Top media representatives to join the debate at the UNWTO Conference on Tourism and the Media

Madrid-Spain, April 20, 2012: UNWTO Conference, 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.

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