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FLYDUBAI LAUNCHES DAILY ROUTE TO BANGKOK
SCTDA TARGETS VISITORS FROM CHINA
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17 DECEMBER 2016 ISSUE 371
UAE’S THEME PARKS TO WELCOME 19 MILLION VISITORS BY 2020
THEME PARKS07
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AccommodationTechnology
International
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TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS
17 DECEMBER 20162
MARKET UPDATE www.traveltradeweekly.travel
MANAGING EDITOR
Mary Kammitsi [email protected]
JOURNALIST Ellen Petty
CONTRIBUTORSAna Mladenovic Dominique Christou Panayiotis
Karanicholas Stella Alexandrou
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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Dinar
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Rial
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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
111.47
18.42
32,231.56
1,180.86
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1,506.51
1.43
10.18
213.30
2.32
250.10
COUNTRY CURRENCY USD1=
17.12.2016as ofMENA EXCHANGE RATES
Overall Increase in Global Passenger Traffic
After the slowing down of growth in August, global airport
passenger traffic increased by 6.3 percent in September.
International passenger traffic grew faster than the domestic
segment for the same period, increas-ing 6.9 percent and 5.9
percent, respectively. Total passenger traffic rose 5.6 percent
from January – September, compared to 2015 figures.
Fuelled by lower fares and strong international traffic, all
regions experienced a boost in pas-senger traffic in September,
with the sole exception of the African region.
The highest growth rates were observed in the Middle East and
Asia-Pacific, with surge of 11.9 percent and 9.8 percent
respectively. On the other hand, Africa reported a drop in traffic
of 0.9 percent. International passenger traffic continued to soar
in the Middle East, up 12 percent.
American Express Declares Quarterly Dividend
The board of directors of American Express Company have declared
a regu-lar quarterly dividend of USD0.32 per common share.
The Manhattan-based global services company is continuing its
endeavours to provide custom-ers with access to products, insights
and experiences that enrich lives and build business suc-cess.
The quarterly sum will be payable on February 10, 2017 to
shareholders of record on Janu-ary 6, 2017.
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According to STR’s Middle East hotel report for October,
properties in the region recorded an average 4.4 percent drop in
occupancy to 64 percent, while average daily rate (ADR) fell to
USD174.19, a year-on-year decline of nine percent and RevPAR fell
13 percent to USD111.48.
Overall, the UAE posted a reductions in all three performance
metrics, occupancy, ADR and RevPAR dropped 2.9 percent, 9.6 percent
and 12.3 percent, respectively.Despite ADR decreasing a further 1.5
percent, occupancy in Jordan rose 3.9 percent to 60.6 percent which
contributed to a 2.4 percent surge in RevPAR.
D espite a 41.8 percent year-on-year decline in arrivals through
September, hoteliers in Cairo reported a 4.6 percent boost in
occupancy in October to 57.9 per-cent and a 4.5 percent rise in
RevPAR to EGP478.29 (USD26.86), while ADR remained flat with a
slight dip of 0.1percent. It is thought that strong weekend
business indicates the return of the leisure demand. In particular,
on Armed Forces Day, oc-cupancy soared to 67 percent, nine percent
higher than the monthly average.
Positive Outlook for Cairo Properties
A 5.8 percent increase in supply in Dubai during the first 10
months of the year outpaced demand, which was up 5.6 percent. This
resulted in a two percent decline in occupancy to 78 percent.
Meanwhile, ADR fell 9.8 percent to AED764.63 (USD208.18) and RevPAR
was down 11.6 per-cent to AED596.16 (USD162.13). The drop in
visitor numbers is thought to be a result of falling oil
prices.
Supply Outpaces Demand in Dubai
A s a city heavily reliant on corporate travellers, Ri-yadh
properties suffered due to the drop in oil prices coupled with
significant supply growth, up 8.9 percent in the first 10 months of
the year. There-fore, occupancy fell 7.2 percent to 56.2 percent,
while ADR declines 3.6 percent to SAR796.30 (USD212.31).
Further-more, RevPAR plummeted 10.6 percent to just SAR447.46
(USD119.30)
Riyadh Hit with Falling Oil Prices
Cairo
17 DECEMBER 2016 3
WEEKLY NEWS HOTEL PERFORMANCEwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
STR: Poor October for Middle Eastern Hotels
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4
WEEKLY NEWS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
17 DECEMBER 2016
SCTDA Targets Visitors from China
T he team met with the regions major travel agencies and
overseas tour organisers to discuss strategies for boosting Chinese
tourism to Sharjah, as well as to gain a better insight into the
markets current trends.H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman, SCTDA,
explained that China is major international source market for
tourism and commerce. Hotels welcomed over 75,000 Chinese visitors
during the first three quarters of the year marking a 75 percent
year- on- year growth.
“[…] We are confident that we can continue the upward trend of
this market into Sharjah. We are aiming to confirm 200,000 Chinese
guests nights in 2021,” said, Al Midfa.
Following Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority
(SCTDA) efforts to boost Chinese tourism to Sharjah, the SCTDA
delegation, together with its partner Air Arabia, held a
workshop in the north-western Chinese city of Urumqi.
Shar
jah
http://www.ihg.com/destinations/gb/en/oman-hotels
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17 DECEMBER 2016 5
WEEKLY NEWS TECHNOLOGYwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
The UAE Embraces Digital
B y 2025, it is estimated that the Middle East will have 160
million potential digital users that will largely contribute to
rapid economic growth as more countries in the region with higher
GDP are able to spend more on electronic adoption. A report
published by the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit
noted that digital
transformation could generate USD16.9 billion in extra revenue
each year for companies in the Middle East from 2017 – 2021, as
well as a further USD17.3 billion in annual cost savings and
efficiency gains.
M ore than 300 of India’s travel industry leaders marked the
official launch of IndiGo’s fares and an-cillaries on Travelport’s
platform.Following the announcement of the strategic partner-
ship in September, Travelport now distributes the Indian
low-cost carrier’s content to agencies around the world, both
online and offline.
Commenting on the new service, Aditya Ghosh, presi-dent, IndiGo,
said, “Travelport’s technology is providing an opportunity for us
to reach new travellers at home and in-ternationally and
familiarise them with our unique brand in a highly cost effective
manner without incurring the tradition-al costs associated with
participation in the more traditional global distribution
platforms.”
Travelport Welcomes IndiGo’s Offerings
The Middle East’s digital industry is currently enjoying
continuous growth fuelled by increased enthusiasm from consumers
who are ready to quickly embrace new electronic offerings, thus
transforming the region into a potential digital hub.
African Travel Spend to Rise 24 Percent
N ew research released by global travel tech-nology provider,
Sabre, has revealed that African air travel spend is expected to
rise 24 percent with the introduction of the pan-African passport
in 2018.
The new passport will enable African travellers to visit other
countries on the continent without a visa.
Travellers from four countries, South Africa, Nige-ria, Kenya
and Egypt were surveyed, with those hav-ing flown in the past 24
months saying they would spend 24 percent more with the
introduction of the passport.
Dino Gelmetti, vice president, Europe, Middle East and Africa,
Airline Solutions, Sabre, said, “Afri-can airlines have a real
opportunity to win the lion’s share of bookings by addressing the
pain points of travellers and going the extra mile to improve their
experience.” Ke
nya
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17 DECEMBER 20166
WEEKLY NEWS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
True Club Solutions announced its new division, Troongolf Club
Solu-tions, which specialises in advisory services for the club and
hospitality industries. True Club Solutions has the ability to draw
from decades of experience in
the day-to-day management of more than 270 golf and hospitality
and sup-ported by nearly 12,000 corporate and field associates who
excel in their re-spective fields of expertise.
Commenting on the development, Rich Carter, division president,
True Club Solutions, said, “I welcome the opportunity to build the
True Club Solu-tions team and help shape the future of this new
division. Our team of profes-sionals will strategically guide clubs
and golf or resort destinations through today's competitive
landscape offering advisory services in a variety of disci-plines,
including operations, sales and marketing, agronomy and more."
Troongolf Introduce True Club Solutions
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F ollowing a review of competiveness on Dubai’s retail sector in
terms of its global positioning as a shopping destination for
tourists, conducted by Dubai Corporation of Tourism & Commerce
Marketing and included consultations from the Department of
Econom-ic Development and key government and pri-vate sector
stakeholders, it was concluded that some priorities of the industry
should be on the set of development.
Outcomes of the evaluation cover initia-tives to address
consumer perceptions, pricing competitiveness, product-mix,
experience en-hancement, e-commerce and future proofing through
digitisation and proactive innovation.
MICE Set to Boost in Oman
Following the October opening of Oman Convention and Exhibition
Centre (OCEC), the establishment will further strengthen and
position Oman as a growing business hub for MICE. The OCEC is
situated within a purpose built, fully integrated business
precinct and has been designed to accommodate world congresses,
exhibi-tions, regional meetings, gala events, performances and
concerts.
Khalid Al Zidjali, head, Oman Convention Bureau, said, “The
ministry’s initiative in establishing the Oman Convention Bureau
under its supervision is a milestone towards building a foundation
and achieving our objectives in the MICE tourism sector. We will be
working as a specialised team to en-hance this sector and regulate
the processes, and use various external chan-nels to promote MICE
internationally.”
OCE
C
Initiatives to Enhance Dubai
Retail Sector
The Dubai Mall
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17 DECEMBER 2016 7
WEEKLY NEWS THEME PARKSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
by 2020THEME PARK TOURISM, A REPORT BY COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL,
HAS FORECASTED THAT THE UAE’S EXISTING, AND NEW GENERATION THEME
PARKS WILL ATTRACT MORE THAN 19 MILLION ADMISSIONS A YEAR BY 2020,
IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE. IN LIGHT OF THIS, THE ARABIAN TRAVEL
MARKET (ATM) IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE OF
UAE’S MAJOR THEME PARKS IN ACHIEVING TOURIST ARRIVAL TARGET.
T he prediction has been made using existing admissions and
arrivals data for Yas Island’s Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas
Waterworld in addition to Dubai’s Aquaventure waterpark and Wild
Wadi waterpark as well as a sam-ple of new and upcoming parks.
Similar patterns are expected to be seen for IMG Worlds of
Adventure and Dubai Parks and Resorts, which opened this year in
Dubai.
Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM, said, “Theme parks
are a new addi-tion to the tourism landscape here in the GCC and it
is important that destinations are positioned to take full
advantage of the benefits they can bring.”
UAE’S THEME PARKS TO WELCOME 19 MILLION VISITORS
Yas
Isla
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17 DECEMBER 20168
WEEKLY NEWS CRUISING www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Celebrity Cruises’ Abu Dhabi Departure
C elebrity Constellation, a luxury vessel, is the first ship to
make the UAE’s capital its home, strengthening the emirate’s world
cruise destination ambitions. The liner sees the highest number of
new callers and the highest recorded number of regional rotational
callers, and follows extensive collaboration between Abu Dhabi
Tour-ism & Culture Authority, Abu Dhabi Ports Company, Etihad
Airways and Celebrity Cruises in improvement of facilities, product
development and marketing. Celebrity Constella-tion is a 295m,
91,000 ton vessel with a capacity for 2,170 guests, 975 staterooms
on 13 decks and will sail nine, 12, 14 and 15 night cruises
covering five ports of call until the end of January, 2017.
W ith a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day cruises to the
Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Lines welcomed the newest and largest
addition to their fleet, Carnival Vista.
Having arrived at PortMiami in November, the liner boasts many
extensive features such as SkyRide, a suspended open-air cycling
experience, the world’s first ship-based IMAX Theatre and
Kaleid-O-Slide, part of WaterWorks aqua park.
“Miami has been our home since our company’s inception in 1972
and homeporting the new Carnival Vista here not only pro-vides
consumers with a convenient homeport with renovated facilities and
numerous operational enhancements but speaks volumes about our
confidence in growing this important market,” said Christine Duffy,
president, Carnival Cruise Lines.
PortMiami Welcomes Carnival Vista
Celebrity Cruises, the premium cruise line of Royal Caribbean
Cruise Lines (RCL), is set to launch its maiden voyage from Abu
Dhabi as part of a three month long home port deployment at
Zayed
Port’s Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal.
Key Topics of International Cruise Summit
T he sixth edition of the International Cruise Summit, held in
Madrid between November 22 – 23, exceeded the success of previous
meetings, and confirmed the importance of this congress within the
industry.
More than 400 attendees were able to learn about the con-stantly
growing industry, discussing issues such as the impor-tance of
harmonising European regulations for ship calls, the growth
opportunity that exists in the Chinese market, as well as the great
challenge that the current geopolitical situation infers for the
industry, among others.
This latest edition of the summit was also noteworthy by the
multitude of opportunities that the attendees had to in-teract with
the speakers at sessions and presentations as well as the
networking occasions in an environment that improves year after
year.
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17 DECEMBER 201610
WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATION www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Golden Sands Hotel Apartments joined Clean Up The World, a
global campaign aimed at inspiring communities to clean up, fix up
and conserve the environment.
The team of the property participated in the pro-gramme
sponsored by Dubai Municipality, by remov-ing waste from various
areas in Al Quoz.
Commenting on the participation, Mohammed Khoori, general
manager, Golden Sands Hotel Apart-ments, said, “We promote Dubai as
a safe and clean destination so we need to make sure that when
tourists visit the UAE they will have that impression. It not only
helps our country but the Earth in general because we want the next
generation to enjoy a clean and healthy planet so we need to do
some positive action now.”
On November 23, InterContinental Cairo Semir-amis hosted The
Ultimate Beauty Show by DG Beauty, which featured an exclusive
fashion show, by Charbel Zoe. Showcasing his designs for the first
time in Cairo, the celebrity designer displayed 30 of his most
recent creations on the catwalk.
Guests of the show also enjoyed informative pres-entations by
renowned plastic surgeon Karim Rafla and makeup artist Samer
Khozamy, who filled everyone in on the latest updates in the world
of cosmetic surgery and makeup.
Dubai Municipality Sponsored Clean Up
Campaign
Cairo Hosted Beauty Show
DAMAC Properties Announces New Developments
The unique concept, AKOYA Manarola Villas, inspired by the
village of Manarola on the Italian Riviera, is nestled within AKOYA
Oxygen, a five million m2 master development that will showcase the
green-est living spaces in Dubai. Home to the 18-hole championship
golf course created by Tiger Woods Design, the eagerly anticipated
development AKOYA Manarola villas combine modern flair and style
with the architecture, culture and spirit of a charismatic small
town.
Ziad El Chaar, managing director, DAMAC Properties added, “We
are very delighted to launch AKOYA Manarola villas in the heart of
AKOYA Oxygen, […]. For the first time ever in Dubai, this unique
concept of homes fulfils the aspirations of an important segment of
home buyers […].”
A unique collection of colourful villas directly facing the
international golf course have recently been unveiled by DAMAC
Properties.
AKOYA Manarola Floor Plans
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17 DECEMBER 2016 11
WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATIONwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Cayan Group announced the appointment of Rotana Hotel Management
as the hotel operator for the Cayan Arjaan Hotel Apartments project
in Dubai. Forecasting an occupancy rate of 90 percent year-to-date,
Cayan Cantara’s Hotel Apartment tower will function under Rotana’s
Arjaan brand, which is known for making extended-stays comfortable
through the provision of fully equipped multi-bedroom hotel
apartments serviced by 24-hour room service, and leisure facilities
such as gyms and pools.
Nasser Nowais, chairman, Rotana, highlighted, “We are excited to
partner with Cayan Group on yet another one of its iconic
masterpieces. With Cayan Cantara Towers we are sure the project
itself will marvel the visitors, and it is truly exciting to be a
con-tributing partner in promoting quality, luxury, and an
experience in Dubai.”
Rotana to Operate Cayan Cantara
The four-star hotel, Park Inn by Radisson Muscat has been
au-dited and certified as operating in accordance with The Global
Hotel Se-curity Standard of Safehotels Alliance.
Safehotels Alliance independently verifies, awards, recognises
and certifies consistent safety and security systems in place at
hotels and meeting venues.
Nuno Neves, cluster general man-ager, Park Inn Muscat and Park
Inn Duqm, said, ” We are proud to share this great achievement with
all our guests and employees. Their safety and secu-rity is our top
priority and will continue to make their stay and workplace to be
safe at all times.”
The hotel went through a number of evaluations including
security equip-ment, staff awareness and training, fire security
and first aid.
Park Inn by Radisson Muscat Awarded for Safety
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17 DECEMBER 201612
WEEKLY NEWS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Yas Island to Feature CLYMB
Middle East travel company, Rehlat, projects a 200 percent rise
in web traffic and a minimum 60 percent increase in flight
bookings, as the Middle East travel industry is poised to grow
vastly over the next few years.According to World Travel and
Tourism Council research, the government spending on
travel and tourism in the Middle East is set to rise 2.6 percent
this year, and 3.5 percent per year over the next decade.
Commenting on the key growth factors, Bader Al-Bader, CEO,
Rehlat, said, “Travel has grown and so have the number of flights
connecting destinations across the world. Rehlat is taking these
efforts of making travel easy a notch higher especially for Middle
East indi-viduals with its simple booking gateway, local currency
payment modes, English and Arabic customer support, and competitive
flight rates.”
Growth in Middle East Travel Industry
Miral has announced the next new attraction CLYMB, to be
developed on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Set to open in 2018, CLYMB will
be one of the world’s widest flight chamber and tallest indoor
climbing wall, complementing Yas Island’s existing array of
experiences.Visitors to the flight chamber will be able to mimic
the feeling of skydiving, scale the world’s tallest climbing
wall at 43m as well as enjoy a range of retail, food and
beverage outlets. CLYMB will also have a space to host parties.
Mohammed Abdullah Al Zaabi, CEO, Miral, said, "CLYMB project is
an important and distinctive addition to the unique portfolio of
destinations developed by Miral on Yas Island. […] We will offer
visitors the opportunity to enjoy exceptional experiences that
combine excitement and adventure together.”
Rend
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g of
CLY
MB
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17 DECEMBER 2016 13
WEEKLY NEWS AIRPORTSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Dubai Maintains Occupancy but Drops Rates
Saving Time at Dubai Airport
Completely free of charge and requiring no pre-registration, the
initiative makes passing through immigration smart gates fast and
convenient for all local residents.
Upon inserting the identity cards into the Smart Gate, the
system can quickly, accurately and efficiently confirm the
identity, travel plans and eligibility of UAE residents to enter
and depart the country.
Paul Griffiths, CEO, DXB, said, “With a transaction time that
averages 10-15 seconds, this is clearly a smarter way to travel. It
speeds up the immigration process significantly and shortens
queues. Our focus going forward is to get more residents using
it.”
A new service that enables the use of Emerati identity cards to
pass through automated immigration gates at Dubai International
Airport (DXB) is gaining popularity, with more than
234,000 UAE residents using it during its phased roll out.
Dub
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http://airastana.com/uae/Plan/Special-Offers/Air-Astana-Connects-Gulf-with-Kazakhstan
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17 DECEMBER 201614
WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
flydubai Launches Daily Route to Bangkok
A s the carrier's first double daily route outside of the GCC,
holidaymakers will be able to experience popular adventures, sport,
health and wellness retreats of-fered in the Thai capital. The
airline now provides connecting routes for travel through Dubai, in
addition to the myriad of travel options into neighbouring South
East Asian cities.
K uwait Airways has selected a strategic partnership with
Amadeus to transform its business processes. This announcement
follows a transformation strategy revealed by Kuwait Airways in
September, as well as a new livery and branding of the airline in
October, as efforts to double its growth in the next five
years.
The strategy aims to revive the national carrier’s legacy in
re-gional aviation, with clear infrastructural changes and new
tech-nologies, which is estimated be completed by April, 2017.
With the help of the technology and business processes of-fered
by Amadeus, Kuwait Airways is completely changing its approach to
business, and the airline will adopt a complete suite of Altéa
solutions including revenue management, e-commerce, loyalty
programmes, inventory, reservation, departure control, payments, as
well as mobile and travel intelligence.
Kuwait Airways Selects Amadeus
In an inaugural flight from Dubai International, flydubai
launched its daily service to Bangkok.
Vast Route Expansion for Qatar Airways
Q atar Airways has announced eight more destinations for
2017-2018, namely Canberra, Dublin, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro,
Santia-go, Medan, Tabuk and Yanbu.
Commenting on the route expansion, H.E. Akbar Al Baker, CEO,
Qatar Airways, said, “With [this] network announcement, we will be
able to connect more people to more places than any other Gulf
airline, and we will ensure our passengers will de-light in the
journey. At Qatar Airways, we are going places together with our
pas-sengers, and we look forward to welcom-ing these new
destinations in 2017-2018.”
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TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What are your main priorities and goals for
2017?
RAED RABIE: Ever since our establishment in 2014 in the Abdali
area, the new downtown of Amman, we have managed to build an
excellent reputation as a hotel that always offers dependable
quality, thus securing the satisfaction of hundreds of customers
who have stayed with The Boulevard Arjaan. In recogni-tion of our
distinguished services, The Boulevard Arjaan won the coveted title
The Leading Serviced Apartments for 2016 at World Travel Awards
ceremony held this year in Dubai. We are planning to build on this
success and we are also hop-ing to become the destination of choice
for visitors from around the globe who choose to come to Amman.
In 2017, we will continue to offer our guests with an exciting
hospitality ex-perience, while also working with our partners,
Rotana’s area sales offices and
RAED RABIE
Q & A
with
GENERAL MANAGER, THE BOULEVARD ARJAAN BY ROTANA
CONTINUING TO OFFER GUESTS EXCITING HOSPITALITY, RAED RABIE,
GENERAL
MANAGER, THE BOULEVARD ARJAAN BY ROTANA, TALKS ABOUT KEEPING UP
WITH
THE TIMES.
your approach be when it comes to marketing your product and
facili-ties, both online and offline?
RAED RABIE: Although the Rotana brand is well trusted and
appreciated by hundreds of thousands of travellers, we continue to
work with other channels as their partnership is essential for our
business, as well as social media. We be-lieve that in order to
reach today’s Mil-lennials, who are entering their spend-ing years
and are particularly influenced by what they read on the different
social media platforms, we need to speak their language.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What incen-tives and promotional activities
are you considering?
RAED RABIE: We are lucky to be oper-ating under the auspices of
the global-ly-acknowledged Rotana brand which lends us the services
of a vast network of sales offices around the globe. We co-operate
and work closely with them to identify new opportunities and to
pro-mote our beautiful destination within the city of Amman.
Furthermore, we work closely with different partners from the
aviation industry as well as local and international media outlets,
who help us deliver our messages to a vast audience. In addition to
that, we also enjoy inviting decision makers, bloggers and social
media influencers, who are the best marketing channels in today’s
world, to visit and enjoy the hotel’s different facilities.
the Jordan Tourism Board, to explore new opportunities and
target new mar-kets which will help us attract more cus-tomers.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Are there any new infrastructure
develop-ments or product enhancements that you are planning for
2017?
RAED RABIE: We are happy to an-nounce that in addition to our
Body-lines Fitness and Wellness Club and two roof-top swimming
pools overlooking the beautiful city of Amman, The Boule-vard
Arjaan will witness the opening of the second high-tech gym and the
third roof-top pool mid of 2017. Both will provide our guests with
the opportuni-ty to enjoy the latest in gym technology as well as
spectacular views over Am-man, upholding our reputation as the
lifestyle destination in the capital.
In addition to hotel’s two world-class restaurants, Café Italia,
which serves modern Italian cuisine, and Café Margaux, a stylish
French restaurant, what also works to our advantage is our location
within the Abdali’s Boulevard. We are the only hotel connected with
underground access to the Abdali Mall, which offers a blend of
restaurants, ca-fes, and a wide selection of retail shops and
banking services.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Which mar-kets will be your main focus in
2017?
RAED RABIE: Since our inception we have come to realise that the
GCC mar-ket is of particular importance to Am-man in general and to
The Boulevard Arjaan, in particular. We will continue to focus on
and cater to our guests from the Gulf Council, who enjoy the
cultural similarities that their countries share with the Kingdom,
while encouraging more to visit the Kingdom with their families. We
have also been paying spe-cial attention to the US and UK markets
that represent the lion’s share of our business.
Our location in Abdali, where many banks and companies have set
up shop, and proximity to various entertainment outlets help us
attract both leisure and business travellers. And as I said
earlier, we are the only one to provide an un-derground access to
the Abdali Mall; of-fering safe and friendly facilities for all
travellers.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What will
17 DECEMBER 201616
RENDEZVOUS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
The Boulevard Arjaan by Rotana
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17 DECEMBER 2016 17
WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
O n December 9, Oman Air initiated flights from Muscat
International Air-port to Guangzhou, continuing its network
expansion programme, first unveiled in 2014. The launch of the new
route, which is the airline’s first destination in China,
is in response to significant customer demand, and will
strengthen political, eco-nomic and social links between Oman and
China.
The carrier's network expansion programme runs in parallel to a
major fleet enlargement agenda that has seen the addition of Airbus
A330, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to the
airline’s fleet, as part of Oman Air’s plan of operating 70
aircraft by 2020.
Oman Air operating flights to Guangzhou
Qatar Airways’ Strengthens Ties with Morocco
O n November 28, H.E. Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways,
welcomed national and international media at a press briefing in
Casablanca, celebrating a remarkable first year of the airline’s
joint business agreement with Royal Air Maroc and its expansion to
Marrakech earlier this year. It was also announced that travellers
will soon be able to enjoy even more options, as the airlines will
offer
a number of frequency increases between Doha, and two Moroccan
destinations. From December 15, Royal Air Maroc will increase
flights between Doha and Casablanca to four times weekly, and from
January 05, 2017, Qatar Airways will also add a fourth weekly
flight to Marrakech ahead of daily services commencing. In
addi-tion, from April 04, 2017, the Moroccan airline will add an
extra service to the Casablanca-Doha route, taking the number of
weekly return itineraries to five.
Mar
rake
ch
The Boulevard Arjaan by Rotana
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17 DECEMBER 201618
WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONAL www.traveltradeweekly.travel
T he Ascott Limited, unveils its newest brand, Lyf, designed for
and managed by millennials who wish to experience desti-nations as
locals do.
The residence will offer a range of apartment layouts from
studios to twin rooms and business suites fully equipped with all
the necessary tools of a conference room.
Going beyond traditional hospitality con-cepts, Lyf signifies a
new way of living and col-laborating as a community, connecting
guests with fellow travellers and change-makers.
Lee Chee Koon, CEO, Ascott, said, “Lyf marks another milestone
in Ascott’s innovation journey to design products and experiences
for the future of travel. We are on the lookout for sites in key
gateway cities for Lyf and we are open to both in-vestment and
management contracts to meet the growing demand for such co-living
spaces […].”
After a recent visit to Mexico, Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott
International, an-nounced the signing of four hotels in the
country. Following an aggressive expansion strategy in one of the
region’s key mar-kets, Sorenson stated, “We are very excited to
continue growing our reach in Latin Amer-ica with brands as diverse
as Renaissance, AC Hotels by Marriott, Westin and Aloft. These new
projects are driven by a solid increase in the demand for business
and leisure travel to this dynamic part of the world.”
A total of 17 hotels have been signed into the Marriott
International’s Caribbean and Latin America development pipeline so
far this year, totaling nearly 2,500 hotels rooms. By 2022, the
company is planning to open 38 additional properties, reinforcing
Mexico’s status as the group’s top market within the region.
I nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has added Holiday Inn
Band-ung Pasteur in the capital city of Indonesia’s West Java
province, to its portfolio.
The 278-room address joins the IHG family of hotels in Indonesia
fol-lowing the signing of a management agreement with PT Wisma
Resortama Propertinda earlier this year.
The hotel offers a variety of food and beverage experiences,
meeting and event space, an indoor and out-door pool, fitness
centre and a spa.
Commenting on the opening, Anil Pathak, regional general
manager, In-donesia, IHG, said, “As one of the larg-est cities in
Indonesia, we are seeing an increase in both domestic and
in-ternational travellers to Bandung, and we are confident the
Holiday Inn brand which is widely recognised and loved by people
all around the world will be a draw to them as they visit the
city.”
Hol
iday
Inn
Band
ung
Past
eur
Mar
riott
Can
cun
reso
rt
Ascott Inaugurates Lyf Properties for Millennials
Marriott’s Expansion in Latin America
Bandung Welcomes IHG Hotel
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WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONAL www.traveltradeweekly.travel
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Ford Dynasty have signed
a franchise agreement entailing the com-plete refurbishment and
rebranding of the current Lasse-ters Hotel Alice Springs, scheduled
to reopen as Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters in December this
year.
Karin Sheppard, chief operating officer, Australasia and Japan,
IHG, said, "In this franchise partnership we will cre-ate an
exciting new accommodation […] providing all the key features of
Crowne Plaza Hotels and resorts worldwide, that our guests know and
love. The owners will commence a significant refurbishment program
in 2017, which will see the hotel guest rooms renovated to ensure
the hotel remains Alice Springs’ premier accommodation
offering.”
P ark Hyatt Hangzhou opened in Hangzhou, East China. The
242-room residence is inspired with the rich nature, culture,
history and artistry that are elements shaped by its location. The
hotel forms part of the 800,000 m2 complex, which also houses
offices, residential apartments and a six-storey high-end retail
podium.
Christopher Koehler, vice president, operations, Park Hyatt
Hotel, China, said, “This opening is a testament to our commitment
to meaningful and strategic growth […]. We look forward to
welcoming our guests to this signature hotel that creates
sophisticated and enriching experiences for which the Park Hyatt
brand is known.”
B est Western Hotels & Resorts has celebrated the start of
construc-tion of the first, trendy Vîb Hotel in Bangkok.
The company held a ground-break-ing ceremony for the new
property on November 10, in the up-and-coming area of Sanampao,
North Bangkok.
Set to open in late 2017, the 89-room hotel will represent new
era of Best Western hotels in Thailand, and in Asia.
“With its ultra-modern design, state-of-the-art amenities and
bright, vibrant social spaces, Vîb Bangkok Sanampao will resonate
with Asia’s new generation of travellers. We look forward to
introduc-ing this exciting new concept to Thailand […],” commented
Olivier Berrivin, man-aging director, international operations,
Asia, Best Western International.L
asse
ters
Hot
el A
lice
Sprin
gs
Bang
kok
Han
gzho
u
IHG Unveils Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters
Hangzhou’s Park Hyatt Opens its Doors
Bangkok to Home Trendy V b Hotel
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17 DECEMBER 2016 21
WEEKLY NEWS AGENTSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Bookings Increase with TravelClick’s Initiative
Booking Engine 4.0 is a user-friendly, responsive solution that
drives direct bookings and incremental spend. The offering has been
designed to optimise the users experience across devices and engage
a growing mobile-first audience with increased spending power and
travel bookings.Hotels that have migrated to the new platform,
witness a growth in direct bookings of nearly 23 percent
on average and saw a 155 percent increase in bookings on mobile
devices. TravelClick also found that 44 percent of traffic to its
clients’ booking engines came from mobile devices, demonstrating
how important it is now more than ever for hoteliers to be set up
for success on mobile.
Cash prizes have been awarded by Carnival Cruise Line to three
travel agencies as part of the line’s Ultimate Cruise Night event.
In the summer, agencies submitted ideas for creative and
effective cruise nights to the company, where then a
repre-sentative attended each event and after review with
Carni-val’s Cruise Line’s sales leadership team, selected the
winners.
“The creativity and originality that these travel agents
demonstrated in putting together their cruise nights was so
incredible that we simply could not choose one winner,” said,
Adolfo Perez, vice president, sales and trade marketing, Car-nival
Cruise Line.
Carnival Cruise Line Awards Agents
TravelClick had launched its new, interactive Booking Engine
4.0, designed to boost conversion and reduce guest abandonment with
a transformative reservation experience.
Travel Specialists Achieve Admiral Title
Travel Counsellors has achieved the highest accolade award-ed by
Royal Caribbean Cruises. Over 20 Dubai-based travel specialists
from the company became Admirals in Novem-ber, positioning them as
experts in the Royal Caribbean Cruises suite of products including
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara.
Travel Counsellors team members were presented with the
prestigious certificate following completion of all modules in this
comprehensive training programme.
Mohamed Saeed, general manager, Royal Caribbean Interna-tional
and Azamara Club Cruises, Middle East, said, “Travel Counsel-lors
has always been a key business partner for us in the region and we
are all extremely proud of this achievement. This certainly shows
the team’s commitment towards the brands and passion to increase
knowledge base in order to serve their clients better. We wish them
best of luck and assure our full support at all times.”
Trav
el C
ouns
ello
rs e
mpl
oyee
s ce
lebr
ate
afte
r ac
hiev
ing
Adm
iral s
tatu
s
Carnival Imagination
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17 DECEMBER 201622
TRAVEL CHANNELS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
The State of Convention and Exhibition Center Sustainability
published 2016 Green Venue Report on November 16, via a dedi-cated
website.
Observing data from 44 convention and exhibition centres around
the world, the third annual report evaluates a collective
environmental footprint of industry meeting and events. This report
compares green performance over a wide-range of areas, including,
efficiency, waste management, water usage, food and beverage
services, cleaning practices, staff involvement, communications and
certifications. The survey consisted of 142 questions and is based
on 2015 operational data and information. The data set includes 44
convention and exhibition centres across 11 countries and four
continents. Moreover, approxi-mately 20,000 events were held at the
reporting cen-tres, hosting over 48 million attendees.
Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production announced its gold
sponsorship of the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival 2016 edition,
which is taking place between December 01 and January 01, 2017.
Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production is one of the largest
dairy producer in the UAE and the first company in the world to
introduce camel milk ice
cream and pure camel milk powder to the mass market under the
brand Camelait. Camel products will be the main highlight at the
festival, considering the camel milk importance in the UAE culture
to date.
Rashid Al Kaabi, managing director, Al Ain Farms for Livestock
Production, said, “[…] It is our responsibility to support the
efforts of leadership in educating the youth of the UAE and
residents alike, on the national and international heritage and
cultures alike, […].”
Booking.com shed light on eight major travel predictions for
2017. These fore-casted travel expectations are said to be what
holiday makers and business travellers are to experience.
Predictions cover areas such as, the instantaneous perks
evolving from technology, the entwining of business with leisure,
the desire to a more ad-
venturous holiday, the need to seek harmony and peace and
wellbeing when choosing a destination, the prioritising on
environmental awareness and responsibility, the inclina-tion to
invest more on memories rather than material possessions, the
interaction and forging of relationships abroad, and the travel as
a luxury has made way for travel as a lifestyle and into the
unfamiliar.
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chair-man, Al Habtoor Group,
welcomed a com-mittee from the Zayed Charity Marathon at Majlis on
Al Wasl Road.
The delegates discussed the success of the 12th Zayed Charity
Marathon in New York which took place in May, where the group was
the of-ficial sponsor.
The committee also invited Al Habtoor to attend the next Zayed
Charity Marathon which will take place in Cairo this December.
Al Habtoor said, “The Zayed Charity Marathon has been running
for more than a decade, and I will continue to support the good
work carried out by the committee.”
Green Venue Report Published
Sponsoring Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival
The Big Eight Travel Predictions
Khalaf Ahmad Supports Zayed Charity Committee
Cairo
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Al Qasba lit up in commemoration of UAE National Day Emirates
celebrated the 45th UAE National Day
More than 30,000 people visited the 45th UAE National Day at
Dubai Parks & Resorts
Gulf Air employees marked Bahraini Womens Day
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Jumeirah Beach Resi-dence celebrated
World Children's Day with cupcake
decorating, towel art and much more.
Local kids got involved in creative workshops as part of Sharjah
Children
Biennial2
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PHOTO ALBUMwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
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17 DECEMBER 201624
NEWS & EVENTS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
TCA Abu Dhabi celebrated UAE's Year of Reading
National Day by Shurooq
To celebrate the UAE's Year of Reading and its achievement of
translating and publishing 900 titles within nine years,
The Kalima Project for translation, set to stage.
The six-day cultural programme, or-ganised by Abu Dhabi Tourism
& Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), took place at Yas Mall
between November 24 - 29. In partnership with Jarir Bookstore, the
event featured a special book fair and various cultural activities
and seminars.
Saif Saeed Ghobash, director gen-eral, TCA Abu Dhabi, added,
“The im-portance of maintaining quality works in Arabic is
highlighted through this initiative which appeals to a large
num-ber of reading enthusiasts eager to keep up-to-date with
prominent inter-national literature.”
Sharjah Investment and Devel-opment Authority’s (Shurooq)
celebrations for the UAE’s 45th National Day preceded its
honouring of Martyrs Day, which saw H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al
Sarkal, CEO, Shurooq and other representatives travel to Flag
Island to take part in the nation’s one-minute silent prayer for
martyrs.
Al Sarkal, said, "Commemoration Day takes its place alongside
National Day as the most important date in the UAE calendar as it
pays tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for this
nation and for humanity.”
IBTM ARABIA
Abu Dhabi, UAEFebruary 07 – 09, 2017www.ibtmarabia.comOne of the
leading international events for the Arabian meetings, incentives,
conferences and events industry.
FITUR
Madrid, SpainJanuary 18 – 22, 2017www.ifema.esThe 37th edition
of the travel trade fair for both inbound and outbound Ibero
American markets.
EMITT
Istanbul, TurkeyJanuary 26 – 29,
2017www.emittinstanbul.comIndustry professionals from more than 70
countries are expected to attend the exhibition focussed on the
East Mediterranean.
EVENTS
Shurooq 45th National Day Celebrations
http://www.adnec.ae/whatson
