Global Travel News

Bangkok, Thailand, October 6, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / Prof. Kaye CHON, Dean of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM), and Chair Professor and Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) by Prince of Songkla University in Thailand in recognition of his lifelong contributions to advancing hospitality and tourism education and promoting the development of the global hospitality and tourism industry.

The honorary degree was presented to Prof. Kaye Chon by Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Walailak during Prince of Songkla University’s graduation ceremony held in Hat Yai, Thailand, on 22 September.

According to the Prince Songkla University, the award recognises Prof. Kaye Chon’s “lifelong dedication and application of expertise in hospitality and tourism management to advance education and sustainable development of tourism”. The University noted that his achievements exemplify its guiding principle, “Our Soul is for the Benefit of Mankind”, and that the honour stands as a lasting tribute to his distinguished contributions.

“I am deeply honoured to receive an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) from Prince of Songkla University,” said Prof. Kaye Chon. “To be recognised by such a prestigious university and to receive this honour from Princess Chulabhorn Walailak is both meaningful and humbling. The recognition has given me renewed inspiration to continue contributing to the advancement of hospitality and tourism education and to support the ongoing evolution of our dynamic industry.”

Prof. Kaye Chon joined PolyU in 2000. Under his leadership, the SHTM has risen to become one of the world’s leading institutions in hospitality and tourism management. The School has been ranked No. 1 in the world in ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects for ten consecutive years and has maintained the top position in the University Ranking by Academic Performance for eight successive years. In 2026, the SHTM was also ranked second globally among comprehensive universities in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

A strong testament to Prof. Kaye Chon’s vision and commitment is the establishment of Hotel ICON, the SHTM’s pioneering teaching and research hotel, in 2011. Through Hotel ICON, the School has redefined hospitality and tourism education and set new standards for the global sector. In the same year, Prof. Kaye Chon received the Ulysses Prize from UN Tourism (formerly the United Nations World Tourism Organisation). Widely recognised as the “Nobel Prize in Tourism”, the award is presented annually to a scholar in recognition of lifetime contributions to the creation of new knowledge in tourism.

A highly sought-after speaker at international conferences, Prof. Kaye Chon is ranked among the top 2% of the world’s scientists based on research citations in the field of Sport, Leisure, and Tourism. A prolific scholar, he has authored or edited 12 books, including the co-authored textbook Welcome to Hospitality, which has been adopted by more than 100 hospitality education programmes worldwide. In addition, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing and is the Founding Editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research.

About PolyU School of Hotel and Tourism Management
For more than four decades, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked No. 1 in the world for the tenth consecutive year in the “Hospitality and Tourism Management” category in the 2026 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects; placed No. 1 globally for eight years in a row in the “Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services” category in the 2024/2025 University Ranking by Academic Performance; rated No. 1 in the world in the “Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism” subject area by the 2017 CWUR Rankings by Subject; and ranked No. 2 globally among comprehensive universities in the “Hospitality and Leisure Management” subject area in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism.

The SHTM is driven by its mission to shape the future of global hospitality and tourism through pioneering education and impactful research that advance industry excellence and societal well-being. With a strong international team of over 90 faculty members from 21 countries and regions around the world, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School’s groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and an integral part of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM advances teaching, learning and research, inspiring a new generation of passionate and pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Moroni, Comoros, October 6, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / Just a few months ahead of a historic event for the Union of the Comoros, the Village for the 2027 Indian Ocean Islands Games is beginning to take shape. In Moindzaza Djoumbé, on the outskirts of Moroni, the first villas are already clearly visible, and construction is now progressing simultaneously across several areas of the site.

When the President of the Union of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, put forward the ambition of creating a Games Village consisting of 200 villas to accommodate delegations in 2027, the challenge was considerable: structuring the project, securing its financing, contracting companies, and above all, turning an ambitious plan into reality within an extremely tight timeframe.

That is a challenge that Faouzia Vitry, former Vice-President of the Réunion Regional Council, is now taking on. After several months devoted to structuring the project and mobilizing partners, construction has now entered a highly concrete phase. In just a month and a half of work, the first villas have reached an advanced stage of structural construction, while several dozen others are progressing simultaneously.

A Construction Site That Is Now Clearly Visible

In just a month and a half of construction, the Games Village has begun to emerge. Several villas have already reached a very advanced stage of structural work, with the walls fully erected and the first concrete roof slabs poured. Others are at the formwork and slab-preparation stage, while several dozen buildings are progressing simultaneously, from foundations to the construction of the main structures.

Aerial views show the scale of the transformation. On the site, access roads are taking shape, foundations are multiplying, and buildings are rising across several work fronts in parallel. Just a few weeks ago, the Games Village still had to be imagined from plans. Today, all you need to do is look at the images.

Financing Fully Mobilized by the Comorian Financial Sector

One of the project’s strengths also lies in its financial structure. Funding for the Games Village is being provided by five Comorian financial institutions brought together in a banking consortium, making it possible to mobilize the resources needed to build the 200 villas.

The consortium consists of AFG Bank Comores, Exim Bank Comores, Meck Moroni, the Union des Meck, and the Union Régionale des Sanduk d’Anjouan (URSA).

Within this framework, the Central Bank of the Comoros plays an essential role in oversight, coordination, and monitoring, alongside the UCCIA and the Indian Ocean Islands Games Organizing Committee (COJI), which are involved in the project’s governance and monitoring.

Beyond the 200 villas themselves, the Games Village is therefore becoming a demonstration of the ability of Comorian stakeholders to mobilize around a project of national significance: institutions, the financial sector, and businesses working together toward a shared timetable and common objective—to prepare the country to host the 2027 Indian Ocean Islands Games and leave behind a lasting legacy.

A Project with a Regional Dimension

The project brings together a range of Comorian and international companies and expertise, including Chinese companies working on the villas and the site’s infrastructure. This diversity of stakeholders reflects the scale of an operation being carried out on an exceptionally tight schedule ahead of the 2027 Games.

For Faouzia Vitry, the assignment also continues a career devoted for several years to cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. After serving as Vice-President of the Réunion Regional Council in charge of regional cooperation, she now finds herself at the heart of a project that directly connects sport, urban development, financing, and regional economic development.

The challenge remains considerable: 200 villas must be delivered on schedule to accommodate the delegations. But the first weeks of construction have already transformed the project from an ambition on paper into a visible reality on the ground. In Moindzaza Djoumbé, the future Games Village is now beginning to carve out a new part of the city.

And what if this challenge ultimately went beyond the 200 villas? The choice of Faouzia Vitry also raises the question of a new form of patriotic responsibility: that of a generation from the diaspora returning to put its experience at the service of its country of origin.

Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel Bangkok invites guests to celebrate Loy Krathong on Tuesday, 24 November 2026, from 6:00 PM. With four distinct dining experiences along the Chao Phraya River, the evening brings together festive cuisine, live entertainment, Thai traditions and a spectacular fireworks display.

At Thara Thong, guests can savor a seven-course Royal Thai set dinner for THB 2,500 net per person. Cultural performances from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM include traditional Thai puppetry and a dynamic drum dance, bringing the spirit of the festival to the restaurant’s Thai pavilion.

Giorgio’s brings a lively celebration to the riverside, with Thai cultural performances, a Thai boxing show, a fire dance show and a full live band entertaining guests from 6:45 PM to 10:00 PM. An international dinner buffet with Italian-inspired selections completes the evening. Indoor dining is THB 2,788++ per person, while outdoor dining is THB 3,288++ per person.

At Siam Yacht Club, the Loy Krathong Moonlit Dinner pairs a premium buffet with a choice of three seating areas: The Gallery at THB 1,888++, Riverside Terrace at THB 2,888++ and Riverfront Reserve at THB 3,588++ per person. A bar package at THB 1,888++ includes two drinks and two long-tail plates. A DJ and full live band will entertain guests from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Feast offers an international dinner buffet with free-flow soft drinks, priced at THB 1,600++ per person for indoor seating and THB 2,500++ per person for outdoor seating. A free-flow alcoholic beverage package is available for an additional THB 990++ per person.

As part of the celebration, each couple will receive one complimentary handcrafted krathong. Guests can enjoy the festivities beside the river before the evening’s fireworks illuminate the Chao Phraya.

Early-bird booking is available until 20 November 2026, with tickets available through 24 November 2026.

For more information and reservations:
Tel: 02 266 012

Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong, Thailand’s first and Asia Pacific’s largest Moxy hotel, has been awarded the 4-Leaf Green Leaf Sustainability Standard for Hotels by the Green Leaf Foundation, marking a new milestone in the hotel’s commitment to more responsible hospitality.

The certification follows an assessment of the hotel’s environmental practices and recognises its efforts to integrate sustainability into daily operations. Valid from 2 September 2026 to 1 September 2029, the certification was issued under Certificate No. GLFCH64/2026.

For Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong, sustainability is an ongoing effort involving both management and associates. The 4-Leaf certification reflects the hotel’s commitment to putting environmental policies into practice while continuing to offer the playful, social guest experience that defines the Moxy brand.

Located in the heart of Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong shopping, dining and entertainment district, opposite CentralWorld and close to BTS Chit Lom, Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong opened in February 2024. The hotel features 504 smartly designed rooms and invites guests to check in at the bar, dine and hang out at Moxy Bar & Restaurant on the 9th floor, work or play at Library & Plug-In, and head up to Sato San Rooftop Bar on the 32nd floor for dinner, drinks, DJs and panoramic Bangkok views.

As the hotel continues to welcome travellers from around the world, its 4-Leaf Green Leaf certification provides a foundation for ongoing environmental improvements across its operations.

Macao, Macao SAR, October 2, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / How does the global tourism economy turn its scale and reach into a force for lasting transformation? The 12th Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) will return to its founding city Macao, China, from 15 to 17 October 2026. Bringing together political and business leaders, academic elites, and representatives from international organisations across five continents, the Forum will revolve around the theme “Crisis · Resilience · Evolution – Building a Tourism Economy for a Shared Future” to collectively address defining questions of our era and chart a blueprint for shared progress.

The global landscape today sees international cooperation facing rigorous tests amid intersecting geopolitical tensions, climate pressures, and global economic uncertainties. Now more than ever, the world needs to break down barriers and foster connection, with the tourism economy serving as a powerful bond that unites communities across geographical divides. As the timeless wisdom observes, “A partnership forged with the right approach defies geographical distance.” According to the latest data from UN Tourism, international tourist arrivals reached a record 1.52 billion in 2025, vividly proving that tourism transcends its role as an economic sector to become a core driving force for mutual learning among civilizations, restoring global trust, and spurring sustainable growth. The decision by the United Nations to designate 2027 as the “International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism” directly addresses this call of our time.

As a premier flagship event in the global tourism economy sector, the Global Tourism Economy Forum was founded in 2012 and has successfully hosted eleven editions. Having brought together over 15,500 participants across 88 countries and regions, the Forum serves as a vital bridge connecting China with the international community to drive cultural tourism alignment, facilitate trade, and promote mutual learning among civilizations. The newly released 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural and Tourism Development by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism designates GTEF as a key national strategic platform, explicitly mandating the expansion of its global reach. Following its inclusion in the 14th Five-Year Plan, being named once again in national strategic planning marks the Forum’s official transition from a Macao-born exchange platform into a key vehicle for China’s high-quality opening-up in cultural tourism, as well as a major contributor to global tourism rules and trends.

Standing at a new historical starting point, the 12th Global Tourism Economy Forum · Macao 2026 will closely align with five core pillars, namely Resilient Governance, Technology and Innovation, The New Traveller, Culture and Identity, and Sustainable Growth, deeply integrating with Macao’s development strategies. The Forum will explore frontier topics such as global cultural tourism capital deployment, China-Europe and Asia-Pacific connectivity, mountain-dwelling tourism, and investment facilitation. It will also transcend traditional industry boundaries to explore emerging “Tourism+” business models such as AI empowerment, educational tourism, sports IP, cultural heritage revitalisation, and experiential retail, offering forward looking guidance for global industry transformation.

This edition features Spain as the Partner Country to share its mature experiences in destination refined governance, balanced regional development, and sustainable transformation as a model for the global cultural tourism industry. Hainan Province joins as the Featured Province to highlight China’s high-standard opening-up through the launch of island-wide special customs operations for the Free Trade Port alongside expanded visa-free policies. Leveraging the Forum, Hainan and Macao will drive substantive progress in policy complementarity and resource sharing while opening new avenues of cooperation in multi-destination tourism itineraries development, reciprocal visitor flows, and international MICE synergies.

In addition, the Forum features business matching, cultural tourism promotions, and themed dinners. Adopting an integrated “MICE + Delegation Visit” model, the event extends its programming to Macao world heritage culinary tours and wellness tourism site visits in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, opening concrete new channels for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area supply chain synergy and investment execution.

This edition of the Forum is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, maintaining long-term strategic partnerships with UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). It also works closely with leading international tourism organisations, including the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), European Travel Commission (ETC), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), World Tourism Alliance (WTA), International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), and Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF), continuously building global governance synergy to write a new chapter in sustainable global cultural tourism development.

Reflecting on crises reveals shifting landscapes, building resilience unleashes collective strength, and aiming for breakthroughs drives transformation. The 12th Global Tourism Economy Forum · Macao 2026 looks forward to joining hands with global stakeholders to navigate challenges with greater ecosystem resilience, forge stronger synergies through deeper cooperation, and lead industry breakthroughs with visionary innovation, shaping an open, inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable future for global cultural tourism.

For more details and the latest updates regarding the Forum, please visit https://www.gte-forum.com/en/ or follow the official GTEF social media accounts.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, October 2, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / How would you feel, as a hotel guest, if you raised an issue and it was dealt with by a robotic worker? This increasingly realistic scenario is the setting for recent research by the SHTM’s Professor Janelle Chan and Professor YooHee Hwang. They provide the first evidence of how the growing use of robots in hospitality roles interacts with issues of timeliness and compensation when recovering from service failure.

The involvement of robot workers in the service sector, driven by technological progress, cost pressures and chronic staffing gaps, has grown apace since the COVID-19 pandemic. “Although business is bouncing back due to the relaxed precautionary measures”, the authors note, “the hospitality industry still struggles with a severe labour shortage”. Thus, hotel guests in many countries are becoming used to receiving robotic assistance throughout their stay, not only at check-in.

Indeed, with the integration of AI software into physical hardware, service robots are becoming better able to mimic human behaviour. This turn towards anthropomorphism could transform the customer experience. “For example”, the researchers note, “the Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas has adopted Pepper, a humanoid robot providing interpersonal interactions”. Automated workers are no longer mere gimmicks: as anthropomorphic robots with real-time communication skills take on customer-facing duties, their acceptance by guests will be key to success.

A rational, evidence-based approach to incorporating robots into hospitality roles is therefore essential. The authors were particularly interested in how guests would feel about humanoid robots in sensitive situations such as the aftermath of service failure. Their thinking was informed by the recently developed service robot acceptance model. This theoretical framework, they explain, “suggests that customers’ acceptance of robots is determined by both functionality and social-emotional elements”.

A key question is how customers complaining of poor service react emotionally to robot versus human staff. Here, the researchers were further guided by another theoretical lens. “Social exchange theory”, they explain, “rests on the assumption that individuals engaging in an interaction believe that they can minimise costs and maximise benefits”. This has specific relevance to recovery from quality lapses. “In the service failure scenario, when individuals interact with service personnel, they are appraising the ratio of what has been given (i.e. loss) to what has been received (i.e. benefit)”.

Human errors and system overwhelm are inevitable in busy service environments. Understanding the emotional dynamics of recovery – putting the mistake right to restore customer satisfaction – is thus essential for hotels. “When customers experience a service failure, they are motivated to rebalance an erratic emotion by receiving compensation”, the researchers explain. “Once customers are relieved of their negative emotion, the psychological consequence of forgiveness emerges”.

However, regaining guests’ confidence may depend on more than simply offering compensation. “Customer forgiveness is not just about a comparison of cost and benefits but also its mediating relationship to trust”, the authors point out. Does compensation necessarily restore trust, and does it matter if the “employee” making the offer is a robot? Moreover, if a hotel’s response to service failure is delayed due to busy circumstances, does this affect the usefulness of compensation? Seeking answers, the researchers designed a pair of scenario-based experiments.

Over 500 volunteers were enrolled in the tests. “Participants were asked to watch a video clip about a hypothetical hotel check-in experience”, the researchers report, “and imagine themselves as a customer in the video clip. Either a human or robot front desk agent helped them check in”. However, the “guests” subsequently discovered that their room was unclean. Upon complaining to the human or robotic agent about the room, some participants in this imagined scenario were offered, by way of compensation, a late checkout. Others were not afforded such compensation.

The second experiment then “investigated the timeliness of service recovery as a boundary condition for the interaction between compensation and employee type”. Some participants had their rooms cleaned immediately, whereas the rest had to wait. This scenario was designed to explore whether a delay in rectifying the problem would alter the emotional dynamics of human- or robot-delivered compensation (or lack of compensation). In each case, the participants were subsequently asked to rate their forgiveness of the hotel and their trust in its service quality.

The results of the first experiment showed that when the front-desk employee was human, customer forgiveness was higher when compensation was offered. Although this might not sound surprising in itself, it is only half the story: when the front-desk employee was a robot, compensation did not improve customer forgiveness. Evidently, financial recompense only has relational meaning when offered by a human. Moreover, the participant feedback regarding trust showed that “the mediating effect of forgiveness on trust was significant for human employees but not for robot employees.”

What about timeliness? The results of the second experiment, in which the dirty room was cleaned either immediately or after a long wait, showed that “when delay exists in service recovery, customer forgiveness is higher after receiving compensation (vs. no compensation) from human employees, but not from robot employees”. In contrast, for those whose complaint was resolved immediately, the use of robots made no odds: “When there is no delay in service recovery”, the researchers explain, “customer forgiveness is not different between no-compensation and compensation conditions for robot employees [or] human employees”.

“Timeliness in rectifying service failure”, they thus conclude, “is a more crucial factor than the humanlike appearance of a robot”. Their findings show that customers value the immediate resolution of problems as more crucial than either monetary compensation or human involvement in the recovery process. When offered by an automated worker, “compensation may not be effective in restoring the trust of robot (vs. human) employees”.

Indeed, the situation is complex when a service lapse is compounded by a failure to solve the problem quickly. The authors refer to such a scenario – represented by the delay in waiting for the room to be cleaned – as “double deviation”. In such cases, monetary compensation can be effective, but only if offered by human employees. “Customers’ appraisement”, the authors surmise, “is not as rationalistic as social exchange theory presumes”. In other words, guests do not merely weigh up gains and losses but distinguish emotionally between human and robot interactions.

The results have critical practical implications for hotels. Managers should consider whether it is wise to deploy robot employees when a timely response to service failure is unlikely, given their finding that “monetary compensation is effective in double deviation by human employees only”. At any rate, they argue, “businesses that deploy robot employees should minimise the use of compensation in retaining customer trust”.

The acceptance of robotic staff in delicate communicative scenarios is evidently a nuanced issue. Harmonious workflows must be built in from the ground up. The researchers advise that “operational managers should work closely with robotic engineers in designing service robots with features to match their role in a specific service setting”. This requires service firms to focus on assessing and managing their customers’ expectations. Their study provides some of the first clues as to how this can be done.

Janelle Chan and YooHee Hwang (2025). Trust and Forgiveness in Service: Effects of Single and Double Deviations with Human and Robot Staff. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Vol. 30, No. 10, pp. 1401–1414.

About PolyU School of Hotel and Tourism Management
For more than four decades, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked No. 1 in the world for the tenth consecutive year in the “Hospitality and Tourism Management” category in the 2026 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects; placed No. 1 globally for eight years in a row in the “Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services” category in the 2024/2025 University Ranking by Academic Performance; rated No. 1 in the world in the “Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism” subject area by the 2017 CWUR Rankings by Subject; and ranked No. 2 globally among comprehensive universities in the “Hospitality and Leisure Management” subject area in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism.

The SHTM is driven by its mission to shape the future of global hospitality and tourism through pioneering education and impactful research that advance industry excellence and societal well-being. With a strong international team of over 90 faculty members from 21 countries and regions around the world, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School’s groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and an integral part of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM advances teaching, learning and research, inspiring a new generation of passionate and pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Phuket, Thailand, October 1, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of leaders in the global wellness economy, takes place November 10–13 at Angsana Laguna Phuket in Thailand.

With longevity recently redefining the wellness space and quickly becoming a multi-billion-dollar market and a new consumer mindset, the conference will explore the rapid transformation of this new medical-wellness pillar. In a few short years, we’ve seen longevity evolve from a niche obsession among tech bros into a mainstream movement, along with a shift of focus from lifespan to healthspan—the number of years lived in good health. The field has also moved beyond protocols designed exclusively for men to interventions specific to women’s biology of aging. Longevity has also become more serious: it’s no longer just the individual pursuit of wealthy elites, but a new effort by governments to create policies that drive more healthy, productive years in the face of a rapidly aging world. The space now spans everything from complex biotech experiments to the “natural longevity” of the Blue Zones; it’s about both the clinical and human connection.

The Summit today announced that Andrea B. Maier, MD, PhD, one of the world’s top experts in healthy aging, longevity medicine and precision geroscience, will join the conference to spearhead the exploration of what’s next in longevity and healthspan and what it means for the wellness industry. She will keynote on “Health Optimization: Integrating Consumer-Led Health and Precision Geromedicine.”

Maier’s achievements are extraordinary and her vision is unique. She’s professor of medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where she is co-founder and director of the clinical trial center, the NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity, leading the team just named one of the 20 finalists in the $101 million XPrize Healthspan competition, which identifies the boldest science and most promising therapeutics helping people to live not just longer, but healthier lives. NSU and Maier’s finalist project PROMETHEUS is a new, personalized framework for longevity, using multimodal interventions (lifestyle and diet interventions, a slate of nutraceuticals and repurposed drugs), all precision-prescribed based on the person’s specific gerotype and dynamically adapted based on treatment response. Her team will now conduct rigorous trials in advance of the XPrize winner being named in 2030.

Maier is also the author of over 500 peer-reviewed publications, advises influential organizations such as the UN and the World Health Organization, and is professor of gerontology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in The Netherlands. She is founder of Chi Longevity, Asia’s first evidence-based longevity medicine clinic, grounded in The Maier Method, which tests people’s unique biology (whether their genetic, epigenetic or metabolic measures) to identify precision interventions.

As a longevity scientist, Maier is different. She’s passionate about solving longevity’s evidence problem. Her methods are firmly grounded in an integrative, medical-wellness approach: precision diet, exercise and psychosocial health interventions are key. And rather than simply providing concierge services to the rich, she works hard to bring longevity medicine to all. She co-founded the NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity to conduct the trials needed to give longevity medicine a solid scientific base, to translate that science into real-world, right now solutions, and critically, to train doctors in longevity science. As she has noted, we now have zero capacity to do that and are accepting anyone that calls themselves a “longevity physician”—a dangerous problem that is also making it impossible to grow private clinics and programs. For her deep, innovative body of research, for her commitment to evidence and bringing longevity to the masses, TIME magazine just named her one of the 12 longevity leaders for 2026.

“After seeing Dr. Maier present at the Roundtable of Longevity Clinics at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging last year, I immediately knew that we had to have her drive the discussions on the future of longevity and healthy aging at this year’s Summit,” said Susie Ellis, GWS chair and CEO. “She is brilliant, an activist for evidence-based, truly integrative and democratic longevity approaches—and brings a much-needed woman’s perspective to a male-dominated field. Her work is not about some far-off magic longevity drug, but creating the science-based interventions that can make a difference now.”

In addition to keynoting, Maier will lead an intimate “After Dinner Conversation” on November 10.

Maier joins a rich, diverse group of keynotes on the future of longevity and healthspan, including Dan Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones movement; George Gaitanos, MSc, PhD, chief operating and scientific officer of Chenot Group, which has spent over 50 years redefining conventional thinking on aging at its global wellness resorts; Christopher Asandra, MD, founder and medical director of AsandraMD in California, a precision and age-management medicine leader, with a unique focus on women’s longevity; and Tanupol Virunhagarun, MD, CEO of BDMS Wellness Group, a leading preventive healthcare and scientific longevity provider in Thailand.

Apply to attend the Summit now, as rates go up October 1.  

About the Global Wellness Summit: The Global Wellness Summit brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $6.8 trillion global wellness economy. In addition to an annual conference held at a different location around the globe, GWS also hosts annual in-person events such as the Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium, along with virtual gatherings, including Wellness Master Classes and Wellness Sector Spotlights. The organization’s Future of Wellness report forecasts the top wellness trends for the year ahead and is oft-quoted in the media. The 20th annual Global Wellness Summit will be held in Phuket, Thailand, November 10-13, 2026.

Bangkok, Thailand, September 30, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) have formalised an organisational partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), establishing a framework for greater collaboration in tourism research, knowledge exchange and professional engagement.

The partnership is intended to strengthen connections between the organisations and support the responsible and sustainable development of tourism through greater cooperation, knowledge sharing and opportunities for engagement between their respective communities.

“Research and reliable tourism intelligence are increasingly important to understanding how our industry is changing and to supporting better-informed decisions across destinations and the wider tourism sector,” said PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid. “TTRA brings together an extensive community of researchers, academics and tourism professionals with a strong commitment to advancing the use of research. This partnership provides an opportunity for PATA and TTRA to share knowledge, connect our networks and create greater opportunities for our members to learn from one another.”

Under the agreement, PATA and TTRA will collaborate across several areas, including:

• Events and Knowledge Sharing: Mutual support for relevant events and activities, including opportunities for qualified speakers to participate in each organisation’s programmes and for representatives to attend selected events.
• Knowledge Exchange: Opportunities to exchange knowledge and perspectives on issues relevant to travel and tourism research, planning and development.
• Marketing and Communications: Mutual promotion of relevant events and activities through member newsletters and other digital communication channels, where applicable.
• Professional Engagement: Greater opportunities for members and representatives of both organisations to connect, share expertise and engage with developments shaping the travel and tourism sector.

Through these activities, the partnership will provide a platform for greater interaction between PATA’s Asia Pacific tourism network and TTRA’s global community of tourism researchers, practitioners, academics and industry professionals.

TTRA CEO Kathleen Palmer said, “TTRA is committed to building meaningful global connections that strengthen the exchange of tourism research, knowledge, and ideas. Our partnership with PATA creates exciting opportunities to connect our communities and expand the reach and impact of the work being done across both organizations.”

The MOU provides a foundation for continued cooperation between the two organisations, with both parties able to identify further opportunities for collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

New York, United States, September 29, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) announced that the Republic of Kenya has signed the DCO Charter on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), becoming a Signatory Member and marking an important step toward completing its accession as a Member State of the Organization.

H.E. Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, EGH, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy of the Republic of Kenya, signed the DCO Charter and formally handed it over to Ms. Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, during a ceremony held in New York, with H.E. Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, E.G.H., Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya witnessing the signing and formal handover.

The signing of the Charter opens a new chapter of cooperation between Kenya and the DCO, enabling both sides to advance shared priorities across digital transformation, responsible artificial intelligence, digital policy, skills and talent development, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment. It also enables Kenya to deepen cooperation and knowledge exchange with DCO Member States and partners, supporting efforts to build an inclusive, trusted and sustainable digital economy.

H.E. Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, EGH, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy of the Republic of Kenya, said: “Kenya’s digital transformation has been driven by innovation, entrepreneurship and a strong commitment to using technology to expand opportunity. By signing the DCO Charter, we are creating a new platform to exchange knowledge, scale practical solutions and deepen cooperation with countries that share our ambition for an inclusive and competitive digital economy. We look forward to bringing Kenya’s experience to this community while learning from the approaches and capabilities of fellow Member States.”

Ms. Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, said: “Kenya has shown what becomes possible when a country trusts its people with technology and gives them room to build. By the end of 2025, mobile money penetration in Kenya reached 98 percent, and the country’s information and communication sector grew by 4.8 percent that year, ahead of the wider economy. Behind those figures are entrepreneurs, students and small traders who have made digital tools part of ordinary life. We welcome Kenya to the DCO community with genuine admiration for what its people have built, and in the belief that Kenya’s experience belongs to every country still working to bring its citizens into the digital economy. No country reaches the digital future on its own. The value of this Organization lies in what Member States are willing to share with one another — experience, expertise and the readiness to act together. Kenya’s accession brings us closer to the purpose that brought the DCO into being: digital prosperity for all.”

Kenya’s digital economy provides a strong foundation for deeper cooperation with DCO. The country has established itself as one of Africa’s leading digital economies, supported by a dynamic technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem, broad adoption of communications technologies and a globally leading mobile financial services sector. Kenya’s ICT sector contributed an estimated 9.2% of GDP in 2024, while more than 80% of the population uses mobile payment and money transfer services. The country’s digital economy is valued at approximately USD 4.2 billion and is projected to approach USD 13 billion by 2035, driven by continued investment in communications, digital services, innovation and emerging technologies.

Kenya was among eight countries whose candidature to join the DCO was recently approved by the DCO Council. Upon completion of the accession procedures, the Organization’s membership will expand from 16 to 24 countries, collectively representing approximately 980 million people.

The signing of the Charter on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly reflects the growing role of international digital cooperation in advancing inclusive and sustainable digital prosperity and reaffirms DCO’s commitment to strengthening cooperation among countries at different stages of digital development to work together toward building a digital economy that benefits everyone.

About the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO)
The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) is the world’s first standalone international intergovernmental organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. Founded in 2020, the DCO brings together the Ministries of Communications and Information Technology of its 16 Member States, representing nearly USD 3.5 trillion in GDP and a combined market of over 800 million people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35. Following a DCO Council decision in July 2026, nine additional countries began the process of joining the organization.

The DCO works with governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations to promote digital inclusion, enable cross-border data flows, empower women and youth, and support entrepreneurs and SMEs. It facilitates coordinated digital policies across borders and holds observer status with the United Nations General Assembly and other global bodies.