TTME March 14

A DDP PUBLICATION

Pages: 20

ddppl.com

travtalkmiddleeast.com

Vol. X No. 3; March 2014

Hotel sector soars in 2013 by 18% ........................................................................04 Web In Travel enters Dubai market ........................................................................13 Ramada nurtures a ‘greener’ future ......................................................................16

ME to be showcased at ITB 2014 As a driving force in the travel industry, ITB Berlin gives key indications to a constantly budding market.

This year, it will take place from March 5 - 9 for the 48th time. With more than 170,000 visitors, among which are 113,000 trade visitors and 11,000 represented companies from 180 countries, ITB Berlin is the leading B2B platform the tourism industry offers.

Middle East speaks to industry stakeholders on their expectations.

S U S M I TA G H O S H xhibitor sales of about Euro 6 billion and an exhibitor satisfaction rate of 92 per cent are evidence that supply and demand meet at the right place. In addition, one of the world’s largest tourism convention, ITB Berlin, provides unique opportunities to benefit from the leading think tank of the global tourism industry. The focus is on Mexico, the partner country of ITB Berlin, which is organising the opening ceremony of the show.

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“Travel & tourism accounts for 258 million jobs globally. At US$6 trillion (9.1 per cent of GDP), the sector is a key driver for investment and economic growth at a global level. Our key challenge in the industry is to stimulate jobs and investment, eliminating barriers to travel like visa restrictions, taxation and outmoded infrastructure systems,” explained David Scowsill,

President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council.

“I am confident that these issues will be addressed at Europe’s premier travel trade fair - ITB Berlin. It is the key place to learn about new trends, market developments and to deepen existing business relations,” he added.

Royal Rose, a 5-star hotel in Abu Dhabi, announced its participation in the annual ITB Berlin with City Seasons Hotels within the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority stand.

Gianni Malerba, General Manager, Royal Rose, said, “As the world’s largest travel trade show, ITB Berlin has been recognised as the industry’s biggest think tank. The whole variety of travelling is present here – tour operators, booking systems, hotels, destinations and other suppliers. So it’s an excellent opportunity to meet business partners and present Royal Rose to participants and visi-

David Scowsill

Gianni Malerba

Scott Butcher

Samir Arora

President & CEO World Travel & Tourism Council

General Manager Royal Rose

General Manager Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel Dubai

General Manager Ramada Downtown Dubai

The key challenge is to stimulate jobs and investment, eliminating travel barriers tors of ITB as a unique destination in Abu Dhabi.”

Heading for Berlin to participate with Dubai

ITB Berlin has been recognised as the travel industry’s biggest think tank Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing at the ITB Berlin travel exhibition, management from the Park Regis Kris Kin

Dubai's hospitality sector is now making long term plans with a view to building ‘Dubai Inc'

This is an excellent platform for the property to strengthen its relationship with existing partners

Hotel Dubai said the event would provide a platform to promote its facilities in the run-up to the Expo 2020.

According to Scott Butcher, General Manager, Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel Contd. on page 6

NEWS

Dubai levies tourism tax Applicable from March 31, ‘Tourism Dirham’, a minimal charge, will be applied to guests staying in all rated holiday accommodations, including hotels, hotel apartments, guesthouses and holiday homes.

T T B U R E AU ased on the global benchmarking and funds raised, the move will support the international promotion and marketing of Dubai. It will drive growth of its tourism and trade industries.

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The minimal charge will vary between Dirhams 7 to 20 per room, per night, depending on the hotel category and rating.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, issued the Council’s resolution No.(2) of 2014, regarding the introduction of the ‘Tourism Dirham’.

Such tourism fees are charged in several leading tourist destinations across the

world. Such steps will help strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading tourist destination, bringing in line with international industry standards.

According to STR Global research, presently hotel

guest nights, up 13 per cent from the same period in 2012.

Since Dubai has won the vote to host Expo 2020, the Emirate’s developers have revived old hotel projects and announced new ones. Dubai’s

The minimal charge will vary between Dirhams 7 to 20 per room, per night, depending on the hotel category and rating guests in Dubai pay 10 per cent municipality fees in addition to 10 per cent services charges, both based on their daily room rates. In December, the average daily room rate in Dubai was Dhs 1,063.32. In the first nine months of 2013, Dubai’s hotel and hotel apartments generated 30.87 million

developer Nakheel aims to build nine hotels in Dubai in the next five years. The first of Nakheel’s new hotels in Dubai is to open in Dragon Mart premises in 2014. Others are scheduled to open in the Palm Jumeirah, near Ibn Battuta Mall and The Dubai Mall and in International City as well.

MARCH 2014

TRAVTALK

3

News in Brief

A step closer to no Schengen visa The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament, on February 12, 2014, ratified the agreement between the Parliament and the Greek Presidency of the European Union, on amending the regulations to exempt citizens of the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Peru and 15 other Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean countries from the requirement of obtaining

visa to enter into the unified visa zone of ‘Schengen’. A statement from the European Parliament said that "This exemption should be reciprocated on the basis of agreements signed between the EU and each of these countries. It will start when the bilateral agreement comes into force."

Earlier, the European Parliament had proposed an exemption of UAE citizens

from the requirement of obtaining entry visa. It was approved by the Commission and the Cabinet. The EU has a positive list including countries, whose nationals are allowed to enter into EU without visa, and the negative list for countries, whose nationals must obtain prior entry visa. The European Parliament is expected to vote for this agreement in April.

RAK appoints new official carrier The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) recently signed a partnership with Air Arabia, enabling the Airline to become the Emirate’s designated carrier.

Describing the partnership as a ‘unique collaboration’, Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman, DCA, Ras Al Khaimah said, “We are delighted to be entering into

a strategic agreement with an extremely successful airline and are confident about the benefits this partnership will bring to the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah.”

Adel Ali, Group CEO, Air Arabia said, “Joining hands with DCA, Ras Al Khaimah in this new partnership aims at further developing the aviation industry in the northern Emirates and support RAK’s ambitious economic plans.

The Emirate’s tourism sector is witnessing a strong and steady growth and we are optimistic that this will continue to grow in the years to come.”

Ali added, “We are extremely confident that the launch of Air Arabia’s operations in Ras Al Khaimah Airport will further transform the travel and tourism sectors in the Emirate, as well as provide value-formoney air travel.”

GUEST COLUMN EDITORIAL

ITB, GIBTM uplifts tourism outlook ith two major international events - ITB Berlin and Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) 2014 - round-the-corner, the tourism industry is in a buoyant mood.

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The outlook is exceptionally good for the 48 ITB Berlin, taking place from March 5 9, 2014. Messe Berlin expects around 10,000 exhibiting companies from more than 180 countries. In 2013, a total of 10,086 participants from 188 countries exhibited their products & services to 170,000 visitors, which included 110,000 trade visitors. th

Travel technology is a key market and the presence of eTravel World at ITB will provide the latest information. One of the pressing issues experts will be discussing is that of secure communications. On March 5, experts from Secusmart and Sophos will present papers on ‘Bug-proof mobile communications’ and ‘Bring Your Own Device’.

On the Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (IBTM) front too, the scene is robust. A major factor contributing towards the global spotlight on the Middle East MICE industry in 2014 will be Dubai’s successful World Expo 2020 bid.

GIBTM 2014 is set to run from March 2426 in Abu Dhabi. Highlighting the strength of the Middle East meetings and incentives market, the 2013 IBTM Meetings Industry Research Report has noted that 59 per cent of Middle East buyers are forecasting increased budgets for the next 12 months with a corresponding 68.5 per cent planning an increase in events in 2014.

Hotel sector soars in 2013 by 18% More carriers than ever are now flying to Abu Dhabi International Airport. In terms of hotel guests, which is their prime tracking mechanism, 2013 was their best year yet. Travellers can tour palaces, forts, one of the world's largest mosques and experience falconry, camel trekking and Arabia's famed hospitality. ith a plethora of islands, more than 400 km of coastline, oases, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, modern cityscapes and deserts, Abu Dhabi offers a diversity of visitor experiences. With 2013 being their best year yet for hospitality, over 2.8 million people checked into our hotels and hotel apartments – of which we currently have 150. The performance was up 18 per cent in 2012 and significantly beat our stated 2013 target of 2.5 million. Total revenue in 2013 climbed 18 per cent also to US$1.5 billion, while guest nights rose Year-on-Year to 8.8 million, which was a 26 per cent uplift.

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This was a very satisfying performance, as last year, our hotels and hotel apartment inventory grew by 13 properties, adding 10 per cent more rooms to our stock.

The role of travel trade partners is most important for us, as they help to generate more business. Hence, we run many orientation programmes, sales tools and familiarisation trips for them.

In November 2012, we began the Access Abu Dhabi programme and over 2013 we received 66 proposals from prospective travel trade partners across number of markets. Of this, 38 proposals were

In 2014, the organisers of GIBTM expect to welcome over 300 targetted buyers as demand continues to grow for quality interaction with leading industry suppliers.

With an estimated US$7 billion worth of transport and tourism-related infrastructure development, the Middle East is proving to be a perfect global meetings hub.

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

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

approved by 11 markets (Australia, Austria, Germany, UK, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait), and all began implementation in 2013, with some spreading over to 2014.

direct mailing, billboard advertising, point-of-sale promotion, print and online advertising. We also worked with our partners on trade familiarisation trips of the destination.

Originally, we had set our 2014 hotel guest target at 2.8 million – but given that we achieved that last year, we now have a new stretch target for this year of 3.1 million For instance, TUI and Airtours produced packages including six nights and seven days beach & desert combinations and six nights and seven days Abu Dhabi city and Al Ain combinations. TUI delivered 6,250 passengers and Airtours delivered 2,000 passengers, during the year.

The 14 proposals that were not approved did not truly meet the Access criteria of raising awareness and delivering sales. Amongst the approved partners are some of the world’s biggest travel industry – Sun Island Tours, Webjet and Abercrombie & Kent in Australia, L’Tur Tourismus, Schauinsland Reisen, TUI, DER Touristik, FTI and airberlin holidays of Germany, Lastminute.com, Hayes & Jarvis, Ebookers and BA Holidays in the UK and ITL World Travel in Saudi Arabia.

In all, we target 84,893 passengers through Access Abu Dhabi in 2013, and are still collating the final actual returns. But in some cases, Germany, for instance, our partners have exceeded expectations by 7 per cent delivering 47,758 passengers. Length-of-stay also increased due to the 6/7 day packaging options.

The Australian proposals were all centred around awareness building, while the others were direct marketing to increase sales. Many sales tools were used, including

We intend to continue building relationships with our existing partners and looking to build our partnership network and therefore targets as well. We have had serious meetings with 13 major players in India and anticipate receiving proposals shortly.

During 2014, we also anticipate expanding the Access Abu Dhabi programme to Italy, France, Switzerland, the USA, particularly Los Angeles and New York, Brazil, Korea and Japan.

Originally, we had set our 2014 hotel guest target at 2.8 million – but given that we achieved that last year, we now have a new stretch target for this year of 3.1 million.

Sultan Al Dhaheri Acting Executive Director Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi)

RwandAir resumes flights to Juba RwandAir resumed all flights to Juba from March 1, 2014. The schedule will remain as it was with three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The decision to resume flights came on the heels of the news received from the South Sudan government that they had signed a ceasefire deal with the rebels. This confirmation of peace talks reassured the airline of the safety

of their passengers.

RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda, launched flights to Juba last year on September 21, 2013, with attractive fares which raised their number of passen-

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gers in one week. Juba’s destination marked the final milestone for RwandAir in 2013 as its 15th destination.

The two months wait for operations to commence is finally over as the airline is ready and eager to serve their cus-

TRAVTALK is a publication of Durga Das Publications Private Limited.

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

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tomers on the Juba route. Still relatively small in size, the airport and airline are able to provide seamless transfers and a much more personalised service to Entebbe, Nairobi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, and others. The airline also plans to expand its network further into the sub-Saharan region, and will soon unveil Douala in Cameroon on March 30, 2014.

The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material solicited or unsolicited nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged.

This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation.

All advertisements must comply with the Indian and International Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss caused by delayed publication, error or failure of an advertisement to appear.

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COVER STORY

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

Oman’s hotel guest numbers grow by 10.8%

ITB: An impetus to a growing market

Recently released statistics published by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) revealed 11 per cent increase in the revenue for 4 and 5 star hotels across the Sultanate of Oman in 2013 against 2012 figures.

The combined 2013 revenues of the 31 hotels included in the statistics registered 149.3 OMR million (387.8 USD million) compared to 134.5 OMR million (349.3 USD million) in 2012, registering a Year-on-Year growth rate of 11 per cent. Five star hotels registered the bigger portion of the revenue split with 102.2 OMR million, while the four star hotels recorded revenue of 47.1 OMR million in 2013.

The NCSI report also revealed that the total number of 4 & 5 star hotel guests increased by 10.8 per cent in 2013, with guest numbers totaling 614,000 against the 2012 figure of 554,000. Breaking down the guest profiles by region, European nationalities topped the list with 202,000 guests in 2013, recording an annual growth rate of 16.7 per cent when compared to the previous year's 173,000 guests who arrived from Europe.

After European nationalities, Omani guests came in the second place, with 186,000 Omanis staying at 4 & 5 star hotels versus 158,000 guests in 2012, registering an annual growth rate of 17.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, GCC citizens came in third place and their numbers recorded a growth of 14.6 per cent from 79,000 guests in 2012 to stand at 90,000 guests in 2013.

Dubai, the entire hospitality sector in the Emirate is now making long-term plans with a view to building ‘Dubai Inc.’, and cater to increased visitor figures. “We all are working to meet the 20 million visitor target set for 2020. A global show like ITB enables us to meet major players in the tourism industry to set out our brand of hotels for future growth." He further added, “With Emirates and flydubai on a growth trajectory, Dubai can now offer both access and accommodation options, and these factors are of enormous interest to the global travel trade."

Contd. from page 1

Ramada Downtown Dubai will attend this year’s ITB Berlin as a trade visitor.

“This is an excellent platform for us to strengthen relationship with our existing partners and seek new business ties,” asserted Samir Arora, General Manager, Ramada Downtown Dubai.

Dubai has started to establish its mark as one of the top tourist and business destinations in the world. “Its strategic location at the heart of the city, backed by Dubai’s recent win to host World Expo 2020 adds value to Ramada Downtown, and we would like to make the most of this opportunity to promote the hotel,” he further said.

“The travel trade exhibition is a priority on the calendar of every tour operator and travel agent in Northern Europe,” said Jean-Pierre Simon, Regional General Manager, Northern Emirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts. “In addition to renewing contacts and contracts, ITB Berlin provides an ideal opportunity to convey to the trade about new developments in Sharjah, which is the Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 as well as the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2015.”

Inbound tourism into Sharjah continued double-digit growth through 2013, with nearly 1.4 million arrivals in the first nine months. European visitors made up one-third of the total compared to 37 per cent from the GCC. “The healthy mix of visitors reflects

through our participation,” he further mentioned.

HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings will be participating in ITB Berlin under the umbrella of Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing.

Jean-Pierre Simon

Iftikhar Hamdani

Regional General Manager, Northern Emirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts

General Manager Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman

ITB Berlin provides an ideal opportunity to convey to the trade about new developments in Sharjah

the range of attractions in Sharjah, which are set to increase with the Emirate’s redevelopment, he added.

“We, at Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman will participate in ITB Berlin, along with Ajman Tourism Development Department to promote the Emirate as a rising tourist destination in the UAE. We will also take the opportunity to meet our business partners in the region and generate new business,” elucidated Iftikhar Hamdani, GM, Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman.

“Germans are one of the property’s top nationality mix, and we would like to strengthen our presence in this market

Germans are one of the property’s top nationality mix, and we would like to strengthen our presence here

Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO, HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings, pronounced, “ITB Berlin is not only the world’s largest travel trade show welcoming more than 11,163 exhibitors and over 170,000 visitors, but is also the ideal B2B platform that gives us an excellent opportunity to showcase our brands and products in an international market. With a superb mix of brands, namely The Ajman Palace, Coral Hotels & Resorts, Corp Hotels and EWA Hotel Apartments, catering to various segments, we offer a great choice in terms of properties and destinations, be it idyllic beach resorts or

world-class business hotels and serviced apartments located in some of the most sought-after destinations in the MENA region.”

He further stated, “While reinforcing our existing relations with the global travel

Nives Deininger, Director of Sales, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments (GSHA), informed, “ITB showcases the world’s best destinations for business and leisure guests, so it is a mustattend event for Golden Sands Hotel Apartments. The

Laurent A. Voivenel

Nives Deininger

CEO, HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings

Director of Sales Golden Sands Hotel Apartments

Most of the destinations in which we have a presence, enjoyed excellent growth in recent months

trade, ITB is the perfect platform to network and connect with new business partners.

Most of the destinations we are in enjoyed excellent growth in recent months, outpacing the increase in capacity that resulted in better occupancy for our hotels. And we are eager to capitalise on it.”

The team of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments will exhibit with the Dubai Department of Tourism Commerce & Marketing (DTCM). They will meet the key partners in Germany to discuss the next winter season and receive feedback on rates, as well as ways to improve business levels.

ITB Berlin holds great potential to attract more guests to Golden Sand’s hotel

show provides businesses with an opportunity to network and develop new connections particularly in the German market, one of Dubai’s leading contributors to leisure and business tourism. The number of our guests from this market increase every year, so there is a great potential to attract them to our property and Dubai in general.”

She added, “We would like to inform all the participants that GSHA has always proved to be a hotel apartment of choice for those visitors to Dubai looking for budget hotel apartments at good value for money.”

HIGHLIGHTS

MARCH 2014

TRAVTALK

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Record numbers in 2013 Discovering Hong Kong December 2013 proved to be the busiest month of the year, thereby ending the year on a high note. The sales figure reached AED 92 million (US $25 million) at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

T T B U R E AU ith the opening of several major retail outlets at the Airport throughout 2013, the retail revenue at Abu Dhabi Duty Free reached AED 912.7 million (US $248 million).

According to Abu Dhabi Airports, it’s an increase of 13 per cent compared to 2012.

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Mohammed Al Bulooki

Mohammed Al Bulooki, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, stated, "The level of commercial performance in duty free in 2013 and the 13 per cent rise in revenue, were extremely positive results for our company. Abu Dhabi Duty Free increased the choice of luxury brands and product offerings for customers, together with some inspiring promotional campaigns.

Hence, it has seen the money spent on duty free products increase throughout the year."

Chief Commercial Officer Abu Dhabi Airports

Moreover, Abu Dhabi Duty Free launched a new brand identity in October 2013 with a new logo to reflect the iconic architectural design of the new Midfield Terminal Building, set to open in 2017.

The commercial retail area in the new terminal will total 28,000 sqm, and bids from quality retailers from around the world are anticipated. Al Bulooki added,

"The new Midfield Terminal Building will offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for ambitious retailers, and will have a capacity of more than 30 million passengers a year."

Abu Dhabi Duty Free has expansion plans ahead as presently the multi-billion dollar re-development and expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport is underway. With the increased overall capacity of the airport, new outlets will be introduced, thereby improving the shopping experience of the travellers passing through the Airport.

Hosted by Hong Kong Tourism Board, Cathay Pacific Airlines and Hong Kong Shangri-La Hotels, the travel trade FAM trip was organised to educate the agents on Hong Kong. Sharaf Travel, Al Rais Holidays, ITL World, Al Naboodah Holidays, Al Tayer Travel and Across Borders were among the participants.

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EXHIBITIONS

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

Abu Dhabi looks East A staggering high performance has been witnessed in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry, as 13 more hotels and hotel apartments opened in 2013. This resulted in 10 per cent more hotel rooms, totaling over 26,000, as compared to 2012.

Since Abu Dhabi has achieved the original hotel guest targets set for 2014, they increased their target by more than 10 per cent.

Abu Dhabi is now looking to achieve 3.1 million hotel guests this year with a 10 per cent Year-on-Year compounded growth in the short-term. Now guests have begun to stay longer in the Emirate with the average-length-of-stay, edging up 7 per cent to 3.13 nights and with occupancy rising 9 per cent to 71 per cent.

With intensive joint efforts from Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and constant contact with the giant Indian tour-operators marketing Abu Dhabi as a future destination for the Indian tourism, the Emirate is now looking East.

India became Abu Dhabi's largest

overseas source market for hotel guests, attracting near 175,929 guests - a 27 per cent rise on 2012. The UK was the second largest overseas producer, with 162,973 Britons checking into the Emirate's hotels last year - a 16 per cent lift on 2012.

Incentives back on the agenda The Gulf Incentives Business Travel & Meetings (GIBTM) Expo is the ‘Middle East's dedicated business platform. Taking place in Abu Dhabi from March 24 - 26, the event brings together the biggest names in travel and business.

T T B U R E AU IBTM connects the region's inbound and outbound MICE and business travel industry through face-to-face meetings, prescheduled appointments, knowledge and networking. It allows the participants to capitalise on the GCC nations’ consistently rising ratio of travel for business to travel for leisure.

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Khaled Khedr Director of Sales & Marketing, Sands Hotel Abu Dhabi

“We are highly optimistic about 2014 results, especially with applying the same strategy with the Chinese, with an enormous flow of tourists in the region expected in 2014/ 2015 along with various touristic source destination approaches, Abu Dhabi can continue its upward momentum,” said Khaled Khedr, Director of Sales & Marketing, Sands Hotel Abu Dhabi.

The event, now in its 8th edition, is slated to be even more successful with first-time exhibitors from Spain, the United States of America, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Czech Republic, the UAE, Korea, United Kingdom, Uganda, South Africa and Morocco.

It indicates an international interest in the benefit of the expo that provides potential business setups in the region.

Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager, GIBTM said, “Meetings and incentives arrivals accounted for almost 50 per cent of all business arrivals in 2012. New and existing hotels across the country, and indeed the region, are now paying increased attention to their meetings product and packaged group rates to capture additional market share.”

Furthermore, Hall assured that the exhibitors this year can expect to interact with over 300 regional and international buyers from corporate, association and governmental organisations.

The conference will also highlight topics like the growing trend of doubling up destinations. In this case, a combination of Dubai and Oman, a package that contrasts Oman’s natural beauty and adventure tourism to Dubai’s sleek Metropolitan allure.

“With improved corporate performance, incentives are firmly back on the agenda.

The feedback from our business partners has revealed that incentive organisers are keen to get extra bang from their buck by visiting more than one destination in one trip.

Obviously, the benefit for the destinations, ground handlers and hotels is that the average spending per capita on incentive trips is one of the highest yielding segments in the industry,” informed Hall.

Lois Hall Exhibition Manager GIBTM

Dubai’s successful bid for the 2020 World Expo is expected to bring an estimated 25 million visitors, 71 per cent of which will be overseas crowd.

The MICE sector presently generates AED 2.4 billion (US$653 million) per annum for the UAE capital alone. With annual growth of at least 7 per cent predicted for the industry by 2020, taking its contribution to more than AED 5.1 billion (US$1.39 billion) by the time the Expo takes place.

HOTELS

MARCH 2014

TRAVTALK

9

Offering a hi-tech product Occupancy on the rise Tailor-made for the new generation of business executives, entrepreneurs and leisure travellers seeking hi-tech travel experiences, Emaar Hospitality Group recently launched Vida Hotels and Resorts.

“The opportunity to integrate InnSpire presented itself and was a perfect fit for the Vida Hotels and Resort’s concept.

S U S M I TA G H O S H he first ‘urban lifestyle hub’ in the Vida Hotels and Resorts portfolio of Emaar Hospitality Group, Vida Downtown Dubai has opened doors, offering 156 rooms, located in close proximity to Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall.

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Stefan Viard

According to the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2012/2013, more than a third of travellers are aged 15-34.

Dubai serves as the hub for a vast youthful demography of over 2 billion people below the age of 25 years across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Vida, which means ‘life’ in Spanish, embraces the idea of youthful vitality and as such has been designed for this target audience.

General Manager Vida Downtown Dubai

The hotel group recently announced their partnership with InnSpire Intelligent Hotel Solution, with the aim of enhancing guest experience with the use of televisions and hand-held devices. The service, however, is not simply limited to provision of entertainment.

Stefan Viard, General Manager, Vida Downtown Dubai informed,

We are delighted to partner with such a dynamic company that offers state-ofthe-art solutions and is assisting us in revolutionising the way we interact with our guests.” Guests can use the system from anywhere within the hotel on their hand-held devices or television screens without any additional app download, allowing them to order their room service by using the on-screen menu, book their laundry or even buy gifts with a few clicks.

Five Continents Hotels & Resorts prides itself on being adaptive, delivering exactly what the guest requires. Be it business or leisure, the hotel strives to deliver in the most impressive yet understated fashion.

T T B U R E AU he group participated in ITB 2013, which proved among other aspects, an ideal platform for head hunting top German professionals for leadership positions within the company.

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“The hotel sees the majority of its business from Germany, CIS market, East Europe, Latin America and GCC countries. It has seen a steady increase in occupancy over the past 3 years tuned to 23 per cent in 2012-2013, and a projected gain of 32 per cent in 2014,” asserted Elia Timani, Managing Director, Five Continents Hotels and Resorts.

He further informed, “Despite the rise of online bookings, travel agents and classic tour operators domi-

Elia Timani Managing Director Five Continents Hotels and Resorts

nate the majority of the travel trade. Hence, Five Continents Group plans to pursue a transparent and strong partnership with classical tour operator and travel agencies by protecting their interests and help maintaining their upper hand.

At the same time, investing on a hi -tech platform enables the customer to have clear and the most transparent opinion about the property.” He added,

“Our selected travel trade partners put our hotel company at an advantage edge compared to our respectful, classical competitors from the hotel management companies.”

The challenge faced by the group stems from their complex and rigorous recruitment system to maintain quality that absorbs a large quantity of time and resource. Another challenge they face is the delicate balance between price and quality, wherein highly qualitative services still need to exist within what would be considered a reasonable price point.

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HOTELS

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

Future plans on the move Spreading out in UAE In their 2014 plan schedule, Gloria Hotels and Resorts are set to enter the upscale Chinese and African markets.

The Group is also planning expansion within the Emirates with the opening of a property in downtown Abu Dhabi.

T T B U R E AU ith GIBTM (Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings) exhibition just around the corner, Freddy Farid, Area General Manager, Gloria Hotels and Resorts discusses future plans and past experiences. “In GIBTM 2013, the hospitality group did not partake as an exhibitor, but they did participate as visitors consolidating relations with travel buyers in the UAE and across the world. In 2014, the group is visiting GIBTM with the intention of strengthening relations,” he informed.

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With the larger part of their market coming in from GCC countries as well as from Asia and Europe, the group constantly organises both medium and large conferences targetted at the aforementioned group.

Freddy Farid Area General Manager Gloria Hotels and Resorts

Speaking on travel agents and their current and future role in their business models, he mentioned,

“Travel agents are the substantial part of our business, generating more than 35 per cent of our total business mix.

We are expecting to retain the same share in 2014 and improve our industry relations.” While the company has seen a rise of 11 per cent in occupancy over the year in Dubai branch, Farid is not complacent. “In the hospitality industry challenges occur daily, whether we are prepared for them or not. The key to our success is to turn challenges into our driving force instead of trying to overcome them,” he confided.

Gloria Hotels & Resorts Group opened Yassat Gloria Hotel Apartments in Dubai in December 2012, adding 1000 hotels, suites and apartments to their inventory expanding it as one of the largest in the UAE. The group further plans to introduce a customer loyalty programme in the near future.

Golden Tulip, a well - known international brand in hospitality for 52 years, plans to add two more hotels by first quarter of 2014, with a further possibility of more properties to be announced as the year progresses.

T T B U R E AU he Golden Tulip Group will attend ITB 2014, through international company of Golden Tulip Louvre Hotel which has a substantial presence in the exhibition.

The hotel has recently been awarded as the ‘Hotel of the Year 2013’ by the Louvre Hotel group, and has seen a revenue increase of 35 per cent in 2013. With already 49 properties in the UAE, including 11 in Dubai, the brand opts for expansion in the region.

the hotel due to sightseeing, city tours and all other touristic programmes offered by them.”

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“Our guests arrive from all over the world, mostly Europe and Saudi Arabia as we have presence in nearly 30 hotels in Saudi Arabia,

Tarek Lotfy General Manager Golden Tulip Al Barsha, Dubai

and also from other GCC countries,” informed Tarek Lotfy, General Manager, Golden Tulip Al Barsha, Dubai.

When questioned on the role travel agents play in attracting potential revenue for the group, Lotfy asserted, “The Group works in tandem with the travel agents in roadshows.

The travel trade remains an important business source for

Golden Tulip Al Barsha generated 39 per cent of business in 2013 from travel trade, around 6 per cent more than in 2012. This is also due to the quality of services, cleanliness and the trust of the travel trade for the hotel and the brand.

The brand’s endeavour to stay up-to-date with guests’ expectations has not always been easy. “We have faced two major challenges, one being due to the fast development in technology and devices. The demand on Wi-Fi in the room was increasing from all travellers. We invested around AED 150,000 in implementing free Wi-Fi service to all our guests in-house, as well as adding more services in the hotel,” elaborated Lotfy.

FAMILY ALBUM

MARCH 2014

TRAVTALK

11

Melia hosts a Spanish themed evening Melia Hotel Dubai’s top corporate clients were treated to a glamorous Spanish themed evening of dining and dancing. The event was the official launch of the Business Travel by Melia Exclusive Bookers’ Club.

The evening included a fascinating Flamenco performance and raffle prizes were given away. The night ended with the ‘Best Dressed of the Night’ taking home an exclusive YHI Spa gift bag by Melia.

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AGENTS

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

On an expansion spree Major milestone marked dnata recently acquired Gold Medal Travel Group (GMTG), a UK-based travel business from Thomas Cook Group, in a deal totalling £45 million. GMTG is a distributor of long-haul scheduled flights, hotels and car hire.

T T B U R E AU n addition to the aforementioned travel group, dnata also acquired Online Travel Agent (OTA) Netflights.com and the high-end travel brand ‘Pure Luxury’.

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With regards to this acquisition, Iain Andrew, Divisional Senior Vice President, dnata - Travel Business said, “dnata’s growth strategy aligns well with Gold Medal Travel Group. Its comprehensive travel services complement dnata’s established international travel offering. It will further enhance the proposition we offer our customers, be it to trade, corporate or individuals.”

Based in Preston, Lancashire in Britain, Gold Medal Travel Group handles 275,000 travel bookings

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in a year, and is one of the largest tour operators to Dubai. This, combined with dnata’s established dominance in the UAE’s travel market, will serve to strengthen the companies’ inbound travel services.

“Netflights.com and Pure Luxury further position dnata as an international leader in travel services.”

“Having the combined strength of guaranteed distribution through our independent agents, OTAs, wholesalers and Thomas Cook UK, allows us to source the very best product and offers from our close industry partners,” Andrew further added.

Saudi Arabia - based Al Tayyar Travel Group (ATG) has marked another major landmark. It recently obtained Thomas Cook - owned tour operator, Elegant Resorts for SAR 88 million (14.3 million pounds).

s part of the group’s reshuffling, Elegant Resorts in the UK was reserved for sale in March 2013.

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Iain Andrew Divisional Senior Vice President dnata - Travel Business

The acquisition has come into effect on February 11, 2014, and will not result in any interruption of services by the Gold Medal Travel Group.

Post this transaction, Gold Medal Travel Group will continue as the exclusive provider of scheduled air travel and car rental products to Thomas Cook UK and looks ahead to combine forces with dnata to expand offerings to the customers.

Dr. Nasser Al Tayyar, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and President, Al Tayyar Travel Group commented, “We are proud of this acquisition and the new addition to our ATG family. We hope to

We hope to strengthen our presence in the UK with this new acquisition, providing our customers with smooth global services and operations The agreement between the two parties was signed recently in London in the presence of Deloitte Chartered Accountants & Consultants for Al Tayyar Travel Group and financial adviser ‘Thomas Cook’ company, along with Simon Oaks Chartered Accountants.

strengthen our presence in the UK with this new acquisition, providing our customers with smooth global services and operations.” The value of the deal is estimated at 14.3 million pound sterling (SR 88 million).

This acquisition represents a positive step forward in favour of Al Tayyar Group, taking into

Dr. Nasser Al Tayyar Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and President, Al Tayyar Travel Group

consideration that Elegant Resorts is a pioneering company in the UK in the field of executing tour packages and holiday programmes as well.

Investment N The value of the deal is

estimated at 14.3 million pound sterling (SR 88 million)

EXHIBITIONS

Web In Travel enters Dubai market

MARCH 2014

TRAVTALK

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RTF 2014 to be bigger & better

Web In Travel (WIT) describes itself as a community for those passionate th about two things, travel and technology, and are interested in knowing how Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) is in its 6 their amalgamation works. The WITconference will be held on March 26 & 27. year now, and this edition is slated to be Saudi Arabia’s largest travel and Paul Kenny, Founder and Head of Tourism, Al Tayyar T T B U R E AU tourism exhibition till date.

CEO, Cobone (e-Commerce Travel Group and Mohamed he Web In Travel conference, which has been held for the past nine years in Singapore, will now be organised in the Middle East for the first time. The conference will be held in Sofitel Dubai, The Palm Resort and Spa on March 26 and 27, 2014.

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Among those assembling for the event are some of the top online travel companies, like Rolf Schromgens, Co-Founder and CEO, Trivago; Keyur Joshi, CoFounder, MakeMyTrip; Stephan Ekbergh, Founder, South Africa-based Travelstart’s, and Kei Shibata, Co-Founder & CEO, Travel.jp’s. Travel affiliated brands like Google, Expedia, Skyscanner, Accor, and Singapore’s Wego will also be in attendance. In a list of those slated to speak at the conference is Fritz Demopolous, Co-

Yeoh Siew Hoon Editor and Founder WIT

A key signature of WIT events is the blending of global knowledge and local insights Founder, Qunar, China’s leading travel search engine and one of Asia’s biggest start-up success stories.

website) and Triperna (travel website) and Arya Bolurfrushan, who recently set up Emerge Ventures, an early stage investment fund will also be present.

Albert Dias, Co-Founder, Marketing & Technology Director, Musafir.com, Girma Wossenseged, Managing Director, EmiratesYoo.com by Kuoni Travel and Pieter Sleeboom, Co-Founder and COO, Triperna.com will also be on the panel.

VisitBritain, Tourism Queensland and the Singapore Tourism Board shall have representation in a session on ‘The Outbound Promise: Understanding the Middle East traveler’. Alongside in attendance will be local experts including Nasiruddin Mohammed Shafiq, General Manager, Regency Travel and Tours; Francis Dharmai,

Jassim Al Rais, Deputy Managing Director, Al Rais Tours and Holidays.

To complement the exchange of ideas brands with ‘specialist’ understanding of the region like Trust International, a leading name in hotel distribution and Circos Brand Karma, social media analytics and digital marketing firm will bring forth their own insights. Lastly, with aviation being an obvious cog in the travel mechanizations, airlines and airports will be a key part of the agenda.

Yeoh Siew Hoon, Editor and Founder of WIT was quoted as saying, “A key signature of WIT events is the blending of global knowledge and local insights to create a true exchange of learning for both overseas and local delegates.”

T T B U R E AU ith a robust increase of 18 per cent exhibitors compared to that held in 2013, the annual event will be held from April 15 – 18, 2014. New participating national tourism organisations will be introduced for the first time in 2014, including Qatar, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

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Bander Algryni, General Manager, ASAS Exhibitions (organisers of RTF) commented, “2014 will be the biggest Riyadh Travel Fair till date, extending our prominence as the leading travel and tourism exhibition in the Kingdom. Saudi nationals are increasingly travelling overseas at a greater number Year–on–Year.” The 2013 edition of RTF saw a total record-

ed number of visitors reach 13,678. Total visitor numbers for the 2014 edition are expected to increase with a projected number of 15,000 – 20,000 visitors targetted.

“Visitors to the 2014 edition will be able to interact directly with various tourism authorities, hotels, airlines and travel agents from around the world.”

Exhibitors from Asia, Oceania, Europe and North Africa will also be present.

Riyadh Travel Fair will be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capital at the Four Season Hotel Riyadh.

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NTO

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

Bali expects 3.2mn tourists MICE sector steps up In a recent report, Visit Indonesia Tourist Office (VITO) With the announcement of World Expo 2020, tourism Middle East confirmed that Bali, by the end of 2014, will in general, and MICE sector in particular in the Gulf is set to take a dramatic step up. see over 3.2 million tourists. nudging the Japanese to 3rd place in 2012.

T T B U R E AU he foreign arrivals through November 2013 saw 2.97 million visitors to the province surpassing the total for any tourist year in Bali’s history, recording a growth of 13.55 per cent during the same period in 2012.

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VITO Middle East promotes Indonesia in the region through trade shows and FAM trips and in-house workshops for the travel agencies to create awareness and interest among them for the country. “We have participated in ATM and GIBTM 2013 as always, and organised FAM trips with around 10 travel agents, each in partnership with Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways,” informed Nour Aridi, Country Manager, Visit Indonesia Tourist Office (VITO) Middle East Representative.

The Japanese market has, however, shown a growth of 10.62 per cent, reversing a commonly held trend of declining numbers in the past years.

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

The arrivals from the top 15 global markets for tourism in Bali have all shown growth this past year, with the exception of business from Australia which has seen stagnation at 25.31 per cent market share. Nonetheless, this still puts the island continent as the number one source feeder for Bali tourism.

China holds second position with 12.31 per cent market share, a position it gained by

France has shown an increase of 18.35 per cent which brings it to the 8th position, and Germany which has shown an increase of 17.31 per cent stands at number 11 in the rankings.

“Wrapping up the list are India, Taiwan, Netherlands and Singapore with a growth of 43.34, 35.56, 15.97 and 15.10 per cent respectively.”

T T B U R E AU he MICE sector in Abu Dhabi is expected to see a rise of 7 per cent by 2020, and Bahrain is set to bank its tourism revitalisation on this swell of demand for MICE tourism. In its many endeavours to affect the prominence of Bahrain on MICE tourism, the country is taking part in the upcoming Gulf Incentives, Business, Travel and Meetings (GIBTM) in Abu Dhabi from March 24-26, 2014.

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The Bahrain Ministry of Culture and Tourism in conjunction with two other National Tourism Offices is supporting a brand new post-show familiarisation trip programme.

To this effect, the Kingdom has confirmed to play host to 15 GIBTM buyers who will visit and examine hotels, venues and event locations like the Bahrain International

Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIECC).

Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager, GIBTM informed, “Bahrain has recognised the

key MICE-related attributes will be heightened amongst a community of key industry decision-makers from Europe, Asia and the Americas, who are looking to stage meetings

Bahrain has recognised the important role the meetings industry will play in the country’s economic revitalisation Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager, GIBTM important role the meetings industry will play in the country’s economic revitalisation.

Hence, it’s investing in triedand-tested sales and marketing vehicles like GIBTM, which provides a platform to further boost its MICE business.”

She added, “By backing GIBTM’s new post-show familiarisation trip initiative, the awareness of Bahrain’s

and events in the Gulf.” The Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority has witnessed a 116 per cent rise in the number of exhibitions and conferences staged in 2012 as compared to 2011.

The credentials for the island nation as a MICE tourism destination are only expected to grow with new hotels and destinations in pipeline.

AVIATION

MARCH 2014

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A hub for aviation leaders Offering services to Dubai The 2nd edition of Global Airport Leader’s Forum (GALF) unites the world’s authorities on airports, policies, business and technology. It will be held on May 12 and 13, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

T T B U R E AU t provides a platform to explore best practices, collaborate and establish clear legislative frameworks,

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A supreme committee for the event was announced recently with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group at its head.

Sheikh Ahmed Maktoum asserted,

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group

policy priorities, transparent governance systems and effective funding strategies to accommodate the region’s aviation sector.

“The event mirrors the aviation industry’s robust growth and the region’s economic resilience.

This enables decisionmakers and other aviation industry professionals to explore the latest technologies and identify future challenges, in order to further promote the success of a thriving aviation industry in the region.”

GALF, in conjunction with the airport show, will provide a definitive platform for the Dubai aviation sector to formulate and share details of future plans leading up to World Expo 2020; and the period beyond which is being hailed by industry players as the ‘super growth’ phase for the region’s aviation industry.

He informed, “Airports in the MENA region are projected to cater to 400 million passengers by 2020. Based on these forecasts, billions are being invested to provide the additional capacity required to accommodate the anticipated demand.”

The supreme committee which has been formed for the purpose of overseeing the event will recommend key issues and suitable topics for discussion.

Beginning March 31, 2014, Equatorial Congo Airlines will start a thrice-a-week travel route between Dubai and Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Planet Travels & Tours LLC has been appointed the GSA for the airlines.

S U S M I TA G H O S H he inaugural flight landed in Dubai on February 5, 2014, carrying officials from the Republic of Congo and ECAir delegations. The delegation was welcomed by

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huge potential. We are happy to welcome Equatorial Congo Airlines (ECAir) as an important link between Congo and Dubai, and further boost tourism, trade and commerce between both the markets,” stated Ahli.

L-R Georges Moussa, Fatima Beyina-Moussa,Minister Mokoki Gilbert, Chairman Osso and Chief of Staff Roger Ongoli

Mohammed A. Ahli, Director General, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA). The airline presently operates a fleet of five aircraft to seven destinations worldwide. “Africa is the fastest growing market with

To facilitate the process, Planet Travels and Tours LLC had been appointed as the General Sales Agent for the airlines. The group has connections in the Middle East, Europe and CIS countries,

and is internationally renowned for its drive to provide qualitative service.

“This is a historic event for ECAir as it will strengthen our Middle East network through one of the most important hubs in the world.

This appointment had made for the purpose of ECAir’s expansion and strengthening its brand and sales amongst the UAE travellers and travel industry leaders,” asserted Jean Louis Osso, Chairman of Board of Directors, ECAir. “The opening of a direct route between the two destinations is expected to make Brazzaville a hub for travel in Central Africa,” he concluded.

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HOTELS

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

Boosting domestic tourism Witnessing the participation of more than 80 companies and 150 exhibitors, Hani Abu Ras, Mayor of Jeddah opened the 4th edition of the Jeddah Travel and Tourism Exhibition (JTTX) at the Hilton hotel recently.

The three-day exhibition aimed to boost domestic tourism and offer Saudi job seekers an opportunity in the sector. JTTX 2014 focussed on different options of tourism like domestic, health, environmental, entertainment, shopping, property, archaeological, historical and religious.

“The exhibition gives Saudis the chance to explore opportunities in the tourism industry. Its aim is to enhance local tourism and develop more job opportunities, as it is considered still a nascent industry in the Kingdom,” emphasised Abu Ras. Plans are under way to set up an exhibition centre spanning 120,000 sq ft at the old Jeddah airport.

Ramada nurtures a ‘greener’ future Based on activities, involvements and engagements, Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman was felicitated in Las Vegas, USA, as the ‘best green hotel’ in the region of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

As a result, one of the key initiatives the hotel introduced was the zero land-

S U S M I TA G H O S H he hotel has been chosen to be a part of a mega UAE Green Festival, which is taking place from March 16 - April 16, 2014. The eco tourism conference will take place in Ramada Ajman on March 30- 31, where the speakers are participating from across the GCC.

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“We have many activities like waste management which is 90 per cent diverging from the landfill.

We also have an urban farm from where we procure our organic vegetables,” confided Iftikhar Hamdani, General Manager, Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman, who is popularly known as ‘Green

Another initiative is the 430 sq m urban farm, which now grows seasonal vegeta-

Staff care Besides various encouraging activities for the

Iftikhar Hamdani General Manager Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman

Hotelier’ and a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) champion. The reasons are not far to seek -

Energy consumption The hotel’s largest expenses come from utilities, especially water and electricity according to Hamdani.

While reducing electricity and water consumption, an interest in sustainability practices appeared that could decrease costs, while reducing the hotel’s environmental footprint.

An urban farm created inside the hotel, which grows seasonal organic vegetables, served at the hotel’s restaurants

fill projects, where the hotel aims to recycle or reuse more than 90 per cent of its entire waste and not use landfills at all.

Waste management The hotel turned to measures like recycling, and promoting paperless reports electronically transferred between department heads.

bles that are served at the hotel’s restaurants.

Guest awareness Educating new and existing guests has been an important part of the hotel’s strategy.

A dedicated guest relations executive shows guests the hotel’s green initiatives, and are now getting bookings as a green hotel.

staff throughout the year, the General Manager has allotted 10 rooms from May till September for their spouses to come from their native lands. They can stay free of cost for a month in a guest room, avail ree food, acquire visa at a convenient rate, and also avail shuttle bus service to Dubai for sightseeing.

4% rise in occupancy rate The forte of Xclusive Group is to offer different themed apartments and hotels that offer its guests not only a memorable stay, but a choice of different facilities that are expected from a truly world-class hotel.

T T B U R E AU n the topic on GIBTM, Nischay Dheer, Group General Manager, Xclusive Group of Hotels, informed that the Group visits the exhibition every year, as it will also do so in 2014 to interact with various travel partners.

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The Group receives the majority of its business from the GCC and CIS countries.

Adding two new properties to its portfolio, Xclusive Casa Hotel Apartment and Xclusive Clover Hotel Apartment in 2013, the Group has experienced a rise of 4 per cent as average occupancy rate.

When asked about travel agents and the role they play in bringing business to the Group, Dheer informed, “The travel trade partners have played a very important role in providing strong support, bringing leisure travellers from various parts of the world to Xclusive Hotels. It gave an

average share of 47 per cent of business throughout 2013 to Xclusive Group.

We are expecting a better support in 2014 from all our present trade partners and look ahead to participate in all major travel trade exhibitions, including ATM in Dubai.”

The Group believes that World Expo 2020 has really bolstered the hospitality

Forecast 2014 N The Group plans to

launch another property before the end of 2014 N The Group believes

that the lead up to the Expo will bring better occupany averages

Nischay Dheer Group General Manager Xclusive Group of Hotels

sector in Dubai in particular and the United Arab Emirates in general, and is confident that the lead up to the Expo will see them even better occupancy averages in 2014.

The Group plans to launch another property before the end of 2014, enhancing brand awareness in the region.

The Group sells itself as a ‘home away from home,’ the familiarity and comfort of an apartment with the service of a contemporary luxury hotel.

TECHNOLOGY

MARCH 2014

TRAVTALK

17

Easing baggage woes Closer ties with easyJet An agreement was recently announced between Amadeus and Icelandair, which is a baggage reconciliation system, ‘Amadeus Airport BRS’, capable of offering real-time baggage management.

T T B U R E AU s launch partner Icelandair (an airline and travel service company in Iceland), serving 31 gateways in Europe, the USA and Canada, will set up this solution as of mid-2014 on all its flights handled from its hub at Keflavik International Airport.

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The new solution, which is fully integrated into the Amadeus Airport IT portfolio and the Altéa DCS platform, will simplify existing baggage processes. All data required to manage baggage will be available through a user-friendly application interface located in Amadeus’ Data Centre. This interface will improve overall accuracy and speed, ensuring faster turn-around and departure times for all handled flights. “We are pleased to join forces developing this solution

Travelport and easyJet, UK’s largest airline, have been working together since 2007. They recently renewed their distribution agreement, where Travelport-connected travel agencies worldwide can access and book all easyJet flights.

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with our launch customer, Icelandair.

Our BRS solution will offer key baggage functionalities in a simple, plug-andplay application, enabling visible cost and time savings to the whole airport ecosystem.

This is only the beginning of the solution’s success and we look ahead, developing it further with valuable feedback from our launch customer,” confided John Jarrell, Head of Airport IT, Amadeus.

Today, the majority of ground handlers globally use teletype messages to manage all baggage processes. This

n April 2013, the relationship between the two organisations strengthened further when Travelport unveiled its Aggregated Shopping technology with easyJet as its launch partner. Aggregated Shopping allows agents to shop, price and book fares and ancillaries from easyJet in a common workflow regardless of the technology used to aggregate that content. The new agreement also includes Flexi Fares and Inclusive Fares through easyJet’s preferred GDS booking processes.

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John Jarrell Head of Airport IT Amadeus

involves sending plentiful digital messages back and forth to process all baggage activities.

Amadeus Airport BRS would greatly reduce the dependency on these messages, thus providing substantial cost savings.

According to Icelandair, travellers can expect an improvement in punctuality and quicker baggage delivery, while ground handlers will have more efficient and userfriendly system.

The airline’s Inclusive Fare combines the services that are important to corporate bookers like bag and seat selection, with easyJet’s wellknown low fares. It is only available through the GDS and other booking systems con-

nected to the easyJet API. Robin Ranken, Head of European Airline Relations, Travelport, mentioned, “We have had a strong relationship with easyJet for some years now. We look forward to continue working closely together and Robin Ranken and Andy Hodges explore further opportunities for easyJet to use our leadWe look forward to ing technology to maximize working with bookings with the travel trade.”

Travelport to bring Andy Hodges, Director of Sales, Distribution and Business, easyJet commented, “We are delighted to have renewed our deal with Travelport. Its extensive global footprint provides us with an efficient distribution channel for our popular low-fares, including the Inclusive Fare and Flexi Fare, especially to the managed corporate travel market.

affordable travel to even more passengers.” easyJet is also working with Travelport to deploy its Rich Content and Branding technology, which will allow easyJet to control how its content and ancillaries are visually presented and described to travel agents.

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MOVEMENTS

TRAVTALK MARCH, 2014

Etihad Airways

Melia Hotel Dubai

Grand Hyatt Dubai

Perth

UAE Yannis Homenidis joins as the General Manager of Melia

UAE

Vincent Frascogna is the Manager - Western Australia for Etihad Airways and will be based in Perth. He takes on the role after five years based in Etihad Airways’ headquarters in Abu Dhabi. This role included responsibility for the commercial integration of new partnerships and worldwide roll-out of the airline’s SME loyalty scheme BusinessConnect. Prior to this, He managed the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s Global Contact Centres and UAE retail operations after nine years in commercial roles at British Airways.

Hotel Dubai. He has been with Melia Hotels International for over three years, coming from Melia Athens before being assigned to lead the Dubai team. Prior to this, he worked with other hotel chains such as Rotana in various management positions. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a solid background in Food & Beverage.

Roddy Gordon is the new Director of Sales and Marketing and Area Director of Sales and Marketing for Hyatt Hotels in Dubai.

He has more than 24 years of experience in the industry. He previously worked with the Group as the pre-opening Director of Marketing when this hotel was opened.

He will be responsible for increasing the hotel’s performance in all segments of the business mix and will help with the collective marketing planning and sales development of the Dubai portfolio.

TAJ Palace Hotel Dubai

InterContinental Aqaba Resort

UAE

UAE

Asser Samy rejoined the TAJ Palace Hotel Dubai as Director of Sales & Marketing. With experience over 23 years, he previously worked at the hotel as Director of Sales. An Egyptian national, Samy began his career with Sheraton Nile Cruises. He is well placed to promote the TAJ Palace to established corporate and leisure markets, and will target countries such as China, India, Latin America, East Europe, South Africa and GCC market.

Prior to his current appointment, he spent three years at the Dusit Residence Dubai Marina as Director of Sales & Marketing.

Josimar Delfin joins Melia Hotel Dubai as the Marketing & ECommerce Manager. Born in Manila, Philippines, she graduated with a degree in Mass Communication, with a major in Journalism. She started her career in the hospitality industry with the InterContinental Hotels Group in the Maldives, and then worked with the Millennium & Copthorne hotels in Dubai. She will be responsible for the marketing and communications strategies and strengthening the brand awareness of the hotel.

Tamer Abu Jerise has been appointed as the F&B Manager at InterContinental Aqaba Resort. A Jordanian national, he boasts over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industryin several hotels in Jordan and the UK. He was in charge of many tasks and responsibilities including monitoring present and future trends, practices and systems in the F&B industry, assuring the achievement of optimum food & beverage cost percentage, auditing F&B services on a regular basis, among others.

Hospitality Management Holdings Dubai Abdullah Melhem has been appointed Director of Operations of

Cristina Polo takes over as Director of Business Development

Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH). A veteran in the industry, he has spent 14 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and 15 years with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. In his last posting at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, he served as the Area Manager for Makkah and Madina, and General Manager of Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Towers. In his new role, he will be responsible for all operational issues of HMH portfolio and will also be in charge of all pre-openings.

Operations of Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH). Having worked with leading international brands, Polo has over 15 years of strong experience in the field. Her last position was with The Rezidor Hotel Group in Dubai as Director of Revenue Optimization Middle East (Arabic Peninsula, Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia). In her new role, Polo will be responsible for all sales and revenue generation and will also oversee marketing.

Sabre’s 1st meeting at Gulf Air HQ Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME), a joint venture between Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, and Sabre, a global technology company, recently held its first board meeting of 2014 at the Gulf Air headquarters in Muharraq. The Board reviewed the performance of 2013 as well as the outlook for 2014, challenges and opportunities.

(From left): At the back -.Ahmed Janahi, Acting Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Air; Harald Eisenaecher, Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East & Africa, STNME; Laurence Woodhouse, Director Finance, Europe, Middle East & Africa, STNME and AbdulAziz AbdulQadir, Director Finance, Strategic Planning & Company Secretary, Middle East, STNME. In the front - Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO, Middle East, STNME; Dean Bibb, Vice President, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, STNME and Dr. Jassim Haji, Director Information Technology, Gulf Air.

Akber Bana joins HMH as Manager - Revenue & Distribution, having exceptional expertise in managing revenue, e-commerce and loyalty programmes. He holds more than 10 years of experience working with Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa - Dubai, Sheraton Karachi, Marriott Karachi.

Earlier, he served as Manager Revenue, Marketing and Loyalty Programs with Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa - Dubai. In his new role, Bana will be responsible for all revenue and distribution.

Wego launches new product Wego, a leading travel metasearch site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, recently launched the Wego Affiliate Network. This is a new platform that enables travel & tourism website publishers to add flight and hotel search features, and generate a significant new revenue stream from the resulting activity.

“For many years, Wego’s travel metasearch technology has been used by major airports, national tourism boards and large travel portals who have customised and re-branded the Wego experience and offered it as a feature for their own users,” said Allister Barretto, Director of

Affiliate Marketing, Wego.

"The Wego Affiliate Network (www.wan.travel) provides travel and tourism publishers a set of DIY tools to integrate airfare and hotel search capabilities into their sites."

WAN.travel provides affiliates with a variety of skillfully designed and customisable IAB-sized embeddable search boxes along with a white-labelled version of Wego’smetasearch product. Simple point and click interfaces allow affiliates to theme, brand and localise the widgets and search result pages to suit their site.

More advanced travel publishers seeking a more

bespoke integration can make use of the fast and powerful Wego Flights and Hotels APIs. A dedicated development team is consistently adding new features and updates to WAN.travel, much of which is guided by feedback from Wego Affiliates.

“Affiliates who have been beta testing the new WAN.travel platform are seeing significantly higher returns compared to common text ads and static display advertising," Barretto continued. Travel publishers who join the Wego Affiliate Network enjoy the benefits of a dedicated account manager to support them throughout the process.