23 SEPTEMBER 2017 ISSUE 411

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MEA EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH AMADEUS

DUBAI HARBOUR’S LATEST FEATURES REVEALED

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NAKHEEL UNVEILED NEW PROJECTS

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Travel TalkTechnology

Who's Moved

TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS

23 SEPTEMBER 20172

MARKET UPDATE www.traveltradeweekly.travel

MANAGING EDITOR

Mary Kammitsi mary@traveltradeweekly.travel

SENIOR JOURNALIST Ellen Petty

JOURNALISTS Maria Sabova Panayiotis Karanicholas Anna Spyrou

CONTRIBUTORDominique Christou

DESIGN & LAYOUTElena Stylianou

WEB & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Savvas Kammitsis

DIRECTORS Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi

HEADQUARTERS

T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD P.O. Box 25255, Nicosia 1308 Cyprus Tel: +357 22 021607, Fax: +357 22 103670

WEBSITEwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

EMAILS info@traveltradeweekly.travel sales@traveltradeweekly.travel editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel

WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES

Representative for North, South & Central America, and the Caribbean: Neil Strickland GlobeTM Tel: +19542969515, neil@globetm.com

Representative for Indian subcontinent: Faredoon Kuka RMA Media

Tel: +912229253735, kuka@rmamedia.com

Representative for UK & Ireland and Scandinavia: David Simpson Simpson Media Tel: +447900885456, david@simpson-media.com

Bahrain (BHD)

Jordan (JOD)

Oman (OMR)

Qatar (QAR)

Saudi Arabia (SAR)

UAE (AED)

Algeria (DZD)

Egypt (EGP)

Iran (IRR)

Iraq (IQD)

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Lebanon (LBP)

Libya (LYD)

Morocco (MAD)

Syria (SYP)

Tunisia (TND)

Yemen (YER)

Dinar

Dinar

Rial

Rial

Riyal

Dirham

Dinar

Pound

Rial

Dinar

Dinar

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Pound

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0.37

0.71

0.39

3.64

3.75

3.67

111.53

17.65

33,539.73

1,172.50

0.30

1,511.44

1.35

9.40

515.51

2.45

250.30

COUNTRY CURRENCY USD1=

21.9.2017as ofMENA EXCHANGE RATES

Of this figure, there were 95,089 keys in 301 properties in the construction phase, a year-on-year jump of 14.3 percent in terms of the number of rooms.

Four key markets in the region reported more than 5,000 rooms in construction. Dubai led the way with 24,842 keys in 85 developments, followed by Mecca with 23,816 units in 18

addresses. Moreover, Doha recorded 8,714 rooms in 36 projects and Riyadh revealed 6,712 keys in 30 hotels.

Amman’s Hotels Outperformed the Industry in July

STR: Growth in Middle East Hotel Pipeline

According to the latest poll of full-serviced hotels from HotStats, July represent-ed a welcome respite for Amman’s properties, which registered growth despite the region’s overall low performances as demand levels remained soft.

Amongst disruption across the city, hotels in Amman performed strongly in July, with a 7.8 percentage point increase in room occupancy, to 60.8 percent, successfully offsetting the 6.9 percent fall in achieved average room rate. Considering the decline of the contribution from high-ranking conferences to 33.3 percent of rooms revenue against a year-to-date average of

40.7 percent, the Jordanian capital’s growth during the reviewed month remained impressive. This was boosted by the properties’ 10.8 percent increase in GOPPAR, to USD53.22, offsetting the 24.9 percent year-to-date profit per room decline to USD30.39.

STR’s July 2017 Pipeline Report showed that 166,166 units in 590 hotel projects were under contract in the Middle East during the month, a 6.6 percent rise in rooms over July 2016.

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WEEKLY NEWS AGENTSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Dubai Tourism Unveiled Agent

Training Tool

TUI Group Promotes Abu Dhabi to Ukrainian

Journalists

Hotelbeds Remains Strong

Partner for Airlines

D ubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has launched Dubai Ex-

pert, an online training initiative for travel agents.

Available in 12 languages and 40 countries, the innovative games will sup-port the emirate’s goal of appealing to a wider travel trade audience and highlight the variety of experiences available to visitors.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Tourism, elaborated, “Dubai Expert was developed to assist the international travel trade in keeping up to date with all the destina-tion updates in Dubai and ensure that all travel agents and tour operators have a sound knowledge of the emirate that they are trying to promote.”

A s part of their recently launched partnership, TUI Group and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority

(TCA Abu Dhabi) have welcomed a group of travel and tourism journalists from Ukraine.

The journalists were given a tour of the capital during which they had the opportu-nity to see a variety of attractions, includ-ing historical and cultural spots as well as leading leisure and adventure attractions. Hosted at Bab Al Qasr Hotel, the journalists also experienced what is said to be the fast-est rollercoaster in the world at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.

With the Ukrainian market having grown approximately 25 percent in the last 12 months, the initiative is part of TCA Abu Dhabi’s goal of promoting the destination into new markets.

H otelbeds Group has announced 87 percent growth in total transaction value of accom-modation and other ancillaries sold by air-

lines via its platform over the course of three years.The strong performance is attributed to the pro-

vider’s ambitious long-term strategy to become one of the leading specialists within the airline sector. This includes plans such as developing a superior global product range of not just accommodation, but also transfers, in-destination activities and car hire, as well as offering unrivalled technology solu-tions and consistent customer service delivered by experienced professionals.

Jon French, head, new business development, Hotelbeds Group, elaborated, “Most airlines are sim-ply looking for a single partner to provide both tech-nology and product expertise in one solution, and we looking forward to meeting more future airline partners […].”

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WEEKLY NEWS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

23 SEPTEMBER 2017

Egypt Ranks Among Fastest Growing for Tourism

Keeping pace with the overall global growth of tourism, which has so far seen 21 million more travellers compared to 2016. Egypt attributes the influx to its security and governmental forces’ efforts to enhance the country’s profile as one of the world’s top vacation destinations.

As per the forecast shown in World Travel & Tourism Council’s report Travel & Tourism Economic Im-pact 2017 Egypt, the country is expected to attract 5.45 million international tourists this year and 12.49 million by 2027.

Egypt has been named as the second fastest growing tourism destination of the year according to the World Tourism Organization, having welcomed some 5.26 million international visitors to date, a

51 percent increase.

On August 30, Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm signed an agree-ment with Oman’s Boskalis Westmin-

ster for the development of a liquid bulk berth project at Duqm Port.

Boskalis Westminster will carry out detailed engineering designs, construction of marine in-frastructure, dredging and reclamation works, while Worley Parsons Engineering will oversee the engineering and construction works of the project, scheduled to be completed within 32 months from the date of awarding.

Under the agreement, 2.4km of the 4.6km of secondary wave breakwater will be developed and reclaimed for the construction of the liquid quay, and a dual berth marina will be construct-ed with accessories and navigation equipment.

The new agreement prepares Duqm Port to export liquid refined products while also en-hancing its value in national economy.

Duqm Port to Feature Liquid Bulk Berth

DAMAC Awarded Deals Worth USD952.8 million

DAMAC Properties has announced that since January, 370 contracts worth AED3.5 billion (USD952.8 million) have been awarded to part-

ners including construction, supplier and consultancy services across the developer’s portfolio.

The majority of this year’s contracts were related to the group’s largest master golf community AKOYA Oxygen, where the main constructions are ongoing across its 55 million m² premises, with deals worth AED 1.8 billion (USD490 million) allocated to the developer’s highly-reputed collaborators. To name a few success-ful signature projects, the flagship community DAMAC Hills saw some 1,100 units delivered this year, Trump International Golf Club Dubai continues to receive golf-facing apartments and a premiere luxury residential project AYKON London One in the UK was awarded AED 1.14 billion (USD310.3 million) construction contract. Duq

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During Cityscape Global, Meeras unveiled updates on its upcoming destination Dubai Har-bour, set to feature two terminals built simultaneously to accommodate 1.2 million pas-sengers annually.

The master plan for the world-class waterfront destination capitalises on strong growth of the global cruise industry, while boosting Dubai’s tourism profile. In addition to serving the cruise industry and featuring unparalleled facilities, the development is expected to feature what is said to be the largest marina in the Middle East and North Africa region with 1,100 berths capable of handling some of the world’s biggest yachts.

H.E. Abdulla Al Habbai, group chairman, Meraas, said, “The project reaffirms our commitment to expanding on Dubai’s rich maritime heritage and tourism profile, […].”

Dubai Harbour’s Latest Features Revealed

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IATA: Growth at

Global Hubs in July

Ministers Ap-prove Regional Aviation Secu-rity Measures

A t Ministerial Conference on Aviation Security in Sharm El Sheikh, a new Africa and

Middle East Aviation Security Road-map was endorsed by representa-tives for 45 states.

The roadmap aims to align fu-ture programmes and targets with International Civil Aviation Organi-zation’s (ICAO) recently unveiled Global Aviation Security Plan and is seen as being essential for improv-ing regional cooperation and coordi-nation to enhance aviation security.

Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, council president, ICAO, said, “ICAO recog-nised long ago that it is imperative that all states have optimised access to the significant socio-economic benefits of safe, secure and reliable global connectivity, and more ef-fective compliance with our global standards, policies and plans is the very first and most fundamental step on that journey.”

A ccording to passenger traffic results for July announced by Interna-

tional Air Transport Association (IATA), global gateways regis-tered moderate growth with total revenue passenger kilome-tres, a 6.8 percent increase over July 2016, although less than the 7.7 percent year-on-year growth achieved in June.

Meanwhile, all regions re-corded solid growth in passen-ger volumes compared to the same month in 2016, with a 6.1 percent increase in capacity and 84.7 percent load factor, up 0.6 percentage points.

Alexandre de Juniac, CEO, IATA, elaborated, ”As is evidenced by the record high load factor in July, the appetite for air travel remains very strong. However, the stimulus ef-fect of lower fares is softening in the face of rising cost inputs.”

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WEEKLY NEWS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

ProjectsDURING CITYSCAPE GLOBAL, NAKHEEL PROPERTIES UNVEILED PLANS TO LAUNCH A DIVERSE RANGE OF PROJECTS, INCLUDING SIX RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY DEVELOPMENTS AT FOUR OF ITS COMMUNITIES IN DUBAI WORTH AED3.2 BILLION (USD871 MILLION).

A li Rashid Lootah, chairman, Nakheel Properties, highlighted, “As the cre-ator of the globally-famous, award-winning Palm Jumeirah and other iconic projects that have put Dubai on the global map, the Nakheel name is synonymous with current and future developments that will further enhance the city’s position as a world-leading location for living,

leisure, business and tourism.”Lootah further added that while developments remain the core of the compa-

ny’s business, it is also focussed on creating a range of hotels, resorts, food and bever-age outlets, shopping malls, and tourist attractions.

Nakheel Unveiled New

ARADA, a property developer formed by KBW Invest-ments and Basma Group, has unveiled plans to in-vest AED24 billion (USD6.5 billion) for the launch

of a master-planned community in Sharjah. Covering an estimated 2.2 km2 and set to accommodate

up to 70,000 residents, Aljada is scheduled to be completed by 2019 and will feature a number of residential districts, con-nected landscaped parks and tree-lined boulevards.

Residential districts will surround a piazza offering enter-tainment, leisure and retail facilities while the central district will boast a large children’s adventure complex, skateparks, an extreme sports centre and a musical fountain.

The development will offer investors a variety of hous-ing units, including villas, semi-detached villas, townhous-es, apartments and loft apartments.

Continuing its expansion strat-egy in Abu Dhabi, Aldar Prop-erties has recently announced

the launch of a new waterfront devel-opment on Yas Island.

Featuring 13 apartment build-ings with waterfront views comple-mented by private courtyards with spacious landscaped areas, pools, multipurpose courts and a mosque, Water's Edge is located adjacent to the upcoming Sea World theme park, and only a five minute walk from Yas Mall, Ferrari World and the Yas Marina Circuit.

Commenting on the launch, H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO, Aldar Properties, stated, "[…] Water's Edge is the latest chapter in the Yas Island story – bringing high quality waterfront living to the emirate. We are confident that Water's Edge will complement our existing residen-tial portfolio, and draw a positive re-sponse from customers."

ARADA to Develop Residential Community in Sharjah

Aldar Launched Water’s Edge

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Emaar Launched First Private Island Project

The strategic step underlines the group’s international growth plans with 29 upcoming hospitality projects. Representing the first private island property under the company’s Address Hotels + Resorts brand, the resort will be a part of the 2.42 km² Ethere Madivaru Private Island, set to become a spectacular vacation destination. The address will comprise 80 beach and

over-water villas, including selected units for sale, alongside bespoke facilities such as a dedicated spa and water sports islands, float-ing restaurants and lounges, over-water fitness facilities, swimming pools, and children’s play areas, among others.

Emaar Hospitality Group has announced its expansion to South Asia with the latest hotel management contract to operate Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa, slated to open in 2020.

Majid Al Futtaim has unveiled plans to develop a new flagship mixed-use community in Dubai, set to of-

fer an unparalleled integrated lifestyle expe-rience to both residents and visitors.

The group is currently in talks with con-tractors and plans to unveil the master plan during the first quarter of 2018.

Commenting on the development an-nounced at Cityscape Global, Hawazen Es-ber, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim, revealed, “[…] The latest community will feature best in class offerings from across the Majid Al Futtaim integrated portfolio and will deliver on the highest standards of planning, design and quality to create a unique destination that remains close to the heart of its people and allows them to celebrate life, every day.”

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech has launched Quattro, a new Italian res-taurant set to please gourmands with a blend of authentic south Italian flavours with Arabic elements.

Showcasing a cultural mix of Southern Italy and Morocco in its interior design, the new venue offers visitors sensuous intimate dining reflecting Ital-ian romantic feel within Moroccan vibrant ambiance. Under the supervision of Sicilian chef Marco Terranova, the menu represents rich culinary heritage of Sicily, Puglia, Calabria and Campania, promising guests an unprecedented dining experience.

Blaise Montandon, general manager, Four Seasons Resort Marrakech, commented, “With this new restaurant, we pay tribute to the fantastic culi-nary heritage of Southern Italy from four specific regions […] offering food that has not been served in Marrakech before […].”

Four Seasons Marrakech Invites to Italian Dinning

Majid Al Futtaim Announced New

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Seven Tides, a luxury residential and hospitality property developer launched an exclusive five-year payment plan promotion during Cityscape Global in order to promote its much sought-after Anantara The Palm Dubai Residences and DUKES

Dubai properties to prospect buyers. Cityscape Global which took place on September 11 –13, is hailed as as the annual

barometer for the real estate industry in emerging markets and is said to be one of the largest and most influential real estate events held globally.

Commenting ahead of the event, Bin Sulayem, CEO, Seven Tides, highlighted, “Visi-tors to our stand can capitalise on the attractive price options we are offering and make informed purchasing decisions directly with us at the show.”

Seven Tides Participated in Cityscape Global

Saudi-based Al Hokair Group celebrated the opening of MENA Plaza Albarsha Dubai, a flagship property of its MENA Hotels’ brand in the UAE.

Representing a strategic addition to the hotelier’s expanding portfolio, the 90-key address is located in close proximity to the Mall of the Emirates. Set to appeal to discerning business and lei-sure guests with its distinctive and elegant design, the property also features two dining outlets, spa and a state-of-the-art gym.

Making the announcement, Sami Al Hokair, CEO, MENA Hotels, enthused, “We are delighted to debut MENA Hotels that is a family-oriented, affordable lifestyle brand, into the UAE. MENA Plaza Al-barsha Dubai is an exciting addition to our portfolio of hotels as we continue to expand our presence in the region […].”

T IME Hotels, A UAE-headquar-tered hospitality company, has recently received a Green Key

award for its continued sustainability initiatives. The accolade is a voluntary eco-label that represents a commit-ment by hospitality and tourism es-tablishments to adhere to the strict criteria as stipulated by the Emirates Green Building Council.

In order to achieve Green Key sta-tus, TIME hotels passed an exhaustive audit, which recognised the compa-ny’s contribution towards eco-friend-ly programmes including energy and water-saving initiatives, as well as waste management projects.

Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels, highlighted “[…] We are no strangers to Green Key certification, but it is testament to the team that we refuse to rest on our laurels and continue to strive to become a more responsible corporate citizen.”

MENA Hotels Marked UAE Debut

TIME Hotels Received Green Key Status

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Royal Air Maroc Boosts Domestic Offering

Since September 12, the airline has been operating the route three times weekly, offering 70 seats on board an ATR 72 aircraft.

The addition of Essaouira to the carrier’s route map is in line with the increasing demand from both local residents and tourists and will enhance con-nectivity between the two cities.

Royal Air Maroc operates 26 domestic air links that cater to nearly 900,000 pas-sengers per year.

Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc has announced the launch a new service between Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport

and Essaouira Mogador Airport.

Gulf Air to Add Frequencies on Moscow Route

I n a bid to make Moscow more accessible, Gulf Air is increasing the frequency to the Russian capital city’s Domodedovo Interna-

tional Airport from four-times weekly to a daily schedule, due to commence in the end of Oc-tober.

Coinciding with the third anniversary of the service, the carrier’s direct route is improved through the agreement with Russian S7 Air-lines, enabling passengers to easily connect to other Russian cities with one combined ticket.

Ahmed Janahi, chief commercial officer, Gulf Air, commented, “By adding frequencies and enhancing our product offering we are making Moscow more accessible than ever for our customers travelling from across the region, providing them with greater flight selections for both direct and transit travel to and from the Russian capital […].”

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Kenya Airways Boosts Omani Pres-

ence

Oman Air and Kenya Airways have signed a codeshare agreement in a bid to expand the services between

Muscat and Nairobi.The new partnership allows Kenyan car-

rier’s flyers to seamlessly connect to the Omani capital with a direct service from the Nairobi’s hub, operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fri-days and Saturdays. The agreement also ena-bles the airline to extend its services to wider audiences, capitalising on the cultural links Oman shares with the coastal parts of East Af-rica.

Sebastian Mikosz, group managing direc-tor, Kenya Airways, commented, “This new codeshare agreement represents an important element of our strategy to increase the choice, convenience and connectivity that Kenya Air-ways offers its customers.”

Qatar Airways Enters Codeshare with LATAM Brasil

Qatar Airways and LATAM Brasil, part of LATAM Airlines Group, have announced a new codeshare agreement which is expected to create new opportunities and expand both airlines’ extensive list of desti-

nations. The agreement provides Qatar Airways passengers with connections to

25 cities throughout Brazil while also providing new codeshares on LATAM Brasil’s routes between São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport and 25 domestic cities.

H.E. Akbar Al Baker, group CEO, Qatar Airways, revealed, “[…] We have witnessed significant growing demand between South America to Qatar and beyond. Our new codeshare destinations not only meet that demand, but provide a service for our valued passengers in Doha, and from dozens of des-tinations globally to new, exciting places to explore in Brazil.”

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Middle East Airlines (MEA) has extended its partnership with Amadeus, in order to deliver a more seam-less passenger experience in a more cost-effective manner.

Among other services, MEA will use Amadeus’ Revenue Integrity solution to automate processes and introduce self-management capabilities that better manage no-show situations.

Adib Charif, head, information technology, MEA, explained, “Amadeus solutions enable us to operate effi-ciently, by delivering products and services that are beneficial to our customers while also keeping our opera-tions running smoothly. The customer focus and team dedication give us great peace of mind; with Amadeus, we know our operations are in good hands.”

MEA Extends Partnership with Amadeus

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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

I n a bid to enhance talent management’s process-es, Oman Air has partnered with human resources solutions provider Takatuf to facilitate assessment

services.Under the agreement, the carrier will boost de-

cision-making procedures during future recruitment occasions through improved abilities to identify work-force’s strengths and areas of development. The ser-vices will also be used internally for evaluating lead-ership capabilities and succession. Asma Humaid Al Ghabshi, executive vice president, human resources, Oman Air, explained, “[…] This agreement has been vital to centralising some of our resource allocations. As we continue this drive, it is vital that we inspire our employees to reach their full potential and the new assessment service will play an important role in fa-cilitating this.”

Oman Air Focusses on Human Resources

Gulf Air Increased Range of Loyalty Benefits

G ulf Air has announced a new partnership with Swiss-Belhotel In-ternational to enhance the portfolio of rewards available for the carrier’s FalconFlyer Loyalty Programme’s members.

Thanks to the agreement, the frequent flyers are able to earn 200 loy-alty miles for every night’s stay at the hotel chain’s participating proper-ties in 23 countries.

Ahmed Janahi, chief commercial officer, Gulf Air, commented on the partnership, “Gulf Air’s FalconFlyer programme offers a host of exciting privileges and benefits to members and we are continually working to expand our network of partner hotels in order to make our programme as rewarding as possible.”

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WEEKLY NEWS TECHNOLOGY www.traveltradeweekly.travel

ForwardKeys Teams Up with Skyscanner

T he agreement to share data will enable airports to see the catchment areas of their travellers while also helping airport executives to decide which new routes to develop.

Commenting on the positive outcomes of the partnership, Ilivier Jager, CEO, ForwardKeys, highlighted, “With the combining of our two data sets, we are getting one step closer to a 100 percent model. The more information we can cross-reference, the better image we can create of tomorrow’s travellers and that will make us more useful to airports, retailers, hoteliers, national tourist offices and anyone else selling goods and services to travellers.”

Aiming to help airports to better understand their travellers’ profile, ForwardKeys has recently partnered with the award-winning global

travel search site Skyscanner.

Phocuswright: Desktop is the Top Choice for

Travel Bookings

W hile emphasising continu-ous rising usage of smart phones in Europe, the lat-

est Phocuswright’s report The European Smartphone Traveler in 2017, revealed weaknesses when it comes to mobile travel purchases.

The study indicates that the trav-ellers prefer to use their device for re-search such as exploring destinations, pricing flights and accommodation, as well as reviewing dining options and activities. Most travellers then switch to desktop to finalise the arrangements.According to the report, flight and hotel bookings are over five times as likely to be made on desktop, and laptop com-puters.

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FOUNDING CHAIRMAN, AL HABTOOR GROUP

“Over the past few years I have increased my international as-sets in Europe. We now have two hotels in Budapest, The Ritz-Carlton Budapest and the InterContinental Buda-pest; one in Austria, The Hotel Imperial Vienna and one in London, the Hilton London Wembley. I am always on the lookout for further opportuni-ties if the climate is right.”

I am always on the lookout for further opportunities

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TRAVEL TALK IS YOUR SPACE – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories.

We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel

SECRETARY GENERAL, WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION

SENIOR VICE

PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS

AND DEVELOPMENT,

MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA

AND INDIA,

SWISS-BELHOTEL

INTERNATIONAL

GROUP CEO, QATAR AIRWAYS

“Recognising how tourism can help us address many of our common challenges, the Unit-ed Nations declared this year as the International Year of Sus-tainable Tourism for Develop-ment, reminding us that with growth comes responsibility. A sustainable tourism sector is one that promotes environ-mental preservation and pro-tection of tangible and intangi-ble cultural heritage, but more importantly, it promotes en-gagement, commitment, and respect for local communities.”

“We are pleased to partner with Gulf Air [...]. We are com-mitted to rewarding our val-ued guests for their loyalty and this new alliance will en-title FalconFlyer members to outstanding earnings at our hotels located in some of the most desirable destinations. With its vast reach and popu-larity as a frequent flyer pro-gramme, partnering with Gulf Air’s FalconFlyer programme is a strategic tie-up for us and will increase our brand exposure globally as well as in our top source markets in the Middle East.”

“Prague has long been a high-ly sought after destination by our passengers. We have listened to their requests and we have responded by proud-ly bringing them this daily service from our hub in Doha to the city of Prague. We are happy to support the Czech Republic’s tourism industry to grow to even greater heights by giving more global travel-lers the opportunity to visit this iconic city.”

With growth comes responsibility

We are committed to rewarding our valued guests

We are happy to support the Czech Republic’s tourism industry

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TREVOR MCCARTNEY

Q & A

with

GENERAL MANAGER, OMAN CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE

OMAN’S RISING STATUS AS A BUSINESS DESTINATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED WITH OPENING OF THE

FIRST PHASE OF OMAN CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE (OCEC) IN OCTOBER

2016. AHEAD OF THE SECOND STAGE SCHEDULED IN DECEMBER, TREVOR MCCARTNEY, GENERAL MANAGER,

OCEC, OFFERS A FIRST-HAND OVERVIEW OF THE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED VENUE’S

ALREADY EARNED SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE COUNTRY’S THRIVING MICE

TOURISM.

among similar venues?

TREVOR McCARTNEY: OCEC is un-doubtedly one of the most important tourism investment projects in the coun-try and promises to engender pride in every Omani because of its truly iconic stature. Located in its own fully integrat-ed precinct only four km from Muscat International Airport, OCEC forms part of phase one of Madinat Al Irfan, an ex-citing new urban centre in the heart of Muscat. Aimed at establishing Oman as a major venue for regional and interna-tional events, OCEC precinct includes four hotels, with a five-star JW Marriot opening in 2018 and a four-star Crowne Plaza opening in September. The pre-cinct will also include a business park, retail shopping areas and residential districts, and is surrounded by a pictur-esque nature reserve, which is a haven for Oman’s exotic birdlife. Features of the centre include a tiered theatre seating 3,200 people, an additional 450-person auditorium plus 20 dedicated meeting rooms, two luxury ballrooms, hospitality suites and 22,000m² of exhibition space – altogether, more than 55 different meeting space options. [...].

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Considering the country’s multiple developments positively affecting the tourism in-dustry, how do you foresee the near future of the MICE sector?

TREVOR McCARTNEY: We are very posi-tive and optimistic - OCEC is one of the key drivers of Oman’s economic diversifi-cation vision. [...] In addition, the centre will also act as a catalyst for creating job opportunities for Omanis and stimulat-ing the development of small-medium enterprises. The business events indus-try is undergoing strong overall growth in the region with many global events being hosted in the Arabian Gulf and the Sultanate is experiencing strong growth in this sector. While the economic and political disruption around the world will have some impact on business levels, Oman, as a peaceful, forward thinking country offers a meeting place where everyone is welcome. With the many ambitious plans set in the pipeline such as the forthcoming opening of the new Muscat International Airport and the de-velopment of the hospitality and MICE sector, and the new Oman Convention Bureau, it looks extremely promising for the Oman.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How would you summarise the status of business tourism in Oman?

TREVOR MCCARTNEY: Business tour-ism is already important to Oman with incentive groups and conferences coming to the many hotels with excel-lent meeting facilities in the city, on the water and in the mountains. Oman has gained a reputation for being an authentic cultural experience with a variety of environmental experiences and natural beauty and a rich history of welcoming visitors for over 5,000 years. A new development that greatly increased business events in Oman was the opening of OCEC in 2016. OCEC is one of the key drivers of Oman’s eco-nomic diversification vision, which is mandated to become, by 2040, a top-of-mind destination for leisure and business, attracting more than 11 mil-lion visitors.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What are the highlights of OCEC'S operations so far? Could you also unveil its upcom-ing agenda?

TREVOR McCARTNEY: OCEC as the pil-lar project of Oman officially opened for business in October 2016 when the exhibition centre and hospitality suites opened. This will be followed by the convention centre and associated fa-cilities in December this year. The first phase has already hosted thousands of visitors and 65 events, predominantly exhibitions and corporate events and also a Layali Ramadan event, a unique destination experience that welcomed in excess of 87,000 visitors over 24 days. With the next phase of the centre open-ing, OCEC is targeting more regional and international conferences includ-ing Airport Council International’s (ACI) Airport Exchange that will bring togeth-er the world’s airport community for the largest event in the ACI calendar on De-cember 05 – 07; and the UNWTO/UN-ESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture coming to Oman on December 11 – 12. Other conferences confirmed in the future include the SICOT World Orthopaedic Congress in 2019 and the world’s biggest cancer event, the World Cancer Congress in 2020.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: It seems the facility has already attracted the at-tention of global MICE audiences. What makes the centre stand-out

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23 SEPTEMBER 2017 17

WHO’S MOVED www.traveltradeweekly.travel

TOBIAS AMMON has been an-nounced as the cluster general manager at Radisson Blu Ho-tel, Muscat and Radisson Blu Hotel, Sohar in Oman.Ammon brings more than 17 years of experience spanning general management along with food and beverage to his first appointment in the Middle East. Following an 18 month period as general manager of Dorint Pallas Wies-baden in Germany, Ammon rejoins Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, where he held various leadership positions for some 11 years. This includes gen-eral manager at Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Cesme in Turkey and Radisson Blu Hotel Klaipe-da, Lithuania, among others.

SAVINO LEONE has taken on the role of general manager at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa.With a career spanning more than 20 years, Leone has gained expertise in the luxury hospital-ity industry across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, in-cluding various senior manage-ment positions at InterContinen-tal Hotels Group. Leone joins the property from InterContinental Osaka, where he also served as general manager. Prior to that, he led the pre-opening team at Crowne Plaza Doha – The Busi-ness Park for four years as gen-eral manager. In his new role, he will place a focus on exceeding guest expectations and instilling a culture of service excellence.

DARIYA BUSHMAKINA has been appointed as the new director of sales at Danat Jebel Dhanna Resort, where she will oversee an aggressive sales and revenue generation strategy.Prior to joining the property, she was head of sales depart-ment at Hala Arjaan by Rotana Abu Dhabi, and previously worked as sales manager at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort. With her experience extending beyond hotels, Bushmakina also served in the sales department at Randevu Tour Company in Russia.As part of her new role, Bush-makina will target high-end corporate and leisure seg-ments as well as groups.

PIERRE ZAYOUN assumed the role of general manager of Al Manshar Rotana, bringing with him more than two decades of experience.Having previously worked at the property between 2007 – 2014, Zayoun rejoins the address from Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana, where as general manager, he handled both the pre-opening and opening of the hotel.Zayoun’s previous experience also covers position roles in food and beverage depart-ments, including the position of food and beverage manager at Al Ain Rotana, a job he held for three years before being promoted to his first general manager role.

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DAR

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Ammon has more than 17 years of experience

Bushmakina will oversee an aggressive sales and

revenue generation strategy

Leone will focus on exceeding guest

expectations

Zayoun has returned to

Al Manshar Rotana

23 SEPTEMBER 201718

TRAVEL CHANNELS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

Ahead of the show taking place on November 06 – 08, World Travel Market London partially unveiled findings of Wanup’s 2017 Travel Loy-alty Report, confirming that two out of three UK business travellers belong to at least one

hotel loyalty club, with nearly half of respondents unsatis-fied with the corresponding rewards.

Studying 6,000 business travellers in the UK, Ger-many, Italy, Spain and France, the report showed that 45 percent of corporate travellers report low levels of satisfaction with the loyalty schemes, and 86 percent of respondents would prefer perks reflecting their hobbies and interests rather than earning points or air miles. The participants of this year’s show will have the opportunity to learn more about the report and its findings.

Independent spa brand SensAsia has announced a new location at Golden Mile Galleria, Palm Jumeirah, set to pamper visitors at its SensAsia Urban Spa.

Known for taking clients on a complete sensory journey, the venue offers the chain’s award-winning treatments and hand-picked products inspired by Balinese, Japanese and Thai holistic therapies. It offers visitors invigorating Thai yoga stretch massage, skin-renew-

ing scrubs and cutting-edge facials, alongside body sculpting treatments including pre- and post-natal body cures. Salina Handa, managing director, SensAsia, enthused, “SensAsia is in-tentionally elevated away from the hustle and bustle, where we have created a sanctuary for the senses.”

P&O Cruises has launched a new campaign Something for Everyone featuring Aus-tralian comedian and radio presenter Dave Hughes highlighting the activities and facilities on board Pacific Explorer.

The commercial gives viewers a glimpse of the vessel’s traditional Neopoli-tan pizzeria, signature adventure park, burlesque show Love Riot and what is

hailed as the longest and wildest waterslides at sea. Ryan Taibel, vice president, sales and marketing, P&O Cruises, said, “Pacific Explorer is

the latest ship in the P&O Cruises’ fleet and the only ship to be homeported in Sydney all year round. We know Australians are interested in booking a cruise holiday on the latest product so we decided to build on that interest with a fun and engaging campaign.”

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chairman, Al Habtoor Group, recently welcomed a del-egation from Lebanon’s American University of Science & Technology (AUST), led by Hiam Sakr, president, AUST.

After informing Al Habtoor about the institute’s ex-pansion plans in the GCC region, Sakr discussed potential exchange programmes between universities, and expan-sion of AUST’s research departments. She also stressed the need for investors to assist in further growth plans.

Al Habtoor welcomed AUST’s expansion plans and commented, “I wish you the best of luck with plans to set up a university campus here. Dubai has a flourishing edu-cation sector. There are many tertiary facilities setting up here as a regional base.”

SensAsia Spa Arrives to Golden Mile Galleria

P&O Cruises Showcases Onboard Facilities in Style

Al Habtoor Welcomed Delegation from AUST

Hotel Loyalty Schemes Need Improvement

Golden Mile Galleria, Palm Jumeirah

From left, Sakr and Al Habtoor

23 SEPTEMBER 2017 19

PHOTO ALBUMwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Take a Shot!

Share with us the latest images of your activities and let your colleagues know

what you have been up to.

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

words... Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai Participated in the 5th MICE Middle East Forum

Yas Island visitors enjoyed special performances for Eid Al Adha

Team members from Park Inn by Radisson Muscat and Park Inn by Radisson Hotel & Residence Duqm organised painting and tree planting for children at Special Centre for Autism in Muscat

Stenden University Qatar welcomed newly admitted students with orientation days on September 10 – 11

Team members from Amwaj Rotana – JBR, Centro Barsha, and BurJuman Arjaan organised an event, to give back to

the local community

THE GLOBAL FRANCHISE MARKET (TGFM)

Dubai, UAEOctober 29 – 30globalfranchisemarket.comTGFM is the connection platform for franchising in the MENA region, offering the opportunity for franchisors, franchisees, suppliers and information-seeking individuals to learn more about the current industry and trends.

23 SEPTEMBER 201720

NEWS & EVENTS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

ADNEC to Showcase UAE’s

Defence in the UK

Experts Underscore

Importance of Saudi Antiquities

Forum

Abu Dhabi National Exhibi-tions Company (ADNEC) is taking part in the Defence and Security Equipment In-

ternational (DSEI) 2017 exhibition in London, in a bid to promote its own thematic exhibitions and the UAE’s de-fence industry.

As a part of the UAE pavilion at the event, the organisation will highlight its upcoming regional defence exhibitions and conferences, as well as showcase national companies active in the sec-tor. Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, group CEO, ADNEC, said, “We are proud of the superior calibre of the UAE's defence industry […]. Our participation in the world’s leading event that convenes key players from the global defence and security sector is part of our proac-tive marketing strategy.”

Ahead of the first National Antiquities Forum, set to take place in Riyadh on No-vember 07 – 09, a number of

experts and officials have stressed the importance of exchanging the visions and developments of Arab and Saudi antiquities and heritage entities, while raising public awareness.

Organised by Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage in col-laboration with partners, the event will also form a platform for key de-bates and dialogues. The programme will feature, among other highlights, a scientific conference revealing the-matic research, while a number of projects and publications will also be shared.

SEATRADE OFFSHORE MARINE & WORKBOATS MIDDLE EAST

Abu Dhabi, UAESeptember 25 – 27Widely recognised as the largest regional gathering of offshore marine and workboats companies, this year's event will once again play a pivotal role in serving these industry sectors.

2ND ANNUAL CULTURAL TOURISM MIDDLE EAST

Dubai, UAEOctober 31 – November 02www.culturaltourismme.comThe second edition of the event will gather high-level officials from the tourism, cultural development and antiquities, heritage and arts, to showcase the latest developments and share ideas and strategies to protect, preserve and promote their unique culture and heritage.

IFTM TOP RESA

Paris, FranceSeptember 26 – 29 www.iftm.frMore than 31,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the multi-target event with dedicated programmes for the leisure, business and MICE sectors.

EVENTS