The year 2013 was anincredibly successfulyear for Dubai with

many achievements, includingwinning the bid to host WorldExpo 2020. This was also ayear when Dubai was namedas a ‘Travellers’ Choice’ destination by travel websiteTripAdvisor, an accolade thatdemonstrates strong positionamongst opinion formers inthe travel industry.

“In terms of tourism figures, the hotels of Dubaienjoyed busy first nine monthsof the year, welcoming over 7.9 million visitors betweenJanuary and September 2013,a 9.8 per cent year-on-yearincrease. Once we have theresults from the final quarter,we expect these to be equallysuccessful. In fact, we haveseen increases in room occu-pancy levels, hotel and hotelapartment revenues and theaverage length of stay - all indi-cators that we have made goodfirst steps on our journey in

achieving the Tourism Vision for2020, a strategy announced inMay 2013, which includes theheadline objective of welcom-ing 20 million visitors per year

by 2020,” informed HelalAlmarri, Director General,Dubai’s Department of Tourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM).

“Looking ahead to 2014,there are lots of hotels in thepipeline which will grow ouralready impressive hotel port-folio. In terms of visitor arrivals,Year-on-Year from 2012-2020,we are targetting an increaseof around 9 per cent per yearand the figures for the first ninemonths of 2013 show that weare on track to deliver this for2013,” he added.

Dubai's Expo 2020 willbe the first to be held in theMENASA region, as well asbenefitting Dubai it will havea huge impact on the widerUAE region. The estimatedeconomic impact of hostingExpo 2020 is approximatelyEuro 17.7 billion, but this is just part of the equation, for example it will create more than 275,000 jobs in Dubai between now and 2021.

Abu Dhabi’s hospitalityindustry has hit the Emirate’s2013 hotel guest target with a remarkable Novemberperformance taking total

arrivals to date over the 2.5million mark.

“The Emirate welcomedmore than 2.2 million guests

during the first 10 months of2013, up 16 per cent com-pared to the correspondi ng

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Dubai Airport targets India market........................................................................02New style of cruising introduced ..........................................................................10India shining for Middle East carriers ..................................................................12

A DDP PUBLICATION Pages: 16Vol. X No. 2; February 2014

The UAE’s travel and tourism industry witnessed a robust growth in 2013 and the expectations for 2014 are high. The positive signs of recovery have started in 2013 with the financial crisis slowly edging away. Hence, UAE’s tourism sector looks good for business in 2014. Middle East discusses the issue with tourism industry professionals. Here are the excerpts…

Good times ahead for ME in 2014

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Contd. on page 6

The Emiratewelcomedmore than 2.2million guestsduring the first10 months of2013

We havemade goodfirst steps onour journey in achievingthe TourismVision for 2020

Helal AlmarriDirector GeneralDTCM

Mohammed Al DhaheriDirector of Strategy and PolicyTCA Abu Dhabi

Expo 2020 will bring inaroundUS$23bn overthe comingdecade andcreate around277,000 jobs

In 2014, wewould like tosee thistremendousrate of growthmaintainedand excelfurther

Khalid Jasim Al MidfaDirector GeneralSCTDA

Jaouad SbihiDirector, Sales & MarketingFRHI, Dubai and Qatar

AVIATION2 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

The Dubai airport authori-ties is also in talks with

the Indian government andthe Civil Aviation Ministry torevise bilateral between boththe countries and permitadditional air movements.The Jet-Etihad deal mightdivert a good portion of pas-senger traffic to Abu Dhabi.

However, dependingheavily on traffic to and fromIndia transiting through Dubai,the airport authorities haveconcerns about the Jet-Etihaddeal which might divert Indiapassenger traffic to AbuDhabi. And with the IndianGovernment not enhancingbilateral air services agree-ment with Dubai, which wouldhave allowed airlines fromIndia and Dubai to increase

the weekly flights, Dubai air-port faces a problem.

Pointing out that bilater-als were an issue betweenthe two governments,

Zaigham Ali, Manager,Media Relations, DubaiAirports said the growth hap-pening in Dubai Internationalairport right now was comingfrom various markets, includ-

ing Saudi Arabia, North andSouth America, Australia-Asia and Europe. He said,“India is an important marketabsolutely and it will continueto grow even with status quo.”

While Dubai airport willnot receive more flights fromIndia than it does at present,neighbouring Abu Dhabi willsee an increase in passen-gers from India not only

because of the recentexchange of air servicesbilaterals between India andAbu Dhabi which saw seatstouching 50,000 a week fromabout 13,600 now, but alsobecause of passengersbeing brought in by JetAirways and other Indian car-riers to Abu Dhabi.

Ali said, “India is thenumber one destinationcountry for Dubai airport. In2012, Dubai airport saw 57.4million flyers and of them 7.3million (almost 13 per cent)were flying to or from India.Year 2013 has seen recordtraffic to and from India flyingDubai's two airlines —Emirates, flydubai — andIndian carriers like Air India,Air India Express, JetAirways, IndiGo andSpiceJet. This is the highest

to date, representing 13.3 percent growth over 2012.”

India is among the top five countries generatingtraffic for Dubai, with the others being UK and Australasia region. But the market domination is now under serious threatfor the first time as JetAirways has tied up withEtihad, and the two will use neighbouring Abu Dhabi as a hub.

According to the latest figures revealed by Dubai International Airport, India is the top countryfor passengers flying from Dubai with a total of 6,72,557 passengers. The airport authoritiesare keen to further enhance the numbers by adding capacity through expansion of the airport.

Dubai Airport targets India market

AN I TA JA I N

� The airport authoritieshave concerns aboutthe Jet-Etihad dealwhich might divertIndia passenger trafficto Abu Dhabi

Raising Concern

With seven flights operat-ing everyday from Dubai

to Muscat, four flights daily toSalalah, Dubai has becomeone of the most important des-tinations in the Oman Air net-work. Besides, there are threedaily flights from Abu Dhabi toMuscat as well.

The year 2013 saw a sig-nificant increase in the busi-ness the airlines does in theregion and this number isexpected to grow with Dubaihosting the World Expo in2020. To this effect, the Airlinestands ready to expand itsoperation to meet the risingdemand in the region as andwhen necessary.

One of the main objec-tives of the Airlines is to createawareness regarding Omannot only as a business destina-tion but also as a tourist desti-nation. The carrier is involvedin many events for the same inassociation with the OmanTourism Board.

Oman Air and OmanMinistry of Tourism had recent-ly celebrated the joint ventureand launch of ‘Oman Short

Breaks’ in Dubai. It will provideholiday-makers with an oppor-tunity to explore Oman’s vari-ous popular tourist destinationsand enjoy memorable Omaniexperience.

Discussing about travelagents and their role, Masoud

Dad Al Balushi, CountryManager, Oman Air informed,“The travel agents play themost important role as the dis-tribution arm in the aviationindustry. A significant amountof our business is generatedfrom them which make themour strategic partners.”

He further added, “In2013, we conducted 30 to 40presentations for the traveltrade not only to inform themregarding Oman Air as a greatproduct in the long-haul sector,but also about remarkabletourist destinations in Oman.”

Yet the Airline is not com-placent. “Competition is alwayshigh. Having the perfect prod-uct, creating proper awarenessand having the right price canhelp us overcome any chal-lenges,” Balushi further stated.

With an OTP (On Time Performance) exceeding 95 per cent and striving to better its track record, Oman Air hadsignificant number of achievements in the Gulf area.

Meeting rising demand

SU S M I TA GH O S H

In 2013, weconducted 30 to40 presentationsfor the traveltrade to informthem aboutattractive touristdestinations in Oman

Masoud Dad Al Balushi Country Manager Oman Air

� The year 2013 saw asignificant increase inthe business theairlines does in theregion and this numberis expected to growwith Dubai hosting theWorld Expo in 2020

Growth

Single GCC visa in planning stageThe GCC is in active con-

sideration of launching aEuropean-style Schengenvisa by mid-2014. Whiledetails are being worked out,many believe this will boosttourism and business byincreasing efficiency gainedby cutting tedious bureau-cratic delays.

Interior ministers repre-senting the Gulf CooperationCouncil member countriesare working on the scheme’sdetails, which are seen asboosting tourism and tradein the region.

The single entry visa,while valid for only a month,can be issued in form of amultiple entry visa valid foran entire year. The pre-req-uisite condition for such avisa is expected to include

presentation of evidencesupporting claims of suffi-cient financial resources.

This unified visa systemwill not negate the existingsingle GCC visa system, but is expected to co-existalongside it.

This system is expectedto facilitate the movement ofsome 15 million foreignworkers in the Gulf coun-tries, who complain regard-ing the blocked and glacialvisa system. This move willultimately bring sizable ben-efits for the Gulf economyparticularly with regard tothe tourism industry.

The GCC single visa willbe modeled on the Schengenvisa. It should be noted thatcitizens of the 26 EUSchengen countries and the

United States of America,the United Kingdom, Japan,South Korea and Malaysia donot require visas to enter theUAE, Qatar, Oman andBahrain. However, SaudiArabia and Kuwait stillrequire most nationalities to apply for visas.

On a side note, this ini-tiative mirrors the move bythe GCC to establish a uni-fied currency, a move consid-ered by many constituentnations in order to make the most of their union. The plan presented in 2001 is expected (if implemented) to encouragemore investment and tradewith the non-GCC world,and give a boost to theregion's banks and financial institutions.

Harvesting aviation biofuelBoeing and research

partners in the UAE havemade breakthroughs in sus-tainable aviation biofueldevelopment, finding thatdesert plants fed by seawaterwill produce biofuel moreefficiently than other well-known feed stocks.

The SustainableBioenergy ResearchConsortium (SBRC), affiliat-ed with the Masdar Instituteof Science and Technology in

Abu Dhabi, will test thesefindings in a project thatcould support biofuel cropproduction in arid countries,such as the UAE. Funded byBoeing, Etihad Airways andHoneywell UOP, the SRBC isdedicated to the develop-ment and commercializationof sustainable aviation bio-fuel, which emits 50 to 80per cent less carbon throughits lifecycle compared to fos-sil fuel. SBRC's research suc-

cess, announced at the WorldFuture Energy Summit, con-tinues the momentum for asustainable aviation biofuelindustry in Abu Dhabi.

In January, Boeing,Etihad Airways and otherslaunched BIOjet Abu Dhabi:Flight Path to Sustainability,an initiative to advance bio-fuel research and feedstockproduction. These arealigned with the Abu DhabiEconomic Vision 2030.

India is the number onedestination country for DubaiAirport. In 2012, Dubai airport saw57.4 million flyers and of them 7.3million (almost 13 per cent) wereflying to or from India

Zaigham Ali, Manager, Media Relations, Dubai Airports

JetBlue Airways, NewYork’s Hometown Airline™,and Etihad Airwaysannounced plans to begincodeshare operations. Theagreement will see EtihadAirways place its ‘EY’ codeon JetBlue-operated flights,initially facilitating connec-tions between the two air-lines at New York’s John FKennedy InternationalAirport and Washington’sDulles International Airport.In the first stage of the part-nership, Etihad Airways willcodeshare on 40 JetBlueroutes within the US.Further codeshare servicesare planned once EtihadAirways commences dailyflights to Los Angeles fromJune 2014. Etihad also plansto codeshare on JetBlueflights between New Yorkand select destinations inthe Dominican Republic,Jamaica and Colombia.

JetBlue andEtihad Airways’codeshareplans revealed

NTO

This is largely apparent fromthe fact that 80 per cent of

travel reservations request eco-logically-sound areas which areclean and relatively carbon neu-tral. Countries like Belgium,Germany and Italy, which arealready familiar with greenenergy, will be providing expertiseand other aids.

The protocol expects to shift large quantities of powergeneration liabilities to sustainablesources like wind, solar or hydro power.

“The project is already well under way with 55 hotelsadhering to green tourism standards already operationalwith an expected 100,000 roomsto be added by 2017 under this programme,” emphasisedHisham Zazou, Tourism Minister, Egypt.

Tourism once used to com-prise more than one-tenth ofEgypt’s economy. The year 2013conversely saw one of the worsttourist season turnouts in thehistory of the country’s tourismindustry. Political unrest and aquestioning security situationwere the catalysts in this traves-ty. The first 11 months of 2013saw no more than 8.7 million vis-itors as compared to 2012,wherein the same period saw10.5 million visitors.

The inbound tourism toEgypt is still affected, especiallycultural tourism to Luxor, Aswanand other archaeological areasthat used to attract millions oftourists who are enthusiasts ofEgypt’s pharaonic history.

The Tourism Ministry how-ever has a plan, intended toensure that Egyptian tourismreaches its projected target of13.5 million tourists in 2014. It will

bring in revenue around US$11billion. The initiative involvesextensive promotion of Egyptiantourism in the Gulf. These includeadvertisements, public relations,field visits and trailers.

“A working group in SaudiArabia showed interest to sign anagreement with the Rotana groupof hotels to organise series ofevents, advertising the touristattractions of Egypt. It’s not thesole strategy being employedthough,” confirmed Zazou.

Aiming to make tourist facilities carbon neutral, the Tourism Ministry of Egypt, and the ministries of Environment and Electricity signed a green energyprotocol. This was in a bid to attract business from European countries, where manyview it as a necessity of the tourism & travel industry.

Going ‘green’ to attract visitors

TT BU R E AU

The project isunderway with55 hotelsadhering togreen tourismstandards, with100,000 roomsyet to be added

Hisham ZazouTourism MinisterEgypt

� Countries like Belgium,Germany and Italy will beproviding expertise andother aids

� 80% of travel reservationsrequest ecologically-sound areas which arerelatively carbon neutral

Seeking Aid

Aviation summit in Dubain Under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed binSaeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai CivilAviation Authority; Chairman, Dubai Airports,Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline& Group, Dubai will host the second AviationSafety Culture Summit in February.

The event hosted by the Dubai CivilAviation Authority and organised by StreamlineMarketing Group, will run from February 3-4,2014 at Park Hyatt in Dubai. It is expected toattract more than 300 local and internationalstakeholders from regulatory authorities, airlines, airport operators, aircraft manufactur-ers, pilot associations, safety organisations andair traffic control service providers to discusskey strategies and challenges in improving safety culture across the industry.

TTME FEBRUARY 2014_FINAL_29-01:TT Layout 2/3/2014 6:34 PM Page 3

GUEST COLUMN

EDITORIAL

The winning of the Expo 2020 bid byDubai has infused a high level of

optimism in the Gulf travel & tourismindustry. The first month of the New Year consequently started off with muchpromise and hope. The industry is also gearing up for two major events, ITB Berlin 2014 that will take place from March 5-9 and GIBTM that will takeplace at Abu Dhabi National ExhibitionCentre from March 24-26.

Expo 2020, which will take place fromOctober 2020 to April 2021, is expected toattract more than 25 million visitors, 70 percent of whom will come from overseas. The world fair is expected to generate about 277,000 jobs in Dubai over the nextseven years. The total investment ininfrastructure is estimated at AED25 billion.

Capping the positive news is theindication by International Air TransportAssociation that the Middle Eastern carriersreported the largest increase in air cargogrowth in November 2013, when comparedto November 2012. Exceeding the globalaverage of 6.1 per cent, the Middle Easterncarriers reported a 16.5 per cent jump in airfreight, measured in freight tonne kilometres.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism andCommerce Marketing (DTCM) stated thatDubai attracted over 7.9 million visitors inthe first nine months of 2013, with hotelsregistering a 17.1 per cent increase inrevenue to AED15.33 billion compared tothe same time last year.

The year 2014 is also special for Sharjah,as the Emirate is being celebrated as theCapital of Islamic Culture with a number ofspecial events and activities being lined up.The Emirate was named the Capital ofIslamic Culture for 2014 by Ministers ofCulture at an Organisation of IslamicCountries conference in the Azeri capital ofBaku. Sharjah has been attracting more than1.7 million tourists a year.

Gulf tourism sectorin pulsating mood

But actually the spirit of inno-vation – in other words thepremise of a good idea – cancome from and happen, any-where. From the way we recruitour staff to how we communi-cate. In this sense, the notionof innovation to me goes farbeyond technical invention.There is more to innovationthan simply coming up with anew product or a new appli-ance. It has to have a commer-cial aspect to it in that it createsor enhances customer value.

At the same time, innovation isemphatically not just a techno-logical issue, nor is it the exclu-sive realm of new applications.In fact, innovation is required,and often quietly delivered, atevery level of running a busi-ness. If we think about futureinnovations and what willshape our industry in the coming year and beyond, Ibelieve that innovation willchiefly affect two-and-a-halfdimensions, as it were.

The first is the area of mobilityand availability of information,possibly augmented by virtualreality, as exemplified by theGoogle Glass project. Thesecond is the micro-segmen-tation of the travel marketbased on the on-going per-sonalisation of information.The extra half-dimension iscomplementary to the latter inthe form of data from the cus-tomers’ social environment.For instance, when looking fora travel destination for yournext summer vacation, today

you still have to proactivelynarrow down your search orelse you get drowned in anavalanche of suggestions.

To get meaningful results,you need to provide informa-

tion upfront – that you wantto stay at a lodge in Tuscany,say, rather than go on a tripto the Australian outback. Inthe future I think there willbe a vastly reduced need torun active searches like this.Instead, you will getbespoke offers at the pushof a button according toinformation that is automat-ically streamlined and con-textualised in line with yourgeneric preferences, pastexperiences, and data youhave posted on social medialike Facebook.

‘Smart’ applications are goingto make a well-informedguess about your demandsand requirements and pres-ent you with already highlyrefined search results tobegin with. This is where‘shaping the future of travel’might lead us to.

In order to be successful, abusiness must listen to andlearn from what its customers’desire and ensure they play a large role in the inno-vation process. This is whatdifferentiates customer cen-

tric companies from thosewho solely base developmenton internally focussed planning or competitive andmarket factors.

A customer-led innovationstrategy early on in the devel-opment stage not only ensuresa good foundation of transfor-mative ideas, but also minimis-es R&D investment risks down the line. At Amadeus,customer-led innovation isstandard procedure and playsan important role in develop-ment frameworks.

Amadeus is always learningfrom its clients. In addition tobeing updated with the mostrecent products, customerscan feed us with their ever-changing market needs.Customer-led innovationensures the best returns forbusinesses. It is a precious

asset for Amadeus to keepdeveloping the best productsand being a true IT partner.Getting customers involved in the innovation process is proving to be the most valu-able ally to generate good busi-ness between Amadeus andour customers.

As a commercial enterprise,there is a fundamental need forcontinuous improvement inorder to raise your productivityand create efficiency gains. Ifyou don’t meet that need, yourcustomer base is likely toerode quickly, simply becausesomeone else will do a better,more efficient job and beat youat your own game.

Viewed from this angle, inno-vation is a paramount concernof any business operation,which is why all of us shouldnot just care about it, but in factplace a premium on it.

Graham NicholsManaging Director,

Amadeus Gulf

Ask most of the people what innovation means to them, and one would besurprised if their focus wasn’t almost entirely on research & development –whether it’s shining a light on the latest products or referring to the seriousinvestment and man hours required in trying to shape tomorrow’s world.

Going beyond mere innovation

TAT Dubai holds ME roadshows

Getting customers involved in the innovation process is proving to be the most valuable ally to generate goodbusiness between Amadeus and our customers

The Tourism Authority ofThailand (TAT) Dubai Officeconducted a number of mar-keting activities to build con-fidence among tourists andthe tourism industry in theMiddle East, amid inquiriesover the current politicaldemonstrations in Bangkok.

The TAT Dubai Officeand the Europe, Africa and

Middle East Market Divisionorganised a roadshow toTehran and Isfahan, Iran fromJanuary 13 – 15, 2014 to pro-vide ‘as-it-happens’ informa-tion with fast facts for travelagents and members of themedia about the current polit-ical situation in Thailand. Afamiliarisation trip to Phuketand Phang-Nga is set to be

held from January 19 to 24,2014. The office alsoannounced the launch of thenew ‘Amazing Thailand: ItBegins with the People’advertising campaign duringits other roadshow toManama, Bahrain. It alsorevealed the plan to organisemore marketing activities thisyear, including a pre-ATM

(Arabian Travel Market) 2014roadshow and joint promo-tions with Gulf Air.

The TAT Dubai Officealso reported no cancellationsor frequency reduction offlights between cities in theMiddle East and Thailand,according to its survey con-ducted with major airlines inthe market.

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AVIATION F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 5

Both the airlines willstrengthen the commer-

cial partnership in 2014 sub-sequent to the execution ofthe joint codesharing acrossthe network. This includesexpansion of joint sales oper-ations, building on the currentservices provided by 17 jointsales offices located world-wide and offering representa-tion in more than 50 interna-tional markets.

“Since the launch of thepartnership two years ago,commercial ties betweenEtihad Airways and airberlinhave deepened significantly.This has increased the desti-nations and flight options forguests and enabled both theairlines to carry nearly 900,000guests across the two net-works,” informed James

Hogan, President and CEO,Etihad Airways.

Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, airberlin com-mented, “Partnerships are vitalin today’s aviation industry. Ourpartnership provides significantbenefits not only to EtihadAirways, airberlin, but to ourguests as well. The compre-

hensive commercial partner-ship with Etihad Airways hasbrought many benefits to air-berlin, including our shares ofjoint revenues of EUR 200 mil-lion.” He further added, “Duringthis time, airberlin’s new busi-ness strategy has made greatprogress and Etihad Airwayscontinues to place its full sup-port behind the airline and its

management. We are confi-dent that airberlin is on theright path back to profitabilityand the next phase in the air-line’s history.”

The developments in thecommercial partnership are setto further increase the numberof passengers who fly on theairberlin and Etihad Airways

network, which currentlyserves 228 destinations in 84countries. airberlin and EtihadAirways currently operate 42weekly flights between desti-nations in Germany and AbuDhabi. This is set to increaseto 49 weekly flights in Februarythis year, when a second dailyMunich flight commences.

In 2013, 563,000 com-mon codeshare passengersflew across the two networks,a 74 per cent increase over2012. Currently, 66 airberlinroutes carry Etihad Airways’EY code and 33 EtihadAirways’ routes carry airberlin’sAB flight code.

airberlin will continue toexpand the joint route networkwith Etihad Airways and lookahead to offer new codesharedestinations in India, Australiaand South Korea.

Signifying the close ties between airberlin and Etihad Airways, the two airlines recently unveiled an A320 aircraft in a specially designed joint livery. This partnership not only provided an expanded contribution of destinations and services, but also has developedsynergies through the entire value chain.

airberlin & Etihad promote joint venture

TT BU R E AU

(Centre left) Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, airberlin and (centre right) James Hogan, President and CEO, Etihad Airways,celebrate the unveiling of a new airberlin-Etihad Airways joint liveried aircraft in Berlin

Swiss-based airline,Etihad Regional waslaunched in Zurich onJanuary 16, 2014, bring-ing a new era of improvedregional and internationalconnections for travellersin Europe. Established in partnership with the UAE national carrier,Etihad Airways, the new carrier will be operated by Switzerland'sDarwin Airline, which isheadquartered in Luganowith a major hub inGeneva.

The first aircraft tofeature Etihad Regional'sbranding, a 50-seat Saab2000, and new cabin inte-riors and crew uniformswere showcased for thefirst time to internationalmedia at Zurich Airport,alongside an EtihadAirways Airbus A330-300aircraft. The new livery will adorn all 10 air-craft in the fleet by theend of June 2014.

Swiss-basedairline EtihadRegionallaunched

Safi Airways has come upwith a transparent rewards

programme where the trav-ellers submit their boardingcard stubs for tickets.

Naeem Mahamoor,Manager – Marketing, SafiAirways stated, “Our main

focus is to deliver a simpleeffective rewards programmeto our customers who patron-ise Safi Airways.”

He further informed thatthe ‘07’ boarding pass stubswill earn a traveller a one-wayticket and 11 boarding passstubs will earn a return ticket toany Safi Airways destination.“Passengers will have to payonly the relevant governmenttaxes. The class of travel onyour boarding stubs will deter-mine your qualification for abusiness class or economyclass ticket.”

He added, “The trav-ellers’ names on the boardingstubs have to be the same forqualification. They can redeemtheir tickets at any of Safi

Airways offices by submittingtheir original boarding stubs.This scheme was long over-due. We came up with thisscheme to show our loyal cus-tomers that we appreciate theirchoice of flying with us as theirfirst option.”

Safi Airways presentlyoperates to Dubai, Delhi andIslamabad on the internationalsector, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif in the domestic zone.The Airline intends to fly to sev-eral more new internationaldestinations in 2014.

Safi Airways has launched an innovative Saffron RewardsCustomer Loyalty rewards programme for all its frequentfliers. The Airline announced the programme will take effectfrom February 1, 2014.

‘Saffron Rewards’ launched

TT BU R E AU

We came upwith this schemeto show ourloyal customersthat weappreciate theirchoice of flyingwith us as theirfirst option

Naeem MahamoorManager – MarketingSafi Airways

� The Airline came upwith a programmewhere travellers submittheir boarding cardstubs for tickets

� The ‘07’ boarding passstubs will earn atraveller a one-wayticket and 11 boardingpass stubs will earn areturn ticket to any SafiAirways destination

Scheme

COVER STORY6 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

period a year ago, resulting in AED4.3 billion of revenues,”mentioned Mohammed AlDhaheri, Director of Strategyand Policy, Tourism and

Culture Authority (TCA) Abu Dhabi.

TCA Abu Dhabi is work-ing on promoting Abu Dhabiregionally and internationallythrough programmes that helpencourage travel agents topromote the Emirate. TheAuthority is also working onenhancing the experience andaccessibility of the destination.

A lot has happened onthe tourism and economicdevelopment front of Sharjahin the past months with severalnew hotels and tourism proj-ects taking off. “Over theyears, the Emirate has grownremarkably as a tourism des-tination in every way. Thetourism market witnessed ahealthy 10 per cent growth in

Sharjah, according to the avail-able statistics for 2013. A totalnumber of 1,391,632 interna-tional tourists visited theEmirate in the first nine monthsof 2013, whereas the numberof visitors in the same periodlast year stood at 1,263,908,”

explained Khalid Jasim AlMidfa, Director General,Sharjah Commerce andTourism DevelopmentAuthority (SCTDA).

“In 2014, we would liketo see this tremendous rate ofgrowth maintained and excelfurther. In fact, the year 2014is truly special for us. TheGovernment of Sharjah,SCTDA and other playershave planned a number ofspecial initiatives and activitiesin 2014 against the backdropof the Capital of IslamicCulture celebrations,” headded. As part of its celebra-tions as the OIC’s Capital ofIslamic Culture, the Emiratehas lined up a number of special events and activitiesthat will attract more

international visitors andinvestors to the Emirate.

“If we look at what thesector has achieved in 2013in terms of occupancy, itpassed the bar of over 82 percent and an ADR over the1,270,00 mark. All indicatorsfor 2014 are aiming towardsanother successful yearahead and some greatachievements to be made.Reason being that the tourismsector is growing dramaticallyand will continue to grow look-ing into a number of roomsunder construction. In all,more than 14,000 rooms inDubai and Abu Dhabi are inactive pipeline according toSTR Global ConstructionReport for December 2013,”asserted Jaouad Sbihi,Director, Sales & Marketing,FRHI, Dubai and Qatar.

“The government inDubai says the Expo 2020 willbring in around US$23bn overthe coming decade and createaround 277,000 jobs. Thesefigures are difficult to evaluatetheir immediate impact on thetourism sector at this stage,but they do represent a signif-icant boost to the alreadybooming economy as GDP forthe Emirate is currently aroundUS$130bn,” he added.

“The 2013 turnaroundsaw a spectacular growth. In2014, we see similar trendsto continue, but it will be aconsolidation of growth overthe coming years. The year2013 created a lot of excite-ment and buzz for Dubaiespecially in the businesssector, and we expect that allsectors will continue to seegrowth especially in tourism,real estate, service sectorincluding the airlines and hos-pitality,” stated PrateekKumar, General Manager,Dusit Thani Dubai.

“Being named as the cityof choice for the Expo 2020,this trend will continue to grow

in terms of government andeconomic activity in the UAE,especially in Dubai,” he added.

Jumeirah at EtihadTowers had an extremely pos-itive 2013. In addition to per-forming well for the stakehold-

ers, international guests and local residents have alsorated well and appreciated thehospitality services and gour-met experiences.

“We are upbeat regard-ing the business potential for2014. The key internationalmarkets of focus will continueto be Germany, the UK, Italyand Russia in Europe, with theUSA and Brazil in theAmericas, and China andAustralia in the Asia-Pacific.Naturally the GCC will also remain an extremelyimportant market for us, as willour local and international con-ferencing and MICE marketsegments,” illustrated DorisGreif, General Manager,Jumeirah at Etihad Towers,Abu Dhabi.

The World Expo 2020announcement is an oppor-tunistic one for the UAE inattracting attention, especiallyfor our excellent internationalMICE capabilities. While thefocus of World Expo 2020 willnaturally be on Dubai, Abu

Dhabi is able to offer excep-tional experiences that arecomplimentary to Dubai.

Etihad Airways has cel-ebrated a year of record-breaking success after achiev-ing its highest ever passengerand cargo volumes in 2013.Nearly 12 million people flew with Etihad Airways last year, marking a significantincrease of nearly 16 per centin comparison to 2012's figureof 10.3 million.

James Hogan,President and CEO, EtihadAirways said, "Our record-breaking numbers in 2013reflect the continued successof our strategic master plan,which focusses on three fun-damental pillars; organic net-

work growth, the forging ofcodeshare partnerships, andminority equity investments inother airlines.”

He added, "This hasbeen another game-changingyear and once again, the cus-tomer was placed at the heartof everything we did. I amexcited about what the futureholds and look forward toworking with all our partners to maximise the return for our shareholder."

Adel Ali, Group CEO, AirArabia uttered, "We aredelighted to celebrate the NewYear by launching an addition-al flight to Doha, which hasalways been a key market forus. Having completed adecade-long operations in thisvery exciting market is a keymilestone for us, and it is our ambition to furtherexpand our services to con-nect Air Arabia's other hubs."

Ali added, "Since incep-tion in 2003, we have beencommitted to the improvementof intra-GCC connectivity tomost major destinations in theGulf. As we continue to play avital role in connecting thenations, we have ambitiousplans to strengthen operationsto all airports within the GCC,offering enormous choices forcustomers seeking to travelaround the region, where airtravel is the only viable modeof transport."

Expo 2020 to inject US$23bn in DubaiContd. from page 1

The GCC willremain animportantmarket for us,as will ourlocal andinternationalMICE market

The year 2013created a lotof excitementand buzz for Dubaiespecially inthe businesssector

Prateek KumarGeneral ManagerDusit Thani Dubai

Doris GreifGeneral Manager, Jumeirah atEtihad Towers, Abu Dhabi

We aredelighted to celebrate the New Year by launchingan additionalflight to Doha

I am excitedabout what thefuture holds, and look forwardto working withour partners to maximisereturns

James HoganPresident and CEOEtihad Airways

Adel AliGroup CEOAir Arabia

� The Expo 2020 willhelp the UAE inattracting attention toits excellent MICEcapabilities

� While the focus ofExpo 2020 will be onDubai, Abu Dhabi willoffer exceptionalexperiences that arecomplimentary to itsneighbour, Dubai

World Expo 2020

NTO F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 7

The marketing drive,endorsed by the Tourism

Authority and the ZanzibarCommission, was announcedat the Tourism NetworkingForum held at Seyyida, aboutique hotel in Stone Town,Zanzibar. The forum attractedsome of the island’s frontlineattractions including ChumbeIsland, Safari Blue, JahaziLiterary & Jazz Festival,Kawa Training Centre and theMtoni Palace ConservationProject. Hafsa Mbamba,Founder, Grassroots Traveller,a Zanzibar-based destinationmanagement company, said,

“The forum was created to provide localtourismstakeholders aplatform tonetwork andshowcase theirproducts andservices.

Destination Zanzibarhelps businesses thrive in acompetitive tourism market byoffering strategic trade solu-tions.” She added, “Zanzibarhas so much more to offerbeyond the beach. It hasauthentic, off the beaten trackto eco-friendly experiencesand Destination Zanzibarbrings focus on what theislands offer for the visitors to explore! The recently amended TourismPolicy Act now focuses on 'Tourism for All' - we want to cater for both the hostand the visitors. Zanzibar isglobally known as an idyllic

beach destination. But it isalso renowned for other rea-sons such as trade, historyand culture.”

The forum, which actedas a stepping stone into newmarkets, chose the Gulf as its first target marketbecause it is a previouslyuntapped market and an idealone to promote Zanzibar.

Mbamba said, “Peopletend to catch things muchquicker through personal expe-riences. To ensure that wehave a more holistic industry,we must share the piece of thecake with as many stakehold-ers as possible.”

Ultimately the goal isnot simply to promote and re-invent the image of ZanzibarTourism, but also to drive forth the concept of it being a sustainable tourism-friendlydestination. It is an idea at the heart of GrassrootsTraveller, which will be showcased through eventsand experiences.”

In a bid to promote Zanzibar beyond the archetype of ‘sun,sand and sea’, the tourism authority launched ‘DestinationZanzibar’, a campaign involving both the public and theprivate sectors to encourage tourism from the Gulf.

Promoting Zanzibar tourism

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One of these is the Qasr AlHosn festival, held under

the patronage of GeneralSheikh Mohamed bin ZayedAl Nahyan, Crown Prince ofAbu Dhabi, Deputy SupremeCommander of the UAEArmed Forces. The 2.2 milliontourists that visited Abu Dhabilast year resulted in AED 4.3billion worth of revenue accord-ing to data by Abu DhabiTourism & Culture Authority(TCA Abu Dhabi). This numberis expected to rise in 2014 toalmost 2.8 million.

With the aim of showcas-ing Abu Dhabi’s oldest struc-ture dating back to the 18th cen-tury in its various stages ofrestoration, the festival will runfrom February 20 to March 1,2014. It will include guidedtours of the fort and February

21 will see the fort open exclu-sively for women and children.

Sheikh Sultan BinTahnoon Al Nahyan,Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabideclared, “Qasr Al Hosn rep-resents the foundation of thenation’s capital, symbolisingmore than two and a half cen-turies of Emirati heritage andcultural development. TheQasr Al Hosn Festival is an

annual opportunity to cele-brate this superb nationalmonument and iconic symbolof Abu Dhabi’s proud historyand identity and to engageour community in the devel-opment of Qasr Al Hosnrestoration programme.” He further added,

“The festival was areflection of TCAAbu Dhabi’srounded view ofculture embracingboth tangible andintangible aspectsof heritage.”

The festival is a key part of the Authority’s commitment to the development of visual andperforming arts, literature andpoetry to celebrate theEmirati identity.

In the first 10 months of 2013, nearly 2.2mn tourists visitedAbu Dhabi, around 16 per cent more than the same periodin 2012. Thus, TCA Abu Dhabi launched variousprogrammes to enable travel agents promote the Emirate.

Boosting visitor numbers

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Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al NahyanChairmanAbu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority

India is among the top 25largest international tourism

earners. Some of the coun-tries, particularly Saudi Arabia,Oman, United Arab Emirates,Yemen and Turkey have regis-tered positive growth, emerg-ing as major tourism generat-ing markets for India from thisregion. Other prominent coun-tries that saw double-digitgrowth in international touristarrivals include the UnitedStates (11 per cent), Macao(China) (10 per cent), Britain (18 per cent), Thailand (28 per cent), HongKong (21 per cent), Turkey (13per cent), Japan (23 per cent),Greece (15 per cent) andTaiwan (12 per cent).

“India today has estab-lished itself as round-the-yeardestination - a destination for

all seasons and for all reasons.India today offers somethingfor every traveller,” stated VikasRustagi, Regional Director(West Asia & Africa), IndiaTourism, Dubai.

It has a vast range oftourism destinations and products, from magnificentHimalayas in the north to the serene backwaters ofKerala in the south.

“Tourism in India hasemerged as an instrument ofincome and employment gen-eration, poverty alleviation and sustainable human development.

Almost 20 millionpeople are nowworking in India’stourism industry,”he added.

Tourism is certainly grow-ing in India, but there is still lackof hotel rooms, particularly inthe budget sector. “The gov-ernment's report of the WorkingGroup on Tourism, under the12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017)set up by the PlanningCommission stated that thecountry requires an additional1,90,108 hotels rooms by 2016 to meet a projected 12per cent growth in tourism,”Rustagi concluded.

Over the past two years, there has been a rise in ForeignTourist Arrivals from the Middle East region to India.According to UNWTO, the international tourist arrival in Indiagrew by 13 per cent during the first nine months of 2013.

ME visitors to India rise

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Vikas Rustagi Regional Director (West Asia & Africa),India Tourism, Dubai

Hafsa MbambaFounder, Grassroots Traveller

HOTELS8 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

“To promote future prod-ucts we plan to partici-

pate in travel exhibitions androadshows. To this effect, wehave recently introduced winterseason - bed and breakfast

and half board packages for the European market, afeeder market from which weexpect a good turnover,”informed Wael El Behi,General Manager, HawthornSuites by Wyndham.

While marketed as abusiness hotel, the propertyexpects 70-80 per cent of their future business to be for leisure purposes and the other 20-30 per cent to be for various corporate and group segments. In terms

of market diversity, GCC, CIS and Central Europe are highlighted as key feeder markets followed by the sub-continent, Far East,Middle East and rest of the world.

Commenting on the vol-ume of business the hotelexpects to receive from thetravel agents in 2014, Behimentioned, “The travel agentswill represent a feeder seg-ment and source of businessfor us. We are forecasting over 30 per cent business and revenue mix from this seg-ment in 2014.”

In future, the key objec-tive of the hotel is to get a 4-star category as per DubaiDepartment of Tourism andCommerce Marketing require-ments to maximise occupancyand revenue. Furthermore,with regard to the buildup of World Expo 2020,Hawthorne Suites is planningto launch its own state-of-the-art spa, unisex saloon and spe-cialty restaurant.

Anticipating a profitable 2014 with an ambitious budget, Hawthorne Suitesowned by the Wyndham group of hotels has an aggressive marketing planto follow. Introducing itself as an extended stay hotel ideal for business,Hawthorne Suites highlights future plans amongst others.

Charting ambitious plans for 2014

Wael El BehiGeneral ManagerHawthorn Suites by Wyndham

Travel agents will represent a feeder segment and source ofbusiness for us. We are forecasting over30 per cent business and revenue mixfrom this segment in 2014

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� India is the largestmarket served fromDubai with 7.34mnpassengers

� The property expects70-80% of their futurebiz to be for leisure andthe other 20-30% to befor various corporateand group segments

Leisure Market

The portfolio which consistsof six properties includes

two hotels (TI’ME Oak Hotel &Suites and TI’ME Grand PlazaHotel) and four hotel apart-ments - TI’ME Opal HotelApartments, TI’ME Topaz HotelApartments, TI’ME CrystalHotel Apartments, which are in Dubai and TI’ME Ruby Hotel Apartments, which is in Sharjah.

The leadership is energetic, modern and hands-on without micro-man-agement and the service is respectful and proactive, with upcoming plans to expand the company is under-way with a number of newproperties signed in AbuDhabi, Ajman, Egypt, Qatarand Saudi Arabia.

“The business hasincreased in 2013 over 2012 by25 per cent, and we expectanother 25 per cent increase in 2014. The challenge of today is that the demand is larger than

the supply, hence the expansion. Even with this challenge, we are doing far better, increasing our Year-on-Year business between 20-

30 per cent,” stated Tommy Ressopoulos, VicePresident, Sales & Marketing,TI’ME Hotels.

“The travel trade, beingthe most important distributionarm for us, brings in 12 to 15per cent of business in theleisure market. We organiseFAM trips for them; mainly forleisure markets from Russia, Germany and China.We are always keen to partakein different events for ourleisure sector. Currently, wetake part in ITB, WTM, ATM,KITF and Leisure Moscow. In addition, this year we are participating in BoodaiTravel Market from Kuwait,”added Ressopoulos.

Sustainability is a funda-mental part of the hotel groups CSR policy; having two hotels registered under Green Globe (a premierworldwide sustainability stamp for the tourism industry),TI’ME is now looking to furtherreduce its carbon footprint witha number of new initiatives inthe pipeline.

Through their collection of Dubai hotels and servicedapartments, TI’ME Hotels Management has innovatedthe glamorous lodging experience.

Aiming at 25% growth

The businesshas increasedin 2013 over2012 by 25 percent, and weexpect another25 per centincrease in2014

Tommy RessopoulosVice President, Sales & MarketingTI’ME Hotels

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Emirates to double itsservices to Dublin

Emirates will serveDublin with a second dailynon-stop flight fromSeptember 1, 2014. TheAirline’s Boeing 777-300ERaircraft will add capacity ofmore than 5,000 seats aweek in both directions.

The new daily servicewill complement Emirates’Boeing 777 operation thatcommenced in January2012. Timings have beenscheduled to facilitate moreeffective onward connec-tions from Dubai to majordestinations in Australia andNew Zealand.

The second service willfeature 360 seats in a three-class configuration - eightseats in First Class, 42 inBusiness Class and 310 inEconomy Class.

“Air travel is indispen-sable for tourism and trade,the major engines ofIreland’s resurgent econo-my. Emirates’ expandedschedule will offer betterconnectivity for our cus-tomers when travellingbetween Dublin and Dubaiand onwards to the rest ofour network, increasingaccess to emerging markets

and encouraging invest-ment and innovation. There is a clear traffic flowtaking place from Dublin toa number of destinations in

our network, thereforeboosting connections makes business sense,” saidTim Clark, President,Emirates airline.

Over 440,000 passen-gers have travelled on theDubai-Dublin service sinceit commenced.

Tourism Ireland esti-mates that average growth rates from Asia & Middle East passengertraffic to Ireland by 2020will be over 6 per cent.Middle East traffic grew by3 per cent just after thelaunch of the first Dublinservice in 2012.

Tim ClarkPresident, Emirates airline

FAMILY ALBUM F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 9

Vienna Games: An innovative concept

The boutique opened onJanuary 22, 2014, and it

offers VIP suites giving clientsa discreet space to discusstheir travel plans with experts.

At the opening,Geoffrey Kent, Founder,Chairman and CEO,Abercrombie & Kent, said,“Our boutique takes the con-cept of tailor-made travel toan entirely new level byallowing prospective clientsto work directly with a skilledA&K Travel Curator todesign their trip, supple-mented by the latest infor-mation from our local officesin destination.” The office is located in Etihad Towersin Abu Dhabi.

He further added, “Ihave been visiting the GulfStates for over 40 years andhave always vowed to openour office one day. I amdelighted with our choice ofEtihad Towers, which mirrorsour brand so completely. Our

boutique in Abu Dhabi is thefirst step in our expansion inthe UAE and the wider GCCregion.” Dubai-based cus-tomers can arrange privatehome visits with the A&K

team if they are not able totravel to Abu Dhabi.

Eschewing traditionaltravel agency design, A&K’sflagship boutique does notfeature desks and racks ofbrochures. Instead, ‘TravelCurators’ use iPads to givecustomers a taste of theunique experiences available.Customers seeking furtherinformation can get in touchwith one of A&K’s 50 officesworldwide with the Skype-to-Store feature.

Harking back to A&K’spioneering spirit, the 215 sqmboutique offers vintage mapchests holding bespoke can-vas maps made exclusivelyfor A&K. Every aspect of theopen plan space reflectshigh-end British design.

Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), a leading luxury travelcompany, launched its first travel boutique in the UAE,along with its partner Red Line, showcasing inspiringtravel experiences pan global using the latest technology.

A&K now in Abu Dhabi

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� Dubai-based clientscan also arrangeprivate home visitswith the A&K team

Easy Access

Our boutique inAbu Dhabi isthe first step inour expansionin the UAE andthe wider GCCregion

The Austrian National Tourist Office had recently organised an event for the travel trade, known as ‘Vienna Games’, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is aninteractive training session on Vienna as a destination, in which travel agents in six groups of 10, went through interactive theme stations like ‘Vienna forfamilies’, ‘Sweet Vienna’, etc., and fulfilled certain tasks to earn points and collected souvenirs on the way. Vienna Games had already taken place in Russia,China and India before, and now in the UAE, as it has become one of the most important destinations for Vienna in the Middle East.

Geoffrey KentFounder, Chairman & CEOAbercrombie & Kent

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In order to capitalise on theincreased number of maiden

calls, rapid growth facilities andservices for passengers andcruise liners are seeing a sig-nificant enhancement.

The nine deck, 45,000tonne Artania is the largestocean going liner in its opera-tor’s portfolio. It is billed as ‘ahome away from home’ with620 luxury exterior cabins

boasting panoramic viewsthrough windows and privatebalconies. It is set to sail on toOman, India, Sri Lanka,Indonesia, Thailand andMalaysia as part of a 17-dayArabian Gulf and Indian Ocean'Modern Metropolises andAsian Natural Paradises' voy-age to Singapore.

The Artania is soon to befollowed by MS Amadea inApril and MS Albatros inOctober 2014- 2015 season.

Sultan Al Dhaheri,Acting Executive Director -Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism &Culture Authority (TCA AbuDhabi) said, “The arrival ofGermany's leading independ-ent tour operator into AbuDhabi greatly underpins ourcruise industry ambitions. It isnow being advanced through ahighly pro-active local stake-holder campaign and a widerregional co-operative initiativeto ensure the region is rightlypositioned as a credible wintercruise destination."

He further added, “Ourpolicy is not simply to maintainhealthy and prosperous rela-tions with large, world classoperators but also to form newones with smaller, independ-ent contractors.”

TCA Abu Dhabi is set toparticipate in the promotionof Cruise Arabia alliancealongside Dubai, Oman andother stakeholders at CruiseMiami, the premier cruiseexhibition set to take place inApril this year.

The excursions for thesecruises have been formulatedkeeping in mind varying pref-erences from passenger topassenger to contrast themodern aspect of Abu Dhabiwith its rich cultural past.

This strategy has seen asuccess with tours of Al Ain'sWorld Heritage attractions andthe Sheikh Zayed GrandMosque are proving popular as the Emirates Palace, desert dunes tours or even the exhilarating Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.

The arrival of boutique German cruise operator Phoenix Reisen’s flagship MS Artania marks therise of Abu Dhabi’s Port Zayed as a luxury cruise destination. The number of maiden calls in thecurrent cruise season 2013-2014 has doubled compared to the last.

Rise of Abu Dhabi in the cruise sector

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� TCA Abu Dhabi willpar ticipate in thepromotion of CruiseArabia alliance withDubai, Oman at CruiseMiami, a cruiseexhibition set to takeplace in April this year

Cruise Miami

The neoCollection is basedon the ideology of making

the most of every minute, onstretching the concept of holi-day beyond just a few days.This tailor-made cruise experi-ence will allow the passengerto set his/her own pace both on-board and ashore,making it ideal for couples or agroup of friends.

The thought behind thecruise extends to all aspects of

journey wherein smaller shipsgo off the beaten track to reach

areas unapproachable to larg-er commercial boats. The itin-eraries for the trip are similarlydesigned for longer shorestays giving cruise loversample time to soak up areas ofcultural and aesthetic value.

“The cruiselinedebuts thecollection with themaiden voyage ofneoRiviera, thelatest addition totheir fleet.

The ship would embarkon a 62-day voyage aroundAfrica offering an opportunityto experience the coastline ofIndia, Seychelles, Maldives,Mauritius and Reunion,”informed Samer Assaad,Director, Alpha Holidays, Tours& Travel, PSA for CostaCruises. “Thereafter, it willmove on to Madagascar, cir-cumnavigating the African con-tinent on a route taking inMozambique, South Africa,Namibia, St. Helena, Senegal,Cape Verde, the Canaries and

Morocco.” The voyage can bepurchased as a whole fromDubai to Savona or for thosemore strapped for time dividedinto separate segments fromDubai to Cape Town or CapeTown to Savona.

Starting in June, theneoCollection style will also befeaturing on the CostaneoRomantica, with 13 and 15-day premium cruises in Northern Europe, beyondthe North Cape or to the Baltic cities.

Costa Cruises is set to debut its neoCollection in Dubai on February 9, 2014. With this, the cruiseline will introduce the concept of slow cruising in the Gulf.

New style of cruising introduced

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Samer Assaad Director, Alpha Holidays, Tours & Travel,PSA for Costa Cruises

Starwood Hotels &Resorts marks its debut inthe Emirate of Ajman onFebruary 1, 2014 with theopening of Ajman Saray, ALuxury Collection Resort,Ajman. The resort will markthe brand’s entry into theEmirate, reinforcing TheLuxury Collection’s globalgrowth as the brandremains on track to surpass90 hotels by 2016.

Sheikh Ammar binHumaid Al Nuaimi, CrownPrince and Chairman of theExecutive Council of Ajman,commented, “The openingof the UAE's first beachfrontLuxury Collection hotel is awelcome addition to Ajman.We feel that Starwoodembraces and shares ourvision of positioning Ajmanas a distinguished destina-tion for Arabian hospitalityand exceptional servicewhile remaining respectfulof our rich heritage and natural beauty.”

He added,“Furthermore, the openingof this resort aligns perfectlywith the remarkable stridesof development already inplace here and our overallvision for Ajman to be a keyplayer within the tourismsector in the UAE. Byattracting affluent interna-tional travellers, we expect Ajman Saray to set the benchmark for luxury hospitality in theregion and to also con-tribute positively to the GDPand economic health ofAjman as a whole.”

Guido de Wilde, SeniorVice President, RegionalDirector for StarwoodHotels & Resorts – MiddleEast said, “We are extreme-ly pleased with the progressof Ajman Saray and look for-ward to introducing theresort to global explorers, aswell as the local and region-al communities.” The resortcelebrates the Emirate’sculture through its designand impeccable service.

New hotelgroup debutsin Ajman

Our policy is not simply to maintainhealthy and prosperous relations withlarge, world class operators but alsoto form new ones with smaller,independent contractors

Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director -Tourism, TCA Abu Dhabi

CRUISES F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 1 1

It affirms that TravelTechnology Systems will

remain Travelport’s distributorof Galileo technology, exten-

sive content and services totravel agencies in the country.

Adding real momentumto Travelport’s continued suc-cess in the key Middle East region, the news comesshortly after Travelportannounced the renewal of itsexclusive global full content

agreement with JazeeraAirways, in late 2013.

"We are delighted to con-tinue our mutually-beneficialrelationship with Travel

Technology SystemsCompany in Kuwait,"said Rabih Saab,President andManaging Director,Middle East and Africa,Travelport.

“The new agree-ment with JazeeraAirways, coupled withthe new distributor

agreement in Kuwait willensure that the local

travel industry continues tobenefit from Travelport’s cuttingedge solutions and the highest levels of customercare,” he further informed.

With preferred access tothe carrier’s best inventory andfares, the deal ensured thatcontent from Jazeera Airways

continues to be available exclusively to Travelport GDS users in Kuwait.

“We have enjoyeda highlysuccessfulpartnership withTravelport overseveral years andcontinue to see astrong future forGalileo in Kuwait,”

commented Raj Krishnan,General Manager, TravelTechnology Systems.

“We now look forward towork closely with Travelport totake their business in Kuwait to the next stagethrough the winning combina-tion of cutting edge technolo-gy, unrivalled content and customer support and a deep understanding of the local travel industry,” he concluded.

Travelport and Kuwait-based Travel Technology Systemsrecently announced the renewal of a long-term distributionagreement to further cement a successful partnership.

Cementing ties in Kuwait

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Sharjah to get new tourist attractionThe Sharjah Investment

and Development Authority(Shurooq) unveiled thedetails of Al Montazah, pre-viously known as Al JazeeraPark, which will include afirst-of-its-kind waterthemed park in the Emirate,an amusement park, as wellas a park designated for pic-nics, walking, and otheractivities.

The project covers anarea of over 126,000 sqm,and is set for a soft opening

during the first quarter ofthis year. Al Montazah boaststhree main sections, the firstof which is the Water Parkcovering an area of 26,000sqm, offering a wide rangeof aquatic amusementgames that suit all ages. TheWater Park is characterisedby its modern design andincludes wide green spacesfor holiday makers to enjoyand relax. It will also boastrestaurants and other facili-ties where safety services

will be provided with safetyand rescue staff permanentlyon hand.

Al Montazah will beopen to the public from 10am to 11 pm, from Saturdayto Wednesday, and from 10am to 1 am after midnight onThursday and Friday. TheWater Park will be open from10 am to 6 pm. Entry to AlMontazah and its facilities,including the Water Park, isavailable to all, individualsand families.

The Ministry ofTransportation of Bahrainconfirmed that deals at the3rd Bahrain InternationalAirshow had reached almostUSD 3 billion. The organisersof the show were theMinistry of Transportationand the Royal Bahrain AirForce, in partnership withFarnborough International.

With over 100 interna-tional and domestic compa-nies present at the show, itwas noted that the increasewas a real reflection of the

event’s importance to theMiddle Eastern aviation mar-ket. Meetings and network-ing were also a key featureof the show with over 130delegations from 32 coun-

tries participating ina programmedseries of meetingsand events.

Visitor numbersreached record num-bers with over30,000 visitorsattending the tradeshow and over

20,000 attending the public event.

Dates for the BahrainInternational Airshow 2016have been confirmed asJanuary 21-23, 2016.

Raj Krishnan, GM, Travel Technology Systemswith Rabih Saab, President and MD, Middle Eastand Africa, Travelport

Record deals at Bahrain Int’l Airshow

NEWS1 2 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

Sharjah National Hotelsacquire guests both from

corporate and leisure markets.Guests pour in majorly fromQatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrainand Saudi Arabia, EastEurope, Germany, the UK and Russia, and the growing trends are from South Asia and China.

Nasser M. Nasef,General Manager, SharjahNational Hotels asserted, “Weshould have more customersatisfaction and will be one of

the leading hotels in the region,especially for the GCC, CISand Europe. We expect to bethe first hotel to apply SharjahExcellency Award for the econ-omy.” He added,

“Our vision for2014 is to developthe hotel andresort with thebackdrop of itsstrong historicalvalue. We foreseelot of surprisescoming up,”

expressed Hassan AlJawhari, Director of Sales &Marketing, Sharjah NationalHotels. “The year 2014 hasbeen announced as Sharjah’sIslamic Culture Capital yearand will definitely impact thetourism sector,” he added.

Holiday International andMarbella Resorts createunique contemporary mid-scale hotels and resorts byblending its UAE origins withthe best local cultures.

Elmostafa Frizit, Food &Beverage Manager, SharjahNational Hotels informed, “Ourvision in F&B is to be thebenchmark in hospitality,renowned as the authority inFood & Beverage and beknown for our local inspiredexceptional quality.”

Frizit further said, “Ourstyle is a perfect blend of tradi-tional Arabian hospitality and modern qualities. Whetheryou are on a business or pleasure trip, we will look after all your needs as we con-

sider the visitor’s comfort more than just duty.”

Jawhari added, “We areaiming to increase our repeatguest percentage by improvingour services and facilities.”

The Hotel arranges FAMtrips for travel agents from dif-ferent countries, since they arethe most important distributionarm. Holiday International andMarbella Resort are increasingtheir involvement in environ-mental initiatives. It has aHazard Analysis and CriticalControl (HACCP) certifiedmanagement system for pre-venting food poisoning, andalso recycles its waste.

In a bid to meet the increasing demand, the Sharjah National Hotels thatcomprises Holiday International and Marbella Resort, plans to renovate thetwo properties, thereby upgrading facilities, amenities and services available.

Enhancement process in progress

(From left): Hassan Al Jawhari, Director of Sales & Marketing, Nasser M. Nasef,General Manager and Elmostafa Frizit, Food & Beverage Manager of SharjahNational Hotels

SU S M I TA GH O S H

� Holiday Internationaland Marbella Resortscreate uniquecontemporary mid-scale hotels andresorts by blending itsUAE origins with thebest local cultures

Portfolio

Arecent CAPA report stated that 2013 had

been a difficult year for Indian aviation.

However, one of thebiggest highlights of 2013was the Jet–Etihad deal,which is expected to injectUS$600 million of equity intothe Indian private carrier andhelp the airline focus on fleetexpansion. The Indian middleclass, which comprises themajority of air travel demand,is forecast to grow by 200 million passengers, or 350 per cent, over the nexteight years.

“India is a priority marketfor long-term growth, not onlybetween the UAE and India,but between India and theworld, via Abu Dhabi. And this,presents a growing market forEtihad Airways,” said NeerjaBhatia, Etihad Airways’General Manager in India.

Nearly 12 million peopleflew with Etihad Airways lastyear, marking a significant

increase of nearly 16 per centin comparison to 2012’s figureof 10.3 million. The airline car-

ried 73 per cent of the morethan 16.4 million passengerswho travelled through Abu

Dhabi airport in 2013. Bhatiaadded, “Since 2013, EtihadAirways has also doubled thenumber of flights and tripledthe number of seats which itoffers between Abu Dhabi andMumbai and New Delhi.”

Etihad recently startednew flights from Jaipur, “Weare on target to strengthen ourfootprint within the country and already enjoy load factors of 80 to 85 per cent,”Bhatia further added.

Essa SulaimanAhmad, Vice President –India & Nepal, EmiratesAirlines said, “Emirates’ focuson promoting India and timelyincentives for outbound travelhas helped it maintain ahealthy average load factor of80 per cent during the year.”Ahmad added, “Our upcomingroute launch to Boston on March 10, 2014, will provide fresh opportunities forIndian students, academiciansand institutions.”

Last year was a verysuccessful one for flydubai.The airline launched 16 newroutes, and ended the yearwith a fleet of 35 aircraft.

Sudhir Sreedharan,Senior Vice President -Commercial Operations(Indian Sub-Continent/GCC/Africa), flydubai; said,“We currently work within the constraints of the bilateral agreements, but we look forward to workingwith the Indian state authorities to provide aframework to support inter-national operations and con-nectivity for secondary air-ports in India. ”

The CAPA report stated that one of the criticalimpacts of the Jet-Etihad dealis likely to be liberalisation ofthe India-UAE bilateral agreement. This will benefit notonly those two carriers, butalso Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia.

The significance of India’s aviation market has been burgeoning, attracting the main ME carriers. India is one of thefastest-growing travel markets in the world, and a market in which many ME carriers see significant opportunities.

India shining for Middle East carriers

We areconstantlylooking for newopportunities toexpand ournetwork in India

India continuesto play animportant rolewith its 185weekly flightsfrom 10gateways

India is a priority marketfor long-termgrowth betweenIndia and theworld, via Abu Dhabi

Neerja BhatiaGeneral Manager - IndiaEtihad Airways

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad Vice President – India & NepalEmirates Airlines

Sudhir Sreedharan Senior Vice President - Commercial Operations (Indian Sub-Continent/GCC/Africa), flydubai

RAMYA JS D’ROZARIO

IHG opens new HolidayInn Hotel in Muscat

InterContinental HotelsGroup (IHG) has openedHoliday Inn Muscat Al Seebin Muscat, making it thethird IHG hotel in the city.

The hotel is locatedwithin 10 minutes’ drive ofMuscat International Airport.The modern and sleek hotelhas 185 rooms, each with a32-inch LED TV, an iPod

docking station and access tofree Wi-Fi services. Thehotel’s ballroom, boardroomand meeting rooms offer flex-ible spaces for customisedevents and meetings, cater-ing for up to 250 people.Oppenheimer Pinto, GeneralManager, Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb commented,“The team is very excited tobe welcoming guests toOman’s newest hotel.”

Holiday Inn Muscat AlSeeb marks the re-entry ofthe brand to Oman. In 1977,Oman was the home of thefirst Holiday Inn property inthe Middle East, before theproperty was converted toCrowne Plaza ResortSalalah.

Pascal Gauvin, COO, forIndia, Middle East and

Africa said, “With touristnumbers to Oman on therise, we are confident thatHoliday Inn Muscat Al Seebwill offer a comfortable andquality option for visitors toMuscat, and play a key rolein the city’s future too.” Thishotel makes it IHG’s sixthhotel in Oman, with twoother IHG properties -InterContinental Muscatand Crowne Plaza Muscat.

HIGHLIGHTS F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 1 3

Each of its tours combines adifferent theme and natural

setting to provide a uniqueadventure ranging from anevening desert safari to a mid-night desert safari.

“We are now focussingon yacht charters. Recently, wehad an 85-feet long yacht andover a period of five yearsacquired five additional yachtsto add to the two already in ourfleet,” stated Ishrat Ali Khan,Group Managing Director, AsiaPacific Travels & Tourism.

“We get businessmainly from the UAE nationalsand expatriates as they go for tour excursions,using our services.”

Furthermore, individuallycertified and accredited to ISO9001:2008 for 'QualityManagement System’, thegroup is now looking to expandand broaden their business

leading up to the Dubai WorldExpo, 2020.

“We are always open tonew ideas and believe in anopen minded approach at ourworkplace. Conducting busi-ness, value feedback and con-stant endeavour will give thevery best to our diverse clien-tele in line with their require-ments with a single mindedfocus on ‘delivering satisfac-tion,” he asserted.

By 2014, Oasis PalmTourism plans to expand a fleetof double-decker buses withopen upper decks, which

alongside the ‘Wonder Bus’ willprovide city tours by both landand water. Purchase of ahouse boat, two additionalyachts and various smallerboats add on to the list of thefuture plans enabling dramaticgrowth in tourism. This expan-sion will allow to project a rev-enue increase of at least 40per cent in 2014 as there wasan increase of 35 per cent in2013 compared to 2012.

Oasis Palm is part of agroup of companies, like AsiaPacific Travels and Tourism, AlWasl Passenger Boats andYacht Rental.

Oasis Palm, a leading tours and excursions provider inthe region, offers tour excursions on land, sea and in theair, and is labeled as ‘the safari leader’ in the region.

Expanding horizons in UAE

TT BU R E AU

On December 20, 2013, theoperation’s 30th

Anniversary Day, all the cus-tomers were offered a 30 percent discount on a range ofproducts that resulted in ahuge increase in sales and anew daily record.

That day, Dubai DutyFree recorded 215,000 trans-actions, while sales reachedAED111.88 million (US$30.65million) in 24 hours. It was 40per cent higher than theAnniversary Day in 2012.

The signs that a remark-able year 2013 was coming toa close was clear in Decemberwhen a new monthly salesrecord of AED700 million(US$192 million) was set.

Colm McLoughlin,Executive Vice Chairman,Dubai Duty Free expressed,

“We are thrilled toannounce such apositive year in2013, whichmarked our 30th

anniversary. The operation went from

strength to strength with theopening of Concourse A inTerminal 3 in January and AlMaktoum International inOctober, with overall salessoaring to a new high.”

The operation recorded astaggering 25,973,819 salestransactions in 2013, whichreached an average of 71,161sales transactions per day.Perfumes retained its positionas the best-selling categorywith an increase of 16 per centYear-on-Year. Sales of per-fumes reached AED1.06 billion(US$289 million), an increaseof over AED148 million (US$41million) over 2012.

Moreover, sales in DDFDepartures rose by 11 percent, while Arrivals sales haveshown a 13 per cent increaseover 2012. Terminal 2 record-ed a 22 per cent increase insales. The year 2013 provid-ed major milesto nes in termsof growth. It includes theopening of Concourse A, dedicated to the Emirates air-line fleet of A380s and theopening of the passenger ter-minal at Al MaktoumInternational Airport.

At the advent of 2014, Dubai Duty Free (DDF) announcedtheir sales of AED6.65 billion (US$1.8 billion) for 2013. Itrepresents an increase of 11.4 per cent over 2012.

Dubai - A shopping hub

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Colm McLoughlinExecutive Vice ChairmanDubai Duty Free

During the promotion, all pas-sengers transiting at Doha

International Airport will receive8 per cent discount coupon,which can be redeemed exclusively in the Chinese NewYear themed areas.

Passengers who makepurchases worth QR 500(USD 138) or more will receivean additional 15 per cent dis-count on their next purchase atthe Duty Free. An additional giftvoucher worth QR 50 shall begiven to passengers who makea purchase of QR 1000 ormore with their UnionPay card.

The promotion, which isbeing held in two locations atDoha International Airport, isdesigned keeping in mind thelarge and ever growing Chineseconsumer segment. It consistsof well-travelled customers withhigh travel retail expectations.

To facilitate the effectiveness ofthe promotion QDF has part-nered with UnionPayInternational, China’s preferredpayment option. Akbar AlBaker, CEO, Qatar Airways wasjoined by Gao Youzhen, theChinese Ambassador to Qatar,and Cai Jianbo, CEO ofUnionPay International to offi-cially commemorate the inau-gural promotion.

Akbar Al Baker, CEO,Qatar Airways explained, “In

line with this special occasion,QDF is offering travellers arange of exciting offers across a wide variety of prod-ucts that are popular during thefestive season.

This year, we arepleased tocollaborate withUnionPayInternational tomake the ChineseNew Yearpromotion evenmore rewardingand attractive forour consumers.”

The promotion has thusfar been quite successful andhas found a positive responsefrom Chinese passengers travelling through Doha, especially with regard to itemslike fragrances, skincare,tobacco, luxury watches, giftsand souvenirs.

With the advent of the Chinese New Year, Qatar Duty Free(QDF) has launched themed promotions celebrating thelucky year of the horse throughout January and February.

Attracting Chinese visitors

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Akbar Al BakerCEOQatar Airways

Huge efforts have beeninvested to make The

Cove Rotana Resort, Ras AlKhaimah more environment-friendly and here it hasbecome fruitful. The CoveRotana Resort received theawards and certificates duringa special ceremony held atthe RAK Chamber ofCommerce recently.

By providing excellentenvironmental services andurging everyone to protect anddevelop our natural resources,Environment Protection and

Development Authority (EPDA-RAK) has a mission of protect-ing the environment and thesustainability of its resources.

Andreas Mueller,General Manager, The CoveRotana Resort, commented,“The Cove Rotana Resort isproud to have won the awardin recognition of continuousapproach to sustainability. Wehave dedicated ourselves tire-lessly to the environmentalcauses for the betterment ofour Emirate. This awardbrings us another strong driveto persist our commitmentand a unique opportunity toinspire others.

We will continue toimplement energyawarenessprogrammes tomaintain energyand water savings,in its endeavour to increaseawareness ofenergy efficiencyamongst our staffand guests.”

Bassam Zakaria,Director of Rooms, The CoveRotana Resort mentioned, “Itis a motive to continue deliver-ing on of our promises towardsthe society which is being thebest environmental companyand submitting more environ-ment-friendly product.”

The Cove Rotana Resort bags two awards from RAKEnvironment Protection & Development Authority for bestenvironmental practices in saving water, electricity and paper.

Bagging ‘green’ awards

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Bassam Zakaria, Director of Rooms, The Cove Rotana Resort receives the award

Ishrat Ali KhanGroup Managing DirectorAsia Pacific Travels & Tourism

� By 2014, Oasis Palmtourism plans toexpand a fleet ofdouble-decker busesthat will provide citytours

� A house boat, twoadditional yachts andsmaller boats are alsoon the purchase list

Plans For 2014

� Huge efforts havebeen invested to makeThe Cove RotanaResort, Ras AlKhaimah moreenvironment-friendlyand here it hasbecome fruitful

Eco-Friendly

FAMILY ALBUM1 4 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

Kuwait Airways hosted an event, bestowing their gratitude to Airport authorities, travel & tourism agencies and their employees for rendering support to the Airlines. Nine VIP awards were presented to the Authorities, 33 awards were given to the Airport Authorities, and top 20 travel agents were also felicitated. The airlines also honoured their employees for excellent services.

Kuwait Airways honours travel trade

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Dusit Thani Abu DhabiUAEAaishah Bohari has been appointed the Director of Sales &Marketing at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. A Malaysian national, Boharibrings with her experience worth over20 years of sales & marketing of lux-ury hotels in 4 countries. A graduateof Hawaii Pacific University inBusiness Administration with anMBA in Marketing, she is also therecipient of the Rober t E BlackAward. She has pre-opening expe-rience at Park Hyatt Saigon, the firstHyatt proper ty in Vietnam,and Angsana LagunaPhuket, Thailand.

The PhilippinesJuan Torres has been appointed by Etihad Airways as the

General Manager for the Philippines. This isTorres’s second posting to the Republic ofthe Philippines with Etihad Airways, ashe was the Airline’s General Manager,based in Manila, from October 2006 toMarch 2010. His previous assignment in

the Philippines has equipped him with adeep understanding of the market and

strong stakeholder relationships.He has also had successfulterms as General Manager inTokyo as well as in Brazil.

KenyaJoan Mwaniki has been appointed by Etihad Airways

as the new General Manager for Kenyaoperations. She will be based

in Nairobi. Mwaniki’s key respon-sibilities will be to develop andfurther grow the relationshipswith the key travel trade andcorporate customers acrossEast Africa. Prior to joiningEtihad Airways, she held key positions with Kenya

Airways, where shespent seven years.

St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort,Abu DhabiUAEStewart Selbie joins St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi

as the General Manager. With more than 30years of experience within Starwood Hotelsand Resorts, spanning seven countriesand four brands, Selbie will also overseethe capital as Area General Manager ofAbu Dhabi. In his new role, Selbie’s pas-sion for exceeding guest expectations and

creating brand inspired experi-ences will lead the existing

hotel team towards serv-ice excellence.

Etihad Airways

Anantara offers rustic luxuryAnantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas’ newest Abu Dhabi island hideaway, Anantara Sir Bani YasIsland Al Sahel Villa Resort, offers an unrivalled blend of rustic luxury, natural tranquility andbreathtaking wildlife encounters. Exclusively located in the heart of the 4,100 hectare ArabianWildlife Park, home to stunning landscapes and over 10,000 free roaming animals, 30 luxuryrustic villas are surrounded by salt dome hilltops and lush grass savannah where elusivegazelles and Arabian oryx graze.

Jet Airways to star t 2new flights to Abu Dhabi

Jet Airways announcedon January 27, 2014, thelaunch of two new interna-tional flights, Bengaluru’smaiden flight to the Gulf,connecting India’s IT hubwith Abu Dhabi well as anew daily direct service fromHyderabad to Abu Dhabi,effective March 1, 2014.

These two new routeswill be serviced by theAirline’s next generationBoeing 737 – 800 aircraft,further strengthening JetAirways’ growing interna-tional network in the Gulfregion, thus enhancingflight connectivity beyondAbu Dhabi.

Gaurang Shetty, Senior

Vice President –Commercial, Jet Airways,said “It is indeed a proudmoment for us at JetAirways to be introducingour maiden internationalflight from Bengaluru toAbu Dhabi as well as a dailyservice on the Hyderabad –Abu Dhabi route. This istruly an indication of thestrong demand on this sec-tor. Guests travelling to AbuDhabi will now have multi-ple options to travel to des-tinations of their choice inthe Middle East, NorthAmerica, Europe and Africain a seamless manner withour strategic partner EtihadAirways.”

Ramada Plaza Jumeirah BeachResidence and Ramada SharjahUAEAlper Can Bulcum is the General Manager of Ramada PlazaJumeirah Beach Residence and RamadaSharjah. He brings a wealth of experi-ence to his new role, where he will beresponsible for the daily operations ofboth Ramada® hotels. A native ofTurkey, he has 27 years of experi-ence. He began his career in 1991 inTurkey, and has since held variousmanagement positions across a num-ber of international hotel chains inTurkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan,Bahrain and Dubai.

DubaiKerstin Pundt has taken on the role of Director of RevenueManagement for Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, located in Palm

Jumeirah in Dubai. Pundt has over 24 years’ experience. A

German national, she is skilledin tactical and strategic revenue management, pricing analytics and is fully engaged

in room and non-roomrevenues targets. Prior tojoining Jumeirah, Pundt wasthe Area Director of Revenuefor the Fairmont Group in boththe UAE and Africa.

DubaiSayyora Asatova is Director of Sales for Jumeirah ZabeelSaray. With over 15 years’ experience in hospitality, Asatova,

from Uzbekistan, returns to the JumeirahGroup having previously worked in BurjAl Arab as Business DevelopmentManager – leaving in 2007 to becomethe Associate Director of BusinessDevelopment at a tourism company.

Following this, she spent four years atAtlantis, The Palm where she left as the

Director of International Leisure Salesin 2013 to join Jumeirah Zabeel

Saray in her current role.

Park Hyatt Jeddah – Marina, Club and SpaJeddahAshwini Kumar has been appointed theGeneral Manager of Park Hyatt Jeddah– Marina, Club and Spa, Jeddah,Saudi Arabia. He started his career in1981 with the Oberoi Hotel inDammam. In 1989, he moved toDubai and joined Hyatt Regency, andmoved on to become the ResidentManager and the Hotel Manager at GrandHyatt Dubai. With more than 32 years inthe industry, Kumar has managed morethan 1,400 associates from across56 nationalities in the past.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Millenium & Copthorne HotelsDubaiThomas Tapken has been appointed the Vice President –Operations, Middle East & Africa by Millenium & Copthorne

Hotels. In his new role, Tapken will provide leadership and strategic direction to the brand. He enjoys over 30 years’ of experience in the hospitality industry, having garnered experience from

across Europe, Asia, Africa and theMiddle East. In the last 11 years in the

Middle East, he held senior managementpositions in top hospitality chains.