Middle East TravTalk January 14

A DDP PUBLICATION

Pages: 16

ddppl.com

travtalkmiddleeast.com

Vol. X No. 1; January 2014

Shot in the arm for GCC cruise sector ..................................................................10 ME carriers place large fleet orders......................................................................11 st Visas to 1 time ‘visitors’... ..................................................................................16

2014: A year of immense potential Across the Middle East, travel trade is embarking on an agenda of investment and development in 2014, to increase capacity, improve infrastructure and grow tourist numbers and revenues.

Middle East speaks to the industry stalwarts who updated on achievements made in 2013 and enlightened on expectations for 2014.

S U S M I TA G H O S H

for Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), with a clear highlight being Dubai winning the bid to host Expo 2020.

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013 was a year which started big and ended even bigger for Emirates Airlines. The opening in January of the Concourse A, the A380 hub at the Dubai International Airport, was much awaited by the wave of passengers moving across the Dubai hub.

With 20 gates for double-deckers and the largest airline lounges in the world, the facility is a first for the industry. The year ended even bigger with the announcement of the aircraft order for 150 Boeing 777X and 50 Airbus A380, at the Dubai Air Show, held at the emerging aviation city of Dubai World Central for the first time.

“In between these two developments, 2013 has seen nine new routes, connecting people, places and cultures.

By 2020, Emirates expects to be carrying 70 million passengers. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) calculated that three billion people travelled by air in 2012, and more than six billion people will do so by

Tim Clark

Dr Ahmad Belhoul

Basak Erel

President Emirates Airlines

CEO - Strategy and Tourism Sector Development, DTCM, Dubai

Senior Vice President - Brand Management Rixos Hotels

The year 2014 will be a real challenge, and by 2020, the Airline expects to carry 70mn passengers

2030,” expressed Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airlines.

“2014 will be no less challenging. Emirates now flies to 138 destinations, the

Dubai’s Expo 2020 is part of a long-term vision that ensures a prosperous future for UAE

most recent being Kabul, while Kiev, Taipei and Boston are the first new destinations in 2014. Throughout this year, Emirates will receive 27 new aircraft, nearly half of

Rixos Hotels targets 50% growth with 14 new properties coming up in 2014

which are A380s, joining the world’s biggest A380 fleet,” he added.

The year 2013 has been an incredibly successful year

“It is an event which will provide a unique platform on which to communicate the remarkable story of a young city and nation, and allow us to positively shape global perceptions of the Arabian Gulf as a destination for both business and leisure,” explained Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO - Strategy and Tourism Sector Development, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai.

Hoteliers and hotel apartment operators experienced significant growth in revenues, with total revenues for the first nine months of the year up by 17.1 per cent, reaching AED15.33billion. A number of new hotel establishments have opened in Dubai during 2013, Belhoul added.

“In terms of visitor arrivals, year-on-year from 2012-2020, we are targetting an increase of around 9 per

cent per year and the figures for the first nine months of 2013 show that we are on track. Dubai’s Expo bid is part of a long-term vision that ensures sustainable national development and a prosperous future for the UAE. The impact on the tourism industry will be substantial. Between October 2020 and April 2021, the Expo will attract more than 25 million visitors, 70 per cent of which will be from outside the UAE – the largest number of international visitors in Expo history,” he further stated.

The hospitality sector is developing with continuous growth in Turkey. In the last 10 months of 2013, there has been a 10 per cent increase in the figures with $30 million. The occupancy at Rixos Hotels has reached approximately to 2,700,000 in 2013, with the highest figures in the properties of Rixos Antalya, Istanbul Hotels in Turkey and Rixos The Palm Dubai and Rixos Libertas Dubrovnik in overseas. Rixos Hotels investments will Contd. on page 6

AVIATION

Fly Paris-Seychelles via Abu Dhabi As part of developing its international agenda, Air Seychelles (Mahe) will launch flights to Paris-Orly via Abu Dhabi, subject to regulatory approval. The new ParisOrly services match Etihad Airways’ existing double-daily services to ParisCharles De Gaulle airport.

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lans for regional network of the Airlines include the introduction of several new routes to the Indian Ocean islands in 2014, following the delivery of an Airbus A319.

Starting February 2014, Air Seychelles will operate two round trip services every week

New Schedule Three round trip flights a week to Mauritius and Mumbai Two round trip flights a week to Antananarivo and Réunion and 11 return flights a week to Abu Dhabi Three return flights a week to Hong Kong Three return flights a week to Johannesburg Two flights a week to Paris-Orly

Air Seychelles has signed a codeshare agreement with Cathay Pacific Airways. This would enable Air Seychelles to tap into Asia’s rapidly growing travel market, which in recent years has become an important source of tourism growth for the Seychelles.

between Seychelles and Paris-Orly through Abu Dhabi.

The launch of regional services to Antananarivo, Réunion and Mumbai, an increase in services to Abu Dhabi from seven to 11 every week, offering a double-daily service with Etihad Airways, are included in the strategy. A network designed to maximise connectivity through the Seychelles with two-way connectivity throughout the region with Mumbai and Abu Dhabi and beyond, is also part of the strategy.

Cramer Ball, CEO, Air Seychelles stated, “The new schedule will see Air Seychelles spread its regional footprint and build a firm position to establish us as the carrier of choice in the Indian Ocean. It also greatly increases options for travel to and from the Indian Ocean with our new flights to Paris-Orly. We will also enjoy network feed provided by our convenient sched-

Cramer Ball CEO Air Seychelles

The new schedule will establish us as the carrier of choice in the Indian Ocean ule times over Abu Dhabi, contributing to the bottom line.”

“This deal is a win-win for both Airlines and we look forward to strengthen our affiliation with Cathay Pacific in the future,” he added.

The new regional schedule will see Air Seychelles operate three round trip flights every week to Mauritius and Mumbai, two round trip flights a week to Antananarivo and Réunion and 11 return flights per week to Abu Dhabi.

The Airline will also offer three return flights each week to Hong Kong, three return flights per week to Johannesburg and two flights every week to Paris-Orly.

VisitBritain, Etihad sign AED12 million deal Etihad Airways signed a three-year deal with VisitBritain to increase visitor numbers from the Asia Pacific and Middle East region (APME), whilst encouraging more people to fly with Etihad Airways. The partnership agreement, valued at AED 12 million (£2 million), will facilitate joint marketing activities in key markets around the APME region, including India, Australia, and the GCC. Etihad Airways marketing messages and Britain's 'GREAT' campaign will be maximised throughout the partnership and the Airline will also benefit from an enhanced presence on all VisitBritain digital platforms, including VisitBritain.com and associated websites.

GUEST COLUMN EDITORIAL A year of pleasant surprises

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ubai’s successful bid to host Expo 2020 is one of the greatest achievements in 2013, that is expected to change the face of the travel & tourism industry in Dubai, UAE and the entire Gulf region. Dubai will attract more than 25 million visitors between October 2020 and April 2021. To meet the needs of this tourist boom, the Emirate will double its hotel inventory to around 164,000 hotel and hotel apartment rooms within the next seven years.

The aviation industry is also looking up. The Middle East reported the strongest international passenger growth with a 6.3 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has noted in its Airline Industry Forecast. The UAE will add 29.2 million passengers over the next four years at a CAGR of 6.6 per cent as total global air passenger numbers are expected to rise to 3.91 billion by 2017, IATA revealed.

Dubai is adding more feathers. It was named the world’s leading destination at the 20th edition of the World Travel Awards which took place in Doha recently. The Dubai World Trade Centre has been named the ‘World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre’.

The year 2013 has seen a smooth sail for the cruise sector too. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are expanding their port infrastructure. DP World-operated Mina Rashid in Dubai was voted the World’s Leading Cruise Port for the sixth consecutive year at the World Travel Awards 2013. The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority is expecting an increase of 13 per cent in passenger arrivals over last year.

2014: New ships, routes planned Royal Caribbean Arabia has noticed an increased interest from Middle East travellers. Hence the company continued its tradition of stimulating growth in the cruise industry with investments in new ships.

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he new Quantum class of ships will combine a new set of exciting and first-at-sea innovations that can only be found in Royal Caribbean.

The ships will take entertainment to new heights.

The first ship in the new highly-innovative Quantum class of ships is Quantum of the Seas which will be launched in November 2014 and will homeport in Cape Liberty, in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA, with winter sailings to the Bahamas and Caribbean. Anthem of the Seas, the second Quantum class ship will become the most technologically advanced cruise ship ever to be based in Europe when it is launched in spring 2015.

Anthem of the Seas will call Southampton, UK, home in April 2015 and offers cruises to the Mediterranean, before being based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the winter months.

We will offer treasured vacations geared to families for five-nine night itineraries to Bermuda, The Bahamas and the Caribbean, aboard the industry’s most innovative ships like Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas. The other exciting itineraries include Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Alaska, Far East and Australia/New Zealand.

Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas are among six of Royal Caribbean ships that exclusively offer the DreamWorks Experience.

Moreover, each ship is equipped with a 3D movie theatre playing the latest DreamWorks animation films.

: SanJeet : Sumeera Bahl : Deepa Sethi : Susmita Ghosh : Archana Sharma : Ramya J.S. D’Rozario : Ruchi Sinha / NN Misra : Crisna De Guzman : Geetika Pathak : Ashok Rana : Anil Kharbanda

precious time. Celebrity’s Solstice Class of ships exemplifies Celebrity’s emphasis on designing stunning ships and inviting onboard experiences for vacationers who appreciate the finer things.

The ships have taken stylish cruising and impeccable service to new heights.

In the next few years, leading up to 2020, new jobs are estimated to be created for about 277,000 people, and this is no small scale to achieve in a short span of seven years Lakshmi Durai 20 incredible cruise itineraries for summer 2014 that will appeal Middle Eastern travellers.

Our Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises have also lined up incredible voyages for 2014. Celebrity's 2014 European itineraries will offer vacationers an unprecedented range of lengths from seven to 28 nights in compelling destinations. Celebrity Cruises is expanding its Europe line-up in 2014 to offer a series of seven night cruises that can be taken alone or enjoyed back-to-back as 14, 21 or 28night cruises with all new ports on each leg.

Celebrity Cruises is the pioneers of modern luxury with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces, dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine. The amazing service that only Celebrity can provide are created to offer an unmatchable experience for vacationers’

Azamara Club Cruises offers distinct destinationimmersive experiences for up-market travellers. The cruise line uniquely features voyages with longer stays and more overnights at ports to provide guests the opportunity to experience night touring at some of the most compelling destinations of Europe, Asia, South America, West Indies, as well as Central and North America.

With Dubai winning the bid for World Expo 2020, it explains an overall growth of the UAE economy. The development that we have been seeing in many sectors in 2012 will further strengthen. This will create more job opportunities and more people pouring in to Dubai, both as visitors and residents. Historically, expositions of this sort, have created immense development particularly in tourism industry. Expo 2020 is no exception with an estimated 25 million tourists expected to visit during winter 2020–2021.

In the next few years, leading up to 2020, new jobs are estimated to be created for about 277,000 people, and this is no small scale to achieve in a short span of seven years. This will increase the earning potential of UAE residents and their buying power leading to increase leisure activities. We are bound to, as a part of tourism industry, reap rich benefits out of this. UAE has established itself as a ‘safe heaven’ for making high standard of living.

Showcasing major events like World Expo 2020 would enhance the lifestyle in the UAE attracting talents from across the globe. With increased quality manpower getting into all spheres of UAE’s economy, there is immense potential for all sectors of the economy to grow in the years to come. Tourism is a by-product of such growth and there is a bright prospect in our business to tag on that line of growth.

Lakshmi Durai Executive Director – Middle East, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises & Azamara Club Cruises – ME

New daily flights launched to Dammam

The year 2013 has proved to be fruitful and the outlook for 2014 is naturally bright and optimistic for the Gulf travel & tourism industry.

Publisher Director Editor Assistant Editor (ME) Desk Editor Sub Editor Design Business Development Manager Manager Advertising Circulation Manager Manager Production

We, at Royal Caribbean have launched our much anticipated Arabic brochure for summer 2014 luxury cruise programs. The newlylaunched brochures of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, available in English and Arabic contain information about more than

Jet Airways recently announced the addition of two daily flights to enhance flight connectivity into Saudi Arabia. Effective January 15, 2014, Jet Airways will introduce two daily flights from Kochi and Chennai to

Dammam in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While the Chennai flight will be operated via Abu Dhabi to Dammam, the KochiDammam flight will be served by a daily direct flight.

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All information in TRAVTALK is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regret that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared by TRAVTALK. However, we wish to advice our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific

Jet Airways will now offer six non-stop flights to Saudi Arabia, with more one-stop options. With these new enhanced flights, Jet Airways will achieve the landmark milestone of becoming India’s first pri-

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vate airline to operate over 50 daily flights to multiple destinations in the Gulf.

This includes daily departures to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Sharjah, Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh.

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COVER STORY

TRAVTALK JANUARY, 2014

2013 was fabulous, 2014 will be more Contd. from page 1

continue in 2014 with new property openings in the pipeline.

Basak Erel, Senior Vice President Brand Management, Rixos Hotels, commented, “The expansion plan will focus on the properties out of Turkey in 2014.

Further to the announcement of Rixos Bab Al Bahr opening in Ras Al Khaimah, Rixos Fluela Davos is slated to open soon and expected to become one of the most popular property of Rixos Hotels. Rixos Quba in Azerbaijan is in pipeline, planned to open in the first quarter of 2014. We also have more hotels currently under development across the world. We target 50 per cent growth with 14 more new properties coming up in 2014.”

2013 wasn't a great year for tourism in Jordan as it witnessed a slight decrease in numbers. This was due to the current geo-political climate in the region and the economic downturn in Europe, a big market for Jordan.

“For the upcoming year 2014, we'll be focussing more

on religious tourism, business tourism, MICE, eco-tourism and adventure tourism. We're also promoting gastronomy tourism on a large scale on all available platforms. In addition to that, we will be promoting Jordan worldwide by exploiting new distribution channels using social networking, e-marketing and web-based platforms in addition to hosting press and blogger trips and by participating in some of the main exhibitions and trade shows worldwide,” explained Dr. Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director, Jordan Tourism Board.

In 2013, GTA extended its sales agent network in the Middle East with two appointments for Erbil and the rest of Iraq recognising the country’s increasing tourism potential. “We signed an enhanced distribution agreement with Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Middle East & Africa to give their hotel access to more customers and increased bookings. For 2014, we expect more of the same success.

The Middle East and Africa shows enormous potential for continued growth and GTA is

Caribbean International with a double digit growth in guest volume compared to 2012.

With two Oasis class ships sailing in Caribbean, and the recently revitalised ships sailing out of various destinations in Europe, Asia & Alaska, 2014 is expected to be another successful year for the cruise company.

Dr. Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat

Rami Mashini

Helen Beck

Managing Director Jordan Tourism Board

Vice President Sales and Marketing MEA, GTA

Regional Director, International Representatives, Europe, MEA Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises

For 2014, we'll be focussing more on MICE, religious, eco-tourism and adventure tourism

working hard to capitalise on it to benefit customers and partners throughout the region,” informed Rami Mashini, Vice President, Sales and Marketing - MEA, GTA. “Estimated to attract

The Middle East and Africa show enormous potential for continued growth

more than 25 million visitors, the majority from outside the UAE, the World Expo 2020 offers significant potential.

We will continue to widen our reach even further to be ‘in on the ground’ in new

The response to 2013 cruise packages from Middle East helped to record double digit growth markets, for instance, recognising Africa’s growth potential with sales agents partnerships in Nigeria and Sudan,” he further informed. 2013 has been a good year for Royal

"We have had an amazing response to our 2013 cruise programmes from Middle East travellers which has helped us to record double digit growth from the region.

Now with our new itineraries and exciting new ships, we look forward to another successful year,” explained Helen Beck, Regional Director, International Representatives, Europe, Middle East, Africa Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.

She added, “We have two of the world's largest and most innovative cruise ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas - sailing in the Caribbean throughout next year, in addition to other Freedom and Voyager class of ships."

Natalie Tours holds annual meet Honouring agents in Egypt Elaf Group of companies for travel & tourism came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Egypt to celebrate and honour its agents for achieving positive results this year. Special felicitation ceremonies were held, and were attended by Elaf Group President Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, Head of Travel, Tourism and Hajj & Ummrah, and other department heads of the group.

The 2 nd annual Congress of Natalie Tours was held in Dubai on December 15, 2013. The top management of the company utilised the opportunity to meet general managers of top 100 successful travel agencies in Ukraine to discuss joint plans and development of cooperation with regard to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the key markets for the tour operator. The Congress, held at Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai, was attended by Saleh Al Geziry, Director of Overseas Promotions at Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Ghassan Aridi, CEO Alpha Tours, Vladimir Vorobiev, President of Natalie Tours, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior VP for Commercial Operations, flydubai, and Sayyora Asatova of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray.

TECHNOLOGY

JANUARY, 2014

Hotel booking trends in MENA Amadeus conducted its first hotel distribution survey to understand travellers’ and travel agents’ perspectives on the hotel selection and booking process. The survey examined the responses of 649 travel agents across countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

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oday, the tourism industry has created a niche for itself as a significant sector propelling the growth of economies in the Middle East and North Africa belt.

Spurred development and growing competition have given way to a host of new options available for travellers to consider while planning their itineraries. Market trends are quick to change, and it is important for travel agents to keep track of the changes, so as to effectively cater to consumer needs.

This year, Amadeus conducted its first hotel distribution survey in the region to understand travellers’ and travel agents’ perspectives on the hotel selection and booking process. Findings from the survey revealed that while making a hotel booking, location is the key consideration for travellers, followed by price and the option to pre-pay or carry vouchers.

feel that they still have a high influence on the clients’ final choice, while 52 per cent indicated that customers compare offers with B2C sites and their own research before deciding.

Antoine Medawar Vice President - Middle East and North Africa, Amadeus

With the increase in their access to technology, agents expect to see a rise in the influence of hotel reviews and multimedia content in their clients’ final decisions.

Brand awareness no longer has critical influence over customer choice, which means hotel chains will have more room to aggressively promote their brand.

The study also highlighted that as many as 41 per cent of the respondents

While agents’ influence is still critical, it is mandatory for them to retain their clients by providing improved solutions and service to their clients.

Agents prioritised price as the most important factor while selecting a booking channel, followed by postsales support and access to agency negotiated rates as well as corporation negotiated rates. Online bookings have become more prominent in the region, though offline methods such as email, tele-

Tech updates in car rental To bring local travel agents up-to-speed on the latest car rental trends and opportunities, Travelport and Hertz International have joined forces in Saudi Arabia.

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Saudi Arabia and across the region in 2014,” she added.

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ore than 30 of the Kingdom’s leading travel agencies attended two workshops held in Jeddah and Riyadh. The workshops showed ways to maximise their business through the car content available on Travelport’s Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and the latest offers from Hertz.

According to the two companies, both the events, hosted by Travelport and Hertz in the Middle East, were well received by local travel agents and set a precedent for similar initiatives in the future.

“Car rental is a non-air content and is a key part of Travelport offer.

Global Reach Travelport’s Galileo and Worldspan GDS systems currently offer deals from 24 global car providers.

It represents 30,000 locations, ensuring travel agents have the best choice

According to Hertz International, these initiatives are designed to boost the long-term outbound strategy and focus on key growth channels which play an instrumental role in the long-term success.

Assita Kone Hospitality Business Development Manager, Middle East, Travelport

The workshops we organised with Hertz really helped us highlight the business opportunities available to travel agents in Saudi Arabia,” said Assita Kone, Hospitality Business Development Manager, Travelport, Middle East.

“We’re thrilled with the response we’ve received from the local travel trade and are planning to make these events a regular feature in

Travelport’s Galileo and Worldspan GDS systems currently offer deals from 24 global car providers. It represents 30,000 locations, ensuring travel agents have the best choice available and are able to complete entire itineraries including air travel, hotels and cars through the same booking system.

Travelport also caters to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) by providing an efficient way to search and display relevant car content on their website.

Enabled by Travelport’s cutting edge universal API technology, it allows agents to access a wide range of content and apply individual parameters to guarantee relevant search results.

phone and fax are still widely used. Wholesalers, being used online or offline, play a significant role in the booking process.

Unlike the Asia-Pacific region, where a similar study was conducted, the MENA region shows limited crossselling opportunity. Agents involved in hotel booking do not offer add-on booking services.

The survey offered a comprehensive understanding of the needs of travel agencies to meet customer expectations. Respondents cited that the availability of one single channel to access wide variety of content, largely increases efficiency in the hotel booking process.

That’s where Amadeus jumps in, providing powerful solutions to travel agencies. Amadeus Content Store, for instance, is a hotel booking solution that pro-

vides travel agencies access to over 150,000 hotel properties worldwide at attractive rates, sourced from the region’s leading aggregators.

It offers agents multilanguage post-sales support in Arabic, English and French, supports pre-paid vouchers amongst other payment alternates and eliminates commission collection issues for agents, providing net rates.

Amadeus’ Hotel GDS allows negotiated rates to be easily integrated and accessible directly in the Amadeus Selling Platform application.

Further, Amadeus is investing in value added features such as interactive maps on the GDS and user generated content in other products such as Amadeus eTravel Management.

By Antoine Medawar, VP - MENA, Amadeus

TRAVTALK

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Costa neoRiviera makes maiden call in Zayed Port The Costa neoRivieria celebrated her Abu Dhabi maiden call at Zayed Port recently. Officials from Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) handed over a commemorative plaque to the captain of the ship, officially honouring this special occasion. The cruise liner, which sails for Costa Crociere offers a capacity for 1,700 passengers and 670 crew members, will be visiting Abu Dhabi on a weekly basis till February 2014.

With a total of 11 calls, the neoRiviera will be staying overnight each time, giving all guests a comprehensive day and night-time experience of Abu Dhabi. The ship's one week itinerary is called ’The Emirates in Style’, and includes a day at the private Al Maya Island Resort and a night under the desert sky, with a dawn spectacle and breakfast at an Arabian village.

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FAMILY ALBUM

TRAVTALK JANUARY, 2014

Celebrating 1 anniversary with pomp st

On December 12, 2013, Al Ghurair Rayhaan and Al Ghurair Arjaan by Rotana celebrated their first anniversary with extravaganza, live entertainment and a gourmet menu especially created by their master chef to celebrate the momentous night.

Air Serbia takes off

ME air travel up by 14%

Air Serbia, the country's new national carrier, partly International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports owned by Etihad Airways, was launched in late 2013, that the Middle East airlines recorded a 12.2 per cent with its first flight bound for Abu Dhabi from Belgrade. growth in 2013 as compared to 2012.

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t Belgrade's airport, a day before the Airline’s first flight, Dane Kondic, CEO, Air Serbia and Aleksandar Vucic, Deputy Prime Minister, Serbia, unveiled an Airbus A319 plane. It had a double-headed

other VIPs, national and international media and airline employees.

Backed by UAE’s Etihad Airways, Air Serbia will receive a US$ 40 million loan facility, which in turn will be converted into a 49 per cent equity stake in January 2014.

The new investment would deliver a customer-focussed, commercial business which would attract trade and tourism into the nation Aleksandar Vucic Deputy Prime Minister, Serbia

eagle logo in Serbia's national - red, white and blue colours — the first of the company's future fleet.

"Welcome to a new dawn," said Kondic on the occasion, when Air Serbia was officially launched by Vucic, in the presence of government representatives and

The Government of Serbia will match this with an equal funding injection.

Etihad Airways and the Serbian Government will also each provide a shareholder loan of up to US$ 60 million to meet working capital requirements and support

network development for the new airline.

Vucic said, “The launch of Air Serbia marks an important new beginning for the airline industry in our country. The new investment in Air Serbia would deliver a customer-focussed, commercial business which would attract trade and tourism into the nation.”

Air Serbia launched new routes from its hub at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla International Airport to Abu Dhabi, Banja Luka (Bosnia), Bucharest (Romania), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Prague (Czech Republic) 2013 end. These new flights add to the 29 destinations previously served by its predecessor, JAT Airways, as part of its 2013 summer schedule.

Air Serbia also plans to launch another seven new routes between January and April 2014, in addition to rescheduling existing operations to optimise connections via its hub in Belgrade.

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he Middle East aviation sector is leading a global revival of air travel, recording a year-on-year double digit increase of international passengers, according to the latest report released by the IATA.

The global Air Passenger Market Analysis report, issued in October 2013, stated that the Middle Eastern carriers experienced the strongest rate of increase in international revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in October, up 14 per cent compared to a year ago, with growth so far this year reaching 12.1 per cent. Airlines in the region have benefitted from strong growth in business-related premium travel throughout the year, particularly to developing markets like Africa. Continued increase in export orders suggest that business travel related to internationally trading industries will continue to grow. Solid

performance of key economies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE has also supported strong expansion in both business and leisure travel to regions like Europe.

While the global average RPK increase stands at 6.6 per cent, the European airline manufacturer Airbus has predicted that Middle East airlines will buy 1,000 of its aircraft, worth US$124 billion, over the next 10 years.

The growth of air travel from the region can be largely attributed to tourism growth along with a large expatriate population, particularly in the GCC, which is home to nearly 50 million expatriates who travel to their home countries or to other global destinations on their annual vacations.

This year IATA is forecasting a global industry net

profit of $11.7 billion with Middle East airlines contributing $1.6 billion to that.

For 2014, the outlook improves to $16.4 billion globally with airlines in the Middle East expected to generate a net profit of $2.1 billion—the highest ever for the region.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Middle East generated US$78.1 billion in visitor exports in 2012, while this year the region is expected to have attracted 57 million international tourist arrivals.

Growth IATA forecasts a global industry net profit of $11.7 bn and ME airlines will contribute $1.6 bn to that ME carriers experienced the strongest rate of increase in international RPKs in October 2013, up 14 per cent compared to a year ago

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CRUISES

TRAVTALK JANUARY, 2014

Shot in the arm for GCC cruise sector The Ministry of Tourism Oman, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) have partnered to promote cruise tourism in the GCC. T T B U R E AU

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he partnership was launched with a Cruise Gulf Road Show which took place recently, touring several cities in the GCC. The objective of the roadshow was to increase the number of residents in the region who consider cruise as a holiday option; increase awareness of the Gulf as a cruise tourism destination; and to train and motivate regional travel trade agents to sell cruises in the Gulf sailing out of Dubai.

Dubai is the cruise hub of the region and has been the home port for cruise lines like Costa, Aida, Royal Caribbean, TUI and MSC Cruises. Costa, Aida and MSC have confirmed gulf cruise itineraries for Dubai for the 2013-2014 season.

The port of Oman and Abu Dhabi are a vital part of these itineraries.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai's Department of Tourism and

The roadshow demonstrates the success of Dubai's cruise tourism industry

These are exciting times for the region's tourism industry, particularly in the luxury segment

Abu Dhabi is working with regional partners to fulfil the needs of operators

The UAE and the GCC region is a firm fixture in our winter deployment since 2006

Helal Saeed Almarri

Salim Al Mamari

Sultan Al Dhaheri

Director General, Tourism Development, Oman Tourism

Director, Tourism Eco-Systems, Abu Dhabi TCA

Director of Sales & Marketing, Central Europe, Africa, Middle East and India, Costa Cruises

Director General, DTCM

Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said, "The Cruise Gulf Road Show presents a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate the continued growth and success of Dubai's cruise tourism industry, and to join our partners from Oman and Abu Dhabi cruise industries to promote the Gulf as an attractive cruising destination."

six-day roadshow.

It targetted 400-450 leading travel agents and other key stakeholders.

tourism industry, particularly across the luxury cruise segment, which demonstrated continuous growth.”

The roadshow arrived in Kuwait, followed by Bahrain and Qatar.

The delegation comprised representatives from the three tourism authorities, cruise lines Costa and MSC visited a number of GCC neighbours over the

Salim Al Mamari, Director General, Tourism Development, Oman Ministry of Tourism said, "These are truly exciting times for the GCC region's

In line with this, the joint venture agreement between Oman's Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in Dubai and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) proves to be both timely and strategic as it joins hands in positioning the region as a premiere cruising destination- ultimately driving huge economic and

It then travelled to Saudi Arabia, spending a single day each in Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar.

Dario Rustico

development opportunities for the whole of GCC. Sultan Al Dhaheri, Director, Tourism EcoSystems, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority commented, "Abu Dhabi has long-term cruise industry ambitions and is working closely with our regional destination partners to progress a GCC-wide approach to fulfil the needs of operators.”

Dario Rustico, Director of Sales & Marketing, Central Europe, Africa, Middle East and India, Costa Cruises said,

MSC Cruises' return to the region reaffirms our belief in the GCC's potential Pierfrancesco Vago Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises "The UAE and the GCC region is a firm fixture in our winter deployment since 2006 and our participation to the Cruise Gulf Road Show is the first of many activities we have in the pipeline, in line with our plan to invest more to develop the local source market.”

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises said, "MSC Cruises' return to the Emirates reaffirms our strong belief in the region's potential as an innovative and highly desirable destination for cruise travellers."

New terminal on the cards Cruise season begins The Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum hosted by Abu Cruise liner, MSC Lirica arrived at the Khorfakkan port Dhabi, was to facilitate decision-making and discuss key recently, and with it began Sharjah’s new cruise season, issues to enable a new chapter to begin in the region. that expects 43,000 passengers to visit the Emirate.

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ommenting at the Forum, which was held over two days from December 9-11, 2013, at the Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Strategy & Policy Director, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) said, “The sector holds out huge growth potential if all stakeholders engage in discussions to identify the opportunities and challenges. If we seize this opportunity, we will look back on this day as a milestone in the development of cruising in Arabia.”

He added, “Today, we have the chance to openly discuss the growth opportunities which clearly exist for this region’s cruise industry.”

The entire region needs to come together to drive an ambition of becoming a credible and highly appealing cruise region.

“To do this, we have to pool our resources, in terms

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of marketing, both to the cruise industry and the consumer. There are challenges, but they are not insurmountable. We do though have to become easier to do business with,” he further commented. “In Abu Dhabi, we are taking our cruise ambitions seriously.

We are committed to building a permanent cruise terminal and introducing a stop-over destination on Delma Island in our western region along with other plans in the pipeline.”

TCA Abu Dhabi has also set up a dedicated industry development committee specifically for the industry.

“This committee, which includes representatives of the port, Abu Dhabi terminals, immigration, Etihad Airways and the Department

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Mohammed Al Dhaheri Strategy & Policy Director, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority

of Transport will eventually be expanded to include private sector players,” he explained. “Abu Dhabi is now working with Fujairah, Dubai and Muscat to develop the sector in a new Cruise Arabia Alliance approach.”

He concluded, “We are taking part together in roadshows around the region to create awareness of this industry among the travel trade, the media and the end consumer. We have realised that we need to convince consumers here of the advantages of cruising.”

elcoming the beginning of the new cruise season and arrival of MSC Lirica, Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) said, “Sharjah looks ahead to again host international luxury cruise passengers from Europe and around the world.”

Arriving from Abu Dhabi, MSC Lirica will visit the Khorfakkan port every Tuesday before proceeding to Muscat in Oman. Between November 26, 2013 and April 1, 2014, a total number of 19

Rise In Visitors On November 1, 2013 Seabourn Odyssey, another luxury cruise liner, also visited the Khorfakkan port with more than 400 passengers on board Costa Fortuna visited the port on December 17

calls will be made to the Emirate’s East Coast. Around 43,000 luxury cruise passengers are expected to visit the Emirate during the 2013-14 cruise season.

He further addedm “With some of the world’s most popular cruise liners visiting Sharjah’s East Coast, the attention is again on the picturesque region which has seen major strides on the tourism and development front recently.

Sharjah is keen to develop the East Coast and exploit its economic potential by developing the tourism infrastructure in the area.”

The arrival of thousands of international luxury cruise passengers should be channelled to generate economic opportunities benefitting all. The Sharjah gov-

Khalid Jasim Al Midfa Director General Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority

ernment, in past couple of years, has unveiled several development initiatives including the Chedi Khorfakkan Luxury Resort and Spa and the Kalba ecotourism project, the largest such initiative in the region.

Meanwhile, on November 1, 2013 Seabourn Odyssey, another luxury cruise liner, also visited the Khorfakkan port with more than 400 passengers on board, and Costa Fortuna visited the port on December 17.

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JANUARY, 2014

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ME carriers place large fleet orders Around 1,046 exhibitors from 60 countries took part in the biennial Dubai Airshow which was held at the new Dubai World Central in November last year. The event drew a trade attendee intake of 60,692. single largest firm order for Airbus at the Dubai Airshow, with 87 aircraft worth US$19 billion at list prices.

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he order book exceeded US$200 billion with an exact figure of $206.1 billion – bulging with aircraft, parts and MRO deals, reflecting the growing importance of the MENASA region as the world’s aviation hub. Major Middle East carriers such as Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, flydubai and Qatar Airways placed large fleet orders to Boeing and Airbus.

Sharief Fahmy, CEO, F&E Aerospace, organiser of Dubai Airshow said, “Dubai Airshow this week stepped into the record books of aviation history, breaking all records in terms of the value of deals done. The world’s most powerful aerospace companies now come to Dubai to do business, in what is now the world’s most exciting, innovative and business-friendly environment.”

Boeing received 259 orders and commitments

SAC Craig Marshall, Crown Copyright/MoD

from Emirates (150), Qatar Airways (50), Etihad Airways (25) and a previously announced order from Lufthansa (34) for the newly launched 777X. The combined value of the agreements is more than $95 billion at list prices, placing the 777X as the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by value.

Charlie Miller, Vice President, International Corporate Communications, Boeing said, “Dubai 2013 has been a truly historic and record-breaking airshow for the company. We would like to thank our hosts for the organisation of such a momentous event at the stunning new airshow venue.”

Airbus got a total of 160 orders and commitments worth US$44 billion. By value, Emirates placed the single largest order for 50 additional A380s, worth US$20 billion. By numbers, Etihad Airways placed the

Dubai Airshow is organised under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and in co-operation with Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports, Dubai World Central and the UAE Armed Forces.

Shopping Cart Airbus got a total of 160 orders and commitments worth US$44 billion By value, Emirates placed the single largest order for 50 additional A380s, worth US$20 billion By numbers, Etihad Airways placed the single largest order for Airbus, with 87 aircraft worth US$19 billion at list prices

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HOTELS

TRAVTALK JANUARY, 2014

Le Méridien Dubai undergoes expansion Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre plans to unveil the much anticipated new expansion of its premises by the second quarter of 2014. Strategically positioned, the new expansion of 197 guest rooms and new banqueting facilities will continue to further deliver the hotel’s service standards, values and simultaneously address new market trends.

The 8-storey building housing the 197 new guest rooms is being constructed adjacent to the current Royal Club, and will further increase the current room inventory of 383 to 580. The new spacious guest rooms of 52 sq meters are designed with modern interiors.

Personalised butler service on each floor, a rooftop pool and an exclusive Club lounge, in addition to the current Royal Club benefits, are only some of the features and benefits guests can expect.

AED15mn project completed

‘2020 will be the best year’

In an exclusive with Middle East, Sascha Bartz, A massive project was completed Head of Hotels & Resorts, from the Meydan Group, talks

by Cape Reed Group of Companies about their plans for the Middle East region. for Sofitel Palm Resort & Spa, DEEPA SETHI FROM LONDON 6-month contracts. The rest which opened in July last year. of them are rented on a daily T T B U R E AU

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ape Reed, renowned for the construction and installation of exclusive tailor-made sustainable timber and thatch structures, started

The natural materials used are key in connecting our guests to their environment Christophe Schnyder General Manager, Sofitel The Palm, Dubai work on the project in April 2011. It completed the design of 7,000 sqm of thatched roofing for the hotel, as well as 5,000 sqm thatch tile ceilings. The property, located on the Palm Jumeirah, has 318

rooms and suites, 561 serviced apartments, 42 beach suite units and three luxurious Lodge Villas as well. The company's primary roofing material, which gives the company its name, is cape reed, a kind of thatch, and strict farming practices are adhered to ensure its sustainability. "The natural materials used throughout the resort are key in connecting our guests to their environment," said Christophe Schnyder, General Manager, Sofitel The Palm, Dubai.

"Cape Reed definitely falls into this category as they provide a very successful natural product with a high level of installation and quality control. They were selected due to their expertise in dealing with the natural reed product, which was utilised effectively as a unique architectural element throughout the Palm Jumeirah Sofitel Resort," he added.

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he tourism sector is doing extremely well in Dubai and by the World Expo 2020, it will be the best year. The hotels will be booming by then, as will the city,” said Bartz. “By this time, Meydan would have 150 hotels in the Middle East region. We opened five hotels in Dubai recently, and another one in Sharjah.” Meydan has signed a contract to open a hotel in Ajman by December. The group also has a contract signed for development of hotels in Qatar and another five hotels in other areas of the region, with an addition of 400 rooms. They have also recently opened 72 apartments in Abu Dhabi.

“We are growing!” declared Bartz with a smile.

Meydan’s target clients are from the GCC, both leisure and corporate, followed by leisure tourists from Russia, UK, China and Germany. Near 50-60 per

basis for corporate business.

They are situated in the heart of the town close to the office district and convention centres, etc. They are also spacious enough to hold meetings in the well-equipped living rooms, saving a large sum normally spent on hotel business centres.

Sascha Bartz Head of Hotels & Resorts Meydan Group

By 2020, Meydan would have 150 hotels in the region and recently we opened five hotels in Dubai

“A lot of families come here and our Chinese guests are especially fond of these apartments, as it gives them the freedom to cook their own meals,” said Bartz. Meydan caters to both leisure and business, depending on the season. They have special packages during religious events when large numbers come into the area. Their occupancy rate is 90-93 per cent. The rack rate per day is AED 520.

Expansion cent of the apartments are already rented, and 70 per cent of these are on a longterm basis, on yearly or on

Meydan also has a contract signed for development of hotels in Qatar and another five hotels in the region

Celebration with the theme of water The Sharjah Water Festival 2013 is the 11-day fiesta, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) for the seventh year. The extravagant festival featured popular entertainment and amusement activities, such as the Diving Show, Ice Age Show, Ice Rink, Petting Zoo, and Speaking Tree.

NEWS

JANUARY, 2014

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Etihad expanding into India UK e-visa waiver for GCC Etihad Airways plans to use Abu Dhabi as a global hub Tourists and business visitors from the UAE, Qatar and connecting international passengers and freight with Oman can obtain an electronic visa waiver (EVW) to travel flights to and from India. to the UK from January 1, 2014.

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ith the opening of a new facility, US-bound passengers will be able to clear US immigration and customs at Abu Dhabi Airport. Etihad Airways will also launch direct flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas in 2014, its fifth destination in the United States. “The new service will also strengthen the commercial and bilateral ties between the UAE and the US,” informed James Hogan, President and CEO, Etihad Airways.

The addition of the new ultra-long haul three flightsa-week, which start on December 3, 2014, follows Etihad Airways’ pledge to expand its US flight network to cater to the growing demand from business and leisure travellers.

Etihad Airways’ US codeshare partner will toughen Etihad Airways’ reach and depth across the US, attract-

ing air travellers from the Middle East and India. India is one of the world’s fastestgrowing air travel markets that play an increasingly important role in the Airlines’ growth.

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he new EVW is free of charge and is a quick alternative to a visit visa application. Those eligible for the EVW will be able to travel to the UK after completing and printing a short online form, 48 hours before travel.

UK intends to extend the scheme for Kuwait in 2014.

“Through our purchase of 24 per cent investment in Jet Airways, the first foreign investment permitted in an Indian airline,

we have laid the foundation for major growth in air services between Abu Dhabi and India and beyond, throughout our global network,” he further stated.

“Subject to receiving regulatory approvals, we will continue to expand our Abu Dhabi-India operations,” he added. The first stage of the strategy includes additional flights and the introduction of larger aircraft on existing

James Hogan President and CEO Etihad Airways

routes to India. The Airline has doubled the number of flights from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai and New Delhi with immediate effect. The other additional flights planned are to Kochi from June 2014; to Bengaluru and Chennai from July 2014 and to Hyderabad from October 2014.

Etihad Airways and Jet Airways also plan to codeshare on each other's flights between Abu Dhabi, India and other markets in the Middle East, North America and Europe.

However, the travellers wishing to work, study, enter into a civil partnership or marriage or visit the country for more than six months, must obtain a visa and cannot travel on an EVW document.

This change will increase tourists and business visitors from these countries to the UK. Previously, there was a 29 per cent rise in visit visas issued to nationals from the Middle East. Globally, visit visas to the UK have increased by 15 per cent.

Sandie Dawe, CEO, VisitBritain informed, “Britain

is a popular destination for residents of the Gulf countries.

We observed a record 37 per cent increase in the value of Gulf residents spending in Britain in 2012 that’s a record average of £3,555 per visitor.”

Dawe added, “We know there is already a huge aspiration to travel to Britain to shop and enjoy our attractions and events, so we’re delighted that the recent visa changes will make it easier to get here and come more often. If current trends continue, we are set to see another record year for Arab visitors in 2014.”

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has made improvements to the visa system in 2012 to attract more

Sandie Dawe CEO VisitBritain

business travellers and visitors to the UK, announcing sameday visa services and mobile visa service in India and China, and the further rollout of premium services like the 3-5 day visa processing and the GREAT Club.

Comparing September 2013 with the same month last year, the number of UK visit visas issued in the UAE has increased by 43 per cent, Qatar by 39 per cent, Oman by 32 per cent and Kuwait by 40 per cent.

Aim on MICE for Expo 2020 DMC partners with Qantas Destination Management Company for the inbound and The Exclusive Travel Group will promote luxury travel the outbound, Avionics Travels & Holidays is focussing to the high net worth sector of the GCC region, outbound on the MICE segment for the World Expo 2020. to New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.

Director, Avionics Travels & Holidays.

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ecognised as the only representative of Azerbaijan-based in the UAE, the tourism operations of Avionics Travels & Holidays started in 2003. It specialises in inbound travel services mainly for the Russian market in the UAE. Since 2011, the company started outbound business providing package tours to the CIS regions, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey and Europe.

“Dubai is a prime location for all MICE requirements with superior infrastructure and facilities. We are now targetting ‘Events for Expo 2020.’ There will be business coming in from the countries participating in the World Expo. Once we know which countries are participating and the ways to go ahead, we will start promot-

Forecast There was year-on-year business growth of 30% in 2013, and they expect a growth of 50% in 2014

Munir Sherwani Managing Director Avionics Travels & Holidays

In 2014, we are planning to expand beyond to the countries about 7-8 hours flight distance away ing ourselves to the key people who organise events and conferences and make arrangements for them to come and stay till the Expo gets over,” informed Munir Sherwani, Managing

“We have managed groups and tours from the countries which are within 4-5 hours flight distance. In 2014, we are planning to expand beyond to the countries about 7-8 hours flight distance away. We are looking at Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Kenya and South Africa,” he added.

Avionics observed yearon-year business growth of 40 per cent in 2012, another 30 per cent in 2013 and forecasts a growth of 50 per cent in 2014.

“Mostly, due to unavailability of accommodation, business cannot flourish as it should. Since more exhibitions are coming up presently, the MICE requirement of the industry will always be high.

But with the construction sector getting a boost and with the introduction of several initiatives and incentives for those who want to build hotels, the business will be on the ascending trail without any hindrance,” he added.

According to Qantas, luxury travel is a growing sector in the GCC and the agreement with The Exclusive Travel Group is testament to this.

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he agreement comes four months after The Exclusive Travel Group expanded to the GCC. Qantas, with new partner Emirates, offers more flights to New Zealand than any other GCC carrier.

Qantas and Emirates offer a network of international and domestic flights both to and within the Australasian region.

It operates more than 130 services every week from Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown to Australian east coast cities from more than 65 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

Rob Young, Founder & Managing Director, The Exclusive Travel Group, commented, “New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific remain unchartered territories for many discerning travellers from the GCC.” He further added, that together with Qantas and its

Rob Young Founder & Managing Director, The Exclusive Travel Group

The Exclusive Travel Group is an inbound Destination Management Company designing be spoke and personalised travel experiences to New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.

Headquartered in New Zealand, with an office in Australia and sales representatives in the GCC, Russia, UK and North America, The Exclusive Travel Group crafts ultraluxury travel experiences across three categories leisure, corporate and VIP.

New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific remain unchartered territories for many Luxury travellers from the GCC According

to Qantas, luxury travel is a growing sector in the GCC

extensive route path, they can look forward to introduce visitors from the Middle East region to a new class of luxury travel.

The Exclusive Travel Group crafts ultra-luxury travel experiences across three categories - leisure, corporate and VIP

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FAMILY ALBUM

TRAVTALK JANUARY, 2014

Joining hands for a cleaner world Under the patronage of Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman, Ajman Municipality, in association with UAE Ministry of Education, Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman play a major role in making the world cleaner and greener for the future generation. The hotel organised 'Go Green Painting Competition' in the northern emirates and an award ceremony to felicitate the winners.

Attracting UAE tourists

Visitors to Philippines rise

Indonesia Tourism experienced year-to-year growth with The Philippine Department of Tourism has recognised an increase of 5.16 per cent compared to 2012. The UAE Saudi Arabia as the primary outbound market for tourist arrivals to Indonesia rose by 64.6 per cent in 2013. development, especially from the Middle East.

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The trade shows remain the first in excellence for the regional tourism industry to network with the key players and meet potential partners to promote Indonesia,” she added.

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he VITO Middle East office assists the Ministry of Tourism Creative Economy (MOTCE) of Indonesia in several activities throughout the year. It promotes Indonesia in the Middle East through trade shows, FAM trips and in-house workshop for the travel agencies to create awareness and interest among them.

“We have participated in ATM and GIBTM 2013 and organised FAM trips with around 10 travel agents each in partnership with Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways,” informed Nour Aridi, Country Manager, VITO Middle East Representative Office.

Campaign 2014 MOTCE announced their 2014 strategy campaign focussing on 16 markets, based on the diversity of Indonesia’s culture and heritage

Nour Aridi Country Manager, Visit Indonesia Tourist Office Middle East Representative Office

MOTCE announced their 2014 strategy campaign focussing on 16 markets, based on the diversity of Indonesia’s culture and heritage - nature, ecotourism, recreation , sports, cruises, culinary and shopping, health and wellness and most importantly MICE.

MICE business is developing in Indonesia with ready-to-receive 15 destinations, such as Jakarta

“MICE business is developing in Indonesia with ready-to-receive 15 destinations including Jakarta and Bali. The MICE business contributed to 30 per cent tourism revenues in 2013," Aridi added.

“Participating in trade shows like EMITT in Istanbul, GIBTM in Abu Dhabi and ATM in Dubai are very important for us.

Indonesia will host APEC Summit and the 9th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting. Building many more convention centres are also in the process across the country.

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resently, Saudi Arabia ranks as the largest visitor market to the Philippines and continued to record significant growth in 2013. The Philippine Department of Tourism along with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, have come together to launch a new revitalised promotional push to encourage more Saudi nationals and expatriates to holiday in the Philippines in 2014.

To kick-off the activities, a week-long promotional campaign to both the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah had been conducted from December 14-20, 2013.

In 2012, the country hosted around 30,040 visitors from Saudi Arabia, which was an increase of 7.5 per cent compared to 2011. The travellers’ arrival from Saudi Arabia between JanuarySeptember 2013 was 30,258, exceeding the arrivals in

Raymund Glen Agustin Chief -Russia, India and the Middle East Market Development Group, Philippine Department of Tourism

2012. The number represents 34.7 per cent when compared to same nine-month figures experienced in 2012.

The inclination for further increase in arrivals remains strong, following the increase in direct flights services between Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

Raymund Glen Agustin, Chief -Russia, India and the Middle East Market Development Group, Philippine Department of Tourism said,

“We are committed to deepening our engagement with travel industry professionals, airlines, media and consumers in the Middle East, to further spread the message that travel and tourism to the Philippines offers great value and is more fun.

With the support of our industry partners, compatriots at the Philippine Embassy, consulates in Saudi Arabia and our new marketing representative office with AVIAREPS, a cohesive programme of promotional activities, events, seminars and participation at the key travel exhibitions will be rolled out over the forthcoming months, with the objective of enticing more visitors to the Philippines.”

MOVEMENTS

JANUARY, 2014

TRAVTALK

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Qatar Airways Doha

Travelport Atlanta

Rotana Abu Dhabi

David Edwards has been appointed Executive Vice-

Bret Kidd has been appointed as the Vice President &

Greg Allan will join Rotana as the new Area Vice President

President of the corporate jet arm of Qatar Airways, Qatar Executive. Edwards will be responsible for guiding all strategic, commercial and operational aspects of the Airline’s private jet division. In his new role, Edwards will focus on strengthening Qatar Executive’s footprint in the operator’s existing key markets. Prior to this, Edwards was Managing Director, Middle East and Asia for Gama Aviation.

General Manager, Airline IT Solutions, Travelport. Kidd joins Travelport from Stratos Management Systems, a private equity-backed IT services firm that he co-founded and grew to over $130 million. Previously, he held a variety of executive positions at EDS/HP in the Travel & Transportation, Global Public Sector and Corporate Strategy and M&A groups. Kidd began his career on Capitol Hill, serving as special assistant to U.S. Senator Phil Gramm.

– Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. He has 30 years of experience in the industry which includes his position as Area Director - Operations for South East Asia for Marriott International.

Previously, he was the Vice President - Rooms, Food & Beverage, Head of Marketing, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. Allan graduated from Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He will be overseeing the operations of Rotana in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain.

Jeddah

Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

Bruce Hanna has been appointed by Travelport as the

Stefan Gaessler has recently been appointed the General

Country Manager for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Hanna has more than 20 years of experience with Travelport. He joined the Saudi Arabia team from Johannesburg, where he was VP Commercial for Travelport Southern Africa. Prior to this, he was the Director for Market Support in Africa, as well as President and CEO for Galileo India. In his new role, Hanna is responsible for all Galileo-related commercial activity in the Kingdom.

Manager at Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi. Gaessler brings with him over 24 years of experience and has held a number of positions within the Hyatt family. Since joining Hyatt Regency Chicago in 1990, he moved up the ranks in quick succession from Assistant Food and Beverage Manager to EAM Food and Beverage Grand Hyatt Seoul. Prior to joining Hyatt, Gaessler held several roles at Steigenberger Hotel Sonnenhalde as part of the food and beverage and front office team.

Dubai

Grand Millennium Al Wahda Abu Dhabi

Air China Dubai Bi Zhang has been appointed as the General Manager, Dubai Branch of Air China recently. He brings with him 21 years of experience in the airline industry. Prior to this appointment, he was the Vice General Manager of Tokyo Branch and the General Manager of Nagoya Branch, counting a total of 11 years experience in Japan. In his new role, he looks forward to face the challenges of another dynamic air transportation business arena in the UAE, and in the regions of the Middle East and Africa.

Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel Dubai Stephan Vanden Auweele has been appointed General Manager of the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel to spearhead the extensive renovation of the landmark hotel. Vanden Auweele holds over 20 years of experience in opening and managing hotels around the world.

Previously, he held the position of General Manager, Aloft Abu Dhabi, which he opened in 2009. Vanden Auweele was also responsible for the openings of Sheraton Algarve and Sheraton La Caleta.

Michael van der Ende is joining Travelport as Head of OTA (Online Travel Agencies) for Middle East, Africa and India. joins Travelport from dnata travel, part of the Emirates Group, where he held the position of B2C Manager. He brings a wealth of experience from the OTA sector having held senior positions in Europe with lastminute.com and Opodo. In his new role, he takes on the responsibility of overseeing and driving Travelport’s online business across the region, as the local travel industry seeks to establish its online presence.

Archana Kawatra is the new Director of Sales & Marketing at the Grand Millennium Al Wahda Abu Dhabi. She has 16 years of experience in the sales industry. Previously, she was the Director of Sales, MICE with Rotana Hotels in Dubai. Kawatra has started her career in hotel industry in 1997 with hotel chains such as The Ambassador Group of Hotels, Taj Hotels, and Hyatt International as Sales Manager, MICE, where she spent 4 years and she moved to Dubai on 2007.

Burj Al Arab celebrates 42nd UAE National Day

Franchisee partner for Dubai Burj Al Arab in Dubai, celebrated the 42nd United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Day in magnificent style.

A stunning laser and digital 3D display, accompanied by spectacular choreographed music, captured the historic 42-year journey back to when the UAE was founded in 1971. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said,"This event was a fitting finale to an incredible few days for the UAE - beginning with the announcement of the country's successful bid to host Expo 2020 in Dubai."

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company, recently appointed TravTips, as its franchisee partner for the market of Dubai. TravTips is a dynamic sales & marketing consultancy company in the Middle East. (From left) Hassan Moosa, Licensing department, DTCM, Suraj Mainat, Managing Director, TravTips, Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, Khalid Al Marri, Head Licensing Department, DTCM, Khalid Al Halyan, Head of Inspection Entertainment Activities, DTCM and J P Singh, Sr Vice President, Leisure Travel Outboud, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd were present at the event.

16

NTO

TRAVTALK JANUARY, 2014

Tapping European tourists Visas to 1 time ‘visitors’... st

Khalid Motik, Director, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Those foreigners who intend to visit the historical sites Development Authority, talks about how the Emirate is of Saudi Arabia, can avail tourist visas from the opening its doors to welcome tourists. government, in a bid to boost tourism.

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Germany, Poland, UK, Russia, Indonesia and China. “To cater to these tourists,” stated Motik,

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t the World Travel Market (WTM) 2013, the Middle East countries displayed the immense growth of infrastructure and technology in tourism. The vision of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is to put the Emirate on the international map. The RAK Tourism Development Authority is working with more intensity towards attaining 10,000 rooms by 2020. They already have an inventory of 3,000 rooms, and aim to reach 5,000 rooms in another six months. “We had a little bit of a handicap of not having enough rooms.

Now that we have the infrastructure, we came to WTM to showcase our product and increase the share of tourists from the UK and European markets,” declared Motik.

Ras Al Khaimah is blessed by having all the assets required to attract tourists. The Emirate has

Khalid Motik Director, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Government of Ras Al Khaimah

beaches, mountains, natural beauty, traditional hospitality, centuries old culture and is a family-friendly destination. It is 45 minutes by road, from Dubai. “We provide outdoor activities like golf, deep sea diving, water sports, fishing, biking, hiking, horse riding etc. But, 80 per cent of the people come to relax and for the young and families, we have the Aqua Park,” he said.

Ras Al Khaimah is attracting tourists from

“We are aiming at creating a highend destination with affordable luxury hotels, which are important for tourists today.”

Dubai is getting big numbers from India and China, the overflow during peak times comes to Ras Al Khaimah. “We are working hard to increase tourism to this area. MICE will be the next target niche,” declared Motik, “But at present, we are concentrating on leisure.

We now have world class resorts and hotels like the new Waldorf Astoria and Double Tree by Hilton, amongst many other luxury resorts that are also coming up.”

S U S M I TA G H O S H

T

he Council of Ministers entrusted the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) with the task of issuing tourist visas on the basis of certain regulations approved by the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs. The SCTA has more power to manage the Emirate’s public tourist spots.The new law, which aims at managing tourism facilities and services, was endorsed by the Cabinet chaired by Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, Saudi Arabia, at Al Yamama Palace in Riyadh.

According to the regulation, SCTA will propose which tourist spots are to be identified as the public tourist places in coordination with the relevant authorities. It will also work out the executive regulations of the law so as to govern tourist activities.

Furthermore, SCTA will also monitor the list of prices for tourist residential units and for their activities and services as well. And they have the right to control and inspect tourist accommodation facilities. The new tourism law aims at bringing

those who break the law, imposing fines up to SR 100,000 and cancellation of licenses. Public tourist places are protected by the new law and it is not allowed for any private party to own them.

The State will use them or make investments in them

Public tourist places are protected by the new law and it is not allowed for any private party to own them Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, Saudi Arabia about a qualitative improvement in the industry, which is expected to create employment for Saudis.

The law stipulates that tourist areas are protected as public property and cannot be owned privately. It bans operators from participating in the sector without license. SCTA has the power to penalise

directly or lease them to the private sector through a public bidding.

Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, Saudi Arabia, said that the prices are to be fixed by the licensed tourism operators for tourist accommodation facilities, activities and services as well.