The senior executive at Sandals Resort played an upbeat tune about the upcoming holiday season at this year´s World Travel Awards. "We have been having our best year ever, the Fall looks even better," said John Lynch, executive vice president of Sandals Resort at the gala ceremony.

Over the next 15 years, an increase in consumer confidence coupled with a desire to satisfy individual tastes will significantly reshape vacation aspirations and frequency according to a new report published this week. “The World of Travel in 2020” study, commissioned by global travel giant, Cendant Travel Distribution Services, predicts that travelers, young and old, will challenge traditional vacations as they seek, on average, up to four very different experiences a year.

Climate change poses a growing risk to the tourism industry, the tourists themselves and the economies that rely on their spending, WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli told the Technical Conference on Climate as a Resource held in Beijing last week. “Climate change will constitute an increasing risk for tourism operations in many destinations. With many tourism activities heavily dependent on the climate and insurance policies increasingly affected by natural hazards, accurate weather information and the forecasting of extreme climatic events are becoming ever more important for tourism businesses,” he said at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) meeting in the Chinese capital.

In a spirited discussion on the importance of creating and executing crisis communications plans for the tourism industry, former anchor of CNN´s news desk, Andria Hall led international experts in an interactive and educational “Master Class” at the 28th Caribbean Tourism Conference in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. The panel, which included Andy Cooper, CEO of Federation of Tour Operators in the UK, Barry Pitegoff, Vice President of Research for Visit Florida, and Alan Parker, Deputy Managing Editor of the Toronto Sun, called for clear and concise plans in responding to crises, whether natural disasters, such as hurricanes, or others, such as crime or strikes, or even a government probe.

The Carnival in Rio is one of the most famous events on the planet drawing people from all over the world to Rio de Janeiro, one of the world´s most desirable visitor destinations. The attraction is the fabulous display of music and cultural heritage of Brazil, but the head of a development agency said the world´s most famous carnival is not spreading the wealth to those in dire need of wealth creation.

Ryanair is set to launch an online casino that will operate in tandem with a new in-flight entertainment service, Online-Casinos.com reported last week. “For some time Ryanair has mooted plans to operate an online casino facility, and this week it appears that real progress is being made on revitalizing this ambitious project. The airline has revealed that it is now set to launch an online casino that will operate in tandem with a new in-flight entertainment service. The facility is designed to give a further boost to the airline´s fast-growing ancillary revenues,” said the report.