Market Update 2General News 3Air Travel News 5Accommodation News 7International News 8Agents’ Corner 10Travel Tips 11Travel Talk 12Who’s Moved 14Rendezvous 15Events 16

Middle East and North Africa Edition

JANUARY 8, 2011 ISSUE 61

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22RAMADA ENCOREWyndham Hotel Group has continued itsMiddle Eastern expansion, taking onmanagement of the region’s first RamadaEncore hotel.

In This Issue

LAWSUIT SETTLEDGlobal hotel giants Hilton and Starwoodhave settled a major legal dispute,resulting in serious business restrictionsfor Hilton Worldwide.

www.traveltradeweekly.travel

Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company(TDIC) is set to bring the UAE’s award winning pavilion from

the World Expo in Shanghai to Saadiyat Island.

UAE PavilionRelocatedUAE PavilionRelocated

The lawsuit was brought byStarwood in April, 2009,following the announcementof Hilton’s planned lifestylehotel brand, Denizen.

Starwood alleged that two former employeeshad misappropriated trade secrets related to thecompany’s popular W hotel brand, beforetaking up new employment at Hilton.Starwood pointed to several key elements of theDenizen brand, alleging they had beendeveloped by Starwood employees for thecompany’s lifestyle hotels division. As part of the settlement, Hilton must cancel allplans for the Denizen brand and is prohibited

from launching any similar lifestylebrands for a period of two years.The two employees involved havebeen restricted from working forcertain hotel companies for aperiod of two years, and hiringrestrictions have been placed onHilton’s luxury brand group.

According to Reuters, Hilton is prohibitedfrom hiring any Starwood employees for itsHilton Luxury and Lifestyle Group, for aperiod of two years.

A hefty cash settlement by Hilton has also beenreported, however the company responded bystating that certain terms of the settlement wereconfidential.Christopher J Nassetta, CEO of HiltonWorldwide, released a statement following thesettlement.“Hilton Worldwide regrets the circumstancessurrounding the dispute with Starwood Hotelsand Resorts Worldwide and is pleased to bringan end to this prolonged litigation,” he said.Nassetta added that Hilton was committed to fair,ethical and robust competition in the marketplace.

JANUARY 8, 20112

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY

EditorLaura Warne

Deputy EditorLouis Dillon Savage

Design & LayoutElina Pericleous

Sales & MarketingMarianna TsiamasDimitris Thomaidis

DirectorsAndreas ConstantinidesMary Kammitsi

HeadquartersP.O. Box 25255 Nicosia 1308 CyprusTel: +35722820888Fax: +35722318958

Websitewww.traveltradeweekly.travel

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COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=UAE (AED) Dirham 3.69Egypt (EGP) Pound 5.79Saudi Arabia (SAR) Riyal 3.75Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1501Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37Jordan ( JOD) Dinar 0.70Syria (SYP) Pound 47.2Kuwait (KWD) Dinar 0.28Qatar (QAR) Riyal 3.64Oman (OMR) Rial 0.38Tunisia (TND) Dinar 1.45Morocco (MAD) Dirham 8.49Iran (IRR) Riyal 10,460Yemen (YER) Rial 213.97Algeria (DZD) Dinar 74.97Libya (LYD) Dinar 1.26

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 06/1/2011Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar

Stats Show Event Tourism Rising Throughout MENAAl Taameer Real Estate Investment’s MENA hospitality report forDecember, 2010, shows that event based tourism is gaining popularitythroughout the region.The report states that, while the sector was once confined to the UAE, othercountries are now entering the arena, with Saudi Arabia leading the charge.During 2010, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA)organised a promotional campaign consisting of 18 summer tourist festivals;shopping, entertainment, sports, cultural and heritage events were held acrossthe country.Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt, is also promoting shopping and tourism, with 18events and festivals anticipated over 2010 and 2011. Fishing, diving and camel competitions are all set to play a part in the eventstourism offering of Egypt. In Lebanon, Beirut is focusing on promoting new filmmakers and attractingtourists with its annual international film festival.Finally, Oman’s Salalah tourism festival was also listed as a growing attraction.Featuring music, games, art, poetry, sports and awareness campaigns, the festivaldraws several million tourists each year.

Hilton and Starwood Settle LawsuitGlobal hotel giants Hilton and Starwood have settled a major legal dispute,resulting in serious business restrictions for Hilton Worldwide.

Hilton Worldwide regrets thecircumstances surrounding thedispute with Starwood Hotels

and Resorts Worldwide

3JANUARY 8, 2011

Jordan Breaks Records for Tourism Receipts, ArrivalsBoth tourism receipts and arrivals to Jordan increased in 2010, breaking previously set records for each.More than 4.3 million travellers visited Jordan in 2010, surpassing by half a million people the record of 3.8million set in the previous year.

Nayef al-Fayez, directorof Jordan TourismBoard ( JTB), said theincrease came from allinbound markets and

benefitted all of Jordan’s touristic regions.“There was an across-the-board increasein tourist numbers covering the fivecontinents, and was reflected bycomprehensive increases in all main sitesand destinations within Jordan,” he said.By far the fastest growing market wasAsia, with 42.6 percent more visitorsfrom that region visiting Jordan in 2010than in 2009.

Europe posted the second largest increase(25.8 percent), followed by East Asia andthe Pacific (24.7 percent), Arab nations(14.1 percent), Africa (13.1 percent) andthe Americas (12.5 percent).

All of the kingdom’s main attractionsreceived significantly more visitors year

on year: Petra received 26.2 percent more;Jerash, 25.1 percent; Kerak, 20.6 percent;Ajloun, 25.6 percent; Um Qais, 5.1percent; the Baptism Site, 20.8 percent;Madaba's Map, 46.4 percent; and MountNebo, 33.7 percent.Tourism revenue increased by nearly 20percent for Jordan compared with 2009.

There was an across-the-board increase

in tourist numberscovering the five

continents

Jerash

JANUARY 8, 20114

TDIC to Bring World Expo Pavilion to Saadiyat Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) is set to bring the UAE’s awardwinning pavilion from the World Expo in Shanghai to Saadiyat Island.

The recently held Saudi InternationalBoat Show has reported a strongresponse, with more than 70 percent ofvessels on display at the exhibition sold.The 2010 event was the second time theshow has been held.The strong interest comes on the back ofmarket research that identified maritimetourism as a strong potential growthmarket for the Middle East and North

Africa (MENA).Consultancy firm Booz and Companyrecently predicted that demand for marinaberths will double in the MENA region by2015 and that up to USD300 billion indevelopment would be required.Prince Abdullah bin Saud binMohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,chairman of Al Ahlam Marine TourismGroup, manager of the event, confirmed

the strength of the local maritime market.“The Saudi leisure marine market hasalways been eager for the bestinternational industry products andservices,” he said.“In only its second year, the SaudiInternational Boat Show has proved itselfto be the perfect arena for localcompanies to work with leading globalleisure marine businesses and brands.”

Saudi Boat Show Confirms Strength of Maritime Market in the GCC

The dune-shaped structurewas on display at WorldExpo 2010 for six months,showcasing exhibitions onthe UAE and its history.

It will now be gradually dismantled inShanghai, before being transported and re-built on Saadiyat Island; it is currently theonly pavilion from the event to berelocated and reconstructed for future use.Once reconstructed, the pavilion willopen to the public in 2011, housing newart exhibitions. Mubarak Al Muhairi, managing directorof TDIC, said the structure would add tothe planned art and culture offerings onSaadiyat Island. “With a host of cultural institutionsopening on Saadiyat Island over thecoming years, including Zayed NationalMuseum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi andLouvre Abu Dhabi, the arrival of the UAEPavilion exhibition space marks the nextstep in the island’s journey to become a hubfor cultural, architecture and educationalexcellence,” he said.“The UAE Pavilion has already won anumber of awards and was voted themost popular pavilion at the WorldExpo, so we are very much lookingforward to bringing this strikingly

beautiful building to Abu Dhabi.”Design firm Foster and Partners wasresponsible for the 3,500m² structure.Gerard Evenden, senior partner at thefirm, said the project complementedFoster and Partners’ work on ZayedNational Museum.

“Inspired by the way the cities of the UAErise from the desert, the pavilion will emergeto form a natural counterpoint to AbuDhabi’s urban landscape and a landmark forSaadiyat Island,” said Evenden.“The sand dune is a timeless symbol of the

emirates, yet the state-of-the-art technologythat makes this form possible can be seen torepresent the UAE’s more recent past andexciting future developments that lie aheadfor the country.“And as the only pavilion to be relocatedcurrently from the [World] Expo, it willalso highlight the UAE’s progressivestance on sustainability.”The pavilion attracted almost two millionvisitors during World Expo 2010 and wasawarded Best Midsize Building 2010 by theIllinois Society of Structural Engineers; italso took out second place in the NationalCouncil of Structural Engineers Associates’international awards. In a survey by Shanghai Jiao TongUniversity and Fudan University, thepavilion was voted most popularinternational pavilion.

Saadiyat Island

The arrival of the UAEPavilion exhibition spacemarks the next step in the

island’s journey

5JANUARY 8, 2011

Qatar Airways BoostQatar Airways will increasecapacity on its Copenhagenand Barcelona routes inMarch, following the launchof four new European routesover the next three months. New services will includeflights from Doha to Bucharest,Romania; Budapest, Hungary;Brussels, Belgium; andStuttgart, Germany. Akbar Al Baker, CEO of QatarAirways, said the companywould focus its internationalexpansion on Europe duringthe first quarter of 2011. “We build capacity based onmarket conditions and theavailability of aircraft, and[this] announcement showswe are positive aboutCopenhagen and Barcelonaallowing us to deployadditional aircraft on theseroutes,” he said.Expansion continues forQatar Airways within itshome region also; the airlinewill launch flights to Aleppoin Syria on April 6, 2011.The Aleppo flight will mark100 destinations for QatarAirways; the company istargeting 120 destinationsby 2013.

- Air Travel

Flydubai has addedBangladesh to the list ofcountries it services, with anew route to the commercialport of Chittagong.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of Flydubai,outlined the reasons Chittagong waschosen as his airline’s latest destination.“Adding a new dimension to the Flydubai

network, flights to Chittagong will notonly cater to the Bangladeshi workforce inthe UAE, but also be instrumental inincreasing trade and business between ourtwo nations,” he said.Despite an emphasis on business, AlGhaith noted the city’s potential as aleisure destination.“The picturesque city of Chittagong

boasts a busy international seaport and isan important economic and commercialhub of the country,” he said.“Located in the midst of green forests, thecity is a popular tourist attraction whichoffers both hilly terrains and sandy beaches.”Flights will commence on March 27,operating four times per week betweenDubai and Chittagong.

Flydubai Connects to Bangladesh from March

JANUARY 8, 20116

- Accommodation

Coral Hotel Dhahran on Track for March OpeningThe latest offering from Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH), Coral Hotel Dhahran, is expected toopen for business by mid-March, 2011.

Michel Noblet,president of HMH,said the SaudiArabian propertywas a sign of Coral’s

continued success in the kingdom.“We are a firm believer of Saudi Arabia,which is a very strong market for us and isemerging as a serious global contender inthe travel and tourism industry,” he said.“Coral Hotel Dhahran is a great additionto the city and will provide guests withrefreshing hospitality coupled withupscale facilities, luxurious rooms andpremier location.”The new hotel will offer 153 rooms, with

25 rooms exclusively reserved for womenon a female-only floor. According to Rushdi Al Ashkar, generalmanager of the property, this feature makesthe hotel the first of its kind in the city –additional female-only amenities willinclude a private lounge, separate check-inand check-out desk, dedicated gym and spaarea, as well as female service staff.The hotel will also cater for the businessmarket, with Noblet expecting a largelylocal demographic. “With a population of nearly 28 millionpeople, Saudi Arabia has massivedomestic demand for hotels, as well asreligious tourists, which gives us the

perfect opportunity to expand ourpresence in the kingdom,” he said.“In fact, it is a unique destinationcombining pilgrims, businessmen andsoon leisure tourists too, with beautifulsites such as world heritage site Mada’inSaleh (similar to Petra) and TaifMountain among many others.”

Coral Hotel Dhahran

7JANUARY 8, 2011

- Accommodation

Wyndham Opens First Ramada Encore in Middle East

Jumeirah ExpandsChinese PortfolioDubai-based hotel companyJumeirah Group, a memberof Dubai Holding, has signeda management agreementwith Liuhe Group to operatethe Jumeirah ThousandIslands Lake Resort inQiandaohu, China. The property will feature 89guestrooms and 50 rooms invillas, as well as several foodand beverage outlets. A banquet and conferencecentre will be locatedadjacent to the hotel.The resort is currently underdevelopment and is expectedto open in 2014.Jumeirah Group currentlyhas five managementagreements in China,including hotels and resortsin Guangzhou, Hangzhou,Sanya, Macau and Shanghai.

W yndham HotelGroup hascontinued itsMiddle Easternexpansion, taking

on management of the region’s firstRamada Encore hotel. Michael Poynter, Wyndham’s senior vicepresident for Europe, the Middle East and

Africa, said Ramada Encore Doha, inQatar, was the second Wyndhamproperty to open in Doha.“As the economic centre of Qatar, Dohacontinues to be a rapidly developing citythat serves as home to a growing numberof companies as well as a rising number ofinternational travellers,” he said.“The addition of this newest hotel not

only helps solidify our presence in thisimportant market, but will serve as ashining example of the quality foundwithin the Ramada Encore name.”Ramada Encore Doha is owned by theregency group and will be the firstRamada Encore property in the world tobe managed by Wyndham. The hotel features 111 guestrooms.

Thousand Island Lake

JANUARY 8, 20118

- International

Virgin Galactic Enters Orbital Flights Space RaceVirgin Galactic has partnered with two other commercial space flight companies, Orbital Sciences Corporation(OSC) and Sierra Nevada Space Systems in a joint effort to develop commercial orbital space flight.

Korea Launches Largest National Shopping FestivalKorea has launched a nationwide shopping festival intended to stimulate tourism.Billed as the biggest national shopping tourism festival in the world, Korea GrandSale will take in the cities of Seoul, Busan, Jeju and others for 50 days from January10 to February 28 in 2011.According to the Korean Tourism Board’s (KTB) Dubai office, the festival aims toenhance the image of Korea as a shopping destination.Visitors are being wooed with discounts at more than 13,000 stores and offers of freeadditional nights at a group of 30 participating hotels.Discount coupons and membership cards are required to take advantage of thefestival, which are being made available through KTB offices.

The company has alreadyhad successes indeveloping what it claimsis the first commercialsub-orbital space flight

system (a craft capable of reaching space,but not of completing a full circuit aroundthe earth).However, true orbital space flight remainsthe purview of government agencies, suchas the US National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA), with which thecompanies will be working.Their designs are to be submitted toNASA’s Commercial Crew DevelopmentProgramme (CCDev), which is a schemedesigned to stimulate private research anddevelopment through the allocation ofNASA’s government funds. Richard Branson, founder of VirginGalactic, said demand for the company’sas yet un-launched flights showed that themarket for orbital expeditions is real.“We are now very close to making thedream of sub-orbital space a reality forthousands of people at a cost and level ofsafety unimaginable even in the recentpast,” he said.“We know that many of those samepeople, including myself, would also loveto take an orbital space trip in the future.”

He also pointed out the research andeconomic benefits of NASA’s co-operation with the private sector.

“Virgin Galactic has shown in the past fewyears how private sector investment andinnovation can lead to a rapid transformation

of stagnant technologies,” he said.“We are putting our weight behind newtechnologies that could deliver that safelywhilst driving down the enormouscurrent costs of manned orbital flight bymillions of dollars.”Virgin Galactic has already received 400bookings for its upcoming sub-orbitalflights, with deposits totallingapproximately USD54 million.According to the company, its vehicle willcontinue to undertake test flightsthroughout 2011.

Private sector investmentand innovation can lead toa rapid transformation of

stagnant technologies

JANUARY 8, 201110

Agent’s InsightName: Fadi SafloPosition: Owner and ManagerCompany: Shamra for Travel and TourismLocation: Syria

Who are you?Shamra for Travel and Tourism has been working since1991, as both an inbound and outbound tour operator. Wespecialise in tours for cruise passengers, hotel reservationsand ticketing.

What is your favourite thing about working in thetravel industry?What I like is that, working in this industry, you get to knowall about the world and its many cultures and mentalities.Working in travel, you learn to know many ways to live andmany ways to think.

When is the best time to visit Syria?The best time to visit Syria is from March to October[spring, summer and autumn].

Where would you like to travel to for your nextholiday?I would like to travel to South Africa.

Why should people come to you for travel advice?They should come because we have a very good reputation.They know we have a great deal of experience and we dobusiness honestly.

CEMARS Certification for Arabian Adventures Arabian Adventures, a division of Emirates Group, has becomethe first destination management company in the world to achieveCertified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme(CEMARS) certification. Peter Payet, senior vice president of Arabian Adventures, saidconsumers were looking to make confident environmentalpurchasing decisions.“The CEMARS certification holds great value for us, as customersnow have the option of dealing with a company that takesresponsibility for its impact on the global climate,” said Payet.“It is important to us to reduce pollution at source rather thancarbon offsetting as a way of merely clearing the corporateconscience.”Professor Ann Smith, general manager technical at LandcareResearch NZ (managing company of CEMARS), said thecertification had proven successful for many companies aroundthe world.“It provides tangible and credible recognition for their actions toreduce the impacts of their organisation on climate change,” saidSmith.“CEMARS certification means Arabian Adventures can nowconfidently include carbon measurement and reduction claims tosupport their company values.”

In addition to regular building inspections and hybrid vehicletrials, Arabian Adventures will investigate the use of solarphotovoltaic panels at several desert camps used by the company,in order to maximise renewable energy use and reduce emissionsfrom traditional sources.

It is important to us to reduce pollution at source

Arabian Adventures desert safari

Working in travel, you learn to know many ways to live and many ways to think

Syria

11JANUARY 8, 2011

Limber Up for the Future: Flexibility is KeyCustomisation and technology are the two long term trends to watch according to Messe Berlin, organisers of ITB.

Drawing on marketanalysis by theFraunhofer Institute,Messe Berlin madesuch predictions as

robots replacing service personnel and theadvent of automated smart rooms tailoredto the preferences of an individual guest.Although a robot concierge may seemfanciful, the concept has already beenproven; the world’s first restaurant withwholly robotic wait staff opened inBangkok, Thailand, last year.Smart rooms represent the application oftechnology to the growing demand fromtravellers for a personalised experience.Their futuristic potential to save andreplicate a return customer’s preferences –

whether for shower temperature, air-consettings, or coloured mood lighting – speakto a trend that is observable right now.

Jumeirah Living’s customised residencesare an example at the extreme end of thespectrum, with the company offering tofully redecorate suites for long termguests.According to Dr Martin Buck, director of

the Competence Centre Travel andLogistics at Messe Berlin, keeping up withchanges in the guest profile is crucial forthe tourism industry.He said the ability to adjust to specialiseddemands would be a key factor in thefuture.“Growing environmental awareness,global trends such as demographicchanges, increased mobility and multi-cultural developments will all help to alterthe profile of guests,” he said.“In the future the different requirementsof specific types of guests will determinewhat is on offer: this presents someserious challenges to the hotel industry,but also provides an opportunity to attractnew types of guests.”

In the future the different requirements

of specific types of guestswill determine what

is on offer

JANUARY 8, 201112

Travel Talk is your space – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want tohear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel

Puneet ChhatwalSenior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Rezidor“Throughout the global downturn we have kept our growth pace and momentum.Moreover, we have grown in a balanced and profitable way and fully aligned withour asset-light business model. We are well positioned for the upturn and continuingour ongoing success story. Our pipeline is ever-expanding, and the Radisson Blu andPark Inn by Radisson European pipelines are the largest in their respective marketsegments. Our strategy of further profitable growth through such non-committedcontracts includes a strong focus on the emerging markets of Russia/CIS and Africa,which offer great potential due to considerable natural resources, high GDP growth,and a lack or undersupply of internationally-branded hotel rooms.”

Alexandre MaurisseauDirector of Food and Beverage, One to One Hotel - The Village “Abu Dhabi is steadily getting intocorporate focus today and One to One isall set to serve this significant niche witha choice of fine restaurants offeringbusiness lunches that will satisfymultiethnic taste buds. It is yet anotherreiteration of the One To One philosophyof delivering distinctive hospitality andcatering to individuality.”

Abu Dhabi is steadily getting into

corporate focus

We are well positioned for the upturn

Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek

“Having been the first airline to introducein-flight mobile phone and Wi-Ficonnectivity, Oman Air has proved thatthe technology works. Over the next yearor two, many other carriers will offerconnectivity to their customers and thespeed of technological development willsee enormous possibilities open up. The convenience of staying connected in-flight is clear. Making mobile phone calls,sending text messages, checking email andsurfing the internet are all taken for grantedon the ground and now they are availablein the air, the next step will be for airlinesto make the most of the technology. In-flight broadband already gives us the

opportunity to shop whilst we fly, butcarriers and their technology partners willbe working together to develop a greaterrange of options, tailored to the needs ofcustomers and offering opportunities todeliver new revenue streams. Those whosay that airlines should offer ‘free’connectivity and point to the Wi-Fihotspots provided by coffee shops as aprecedent, miss the point that the cost ofthat service is included in the price of thecoffee - it is not, in fact, provided free. Withthe advent of in-flight connectivity, airlinesare now engaged with the issue of how bestto charge, and at what levels, and a rangeof pricing models will emerge.”

Peter HillCEO, Oman Air

Business lunches atOne to One Hotel

With the advent of in-flight connectivity,

airlines are now engagedwith the issue of how

best to charge, and at what levels

Peter Hill

JANUARY 8, 201114

Bernold O SchroederBanyan Tree has appointed BernoldO Schroeder as managing director ofhotel operations and senior vicepresident of business developmentfor the Americas, Europe, theMiddle East and Africa. In his newrole, Schroeder will be responsiblefor all operational aspects ofproperties in those regions, as well asseeking out new businessopportunities for expansion. Theappointment comes as part of ageneral reshuffle of staff at BanyanTree, with new executives alsoappointed for China and Asia Pacific.

Joseph Karam Joseph Karam has been appointed ashotel manager of Hotel JAL TowerDubai. Karam has 14 years ofhospitality experience, specialised inthe hotel industry. He has beenpromoted from within JAL, afterdisplaying dedication and leadership inhis previous roles.

Steigenberger Al Dau Beach ResortA number of changes have been made to the team at Steigenberger Al Dau BeachResort in Hurghada, Egypt. Mervat Saad has been promoted to resort trainingmanager for the entire resort, which includes the five star Steigenberger Al DauBeach Hotel as well as the four star Steigenberger Al Dau Club. Saad has 12 yearsof experience in the hospitality industry. She joined the resort in 2006 as part ofthe opening team, in the role of executive secretary to the general manager. Saadhad previously held food and beverage and administration positions at Savoy HotelSharm El Sheikh. Further movements include Amir N Chafik, who has been promoted to assistantdirector of food and beverage; Mohamed Darwish, promoted to acting assistant frontoffice manager; Remon Mounir, promoted to purchasing manager; Ashraf Kheiry,promoted to inventory controller; and Emad Shaker, promoted to night manager.

Soumana AmmarHotel JAL Tower Dubai hasappointed Soumana Ammar asdirector of rooms. Ammar holds adegree in science from Beirut ArabUniversity and is currently pursuingan MBA in management consultancyat the University of Wales. She hasworked in five star hotels acrossKuwait, Qatar and Lebanon, and willnow be based in Dubai.

Bernold O Schroeder

Soumana Ammar

Joseph Karam

The team at Steigenberger Al Dau Beach Resort

15JANUARY 8, 2011

Travel Trade Weekly: ADNH's fourdivisions (hotels, catering, tours,transport) have clear synergies - hasdiversifying into these areas been asuccessful strategy for the company? Richard Riley: ADNH is a 30 year oldcompany and the synergy came about toserve a purpose, simply because weneeded them. Probably the least synergic of ourbusinesses is catering - it’s an entity thatworks around oil and large catering, but wealso have the upmarket side of that, withquite a number of things that people don’tknow we’re behind - for example, the F1. We have licenses in about 13 regions;we’re only physically strong in aboutthree, but we’re looking at the others.The UAE is our bread and butter, but we’revery sensitive to developing areas; Libya isa great destination and we want to reallyjump start it. This is a business that we willclearly want to stay engaged with.

Travel Trade Weekly: Park HyattSaadiyat Island is slated to open in mid-2011. Can you tell us about this project?Richard Riley: Saadiyat is absolutelybeautiful. I’ve pretty much done thewhole UAE coastline and from thestandpoint of a purely beautiful beach,Saadiyat’s got it. It’s clear that the government is smart andADTA is looking at the development;TDIC as well is involved in the master plan. The Park Hyatt is topped off, we’redropping in the swimming pool and thewhole first floor of rooms is done. The general manager, Stuart Deeson, is onboard and it’s the world’s largest ParkHyatt, with 306 rooms. We’ve already opened our reservationssystem and the F1 is already looking good.

Being first and being a food and beveragepowerhouse means that everybody’sgoing to want to go there. We’re early, but it doesn’t matter becausethere is an advantage to being first. There’sa challenge, but we have great marketingpeople on board already.

Travel Trade Weekly: Also opening inmid-2011 is your Grand Canal project,which is set to feature a 532-room RitzCarlton hotel and a Venetian-styledretail and dining village...Richard Riley: It’s going to be asummer opening; our plan is to launch inJuly and ramp it up slowly over thesummer months, get things moving thenreally ramp up to October.We want to bring newness to the UAE,not just Abu Dhabi. We’re trying not to replicate what’s goingon in Dubai and instead bring some newnames and new things.We would like a good portion of [GrandCanal] to be restaurants; Ritz-Carlton hassix restaurants and in addition to that wehave the ability to put possibly another sixor even more into the retail, restaurantand entertainment area. There’s a lot to bring people day and nightfrom this area.

Travel Trade Weekly: Can you giveus your thoughts on Abu Dhabi’s hotelmarket, and ADNH’s plans for thefuture?Richard Riley: I remember wheneverything was go-go-go before it allslowed down and got a dose of reality. I think at that point we had said 2015would be a very challenging time becauseof the inventory that was coming, but a lotof that has slowed down.

I think the main issues have beenaddressed – we’re growing the leisure sideof the business. There’s a good strong core and we’reexperiencing great business right now –we’re having a great year, everybody is full. ADTA has the vision to ensure thatstandards will improve; it’s time to takethe next step. We have some great iconic old hotels andin order for those to remain competitive,our next push will be to reinvent,regenerate and re-differentiate thesehotels. They are icons – the Hilton Abu Dhabihas a history beyond reproach and we’redeciding what to do with the littleSheraton Abu Dhabi. We don’t really want to take these thingsdown, but there are 50-storey buildingssurrounding them now and they start toget lost. We have now engaged third parties to lookat the best uses for these sites. We’reblessed with all of these opportunities.Once we deliver our announced projects,we’re solidly working on our existing hotels.

Q&A with Richard RileyAbu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) is one of the emirate’s powerhouse companies, responsible for some ofthe biggest hotel projects on the horizon. Richard Riley, CEO of ADNH, spoke to Travel Trade Weekly aboutthe company’s upcoming developments, as well as its lesser-known activities in catering, tours and transport.

Richard Riley

JANUARY 8, 201116

EventsMoroccan Travel MarketMarrakech, Morocco, January 12-15, 2011 (en.mtm.ma)Exhibition for international travel professionals.

Blossom JapanTokyo, Japan, January 18-21, 2011 (www.blossomjapan.com)A new invitation-only luxury travel exhibition focusing on theJapanese market.

Fitur International Tourism Trade FairMadrid, Spain, January 19-23, 2011 (www.fitur.es)Fitur is a meeting point for tourism professionals to establishlines of action, strategies and business alliances.

HobexTripoli, Libya, January 25-27, 2011 (www.wahaexpo.com/hobex)International hotel business exhibition.

India Travel Market - MumbaiMumbai, India, February 4-6, 2011 (www.indiatravelmart.com)Travel trade show for inbound, outbound and domestic tourism.

Emitt IstanbulIstanbul, Turkey, February 10-13, 2011 (www.emittistanbul.com)Istanbul’s only international trade fair: focused on tourism inthe Eastern Mediterranean.

We are creating aneducation programme

that embraces every kind of subject

GIBTM has released its planned themesfor the education programme at theupcoming event, to be held in March.According to a statement from the event’sorganisers, Reed Exhibitions, thecurriculum is based on the success of asimilar programme at the recently heldEIBTM in Barcelona, Spain.The educational programme is comprisedof seminars and talks which are free toattend for all trade visitors, exhibitors, andindividuals that are taking part in theGIBTM Hosted Buyer Programme.Key topic areas include: trends and personaldevelopment; incentive travel; eventmanagement; technology and finance;marketing and sales; and social media.Erica Keogan, association and educationmanager for GIBTM, said wide rangingtopics had been chosen to reflect an

expansion in the regional meetings industry. “The business tourism, meetings andincentive industry has expandedsignificantly over the past year and as aresult we are creating an educationprogramme that embraces every kind ofsubject that will not only provide industryknowledge for individuals to use for theirown personal development, but the topicswill also provide trends and updates for

anyone who is actively engaged in theprofession,” she said.Reed is currently calling for papers byspeakers interested in the programme.

GIBTM Education Scheme Unveiled for 2011GIBTM 2010