• 09
  Jun
  2009

• UNWTO’s Tourism 2020 Vision

  
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  Author: Anupama
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Tourism 2020 Vision is the World Tourism Organization’s long-term forecast and assessment of the development of tourism up to the first 20 years of the new millennium. Essential outcomes of the Tourism 2020 Vision are quantitative forecasts covering a 25 years period, with 1995 as the base year and forecasts for 2010 and 2020.

UNWTO’s Tourism 2020 Vision forecasts that international arrivals are expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by the year 2020. Of these worldwide arrivals in 2020, 1.2 billion will be intraregional and 378 million will be long-haul travelers.

The total tourist arrivals by region shows that by 2020 the top three receiving regions will be Europe (717 million tourists), East Asia and the Pacific (397 million) and the Americas (282 million), followed by Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

East Asia and the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East and Africa are forecasted to record growth at rates of over 5% year, compared to the world average of 4.1%. The more mature regions Europe and Americas are anticipated to show lower than average growth rates. Europe will maintain the highest share of world arrivals, although there will be a decline from 60 per cent in 1995 to 46 per cent in 2020. Long-haul travel worldwide will grow faster, at 5.4 per cent per year over the period 1995-2020, than intraregional travel, at 3.8 per cent. Consequently the ratio between intraregional and long-haul travel will shift from around 82:18 in 1995 to close to 76:24 in 2020.

• 08
  Jun
  2009

• Managing health while travelling

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Anupama
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Staying healthy is a key concern for expatriates and travelers, who face unfamiliar diseases and a different health care system in foreign countries. Taking the right steps to remain in good health abroad can be a significant challenge. Make sure that all your standard vaccinations are up to date. Inquire about additional vaccinations recommended for your host country, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, and yellow fever.
The worst that can happen to you while travelling is to fall ill. But the trick lies in reaching out to the locals and seeking their advice. Don’t they say, “When in Rome do what the Romans do”? For example, locals may use drinking water filters on their kitchen faucets and clean vegetables and fruits with purified water. Expatriates have a great health advantage over short-term travelers. They usually stay in one place for a longer period of time and are able to adapt to the local conditions.
The most common health problems for expatriates are related to the different bacteria found in food and drinking water, often leading to short-term diarrhea and digestive problems. Infections from insect bites, small cuts, and wounds are also quite common. It is best to treat such small injuries with much more care than you would at home.
Another important concern is how to find a trustworthy doctor in case you have a health problem. Your embassy or consulate can often provide a list of local doctors and hospitals, or you can ask other expatriates, friends, or co-workers for recommendations.

• 08
  Jun
  2009

• Adapting to a new country

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Anupama
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Although each person’s experience of living in a new country is unique, research has shown that there is a common sequence of phases which are typical in the life of most people adapting to an unfamiliar culture. The process of adapting in a new country can be described in 4 phases:
The Tourist Phase: This is when you feel excited, stimulated and euphoric as you explore your new surroundings whilst noting the differences from your accustomed way of life.
The Disenchantment Phase: This is when the newness wears off and you become weary of the constant need to change your customary patterns to fit into the new way of doing things. Your sense of identity and competence in your own culture may not translate easily into your new setting and you struggle to re-establish yourself in an unfamiliar system. What appeared exciting and modern at first may seem impersonal now.
The Culture Shock Phase: In this phase you might find yourself avoiding contact with the new culture and seeking the company of others from your own country or other expats. You may be highly critical of the host culture and have negative feelings towards the local people. This is a natural response to your need to hold on to your own cultural frame of mind.
The Adjustment and Acceptance Phases: As you reach these phases you begin to function with greater ease in your new surroundings. You regain your sense of humour and begin to accept and enjoy the new culture on its own terms, as different from yours rather than wrong or worse than yours.

• 04
  Jun
  2009

• Expats in India

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Anupama
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Over 1,00,000 foreigners work in China and even more in HongKong. However, the charm of India is also growing. 20,000 to 30,000 expats from Europe and America are believed to be in India. With many auto and telecom manufacturers like GM, Hyundai, Motorola, Nokia setting shop in India the expat figures are bound of grow.

On the other hand, there are Indians who had left India a few decades ago, who want to come back as expats, test waters of their motherland and then wonder if they want to get back to their roots at all. The lure of money and life in a developed country has faded and eagerness to make their mark on their soil is growing.

“Working with the Indians has been a rewarding experience,” says Eric Rousseau, director of Alliance Francaise, Bangalore. “The sense of family is very much present here even in the workplace. In France, the individual is supreme even in the work place, but it is totally different here; as the organization comes first,” says Julie, who teaches French at Alliance Francaise.

For some expatriates, like Dr. Jean Letschert Ascharyacharya, artist, philosopher and writer, the journey to India has been deeply spiritual. With a Ph.D. in Sanskrit and an understanding of Indian culture that is so deep as to even embarrass the locals, Ascharyacharya is not a typical westerner. He has lived in India for almost 40 years now, painting and undertaking social work among the under privileged and villagers. Undoubtedly that cultural pull is strong among the expatriates settled in India.