Estes Park's Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival SEPTEMBER 4-7, 2014

For more than three decades, Estes Park has been the backdrop for one of the nation's largest gatherings for those of Scottish heritage, those interested in Scottish heritage, those who like the sound of Scottish brogues, those who enjoy a Scottish malt beverage, those who enjoy the rhythmic sound of Scottish footsteps on a dance floor and more.
Held annually the weekend after Labor Day, Estes Park's Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival  is the largest gathering of its kind between the Mississippi River and California, and traditionally hosts bands from Great Britain, Scotland, Canada and, of course, the United States.
One of the weekend highlights is the hour-long parade on Elkhorn Avenue, Estes Park's main street. Bagpipes, drummers, dancers, clans in tartan, Dogs of the British Isles, brass military bands and precision drill teams give a preview of what can be seen on the festival field.
Looking for tickets?  Purchase here.

http://www.visitestespark.com/events-calendar/special-events/longs-peak-scottish-irish-highland-festival/?utm_source=Colorado.com&utm_medium=Out-of-State%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=Events%3A%20Scot%20Fest

Join me on TravelTalkRADIO and BusinessTravelRADIO Today!

This week July 13, 2014TravelTalkRADIO and BusinessTravelRADIO

LIVE via Satellite on radio stations in USA and beyond. Show streams from this page at Noon to 1pm ET Rebroadcast at 2 - 3pm ET  Second Hour: 1 - 2pm ET Rebroadcast at 3 - 4pm ET

Stream from Our Distributor at Talk Star Radio

 Are you early to the broadcast? Prior to TravelTalkRADIO,  Street Smart on the Talk Star Radio Network.
 Our good friend Bill Madden adds lots of flavor to this broadcast.
 Street Smart does not necessarily reflect the ideals of TravelTalkMEDIA                     

TravelTalkRADIO

Sandy welcomes Fares Srouji,
Lead Singer for James the Crystal Band
Trae Bodge,
Senior Lifestyle editor for Real Deal by RetailMeNot

BusinessTravelRADIO

Phil Baum,
GreenLight Founder and
DISPAX World 2014 Organizer
Peter Kane,
North America Marketing Communications Manager
AirPlus International

Working with Jordanian Film Crew to Share Knowledge of Dead Sea Minerals and Pro

Jordanian Crew with Sandy at Petra, Jordan

I just returned from Jordan where I worked on filming Jordan as a destination for tourists and conferences. 
Thank you to Mona Naffa and Barbara Kamal from Jordan Pacific Business Development.

July, 2014 - – New York – TravelTalkMEDIA’s executive producer and host of TravelTalkRADIO and BusinessTravelRADIO announced today filming had been completed in Jordan which highlights tourism and the natural wonders of the country.  Sandy Dhuyvetter and the six member team assembled by Jordan Pacific Business Development journeyed throughout the country which included Petra, the city of Amman and the Dead Sea.

The team spent a considerable amount of time at the Dead Sea which is about 35 minutes outside of Amman at the lowest body of water on earth and the world's richest source of natural salts accumulated throughout thousands of years. Known for its buoyancy, and recognized since the days of Herod the Great, the Dead Sea is a perfect example of the Jordanian people understanding the powers of this natural phenomenon.

Sandy and her team worked with the primary salt and mud extraction company in Jordan called Numeira. The film crew was giving the opportunity to follow the gestation of a molecule of water from the Dead Sea all the way through the 9 month journey to become salt for beautifying skin and bathing remedies.

Numeira’sGeneral Manager, Ismail Daqour, a veteran in Dead Sea engineering and an extraction expert, said, ‘we are excited to share with the world this special area in Jordan including the benefits of our products that are naturally taken out of the sea and processed into high quality beauty and health care products”.

Mr. Daqour led the film crew through the route which included a ride on a specially constructed boat built by a US company. The vessel was built to work within the harsh elements of the highly salt content of the water and requires constant maintenance with an expected lifespan of just 15 years.

The Dead Sea mud was also examined as the TravelTalkMEDIA crew found out first-hand the care and consideration taken when harvesting mud and salt which is known to have dozens of minerals that can contribute to health and wellness including skin disorders and possible alleviation of arthritis and rheumatic and degenerative joint diseases. Dead Sea products from Numeira are offered online at: http://www.numeira.com

Jordan often referred to as the Switzerland of the Middle East also provided a colorful backdrop as the film crew captured the sights and sounds of the city of Amman and the treasures of Petra. The video productions will be distributed later this summer to travel TV networks and online TV delivery systems.

Barbara Kamal, Sandy Dhuyvetter and Mona Naffa at the entrance of the Baptismal Site

About Numeira:
Numeira is one of two companies worldwide that have been granted governmental concessions to extract and utilize the spa elements from the Dead Sea. Numeria is the sole providers of the raw materials for the Dead Sea cosmetic industry worldwide, making Numeira unique and exceptional. Located on a virgin land Numeira is directly on the banks of the Dead Sea and close to Al Numeira canyon. Numeira has implemented all environmental and ecological laws and regulations to ensure the security and the safety of the surrounding area, all its raw materials are processed without use of chemicals or their byproducts. And no animals are used in testing any of the products.

About TravelTalkMEDIA:
TravelTalkMEDIA, established in 2001, is one of the world’s largest travel industry new media companies, providing travel-related information, news, and entertainment to the travel and tourism industry worldwide. TravelTalkMEDIA broadcasts through its TravelTalkRADIO and BusinessTravelRADIO and TravelTalkTV subsidiaries. Programming is distributed to one million listeners in 185 countries each month through conventional radio distribution via satellite and streaming online and using social media to attract new listeners and readers.

About Jordan Pacific Business Development:
JPBD is a business entity specialized in events and marketing based in Amman, Jordan. Founded in December, 2013 it is the "new kid on the block" fueled with passion to promote tourism, investments and business in Jordan.

Contact
Sandy Dhuyvetter
415 806 5740
sandy@traveltalkradio.com

Tourism Study:Central Asia is not equipped and prepared for getting share from outbound tourism market of China

Our Friend from Agha Iqrar Haroon from the The Region Initiative, 

Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Central Asian states can get throbbing clients from China if these countries work effectively and enhance their professional capacity. This was observed in a Tourism Trend in Central Asia study conducted by The Region Initiative (TRI) released to media here on Friday July 11.
The study conducted through TRI networking indicates that 97 million Chinese tourists visited foreign countries in year 2013 but did not prefer to visit Central Asian neighbouring countries although travelling to neighbouring Central Asia countries could be cheaper and exciting for Chinese tourists due to cultural, ethnic and historical proximity.
Data collected by TRI indicates that Chinese tour operators got inquiries from groups/individuals but tour operator are shy to sell Central Asian destinations due to many reasons including border crossing difficulties when group/individual wish to travel to any neighbouring Central Asia country from one Central Asian country the group or individual is travelling.
The figures underline the rapid rise in the numbers of Chinese travelling abroad, who numbered just 29 million in 2004 and 97 million in 2013. This trend is still at Upward.
Chinese travellers are also very good at spending and as many as US$102 billion were spent by them overseas in 2012, making them the world’s biggest spenders ahead of Germans and US tourists.
Study indicates that expanding the ranks of China’s middle class is giving a boost to outbound travel as this class his hungry for foreign travel after the country’s decades of isolation in the last century.
Study suggests that tourism authorities of Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan should do well to enhance their publicity efforts and provide Chinese-language guide services if they want to sell their destinations to Chinese tourists.
Major issues that are hampering growth of Chinese tourists in Central Asian countries include:
Insufficient publicity, a shortage of Chinese-speaking guides as well as complicated visa application procedures.
No good Chinese restaurants in big and small cities and non-availability of Chinese cooks in motels/hotels/guests houses and traditional Sarais in Central Asia. Central Asian tour operators are mostly working to attract Germans, Frenchs and Americans who have totally different mind-set of travelling. Chinese are very particular about their food while Germans, French and Americans eat exotic food of Central Asia and can eat anything like western food etc.

Maximum Chinese tourists are visiting to Kazakhstan but even the number is as low as 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese visitors per year.

There is no production (availability) of Chinese speaking tour guides in Central Asian countries who are able to speak Chinese and only a handful of Chinese travel agencies have itineraries in these countries.
Almost no outbound Chinese company is working full time in selling central Asian countries as destinations and has no routes to Central Asian countries because of very few customers ask about tourism products to those areas, and even fewer end up actually making such a trip.

Lack of infrastructure development is also one factor that has tended to discourage Chinese visitors.
No proper and planned Road shows to create more opportunities and platforms to enable Chinese people to learn about Central Asian products (Destinations/food/culture).

The World Tourism Organisation predicts further increase in overseas trips made by Chinese people in next 5 years.

The Region Initiative (TRI) is a Tri-regional Umbrella of Tourism related organisations. TRI is functioning as a link among three regions—-South Asia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. It offers blended tours packages, consultancy, research, networking of tourism organisations, marketing of small tourism stakeholders, advocate sustainable tourism and ecotourismCentral Asia is not equipped and prepared for getting share from outbound tourism market of China, indicates Tourism Study.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Central Asian states can get throbbing clients from China if these countries work effectively and enhance their professional capacity. This was observed in a Tourism Trend in Central Asia study conducted by The Region Initiative (TRI) released to media here on Friday July 11.
The study conducted through TRI networking indicates that 97 million Chinese tourists visited foreign countries in year 2013 but did not prefer to visit Central Asian neighbouring countries although travelling to neighbouring Central Asia countries could be cheaper and exciting for Chinese tourists due to cultural, ethnic and historical proximity.

Data collected by TRI indicates that Chinese tour operators got inquiries from groups/individuals but tour operator are shy to sell Central Asian destinations due to many reasons including border crossing difficulties when group/individual wish to travel to any neighbouring Central Asia country from one Central Asian country the group or individual is travelling.

The figures underline the rapid rise in the numbers of Chinese travelling abroad, who numbered just 29 million in 2004 and 97 million in 2013. This trend is still at Upward.

Chinese travellers are also very good at spending and as many as US$102 billion were spent by them overseas in 2012, making them the world’s biggest spenders ahead of Germans and US tourists.

Study indicates that expanding the ranks of China’s middle class is giving a boost to outbound travel as this class his hungry for foreign travel after the country’s decades of isolation in the last century.

Study suggests that tourism authorities of Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan should do well to enhance their publicity efforts and provide Chinese-language guide services if they want to sell their destinations to Chinese tourists.
Major issues that are hampering growth of Chinese tourists in Central Asian countries include:
Insufficient publicity, a shortage of Chinese-speaking guides as well as complicated visa application procedures.
No good Chinese restaurants in big and small cities and non-availability of Chinese cooks in motels/hotels/guests houses and traditional Sarais in Central Asia. Central Asian tour operators are mostly working to attract Germans, Frenchs and Americans who have totally different mind-set of travelling. Chinese are very particular about their food while Germans, French and Americans eat exotic food of Central Asia and can eat anything like western food etc.
Maximum Chinese tourists are visiting to Kazakhstan but even the number is as low as 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese visitors per year.

There is no production (availability) of Chinese speaking tour guides in Central Asian countries who are able to speak Chinese and only a handful of Chinese travel agencies have itineraries in these countries.
Almost no outbound Chinese company is working full time in selling central Asian countries as destinations and has no routes to Central Asian countries because of very few customers ask about tourism products to those areas, and even fewer end up actually making such a trip.
Lack of infrastructure development is also one factor that has tended to discourage Chinese visitors.
No proper and planned Road shows to create more opportunities and platforms to enable Chinese people to learn about Central Asian products (Destinations/food/culture).
The World Tourism Organisation predicts further increase in overseas trips made by Chinese people in next 5 years.
The Region Initiative (TRI) is a Tri-regional Umbrella of Tourism related organisations. TRI is functioning as a link among three regions—-South Asia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. It offers blended tours packages, consultancy, research, networking of tourism organisations, marketing of small tourism stakeholders, advocate sustainable tourism and ecotourism.

Agha Iqrar Haroon has been working with national and international media houses for the last 24 years. His tenure as journalists includes 8 years in print media and 16 years in electronic media

Leading Human Trafficking Awareness Training in London

I was honored to represent Airline Ambassadors International at the DISPAX World 2014 Conference in London. I thought I would share the press release that was published about the training. 

Sandy Dhuyvetter Leads Human Trafficking Awareness Training in London

Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) Human Trafficking Awareness Training in London at DISPAX World 2014

TravelTalkMEDIA reported today the overwhelming approval given by participants of DISPAX World 2014 for the training providing by Airline Ambassadors International on the topic of Human Trafficking Awareness. The conference examined all aspects of disruptive passengers and was held at the Riverside Venue in Middlesex near the Heathrow Airport.

The trafficking awareness training team led by AAI board of directors member, Sandy Dhuyvetter included AAI members Naomi van Duin, Delta Airlines Flight attendant and Anna Marie Jensen, Frontier Airlines Flight Attendant. During the hour and a half training session, the audience received information on the scope of the crimes including a look at the perpetrators, survivor perspectives and key indicators of traffickers. Finally the team covered the what, when, how and who should be contacted to report suspected activities.

Together the three trainers told the story of trafficking and how the travel and airline industry in particular have a critical role to play in identifying and reporting. Sandy Dhuyvetter commented, “the pre and post assessment forms we received from the attendees told us that there is still a wide spread need for industry specific training and we were over joyed to hear of the interest and approval the participants showed regarding the training and for the next steps needed to spread the word”.

Trainers, Sandy Dhuyvetter, Naomi van Duin and Anna Marie Jensen

Media Contact
Sandy Dhuyvetter
415 806 5740
***@traveltalkmedia.com

We introduced Selling Forever Resorts and now new ideas to help sell!

In May Travel-Forever launched a NETWORKING REWARDS program with the promise to unveil new items for our Rewards' Marketing Folio each month. For those of you working this income-generating social networking program, helping Forever Resorts sell houseboat vacations just got easier. Many families love to travel with pets and can’t. But pets are WELCOME on Forever Resorts’ houseboats. Here's the latest flyer we've added to the Rewards' Marketing Folio so that you can share this news with family and friends. Let Travel-Forever show you how it pays to share! REGISTER TODAY to become a Travel-Forever Rewards Ambassador. Then use your unique Rewards Number to access the Marketing portfolio and to book houseboat reservations and earn commissions. Questions? Want more information? Call Renea:  480.998.7199 x 4400 And, don’t forget to use your Reward Number when booking a houseboat vacation via Travel-ForeverRewards.com!

Royal Jordanian invites 200 orphans for Iftar and distributes goodwill parcels in the Jordan Valley

Amman- July 9, 2014- Royal Jordanian invited 200 orphans from different charity organizations for an iftar banquet at the Children’s Museum of Jordan, one of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah’s non-profit educational organizations.

Every year, RJ holds several iftars for a big number of orphans and individuals with special needs coming from different areas around the kingdom, translating into deeds its intention of serving the society and helping the less fortunate.

Some of the RJ employees joined the orphans during the iftar at the museum, sharing their happy moments of their tour. The children expressed joy during their visit to the museum; it was a unique educational experience they gained by exploring and experimenting with numerous activities, and learning through playing.

RJ opted to start this year’s Ramadan campaign in the Jordan Valley, Zarqa and Southern Shouneh, delivering hundreds of aid parcels to the less privileged citizens, in cooperation with the social development directorates.

The Ramadan campaign has become a part of the airline’s corporate social responsibility and of its interaction with the local community. The company feels it is its duty toward the nation and its responsibility toward the less fortunate to help, so it carries out these campaigns, based on the values, religion and morals of the Jordanian society. Sustainable corporate social responsibility is an essential element of the airline’s work and values.

This year’s campaign will also see RJ host more iftar banquets and distributing aid parcels for the less fortunate categories in the kingdom. 

Join me right now as we celebrate the Hashmite Kingdom of Jordan

This week July 06, 2014
Sandy has just returned from filming on
location in Jordan

TravelTalkRADIO and
BusinessTravelRADIO

LIVE via Satellite on radio stations in USA and beyond.
Show streams from this page at Noon to 1pm ET
and Rebroadcast at 2 - 3pm ET
 Second Hour: 1 - 2pm ET Rebroadcast at 3 - 4pm ET

Sandy Dhuyvetter will talk of Civil Engagement on Twitter Chat as part of State Department program in Malaysia

My first Twitter chat! Tomorrow morning at 9AM ET.

I will be part of a 3 person team whose primarily purpose is to generate interest and questions and ideas for the upcoming YSEALI " Seeds for the Future" Grant Competition which will run from 15 July to August 1.

The Chats are also to provide a platform for the participants to ask any questions that they may have on the various YSEALI themes to help them consolidate their ideas for the grant competition.

I will be working with some of the same colleagues who helped with the success of New Beginnings a US State Department program to work with Entrepreneurs all over the world. Wonderful to be part of this team.

And many thanks to our State Department for being part of this super program that builds bridges and cultural exchange!

Our next #ysealichat is coming soon! The next topic is #CivicEngagement on Thursday 3 July 9pm Malaysia time (GMT +8) pic.twitter.com/mLj4hK3XUG