Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
30 DECEMBER 2017 ISSUE 425
traveltradedaily.com
... Fresh, daily, up-to-date travel news from five continents
Add your business today! For FREE
directoryoffers.traveltradedaily.com
• maximise your business exposure
• drive traffic directly to your company's website
• promote your special offers and packages
• expand your customer database
• target market those who are looking to buy
• create your own 'mini website' in an already established readership base
Follow the path to success
INDIAN TRAVELLERS INCREASE IN GCC HOTELS
DUBAI SAFARI TO BECOME FUN-FILLED LIVING CLASSROOM06 08
30 DECEMBER 2017 ISSUE 425
ACCOMMODATION09
ME BY MELIÁ DEBUTS IN DUBAI SKYLINE
30 DECEMBER 20172
www.traveltradeweekly.travelMARKET UPDATE
TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS
MANAGING EDITOR
Mary Kammitsi [email protected]
PRESS Efi Rousi Maria Angelica Constantinou Athena Karsera Yiazou
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 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES
Representative for North, South & Central America, and the Caribbean: Neil Strickland GlobeTM Tel: +19542969515, [email protected]
Representative for Indian subcontinent: Faredoon Kuka RMA Media
Tel: +912229253735, [email protected]
Representative for UK & Ireland and Scandinavia: David Simpson Simpson Media Tel: +447900885456, [email protected]
Bahrain (BHD)
Jordan (JOD)
Oman (OMR)
Qatar (QAR)
Saudi Arabia (SAR)
UAE (AED)
Algeria (DZD)
Egypt (EGP)
Iran (IRR)
Iraq (IQD)
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
115.24
17.83
35,751.86
1,190.87
0.30
1,512.47
1.35
9.41
515.0
2.50
250.1
COUNTRY CURRENCY USD1=
21.12.2017as ofMENA EXCHANGE RATES
IATA RELEASES OCTOBER PASSENGER TRAFFIC
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traf-fic results for October showing that demand rose 7.2 percent compared to the same month in 2016.
Capacity grew 6.2 percent and load factor climbed 0.8 percentage points to 80.8 percent, which was a record for the month.
October's performance was a strong bounce-back after the hurricane-related disruptions in September, and domestic and international travel growth largely was in balance.
"As expected, the recent severe weather in the US region had only a temporary impact on the healthy travel demand we have seen this year, and we remain on course for another year of above-trend growth," said Alexandre de Juniac, CEO, IATA.
ALPHA DESTINATION MANAGEMENT SEES GROWTH
Alpha Destination Management has announced that it has registered positive growth this year.
According to Ghassan Aridi, CEO, Alpha Destination Management, the company registered a growth of almost eight per-cent compared to 2016.
“Some markets such as the CIS, specifically the Russian market, came back very strongly. We have also seen a very good increase from the UK market. Both are very significant source markets for Dubai. This year many markets returned back in a big way while other markets disappeared altogether for some reasons. [...] Dubai’s tourism fundamentals are extremely strong and its vision incomparable,” noted Aridi.
Aridi
30 DECEMBER 2017 3
www.traveltradeweekly.travel WEEKLY NEWS
Strong Sustainability Performance by UAE Companies
This year 44 of the top 100 companies have reported on their sustainability performance, compared to 36 in 2016, according to KPMG’s corporate responsibility reporting survey, The Road Ahead, published on December 11. K
PMG’s survey studied the annual financial and corporate responsibility reports pub-lished by the top 100 companies in the UAE, and draws comparisons with global in-dustry trends.
KPMG observed an increase in the number of non-financial metrics being reported, including social and environmental impacts generated by an organisation’s business operations. The report also looks at the level of reporting in relation to the United Nations sustainable de-velopment goals.
11 percent of the reporting companies were found to already follow the latest global report-ing initiative standards framework which are said to become mandatory in 2018.
GBTA Unveils New Website
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has announced its new web-site, www.gbta.org.
The new interface is easy to use, mobile-friendly, streamlined and most importantly makes searching for information simple.
Users can get access to GBTA content from any device anywhere, access across all GBTA properties with ease and speed, while it is easy to follow naviga-tion that will lead to the information they want in just one click.
Moreover it provides quick access to tools and research that make visitors job better including benchmarking tools, the latest industry trends and more visible ways for travel suppliers to feature their brand in front of travel buyers and decision makers.
“In today’s world, there are an increasing number of factors that influence the global business travel industry,” said Michael McCormick, executive director, GBTA.
30 DECEMBER 20174
www.traveltradeweekly.travelWEEKLY NEWS
Bahrain Airport Company Holds Runway Distance Course
Bahrain Airport Compa-ny (BAC), the operator and managing body of
Bahrain International Airport, recently held a five-day pro-fessional certificate course for BAC employees on the Re-declaration of Runway Distances.
Carried out from Decem-ber 03 - 07, the course aimed to train airport operations engineers and managers on how to respond in the case of the runway being exposed to an emergency situation.
Bahrain International Airport
Global NCD Alliance Forum in Sharjah
A panel of five globally recognised healthcare and welfare experts recently told hundreds of delegates at the second Global Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance Forum in Sharjah that there is a vital need to share
resources, information and understanding across all sectors in order to achieve the best results for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The forum took place on December 09 – 12, at the Al Jawaher Recep-tion and Convention Centre, where Anders Nordström, ambassador, global health, UN policy department, told the delegates that increasing life expec-tancy was not enough of an achievement and that people needed to stay healthy in their later years.
Bahrain International Airport
30 DECEMBER 2017 5
www.traveltradeweekly.travel WEEKLY NEWS
Second Conference on Tourism and Culture in Oman
Global tourism and culture leaders and stakeholders convened in Muscat on De-cember 11 – 12 for the second tourism
and culture conference to discuss the relation between the two.
The event co-organised by the World Tour-ism Organization and UNESCO was held in the framework of the International Year of Sustaina-ble Tourism for Development. More than 20 tour-ism and culture ministers participated to explore ways to build and strengthen the partnerships
between the tourism and culture sectors in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The first discussion is titled, Tourism develop-ment and protection of cultural heritage and pro-moting responsible and sustainable tourism man-agement at World Heritage sites, while the second one was named, Culture and tourism in urban development and creativity. The third session will explored the relevance of cultural landscapes in tourism.
Oman
Allianz Worldwide Partners Release Reports
A new series of reports has been re-leased by Allianz Worldwide Part-ners US.
In order to meet the requirements of today’s market, the company illustrates how these touch points can serve as competitive advantages to drive higher sales through customer satisfaction.
Allianz Worldwide highlights strate-gies and tactics for using customer feed-back to develop better products and processes in Five Practices to Stay Con-nected to Your Customers’ Needs.
The company also explores how evolving technologies add convenience and accessibility to consumer travel planning, protection and assistance in Humanising Technology to Enhance Travel Protection, Present & Future.
30 DECEMBER 20176
www.traveltradeweekly.travelWEEKLY NEWS
UNWTO Promotes Media’s Role as Wildlife Tourism Advocates
Indian Travellers Increase in GCC Hotels
Indian millennial tourists are opting for a little and often approach when it comes to travelling, ac-cording to a recent survey, urging GCC hoteliers
and travel professionals who will use Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 as a platform to showcase their facilities.
The tourism event, which will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22 – 25, 2018, has been referring to a recent survey, from Indian online travel portal Yatra.com, which revealed that out of 1,592 re-spondents, 66 percent said they would only be plan-ning to travel for just seven days at a time, or less, but they would however, travel more frequently. Interest-ingly, 43 percent of those surveyed were millennials.
Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM, said, “There are more than 400 million millennials in India.”
Some 30 international and lo-cal journalists travelled to Kasane, Botswana for a media
training workshop to both enhance their knowledge of sustainable tour-ism and wildlife, and analyse their work’s impact on the issue.
The December 08 workshop was part of the World Tourism Or-ganization (UNWTO)/Chimelong Programme that commenced earlier this year and includes capacity build-ing, training and advocacy actions on sustainable tourism and wildlife.
Participants proposed the crea-tion of a network of African jour-nalists specialised in sustainable tourism, capacity building-related activities addressing the media, and regular exchanges with tourism stakeholders.
The Kasane workshop was the programme’s second activity of its kind. The first took place in the Re-public of Congo in July, when nearly 20 African journalists learned more about the multidimensional cover-age of sustainable tourism.
Majid Al Futtaim and Smart Dubai Sign MoU
Smart Dubai and Majid Al Futtaim signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to col-laborate in areas that will help to enhance Dubai’s data and analytics capabilities.
The agreement has been developed in line with the government’s vision to empower, deliver and promote an efficient, seamless, safe and impactful city experience for residents making Dubai the smartest and happiest city on earth.
As part of the MoU, the two organisations will collaborate in four critical areas: data enrich-ment, policy, education, and innovative technology, where they will both work together to en-hance and improve raw data, while finding ways to make data a more valuable asset.
ATM 2017
Dubai
30 DECEMBER 20178
www.traveltradeweekly.travelWEEKLY NEWS
Dubai Safari to Become Fun-Filled Living Classroom
Hailed as home to the most diverse array of animals in the UAE, Dubai Safari will become a fun-filled living classroom for young minds discovering wildlife diversity through immersive and engaging activities designed to bring them closer to over 2,500 animals representing more than 250 species.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general, communications and community sector, Dubai Municipal-ity, commented, “Dubai Safari is more than just a wildlife park. Our vision for this project is to offer a highly engaging edutainment experience that fosters education on animal welfare, inspires a sense of learning about wildlife diversity and raises awareness on what makes wildlife protection a top priority.”
A diverse array of family-friendly activities promises to make the 119 ha park a destination for hands-on learning and fun.
HalalBooking.com Launches Loyalty Club Programme
HalalBooking.com has announced the launch of its HB Loyalty Club (HBLC).
HBLC has three tiers namely Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Membership is free and can be activated by registering online on HalalBooking.com.
Gold members will earn discounts on many hotels across the world. Guests move up through the tiers by making more book-ings. They will earn one HB point for each USD1 spent on a booking.
As they move up the tiers, the available discounts will increase. Eventually points can also be used to pay towards future bookings.
Ufuk Secgin, chief marketing officer, Ha-lalBooking.com, noted, “This will not only save them money but also entitle them to a range of exclusive privileges such as compli-mentary early check-in or late check-out or complimentary room upgrades.”
Dubai Safari
30 DECEMBER 2017 9
www.traveltradeweekly.travel ACCOMMODATION
ME by Meliá Debuts in Dubai Skyline
HOTEL BRAND, ME BY MELIÁ, HAS ANNOUNCED ITS DEBUT PROPERTY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH THE LAUNCH OF ME DUBAI AT THE END OF 2018. M E Dubai will take residence in the 95 m high, Opus building,
situated in the heart of the upcoming Burj Khalifa district in Downtown Dubai. ME Dubai will consist of 93 rooms and suites, across 19 floors, as well as 98 serviced apartments.
The property will feature signature furniture in the lobby, vertical café, lounges and reception area. The lifestyle hotel will offer 15 restau-rants, including ROKA, the Japanese robatayaki restaurant.
Gabriel Escarrer, CEO, Meliá Hotels International, said, “[...] We are confident that our unwavering commitment to exemplary service, coupled with Zada Hadid’s remarkable design and ROKA’s sumptuous cuisine will make for an un-paralleled experience for our guests in Dubai.”
Four Seasons Hotel Tunis Opens its Doors
Four Seasons Hotel Tunis has opened its doors showcas-ing contemporary Arabesque
architecture, surrounded by pools, fountains and gardens, giving way to the beach.
The 203 guest accommodations, including 35 suites, offer myriad room options whether travelling alone or with family. Five dining op-tions are available, overseen by chef Omar Mallen, including The CREEK, Bistro Chic Restaurant and Lounge, BLU Bar & Grill, Azur and Salon Alyssa.
The hotel’s spa is inspired by the country’s historic sites with 11 treatments including therapies, soothing treatments and a Ham-mam ritual. A swimming pool is also available, as well as a fitness centre with steam rooms and sauna. Four Seasons Hotel Tunis also features 1,500 m2 of event spaces ranging from the Jasmin Ballroom to well-equipped meeting rooms.
Rove Hotels Now Part of U By Emaar Loyalty Programme
U By Emaar loyalty programme that brings added value for guests across the breadth of
hotels, restaurants and entertain-ment attractions under the compa-ny, has now added Rove Hotels, a joint venture of Meraas and Emaar Properties, to its portfolio.
All four operational Rove Hotels in Dubai including Rove Downtown, Rove City Centre, Rove Healthcare City and Rove Trade Centre join the loyalty programme, enabling visitors and guests to earn Upoints, the currency of U By Emaar, with one Upoint for every AED2 (USD0.54) spent, when they stay at a Rove Hotels property.
In addition to redeeming points for stays at any Rove Hotels property, members of the U By Emaar programme can enjoy other benefits as well, such as 10 percent savings on direct bookings and late checkouts.
ME Dubai
30 DECEMBER 201710
www.traveltradeweekly.travelAIR
Qatar Airways Partners with KAHRAMAA
Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport part-nered with KAHRAMAA’s
National Programme for Conser-vation and Energy Efficiency, Tar-sheed, to deliver technical energy and water conservation training to employees on December 06.
The technical training was de-livered by KAHRAMAA as part of a memorandum of understand-ing that provides a framework for Qatar Airways and the airport to work together on technical initia-tives, as well as building staff and community awareness in relation to water conservation, energy ef-ficiency systems, and renewable energy.
Casablanca Named Etihad Airways’ New Dreamliner Destination
Etihad Airways will operate its flagship Boeing B787 Dreamliner on the Abu Dhabi to Casablanca route from May 01, 2018.
Casablanca is the first North African destination to be served by Etihad Airways’ next generation aircraft, fast becoming the backbone of the Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s longhaul fleet.
The three-class aircraft, featuring eight First Suites, 28 Business Studios and 199 Economy Smart Seats, will replace the Airbus A330s currently operating daily on the route, and offer additional cargo capacity.
An accompanying scheduling change also optimises tim-ings for customers travelling to and from Morocco’s port city and commercial hub, improving connectivity to a wider network of destinations across Asia and Australia.
Geneva will become the newest Boeing B787 European des-tination from March 25, 2018.
www.traveltradeweekly.travelINTERNATIONAL AMERICAS
30 DECEMBER 201712
Positive Air Cargo Figures for October
The latest worldwide air cargo figures as reported by 75 air-lines to WorldACD confirm that October has seen impressive results.
Worldwide volumes in October in-creased by 6.9 percent year-on-year, in comparison with October 2016 perfor-mance, was dwarfed by a year-on-year rev-enue growth of 20.5 percent. This strong showing was driven in particular by the fol-lowing factors; a yield growth from Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, in particu-lar from India; high volume growth from Europe, from and to North America, and to Central and South America.
In the various categories of specific car-go products, the transport of pharmaceu-ticals had the largest year-on-year revenue growth with an increase of 31 percent.
United Airlines Increases US Routes
United Airlines announced it will offer customers more oppor-tunities to travel from five of its US hubs to 10 cities in Califor-nia, Florida, Montana, New York,
North Carolina, Oregon and Texas beginning in April 2018.
Additionally, beginning in February 2018, a newly enhanced bank structure at O'Hare International Airport will mean short-er connection times and better access to more destinations for customers connecting through the carrier's Chicago hub.
"We continue to focus on making United Airlines the first choice for customers when planning their domestic and international travel," said Grant Whitney, vice president, domestic network planning, United Airlines.
Delta Performance Results for November
Delta Airlines reported operat-ing performance for November, with results showing that the airline carried 14.9 million pas-sengers across its broad global
network in the month.According to the report, the airline set a
new system and domestic revenue day dur-ing the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, recording zero system cancellations across global operation while carrying more than 2.35 million customers on nearly 23,000 flights with an on-time arrival rate of 92.7 percent.
Finally, the airline received approval by the US Department of Transportation of the trans-Pacific joint venture with Korean Air and ranking as the number one US airline by the corporate travel community in the Busi-ness Travel News Airline Survey for a historic seventh consecutive year.
Bahamasair Adds New Houston Connections to Nassau
American Airlines Strengthens Canada Service
Starting in summer 2018, American is to add a service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.
The daily service to Vancouver will begin on May 04, 2018, and a seasonal service to Calgary will start on June 07, 2018.
The airline will also increase frequencies from the US East Coast to Eastern Canada and extend seasonal services to popular Canadian des-tinations.
Bahamasair has announced a new twice-a-week non-stop service between George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas.
The airline also offers connections to 13 Bahamas Out Islands including Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, Bimini, and Exuma.
Nassau
WestJet Introduces WestJet Link
WestJet introduced WestJet Link, a new regional air ser-vice operating under a capacity purchase agreement with Pacific Coastal Airlines.
Using Pacific Coastal Airlines’ aircraft painted in West-Jet colours, the new service will connect the communities
of Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Cranbrook and Prince George to WestJet's rapidly expanding network hub at YYC Calgary International Air-port. These new routes will add to the airline’s existing leadership position in Calgary, offering more flights and seats to more destinations.
30 DECEMBER 2017 13
AMERICASwww.traveltradeweekly.travel INTERNATIONAL
Hilton Expands with New Hotel in Colorado
Embassy Suites by Hilton an-nounced the opening of the newly built Embassy Suites by Hilton Boulder. Located in the heart of Boulder, the property welcomes
guests to enjoy its contemporary two-room suites where travellers can enjoy breakfast, free WiFi and complimentary drinks and snacks each night.
There are 204 contemporary, spacious suites, more than 706 m2 of meeting and banquet space, and the city's largest hotel ballroom with space for up to 650 guests. The property also boasts amenities such as a 24-hour fitness centre, an outdoor, heated pool, a retail market, an outdoor plaza and 700 pieces of unique art created by local Colorado artists.
Luxor Undergoes Room Remodelling
Luxor Hotel and Casino has un-veiled its newly remodelled rooms as the hotel continues the redesign more than 1,700 hotel rooms in its east and west towers.
The remodel began in early November and will continue through early 2018.
The rooms are inspired by unique geo-metric form and feature a modern, and ef-ficient design.
The refurbishment will showcase multi-functional furnishings which aim to maxim-ise living space without sacrificing comfort. Multiple power outlets are to be added to the bedside, as well as workspace lighting bases to accommodate the needs of high-tech trav-ellers. Additionally, bathrooms will be updat-ed to expresses the same modern sensibility.
TravelClick and First Hotels Partner
TravelClick has announced its ex-panded partnership with First Hotels, a collection of 57 unique hotels in Scandinavia and Iceland.
Through this engagement, TravelClick will become First Hotel’s exclu-sive partner for reservations, business intel-ligence and guest management solutions.
Earlier this year, TravelClick surged in-vestment in their cloud-based iHotelier Cen-tral Reservations System to develop a myriad of tools.
As such, First Hotels will host its official brand loyalty programme on TravelClick’s guest management solutions platform and partner with the company for fully integrat-ed loyalty points redemption on iHotelier Booking Engine 4.0.
www.traveltradeweekly.travelINTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC
30 DECEMBER 201714
QantasLink Di-rect Flights to Kangaroo Island
Vietjet Receives AOC and Announc-es New Route
QantasLink celebrat-ed the launch of its direct flights to Kangaroo Island providing travellers
with access to the island mak-ing it the airline’s first carbon neutral destination.
Year-round flights from Ad-elaide commenced, with sea-sonal Melbourne flights which commenced on December 17.
In partnership with the South Australian Government, Qantas will offset all flights to the Island by supporting new tree planting projects set to deliver local envi-ronmental, economic and com-munity benefits, while continu-ing to drive awareness for Qantas customers to Fly Carbon Neutral right across the network.
Vietjet officially re-ceived the recerti-fied Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Avia-
tion Authority of Thailand. Presented during a special
ceremony with the theme Let’s Enjoy A New Journey, the airline also announced the launch of a new international route, com-mencing on December 18, from Bangkok to Dalat.
“And the new AOC, bestowed to Vietjet today, is a remarkable milestone for the carrier to further prove its safety and services as it spreads its wings and continues to fly further and higher on this jour-ney of sustainable development," said Arkhom Termpittayapaisit, minister, transport, Thailand.
Western Australia Airports See Capacity Decline
The two largest airports in Western Australia, Perth and Broome, have seen scheduled aviation capac-ity decline this year.
At Perth, capacity is down by 2.1 percent for the year-to-date and for Broome, figures are down 2.4 percent.
If the year continues like this, 2017 will see capacity somewhere between what it was in 2012 and 2013.
However, international tourism to Western Australia has been grow-ing. According to the International Visitor Survey produced by Tourism Research Australia, international visi-tors to Western Australia grew by 27.4 percent between 2012 and 2016.
Singapore Airlines and SilkAir Codeshare on Scoot Flights
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir cus-tomers travelling to more than 130 destinations across the SIA Group network stand to benefit from a new codeshare agreement with the
group’s low-cost subsidiary Scoot.The codeshare arrangements will begin with
Scoot flights serving Athens, Clark, Gold Coast, Hat Yai, Ipoh, Krabi, Kuching and Palembang.
They will enable SIA and SilkAir customers to travel on single-ticket itineraries to codeshare destinations, meaning their boarding passes and baggage tags will be issued up to their final desti-nation at the first point of check-in.
SIA and SilkAir customers will also be offered Scoot’s FlyBagEat privileges including checked baggage allowance, complimentary meal and beverage, and blanket for flights above four hours.
Australia’s Tourism Leaders Meet in Perth
Perth
Ctrip Partners with Big Bus Tours
Ctrip has signed a strategic part-nership agreement with Big Bus Tours. Both companies will work together in areas of inno-vative marketing and product
diversification to ensure that customers are able to have more access to tour op-tions and in-destination transportation services.
Ctrip is said to be the first travel pro-vider allowing over 300 million users to di-rectly book with Big Bus Tours. With a com-bined fleet of over 400 buses, more than four million passengers turn to the tours as a travel option, which runs services in 19 cities spanning across four continents. Destinations such as Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Sydney are the most popular amongst Chinese tourists.
More than 400 tourism leaders from across Australia, including representatives of major hotels, airlines, tourism products and international buyers, gathered in Perth at Crown Perth and the Hyatt Regency for the annual Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC)
Meeting Place event. Along with the conference programme, Meeting Place in-
cluded more than 3,500 business-to-business appointments, a range of familiarisation options around Perth and Fremantle and tours of some of Western Australia tourism highlights like, scenic tours and skydiving.
15
ASIA PACIFICwww.traveltradeweekly.travel INTERNATIONAL
30 DECEMBER 2017
Asian Members Meeting Concluded
IHG to expand Holiday Inn Express Presence in Seoul
WA State Tourism Strategy Review Released
New Zealand's Pioneer Mountain Bike Race Returns
Best Western Hotels & Resorts celebrated the conclusion of its 11th Asian Members’ Meeting, which gathered del-egates from all across Asia in Bangkok in late November.
Running under the theme BW & Beyond, this year’s event provided a vision for the company’s future as it
embarks on an exciting new era. This year’s meeting focused on the Best Western Hotels & Re-
sorts’ future in Asia and the exciting opportunities provided by this dynamic market.
Delegates were treated to an in-depth programme that in-cluded executive speeches, corporate updates and networking opportunities.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced it will open a new 300-room Holi-day Inn Express hotel in Seoul, South Korea in 2018.
Tourism Western Australia (Tourism WA) is facing chal-lenges in meeting the AUD12 billion (USD9 billion) visitor spend goal by 2020. This is attributed to areas in which the auditors believe Tourism WA could have performed better in the delivery of the strategy to date, revealed a
review of the Western Australia State Tourism Strategy, conducted by the office of the auditor general.
In response, Nathan Harding, chairman, Tourism WA, said the agency would closely review the auditor general’s report, with a view to build on Tourism WA’s efforts to increase visitor numbers and spending in Western Australia.
The course overview for the revamped Pioneer Moun-tain Bike Stage Race to take place on November 25 – 30, 2018, has been revealed, now starting and finishing in Queenstown, with stop offs in Central Otago towns, Alexandra and Bannockburn taking place in between.
Riders will start their six days of riding with a 22 km prologue at Coronet Peak, with five longer stages following, taking riders as far south-east as Alexandra and the Clutha River. Once over the finish line, participants will have completed 450 km of riding, including 15,500 m of climbing.
The course will touch on three of the New Zealand Cycle Trail’s Great Rides including trails not open to the public.
Situated at the main junction of Hongdae, Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae will feature the sig-nature Holiday Inn Express Great Room as a social lounge area and the Free Express Start Breakfast or a Grab & Go option for food neces-sities. A self-service business centre and laundry room will also be avail-able as well as a fully-equipped fit-ness centre and flexible meeting rooms to cater travellers needs.
“[...] Hongdae enjoys grow-ing prominence as one of Seoul’s most vibrant tourist hotspots [...],” said Ken Choi, CEO, JEJUair, the hotel’s major investor.
Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae
30 DECEMBER 201716
www.traveltradeweekly.travelRENDEZVOUS
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How successful has the first half of this year (H1) been in terms of tourists’ arrivals and which were your main feeder markets?
OMAR SOUAB: Since soft opening in 2016, Fairmont Fujairah Beach Resort has increasingly become the preferred luxury accommodation choice in Fujairah. Albeit having opened with limited inventory and facilities, the resort marked a historic achievement having opened a month ahead of its original open-ing date. The hotel’s achievements month-on-month have been strong on room revenue, occupancy as well as ADR indexes, leading the hotel to surpass in-dustry benchmark standards for performance over a pre-opening time-frame of four months. The resort has consistently grown its occupancy and increased visitor numbers, enabling the property to quickly gain prominence in the Northern Emirates region. The resort has earned a positive welcome from UAE and GCC residents and international travellers alike, with the hotel currently holding the number one po-sition in Dibba on TripAdvisor and a Guest Satisfac-tion Score of above 86 percent.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How has Fairmont Fu-jairah Beach Resort changed the hospitality scene in the emirate?
OMAR SOUAB: The hotel’s strategic location hidden between mountainous valleys and the Gulf of Oman creates a sense of exclusivity. Attracting travellers across the Middle East and internationally, the hotel showcases authenticity, a hip interior design and in-novative culinary concepts. It offers a wide range of facilities, including the UAE’s second Willow Stream
GENERAL MANAGER, FAIRMONT FUJAIRAH BEACH RESORT
Q&A with Omar Souab
AS FUJAIRAH IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO PUTTING ITS VERSATILE AND PROACTIVE STRATEGIES IN PLACE FOR THE NEXT 23 YEARS, OMAR SOUAB, GENERAL MANAGER, FAIRMONT FUJAIRAH BEACH RESORT REVEALS HOW THE PROPERTY’S LUXURY OFFERING ATTRACTS GUESTS FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE GLOBE.
Spa, exciting aqua activities and meeting venues designed to inspire creativity and maximise produc-tivity. Five iconic dining venues present unique cu-linary options, from international cuisine at Canvas, Café Pronto’s European-style bistro to Arteasan’s art-inspired tearoom, IAMMAI’s serene pool and shisha lounge. The resort’s signature restaurant, The Copper Lobster, brings locally-sourced seafood and a new gastro bar concept that has been warmly received by its UAE, GCC, UK and CIS target markets.
TRAVEL TRADE MENA: Fujairah’s tourism and hospitality sector has grown by leaps and bounds during recent years. Which further ac-tions need to be taken in order to turn Fujairah into a globalised destination?
OMAR SOUAB: There is huge potential for the desti-nation to cater to travellers across the UAE and inter-nationally, particularly as Fujairah marches towards its 2040 vision development plan of integrated growth, […]. As the Fujairah 2040 Framework Plan also acts as an important holistic guide in directing growth and management in key sectors such as re-gional and local tourism, the addition of Fairmont Fujairah Beach Resort contributes positively to the ever growing tourism sector in Fujairah and hospital-ity market in northern emirates. We strive to be pio-neers in the luxury segment and to pave the way for more brands to set base in Fujairah. The resort con-tributes to the continuous development of Fujairah’s international positioning of the region, while reflect-ing the emirate’s energy, culture and heritage in each of its offerings, be it through its wellness and food and beverage offerings, or in the resort’s art-inspired
arabesque/Berber theme that breathes life into the emirate. An important part of our role as hospitality partners is to support the tourism boards in their ef-forts to promote the destination. We continue to par-ticipate in international trade shows to promote the hotel, the destination and all that Fujairah has to of-fer. In the fourth quarter this year (Q4), we launched a Friday Market showcasing locally-sourced products with an aim to highlight Fujairah’s culture and herit-age.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Do you have any further plans in order to attract more customers from the Middle East and North African (MENA) region?
OMAR SOUAB: We have recently launched our pri-vate and dedicated beach and will be unveiling the upcoming Lava Beach Club facility in Q4. Fairmont Fujairah Beach Resort will fill a significant gap in Fujairah’s leisure offerings with one of the region’s first ever luxury lifestyle beach clubs. Spanning over 2,600 m2. Lava Beach club will include a multi-func-tion lawn area, luxurious penthouse, amphitheatre-style sun-loungers, and a kids’ pool to complement the resort’s existing Little Sailors Kids’ Club. Facilities will also include a 840 m2 free-form swimming pool in vivid hues of orange and yellow with multiple sunken Jacuzzis, luxury day chalets and unrivalled capabilities for social events. Other features will in-clude a fully licenced restaurant with an outdoor ter-race, a sunken pool bar, shisha bar and a DJ station. Lava Beach Club will be a much welcomed lifestyle addition to the destination, attracting visitors from the Middle East as well as international travellers from the UK, Germany, Russia and CIS countries alike.
30 DECEMBER 2017 17
www.traveltradeweekly.travel TRAVEL CHANNELS
Marcus Smith, founder, Inner Fight GYM, and extreme athlete, is gearing up to be the first man to complete BikingMan’s ultra-cycling race series across four continents in 2018.
BikingMan is a self-supported ultra-cy-cling adventure designed to bring together athletes in unfamiliar and uncommon envi-ronments. The race focuses on connecting cyclists who desire adventure and exploring cultures in less-travelled places, with each course averaging 1,000 km for a four to five day duration.
The first race scheduled to take place from February 25 – March 02, 2018 in Mus-cat, will see Smith competing with 99 other athletes from across the globe who will be covering a minimum of 200 km a day with-out any support vehicles and carrying their own their own food and supplies.
King Abdulaziz University (KAU) has allocated 10 percent of its Travel and Tourism Diploma places to students with special needs in an effort to train them to join the labour market.
KAU said the initiative responds to King Salman bin Abdul Aziz’s di-rectives for public departments to pay special attention to students with special needs and due to the interest, as chairman of Saudi Disa-bled Children Association, of H.R.H. Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, president, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.
It also falls within KAU’s social plans which, according to the uni-versity, aim to grant an appropriate degree covering scientific, theoreti-cal and practical aspects in accord-ance with national and international standards, develop the competitive capacities of university students, cre-ate social partnership, and develop care programmes for students with special needs.
Dubai Based Athlete Sets Sight on BikingMan Record
KAU Allocates Places to Students with Special Needs
Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), represented by the National Center for Tourism Human Resources Devel-opment, organised a training workshop from December 05 – 06 for people working in the field of urban heritage in cooperation with the SCTH branch in Jazan and the SCTH's Urban Heritage Center.
The aim was to achieve a broad participa-tion by local communities in urban heritage as well as to encourage them to play key roles in the development and conservation of national urban heritage.
The workshop discussed a number of im-portant issues that develops urban heritage and conservation methods, as well as, the role of documentation in the preservation of urban heritage and the applications of structural reno-vation of traditional buildings. To conclude the workshop, a global experience in the rehabilita-tion of heritage sites was also reviewed.
SCTH Hosts Training Workshop for Urban Heritage
King Abdulaziz University
Smith
SCTH
30 DECEMBER 201718
www.traveltradeweekly.travelTRAVEL CHANNELS
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mak-toum, ruler, Dubai, attended the first annual meeting of the Mohammed bin Rashid Acad-emy of Scientists, which took place at Etihad Museum in the presence of prominent scien-tists and experts from various fields.
The annual meeting focused on three main topics: Natural Sciences, Health Sci-ences, and Engineering and Technology. 10 discussion groups were formed with the aim of developing scientific plans and initiatives to achieve national strategies and objectives.
The meeting witnessed the launch of the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scien-tific Excellence, which aims to honour distin-guished researchers. The Medal, which rep-resents the highest Emirati scientific honour, was awarded to Saeed Alhassan Alkhazraji from the UAE, and Hassan Arafat, from Jordan, for their achievements and contributions in the scientific field.
Building on an increase in local hos-pitality sector revenues, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA’s) fourth Hospitality Industry Forum focused on innova-tion.
Opening on December 04, the Continuous Innovation-themed event also centred on further tourism sector expansion.
A 7.8 percent increase in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2016 saw local hospitality sector revenues climb to AED372 mil-lion (USD101.28 million).
H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chair-man, SCTDA, commented, “The re-markable expansion of the sector is the result of the Sharjah Government’s intensive efforts to adopt an innova-tive tourism approach to improve the sector through the provision of inno-vative solutions. This falls in line with Sharjah’s tourism vision which aims to attract more than 10 million tourists by the year 2021.”
First Meeting of Mohammed bin Rashid Academy of Scientists
Sharjah’s 4th Hospitality Industry Forum Highlights Innovation
Dubai Airports, in collaboration with Mawa-heb from Beautiful People, a local art studio for the determined ones, opened an art gal-lery at Dubai International’s Concourse D on November 29.
The opening was timed to coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabili-ties, observed globally on December 03. The exhibition was on for two weeks.
Anita Mehra, senior vice president, com-munication and reputation, Dubai Airports, commented, “We are very proud to be asso-ciated with Mawaheb from Beautiful People, and work with them to bring much needed attention to the capabilities of the determined ones. Our artDXB initiative will provide them a unique platform that showcases their full potential to what is arguably the world’s most multicultural and cosmopolitan audience – the millions of passengers that pass through Dubai International”.
Mawaheb from Beautiful People Art Gallery Unveiled at Dubai Airports
First annual meeting of the Academy of Scientists
Mawaheb from Beautiful People Art Gallery at DXB
H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman, SCTDA
www.traveltradeweekly.travel PHOTO ALBUM
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 [email protected]
Because a picture is worth a thousand words...
Etihad Aviation Group donated vital school and home supplies to more than one thousand Syrian refugee children at the Ritsona refugee camp
The Department of Health recognised Etihad Airways for its commitment to travellers' health
Semiramis InterContinental Cairo in collaboration with Picasso East art gallery, hosted a vernissage displaying the artworks of Egyptian artists, Mahmoud Marei and Tamer Ragab.
SCTDA in partnership with Sharjah International Marine Sports Club launched the qualifications round of the UIM F1H2O World Championship
Millenium Airport Hotel Dubai wins two trophies at the Middle East Hospitality Excellence Awards
1930 DECEMBER 2017
30 DECEMBER 201720
www.traveltradeweekly.travelNEWS & EVENTS
EVENTSFuture-Oriented Topics at the ITB Berlin
First-Ever Dar Al Zain Festival to Launch
Revolutionary forms of transport, overtourism and digitalisation in the tourism industry will be the
key topics of this year’s Leading Travel Industry Think Tank Admission.
Free for exhibitors and visitors to ITB Berlin, taking place on March 07 – 10, 2018, the convention, will examine in-novative and far-reaching trends in the travel industry, politics and business.
Tech giants and traditional indus-tries are investing billions in improving manufacturing processes, products, how to reach customers, and market-ing and sales. On March 07, 2018 the ITB Future Day will examine how the travel industry is affected by these de-velopments and in what specific ways tour operators can make use of artificial intelligence. The focus this year will be on personalising products and the indi-vidual customer experience.
The Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi has an-nounced the full programme for
the first-ever Dar Al Zain Festival taking place at Al Ain Convention Centre.
Having run between December 14–23, Al Ain hosted an outdoor vil-lage that was packed with live enter-tainment including singer Myriam Fares, who kicked-off the festival, craft stalls, and culinary delights, hosting families from across the UAE and wider region for a fun-filled 10 days.
Sultan Al Dhaheri, acting executive director, tourism sector, Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, said, “[...] this unique and comprehensive family event further cements Al Ain Re-gion’s position as a leading destination for family entertainment and leisure activities. We are confident this festival will help boost footfall to the city [...].”
VII EUROPE+ASIA EVENT FORUM (EFEA)
St Petersburg, RussiaJanuary 17 – 19 euras-forum.comEFEA serves as a communication site for active interaction between events industry professionals such as forums and conferences and incentive tourism.
FITUR
Madrid, SpainJanuary 17 – 21 www.ifema.esFITUR is a global meeting point for tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound Ibero American markets.
HOSPITALITY INDONESIA CONFERENCE (HIC)
Jakarta, IndonesiaJanuary 30 – 31 www.hospitality-asia.comHIC focuses on delivering a sea of timely market insights that facilitate corporate strategies and growth on a regional scale.
EMITT
Istanbul, TurkeyJanuary 25 – 28, 2018www.emittistanbul.comEMITT, attracts over 46,000 industry professionals and tourists, annually, looking for new travel opportunities from destinations and travel service companies from across the globe.
