November 14, 2024
Rome-Los Angeles is the new transatlantic route of Norse Atlantic Airways: the connection will operate three weekly flights with a Boeing 787-9 starting from 22 May 2025.
“Enjoying our convenient and comfortable flights”
The company is relaunching on the Eternal City, which is already connected with a daily flight to New York, in view of a growth in demand for travel between the two sides of the Atlantic. “We are proud to present this new and exciting route connecting Rome and Los Angeles, two of the most dynamic cities in the world. Our passengers will have the opportunity to explore the history of Rome and the cultural energy of Los Angeles, while enjoying our convenient and comfortable flights,” said Bjørn Tore Larsen, CEO and founder of Norse Atlantic Airways.
Rome-Los Angeles fares start from €149
Tickets are already on sale, with one-way fares starting at €149 between Rome and Los Angeles and $199 between Los Angeles and Rome, taxes included. Norse Atlantic also plans to re-establish the Los Angeles-Oslo route for the summer of 2025, after launching in 2022, thus returning for the third consecutive summer season. The Los Angeles-Oslo flights will operate up to three times a week, from 23 May 2025 until 26 September 2025.
Published in Transportation
Trenitalia has signed an MoU with SkyTeam to offer combined air+train itineraries in a single booking.
Destinations throughout Italy
The partnership will allow travellers arriving in Italy on a flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline to reach a wide range of destinations across the country on Trenitalia's high-speed trains. For example, travellers will be able to fly from New York-JFK to Rome Fiumicino, collect their luggage, board a Frecciarossa high-speed train, and travel to one of the destinations served.
Boosting intermodal traffic
“Italy is an important global market for business and leisure travellers, and by partnering with Trenitalia, we can offer customers more options to go where they want and how they want, while taking advantage of the SkyTeam members’ benefits,” commented the airline alliance CEO Patrick Roux. “The partnership with SkyTeam offers customers reliable, high-quality train travel integrated with international flight schedules,- added Mario Alovisi, marketing director of Trenitalia and CEO Italia Loyalty. - With SkyTeam, we want to make travel more intermodal and look forward to welcoming SkyTeam customers to the extensive Frecciarossa network throughout Italy.”
Miles can be redeemed on train services
When the partnership becomes effective SkyTeam frequent flyer members will be able to earn and redeem miles when travelling on selected Frecciarossa routes; similarly, members of Trenitalia's CartaFreccia traveller loyalty programme will be able to earn and redeem points on selected SkyTeam flights. SkyPriority services will be offered at train stations wherever possible, benefiting SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus members and Trenitalia's CartaFRECCIA Platinum and Gold members.
Trenitalia operates in 23 Italian airports
There are currently 14 SkyTeam member airlines flying to Italy from Europe, America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and China. Trenitalia focuses on intermodality and sustainability offering connections to 23 Italian airports, including SkyTeam's Rome Fiumicino hub. Frecciarossa is part of the Frecce network that reaches 150 destinations in Italy with more than 270 daily connections. Italian cities served by SkyTeam member airlines include Rome, Milan, Turin, Venice, Genoa, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Verona, Palermo, Catania, Bari and Cagliari.
Published in Transportation
Thanksgiving 2024, and it’s time to celebrate the most eagerly awaited US holiday at Rome’s Hassler Hotel.
The Hassler Hotel at the top of Rome’s Spanish Steps
The most iconic American holiday will be celebrated in grand style in Rome in one of the city's symbolic venues of elegance and hospitality: the Hotel Hassler, which stands at the top of the Spanish Steps. On 28 November in the Salone Eva, the gourmet lounge of the hotel owned by the Wirth family, the American Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated.
A buffet dinner from 7.30 p.m. on 28 November
The roots of this holiday are ancient dating back to 1621. It is a secular holiday that included rituals aimed at giving thanks for the abundance of the harvest and for the previous year. For this reason on Thanksgiving Day family tables are filled with seasonal products such as pumpkins, nuts, cereals and fresh fruit, spices and sweet potatoes. The same ingredients on the menu designed for the occasion by the Executive Chef of the Eva Salon, Marcello Romano, for the buffet dinner scheduled on 28 November from 7.30 p.m. onwards.
The king of the table will be the Roast Turkey
Among the dishes on the table will be a mouth-watering Pumpkin and Taleggio Cheese Flan, and Pumpkin Cream with Bread Croutons. Then on to the Lasagna of Pumpkin and Ricotta Cheese with Truffle and to the king of the table, the Roast Turkey stuffed with Walnuts and Honey, which will also be reinterpreted in an Italian key with Turkey Meatballs in Gravy with Sultanas and Pine Nuts.
A selection of desserts and Brownies
Accompanying the main courses will be Pumpkin, fried with chilli or grilled in apple vinegar, and Brussels Sprouts in Butter, as well as the ever-present Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Red Cabbage with Apples and Glazed Chestnuts, accompanied by Caramelized Endive, all served with Cranberry and Truffle Sauce. A contemporary touch and a perfect balance to the main courses will be found in the desserts proposed by the pastry chef Martina Emili. From Apple Crumble to Pecan Pie, and from Pumpkin Tart to Popcorn Cake. And for chocolate lovers there will be Brownies. The cost of the dinner is €125 per person, excluding drinks.
For information and reservations: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in Hospitality
A WTM Global Travel Report highlighted how extreme weather is forcing travellers to rethink destinations.
Travellers are concerned about extreme weather
According to the report released on 6 November at the World Travel Market in London, travellers are actively starting to avoid destinations exposed to extreme weather. The report, in association with Tourism Economics, found that 29% of travellers from key global markets have avoided visiting a destination in the past 12 months due to concerns about inclement or extreme weather. Extreme weather – such as wildfires, flooding and unusually high temperatures – is widely accepted to be a direct result of man-made climate change. Evidence is emerging that extreme weather events will increase as the climate continues to warm, and Gen Z travellers, aged between 18 and 34, are more likely than the average to avoid destinations exposed to extreme weather. More than two in five (43%) have admitted to reconsidering where to go based on the weather.
More sustainable options are needed
Tourism economics data in the report shows that only a slight majority (53%) of travellers say that they attempt to minimize their carbon footprint when travelling. At the same time, nearly two in three (65%) acknowledge that travel has a negative impact on the environment. This disconnect can be closed by travel sellers helping travellers to make climate-friendly and sustainable choices. Booking.com 2023 figures showed that 74% of travellers want more sustainable options made available, and that 65% would feel better staying in accommodation with sustainable certification. However, sellers and suppliers with a strong sustainability story to tell are being held back by concerns over “green washing.” Skift research cited in the report shows that 75% of travellers are skeptical about travel company’s sustainable practices.
Overtourism is high on the agenda for many cities
Overtourism and the impact on local communities and resources is an important part of the sustainability conversation. In Europe, cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam and Venice have been trying to address this but, according to Tourism Economics data, there has been little change. Using 2019 as a base level, visitor nights per capita, or the “travel density” for these three cities, has increased, albeit marginally, over the past five years. Juliette Losardo, exhibition director, World Travel Market, said: “Travel is perhaps the industry most exposed to the climate emergency and the wider concerns around sustainability. Our role at WTM is to inform and educate, and there is a lot in the latest WTM Global Travel report which sellers and suppliers can take away, and inform their own decision-making process when it comes to the climate and sustainability.”
Published in MICE & Events
The BTE Non-Hotel Tourism Exchange 2024, held in Palermo (Sicily) from 8th to 14th November puts the spotlight on non-hotel tourism innovation and growth.
Featuring alternative accommodation solutions
The 8th edition of the B2B Non-Hotel Tourism Exchange highlights a wide range of accommodations beyond traditional hotels such as vacation rentals, B&Bs and guesthouses, and it is attracting many interested international buyers. The post-event fam trip for international buyers, organized by Confesercenti Sicilia with the support of ItaliAbsolutely by Travel Quotidiano started on 8th and will end on 14th November.
Authentic travel experiences
ItaliAbsolutely asked Salvo Basile, Confeserceti Sicilia’s regional coordinator for tourism, what he expects from the event. “This Exchange was created to ensure a projection of the region's tourism offer, especially on international markets. It is linked to authentic travel experiences that connect the tourist with the most authentic parts of our region, and it also safeguards our cultural identity and the style for which we are known the world over thanks to our unique assets, artistic heritage and natural beauty.”
The non-hotel sector now counts 7,000 units
With the number of hotel facilities soaring by almost 300% in recent years, from some 2,500 units to 7,000, the non-hotel sector is able to now guarantee about 120,000 units against the 350,000 available throughout the Sicilian region. “These figures are also confirmed by the increase in arrivals over 2023. We are taking about some 1,500,000 more arrivals.”
“The aim now is relational tourism”
Today the choice of complementary forms of accommodation is no longer linked, as it once was, to saving on holiday expenses added Basile. “Now the aim is what we call community tourism or relational tourism, which means tapping into the culture of a location, and it allows us to safeguard the cultural identity that is characteristic of our region. Visitors choosing non-hotel solutions are increasingly attentive to the theme of sustainability, and the protection of the social and cultural dynamics that are a strategic asset we must be able to enhance and promote to the best of our ability.”
Promoting Sicily’s inland areas
The main markets for non-hotel accommodation in Sicily are European, but a growing number of visitors are also arriving from also other parts of the world, many attracted by heritage tourism, and Sicily is seeing a major leap in the number of north American visitors. “This is thanks to the work we are doing, and to collaborations and synergies with the Regional government, enhancing not only the so-called mature tourist circuits, but also our inland areas which have so much potential."
Ligia Hofnar, marketing manager ItaliAbsolutely, Alessandro Anello, Councillor for Tourism of Palermo and Maria Francesca Martinez Tagliavia, Director of Palermo's Gallery of Modern Art
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Published in Fam Trip
Iberia confirms its positive trend with a 17% increase in seat capacity on Italy compared to 2019.
High demand and load factors
Demand remains strong in Iberia’s main markets such as Latin America, the North Atlantic and the EU. In the first half of the year, the latest data available, the Spanish airline transported over 12.6 million passengers, 10.3% more than in the same period of 2023, with an average load factor of 86.6% and +14% in overall capacity. 
Flying to 12 destinations in Italy
“Italy continues to be one of the main European markets for Iberia and the country where we operate on the highest number of destinations,- says Carmen Giraud, sales manager Europe, ME and Asia. -We fly to and from 12 Italian destinations, Rome, Milan, both Malpensa and Linate, Venice, Florence, Bologna and Naples all year round, and in summer, we add seven destinations operated by the Iberia Group for an average of 154 flights to/from Italy, which is 22 daily frequencies, and up to two additional daily frequencies.”
Easy connections with the Iberia network
“In 2024, we placed approximately 2.9 million seats on the market, exceeding the figures of 2023 (+9%) and 2019 (17%). The daily multifrequency that we offer in most Italian cities,- Giraud continues, -allows our passengers to connect easily with our network of more than 140 destinations, particularly long-haul – some 18 are in Latin America and nine are in the United States - and domestic which totals 45. Latin America is our most important market, especially Argentina and Brazil. This year will set a record, far exceeding 5.3 million seats between the two regions, up 16.4% from last year and more than 20% from pre-pandemic 2019 numbers.”
Published in Transportation
Industry execs questioned the reality of frictionless travel at the 2024 World Travel Market, running to 7th November in London’s Excel. They discussed the inbuilt complexity of the airline industry and how meeting the traveller demand for frictionless travel requires innovation from technology providers.
“Customers want things to be easy”
The speakers from many different countries discussed “the frictionless future of travel” at The Technology Track, organised and moderated by Timothy O’Neil-Dunne from T2Impact and sponsored by trip.com. Travelport’s head of retailing strategy Mark Lenahan shared the feedback he’s received from customer focus groups, saying that travellers from different source markets have different points of reference regarding their favourite e-commerce brands - outside of travel - to do business with. “But when I asked why, the answer is always the same,- he said, -customers want things to be easy. But in travel we make things complicated” with complex government and regulatory requirements, millions of fares, over-complicated catalogues, and too many booking categories.
Ease of payment is a prerequisite to frictionless travel
Ian Tunnacliffe from T2RL said it’s not the technology that makes the industry complicated, “it’s the underlying business processes that we need to rationalize.” Lenahan said banking has changed for the better as a result of digitization. James Lennon from Stripe noted that payments are now, or should be, as important as marketing and loyalty. “Ease of payment is a prerequisite to frictionless travel, but a customer-centric payment process also inspires trust and positive word-of-mouth.”
Live streaming for Asia-Pacific core markets
On the same panel, Will Plummer, CEO & Co-Founder, Trust My Group, noted that “payments are often seen as the end of the funnel but trust in payments starts when the customer arrives at your web site.” Keynote speaker Boon Sian Chai, managing director and vice president, international markets, Trip.com Group, shared the story of its highly successful Live Streaming product for the Chinese audience. With C-suite buy-in baked in at source to this innovation, the group has now opened a dedicated centre in Bangkok to roll out Live Streaming to Asia-Pacific source markets.
No conclusive answer as to whether tech is causing friction
The Technology Track concluded with a debate between selected panellists nominally divided into those who thought travel technology was the cause of the complexity and those who disagreed. The audience was asked to vote at the end of the debate and the result – within acceptable margins of error – was 50/50. O-Neil Dunne concluded: “Neither the professionals nor the audience could agree whether technology is causing the friction.”
Published in MICE & Events
ITA Airways has inaugurated its first route to the United Arab Emirates from Rome Fiumicino to Dubai.
Daily flights between Rome and Dubai
The new Dubai-Rome flight is now operated daily with an Airbus A321neo. configured with three classes: Business Class (12 seats), Premium Economy (12 seats) and Economy (141 seats, including 12 seats in Comfort Economy. “The first important novelty of our winter season,- said Emiliana Limosani, chief commercial officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare. -This new daily flight will boost tourism and trade between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, a strategic market not only for point-to-point connections but also for connections to other domestic, international and intercontinental destinations through our Fiumicino hub, combining leisure and business travel. This connection strengthens our presence in the Middle East, adding to our direct flights to Riyadh and Jeddah which were launched earlier this summer.”
Aeroporti di Roma strengthens its offer to the Arabian Peninsula
“The launch of the new Dubai-Rome will allow us to further strengthen our offer to the Arabian Peninsula, a key market for Rome, which in the first nine months of 2024 exceeded the 1.4 million passenger mark, growing by 21% over the same period in 2023 which was a record year,- said Ivan Bassato, chief aviation officer of Aeroporti di Roma.
New Rome-Bangkok flights from 16 November
During the 2024-25 winter season, ITA Airways will serve a network of 53 destinations, including 15 domestic, 23 international and 15 intercontinental. Following the launch of the new Dubai-Rome services, ITA will launch the new direct flight to Rome from Bangkok, which will mark the airline's debut in Thailand. This will start on 16 November with five weekly frequencies with Airbus A330neo aircraft. Following this, from 20 December, the company will operate up to five weekly frequencies from Rome to Malé, operated with Airbus A330neos.
Published in Transportation
The annual autumn Alba Truffle Fair and the Christmas season are two magical moments in the Langhe.
The annual Alba truffle fair
Every year in autumn the world watches as the Langhe region celebrates one of its most precious treasures: the white truffle. And both visitors and gourmet connoisseurs cannot miss the Alba Truffle Fair, scheduled in the beautiful town of Alba in the Langhe from 12 October to 8 December 2024.
Show cooking and truffle and wine tastings
The fair, which represents one of the main showcases of haute gastronomy and Italian excellence, attracts visitors and enthusiasts from all over the world, and offers the opportunity - in addition to purchasing precious truffles - to immerse oneself in a world of show cooking, product and wine tastings, cooking classes, and exquisite dinners.
The UVE Rooms and Wine Bar is close to Alba
To best enjoy this extraordinary feast of the senses, what better than to stay at UVE Rooms & Wine Bar in La Morra (CN), an enchanted village suspended among the hills just 15 minutes' drive from Alba. With just eight rooms and suites in an atmosphere of refined luxury this tastefully restored historical relais, is strategically positioned to allow guests to move easily around the Langhe. 
A magical Christmas in the Langhe
And then it is Christmas and in the Langhe it is a time to relax with friends and family gently clasping a glass of fine wine produced in these lands while savouring a tasting the typical Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo wines produced by local vineyards and which are also the names of the elegant rooms and suites at the UVE Rooms & Wine Bar in La Morra. Leading up to Christmas a magical itinerary unfolds in La Morra with displays and activities for all ages scheduled every Saturday and Sunday, while the beautiful Piazza Alfieri in nearby Asti hosts a glittering Christmas market selling handicrafts, local food and wine specialties and many original and unique gift ideas. For information: www.uvelanghe.it
Published in MICE & Events
A 20-year-long partnership that keeps on growing and evolving, because “the best is still to come.”
A high demand for European travel
This is how Bjorn Bender, executive chairman & ceo of Rail Europe, speaking at the WTM in London, described the long-standing partnership with Trenitalia. “I am convinced that our goals go hand in hand, as we see high demand for European travel, especially from overseas,- said Bender. -And then there is the strong interest in Italy, especially for luxury products such as the Frecciarossa trains. So we are intensifying and strengthening our cooperation to attract more and more customers who may not have travelled on these trains before. This is our main goal and, of course, as a distributor we also want to simplify the accessibility and global accessibility of Trenitalia trains.”
“Comfort, on-board service and choice with Trenitalia’s high speed”
Over the years the Frecciarossa has acquired its own precise status “And not just as an international but an Italian benchmark- said Pietro Diamantini, Trenitalia's high speed business director. -High speed is recognised for its intrinsic characteristics, for how it guarantees comfort, on-board service and choice. And it is an international recognition, which is not limited to Italy's neighbouring countries, but reaches distant markets, from which large tourist flows arrive in Italy. Many are return tourists, and second and third generations rediscovering their Italian roots, and they are no longer just looking for Rome, Florence and Venice but also for the South of Italy, Naples, the coast, the islands, the mountains and even spas. So many opportunities for a holiday with Frecciarossa allowing tourists you to make the most of their time and enjoy different destinations.”.
Sustainable train travel
A sort of journey into ‘La Dolce Vita, is what travellers are looking for in Italy,- added Bender. -Trenitalia has always been one of our top three products for Europe. And, compared to the past, demand for destination Italy, especially from countries like Brazil, India and the Americas in general, has never been so high.” And it is a demand for sustainable travel, “with the train you can explore destinations that 20 years ago you could not even have dreamed of. And our international groups wishing to go beyond the Italian borders can take advantage of international train connections from Italy to neighbouring countries.”
“So yes, hopefully the best is still to come”
A combination that is “perfect in every sense, and which today sees us present in the world with over 20,000 B2B partners selling our products and Trenitalia's products. In the Americas alone we count 10,000 B&B partners. The network is there and this is a winning partnership: on the one hand a very strong carrier with very good positioning and a luxury product and, on the other, a global network that feeds Italian trains. So yes, hopefully the best is still to come. But we already have a very solid base.”
Published in Transportation
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