Good news for Loose Down Under. Singapore’s internet speed sets the pace. Amadeus Support Program. more.
RooBadge saves VW’s life
In good news for those road tripping around Australia, Volkswagen has developed a device that can protect kangaroos and save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to your vehicle.
Developed over three years by Volkswagen Australia and DDB Group in consultation with the University of Melbourne and WIRES, the device alerts kangaroos, which account for around 90 per cent of wildlife accidents on Australian roads, with a warning signal. .
RooBadge connects to your in-car app and uses kangaroo distribution data to calibrate your vehicle’s GPS coordinates. The “badge” itself is a circular disc approximately 17cm in diameter that acts as a protective shield to replace the current Volkswagen roundel/badge.
This conveys a unique audio deterrent to kangaroo species that live in specific areas of the vehicle.
A mixture of natural and artificial sounds is mixed in real time and projected onto a high frequency audio signal. Testing of the device on wild kangaroos will begin soon.
“[RooBadge does] “This is something that previous kangaroo deterrents have not been able to do,” said Associate Professor Graham Coulson from the University of Melbourne.
“We’ve been working on sounds that are meaningful to greater kangaroos, such as the calls of dingoes, the alarm sounds that birds make and the alarm calls that kangaroos make to warn each other. You’ll be able to fine-tune it.”
No.1 internet speed in Singapore
If you’re looking for a country with super fast internet speeds, look no further than Singapore.
According to an internet speed study conducted by software and technology experts at increditools (https://increditools.com), Hong Kong is the second best choice for digital nomads, followed by Iceland.
Singapore has the fastest internet on the planet, highlighting its advanced digital infrastructure, the report found.
Cuba has the slowest broadband connections, reflecting limited access to global telecommunications networks and a lack of investment in the country’s internet infrastructure.
Afghanistan and Syria, both affected by long-running conflicts that have destroyed infrastructure, are also lagging behind.
“Just as richer, more developed countries have dominated the early lists, it is clear that the opposite is happening for the later lists,” InCredit Tools noted.
Travel4Impact launches support program worldwide
Travel4Impact, an innovation program and network run by Amadeus and IE University to support sustainable small businesses (SMEs) in the travel and tourism sector, is inviting applications globally for the first time.
IE University is a private university with campuses throughout Spain.
Around 40 small and medium-sized enterprises will be selected to participate in the new launch pad phase starting in September 2024.
At this stage, Travel4Impact will offer SME leaders (executives and founders) a fully funded online 6-month training and tutoring program led by IE University professors.
As part of this program, SMEs will participate in work sessions to further develop their digital strategies and incorporate new sustainable practices into their business models.
Esther Villena, Global Head of Social Impact at Amadeus, said:
“At Amadeus, we work to enable small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those that put sustainability at the heart of their business strategy, to work together to build a more sustainable, inclusive and responsible travel and tourism sector using digitalisation. is.”
The application deadline is April 30, 2024.
Interested participants can learn more here and apply by filling out this form.
Ryanair bows out on new trade deal
Low-cost airline Ryanair has entered into a partial cease-fire with British tour operators and online travel agencies, which had previously prohibited the company from selling tickets without an agreement.
The company announced new agreements with tour operator TUI and UK-based OTA On the Beach.
Peter Kruger, Chief Strategy Officer and CEO of TUI Group, said the agreement will enable TUI to further digitize its business and expand the range of TUI’s dynamically packaged holidays.
Dara Brady, Ryanair’s director of marketing, communications and digital, said the partnership will allow TUI customers to book flights, seats and baggage with full pricing transparency. said.
He added: “This agreement protects TUI from OTA pirates who continue to deceive and defraud customers by illegally scraping Ryanair’s website and misselling tickets with exorbitant hidden markups and overage fees. “It will separate them,” he added.
CO2 and 7 billion trees
Tourism intelligence company Mavrian has published the results of a study on the impact of aviation on carbon emissions and tourism sustainability for European destinations in 2023.
The analysis was shared during Mavrian’s participation in a virtual session organized by the United Nations Tourism Office and the European Travel Commission (ETC) on measuring the tourism sector’s carbon footprint.
Specifically, in 2023, the UK will lead the rankings, producing 31.4 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to 18% of Europe’s total emissions.
Germany and Spain follow with 20 million tonnes each, both accounting for 12% of Europe’s total emissions. Russia and France were in fourth and fifth place, each contributing 18 million tons, representing 10%.
Mavrian said there was a big change in emissions compared to 2022, with an overall increase of 16%. This was particularly noticeable in the UK, with an increase of 24.20%, followed by Italy with an increase of 22.69% and France with an increase of 15.93%.
According to the data, the aviation sector generated around 172 million tonnes of CO2 in Europe in 2023, equivalent to 4% of the total amount of CO2 produced on the continent.
An estimated 7 billion trees are needed annually to offset this carbon footprint, which is equivalent to 11% of Europe’s total forest volume, according to European Union estimates.
