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Publications, Reports and Studies

Over the past three decades, Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil produced a number of ground-breaking reports, studies and publications tracking the phenomenal changes in the regional and global travel & tourism industry. Here is a compendium of some of them:

 

(+) In 1988-89, Imtiaz Muqbil researched and wrote two reports documenting the conceptualisation, planning and execution of the historic 1987 Visit Thailand Year and its aftermath. They remain the only English-language publications in print today about that remarkable event.

 

 

 

Designed to celebrate the 60th birthday (the auspicious 5th 12-year cycle of life under Thai traditions) of His Majesty the King, the landmark 1987 Visit Thailand Year catapulted the Thai tourism industry to new heights and cemented its status as a major player on the national economic agenda. It also led to many copycat “Visit …. Years” all around the world.

 

(+) Balance of Tourism Chart, Issues & Trends (the monthly bulletin of the former Strategic Intelligence Centre, Pacific Asia Travel Association, PATA), February 1999: Imtiaz Muqbil conceptualised the first 10-point checklist for the travel & tourism industry to attain balance in dealing with the various forces of change that were forecast to emerge at the turn of the 21st century.

 

(+) Study of the Middle East Outbound Market (published by PATA), July 1999: This landmark study was the first on the emerging outbound travel market from the Middle East. It was designed to help PATA members better understand how to tap the vast potential of this high-yield but culturally sensitive market. It offered critical pointers on how to work the market, position travel products and avoid cultural and religious pitfalls.

 

(+) Facilitation of Travel in the Asian Region (commissioned and published by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific) 1999: This report was a compilation of presentations made at a Regional Seminar on Facilitation of Travel in the Asian Region held at Phuket, Thailand in July 1998. It discussed the impact of the 1997 Asian economic crisis, the need to start reducing barriers to regional travel and build up relevant information technology tools to improve marketing efforts.

 

(+) Asian Highway Handbook (commissioned and published by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific), 2003: With a total of over 140,000 kilometres, the Asian Highway is an important ESCAP initiative designed to bring people together through trade and travel. This handbook was commissioned to provide practical information on the Asian Highway routes in ESCAP member countries, including maps, itineraries, distances, and photographs. It also features descriptions of major natural and cultural tourism attractions along the route.

 

(+) Strengthening Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Asia-Pacific Travel & Tourism Industry (ITB Asia, October 2008: Sponsored by ITB Asia, this report was the first of its kind and analysed the impact of the 2008-09 global economic crisis on the small & medium sized enterprises of the travel & tourism industry.

 

(+) SME Report Part II (ITB Asia, October 2009): A sequel to the above report, this report was a compilation of articles showing how small & medium sized enterprises were affected by the global financial crises of 2008-09, and how governments, banks, consultancies and companies are moving to help. The study was designed to provide an early warning as well as a resource base for ideas to formulate a plan designed specifically for travel & tourism SMEs.

 

(+) ASEAN Integration And Its Impact  On Tourism (2010): Commissioned by the UN World Tourism Organisation, this technical paper was prepared for distribution to the UNWTO Member States belonging to ASEAN. It highlighted the importance of socio-cultural integration amongst the ASEAN countries as a major contributor to travel & tourism and recommended a number of ways to fulfill this critical long-term policy objective of the 10-member grouping.

(+) Hopeless in “Hopenhagen”: 10 Ways Travel & Tourism Will Be Affected – This publication, produced in the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate change conference, analysed the reasons for the failure of the Copenhagen summit. It discussed how travel & tourism will be profoundly affected by the outcome of the summit. Written from a developing world perspective, the analysis sought to help the T&T industry more carefully prepare for the immense technical, financial and legal complexities set to emerge as global energy needs shift towards renewable sources.

 

Researched and authored by Imtiaz Muqbil, February 2016. Click on the image.

 

Imtiaz Muqbil was the Lead Editorial Consultant for this landmark report on “Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on the Asian Tourism Market.” Published in February 2016. Available for download from the UNWTO website. Pls click on the image.