Dr Aïdi then reported at length on his numerous representation and speaking engagements in past weeks. These included:

• Meeting with Arab Union of Hotels & Tourism, Doha, Qatar, 4-5 June
• Meeting with Egyptian Tourism Federation, Cairo, 6-7 June
• UNWTO Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians & Local Authorities, Tunisia 13-15 June
• Meeting with Alan Bryden, Secretary-General, ISO, Geneva, 20 June
• Guest speaker at UNWTO Safety & Security in the Middle East, Cairo, 25-26 June
• Attendance at British Hospitality Association Centenary celebrations, London, 27 June
• Meeting with Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President, World Travel & Tourism Council, London, 27 June

On the question of the 43rd IH&RA Congress, he announced that the Executive Committee had considered a number of bids for the next Congress and after due examination, had accepted the invitation extended by Cham Palaces & Hotels (Jordan), the Jordan Hotel Association and the Jordan Restaurant Association to hold the Congress in Amman, Jordan, 18-19 October. He thanked Mr Fakhri Twal, IH&RA Member of Honour and Member of the Jordan Hotel Association, for personally conveying this invitation. (see also article on Congress)

Director-General Abraham Rosental commented that we made considerable steps towards improving the financial situation of the organization by reducing all administration and overhead expenses, increasing collection of membership dues, and most important – recruiting new members and rejoining of former ones. At the same time the IH&RA managed to be active in its Core Business : Advocacy , Representation, Information, Communication and Networking.
Treasurer Joseph Spinnato anticipated that IH&RA would move to Geneva at the end of the year in good financial shape. President Ghassan Aïdi reported on contacts established in that city and arrangements made for the transfer to Geneva of the Association under new Swiss Statutes at the end of the year, making this the last Board meeting to be held in Paris.

Click here to see a larger version From the left, Mr.Mats Östblom, Mr.Kevin McKinley, Mr.Joseph Spinnato, Mr.Bruce Cotton, Dr.Ghassan Aïdi

Before closing, the meeting was addressed by representatives of two of the International bodies with which IH&RA has on-going relationships. Mr Kevin McKinley, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) gave a comprehensive overview of the functioning and mandate of ISO. He reviewed the international standards of relevance to the hospitality industry:

• ISO 9000 Quality Management
• ISO 14000 Environmental Management
• ISO 22000 Food Safety Management in the Food Chain
• ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Guidelines

Mr McKinley stressed that the concerns of IH&RA, HOTREC and other industry bodies had been recognized and that ISO will not work on the issue of international hotel classification. He pointed out that the industry could use ISO standards as a tool for improving performance without necessarily seeking certification.

Click here to see a larger version From the left Dr.Ghassan Aïdi, Mr.Eugenio Yunis, Mr.Yannick Rouvrais, Mr.Abraham Rosental

Adressing the issue of Climate Change, Mr Eugenio Yunis, Head of Programmes & Coordination at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)raised two fundamental questions:

• What is the real contribution of Tourism to Climate Change?
• How is Tourism affected by Climate Change?

These two questions will be debated at a UNWTO conference to be held in Davos, Switzerland, October 1-3 where a report prepared by the Secretary-General of UNWTO on Climate Change Mitigation Measures will also be presented. The conclusions of the debate will be made public at the UNWTO London Ministerial meeting to be held in conjunction with the World Travel Market in London on 13 November 2007.

Mr Yunis invited IH&RA to work with UNWTO at national level to disseminate information and best practice already available on resource and waste management by organizing capacity-building seminars with hoteliers.

Click here to see more photos.