The media including the travel industry media, tends to have an almost obsessive focus on negative stories from the Eastern Med including the conflict between Israel and the Hamas dominated Gaza Strip and the internal problem in Lebanon. While these problems are very real there remains a lot of positive news. Tourism to the Eastern Mediterranean is experiencing a boom with tourism to Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Greece, Egypt, Croatia, Libya, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Italy all enjoying healthy growth.
In Australia a unique tourism association celebrates and promotes tourism to all the Eastern Med and has done so since 2001. The Eastern Mediterranean Tourism Association (EMTA) has now been operating in Australia since 2001, From the very beginning EMTA banned politics from its constitution which means that every country in the region which covers all destinations between Italy and Jordan is equally promoted irrespective of the state of political relations between them. In EMTA’s web site www.emta.org.au and it its industry events Israel , Syria, The Palestinian Authority and Israel, Serbia and Croatia all appear on the same bill despite the obvious political tensions between them. Australian Travelers want to travel to all these destinations and don’t want political enmities to get in their way.
During February and March 2008 EMTA ran a series of seven travel industry workshops in major Australian cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and the Gold Coast attended by 800 Australian travel professionals. Since EMTA commenced its product evenings over 6,000 Australian travel agents have learned about the region.
សមាជិករបស់ EMTA ភាគច្រើនជាអ្នកលក់ដុំ ក្រុមហ៊ុនអាកាសចរណ៍ និងការិយាល័យទេសចរណ៍ជាតិ។ ជាយុទ្ធសាស្ត្រសម្រាប់ទីផ្សារទេសចរណ៍ក្នុងតំបន់រយៈពេលវែងពីប្រទេសអូស្ត្រាលី EMTA បានផ្ដល់អត្ថប្រយោជន៍ដល់សមាជិកទាំងអស់របស់ខ្លួន ដោយផ្តល់ឱ្យពួកគេនូវវេទិកាមួយដើម្បីផ្សព្វផ្សាយផលិតផលទេសចរណ៍ Eastern Med ក្នុងតំបន់ ហើយភ្នាក់ងារទេសចរណ៍រីករាយនឹងឱកាសក្នុងការពន្យល់សង្ខេបអំពីផលិតផល និងចំណុចសំខាន់ៗនៃទិសដៅនៃប្រទេសចំនួន 15 ក្នុងមួយ ល្ងាចតែមួយ។
គំរូ EMTA បានបង្ហាញពីភាពជោគជ័យរបស់ខ្លួននៅក្នុងប្រទេសអូស្ត្រាលីក្នុងរយៈពេលប្រាំបីឆ្នាំ ហើយនឹងទទួលបានជោគជ័យដូចគ្នានៅក្នុងទីផ្សារប្រភពដ៏វែងឆ្ងាយផ្សេងទៀតទៅកាន់ Eastern Med រួមទាំងអាមេរិក និងអាស៊ីបូព៌ា។
The author is the founder and current National Secretary of the Eastern Mediterranean Tourism Association (Australia). The chairman is Iain Ferguson Regional Manager (Australasia) Royal Jordanian Airlines.
[David Beirman is the author of the book “Restoring Tourism Destinations in Crisis: A Strategic Marketing Approach” and is the foremost eTN crisis expert. He may be reached via the email address: [អ៊ីមែលការពារ].]
