FIRST HOLIDAY INN OPENS IN TABUK

11

12

AJMAN WELCOMES OPENING OF FURNISHED APARTMENTS

IN THIS ISSUE

MARKET UPDATE

TECHNOLOGY

ACCOMMODATION

AIR

INTERNATIONAL

RENDEZVOUS

TRAVEL TALK

AGENT CORNER

TRAVEL CHANNELS

PHOTO ALBUM

NEWS & EVENTS

02

03

11

13

17

18

20

21

22

23

24

27 JUNE 2015 ISSUE 294

7

DUBAI DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM & COMMERCE MARKETING PARTNERED WITH HOMEAWAY TO PROMOTE THE EMIRATE’S

VACATION HOMES TO THE WORLD AND POSITION DUBAI AS AN ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION TO HOMEAWAY TRAVELLERS.

DUBAI VACATION HOMES TAKE CENTRE STAGE

USD32.7 Billion Investments in UAE AirportsSome AED120 billion (USD32.7 billion) is being poured into airport developments in the UAE where over 101 million passengers were handled in 2014.

A round 71 million of these passed through Dubai International. As H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president, Dubai Civil

Aviation Authority, explained, the vision is to turn aviation into a major contributor to Dubai’s economy.

“Dubai is working its way to be the global travel hub for the 21st century,” remarked Al Maktoum.

By 2022, Dubai World Central will become reality and once completed, the world’s biggest airport will handle 220 million passengers per annum, giving a ma-jor boost to the aviation sector which is expected to generate USD88 billion to the emirate’s economy by 2030.

MEA Region Underperforms in AprilMiddle East and Africa (MEA) reported negative year-over-year results in the three major performance metrics during April, according to data compiled by STR Global.

27 JUNE 2015

MARKET UPDATE

2

TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS

MANAGING EDITORMary Kammitsi

mary@traveltradeweekly.travel

ASSISTANT EDITORMaria Kazeli

SENIOR JOURNALISTRita Kasziba

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Ana MladenovicDominique Christou

PRESS Maria Demetriadou Pauline Shahabian

Inna Armeanu

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DIRECTORS Andreas Constantinides

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Bahrain (BHD)

Jordan (JOD)

Oman (OMR)

Qatar (QAR)

Saudi Arabia (SAR)

UAE (AED)

Algeria (DZD)

Egypt (EGP)

Iran (IRR)

Iraq (IQD)

Kuwait (KWD)

Lebanon (LBP)

Libya (LYD)

Morocco (MAD)

Syria (SYP)

Tunisia (TND)

Yemen (YER)

Dinar

Dinar

Rial

Rial

Riyal

Dirham

Dinar

Pound

Rial

Dinar

Dinar

Pound

Dinar

Dirham

Pound

Dinar

Rial

0.37

0.71

0.39

3.64

3.75

3.67

98.94

7.62

29,232.95

1,191.45

0.30

1,509.39

1.36

9.69

188.82

1.93

214.89

MENA EXCHANGE RATES

As of 26/6/2015Currencies shown in blue are fixed against the US Dollar

COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=

T he region registered a 0.4 percent decrease in occupancy to 66.2 percent, a 4.6 percent drop in average daily rate (ADR) to USD168.47 and a five percent fall in RevPAR to USD111.45.

Increases were posted only by North Africa which saw a 11.4 percent growth in occupancy to 57.6 percent and a 10.2 percent surge in RevPAR to USD51.34.

Notably, Egypt experienced the largest strides with occupancy rising 16 percent, whereas Morocco recorded the steepest declines in both ADR and RevPAR at 27.4 and 27.6 percent respectively.

Mor

occo

Dubai International

27 JUNE 2015

TECHNOLOGY WEEKLY NEWS

3

Onity has released its DirectKey mobile ac-cess solution for the hospitality industry.

The company developed this prod-uct as a cost-effective, secure and easy-to-use mo-bile key solution for hotels of any size.

The DirectKey system uses cloud-based key credentialing and Bluetooth technology, allow-ing guests to securely download their key to their smartphone through the hotel’s loyalty app for easy access to their assigned room, as well as

other access-controlled areas such as parking ga-rages, elevators and fitness centres.

The credentials remain on the phone during their stay, so a network connection is not required to use the mobile key.

Onity Launches Convenient Mobile-key

TravelClick Launches New CRM System

I nnovative cloud-based solu-tion provider, TravelClick in-troduced GuestView360, an

end-to-end customer relationship management (CRM) and e-mail marketing solution.

By providing insight into guests’ stay patters, revenue and market segment, the system allows hoteliers to maximise the effective-ness of marketing campaigns and drive repeat business. The solution tracks e-mail capture and channel performance and enables users to execute highly targeted online promotion and better engage their customers, something that accord-ing to Greg Sheppard, vice presi-dent, business intelligence product management, TravelClick, is essen-tial for hoteliers.

“Because GuestView360 is now available on the same platform as our business intelligence offerings, hoteliers only need to use one platform to get a wealth of infor-mation to make more informed decisions that ultimately increase revenue,” added Sheppard.

27 JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS

4

L ow-cost carriers and airlines in devel-oping and emerging markets are set to drive commercial aircraft sales to

USD5.6 trillion over the next 20 years.According to Boeing, over the next

two decades, 38,050 new aircraft will be needed, meaning that by the end of the forecast period, the commercial airplane fleet will double from 21,600 airplanes in 2014 to 43,560 in 2034.

The single-aisle market will remain the fastest-growing and largest segment, re-quiring 26,730 airplanes, and about 35 per-cent of these will serve low-cost carriers.

During the period under review, pas-senger traffic will continue to grow at about 4.9 percent per year and by 2034, more than seven billion passengers will be flying annually.

Airlines to Spend USD5.6 Trillion on Aircraft

Abu Dhabi Celebrates Two RecognitionsAbu Dhabi’s most popular tourist attraction and the destination’s growing status as a leading tourism hub have been recognised in two global independent travel surveys.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has been ranked in Trip- Advisor’s 2015 Travellers’ Choice Awards as the world’s fourth most popular landmark attraction. It welcomed

4.3 million travellers and worshippers in 2014, making it the single most visited tourism spot in the emirate.

Meanwhile, the growing popularity of the destination’s at-tractions, experiences and hospitality sector have also been recognised in the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, ranking as the third fastest-growing city overall between 2009 and this year.

She

ikh

Zaye

d G

rand

Mos

que

http://www.kempinski.com/en/dubai/palm-jumeirah/welcome/

27 JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS XX

6

WEEKLY NEWS

T he first ship in Royal Caribbean Interna-tional’s advanced ship class, Quantum of the Seas, has docked in Dubai in late May,

as part of a 53-day global voyage from New York to Shanghai.

Royal Caribbean International, in collabora-tion with Dubai Department of Tourism & Com-merce Marketing, commemorated the inaugural call of the ship at the Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid with a welcome reception followed by the traditional plaques and keys ceremony.

The ship spans 18 decks, encompasses 168,666 gross registered tonnes, carries 4,180 guests at double occupancy and features 2,090 staterooms.

Dubai Welcomes Quantum of the Seas

Qua

ntum

of t

he S

eas

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) hosted a meeting between

representatives of the capital’s top hotels and some of the biggest des-tination management companies in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

The main aim of the programme was to showcase the best deals and of-fers available throughout the summer months and discuss ways to cooperate over the Abu Dhabi Summer Season.

As Mubarak Al Nuaimi, director of promotions and overseas offices, TCA Abu Dhabi, noted, the organisation is poised to extensively promote the emirate as a destination of distinction and venue for exceptional entertain-ment.

Abu Dhabi Summer Season Promoted in Dubai

British Films Inspire Travellers from Bahrain to the UK

T he Harry Potter movie franchise is still encouraging travellers from Bahrain to visit the UK, according to a recent survey conducted by British Airways which showed that one in four Bahraini residents is inspired by the movies

to travel to the European country.Harry Potter was closely followed by the quintessentially British James Bond

series, with 23 percent, and in third place came Sherlock Holmes, based in London. Paolo De Renzis, area commercial manager, Middle East and Central Asia, Brit-

ish Airways, said, “Our flights from Bahrain to London are one of the most popular routes within the Middle East and as always, we will be offering the best of British hospitality that our customers have come to expect on all our flights.”

Lon

don

27 JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS

7

DUBAI VACATION HOMES TAKE CENTRE STAGE

Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing partnered with HomeAway to promote the emirate’s vacation homes to the world and position Dubai as an attractive destination to HomeAway travellers.

T he tourism body will work closely with the vacation rental specialist to strengthen the sector in the emirate and pro-vide support to the many licensed establishments that operate there.

As Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing, noted, the introduction of legislation regarding the operation of vacation homes in Dubai in December 2013 has re-sulted in the broadening of the destination’s accommodation offering.

“The implementation of the legislation ensures that visitors can book a private accommodation with full confidence of quality,” added Kazim.

T he Embassy of the Neth-erlands in Oman has out-sourced its visa application

service in Muscat to VFS Global. The office now issues visas for

the Netherlands and the Carib-bean parts of the Kingdom, as well as Belgium, Luxembourg, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.

H.E. Barbara Joziasse, ambas-sador to Oman, Netherlands, said, “Provision of high quality and ef-ficient service in outsourcing is ut-most essential, especially at a time when the interest of the Sultan-ate in the Netherlands is growing exponentially.”

Omani Dutch Embassy Outsources Visa Services

27JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS

8

Egypt: Arab Tourist Figures Up 20.9 Percent

M ajid Al Futtaim was recognised by the Arab Organisation for Social Responsibility for its contribution towards helping Dubai along its path to become one of the top 10 sustain-able cities in the world by 2020.

The company was awarded the highest honours and was presented with a Golden Excellence Shield Award for the implementation of its five-year sustainability and green building policies.

“At Majid Al Futtaim, we want to lead by example by applying international best practices across our entire business operations and portfolio of brands,” commented Ibrahim Al Zubi, head of sustainability, Majid Al Futtaim.

Hala Abu Dhabi Joins Global MICE Body

Majid Al Futtaim Champions Sustainability in Dubai

Pierre Moukarzel, founder, Arab Organization for Social Responsibility (right) hands the award

H ala Abu Dhabi became a member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) that

organises, transports and accommodates global meetings and events.

The close to 1,000 ICCA members rep-resent top destinations and specialist sup-pliers, thus Etihad Airways’ professional conference organiser and destination man-agement company had to meet distinct cri-teria to join the elite group.

“The international association meet-ings market is recognised as one of the most resilient and dynamic sectors of the industry and Abu Dhabi is now regarded as one of the world’s most exciting new destinations for corporate conferences and events,” commented Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer, Etihad Airways. T he Egyptian Ministry of Tourism’s Masr Qariba, meaning ‘Egypt

is close’, campaign is paying rich dividends with visitor num-bers from Arab countries rising 20.9 percent during the first

four months of the year. Figures from Saudi Arabia skyrocketed 69.9 percent, while arriv-

als from the UAE and Kuwait jumped 49.8 percent and 37.1 percent, respectively.

As Sami Mahmoud, chairman, Egyptian Tourism Authority, noted, the dedicated campaign underlines the geographical, cultural and social proximity that the country enjoys with its Arab neighbours.

“These statistics also confirm Egypt’s position as a leading tour-ism destination in the region as it remains one the most secure desti-nations for Arab and foreign tourists who are dearly valued by Egypt’s people and government,” stated Mahmoud.

Did you know...

Egypt's

soon-to-be launched

global campaign

will focus on

cultural

tourism

in the country?

27 JUNE 2015

ACCOMMODATION WEEKLY NEWS

9

WEEKLY NEWS

Nakheel Brings More Space to Ibn Battuta Mall

Nakheel launched another 71,163m2 of shop and res-taurant space for lease at Ibn Battuta Mall, a move which will see the centre welcome an extra 600 retail,

dining and entertainment outlets in its new 436,644m2 exten-sion, including a multi-screen cinema complex, multi-storey car park and a 370-room hotel, plus a courtyard of the size of four football fields with a retractable glass roof for open-air shopping during the cooler months.

“Our dramatic expansion will transform the area into a huge retail, dining and leisure destination […] featuring more than 1,000 shops and attractions in total. This will be a fantas-tic new facility for nearby residents and the wider Dubai com-munity,” said Omar Khoory, director, Nakheel Retail.

OSCOTEL DWC, a hospitality marketing solutions company in Dubai, has formed a new

partnership with tour operator Mappa-mondo Incoming Services Italy in the Middle East.

The company will function as a rep-resentative sales and marketing office, offering an extension to the global ef-forts, and spearheading initiatives to promote inbound business from the Middle East to Italy.

To fulfil the increasing demand and the need for a dedicated sales and mar-keting strategy, OSCOTEL DWC will be supporting Mappamondo Incoming Services Italy in promoting its traveller-friendly holiday packages in the region.

Oscotel to Promote Middle Eastern Tourism in Italy

Dubai Parks and Resorts, set to open in October 2016, announced that 20,438m2 of leasable opportunities for dining and retail are now available within River-

land Dubai, one of several components of the development. Riverland Dubai will be at the heart of the landmark

destination as the main entrance to the site, and a con-necting point between all the parks and their many rides, shows and attractions. It has been inspired by much-loved pedestrian-friendly public spaces across the globe such as London’s Covent Garden, Barcelona’s Las Ramblas and New York’s Times Square.

Retail Space Available at Dubai Parks and Resorts

Ibn

Batt

uta

Mal

l

Rive

rland

Boa

rdw

alk

27JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS

10

WEEKLY NEWS

Germany and Italy Lure Luxury Travellers

Germany and Italy are the most popular European destinations among luxury travellers, a special eval-uation of the World Travel Monitor, conducted by

IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin, revealed. Globally, the US stole the spotlight, ahead of China

and Mexico.With a 48 percent rise in the last five years, luxury trav-

el has grown twice as fast as all other types of foreign trips. In 2014 for example, the world population undertook 46 million international luxury trips, spending some EUR172 billion (USD192.5 billion) in total. More than EUR1,000 USD1,120) per night was splashed out by guests from the UAE, India, Kuwait, Brazil, Australia, Canada and China. The largest source markets for luxury travel remained the US and China.

Under its efforts to promote Saudi Arabia’s strategic tourism routes, Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA) host-ed a three-day trip for travel agents, tour operators and event or-

ganisers, introducing them to the mountain route in Asir, Baha and Taif. The route is a mountain chain that extends from Yemen to the Gulf

of Aqaba. It is particularly attractive during summer due to its mild tem-perature and beauty, as well as the diversity of its heritage towns along the way.

Participants visited Al Jabal Al Akhdar Park, Moftaha Village, Al Elyan Heritage Village, Sahda Al Asfal, Abdullah bin Abas Mosque in Taif and much more.

SCTA Highlights Mountain Tourism Route

Boeing became the first commercial company to be contracted for a human spaceflight mission after NASA issued a

task order to include its first-ever service flight to the International Space Station as part of the aircraft manufacturer’s USD4.2 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract.

“This occasion will go in the books of Boe-ing’s nearly 100 years of aerospace and more than 50 years of space flight history,” said John Elbon, general manager, space exploration di-vision, Boeing.

Boeing was selected in September 2014 to build and fly the US’ next passenger spacecraft, the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100.

Boeing Sets New Benchmark by Heading to Space

John

Elb

on

Berli

n

Did you know...

The most

popular types of

luxury

holidays are tour

s,

followed by ci

ty trips,

beach holidays an

d

cruises?

27 JUNE 2015

ACCOMMODATION WEEKLY NEWS

11

First Holiday Inn Opens in TabukInterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened Holiday Inn Tabuk, the brand’s first project in the Saudi city and the company’s 11th property in the Kingdom.

T he 90-room hotel has well-connected transport links with a number of international highways to Jordan, Egypt and Turkey just a short drive from it.

“The new Holiday Inn Tabuk boasts a fantastic wealth of facilities for business and leisure travellers and we are confident that the hotel will offer a welcoming and comfortable stay,” said Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, referring to the property’s outdoor swimming pool, recently renovated gym and fitness centre, sauna and tennis court, among others.

Salalah Rotana Resort welcomed over 400 repre-sentatives from Germany’s largest tour opera-tors and travel agencies to the FTI Destination

Pro and ReiseLand Conferences.Held for the first time in the Sultanate, the events

promoted Oman and specifically the governorate of Dhofar as a year-round destination for German and European holiday-makers.

“Our aim since opening in 2014 has been to com-plement Dhofar’s tourism development plans, and hosting these conferences enabled us to further re-inforce Oman’s position as the Middle East’s destina-tion of choice,” commented Hossam Kamal, general manager, Salalah Rotana Resort.

Salalah Rotana Resort Showcases Dhofar

Hol

iday

Inn

Tabu

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nces

27 JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATION

12

Ajman Welcomes Opening of Furnished Apartments

Representatives of Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) joined in to cel-ebrate the launch of Alkhaleej Plaza, the emirate’s first furnished apartments establish-ment.

Housing a total of 30 one- and two-bedroom apartments and studios, the property is well equipped to meet the needs of visitors to Ajman, stated Ali Qassem Al Belooshi, manager, Alkhaleej Plaza.

As Mounir Attia, head, classification section, ATDD, noted, classification criteria for such lodging were approved by the organisation in accordance with international standards and marked the third and final stage of ATDD’s project that started in 2014, covering all hotel and hotel apartments establishments.

Alk

hale

ej P

laza

Cristal Consolidates Presence in Turkey

In a bid to capitalise on the explosive growth of the country’s accommodation

sector and accelerate the com-pany’s growth in the market, Cristal Hospitality is poised to set up a new office in Turkey.

As Peter Blackburn, presi-dent, Cristal Group, revealed, eight new hotels are to be launched under the com-pany’s four brands in Turkey within the next three years.

“With the backing of a prominent local partner, we can think this is a realistic am-bition given the bullish growth the hospitality sector in Tur-key is currently experiencing,” commented Blackburn.

Peter Blackburn

AIR WEEKLY NEWS

13

Eighth Gate to Saudi Arabia for Qatar AirwaysBeginning September 2, Qatar Airways will launch flights to Abha, with the nonstop service being operated four times a week onboard an Airbus A320.

Did you know...

Qatar Airways has

been continuously

expanding its

services to

Saudi

Arabia since it

began in 1997 with

nonstop flights to

Jeddah?

The addition of its eighth gateway to Saudi Arabia will increase the carrier’s weekly offer-ing to the Kingdom to 88.

“From Abha, passengers will be able to travel seamlessly through our Doha hub to popular cities such as London, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, New York and Washington, and at the same time this will provide passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia the convenience of another gateway within the same country,” commented Akbar Al Baker, group CEO, Qatar Airways.

f lydubai has commenced direct four-weekly services to Hargeisa, bringing the number of the carrier’s weekly op-erations to the African continent to 64.

As Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai, noted, the introduction of the Somali city to the route map is in line with the com-pany’s endeavours to link Dubai with underserved markets.

“The addition of Hargeisa to our network will provide the Somali diaspora with the opportunity to visit their families and friends in their home country. With the interline agree-ments we have in place, more than 250 destinations can now offer flights to Hargeisa through Dubai’s aviation hub,” added Al Ghaith.

27 JUNE 2015

Hargeisa Joins flydubai Network

27 JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS AIR

14

As part of its ongoing commitment to minimise its environmental impact, Eti-had Airways conducted a fuel-optimised

flight between Abu Dhabi and Washington, D.C.The initiative, the first of a series of similar

projects within the framework of the Abu Dha-bi Perfect Flight Program, was operated by the airline’s eco-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner and used a host of fuel and emission-saving measures both in the air and on the ground. As a result, during the 13 and a half hour route, the carrier saved an estimated 4,100 litres of fuel and 10,700kg of carbon emissions.

Etihad Airways worked closely with more than 30 stakeholders to successfully conduct the first ‘perfect’ flight.

E mirates has signed a codeshare agreement with Exeter-based Fly-be, to cooperate on a number of UK

routes.The deal will see the Dubai-based

airline’s code placed on 25 Flybe routes, adding a total of 13 new destinations to the Emirates global network, connecting customers to cities such as Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey and Newquay.

All services operated by the regional carrier will seamlessly connect with Emir-ates flights to Dubai and beyond, flying from its Manchester, Glasgow and Bir-mingham gateways.

Air Arabia to Start Faisalabad Flights

Emirates Collaborates with Flybe on UK Routes

Successful Fuel- optimised Etihad Flight

A ir Arabia is to add Faisalabad to its rapidly growing Pakistan route net-work, with thrice-weekly flights be-

ing scheduled to start in October.Adel Ali, group CEO, Air Arabia, enthused,

“With more than a million Pakistanis living in the UAE, demand for value-for-money air trav-el between the two countries is exceptionally strong and is growing every year. The addition of Faisalabad further strengthens the cultural and commercial ties between both nations and offers an even greater level of conveni-ence and flexibility to our customers.”

A major industry and manufacturing hub, Faisalabad is located in the province of Punjab and is home to more than two million people.

Faisalabad Clock Tower Etihad Airways B787-9 Dreamliner

27 JUNE 2015

AIR WEEKLY NEWS

15

The Residence by Etihad Arrives to Sydney

Etihad Airways deployed an Airbus A380 aircraft on its Sydney – Abu Dhabi and Sydney – London routes, offering VIP passengers the opportunity

to experience The Residence by Etihad, its luxurious private thee-room suite.

The A380 will now operate one of the airline’s two daily services between Sydney and the UAE capital.

“The A380 out of Sydney connects seamlessly at the Abu Dhabi hub to the A380 to London, offering our London-bound guests the comfort and conveni-ence of an all-A380 service all the way,” said James Ho-gan, president, Etihad Airways.

E tihad Airways has inau-gurated daily services between Abu Dhabi and

Edinburgh, marking the airline’s entry into the Scottish market.

Operated with a two-class Airbus A330-200 aircraft with a total of 264 seats, the carrier’s third route in the UK is expected to attract significant demand from the capital and further afield, explained Peter Baum-gartner, chief commercial of-ficer, Etihad Airways.

“Scotland is the natural next step on our growth trajectory in the UK, with strong tourism and business traffic in both direc-tions,” added Baumgartner.

Etihad Debuts in Scotland

Emirates Opens Lounge at Narita Airport

Emirates has launched its 38th lounge at Terminal 2 of Narita International Airport in Japan.

The first airline-owned lounge in the Asian country provides an experience of seamless luxury for the carrier’s first and business class customers, as well as plati-num and gold members of frequent flyer programme, Emirates Skywards.

“Japan is a very important market for Emirates and the dedicated lounge at Nar-ita demonstrates our ongoing efforts to provide the best airport experience to pre-mium Japanese travellers and our Skywards […] members,” explained Mohammed Mat-tar, divisional senior vice president, airport services, Emirates.

Edinburgh

The Residence by Etihad

Did you know...

Emirates has invested

more than USD330

million in its lounges

worldwide, serving

over 22 million

customers sin

ce the

opening of the first

one in Dubai?

27 JUNE 2015

WEEKLY NEWS AIR

16

Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) has begun a di-rect regular twice-weekly service between Amman and Najaf, increasing the number

of Iraqi destinations on its network to six.Haitham Misto, president, RJ, said that operat-

ing flights to Najaf expands the RJ route map and

strengthens the Levant strategy, which focusses mainly on boosting operations in the Middle East and opening new destinations in order to help the growing air transport within the region. Add-ing new routes to the network will increase travel and enhance commercial, social and cultural ties.

E tihad Airways has expand-ed its codeshare agree-ment with Hong Kong Air-

lines to provide travellers with enhanced connections between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Under the expanded deal, Hong Kong Airlines places its HX code on Etihad Airways’ flights between Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi.

Additionally, the UAE carrier has commenced a daily frequen-cy on the route, offering 3,620 seats per week onboard an Air-bus A330-200 aircraft.

Moreover, Hong Kong Air-lines will codeshare on Etihad Airways’ new service between Abu Dhabi and Madrid, the capi-tal and largest city in Spain. The route is operated four times per week and offers 2,096 weekly seats on a two-class Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

Emirates is set to upgauge its services to Uganda with the deployment of larger Boeing 777-200LR aircraft on

the daily Dubai – Entebbe route from Oc-tober 1.

The Boeing 777-200LR will replace the currently used Airbus A330-200 and in-crease the total number of seats across all cabin classes by 12 percent.

“Besides the enhancement to the prod-uct offering, the increase in capacity to En-tebbe is also to meet growing demand for our services in Uganda and the East Africa region,” said Orhan Abbas, senior vice presi-dent, commercial operations, Latin Amer-ica, Central and Southern Africa, Emirates.

Etihad Airways and Hong Kong Airlines Enhance Codeshare

Emirates Upgrades Uganda Services

RJ Increases Flights to Iraq

flydubai Adds Fifth Destination in Pakistan

As of July 10, flydubai will offer a daily service to Faisalabad, which will increase to nine flights per week as of August 3.

Also on July 10, the airline will boost the frequencies to Karachi to 28 flights per week, to Multan to nine operations per week and starting July 13, to Sialkot up to eight weekly services.

Commenting on the announcement, Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai, said, “Since the launch of our first flight to Pakistan in 2010, we continue to see growing demand in the region for direct flights to Dubai and onwards.”

Uganda

27 JUNE 2015

INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY NEWS

17

Macau Welcomes Two New HotelsMarriott International marked a new milestone on May 28 with the opening of JW Marriott Hotel Macau and The Ritz-Carlton, Macau.

T he properties are located within the entertainment and leisure destination, Galaxy Macau.

JW Marriott Hotel Macau boasts 1,015 rooms and suites, four restaurants, pools, a kids’ club, a ballroom and 2700m2 of meeting space, just to name a few of its facilities.

The Ritz-Carlton, Macau offers 250 suites on the top floors of the integrated resort, a variety of food and bever-age outlets, a pool bar, a spa, over 900m2 of event space and more.

Mac

au

Starwood-branded Hotel Opens in Phoenix

S tarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide unveiled Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West in Mesa, Arizona.

The 180-room property features ample meeting facilities, two pools, two hot tubs and a cool dip pool, plus a pool bar and grill, fitness centre and spa. Additionally, it boasts an upscale steakhouse, casual sports bar-themed dining and a full-service coffee shop. Lo-cated just 15 minutes from downtown Phoenix, the hotel offers guests complimentary airport shuttle transportation.

Kevin Thorpe, general manager, Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigley-ville West, said, “This will be the first hotel built to be a four-star re-sort-style property in Mesa, and a great addition to Starwood’s family in the Phoenix area.”

T he 518-key Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay emerged following a USD15 million renovation funded by own-ership.

The Jamaican property now boasts fully-updated rooms, an ocean-view lobby and four dining outlets, 10 spacious Kid-Suites, as well as five meeting rooms able to hold up to 1,550 people, and its own private off-shore island called Tek-It-Easy Island.

Clark Lobban, general manager, Holiday Inn Resort Monte-go Bay, commented, “With ample opportunity for fun both on the beach and inside the resort, we look forward to helping our guests have a memorable and exciting vacation at the newly renovated Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay.”

Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay Sports New Look

Hol

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Inn

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27 JUNE 2015

RENDEZVOUS

18

Q & A withPeter Henley

WORLD-CLASS STANDARDS COMBINED WITH THE WARMTH OF THE ASIAN HOSPITALITY ARE THE ETHOS OF ONYX HOSPITALITY GROUP, WHICH, ACCORDING TO PETER HENLEY, CEO, ONYX HOSPITALITY GROUP, CONTINUE TO ATTRACT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF MIDDLE EASTERN TRAVELLERS.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: ONYX Hos-pitality Group’s global portfolio cur-rently includes one property in the MENA region, namely Amari Doha. What makes MENA a strategically im-portant market for the group?

PETER HENLEY: The MENA region is strategically important both as a source market and destination to develop new hotels. The region represented 14 per-cent of the group’s total room-night production in 2014 and 12.5 percent for the first quarter of this year. To develop outbound travel interest, we have both a sales representation office and public relations company based in the UAE, working to support our sales and mar-keting teams. Peter Foster, who recently joined us as vice president of sales, has extensive experience in the region, hav-ing worked as area director of sales and marketing at InterContinental Dubai Festival City, so we have a knowledge-able team when it comes to this region.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Please tell us about ONYX Hospitality Group’s de-velopment plans for the MENA region.

PETER HENLEY: Within the MENA re-gion, the Middle East is a key source market for visitor arrivals to ONYX prop-erties. It is the third largest market after Asia and Europe for arrivals across the entire group. By country, the UAE is the fourth largest international inbound

erties outside of Thailand, we anticipate that the new Amari Havodda Maldives, opening in 2016, will also appeal to up-scale travellers from the Middle East. Sri Lanka is also showing positive demand from the UAE and GCC, and the in-creased ONYX footprint (OZO Colombo and OZO Kandy open; Amari Galle un-der construction) in the country is ben-efitting from this.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: ONYX Hos-pitality Group is already a well-es-tablished name in Asia’s hospitality scene. What are the company’s priori-ties for the current year?

PETER HENLEY: We are delighted to have just opened OZO Kandy, our second hotel in Sri Lanka and […] Ocean Wing at Amari Phuket. OZO Kandy is set in a beautiful hill station destination and offers uninter-rupted vistas of Kandy Lake and the sur-rounding hill. The new Ocean Wing will add 148 one- and two-bedroom suites to Amari Phuket, along with an exclusive Clubhouse overlooking Patong Bay.

We are completely refurbishing the popular Amari Samui, which is scheduled to reopen in March 2016, and there are developments in new markets, including India where we currently have two con-firmed properties, Amari Residences GIFT City and Amari Noida, scheduled to open in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: The company earlier announced two new projects in Malaysia. Please tell us about these.

PETER HENLEY: The two new develop-ments, OZO Medini and Shama Medini will be part of the multipurpose UM-City Medini Lakeside complex, located in the township of Medini in Iskandar. For these projects, we are once again partnering with United Malayan Land, with whom we already have one prop-erty under development – Amari Johor Bahru, scheduled to open in 2016.

OZO Medini will feature 198 rooms, along with OZO’s signature facilities for which the select-service brand is known, including, EAT all-day dining restaurant, EAT2Go, grab-and-go outlet, Splash swimming pool and Tone fitness centre. The Shama Medini property will comprise 232 serviced apartments, complete with spacious living areas. The offering will be ideal for both busi-ness travellers and families looking for space and comfort.

CEO, ONYX HOSPITALITY GROUP

market to Thailand after China, India and the UK, and is the highest producing market for Amari Doha Qatar, in terms of room night production. As our first prop-erty in the region, Amari Doha serves as a launch pad as we look to future devel-opment opportunities across the region.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What as-pects make Arab travellers a valuable segment for the company?

PETER HENLEY: The region represents

an important source market to our properties in Thailand. The most popu-lar properties with the UAE market are Amari Boulevard Bangkok, followed by Amari Residences Bangkok and Shama Sukhumvit Bangkok. We calculate guest arrivals by country of origin, rather than by nationality, so the Middle East arrival figures include both nationals and resi-dents. Many are repeat guests, travel-ling in small groups and staying for sev-eral nights.

As we expand our network of prop-Amari Galle Sri Lanka

https://www.sunrise-resorts.com/

27 JUNE 2015

TRAVEL TALK

20

MAURICE DE ROOIJ

OUSSAMA MASSOUD

MOUSSA EL HAYEK

General manager, Millennium Resort Mussanah

Regional general manager, Jordan, InterContinental Hotels Group

Chief operating officer, Al Bustan Centre and Residence, Dubai

“Maintaining our position at the forefront of Oman’s [...] hospital-ity industry is by no means an easy challenge, especially with the evolving requirements of our guests, the rising level of global visitation, the increase in busi-ness tourism and the fundamen-tal requirement of consistently raising the bar. [...] Receiving [Tri-pAdvisor’s] Certificate of Excel-lence for three consecutive years reflects the dedication and quali-ty of our employees and the lead-ing service that we deliver as our world-class venue that continues to shine through and grow.”

“[Acquiring the ISO 22000 cer-tificate] is another achievement for Crowne Plaza Amman that we are extremely proud of. We at the hotel are keen on providing our guests with the best quality possible, and this certificate is a testament of the management and the colleagues’ ongoing ef-forts to offer our guests an ex-cellent experience.”

Maintaining our position [...] is by no means an easy challenge

We […] are keen on providing our guests with the best quality possible

Demand for hotel apartments in the region is very promising

JIHAD FATTOUHActing general manager, First Central Hotel Suites, Dubai

“We have observed a substan-tial increase in our long-stay [visitors]. Guests are now look-ing for accommodation options that can cater to all their needs, such as doing laundry, satisfying their craving for home-cooked meals, a separate living room and factors that make them feel that they are truly ‘at home’. First Central Hotel Suites recognised the demand for a more person-alised service, in-room equip-ment and special amenities that we have continually delivered to our guests.”

TRAVEL TALK IS YOUR SPACE – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel

Guests are now looking for accommodation options that can cater to all their needs

“We have experienced tremen-dous growth in long-term [stays] in our property. We have already contracted 40 percent of our in-ventory on long-term basis. […] Demand for hotel apartments in the region is very promising; it in-creases consistently and with the expected projects in the pipeline it will continue to increase the future.”

27 JUNE 2015

AGENT CORNER

21

Mayuri Dodhia

Director

Earth Tours & Travel

Kenya

www.earthtoursandtravel.com

Agent’s Insight

Who are you?Earth Tours & Travel specialises in tailor-made holidays from the African bush [and] the exotic beaches, to the Himalayan ranges. Our reputation, based on our experi-ence, the quality of our service and excellent value for money is unmatched. We are the adventure, wildlife and safari specialists.

What is your favourite thing about working in the travel industry?We are passionate about our safaris and adventure activities and pride ourselves in our friendly and professional approach, where every detail is taken care of from the minute you arrive till you return from your holiday.

When is the best time to visit Kenya?All year round for safaris. We offer various destinations for every season.

Where would you like to travel for your next holiday?Myanmar and Bhutan.

Why should people come to you for travel advice?We believe that paying attention to the clients’ travel needs to the last detail goes a long way. We go the extra mile to suggest alternatives, as opposed to just offering the usual. We strive to make our clients’ holiday a memorable one by making sure all their needs are catered for. We specialise in wildlife holidays around the world, private charter safaris and Himalayan trekking.

COMPANY:

POSITION:

NAME:

LOCATION:

WEBSITE:

Travelport Reaffirms Ties with Al Tayyar Travel Group

T ravelport has renewed agreements in the UK with Al Tayyar Travel Group’s Clarity Travel Man-agement and Elegant Resorts.

Travelport’s UK division has worked with Clarity Travel Management since before 2006, and with El-egant Resorts since July 2010.

Following the new deals, both companies will con-tinue to have access to Travelport’s travel content in-ventory, which includes fares and ancillaries from the world’s leading airlines and low-cost carriers, as well as over 650,000 hotel properties.

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27 JUNE 2015

TRAVEL CHANNELS

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Choosing a Meeting Destination

T his resulted from meetings with planners at the Inter-national Seminar on The Decision-Making Process of Meetings, Congresses, Con-

ventions and Incentives Organisers, which recently took place in Antwerp, Belgium.

The meetings industry is gaining significant recognition among countries and cities alike, as it poses a significant opportunity to spur revenue growth. Competition is becoming fierce as new destinations enter the market, and the European tourism sector was called to understand meeting planners’ needs and expectations.

European Travel Commission and the World Tourism Organization presented the key criteria that influence the choice of a

destination.

SCTA’s Al Majm’a Rehabilitation Project

Enters Third Stage

Summer Camp Returns at Coral Beach Resort

K ids are taking over Coral Beach Resort Sharjah as the annual summer camp returns between July 1 – 30.

During the whole month, from Sunday to Thurs-day, special trainers will be welcoming the children with a plethora of exciting and educational activities, from arts and crafts workshops to swimming lessons.

Jean Pierre Simon, regional general manager, Northern Emirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts, said that the programme keeps participants creatively occupied in a fun and cool en-vironment.

“We do not want children to feel that they have finished one school only to join another,” concluded Simon.

EGYPTAIR Supports Children’s Cancer Hospital

EGYPTAIR recently penned a cooperation protocol with Chil-dren’s Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE 57357), according to which it will be transporting medical delegations travelling

to Egypt from the Nile basin countries to join training courses in the field of oncology.

Hisham El-Nahas, chairman, EGYPTAIR, elaborated, “The pro-tocol includes providing free travel tickets to the medical delega-tions for a term of four years. Moreover, we have invented a new tool for donations to [CCHE] 57357 hospital as our customers can now donate their miles in EGYPTAIR's frequent flyer programme EGYPTAIR Plus […], forming an additional fund of free tickets to the hospital.”

T he third phase of the de-velopment project of Al Majm’a downtown is be-

ing executed by Saudi Commis-sion for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA), in collaboration with Al Majm’a municipality.

This phase includes paving the lanes on the site and restor-ing buildings frontispieces after laying tarmac over the major site roads. Also, a coordination mech-anism was set up to manage joint work between SCTA, the municipality and a local tourism committee to restore residents’ personal dwellings.

The historic centre of Al Majm’a has become a cultural tourism destination in the Riyadh province, having hosted a num-ber of heritage events.

Summer camp at Coral Beach Resort Sharjah

27 JUNE 2015

PHOTO ALBUM

23

One to One – Concorde Fujairah Hotel hosted the awarding ceremony of the 5th Fujairah Photography AwardsCelebrating service week at Crowne Plaza Beirut

Portugal National Day Celebration at Jannah Hotels and Resorts

Qantas Airways presented British comedian Michael McIntryre with a limited

edition cricket bat at Dubai’s Happy & Glorious event

Meliá Dubai visited its travel partners, including Emirates Holidays and Arabian

Adventures with a vintage ice cream truck, serving a refreshing treat to over

350 people

dnata's team at The St. Regis Abu DhabiCrowne Plaza Beirut celebrated InterContinental Hotels

Group’s commercial award

Share with us the latest images of your activities and let your colleagues know what you have been up to.

Send your photos to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel Because a picture is worth a thousand words...

Take a Shot!

27 JUNE 2015

NEWS & EVENTS

24

ibtm america Moves to Nashville

T he next edition of ibtm america will take place between June 15 – 17, 2016 at Nashville’s Gaylord

Opryland Resort & Convention Center.Located just minutes away from

the city’s international airport and the downtown area, the venue boasts some of the best meetings facilities of the destination, along with fine dining, gardens and a full-service spa.

“As part of our strategy to experi-ence the most dynamic business des-tinations, we are delighted to be not only taking ibtm to Nashville, but to be using the spectacular facilities of this world-class resort,” comments Jaime McAuley, event director, ibtm america.

This year’s event was organised mid-June in Chicago.

A bu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has furthered its exhibitions and conference

events services offering to include rig-ging and mains utilities and connection services for organisers and exhibitors through ADNEC Services.

A business unit of the company, AD-NEC Services will operate as a one-stop shop, assisting in setting up, connecting and activating stands, exhibitions and other conference spaces with the venues.

“It is vital to stay competitive,” stressed Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, acting group CEO, ADNEC. “[The] launch of ADNEC Services is another example of how by ex-panding our services and developing our facilities we are cementing our position.”

ADNEC Services Launched

EVENTS

INDIA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL MART

Bangalore, IndiaJuly 10 – 12 www.iitmindia.comOne of the country’s premier travel and tourism exhibitions launches in Bangalore this year with other showings coming up in Chennai, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkatta.

ICOMEX

Mexico City, MexicoAugust 25 – 26 www.icomex-mexico.comPart of ibtm events, the show focusses on incentives, congresses and conventions in Latin America.

IBTM CHINA

Beijing, ChinaAugust 05 – 06 www.cibtm.comA place for the meetings, events and incentives industry decision-makers to meet for global business adventures.

MICE ASIA PACIFIC EXHIBITION

Singapore, SingaporeSeptember 10 – 11www.miceasiaexhibition.comOver two days, the event aims to connect Asia’s leading meetings, conference, exhibition and events organisers to meet and network with Asia Pacific’s leading venues.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre