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The 12 Days of Feastmass

Aspire Executive Lounges, Swissport's global airport hospitality brand, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality, the world’s leading and award-winning membership body for hospitality professionals. Aspire Executive Lounges becomes the first business partner from the airport lounge hospitality sector to join the Institute of Hospitality. Aspire Executive Lounges, the fast-growing Swiss brand in the airport hospitality business, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality (IoH), the world’s leading membership body for professionals working and studying in the hospitality leisure and tourism industry. Aspire Executive Lounges is the first business from the airport lounge sector to become a member of IoH. The collaboration will foster an exchange of expertise and insights: IoH will benefit from Aspire's expertise in airport hospitality, while Aspire, by sharing its wealth of experience with IoH members, can extend its professional network to the hotel and catering sectors and hospitality management schools. “Our vision for Aspire Executive Lounges is clear and simple: We want to deliver a guest experience that is similar to what our guests are used to from their preferred hotels, meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of today’s travelers,” says David Collyer, Global Vice President of Executive Lounges at Swissport International AG. “We strive to deliver an unparalleled experience and set a benchmark that transcends our industry, redefining excellence across the hospitality sector. The Institute of Hospitality is a great network to exchange insights and experiences, and to learn from others in the hospitality sector, which will help us bring our vision to life.” Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality: “Our aspiration at the Institute of Hospitality has been to develop and grow our membership, the number of countries we operate in, and the number of hospitality sectors represented within our organization. With that in mind, it is a natural partnership for us to welcome Aspire into our family, and to learn from their teams, who serve travelers with passion and dedication. As two organizations with similar values, we look forward to collaborating in promoting high levels of excellence within our profession.” With over 30 years of experience, Aspire Executive Lounges is Europe’s largest brand in the airport lounges sector. In 2023, Swissport welcomed more than five million customers worldwide at over 69 lounges in 20 countries. The airport hospitality brand recently opened new lounges at Toronto City Airport in Canada, and Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland. Aspire Executive Lounges recently created a new lounge concept in partnership with the airline alliance oneworld. The first oneworld branded lounge was launched at Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea, in December 2023. Aspire Executive Lounges is owned by Swissport International AG, the global leader in aviation services, serving airlines at 286 airports in 44 countries across 6 continents
Written by Amy

The 12 Days of FeastmassAs you know, Brits love a classic turkey dinner on Christmas Day, but it seems that, while we’re piling our plates high with pigs in blankets, there are some countries that do things a little bit differently.

We have decided to explore some of the weird and wonderful global traditions for Christmas dinner. Take a look and see if any of these dishes could tempt you away from what you know best.

Using the Post Office’s annual long-haul holiday report as a basis for our ‘Christmas Dinner around the World’ infographic, we focused on long-haul destinations to see what those far and wide are doing for Christmas.

The report, which details the price of tourist staples across a range of countries, including dinner for two with wine, sun cream, insect repellent and a variety of drinks, highlights the disparity between countries and where to go to get the best deals. As well as telling us how much a three-course dinner costs around the world, and as it’s the festive season, the report inspired us to highlight what others can expect on their plate on Christmas Day.

We found that the US, the UK and Australia are pretty similar, though the weather in the southern hemisphere makes Christmas dinners down south a bit more interesting, celebrating on the beach and adding a sizzle to the turkey by throwing it on the barbeque.

It seems that most countries stick to what they know best, with their native dishes making an appearance at Christmas, such as baklava in Greece and tamales in Mexico, whilst places like Dubai opt to celebrate for a classic, world-renowned brunch.

We have looked far and wide to bring you an extensive list of meals. Some you may expect but others are guaranteed to make you do a double take. We think you’ll be most surprised by Japan…

For more details, visit: www.travelbag.co.uk

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Amy