Time Magazine and The Huffington Post are among the top media outlets
scheduled to take part in the 2nd UNWTO International Conference on Tourism and
the Media. The event, which also counts on the presence of The Independent,
Deutsche Welle TV and Ogilvy Mather PR will focus on how tourism and the media
can work together in challenging times (26-27 April, Marsa Alam, Egypt).
Time’s Egypt correspondent Abigail Hauslohner and the Associate Travel
Editor of the Huffington Post, Andrew Burmon, will join a long list of
confirmed speakers including the Associate Business Editor of The Independent,
Mark Leftly; Senior International Correspondent for Deutsche Welle TV, Michael
Altenhenne; and the Director of Sales of FvW-Mediengruppe, Matthias Schulz.
Representatives from the tourism sector include the Minister of Tourism of
Egypt, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, and Amr Badr, Regional Managing Director of
luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent.
Organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism of Egypt, and
featuring CNN as global media partner, ‘Partnering with the Media in
Challenging Times’ is the second in UNWTO’s series of conferences on the
relationship between tourism and the media. Following the 2011 edition which
focused on how to improve the extent and accuracy of tourism coverage, the 2012
conference will bring together members of the global media and communications
officials from tourism administrations to debate where tourism fits in a news
agenda dominated by economic and social upheavals.
Practical workshops, including a session on social media with the
Vice-President for Digital Strategy of public relations firm Ogilvy &
Mather, Layla Revis, will offer an opportunity for tourism professionals to
hone their communications skills. Further workshops will provide insights into
the running of a newsroom and how tourism officials can position their stories
within the news agenda, while a workshop on risk and crisis management will
provide participants with practical tools to communicate effectively in times
of crisis.