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Havana Cuba has been selected as the destination for the Annual International Conference on Sustainable EduTourism by the Conference organizers at CETA.
CETA is the Canadian EduTourism Association Cooperative, a not for profit Canadian group with a mandate of raising the awareness of the social and economic impact of sustainable tourism though education, culture and the environment.
Ms. Lana Wood, President and Chair of CETA, announced their partnership with the Cuban Ministry of Tourism MINTUR and the Sol Melia to host the International Conference which is to be held in Havana Cuba on November 8 & 9, 2010. Leading international experts from the education, tourism and hospitality industries will provide insight, stimulate discussions and facilitate capacity building sessions to identify and move forward with creating sustainable tourism initiatives.
Ms. Wood explains that “Cuba has focused heavily on tourism, culture and education over the past few decades, working hard to create a sustainable EduTourism destination and it was for this reason that it was chosen as the location for this important International event.”
“With the ever-changing economy, it is more important than ever to develop a Tourism market that does not simply rely on ‘vacation’ travel. It has become necessary to combine work and vacation together for financial and time constraints. Additionally, the large baby boomer market will be less content with package vacations and will be motivated by travel that combines cultural and educational aspects.”
Simon Hudson agrees. He is Chair of the Tourism and Economic Development Department at the University of South Carolina. Mr Hudson indicates that “according to many marketing experts, marketing in the 21st century is all about delivering the customer experience. Over the next 10 years people will increasingly want to be differentiated by what they do, not what they buy, and this will drive a desire for experience-driven travel. Future generations of consumers will have more discretionary income, less time and more choices, and will display entirely new spending patterns, depending on age, geography and wealth. Customers will be looking for an experience, and not just a product. A passion for ‘doing’ rather than ‘having’ will likely double the number of consumers flying by 2020”.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
