-President of International and Public Affairs of Etihad Airways.

He was elected chair of the historical 4th International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Worldwide Air Transport Conference, IATA’s Industry Affairs Committee, and IATA’s Legal Advisory Group. He also served as Rapporteur of the ICAO Legal Committee on the Modernisation and Consolidation of the Warsaw System of Rules for international carriage by Air, Chair of the ICAO Special Working Group on the Warsaw Convention, and Chair of ICAO’s Drafting Group on the 1999 Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air.

Vijay currently holds various Directorships and is the Aviation Group Chairman of the World Tourism Network. He is also a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Gender Parity Steering Committee.

Vijay’s Honors and Awards include the following: 

• Safer Tourism’s Hall of International Tourism Heroes, 2020 
• Bhartiya Shiromani Puraskar Award by the Institute of Economic Studies of India for “Outstanding Contribution to International Aviation”, 2008
• Most Outstanding Young Person of the Republic of Mauritius Award by the Jeune Chambre Economique de Maurice, 1996
• ICAO 50th Anniversary Medal by the Republic of France, 1994
• The Law Graduates Association Moot Prize by the University of Nottingham, 1983

Juergen Steinmetz, WTN Founder and Chairman

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz is the Founder of the World Tourism Network (WTN), who also founded the eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

Having started his career as a travel agent in Germany in 1979, Juergen has been continuously involved in the travel and tourism industry. Today, he is one of the most influential figures in the industry as the publisher of this 2 million reach circulation publication, eTurboNews (eTN).

Juergen is also the CEO of the TravelNewsGroup, and a founding chair of the African Tourism Board. He serves on the board of several international travel and tourism-related associations.

Over the years, Juergen has worked and collaborated with various national tourism offices, non-governmental organizations, and private and non-profit organizations and has been involved in planning, implementing, and quality control of various travel and tourism-related activities and programs, including tourism policies and legislation.

Juergen’sstrengths include his vast knowledge of the travel and tourism industry from the perspective of a successful private enterprise owner, his excellent networking skills, strong leadership, superb communication skills, ability to work effectively in a team, attention to detail, dutiful respect for compliance in all regulated environments, and advisory skills in both political and non-political arenas concerning tourism programs, policies, and legislation.

He has a thorough knowledge of current industry practices and trends and is a computer and Internet junkie.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) -China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI)

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS FRAS has 45 years of working in international tourism, mainly focusing on the Chinese outbound tourism source market. His career includes 20 years as a tenured professor of International Tourism Management and CEO of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), based in Hamburg.

He recently added the Meaningful Tourism paradigm to the toolbox for successful and sustainable tourism development for Chinese and other source markets by providing training and consulting for companies and organizations worldwide.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Asiatic Society (London), as well as a research Fellow of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (Tokyo) and a member of the Expert Committee of the World Tourism Cities Federation (Beijing).

Dr. Wolfgang is co-author of the recent publication 88 Practical Ways to Prepare for the New Wave of Chinese Visitors. China Outbound Tourism Handbook 2023, published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German, and editor of the new periodical COTMI China Outbound Tourism Market Intelligence, which is also published in several languages.

Dr. Arlt is a member and frequent contributor to the World Tourism Network.

For more information on World Tourism Network (WTN), go to www.wtn.travel

More information on the Himalayan Travel Mart go to https://himalayantravelmart.com