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YAS MALL DEVELOPS ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCES
NEW TERMINAL AT CIA NOW OPEN
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4 FEBRUARY 2017 ISSUE 378
SHARJAH’S AMUSEMENT AND WATERPARK RENOVATIONS
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AirTechnology
Agents
TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS
4 FEBRUARY 20172
MARKET UPDATE www.traveltradeweekly.travel
MANAGING EDITOR
Mary Kammitsi [email protected]
JOURNALIST Ellen Petty
CONTRIBUTORS Dominique Christou Panayiotis Karanicholas Maria Sabova Anna Spyrou
SALES & SALES SUPPORT Maria Demetriadou Magda Christou Raluca Apostolescu
DESIGN & LAYOUTElena Stylianou
WEB & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Savvas Kammitsis
DIRECTORS Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi
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Bahrain (BHD)
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Qatar (QAR)
Saudi Arabia (SAR)
UAE (AED)
Algeria (DZD)
Egypt (EGP)
Iran (IRR)
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Kuwait (KWD)
Lebanon (LBP)
Libya (LYD)
Morocco (MAD)
Syria (SYP)
Tunisia (TND)
Yemen (YER)
Dinar
Dinar
Rial
Rial
Riyal
Dirham
Dinar
Pound
Rial
Dinar
Dinar
Pound
Dinar
Dirham
Pound
Dinar
Rial
0.37
0.71
0.39
3.64
3.75
3.67
109.04
18.37
32,365.11
1,186.48
0.31
1,508.10
1.40
10.00
214.34
2.29
250.15
COUNTRY CURRENCY USD1=
3.2.2017as ofMENA EXCHANGE RATES
Record Year for Marriott International
2016 represented the strongest year of rooms growth in Marriott International’s history.
The hotel company opened a record 55,000 rooms in 2016, excluding the 381,000 inventory gained with the Starwood acquisition. The newly-merged company signed 880 new hotel deals, representing nearly 136,000 rooms, under long-term management and franchise agree-ments, and opened over 400 hotels with more than 68,000 rooms around the world. Marriott
International now operates or franchises over 6,000 hotels and nearly 1.2 million rooms.“2016 will go down as a remarkable year in Marriott’s history. Our accomplishments [for the respec-
tive year] position Marriott for continued success and create greater opportunities for our guests, asso-ciates, development partners, shareholders and the communities where we do business,” commented Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International.
Meliá Hotels to Maintain Intense Growth
Meliá Hotels International has unveiled its development strategy for the year, where details of more than 20 hotel openings were presented during the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Spain.
Following its expansion trend of opening an average of one hotel every two- to three weeks, the company revealed its plans to inaugurate five properties in Europe, six in Latin American and English-speaking Caribbean destinations, three hotels in the Middle East region and three in Africa, along with six openings in Asia-Pacific.
Gabriel Escarrer, CEO, Meliá Hotels International, in his presentation at FITUR also announced the launch of two new Innside by Meliá hotels scheduled to debut in 2019, a four-star Innside Paris-Charles de Gaulle with 267 rooms in Terminal 3 of the Paris airport and Innside Amsterdam, the brand's 328-key debut in the Netherlands.
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WEEKLY NEWSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
T he third edition of the Bahrain Shopping Festival, namely, Shop Bahrain, is set to be the biggest nation-wide festival with a unique line-up of events and entertainment, a rich shopping experience and numerous prizes. The 30-day event, aimed at celebrating the Kingdom’s hospitality and tourism offering, kicked off in
January and will run until February, 18. The festivities, co-organised by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) and Tamkeen, is held
in cooperation with the partners from the public and private sector such as Gulf Air, Batelco and YK Al Moayyed.“The third edition of the festival aims to further drive the growth of the tourism and retail sector through a
close cooperation with the hospitality sector and shopping malls,” said, Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa, chief execu-tive, BTEA.
Shop Bahrain Commences
New Terminal at CIA Now Open
S ymbolising the ever increasing bilateral ties between the two Arab nations, Kuwait Air-ways' long legacy as an aviation pioneer was continued with the arrival of flight the flight, representing both the ongoing and growing relationship between Kuwait and
Egypt. Commenting on Kuwait Airways' arrival at the airport, Rasha Abdulaziz Al-Roumi, CEO, Ku-
wait Airways, said, "Kuwait Airways is delighted to be the first airline to arrive at CIA's impres-sive new Terminal 2 facility, which highlights the strong historic and commercial bond our two nations share and one we are committed to deepening, and going forward.”
Kuwait Airways has become the first airline to arrive, and inaugurate Cairo International Airport's (CIA) new Terminal 2.
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4 FEBRUARY 2017
Since its opening in 2014, the mall has redefined the UAE’s shopping landscape, providing visitors with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues all under one roof.
Yas Mall has also set a new status in the UAE’s retail sector, by creating interactive leisure offerings set to promote the emporium as an entertainment destination, filling a gap in the market that both shoppers and retail-ers needed to receive as complete experience.
The establishment hosted a series of stellar events in 2016, targeting all nationalities and age groups, focussing on popular activities, such as sports, fashion, entertainment, and art.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. We are continually looking for new ways to engage with our visitors of all ages, including both tourists and residents, […],” said, H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO, Aldar Properties.
Yas Mall Develops Entertainment Experiences
Innovative projects in tourism were celebrated during the 13th edition of the annual awards ceremony organised by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and held at the Interna-tional Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Spain this January.
UNWTO Awards aimed to recognise the initiatives towards sustainable tourism. Nearly 150 organisations from 55 countries were considered for the awards, with the winners being: The Ministry of Tourism for Guanajuato, Mexico; Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; Govardhan Ecovil-lage, India and Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ANVR).
Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, UNWTO, explained, “The 13th UNWTO Awards is particularly relevant as it coincides with the official launch of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, a milestone and an immense opportunity for the global tourism com-munity to advance towards a more inclusive and sustainable sector.”
Sustainability as the Main Criterion for UNWTO Awards
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WEEKLY NEWSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Three of the newest and largest ships of Carnival Cruise Line will sail to new homeports in 2018, offer-ing a variety of cruise options from the Port of Gal-
veston, Texas; Port Canaveral, Florida; and the Port of Miami, the new bases of Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Magic, respectively.
The newest addition to the fleet, namely Carnival Vista, will provide two seven-day Western Caribbean itineraries from its new homeport, beginning in September 23, 2018.
The largest Carnival Cruise Line Vessel of Port Canaveral, Carnival Breeze, will offer a variety of trips, starting on Sep-tember 30, 2018 with a one-time six-day cruise, followed by two 14-day long cruises, complemented by year-round East-ern and Western Caribbean voyages.
Recently renovated, Carnival Magic will serve various cruises from the line’s busiest homeport. Its schedule in-cludes seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean journeys also starting on September 30, 2018.
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Holiday Rentals Boosting Dubai Real Estate Market
Dubai Land Department recorded promising results of the real estate sector, positively affected by the influx of tourists and the trend of holiday home rentals. A total of 60,595 real estate transactions took place in 2016, exceeding the value of AED259 billion (USD70.52 billion).
As Dubai prepares for the International Property Show scheduled for April 2 – 4, the main market players realise the importance of holiday home rentals for the real estate business. The growing number of visitors to Dubai contributed in the approval of 1,805 residential units to date serving as holiday homes by Dubai Corporation of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DCTCM).
Dawood Al Shezawi, CEO, Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions, International Property Show, confirmed, “Holiday home rental is a new trend catching up Dubai and its global counterparts. This move will definitely expand types of accommodation available especially we are nearing 2020.”
According to the recent data issued by DCTCM, top countries who visit the emirate are Saudi Arabia, India, UK, Oman, US, Pakistan, Russia and China.
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Deira Islands Boulevard Underway
Nakheel is inviting construction proposals for Deira Islands Boule-vard, its new, AED5 billion (USD1.4 billion) community for 10,000 people, to be built at Deira Islands in Dubai.
Nakheel released a tender for the construction of 2,924 apartments and townhouses in 16 residential towers spread across four clusters, each containing a swimming pool and extensive retail, restaurant and recrea-tion space.
Due for delivery in 2020, the project lies at the heart of Nakheel’s 15.3km2 Deira Islands coastal city.
Reaching up to 21 floors, the towers will each contain nearly 670 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, 65 townhouses and ground-level re-tail and recreation facilities.
RenovationsTHE AL MONTAZAH WATERPARK, HAILED AS SHARJAH’S FIRST-EVER FAMILY LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION, IS PREPARING TO UNDERGO A LARGE-SCALE EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT.
T he Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has recently announced the commencement of the second phase of de-velopment, which is expected to introduce world-class facilities upon completion.
The expansion plan aims to cater to the growing number of visitors to the park each year, particularly during summer months, public holidays and festivities, as well as to fulfil their demand for new rides, entertainment and better services.
Once the waterpark reopens, it is expected to handle 3,000 visitors daily while its amusement park will be able to host 5,000 guests. Khalid Ibrahim Al Qaseer, manager, Al Montazah, said, “We promise visitors and vacationers an exceptional leisure and entertainment experi-
ence, by this summer. The new facility will see a paradigm shift in the quality of services we will deliver. […].”
SHARJAH’S AMUSEMENT AND WATERPARK
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WEEKLY NEWS TECHNOLOGYwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
SHARJAH’S AMUSEMENT AND WATERPARK TravelClick and Weebly Partner
This partnership will deliver an intuitive, responsive and easy-to-manage web solu-tion for hoteliers to boost booking conversions.
Curtis Brewer, senior vice president, reservations and web solutions, TravelClick, said, “By partnering with Weebly, we are marrying our digital hospitality experience, award-winning designs and innovative booking engine with Weebly’s premier website platform, powerful e-commerce and integrated marketing tools. This makes for a revolutionary offer-ing that will cater a best-in-class solution for our customers.”
In respond to high demand, TravelClick a global provider of innovative, cloud-based and data-driven solutions, has announced a new strategic partnership with Weebly, a powerful website and e-commerce platform that is utilised by 40 million entrepreneurs
and small businesses around the world.
Strengthening Customer
Relationships
A study released by Sabre, in col-laboration with TrendWatch-ing, has revealed new con-
sumer shopping and buying trends emerging among European and Mid-dle Eastern consumers that could pre-sent new opportunities for hotels dur-ing this year.
The four trends are; Status Seekers, those with the desire for status and recognition; Local Love, those who take pride in locality and embrace lo-cal products and services; Infolust, those with the appetite for timely, relevant and actionable information exchange to solicit more personalised services; and Post-Demographic Con-sumerism, beyond what the society says consumers are or should be.
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AVANI Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel to Open in 2019
T he 372-key new build property, developed by Nakheel, will be strategically located adjacent to Ibn Bat-tuta Metro Link. Expected to open in 2019, as part of the mall’s expansion, the address is set to feature a pool, a spa, a gym, as well as an all-day dining outlet and a coffee shop.
William Heinecke, CEO, Minor International, commented, “Having launched our upscale AVANI brand in the region last year, we are delighted to continue the brand’s expansion in the UAE with this new hotel and we are confident that the brand will prove successful in this key market.”
Minor Hotels and Nakheel have signed a management agreement for the upcoming AVANI Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel.
A ldar Properties has disclosed that its developments are progressing well, including Ansam on Yas Island and Al Hadeel at Al Raha Beach, which are both on track for
handover this year.Furthermore, two mock-up villas at West Yas are now com-
plete, while the contract package for Mayan, a luxury golf and waterfront apartment complex, is expected to be awarded in the second quarter. Additionally, enabling works are now un-derway at Yas Acres, with the main contract expected to be de-clared in June.
Meanwhile, in Al Ain, the expansion of Al Jimi Mall is due to be completed during the first quarter of 2018.
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATIONwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Dubai Welcomes the M Hotel Brand
M illennium & Copthorne Middle East and Africa strengthened the brand`s presence across the re-gion with the opening of the M Hotel Downtown by
Millennium, in Dubai.The newly opened property brings the company closer to
meeting its expansion target of 100 hotels by 2020.With business and recreation facilities, The M Hotel brand
focusses on the mid-market business segment.
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Dubai Maintains Occupancy but Drops RatesSabre to Enhance Emirates
Travel Experience
Sabre and Emirates have also signed a new long-term global distribution agreement to make the airline’s fares available to travel agents who use the platform on a global level.
Emirates operates more than 3,600 flights per week to over 150 destinations across six continents. Sabre’s technology will enable the airline to effectively market and sell its expansive roster of fares worldwide through the Sabre Travel Marketplace, reaching more than 425,000 travel agents across the world.
Dean Bibb, interim senior vice president, EMEA, Sabre, said, “The airline’s new range of branded fares of-fers passengers more choices and greater control over their travel experience, which often means happier travellers and higher satisfaction. Helping our airline customers put travellers at the heart of their operation is a major focus for Sabre and our investment efforts.”
Sabre supports Emirates with industry-leading technology that personalises the travel experience for consumers by enabling them to easily purchase a range of customised fares.
From July 01 to September 17, Etihad Airways will increase its frequency from Abu Dhabi to Malé to 11 services a week.
The capacity increase will cater to high demand during the peak summer season. The summer expansion will be supported by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft operating
the route, with 16 business and 120 economy seats. The four extra flights each week will provide more options for local passengers travelling between Abu Dhabi and Malé with an early morning arrival into the Maldives islands.
Etihad Enhances Malé Connections
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Terminal 4 Welcomes Oman Air
A s of January 31, Oman Air’s double-daily Muscat to London flights will arrive at and depart from Terminal 4 at London Heathrow Airport.
The terminal offers visitors a world class shopping experience with retail shops, book stores, electrical outlets, souvenir shops and much more. Oman Air passen-gers using Terminal 4 will continue to have usage of the designated lounge providing premium passengers with state-of-the-art facilities prior to their flight.
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T his January, Gulf Air’s international network expanded by introducing di-rect operations to Colombo with five weekly flights to Bandaranaike Inter-national Airport.
Bahrain’s flagship carrier is ready to connect passengers travelling to and from Colombo to various destinations in the Middle East and Europe, through Bahrain International Airport (BIA).
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony at BIA, Maher Salman Al Musallam, CEO, Gulf Air, commented, “We are delighted to strengthen our Asia network with the launch of direct flights to the Colombo. We expect our newest destination to further enhance Gulf Air’s network, in line with our business strategy to provide strong business and tourism links to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the region while simultaneously appealing to our passengers’ travel requirement.”
Colombo: New Addition to Gulf Air` s Network
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A s of March 26, Etihad Airways will serve Düsseldorf from Abu Dhabi 14 times a week, following the addition of a new daily service.
The double-daily schedule will provide greater choice to local passengers travelling between the two destinations, and further increase connectivity to and from Germany from the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub. Etihad Airways will also increase international connections through codesharing with partner carrier airberlin via Düsseldorf.
Peter Baumgartner, CEO, Etihad Airways, said, “Increased frequency to our key destinations globally is a focus for Etihad Airways as expansion ensures more travel options for guests looking for greater flexibility. We are therefore delighted to soon offer double daily options to all four German destinations on Etihad Airways and our strategic partner airberlin.”
Enhancing Connections with Germany
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
S cheduled to commence beginning of June, Emirates will add a third daily flight be-tween Dubai and Nairobi, operating a total of 21 weekly flights between the cities.
First launched in 1995, the route has become one of the airline’s busiest in Africa and the additional flights will offer travellers greater flexibility and choice.
The new schedule will be the earliest of the three daily departures and will be operated by Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration. Travellers arriving in Dubai on the airlines flights from India, the UK and many European countries will be able to connect to the Nairobi flight within three hours.
Emirates Strengthens Dubai-Nairobi Route
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WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONAL www.traveltradeweekly.travel
M arriott International’s brand of Renaissance Hotels has expanded, opening its first
property in Sub-Saharan Africa, Renais-sance Lagos Ikeja Hotel.
Orientated to leisure-business trav-ellers, the new property features 155 guest rooms along with 17 contempo-rary loft suites, an outdoor pool and 24-hour fitness centre. The business fa-cilities include eight meeting rooms de-signed for small meetings or large-scale events.
Mark Satterfield, chief operating officer, Middle East and Africa, Marri-ott International, commented that the opening of the hotel marks the fourth debut of Marriott International in Africa, following the openings of its brands in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Morocco. The new hotel is an ideal addition within the financial and commercial hub of Lagos.
T he preliminary figures for visi-tor traffic at Cape Town Inter-national Airport and at the
city’s major attractions in December 2016 revealed great success.
For the first time the airport achieved the milestone of 10 million passengers in one year.
A few of the attractions that wit-nessed higher interest were; Robben Island Museum with a four percent increase in visitors over 2015 figures, and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, with a six percent year-on-year jump.
Commenting on the success, En-ver Duminy, CEO, Cape Town Tourism, said, “The figures represent an enor-mous boost to the city’s economy during December [2016], as well as an indication that the growth potential in the tourism sector remains positive.”Re
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Cape Town Achieves Impressive Figures
I nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the signing of a management agreement with Golden Wave for a new 367-key Crowne Plaza hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
The opening of Crowne Plaza Kota Kinabalu Waterfront in 2021 will mark the entry of the brand into East Malaysia. The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development at a prime downtown location, sitting amidst high-end residences and a number of dining establishments which offer stunning views of the city’s waterfront.
The address will offer eight versatile meeting spaces, including a large ballroom which can hold up to 600 people and can be easily transformed to suit a variety of MICE needs.Ko
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TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Many hoteliers reported a challenging 2016, how was business at Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park?
AMR BANOUNA: The market conditions faced in 2016 have proven to be more challenging than those in 2015 due to the drop in oil price and associated eco-nomic activity slowdown in the region. The Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park has remained busy, however, with Doha’s hotel room occupancy forecast to close the year at 66 percent, demand is clearly down which has seen competi-tion rate driven, reducing overall RevPAR. On a positive note Doha is performing better than other GCC cities that are also heavily reliant on the corporate seg-ment and, with several large scale projects announced, we hope to see a solid
AMR BANOUNA
Q & A
with
DIRECTOR, SALES, CROWNE PLAZA DOHA – THE BUSINESS PARK
AS ONE OF THE REGION’S FASTEST GROWING HOTEL MARKETS, AMR
BANOUNA, DIRECTOR, SALES, CROWNE PLAZA DOHA – THE BUSINESS PARK,
OFFERS THE LATEST UPDATE ON QATAR’S RAPIDLY DEVELOPING INDUSTRY.
programme, we have a significant base of loyal guests supporting our business.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How is Qatar developing ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
AMR BANOUNA: The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be a milestone for Qatar but more importantly it will help to put Qa-tar on the world stage and highlight its great potential as a destination. Being in Qatar is amazing, to see the pace and scale of infrastucture development that is set to remain to support the growth of the country well beyond 2022. It is clear that the 2022 FIFA World Cup is part of the journey for Qatar, and not the destination, as highlighted by the government’s shared National 2030 vi-sion. Doha is a corporate and govern-ment event driven destination and as a business hotel, Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park aims to reinforce its hold on the meetings, incentives, cater-ing and events and business corporate segments into the future.
start to this year. The strong hotel room pipeline has
already seen an influx of 1,500 room keys over the last year with the current year set to see several more significant openings. Despite the challenging en-vironment, the hotel’s revenue gen-eration index standing remains strong compared to our competition, showing that we continue to get higher than our fair share of the business. In an increas-ingly competitive market, and incom-ing significant new supply, our focus remains on strengthening our existing business relationships and exploring new opportunities arising from both government and corporate initiatives and projects.
Although we have experienced a de-cline in overall occupancy in 2016, along with the Qatar market, we remain posi-tive that with significant government in-vestment ongoing in infrastructure and large scale projects, we expect a period of stabilisation at the beginning of this year, followed by positive growth as the year progresses.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Taking into consideration the huge variety in accommodation for travellers visiting Doha, how do you continue to attract guests?
AMR BANOUNA: Our focus remains on being the number one business hotel in Doha in the five-star upscale segment. We understand that new hotels will al-ways be entering the market, therefore we place great emphasis on delivering a great guest experience by understand-ing their needs and ensuring they are delivered by passionate knowledgeable colleagues. The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) knows that there is a strong correlation between guest experience and brand loyalty and, supported by the award winning IHG Rewards loyalty
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RENDEZVOUSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park
Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park
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TRAVEL TALK www.traveltradeweekly.travel
TRAVEL TALK IS YOUR SPACE – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to
GENERAL MANAGER, JUMEIRAH MESSILAH BEACH HOTEL & SPA
“I am incredibly proud of our culinary team at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa with continuous participation in the country’s highly await-ed hospitality exhibition, [win-ning 20 medals at Hotel, Res-taurant and Catering Awards]. Our chefs have demonstrated their commitment to culinary excellence and dedication to deliver the most memorable dining experiences to our guests. I wish to congratulate them for the outstanding lev-el of creativity and passion in their performances”.
Our chefs have demonstrated their commitment
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FOUNDING CHAIRMAN, AL HABTOOR GROUP
“I support many causes around the world, but charity starts at home. I encourage people to give more to help people in need. A few years ago, I launched a foundation in my name to support my philan-thropic effort. We can not rely on governments to do every-thing. We have a responsibility as citizens of the world to help wherever possible.”
Charity starts at home
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CEO, ETIHAD AVIATION GROUP
“An innovative approach to business is at the heart of our strategy at Etihad Airways. I am delighted to see the high level of confidence in our busi-ness reflected by the ground-breaking Sukuk, and credit to James Rigney [chief financial officer, Etihad Aviation Group] and his treasury team for cre-ating a framework that devel-oped a strong appetite from the markets, particularly dur-ing challenging times in the financial sector and for our industry.”
An innovative approach to business
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“[Forever Living Product’s Annual Global Rally] will be such a prestigious event for Dubai, and we look forward to working with the Forever Liv-ing team to build and deliver their best event yet. Dubai is perfectly poised geographi-cally to bring in people from around the world, with tre-mendous infrastructure to enable us to host large groups and mega events, this is what makes our proposition so ap-pealing. We had the opportu-nity to see the Rally first hand in Johannesburg in 2016 and understand the scale of what is expected, [...].”
Dubai is perfectly poised
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WEEKLY NEWS AGENTSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Causes In-flight Iritation Revealed
T he survey identified passenger behaviours that most infuriate fellow travellers. Out of all behaviours, in-cluding boozing, excessive chatting, undressing and inattentive parenting, the one that causes the most fury is rear-seat kicking.
The survey was commissioned by Expedia and conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company. John Morrey, vice president, Expedia, said, “As we embark this new year, millions and millions of people will be taken to the air, and should know that there is no better gift you can give to a fellow traveller than respect and generosity. The Airplane Etiquette study shows that small acts of decorum can go a long way. After all, as it relates to flights, we are quite literally all in this together.”
Expedia, published results of the Airplane Etiquette Study which solicited feedback from 1,005 Americans aged over 18, in mid-air.
I t has been revealed that online travel agency Rehlat has chosen Sabre to power its online platform, in a bid to increase its online conversion performance, revenue, personalisation and customer satisfaction.
Commenting on the announcement, Bader Al Bader, president, Rehlat Travel, noted, “It has only been a cou-ple of months since we launched our operations on Sabre, but we have already seen the positive impact on our sales and performance.”
Al Bader also added that the company will roll out new capabilities in mobile and social media to meet the expectations of its customers.Re
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Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman seeks to boost its current food waste management scheme through the installation of a new WasteSta-tion machine.
Developed and distributed by the UK-based Imperial Machine Company (IMC), the WasteSta-tion is an innovative food waste macerator and dewa-tering unit. In addition to the hotel’s existing compost machine which converts its food waste into fertilisers, the newly-installed machine will further simplify the process and cut down on labour.
The hotel generates an average of 360kg of kitchen waste daily, including fruit and vegetable peels and food scraps, among others. Its previous compost machine could hold up to 80kg of waste, but the new WasteSta-tion has a capacity of processing 700kg of food waste per hour. It also reduces the process of converting the waste into fertilisers from 24 hours to just 12 hours.
Storytelling, theatre and colour were the theme of the recent performance at the International Storytelling #Festival, which took place at Al Noor Island in Sharjah, on the last three weekends of January.
Blending traditional storytelling with art, music and theatrical performances, narrators delivered an exceptional artistic experience in front of a large audience
of families and visitors to Al Noor Island. Each of the storytellers recited tales that conveyed moral messages about nobility, beauty and love.
“Hosting the International Storytelling #Festival at Al Noor Island in Sharjah confirms the vision and mission of the island to be a family destination and one that combines cul-ture with entertainment, thereby providing children of all ages with important values. A Palette of Stories brought tales from around the world to life, with the festival part of our programme to play an integrated role that blends tourism with a cultural vision,” said Mar-wa Obaid Al Shamsi, manager, Al Noor Island.
As part of Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage’s (SCTH) plan of registering Al Ahsa Oasis as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, H.R.H. Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, president, SCTH met with Simone Ricca, general man-ager, RC Heritage and François Cristofoli, architect, RC Heritage, to prepare the nomination documents.
Al Ahsa Oasis is said to be the largest Palm Oasis in the world, and boasts more than 2.5 million date palm trees and is unique for its cultural and economic influence.
Additionally, a higher committee has been announced to oversee the area and monitor the implementation of policies as part of the application and site’s protection plan.
Westin Hotels & Resorts has unveiled its first global brand campaign in more than five years, taking on the disruptions, distractions and unpredictability of travel and empowering travellers to embrace well-being as a way to regain control of their routines and be their best
while on the road. The USD30 million integrated advertising campaign called Let’s
Rise, communicates the brand’s commitment to its guests’ well-being before, during and after their stay.
“Let’s Rise is perfectly positioned to connect with travellers as more of a rally-cry than a brand campaign, given today’s over-scheduled and always-on culture. Around the world, we are seeing travellers realigning their priorities to put their well-being first, and Westin is proud to em-power our guests to rise to the occasion and be their best selves on the road,” said Brian Povinelli, global brand leader, Westin Hotels & Resorts.
WasteStation machine at
Ramada Ajman
Al Noor Island Hosts Story Festival
SCTH Prepares for UNESCO Application
Enhancing Travellers’ Well-being
Story telling at Al Noor Island
Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman
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Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor hosts the first face-to-face open talk session with his social media followers
Shoppers can now drive around The Dubai Mall in electric cars
Dima Al Saber became Royal Jordanian's third female pilot
Staybridge Suites Cairo Citystars hosted a special party in the hotel’s Den to celebrate the success achieved in 2016 with InterContinental Hotels Group Citystars commercial team
The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair showcased the best of all things wedding
4 FEBRUARY 2017 19
PHOTO ALBUMwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
4 FEBRUARY 201720
NEWS & EVENTS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
ITB Berlin Convention
Highlights MICE Day
IDE Records a Successful
2016
Considered to be the world’s leading tourism conven-tion, and held on March 08 – March 11, ITB Berlin
Convention will host a MICE Day. The industry’s newest trends and chal-lenges will be presented at numer-ous lectures organised at the event.
Visitors will have an opportunity to broaden their knowledge about the industry’s best practices and in-novations as the professionals will discuss digitalisation, sustainability, demographic change, disruption and corporate social responsibility, to name a few topics dominating the day.
The industry think tank will take place in parallel with ITB Berlin travel trade show, which will start on the same day and run until March 12.
IDE summits registered growth of 44.21 percent in 2016 com-pared to 2015, with more than 2600 participants from the relat-
ed businesses all across the globe. The company organised 11 global summits in various vital sectors in-cluding hospitality, healthcare and real estate around the world, during 2016.
The events that have taken place in South Africa, India, Kenya, India, Italy, Qatar and UAE, facilitat-ed a boost in the procurement and selling process within the related fields and brought together key decision makers, solution providers and product suppliers from the con-structional, architectural, interior design, engineering and technol-ogy segments, among others.
ITB BERLIN
Berlin, GermanyMarch 08 – 12 www.itb-berlin.deIndustry professionals from 187 countries are expected to attend one of the world’s biggest travel trade fairs.
IBTM ARABIA
Abu Dhabi, UAEFebruary 07 – 09www.ibtmarabia.comOne of the leading international events for the Arabian meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry.
MITT
Moscow, RussiaMarch 14 – 16 www.mitt.ruThe 24th edition of one of the leading business-to-business travel events will offer a wealth of opportunities for partnerships within Russia, CIS, and beyond.
EVENTS
