Arabian Travel News - June 2010 by ITP Business Publishing

June 2010 Issue 6 Vol. 5

An ITP Business Publication

Licensed by Dubai Media City

ATM SHOW REPORT All the news and photos from this year’s event

BRITAIN & IRELAND The destination pushes its ‘value for money’ message

A-LIST AGENTS MEET THE INDUSTRY’S SHINING STARS AS WE REVEAL OUR AWARD WINNERS

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Contents News 03 News DMCs slam airport ‘meet and greet’ ban; Travel agent business grows faster than online says Ted Teng; other carriers to cash in over BA strikes, DTCM rolls out new classification system; SNTTA sees travel sales rebound this summer.

04 News analysis DMCs call for more support in the face of new Dubai Airport regulation banning them meeting tour groups at the airport.

08 Cruise Call for ‘cruise association’ to be set up, RAK to welcome cruises by 2011, Costa targets Arab market.

10 Tourism Boards Tourism to Thailand plummets, ADTA to host kids summer camp.

12 Airlines Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways have all launched flights to Tokyo - how do they measure up?

ATM Report Awards Special Feature 19 Arabian Travel News Awards We reveal the winners of the first ever Arabian Travel News Awards .

24 Winners Exclusive In interviews with all our winners, they reveal their career highlights, secrets for success and tips for the top. .

19 Ask the expert

37 Arabian Travel Market 34 Hemant Gupta, AXA Kenya welcomes UAE Nationals; Seychelles reports major increases from the Gulf; Yemen invests in tourism; new Korean comedy show; Onyx expands across Thailand with new brands.

42 Party People Were you snapped by our photographers at an ATM party?

Hemant Gupta from AXA Insurance reveals the secrets to selling travel insurance to your clients.

How to sell 44 Ramadan destinations With Ramadan arriving in peak summer season this year we look at the best destinations to travel to, to experience the holy month.

DEBI Report 52 Britain & Ireland ATN reports from Destination Britain and Ireland to find out what the destination has to offer visitors from the Gulf.

Q&A 54 A friendly British welcome

44 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

56 Agent Action

We chat to Sandie Dawe , CEO Visit Britain about putting the ‘fun’ into the British welcome.

56 Caught on Camera Agents got stuck into the action at the Emirates HolidaysWorld event

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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News

DMCs slam airport ‘meet and greet’ ban Hotels and tour operators must pay a fee to Marhaba to meet their customers NEW RULE Destination Management Companies (DMCs) in Dubai have spoken out against a new ruling from Dubai Airport which states that they can no longer meet and assist their own clients at the airport, but must pay a fee to Marhaba - part of the Emirates Group - to carry out the service on their behalf. The new ruling was introduced on 1 April, and DMCs say it is the latest regulation to be brought in to severely dent their already squeezed profit margins. “There are some funny laws coming out right now – for example we cannot meet and greet our own customers at the airport,” said Ali Helmi, CEO, Net Tours. “We are forced and obliged to sign a contract with Marhaba. We have no choice but to pay the

DMCs must pay Marhaba to meet their clients at Dubai airport.

fees to them.” The standard ‘meet and assist’ service provided by Marhaba costs AED 90 per person, while the premium or ‘diamond service’ costs AED 150 per person. Marhaba offers a discount for a group of over 10 people of AED 70 per person.

Franca Jatzlau, contracting executive, Orient Tours said of the new rule: “Costs are increasing in every aspect for us. It’s not a good thing. On the one hand Dubai wants to have a lot of tourists coming into their country; on the other hand they’re having these rules and regulations

which are getting more and more from year to year. It’s not good for the tourism.” As well as the cost, DMCs argued that the new rule meant they could not provide the service they promised to their clients. “From the service side, when we are not able to be there for our clients to provide them with the meet and assist it’s difficult. This is a challenge,” said Hakim Al Budoor, chairman, Net Tours. “This is very important because when I go overseas with what I promise to the tour operators it has to be the same people who receive them at the airport with the same commitment.” “We can’t go to the airport and meet and greet our own clients - someone has to do it on our behalf,” added Helmi. “I have to make sure my clients are supervised and be

there somehow - but there should not be any monopoly on this. It should not be only Marhaba that can meet and assist on behalf of all the tour operators.” One DMC, who did not wish to be named admitted that it had been a “privilege” to meet clients before immigration, but said the new law was “not helpful” to DMCs. “In most airports in the world you are not allowed to go inside, you can’t meet people before immigration, so at the end of the day it’s a privilege we had in Dubai. But why take it away I’m not so sure. I don’t think it’s helpful. I don’t see it as an advantage to kick us out.” When contacted about the new rule, Marbaha explained that access for “tour operators and hotels had been removed so that the airport didn’t become too crowded.”

Teng: Travel agent business growing faster than online TRAVEL AGENTS The Leading Hotels of the World President and CEO Theodore Teng said bookings made through travel agents were “thriving” this year, and had overtaken bookings made online. “Travel agent business is growing this year faster than online business,” said Teng. He put this down to customers being put off by the overload of information available on the web, and said people booking luxury holidays were willing to spend more to book through an agent. “Some people will say

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travel agencies are dying. Maybe they are for certain other segments, but for the luxury segment they are absolutely thriving because their clients are saying, ‘help me’. There is too much information on the internet.” “Saving a few dollars is nice but it is not the most important criteria,” he added. “People are looking for service, they are looking for knowledge, they are looking for the confidence that somebody knows about this area, this region, this hotel and a travel agent can add the most value. “If you’re going to a destination you haven’t been to

before, several time zones away and you don’t speak the local language – that’s where the travel agent adds value to the consumer.” Teng said Leading Hotels worked closely with travel agents to educate them about their properties. He added: “I think sometimes too much is talked about in terms of a small part of the business that’s changing rapidly but we don’t talk about the core business anymore. The perception is who would go to a travel agent? Here most people go to a travel agent, to manage their travel in the luxury end.”

Ted Teng, president and CEO, Leading Hotels of the World

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

News analysis

DMCs:“We are the ambassadors Banned from meeting their tour groups at the airport, DMCs say its time the government started working with them, not against them to support tourism to Dubai estination Management Companies (DMCs) in Dubai say the recent ruling banning them from providing their own meet and assist services to incoming tour groups at Dubai Airport is just the latest in a string of rules and regulations imposed by various government bodies, which is putting immense pressure on their already squeezed profit margins. They have called on the government to help support the inbound tourism industry and work with them to achieve their joint goals of increasing tourism to Dubai. “It’s not a good thing – on the one hand Dubai wants to have a lot of tourists coming into their country, and on the other hand they’re having these rules and regulations which are getting more and more each year. It’s not good for tourism,” says Franca Jatzlau, contracting executive, Orient Tours. A major frustration among tour operators is that there is no single authority responsible for dishing out the rules and regulations that they that are expected to follow. One DMC told ATN: “With the RTA, DTCM and police you get three sets of regulations when it comes to tourism. You have to go to each body, and the rules can change overnight. Can’t they talk together and tell us: this is what the regulations are and this is what they will be for the next two years?” Rajesh Nair, assistant manager, group reservations, Orient Tours agrees: “Depending on which issue you have, you need to go to a different department. For example, DTCM says you need to have a logo on the tourism vehicle, but then you need to have a license from RTA to keep the logo. It would help us if they liaised with each other and just fixed one fee for this.”

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

DMCs in Dubai are calling on the government to support them in developing the tourism industry in Dubai.

On the one hand Dubai wants to have a lot of tourists coming into their country, and on the other hand they’re having these rules and regulations which are getting more and more from year to year. It’s not good for tourism. ” A ‘JUNGLE’ IN THE MARKET The DMCs say that while they are forced to battle with increasing red tape, fees, licenses and permits in order to carry out their operations to the letter - in terms of clamping down on the industry the government should be looking elsewhere. In recent years the inbound tour operator market has spiralled exponentially from just a small number of companies to include hundreds of operators - many of which lack experience, facilities or qualifications.

These ‘fly-by-night’ operators are undercutting the bigger players, putting pressure on their prices, not to mention potentially damaging Dubai’s reputation. “Right now Dubai is facing a major problem,” says Ali Helmi, CEO, Net Tours. “The competition that came to the market in the last 11 or 12 years was not a healthy competition. Nowadays it is like a jungle in the market,” he adds. Frederic Bardin, senior vice president, Arabian Adventures fully agrees that the

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REGIONAL NEWS

News analysis

of Dubai and we need support” He adds: “There are people out there doing safaris and guests come back and say ‘we were bashed around on the dunes for two hours, the guy didn’t say a word, we were afraid in the car because he was speeding, the car was making funny noises it didn’t seem to be safe’… these are the people we should be looking at. We need the police to enforce the rules that are there and tighten them in a meaningful way and say this is what is expected from an inbound tourism company.”

WORKING TOGETHER FOR TOURISM

there needs to be a clampdown on the number of unqualified tour operators working in Dubai. “To me there is not enough regulation of the industry,” he says. “Look at the DTCM website. Look how many tour operators there are. You will find something like 200 companies on there.” “How many of those can be serious? Half of our would-be competitors are not even serious about the training of their staff, or their insurance. They take on the local beach boy because he’s got a four wheel drive to conduct a safari – with no insurance, no training, and he hardly speaks English. And he’s got his radio music blasting through the car the whole afternoon.” “It proves there is not enough regulation,” says Bardin. Bardin is adamant the framework of rules must be reinforced in the correct way which means clamping down on operators who are “endangering the lives of clients, damaging Dubai’s image and Dubai’s reputation” and not the operators who “don’t put a sticker on the car straight.”

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With Dubai’s DMCs and the Dubai Government ultimately working towards the same goal – bringing tourism to the country DMCs say it is time the authorities stepped in and started to work with them rather than against them towards achieving this goal. “We need the government to step in and help to standardise the industry,” says Hakim Al Budoor, chairman, Net Tours. He suggests the introduction of a ‘starrating’ system for DMCs - something akin to hotel star ratings - so that established DMCs who have invested in providing the proper service, operations and facilities can highlight this to their clients. Al Budoor is also keen for the government to improve the situation regarding desert safari camps which by law currently have to be built in one allocated area of the desert. It means the increasing number of tour groups in Dubai end up congregating en masse practically on top of one another. “What I see in Dubai is that you cannot provide the quality here. The camps are next to each other, all in one place. It has become so lousy, with so much competition, and it’s not really where the tourists like to go. It’s a

fun programme, but not a real desert experience when they’re sitting in the dunes and they see the electric power lines overhead and hundreds of groups around them, and you can hear the next door camp. “At Net Tours we want to provide for the top quality tourist but this is not the way. To match these standards we need government support for this.”

CALL FOR TOURISM DEPARTMENT With all these concerns in mind, not to mention the many rules and regulations that have to be navigated - the first step could be to set up a dedicated ‘tourism department’ suggests Nair, from Orient Tours. “A tourism department could be a one-stop office who could liaise with all the other licensing departments on our behalf. “For example if we have a problem with the airport, the department could intervene and talk with the concerned authorities. Then we don’t need to approach so many people.” He added: “We are here to do business for the country so we will take all the pain. But if there was one step – one department – that would make our life easier.” Helmi, from Net Tours agrees that this would be a major step towards helping the industry to work together more. “We have to work together because at the end of the day it’s our destination – we are not blaming anyone for the problems we’ve been facing, we are just trying to do something about it and we hope the government will do something too. “We just need support. We need a solution. We are here as ambassadors of this country and we would like to bring the best to this country.”

Right now Dubai is facing a major problem. The competition that came to the market in the last 11 or 12 years was not a healthy competition. Nowadays it is like a jungle in the market. ” June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

News

Emirates, Virgin to cash in over BA strikes Agents say they won’t recommend BA until the strike situation has been resolved STRIKES Travel agents say that until the disruption caused by striking cabin crew at BA is over, they will recommend that their clients fly with other airlines. At the time of going to press Unite, the trade union representing cabin crew announced its intention to proceed with strikes on 24 - 28 May, 30 May – 3 June and 5 – 9 June leading to thousands of flight cancellations including flights from London Heathrow to Bahrain, Doha and Dubai. Sunil D’souza, country manager UAE & Oman, Kanoo Travel said: “Given

BA cabin crew have announced strikes over the half term holiday.

the current scenario, we are diverting our clients booked on BA to other airlines to protect their travel plans.” Rajshree Raj, supervisor, Alshamel International agreed: “We do not recom-

Dubai hotels get new stars CLASSIFICATION DTCM will roll out a brand new hotel classification system later this year. The system will include new categories such as ‘business’, ‘beach’ and ‘desert’, and the five-star rating will feature three catagories: Platinum, Gold and Silver. Majid Sager Al Marri, director, Hotel Classification Department said that the new system would pro-

Majid Sager Al Marri, DTCM

vide much needed clarity in the luxury hotel sector, as there is currently too much disparity between ‘five-star’ hotels in Dubai. “That’s why we are introducing this system,” he said. “You cannot compare one very luxury five-star with another five-star hotel. For example, you cannot catagorise the Burj Al Arab with Emirates Towers. Both are currently five-star with no distinction, it doesn’t make sense.” Al Marri added that under the new classification system some hotels might have to be downgraded to a lower star rating if they didn’t meet the new required standards introduced by DTCM, but that all hotels would be “given time to be upgraded to a new category”.

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

mend BA at this weak stage to our customers due to schedule changes and irregularities.” She added that airlines such as Emirates and Virgin would be able to cash in on the situation: “The compe-

tition on the most popular route from Dubai to London has paved the way for Virgin Atlantic to offer their current promos. And Emirates - even with a 10 percent increase in their fares last week is surely benefitting from this ordeal. More and more clients are choosing these two airlines over BA for this period.” However agents also felt that BA had “strong customer loyalty” in the Gulf which would help the airline to bounce back once the ordeal was over. “BA has been servicing this region for many years now and they have strong customer loyalty in this market,” said

Raj. “The current situation is causing them huge losses from the market share for now but they will eventually bounce back due to their marketing strategies, attractive fares, offers and ability to keep customers booking with them.” D’souza added that BA was a “good airline and we still recommend our clients to fly with them once their schedules are scaled back to normalcy.” A spokesperson from BA said the airline had found the Middle East travel trade to be “immensely supportive of our efforts” during the strike action.

SNTTA sees travel sales rebound for summer season UAE based travel company SNTTA has reported a 15 percent increase in bookings for air tickets and holiday packages, at the start of the summer. The most popular destinations this summer so far are Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey, UK and Germany. Zafar Imam, managing director, SNTTA Travel, UAE said: “Current trends show a healthy 15 percent increase in bookings compared to the corresponding period last year. This upswing in outbound travel is the result of increased consumer confidence this season.” On May 1 SNTTA launched its ‘Fly Free Anywhere’ summer campaign, giving retail customers the opportunity to win back their entire ticket amount. The promotion runs until the end of July. “All-round interest in outbound travel this summer appears to be quite high, as witnessed in our travel offices,” said Merwyn Patrao, general manager, SNTTA Travel, Sharjah and Northern Emirates. “Our summer campaign has given a

SNTTA will expand to 25 outlets by 2011.

further boost to sales and we expect to finish the season on a robust note.” “We see a new trend in which expatriate families are combining annual holidays to their home countries with short-duration holiday packages to other destinations. Bookings from Emirati families are also on the rise and most are travelling earlier than usual to return before Ramadan in mid-August,” added Sai Rattan, general manager, SNTTA Travel, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. SNTTA has plans to expand its network of 18 outlets to 25 by the end of 2011.

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Cruise Call for ‘cruise association’ to be set up Gulf cruise industry has potential to ‘rival Caribbean’ only if the region works together DEBATE Cruise industry heads stated the need for a regional ‘cruise association’ during a debate at last month’s ATM show. The aim of the association would be to work together to promote the Middle East as a cruise destination to the international cruise industry, as well as to improve standards of operation for cruise liners in the region. Helen Beck, regional director, Royal Caribbean Cruises said that if the region as a whole worked together to bring in the cruise industry, the Middle East had the potential to “rival the Caribbean” as a destination.

QTA calls for a cruise visa

Rak will welcome first cruise ships in 2011 NEW DESTINATION

VISAS

Ahmed al-Nuaimi, chairman, QTA

Ahmed al-Nuaimi, chairman, Qatar Tourism Authority called for a common visa to be introduced in order to boost the region’s cruise industry, at last month’s Seatrade forum held in Bahrain. “It is clear that we need to work together to promote the region as an ideal cruise destination,” he said. “We will benefit from more passenger arrivals than if we each focus as individual countries.”

Helen Beck, Hamad Bin Mejren, DTCM and Sheikh Faisal join the cruise debate at last month’s ATM.

“Every year between seven and 10 ships are introduced in the cruise industry and the opportunity for sailing in the winter is fairly limited,” Beckpointed out. “This region has a real opportunity to establish itself as a competitor to the Caribbean, but it has to be done properly,” she added. Beck encouragd the formation of one industry body. “We [cruise liners] would enjoy having a single point of contact to work with. I encourage all the destinations around the Gulf to work together and form an organisation. That would be fundamental to the regions success as a cruise destination.”

Ras Al Khaimah is investing in its cruise terminal and should be ready to welcome its first cruise ships by 2011, said Sheikh Faisal bin Saqr Al Qasimi chairman of the RAK Finance Department at ATM last month. Sheikh Faisal said that RAK would offer “something different” to other destinations in the Gulf, with the location of its cruise terminal right on the beach. “We are developing something different. It’s not an industrial port at all with ugly scenery, that’s what makes it so interesting. Our ports are right on the beach. It’s something unique. People will be able to come off the boats and stay directly on the beach,” he said.

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

Sheikh Faisal promised that RAK will offer “something different” to other cruise destinations in the Gulf.

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Costa sets its sights on Arab market Italian cruise liner opens new office in Dubai and fits out ships with prayer rooms INVESTMENT Italian cruise liner Costa Cruises is making major investments into the Middle East cruise tourism industry by opening a new representative office in Dubai, as well as adding dedicated facilities for Arab customers to all its ships sailing out of Dubai port. “Following the huge success of the inauguration in February this year in Dubai of the Costa Deliziosa - the first cruise ship ever to be inaugurated in an Arab country, our objective is to invest in Dubai, the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East not only as a regular destination for our ships, which we were the first in the world to do back in 2006, but also as a sourcing area so as to increase the number of cruisers choosing us for their vacations,” said Gianni Onorato, president, Costa Cruises. Onorato said Costa was

Costa Luminosa docked at Dubai port. The ship will have prayer rooms, Arabic TV and Arabic staff.

looking to heavily target the local Arab and expat markets. “Our target comprises both local customers and the numerous expatriates who live and work in these countries.” In order to appeal more to the local market, Costa’s two ships in Dubai, Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa will offer dedicated facilities for Arab guests including

two male and female prayer rooms, an Arabic food and drinks menu, signs in Arabic, Arabic-speaking staff, plus Arabic TV and radio channels. Dubai is the 17th country in the world to have a Costa branch office. Costa will be represented in the UAE by Al Ketby Consultancy and the office has a brief to promote and market Costa cruises in

the Middle East. Costa said it will mainly target families, couples and honeymooners

from local and expat communities. Costa’s ships recorded 140,000 passenger movements in Dubai in winter 2009/10, up 40 percent compared to 2008/09, with a total of 32 port calls. According to Costa Cruises this traffic generated revenue for the local economy estimated at around US $17.3 million in 2009/10. This was derived from direct spending by Costa passengers, shoreside excursions, transport, port fees and expenditure on food and beverage. In winter 2010/2011, 31 port calls are forecast and 150,000 passenger movements.

US$17.3m Revenue brought to the local economy by Costa Cruises passengers in 2009

Royal Carribbean looks at bringing bigger ships to Gulf CAPACITY After a fully booked first season in the Middle East with Brilliance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is now examining regional port capacity with a view to bringing a 3,114 passenger ship into the market. “We are still exploring the possibilities but eventually we are thinking of bringing bigger ships like our Voyager class to the region,”

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Beck said Royal Caribbean would like to bring a Voyager to the Gulf.

said Helen Beck, regional director, Royal Caribbean Cruises. Beck said that before this could happen; the right visa requirements and infrastructure would need to be in place. “This has to be evaluated because the infrastructure has to be in place to handle such a capacity of passengers. Equally the visa requirements for cruise guests visiting the region need to be adapted to take

into consideration this unique way of exploring the Gulf,” she said. Currently there is no cruise visa offered for passengers wishing to disembark from the ship. Tourists who are not citizens of the 33 countries that do not need visas to enter the UAE, must buy separate visas every time they leave the ship – this includes citizens of China and Russia, major tourist markets for the UAE.

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Tourism Boards Tourism to Thailand plummets this year TAT aims to boost visitor numbers with free visas and travel insurance schemes THAILAND Agents have seen demand for Thailand - usually a top outbound destination for UAE holiday makers - plummet this summer - due to weeks of violent political demonstrations in Bangkok. Mohamed Al Rais, deputy managing director, Al Rais Travel said: “Last year Thailand was one of the top destinations, especially for local families. But this year, because of the political situation there we are seeing a big shift from Thailand to other destinations such as Malaysia and Singapore.”

Svetasreni said at ATM that Thailand was still a safe destination.

The government of Thailand has introduced a number of initiatives in an attempt to try to repair the

damage done to its tourism industry. Tourist visa fees have been waived until March 2011 and every tour-

ist will receive a free travel insurance scheme to the value of US$30,000. The government has also reduced aircraft landing and parking fees at the airports. Speaking at ATM last month Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Suraphon Svetasreni said Thailand was still a safe holiday destination: “The political situation is affecting a few limited areas of Bangkok. The main tourist attractions and shopping complexes are still operating normally. “Riverside hotels are running their businesses as nor-

mal and major hospitals are operating as normal. Popular tourist destinations outside of Bangkok have not been affected at all. Life in almost all of Bangkok continues as normal.” Thai Minister for Tourism and Sports Chumpol Silapa-arche blamed the media and its portrayal of events in Thailand for damaging tourism to the country. “With CNN and the BBC reporting on this situation around the world you have a feeling the whole country of Thailand is not safe to go. The psychological effect of this is something we cannot erase.”

GCC visa applications for

ADTA to host tourism summer camp

Ireland grow 53 percent

ABU DHABI A

IRELAND Tourism Ireland has reported a massive yearon-year rise in visa applications from the GCC, with a 52.78 percent increase in March 2010 over the same month in 2009. This makes the GCC the fastest growing market for inbound tourism to Ireland.

Simon Gregory, director of all markets for Tourism Ireland, attributes the growth to increased connectivity and a growing awareness of Ireland in the GCC. He said: “Ireland truly has something for everyone, from culture and luxury boutique hotels, to self catering and activity holidays.”

Birr Castle in Ireland is a popular tourist attraction.

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

Ab Dhabi Tourism AuthorAbu ity (ADTA) has opened up applications for its 2010 ap ‘Youth Tourism Summer ‘Yo Camp’ designed to give UAE Ca national youth an insight na into Abu Dhabi’s tourism int industry. ind This year’s camp has been T expanded to take in 80 stuexp dents, with 10 places set de aside for handicapped stuasi dents. The programme is de being implemented in partbe nership with Tatween, an ne Emirates Foundation iniEm tiative designed to unlock tia Emirati potential and build Em careers in the private sector. car “We have added new elements to the programme, me which reflects the emirate’s wh growing tourism proposigro tion,” said Nasser Al Reyami, tio tourism standards directou tor, ADTA. “At the end of the tor

What students can look forward to

course the students will be equipped with vital leadership and teamwork skills and knowledge of the important role of tourism in Abu Dhabi’s future,”he explained. The camp will feature a range of modules ranging from sports tourism to culture and heritage, customer service, hospital-

ity and transport. Students will make field visits to Al Ain, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Manarat Al Saadiyat exhibition centre, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management Company, Etihad. “We are looking for students with a solid commitment to the camp, which will run from 8-4pm every weekday,” said Paul Ram Prakash, ADTA’s industry professional development manager. “Applications will be accepted from High School and Secondary School pupils aged between 14 and 16. We hope they leave excited about the opportunities the industry holds out to them and that we see some of them as tourism colleagues in the future.” The camp will run for a month from June 20 2010.

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Airlines Gulf airlines tap into Tokyo Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways launch flights to Japanese capital NEW ROUTES March and April saw Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways all launch flights to Tokyo, following last year’s expansion of Narita International Airport’s second runway. Etihad was the first to commence non-stop flights from Abu Dhabi on March 27. “Tokyo is a very important route for Etihad Airways,” said James Hogan, CEO of Etihad Airways. “The opening of this route is yet another important milestone that signifies the strong social, economic, cultural and political relationships between the UAE and Japan. Our objective is to play an active role in developing the growth of travel and tourism trade between the two countries wherever possible,” he added. The airline is operating five non-stop flights per week to Tokyo. It’s Airbus A330-200 have been equipped with in-flight services dedicated to the Japanese market, including a tai-

lored menu, and Japanese speakers in the cabin crew. “Our current bookings have indicated a high demand from premium travellers, in particular business passengers. We also believe the increasing number of high profile attractions in Abu Dhabi will be very attractive to Japanese leisure travellers,” said Hogan. Emirates launched its inaugural flight on 28 March. “It was wonderful to

itself as the only carrier from the Gulf to operate daily flights to the Japanese capital. “Of the three airlines – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways – we are the only carrier operating daily services between Tokyo and the Middle East,” said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways. “Qatar Airways offers more convenience for passengers as opposed to airlines offering only five services a week. Qatar Airways daily service

Of the three airlines - Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways - we are the only ones operating a daily service between Tokyo and the Middle East ” Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways. finally arrive at Narita International. It was always our intention to operate nonstop between Dubai and Tokyo and that day has now arrived,” said Richard Jewsbury, senior vice president of Emirates’ commercial

Emirates Airlines celebrates its inaugural flight to Tokyo on 28 March 2010.

operations in the Far East and Australasia. “We had already seen robust demand for the flights following the announcement that we would be beginning our service and this demand has remained since launch day. As a result, our seat load factor is expected to be over 80 percent in the first year and we would say that 70 percent of our passengers will be travelling in the economy cabin with the rest in the pre-

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

mium cabins,”he added. The first Qatar Airways flight touched down in Tokyo on 26 April. Tokyo is the second Japanese destination for Qatar Airways which already serves Osaka. Qatar Airways is marketing

enables passengers to travel when it suits them, not when it suits the airline.” “We are expecting strong demand throughout the year, peaking during the European summer months. With close to 130 million

people in the country, and one of the largest economies in the world, Japan presents exciting prospects for Qatar Airways and we look forward to strengthening our operations to this dynamic country,” said Al Baker.

Etihad was the first to start flights to Tokyo on March 27 2010.

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BRIEFS Qatar Airways new routes Qatar Airways will launch three new routes this year: Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, adding to the four already launched (Bengaluru, Copenhagen, Ankara and Tokyo). Its daily flights to Barcelona begin on June 7. On June 24 the carrier launches daily flights to South America’s two largest cities – Sao Paulo in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Etihad to Iraq Etihad Airways has commenced non-stop flights to Baghdad. Etihad operates five return services per week to Baghdad, using two-class Airbus A320 aircraft, and will expand its operation with two additional A320 return services to a second Iraq destination – Erbil – from June 1.

Qatar Airways touched down in Tokyo on April 26. The airline operates a daily service between Tokyo and Doha.

Tapping into Tokyo - how the three Gulf airlines measure up: • Etihad Airways commenced non-stop flights from its home base in Abu Dhabi to Tokyo on 27 March, becoming the first Middle Eastern airline to operate to the Japanese capital. • The airline will operate five non-stop flights per week to Tokyo, in addition to the five flights per week it offers to Nagoya. • The airline expects a high volume of traffic on the route, particularly business travellers. It also believes the increasing number of high profile attractions in Abu Dhabi will be very attractive to Japanese leisure travellers. • The flights will be operated by three-class Airbus A330-200 aircraft and will feature in-flight services dedicated to the Japanese market, including a tailored menu, local in-flight entertainment content and cabin crew consisting of a number of Japanese speakers and nationals. • This aircraft is configured with 10 seats in Diamond class, 24 seats in Pearl Business class, 160 seats in Coral Economy class.

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• Emirates arrived in Tokyo on Sunday evening with its inaugural non-stop flight on 28th March, following a day of celebrating all things Japan in Dubai. • The airline will operate five non-stop flights per week to Tokyo, on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. • Emirates will be serving the route using its ultra modern Boeing 777-300ER and passengers are able to enjoy the delicacies from the newly created Japanese menu, catering to all tastes; while watching the latest blockbuster movies on Emirates’ state-of-the-art ice entertainment system, which includes Japanese audio, TV and movie channels. • The aircraft has eight Private Suites in First Class; 42 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 304 Economy Class seats. • The seat load factor is expected to be over 80 percent in the first year and around 70 percent of passengers are expected to be travelling in the economy cabin with the rest in the premium cabins.

• Qatar Airways flight QR802 touched down at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on 26 April 2010. • The airline is operating daily services between Tokyo and the Middle East • Qatar Airways expects to carry a mix of passengers with group traffic making up about 50 percent, as well as those heading to popular Japanese holiday destinations in North Africa and Europe. It also expect considerable business traffic to the Gulf region, as there are many Japanese companies with operations in Qatar. • Qatar Airways serves Tokyo with an Airbus A330 in a three-class configuration. Qatar Airways’ passengers transiting onwards in First or Business Class through Doha onto connecting cities can use the airline’s exclusive Premium Terminal, where they can unwind and relax, enjoying facilities including fine dining, spa treatments and duty free shopping. • The aircraft includes 12 First, 18 Business and 208 Economy Class seats.

Austrian Airlines expands Austrian Airlines is launching flights from Vienna to Mumbai in October as well as increasing flights to New Delhi to six a week and to the Maldives to twice a week.

Wataniya flies to Europe Kuwait’s Wataniya Airways launched flights to its first three European destinations: Istanbul, Vienna and Rome, as well as its third Egyptian destination, Alexandria. These new destinations increase the airline’s total number of destinations to twelve.

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Tools EmQuest connects agents to Indian Rail Travel agents in the GCC are now able to book Indian Rail tickets directly online NEW PRODUCT EmQuest has announced that Indian Rail – one of the largest rail networks in the world – can now be booked through its online system. Travel agents in the GCC have access to real-time seat availability and the ability to book, manage and confirm tickets. Around 38.7 million bookings were processed for Indian Rail in 2008-09 which signals an additional revenue opportunity for travel agents here. Naz Naziri, senior vice presi-

Travel agents in the GCC can now sell tickets for Indian Rail which saves passengers queing up at the station

dent, EmQuest said the service would be of huge benefit to customers travelling to India from the GCC.

“We’re getting Indian Rail connected in the next few months to agencies here, because a lot of people who

go to India need to be able to take a rail to their village or wherever they want to go to and they don’t want to go

the station and queue up. They’d rather just get there and go. So they don’t mind paying a service charge to the travel agent here so that everything is in hand.” She added: “We think this is a very unique offering that we have, not only for this market. A lot of Emirates customers want to buy Indian rail. India is a big market, so even people who are travelling from other places on business need to have the ability to get places. We can connect this to the whole Emirates network.”

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Arabian Travel News – June 2010

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Travelport looks to tie up with LCCs After signing up Jazeera to its GDS system, Travelport targets other budget airlines LCCs Travelport is targeting the region’s low cost carriers (LCCs) to sign up for its GDS system. Travelport recently announced that it had signed up Jazeera Airways on to its Galileo system and according to Rabih Saab, vice-president, Middle East, Travelport the plan is now to get other Middle Eastern LCC’s on board. “Low cost carriers are very important in this side of the world. In terms of traffic they are taking an ever larger share of the pie – they are growing the pie as well as taking an ever larger share of the pie,” said Saab. He explained that while the original model of LCCs had been to keep their costs low, which meant selling directly to consumers

Saab says it won’t be long before all the LCCs have tied up with GDS

Amadeus partners with Saudi Airlines TIE-UP Amadeus has partnered with Saudi Arabian Airlines to provide next generation Amadeus Altéa customer management solution and Amadeus e-commerce solutions to the airline. The partnership will improve passenger experience through enhanced recognition, speed up passenger processing with greater automation and drive more sales and efficiencies. Saudi Arabian Airlines will adopt all three modules

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of the Altéa Customer Mannagement Solution includding Altéa Reservation, Altéa a Inventory and Altéa Deparrture Control (DC) to mannage its sales and reservaations, inventory and flight ht departure management nt needs. The airline will also o adopt Amadeus’ portfolio o of e-commerce solutions, s, used by more than 100 airrlines, to manage its global al online presence. Saudi Araabian Airlines will migrate to o a number of Amadeus soluutions over the coming weeks ks and months.

through their websites - as the carriers expanded and looked to target more business travellers they would naturally need to tie up with a GDS booking system. “In business very few people book their own travel – they usually go through a travel management company because there is a high spend and the company always needs to know where their employees are. “So as the LCCs go from a strategy of only focusing on leisure travellers to having to fill more seats with business people, then they start looking at the GDS as a way of reaching them. These people are using travel agents to book their travel, and if you look at Jazeera for example, they even have a business class section – Jazeera Plus.”

Saab said he was confident that it was only a matter of time before all the local low cost carriers were signed up to the GDS system. “We are working on all the LCCs. I think it’s fair to say all of them in this part of the world are interested in GDS. “The only carrier which has always said no to GDS is Ryan Air, they have always been adamant not to evolve in that sense. But as for the other budget airlines in this region – we expect to be working with them as soon as we conclude the commercial negotiations. I wouldn’t put a date on that but we are in pretty much in full negotiations with them all. Jazeera was the first locally based one, but the rest will follow in the not too distant future.”

Illusions still on a winning streak NEW PRODUCT N Illusions Online was voted Illu the Middle East’s Leading Travel Technology Provider Tra at the annual 2010 World Travel Awards Middle East Tra ceremony. cer The company won the T ‘World’s Leading Travel Tech‘W nology Provider’ in 2009 and no has been nominated for the ha same category this year as sam well. we IIllusions was at ATM last month to show off its latmo est award as well as to talk about its new product system ab upgrade – the V12 system. up “That’s two years running we have won the award now,”

John Flower, Illusions Online

said John Flower, business development director, Illusions Online at ATM. “So we won the Middle East award last year, we then won the World Award, which was presented in London, which

we’ve automatically qualified for again this year. It’s voted for by the travel trade, so we rely on our current partners, the users of the system to support us, and vote for us. And hopefully we’ll claim the world award a second time around.” Flower said there had been a great deal of interest in Illusions new product upgrage Version 12. “We are showcasing our new development V12. Getting our existing customers to upgrade to the newer version is obviously the first step, and then secondly it’s taking it out to the market place through events such as this.”

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

News

NEWS MIME

LAS ROZAS VILLAGE, Madrid

Emirates Group $1bn profit But Emirates Holidays has a ‘difficult year’ due to economic crisis ANNUAL REPORT Emirates Group announced full-year net profits of US $1.1bn - an increase of 278 percent on the previous year, despite the global economic crisis. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of the airline, said 2009 was the 22nd year of profit for the company. Breaking down the net profit, he added that $964m was for the airline, representing a 278 percent rise, with the remainder for Dnata. Total revenues for Emirates in 2009 amounted to $12.4bn, an increase of 0.4 percent. Sheikh Ahmed said the big rise in

$1.1bn Emirates Group net profit in 2009

Sheikh Ahmed announces a record profit year

profit was achieved “by carrying more passengers at the end of the day”. The airline, he added, would take delivery of seven more Airbus A380s this year. Sheikh Ahmed said: “It has been an exceptional year of continued profitability against a backdrop of the worst global recession in generations. “The first half of the financial year however, was extremely challenging as the world continued to grapple

Kanoo expands regional reach EXPANSION Kanoo Travel signed some major contracts last month expanding its presence in the region. The travel management company signed a joint-venture partnership agreement with Al Sulaimi group of companies in Oman to provide leisure travel options and corporate solutions in Oman. Kanoo has appointed Abdul Kareem as the travel manager for its operations in Oman. Kareem was previously area manager for Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and has been with Kanoo Travel for the past 13 years. Kanoo also expanded its presence in Bahrain by being awarded the GSA (General Sales Agent) contract for United Airlines. United

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Airlines is the first US carrier to fly direct to Bahrain. The inaugural flight between Washington and Manama touched down on April 18 “It is certainly a great milestone in the region’s travel industry to have United Airlines operating directly to Bahrain,” said Abdullah M. Abo Khamseen, executive general manager, Kanoo Travel.

with the economic crisis. Our pioneering spirit and ability to adapt in adverse conditions helped us to push through this harsh economic climate with an extremely strong performance in the latter part of the year,” he said. It was a difficult year for the Destination and Leisure Management (DLM) division of Emirates Airline however, with package sales of $ 272 million. Emirates Holidays managed 165,000 total room nights booked during the year - a decrease on last year’s numbers - as customers opted for shorter breaks due to the tough economic conditions. Middle Eastern airlines saw the highest global growth rate of 11.2 percent in air passenger traffic for 2009. Their peers in other parts of the world are expected to post total 2010 losses of $2.8 billion, according to industry body International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Ferrari World to open October Ferrari World Abu Dhabi announced that it will open its doors to the public on October 28 2010 – just three weeks before the second Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Attractions will include the ‘Formula Rossa’ – the world’s fastest roller coaster which will reach speeds of 240 km/h.

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June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Seeking travel champions The Arabian Travel News Awards 2010 set out to find the very best of the Middle East travel agent community

n the very first travel agents awards to be held by Arabian Travel News we set out on a mission to seek out the very best of the best among the travel agent community in the Middle East, and to celebrate their outstanding achievements. When the nominations started to flood in from travel agencies across the region, what we discovered was an industry filled with passionate, dedicated people, able to overcome any of the myriad challenges thrown at them (and the travel industry seems to be filled with one hurdle after another), with creativity, resourcefulness, hard work and sheer dedication to their jobs. Our judges certainly did not have an easy task to sift through the hundreds of nominations, but after a painstaking process, these were eventually whittled down to a shortlist

of deserving nominees from which a winner in each of our ten categories was then selected. Our ten winners are those people who we felt go the extra mile in their roles and who truly deserve to be recognised for their dedication to the region’s travel sector. In this special feature, we present to you the winners of this year’s Arabian Travel News awards. Read on to find out who made the shortlists, who won the awards and for exclusive interviews with all our winners where they reveal more about their career history, their secrets for success, and their tips for the top. Arabian Travel News is already planning next year’s awards so if you didn’t get a chance to nominate yourself or your team this year, keep an eye out on the magazine or on hoteliermiddleeast.com for when nominations open again next time around.

MEET THE JUDGING PANEL:

Carol Maddison, UAE marketing manager, Visit Britain

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Leo Fewtrell, managing partner Gulf Reps and general manager DTTAG

Sundar Vasudaven, principle consultant, TRS consulting

Monika Grzesik, editor, Arabian Travel News

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Arabian Travel News Awards

AIDEN WALSH Leisure Travel Agency Manager of the Year

ABEER AHMED MAILANE FUENTES KINDICA

Leisure Sales Agent of the Year

Agency Newcomer of the Year

Arabian Travel News â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2010

FATIMA BARBOSA

NAZ NAZIRI

Branch Manager of the Year

Lifetime Achievement ent Award

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MOHAMMAD AL HASHIMI

TIM WADDELL Marketing Manager of the Year

Corporate Travel Agency Manager of the Year

MUNIRATHNAM MUNUSAMI It Person of the Year

RAJSHREE RAJ Corporate Sales Agent of the Year

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IT person of the year Munirathnam Munusami IT systems executive, Al Rais Travel Munirathnam was chosen for the impressive achievement of consistently delivering innovative IT solutions, connecting up all the company’s 22 branches to a single network, ensuring the network was fully secured as well his efforts to continually develop his own skills as an IT manager. ATN: What new initiatives you have introduced at Al Rais in terms of technology?

ticketing going while dealing with these issues. ATN: What is the most rewarding aspect of your role as IT manager? In today’s world every skilled human invariably depends on a machine to deliver what is expected out of him. When I.T fails all oth-

Myself and my team are extremely happy with this achievement, we now feel the industry realises our relevance. This recognition has drastically boosted our morale. ” Recently, with the immense support of our management our team successfully developed the biometric attendance system. The mechanism is devised so that all branches, including remote locations are connected to a centralised attendance monitoring programme at head office level. Staff movements can now be traced on real time basis. ATN: How have you tried to develop your own skills to become a good IT manager? I have personally enrolled myself for all the industry-related seminars, crash courses, refresher courses and newsletters. Recently I finished a six-month diploma organised by CISCO Dubai. ATN: What are the biggest challenges you face in your role? Like any other I.T professional the biggest challenge is always to reduce the link downtime to a minimum to ensure productivity levels remain unaffected. Our set up includes remote connections which tend to develop bugs. The challenge is to keep the

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

ers in the chain have a drastic fall on effect. I personally feel dejected when the systems fail to support the frontline. Our support team works hard to keep things on track and when we achieve the least possible TAT (Turn Around Time) better than industry standards it is an achievement in itself. ATN: How did you feel about winning the Arabian Travel News Award? I really appreciate the efforts taken by the ATN team to introduce this concept. It is like a dream come true for me. Until this date nobody in the industry used to talk about the back-end departments. Sales and marketing have always been in the limelight. ATN has done a fantastic job by shifting the focus to the backbones of the frontline. Myself and my team are extremely happy with this achievement, we now feel the industry realises our relevance. I would like to thank the entire team of ATN as they gave us the opportunity to display our potential. This recognition has drastically boosted our morale.

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Agency newcomer of the year Mailane Fuentes Kindica Office manager, InstantTravel &Tourism

Awarded to someone from a new-to-market agency, Mailane was recognised for being an exceptional individual who continually looks for ways to help out her colleagues and the company. She is motivated by doing what is best for her team and goes beyond the call of duty in her role. ATN: Can you tell us a bit about your career background? I started my career in Bahrain in the travel industry and in 1996 I moved to Dubai. From 2003 I worked at Avionic as an outbound manager and then I took on my most challenging role at Golden Crown Travel & Tourism as general manager. Last year I decided to leave and take on this role at Instant Travel & Tourism. ATN: What attracted you to the position at Instant Travel and Tourism? I took on the role because I felt that I could contribute my knowledge and gain more experience knowing that the company was brand new and I would have to start from scratch once again. ATN: What do you love most about your job in the travel industry? I love travelling, getting to know your partners and suppliers and knowing that you delivered to your clients’ need and made them happy – that’s what’s important to me.

I love travelling, getting to know your partners and suppliers and knowing that you delivered to your clients’ needs and made them happy – that’s what’s important to me. ”

ATN: What is your ambition for the future? To have my own company one day. ATN: How did you feel about winning the Arabian Travel News Award? I am very flattered that after so many years in the industry there is somebody believing in my capability. Thank you very much for this opportunity. it is my pleasure to receive your award.

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Corporate sales agent of the year Rajshree Raj Supervisor, Alshamel International Rajshree is regularly commended for her top-class customer service. She shows exemplary leadership skills, always motivating her team and finding time to work through any weaknesses. The judges felt her deserving of this award for her positive attitude and commitment to her clients. ATN: What has been the biggest achievement in your career so far? Two and half years ago I was given the opportunity to transfer from a smaller mar-

age my colleagues to o work with this in mind, trying to service rvice every customer how they y would like to be serviced themselves. This attitude always helps to keep the service vice top notch and is very effi ficient for our customers, offerffering a personal touch. ATN: What qualitiess are essential to being a successful uccessful travel agent?

Striving to achieve the goals you set for yourself is the real achievement to me. Seeing our Dubai operation succeed and grow in leaps and bounds over the past few years has been very rewarding. ” ket, Kuwait and take a leap into the region’s largest market Dubai. When I arrived I not only had to lead the team but compete with Dubai’s largest corporate giants where we faced many challenges. But striving to achieve the goals you set yourself is the real achievement to me. Seeing our operation succeed and grow in leaps and bounds over the past few years has been very rewarding. ATN: How do you deliver a good level of service to your customers? Our company motto says “because travel is personal” which is a great mantra for our staff to live by. In our team, I always encour-

Of paramount importance ortance is the ability to build good rapport rt with your customers. They should feel comfortable and confident that their needs ds are well taken care of. Building relationships ships and networking within our industry takes you a long way. There are always challenges llenges and knowing a useful contact can turn rn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’! ATN: How did you feell about winning? Winning this award has been such a great feeling. It is the first one I have won outside of our internal company pany evaluation programme. This is something mething that gives you recognition in the travel vel industry.

Shortlisted Nominations: 1. Kristofer R. Criostomo, Prime Travel and Tourism 2. Rajshree Raj, Alshamel International 3. Niroshanna Mandalanayagam, Kanoo Travel 4. Suraiya Baloch, Kanoo Travel 5. Anthony Baldwin, HRG UAE

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

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Leisure sales agent of the year Abeer Ahmed Sales supervisor, Dnata Travel Abeer was chosen for h her exceptional generating business. She achievements in generatin individually achieved 88 percent of the last year. Dnata Holiday counter target t knowledge is her key to Her destination knowledg on her own time success and she travels o more, as well as carand expense to learn more rying out hotel inspections for her clients.

ATN: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been the biggest challenge you have faced? aced? I was appointed to the reservation and ticketing ng counter in Dnata in 2005,, and as there was no official holiday counter at that at time, I had to prove ve

I always use my experience to o earn customers custome trust and confidence ce that their vacation arrangements have been thoroughly and professionally organised. pr d. â&#x20AC;?

ATN: How do you deliver a consistently your customers? good level of service to you learning. I educate I believe in life-long lear personal or commyself by joining either pe pany organised fam trips to various leisure destinations. I spend a great deal of time visinspecting hotels, iting tourist attractions, in tours, cruises and evaluating excursions, tou representatives. I meeting appointed local re always use my experience to earn customthat their vacation ers trust and confidence th arrangements have been thoroughly and professionally organised.

Shortlisted nomi nominations: 1 Abdul Mohammed Saleem, Al Rais Travel 2 Abeer Ahmed, Dna Dnata Travel 3 Renji Matthew, Al Rostamani 4 Abdulla Al Malki, ZZahdi Travel Holidays, Jed Jeddah 5 Meh Jabeen, Belhasa Belh Global Tourism and Travel

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myself to the management ement which I successfully achieved. This persuaded the company to have an official holiday counter. In five years I have managed naged to build an excellent reputation for myself yself as well as the holiday counter, and can proudly say that I have been recognised as the best leisure travel consultant in Dnata Travel Services. ATN: What initiatives have you brought in to motivate and encourage your staff? I make sure that different motivational activities are exercised to build staff morale and encourage them to achieve their targets. As a result this year our Holiday Team exceeded its annual target by +30 percent. In my opinion the most important step to motivate staff is to build confidence, trust and serve our clients efficiently. ATN: How did you feel about winning? I was proud and delighted. This achievement is my first step to be recognised in the Arabian travel market. It is also a high recognition for my hard work and dedication over the last 19 years in the travel industry including five years in Dnata Travel.

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Marketing manager of the year Tim Waddell Director of marketing, Alshamel mel Intern International national Tim infuses passion into everything he does. His campaigns have not only seen the light of day but exceeded their objectives. The judges felt Tim deserved the award for his unrelenting work in elevating the value of the Alshamel brand. ATN: What has been your career highlight? If I had to pick one moment it would be the company’s 2007 ATM party at Emirates Towers. I created an audio-visual presentation documenting our rapid growth with an atmospheric soundtrack. Standing on stage I felt a huge surge of pride at what I had

ness and travel is a low m margin argin industry so there’s e’s an ongoing battle batttle to achieve maximum imum results from m very little. I work with a very ve ery small team m that all learn fastt the definition on of ‘hyper-tasking’. ‘hyper-tasking g’. What addss to the frustrati frustration ion is the he myriad requests we receive pareceive for event p articipation ation and sponsorsponssorship that arrive with ju just ust a week’s notice. trying marce. When you’re try ying to manage a mar rketing react ng budget it’s almost impossible to re eacct to such uch last minute requests.

Standing on stage I felt elt a huge e sense o off pride at what I helped build. d. It remind reminded ded me why I love marketing.” helped build. Looking out into the audience and seeing our senior management team equally absorbed reminded me why I love marketing. It is about turning something that is ultimately about profit into something that elicits an emotional response. In that brief moment I forgot the deadlines, the long nights and ROI scorecards and got swept along in the crescendo of percussion. ATN: What are the biggest challenges? In the current climate, budget is the biggest challenge. Marketing is an expensive busi-

Shortlisted Nominations: 1 Ismail S. Joha, Safar Travel and Tourism 2 Tim Waddell, Alshamel International 3 Shilby Jowhershah, Al Naboodah Travel 4 Yaser Kangani, Golestan Tour & Travel

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

ATN:: What are the qua qualities aliities ess n needed e de ee ded to be a good d marketing manager? mana ager?? You need to be a good people peo pe op ple l person per erso sso on as you are dealing with inte internal customers ernal cu usttom omer e s and er external important, rnal suppliers. And d most imp mp po orrtant, you have e to have an eye forr detail. It’s the he ed detail that lets so man many this an ny companies c mpanies in thi co hiis re rregion egion down. mistakes n. Spelling ng g m ista is tak ta kes and typos, poor quality me on ity outputt – tto om e tthese hese reflect badly yo n yourr brand as they suggest you don don’t care. on’t ’tt car re. e And if you don’t care then then why hy y sshould ho oul u d the customer omer feel you care about utt them? the h m? ATN:: What do you find most rewarding? The marketing team is the ‘fac ‘face’ ce’ e of the company. y. To some that might might suggest sug u gest it’s all superfi erficial beauty. But Bu ut they say say y the eyes are the window to the e soul. This is especially marketing. y true in marketing g. It is about honestly reflecting the heart cting what is at th he hear rt of o your company. y. Working towardss building and delivering g a brand, is what drives drives me every day. ATN:: How did you feel about winning? I wass thrilled to just be nominated as the nomination mination came from a member of my team m and that meant a great deal to me. Winning ning was fantastic and the response from m colleagues has been simply amazing.

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Branch manager of the year Fatima Fati ima Barbo Barbosa Operations Oper rations manager, mana Dnata Travel Fatima impressed for her st staff motivatechniques. tion tech hniques. As a manager she believes everybody everybo dy has talents and it is up to her to encourage staff. Her key encoura age these among her st is to get to running runniing a successful branch bran the very y best out of her team which she development, achievess through coaching, de communication feedback. commun nication and feedback ATN: What A TN: Wh hat are you most proud of? Three years ye ears ago, I was asked to take over a multinational multinat tional account which was facing took over four plenty o of service issues. It too months to win the trust of the travel manwith the ager and d the staff. I worked closely clos

ATN: How do you deliver a consistently good level of service to your customers? Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. For any business to be successful, the customer should be happy. My team is often reminded that even though we are not perfect, we can work together to deliver the experience for our customers that cements our service in their minds. ATN: What initiatives have you brought in to try to motivate your team? As branch manager, I motivate the staff by communicating a vision of what Dnata and Emirates group stands for; ensuring the

Good cus customer service goes a long way in keeping ke eeping a cus customer. If you are able to bring value e in what yo you do to your clients you will win them m over. â&#x20AC;? team evenings to sort Dnata te eam late into the even out the problems. Processes were put in place to improve and optimise our services areas. SVP-Dnata acknowlin all are eas. The then SVP-Dna and edged an nd recognised the work I had put in thanked and than nked me for it. My only regret leavcompany with ing CRM M was letting go of this co whom I had h formed a strong bond bon of trust.

Shortlisted Shortlisted nominations: no minations: 1N Nizar izar Abdul, Dnata Tra Travel 2M Mohammed Ahmed Fouad, Fo Al R Rais Travel 3 He Hemant Baheti, Kanoo Travel 4 La Laura Mendonca, Al Rostamani 5 Fatima Fa Barbosa, Dnata Travel

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work is challenging; establishing a friendly work environment; having flexible working practices so that targets are achievable and delegating tasks and allowing others in the team to take responsibility. ATN: What are the biggest challenges in your role and how do you overcome these? The biggest challenge is when other travel agents offer short-term discounts. Many agents offer more that the stipulated commissions to win a client, engage in cross border selling, or sometimes use dubious ways to win accounts. When my consultants come across such a situation, they get very frustrated. It is at times like these that I maintain good customer service goes a long way in keeping a customer. If you can bring value in what you do for clients you will win them over. We need to be more focused, have more self-belief and determination instead of giving in to silly doubts and fears.

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Arabian Travel News Awards

Corporate travel agency manager of the year Mohammad Al Hashimi, Dnata Travel vel Mohammad was recognised for his leadership qualities, management skills, attention to detail and commiment. He has restructured his department, transforming it into one of the most efficient in the company by identifying the need for a ‘corporate cell’ to better cater to the demands of niche coporate clients.

travel management company that at caters to their every travel need. We secured ured more than 90 percent of their businesss through great customer service. I also take e pride in the creation of a ‘corporate cell’ that hat caters to the needs of niche corporate clientele with challenging demands and provides them with efficient customer service. ce.

ATN: What are the biggest challenges you face in your role? Living in a country as dynamic and progressive as the UAE, we always strive to raise the

ATN: What is the most rewarding g part of your job? Having a manager like Abdulla Tawakul who constantly provides me a platform

Living in a country as dynamic and progressive as the UAE, we always strive to raise e the bar in terms of service standards and product uct delivery to meet the progression of the UAE. E. This is always an exciting challenge ” bar in terms of service standards and product delivery to meet the progression of the UAE. This is always an exciting challenge. ATN: What are you most proud of? One of my proudest moments is that we were able to change the Government of Dubai’s employees’ view of Dnata from being a ticketing company to a complete

Shortlisted Nominations: 1. Jeyaraj Sudagaran, Dream Horizons 2. Mohammad Al Hashimi, Dnata Travel Services 3. Mohammed Amiri, Safar Travel and Tourism 4. Rahul Pradhan, BCD Travel

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

for continuous learning and over achievement is very rewarding. By challenging nging and encouraging me to think out of the box I know everyday that passes is an opportunity to work on my personal growth. h. It is also rewarding knowing I have a team that hat trusts me to lead them and provides me with dedication and support. ATN: What key qualities are needed ed to succeed in the travel industry? To succeed in the travel industry you ou should have passion, great communication ion skills, enthusiasm, flexibility, quick thinking, strong work ethics, and show initiative ative ATN: How did you feel about winning ning the e Arabian Travel News Award? Winning the Arabian Travel News Award is a great privilege and honour. I am proud to o have won this award and very proud ud to say that this would not have been posossible without the support of my hardrdworking and dedicated team.

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Arabian Ar bian Trav Travel vel News Aw Awards wards

Leisure travel agency manager of the year Aiden A ide Walsh, Prime Travel Since tak taking up his position just seven ago, year-on-year sales at Prime months a have Travel hav av increased 30 percent and profit percent. Underlying Aiden’s amazis up 25 pe success is a strong commitment to ing succe transform his team from traditional travel agents to the next level of travel advisors.

but I would also add the revamp of our website, the relationship we have with our customers and suppliers and our current financial performance as we are trading approximately 30 percent up for the first four months of the year in comparison to the same period for 2009.

ATN: Wh What new initiatives have you brought in i to drive business? Firstly we have changed the concept of being a ‘travel agent’ to a ‘travel advisor’ and ‘tr asked staf staff to specialise in certain destina-

ATN: Where do you see yourself in five years time? Hopefully I will still be in Dubai and would like to be part of the next stage in developing how travel is sold in the

I am working on a number of initiatives at the moment (can’t say too much) and am keen to develop these to become successful here in the UAE. It won’t be easy but I think the market mark is ready for some changes. ” tions an and nd products. The market in the UAE is very gen generic when it comes to marketing, most of th the tourist boards and even airlines usually do not have a call to action or an offer w when he doing advertising. We offer our partners a platform to promote their products, back backed up with knowledgeable staff to covert marketing activity into bookings. We rt m rt a have worked with Time Out on their festive ew work campaign, campaign and promoted our R&R breaks to Dubai for our contractors in Afghanistan and IIraq. We have changed the way we do business, busine working with a select number of suppliers supplie so we become experts at selling these products and destinations. prod ATN: Wha What are you most proud of since you took the role at Prime Travel? k on on th Well the award is a big highlight, l winning ll winn

market. I am working on a number of initiates at the moment (can’t say too much) and am keen to develop these to become successful here in the UAE. It won’t be easy but I think the market is ready for some changes. ATN: How do you motivate your team? We motivate staff with incentives and have put in place service and selling skills training which has been a great success. ATN: How do you feel about winning the Arabian Travel News Award? I guess it is recognition for the effort and hard work of not just me but also my colleagues as well. Winning this is a team effort and I would like to thank all the team for letting me get on with what I do, no matter how crazy some of my ideas are.

Shortlisted S ho Nominations: 1. Ai Aiden Walsh, Prime Travel 2 Ca 2. Candida Fitzsimmons, Airlink

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3. Mohammed Al Rais, Al Rais Travel 4. Zall Koohpaima, Kanoo Travel

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Arabian Travel News Awards

Travel management company ceo/md of the year Iain Andrew, Divisional senior vice president, Dnata Travel Services Iain Andrew was chosen by the judges for his exceptional leadership qualities. He empowers his executive within the organisation, providing them with clear guidelines to help them achieve. His commitment and dedication to the industry goes above and beyond his role at Dnata as is shown by his current presidency of the Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group. ATN: What initiatives have you brought in to drive business at Dnata? At Dnata Travel Services, we focus on customer service, training and developing our staff, as well as broadening the choice of products and services. We are constantly

Shortlisted nominations: 1. William Horsley, Al Futtaim Travel 2. Derin Cameron, Al Shamel International 3. Iain Andrew, Dnata Travel Services 4. May Mamarbarchi, Beroia Travel and Tourism 5. Khalifa Bin Omeir, Omeir Travel Agency

looking to improve our operational efficiency, and regularly conduct business In addition, we have conprocess reviews. revie tinued with our commitment in IT such revamping our Dnata Front Office and as revampin our websites. enhancing o ATN: What do you do to motivate and encourage y your staff? We have an open door policy at the com-

experience are in the right roles. We encourage individuals to take ownership, and provide them with latitude to make decisions. ATN: Can you tell us about some of your career highlights? My time at Dnata is a highlight of my career. We have seen a significant increase on profit, whilst developing more services for our customers. I am particularly proud of

I am only one person in a very successful team. tea am. Witho Without my team, I would not be successful ” pany. Staff ar are encouraged to communicate their ideas. We W have an annual survey where they are free to express their ideas. We offer career progression, and regularly promote progr staff within the company. We offer incentives through Najm (the Emirates Group’s reward and rrecognition programme), FAM trips, merit p pay and profit sharing. Through Najm, staff are rewarded for their bright ideas. We organise staff events throughout the year ye such as an annual conference and cinema days for the family. ATN: Wh What are the biggest challenges you face in your role? There are a many factors outside of our control that impact us, such as the volcanic ash a crisis, swine flu and politiWe strive to continually cal unrest. un improve our products and services impro standards, which to international in more and more discriminating cusmor tomers are demanding. Also, it can tom be a challenge to ensure that the right people with the relevant rig

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Arabian Travel News – June 2010

our outstanding performance in during the economic downturn. Over the last few years, we have received World Travel Awards for Dnata Travel and Gulf Ventures. ATN: What advice do you have for someone looking for a career in the travel industry? It’s an exciting and dynamic industry. We will be a larger and larger industry as we all continue to travel more. But it’s a low margin business, and you will need to run a very efficient business, with a clear focus on your market segment. Use your team members’ maximum potential, and keep their morale high at all times. People management is always rewarding and the key to success. ATN: How did you feel about winning the Arabian Travel News Award? I am very proud to receive such an award. Arabian Travel News is a respected travel publication, and hence the award is a real privilege. But I am only one person in a very successful team. Without my team, I would not be successful.

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Arabian Travel News Awards

Lifetime achievement award Naz Naziri Senior vice president, EmQuest Having started her career in the IT department of Dnata back in 1978 Naz Naziri has remained a steadfast leader through the many changes that have taken place in the travel sector. She has placed her company at the cutting-edge of technology and now continues to lead her dedicated team upwards and onwards making her the most worthy contender for this award.

ATN:What are your career highlights? g ts? I started work in Dnata in 1978 978 in the IT department and was involved in automating airport systems, payroll and the staff records system. When Emiratess contracted with Galileo for distribution I was in charge of the total operation from connections nnections to travel agents to training and customer ustomer support. Over the years I went from m being an IT

I am proud of all the relationships that at my team and I have in the industry, locally as well as ere.” internationally. I feel I have friends everywhere.” ATN: What are the biggest changes you have seen in the travel industry? The travel industry in the Gulf has really matured in the last ten years in the way in which travel is planned, bought and serviced. Since the turn of the century we have seen a great surge in leisure travel, in using internet to research options, and using corporate booking tools to better manage travel policy. Travel agency personnel are expected to use technology to its optimum to get better productivity and to remain better informed than their customers.

Shortlisted Nominations: 1. Derin Cameron, Alshamel International 2. Keith Fernandez, Destinations of the World 3. Naz Naziri, EmQuest 4. Mazen Hamad, Alshamel Travel and Tourism 5. William Horsley, Al Futtaim Travel Agency

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officer to manager to SVP in thiss world class organisation. I was the first woman to be appointed as SVP and am extremely emely fortunate that I found my footing in n a company that is not discriminative and nd have had great support and encouragement ment from my management every step of the way. ATN: What are you most proud of? I am very proud of my team at EmQuest. They enjoy their work, are very ry dedicated to this business and are foreverr coming up with new solutions. When your our business is about technology you need the business knowledge, exemplary service and innovation. I am equally proud of all the relationships that my team and I have in the industry, locally as well as internationally. onally. I feel I have friends everywhere. ATN: How do you feel about being ing awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award? ard? I was totally taken by surprise. e. It is a huge acknowledgement and very humbling. It has much to do with the management gement who have encouraged me to get to where I am and to my team who have been en a big part of the success of EmQuest. My daughters and husband are delighted for me and have embarassed me with their public ic show!

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Ask the expert Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

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Question: How can I sell the right travel insurance to my clients?? Expert: Hemant Gupta, regional manager - Travel, AXA Insurance (Gulf)

ravelling without insurance is like skydiving without a parachute. In most countries medical costs can be prohibitive and falling sick or having an accident whilst on holiday can turn into a financial disaster and the holiday into a complete nightmare. Selling travel insurance gained increasing importance last year when new requirements to obtain a Schengen Visa (which allows travel to mainland Europe) were introduced. A significant change was the requirement to have travel medical insurance in place before the visa is granted. Travel insurance was once seen as an unnecessary expense, but now it guarantees your protection wherever you go. Whether your customers are travelling on business or leisure - having insurance is a security they can’t be without.

MAKING SURE YOUR CLIENTS ARE COVERED Travel insurance is one of a number of potential profitable extras many agents fail to sell to customers, and in many cases they are neglecting their obligations as travel consultants. Travel insurance is a prerequisite for clients travelling to Europe who require a Schengen visa, so agents are obliged to make sure that customers have a policy providing the required level of cover when they issue tickets. Unfortunately this does not always happen, and sometimes it is never advised by the agent unless the traveller asks for it. What is most important is awareness and motivation from travel agents to train their staff and educate their clients to take travel insurance before they travel. Travel agents should look for the following points in choosing a travel insurance supplier: - Check the travel insurance product, its inclusion and coverage limits. - Ensure it is from a multi-national insur-

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

ance company with a strong global presence. These insurance companies sell insurance to the worldwide sector so should be well known in any country to which the client is travelling. - Ensure there is a 24-hour quick and easy claims handling service with a clear terms and condition booklet for your clients. - Go with a supplier that has an easy issuance procedure to save time, with good customer service.

WHY SHOULD AGENTS SELL TRAVEL INSURANCE? Travel agencies should reflect their image as a complete ‘travel solutions’ provider and not just be a ticket selling company. Travel insurance plays a very important part of travel and should form a vital part of an agent’s services. Travel agents put a lot of effort into making wonderful packages for their valued cli-

Travel insurance is one of a number of potential profitable extras many agents fail to sell to customers, and in many cases they are neglecting their obligations as a travel consultant.”

ents. So it’s very important that they should make these holidays secure from any unfortunate incident. These days, in a zero commission environment from airlines, travel insurance is an easy source of earning potential A good idea is for travel agents to include mandatory insurance in their packages and outbound holiday brochures as a ‘valueadd’ for their clients. Travel agents pay a very important role in developing awareness among corporate and leisure clients and they should work closely with insurance companies while developing holidays brochures and packages in order to provide safer holidays to their valued clients.

HOW TO SELL TRAVEL INSURANCE: Travel insurance should cover both medical and travel inconvenience. Emergency medical expenses, death, personal liability, cancellation and curtailment, delayed departure and baggage, personal money, loss of passport, personal accident and terrorism should all be covered. Check the company profile, its reputation and global presence. Check the efficiency of the company in its claims handling services. It is vital to have a worldwide 24-hour emergency service available for any assistance. Always read the policy terms and conditions and the small print. Always advise the customer not to focus on cost but to look at the coverage. There is no point paying for a travel insurance policy which does not meet their needs.

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ArabianTravel News and analysis for Middle East travel agents and tour operators

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Comment

NEWS

Registered at Dubai Media City PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: 00 971 4 210 8000 Fax: 00 971 4 210 8080 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Dubai & London ITP Business Publishing CEO Walid Akawi Managing Director Neil Davies Deputy Managing Director Matthew Southwell Editorial Director David Ingham VP Sales Wayne Lowery EDITORIAL Editor Monika Grzesik email: monika.grzesik@itp.com Tel: +971 4 210 8413

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The ‘right’ regulation is required Authorities should clamp down on substandard services A few years ago a group of friends came to visit me for a holiday in Dubai. One of the things they were most excited about doing was taking a trip out into the desert, so I booked us all onto a desert safari experience with the first tour operator I found advertised - for what I thought at the time to be an extremely good value price. We soon found out that there was a reason behind this ‘great value’. The tour operator sent a driver to pick us up; who it later turned out had only arrived in Dubai two days before, didn’t speak a word of English and had no idea how to find us. He got completely lost trying to get to the pick up point. We waited for him for hours in a sweltering car park, getting increasingly more frustrated, and by the time he finally did arrive, the sun had already set, completely writing off any possibility of our promised ‘sunset photo-op in the dunes’ moment. From then on the whole experience only got worse. To make up for being so late, we sped off into the desert breaking every speed limit under the sun. The driver took the highway straight to the desert camp as we “didn’t have time to do dune bashing” (probably a good thing having witnessed his driving ability). The food was terrible and the camp was dirty. It was definately not the romantic desert adventure that my friends had been so excited about, and sadly they left their Dubai holiday with a bad taste in their mouths.

Its companies like these, operating substandard services at cut-prices that are putting Dubai’s tourism industry in a really bad light. Meanwhile, there are established DMCs that invest millions in their operations, facilities, their staff training and in promotion of the destination overseas that say its getting harder and more expensive to carry out their business thanks to endless painful rules and regulations such as the latest Dubai Airport one which forces them to pay a hefty fee to have their own tour groups met at the airport. Clearly there is a serious need for regulation in the industry. But why don’t the authorities start by clamping down on those companies that are not even meeting basic industry standards, and manage to get away with providing a completely unnacceptable service which only succeeds in turning away tourists; instead of trying to squeeze every penny out of those who have worked hard to build Dubai into the destination it is today. Monika Grzesik, Editor, Arabian Travel News

. In its capacity as mouthpiece of the Middle East travel trade, ATN is eager to hear your news and views. Email monika.grzesik@itp.com

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RE: TOUR OPERATORS SLAM DUBAI AIRPORT ‘FUNNY LAWS’ Yet another law from the Dubai Authorities which makes it harder for people to do business. What is the point as a DMC if you can’t meet your own clients? The authorities must be getting desperate! AR Great initiative, and to all DMCs who do not approve, please find a creative way to meet & greet your customers once they are out of the airport! We all have to support the economy of Dubai who gave us so much in the past; we should not complain of small fees here and there. If you still insist to nag and complain then take your business to Europe or America!! LUXDXB

Clever. Keep the home fires burning! You own the airline, you own the meet and greet service, you own the airport, you even own some of the DMCs. Commercially very clever - morally - well that’s another thing. The question that has to be asked is will Arabian Adventures and Gulf Ventures both part of the Emirates group be affected by this same ‘law’? RJF What the story does not say clearly is that the hotels have only been barred from receiving their guests from the airside. Hotels can still receive their guests in the regular meet and greet area of the terminals. Although there’s no denying that monopoly is a reality in this part of the world, anyone who

knows the airport will know this time the reasons are operational. Ali G RE: TRAVEL AGENT BUSINESS GROWING FASTER THAN ONLINE I agree with Mr. Theodore Teng. Online booking has become more complicated with too many adverts on pages, offers that have hidden charges which would confuse any traveller. The online agents have to change the concept of the websites. Something unique, personlised and user friendly will help them boost and capture quality travellers. Bruno Britto To give your view on the latest travel industry news visit: www.hoteliermiddleast.com

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Morocco, a place of fun for the entire family.

MOSAIK

Welcome to Morocco, the land of contrasts. Vibrant and enchanting, where shadows meld with sunlight, and sky and sea kiss at the horizon. A land that for centuries has been romanticized by storytellers in their books. Weaving tales about its natural beauty, the warm hearts of its people and the elegance of its architecture. Not to mention its lazy beaches crawling on the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, its snow-covered peaks, water springs and thick forests, as well as the stunning beauty of its old cities. Come, discover Morocco today. £ä£]Ê Àii Ê/ ÜiÀ]Ê > Þ>ÃÊ-ÌÀiiÌÊUÊ*"Ê ÝÊ\ÊÈ{Ê£ä ]Ê i À>]Ê ÕL> ÊUÊ À>ÌiÃÊ À>LiÃÊ1 ÃÊUÊ/i Ê\Êä{ÓÓ ÓÎ { travel for real

www.visitmorocco.com

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ATM Report News analysis

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx News analysis

Arabian Travel Market 2010 A sense of optimism was prevalent as the tourism industry is set for growth again SHOW REPORT The four-day Arabian Travel Market 2010 threw open its doors last month with a renewed sense of optimism, as exhibitors and visitors alike talked up the positives of the travel industry - in stark contrast to the downbeat view prevalent during the global economic downturn last year. Tourism arrivals to the region are expected to grow significantly over the next five years, with research company Euromonitor International predicting that regional arrivals will

grow by 6 percent in 2010 to 75 million, and will cross the 100 million mark by 2014. While major announcements at the show were few and far between, organisers claimed that over 2,100 exhibitors from 72 countries took part in the show including more than 60 new to market representatives. Online statistics recorded an overall visitor increase of three percent to around 15,000 visitors, and the show also witnessed an increase in GCC visitors. ATN was there covering the action, read on for our full report of the show.

SriLankan dancers

Kathakali from Kerala

HH Sheikh Mohammed pays a visit

A Malaysian dancer puts on a show

From the show floor - here’s what a few of the ATM exhibitors had to say at this year’s show: Shane O’Hare, president and CEO, Royal Jet: Prospects for the region as a whole look promising with green shoots of recovery evident in many sectors in the first quarter of this year, leading to organic growth overall.

destinations for 2010 - Bengaluru, Copenhagen, Ankara, Tokyo, Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires.

Ayse Misirli MIrza, director Dubai and Sri Lanka, Turkish Airlines: With so many airlines exhibiting Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways: this year, ATM has been a positive We used this opportunity to for us as we were able to see how showcase our award-winning our competitors are acting in the hospitality and promote our new market place. At the same time,

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this situation helped the public what Argentina is all about - the become more aware of the aviation passion, the heritage and the sector in general. glamorous lifestyle. All of which, attracts a Middle East audience. Lic Marino Vila, Argentina National Tawfik Melli, market manger, GCC, Institute of Tourism: We come to ATM because it is Switzerland Tourism: the perfect place to capture a ATM helped us build a presence in huge market and present the the crucial Middle East market. It is varied elements of Argentina to the most important trade fair in the a captive audience. We put on a UAE, and it would be strange not tango show, which showed people to be here.

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

ATM Report News analysis

BRIEFS

News analysis

Kenya welcomes UAE nationals

Award for Philippines

Friendship with UAE is “strong as ever” despite diplomacy blunder

Philippines won the ATM New Frontiers Award which recognises destinations that make an outstanding contribution to tourism in the face of adversity. Philippines beat Australia and Italy, for its recovery efforts in the wake of September’s devastating typhoon Ketsana, which poured more than a month’s worth of monsoon rain onto the country in just a few days leaving many dead and homeless.

KENYA

Summer in Abu Dhabi ADTA announced a six-week family festival in Abu Dhabi to help galvanise tourism over the hot summer months including entertainment at venues around the city, one-for-one deals with Etihad Airlines (one child’s seat free for every adult ticket), hotel and restaurant deals and complimentary cultural tours with free entry to places of interest. The aim is to attract an additional 25,000 hotel guests during the festival period of June 24 to August 5 which is a 15 percent increase on last year. For more info see: www.summerinabudhabi.com

The Assistant Minister of Tourism for Kenya, Honourable Cecily Mbarire stressed in an interview with ATN that Kenya was a “safe and welcoming” country for UAE nationals to visit and said plans were still on track to increase visitor numbers to Kenya from the UAE despite a diplomatic blunder in May which resulted in UAE nationals - reported in the media as being part of the royal family - being detained and deported as suspected terrorists. “First of all it was a complete misinterpretation of the facts - it was not any member of the royal family and nobody close to them but they were UAE nationals,” said Mbarire. “It was

a highly regrettable incident that we as a country felt should not have ve happened.” UAE authorities horities responded to the incident ident by banning all visas for Kenyan nationals to the UAE E unless they had a degree. “We got into discussions with the authorities here in the UAE and I’m happy to report that we got feededback that they have ave now changed their eir decision and will conntinue to give visas as per the old regulaations. We have man-aged to sort out the issue and we are very happy aboutt that. It was really hurturting everybody, includuding the airlines. Our diplomatic relations with

Honourable Cecily Mbarire says Kenya is “safe and welcoming”

UAE are as strong as ever, its one of those things that happens between friends happen but we have been able to rise above abo it and our friendcontinues.” ship con Kenya received 12,000 tourists from the Middle East in 2009, and has a tarincrease this to 25,000 get to in in 2010. In December Kenya opened a tourKe ism office in the UAE is and has been eduan ccating travel agents about the destinaa tion in partnership with Emirates Airlines. “We opened the tourism office in December last year and in that short ttime we have done so much. We have trained mu over 500 travel agents o in the region.”

Seychelles reports major increase from Gulf SEYCHELLES The Seychelles has seen a 129 percent year-on-year increase in visitor numbers from the Middle East and Alain St Ange, director of tourism, Seychelles expects visitor numbers to increase further with the addition of new flights from the region. “We already have six flights a week with Emirates and we are looking to confirm a seventh weekly flight with them so that will be one flight every day,” he said. “We are hoping this will happen by October, we are just finalising things now. Currently we are served by Emirates and Qatar Airways, but there is imminent

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

Alain St. Ange expects to see a further boost in visitor numbers this year

news of Etihad starting flights too. They have been granted the landing rights already but they haven’t announced when they are starting. But it shows you the interest of the region in Seychelles.” St. Ange said one of the major draws for Middle Eastern travellers was the sense of privacy they could feel in the Seychelles. “The Middle East community is at home in the Seychelles, they feel safe and it’s a very multi-ethnic country so they feel it’s a ‘home away from home’. Middle East visitors value their privacy and we are one of the few countries in the world where they can still be completely private on a beach,” he said.

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Yemen invests $1 bn in tourism Destination on a drive to convince tourists that country is safe YEMEN The Yemen Tourism and Promotion Board (YTPB) has announced a billion-dollar tourism investment drive. Omar Babelgheith, Yemen’s deputy minister for Tourism Development said the country was embarking on an ambitious marketing and investment programme that will see six major projects built in the next five years. “I’m inviting potential investors to invest in the Yemen tourism sector as we have six major projects in the pipeline approved by the government. These will be developed along the Yemeni coast and will change the image of

Yemen tourism. These developments are estimated to be worth around US$1 billion, each project is worth US$150-250 million, which will contribute to support Yemen as one of the main destinations of the world.” The projects include Midi Coast project in Haja province Doyma Island and Al Mark Island in Al Hudaida both on the Red Sea. There will also be projects on the Indian Ocean, one on Ras Al Araa-Khour Omira coast in Lahj province near Aden; Dabdab coast in Hadramout province; and Jasolit coast in Al Muhra province. . Part of Yemen’s promotional strategy will be to con-

$1BN Amount being invested in Yemen’s tourism industry

Yemen wants tourists to see what it has to offer as a destination.

vince tourists that Yemen is safe to visit. Newly appointed executive director at the YTPB, Fatima Al-Huraibi, recognised that her new job presented many challenges. “Unfortunately, it is a sad reflection on world tourism today that very few countries can offer total peace of mind when it comes to safety and security matters,” she said. “We are working tirelessly with other government

departments to ensure discreet but optimal levels of security for our own citizens as well as tourists. “We are determined not to let the actions of a few wreck our aspirations to build a strong tourism industry and I have a simple message which is that Yemen is an extraordinary country, one which deserves to be more widely recognised as an outstanding and unique destination.”

Korea targets MidEast with comedy TV show KOREA Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) announced the launch of its ‘Visit Korea Year 20102012’ campaign at ATM. KTO’s Dubai office has launched a series of promotional activities to target the local market including a new Arabic website (www. elakorea.com), Arabic brochures such as the Muslim Food Guide Book and a new TV show to be shown on Al Aan TV called ‘Korean, Not Korean’. The comedy show stars Wonho Chung, a Korean

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comedian, born and raised in the Middle East and is aimed at promoting Korea as a tourism destination to viewers in

the Middle East. The threeminute show began airing on 5 May and will run ten times a day throughout the day.

The cast introduce their new comedy show at ATM.

With its three year ‘Visit Korea’ campaign, Korea aims to attract 10 million visitors by 2012. 7.8 million tourists visited Korea last year, a 13.5 percent increase over 2008, and 8.5 million travellers are expected to visit by the end of this year with 100,000 from the Middle East. The Visit Korea Year committee has planned special incentive programmes such as the “Seoul Grand Sale” where tourists can enjoy discounts and special packages including free nights at participating hotels.

BRIEFS France focuses on the Gulf France is shifting its focus to target highnet worth travellers from the Middle East in a bid to bring in more outbound tourists from the region, which currently stand at around 725,000. Visitors from the Middle East are the top spenders in France but currently only account for 2 percent of arrivals. Atout France, the tourism board will start to roll out promotions in the region to target leisure travellers and Air France recently upped connectivity from the Middle East to France with a new direct flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris five times a week.

Dollar Thrifty expansion Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental announced they have relocated their car rental counters to the Skypark facility at the Abu Dhabi International Airport which opened in May. The group also announced that it has opened two new rental car counters in Qatar to meet growing market demand. Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group currently has a combined total of 50 outlets in the UAE with a fleet size of over 17,550.

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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ATM Report News analysis

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Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx News analysis

Tourism will ‘rebound’ this year

BRIEFS

Arabian Adventures expects to see a 20 percent growth in business

Hertz commits to Middle East

TOUR OPERATOR Business volumes are expected to grow by as much as 20 percent in 2010, said Frédéric Bardin, senior vice president, Arabian Adventures at ATM. Most of this growth is expected to come from traditional markets in the US, Russia and Europe as well as new emerging markets such as China and Korea. Bardin said: “Despite the challenges of the economic crisis, our business remains strong. We also believe the tourism sector will rebound substantially this year, particularly in terms of tour operator business and traditional holidaymakers. Consequently we expect to see a steady increase in demand

Bardin predicts tour operators will see a rebound this year.

Forecast good for hotels in 2010 DATA The forecast for the coming year for the region’s hotel industry is looking positive, according to Bradley Holliday, senior manager, Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Industry Group, Deloitte Middle East. “The forecast for the coming year is good. Airline arrivals in the region are showing positive growth of around 15 percent, tourist arrivals are showing growth of between five and nine percent, GDP in the region is forecast to grow by 4.5 percent and the signs for 2010 are excellent.” Last year, the global down-

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turn, coupled with new supply coming on stream ed to major market adjustments in the region’s hotel industry. According to Holliday occupancy fell from around 68 percent to 61 percent - a reflection of a fall in GDP levels around the world in the region’s feeder markets. “Air transport, is the one sector that bucked the trend,” said Holliday. “Revenue per passenger kilometre increased by 11.2 percent, but hotels across the region, with a few exceptions, still saw a significant decrease, though not as bad as some of the trends seen across the rest of the world.”

throughout 2010 as the UAE continues to recover.” In anticipation of the growth in business this year, Arabian Adventures has signed a two-year longterm lease on 16 new private cars, bringing the total size of its fleet to over 100 vehicles. New drivers will also be recruited to support the increase in the overall size of the fleet. The new fleet will be used to provide comfortable and professional service for airport to hotel transfers, and inter-hotel transfers for clients who split their stay between two or more different properties. Private car tours will now use Arabian Adventures’ own cars and drivers, in addition to its own tour guides.

Expansion for Thai group NEW BRANDS Thailand-based Onyx Hospitality Group, showcased two new brands at ATM: Saffron and Ozo, and anounced major plans for expansion. Saffron is the group’s luxury offering. The first Saffron property, the Oriental Residence Bangkok will open in 2011. The property will feature privately-owned condominiums as well as 145 serviced apartments. While Ozo is a new select services brand aimed at both business and leisure travellers. Onyx has plans to manage an additional 40 hotels by 2018 and is investing US $44.1 million in a corporate growth strategy. The group

also owns Amari Hotels which are very popular with Middle East guests who booked 90,000 room nights across the 11 Amari properties in Thailand last year. The new Amari Residences Bangkok opens in September. The 128-unit serviced apartment complex is aimed at short and long stay guests.

Hertz has appointed Gina Costa as commercial director for the Middle East and Africa. The appointment follows the opening of Hertz’s first regional corporate office for the Middle East in Dubai last year and underlines the company’s commitment to customers and regional franchise partners in the region. Costa’s team will support the 11 Hertz franchisees in the Middle East and 23 in Africa.

Sharjah rooms increase 75% Hotel rooms in Sharjah will increase by 75 percent by 2014. 33 new hotels are under construction, increasing the number of hotels to143.

Qatar has FIFA hopes Qatar announced it hopes to the first Middle East country to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. The government has set aside US$17 billion to develop Qatar’s tourism infrastructure over a fiveyear period, including new hotels, resorts and other tourism facilities such as the new Doha International Airport scheduled to open soon.

Amari Bangkok is MidEast favourite.

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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ATM Report News analysis

News analysis

Party people One of the best things about ATM is all the parties. ATNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photographers were out and about at all the events to catch the action on camera. The gamorous champagne table at Fire & Ice in Raffles

A chef prepares some delicacies at Fire & Ice in Raffles Hotel

Luidmila Al Harasi, Yara Dehni and Marianna Matejkova at the Fairmont party

Sam and Linura Alyain at the Fairmont

Anne Del Rosario and Anna De Leon at the Movenpick

Arabian Travel News â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2010

Soha Zahar, Tony G and Tamara Hessan

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Gemma White and Aoife Stuart at the Fairmont

Myriam Naud, Arnaud and Sylvie Vatienghem

Elenora Ozhegova and Tatiana Gryzlova at the Movenpick

The band lends an Arabic flavour at the Fairmont

Angie Chesnais strikes a pose at the Movenpick

Tamara Khalil, Fadi Al Wazaifi and Mihaela Tayar at the Movenpick

Sweet treats at the Fairmont ATM party The saxophonists at Mosaico, Jumeirah Emirates Towers

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June 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Arabian Travel News

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How to sell News analysis

Where to spend Ramadan Ramadan in the summer doesn’t have to mean a drop in bookings. ATN looks at where your clients could go to experience the holy month this year ith the holy month of Ramadan edging ever earlier and earlier each year into the peak summer holiday season, many travel agents are worried that their summer bookings are set to take a battering as local families opt to forgo their usual travel plans and stay at home instead. But for Muslim clients that still want to get away this summer there are lots of destinations promoting themselves specifically

to the GCC market as ideal places to come and experience the holy month of Ramadan. John Felix, senior vice president, Emirates Holidays says: “Maybe it won’t be the same volume of people who are travelling out, but there is a mix - some people would definitely prefer to spend Ramadan here and be around their extended family, but there are others who would prefer to travel with their families abroad.” Felix recommends predominately Muslim destinations such as “Turkey,

Egypt, Lebanon and Malaysia” as ideal places to spend Ramadan, and adds that “travelling East is another advantage for people who are fasting as the days become shorter”. This year Ramadan takes place from around 11 August until 9 September, but don’t forget, it’s set to happen in the summer for the next four years so these destinations will no doubt become very popular with GCC travellers looking to combine their summer escape with a different kind of Ramadan experience.

Singapore With its diverse ethnic mix, and large Muslim population, Ramadan is widely respected in Singapore. “Singapore is a multi-racial country, with a large Muslim population, so visitors from the Gulf can expect a festive atmosphere at this time of year,” says Jason Ong, area director, Singapore Tourism Board. He adds: “Arabs have been in Singapore since the early 1800s and we even have a precinct - Kampong Glam - dedicated to them where people can find Arabic food. “During Ramadan bazaars spring up everywhere, while mosques engage in nightly Tarawih prayers as well as pre-dawn Qiyam prayers. Hari Raya Aidilfitri marks the end of

During Ramadan bazaars spring up everywhere, while mosques engage in nightly prayers” Ramadan. This is the biggest event in the Muslim calendar. Its a magical time to be in Singapore, when visitors can absorb the atmosphere through beautiful street decorations, plus exciting events and promotions in the Malay precincts of Kampong Glam and Geylang Serai,” says Ong.

Hari Raya celebrations involve festive decorations, bazaars and cultural performances. Visitors will also be able to participate in iftar at the Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam or Khalid Mosque in Geylang Serai,while hotels will be providing breakfast suhours and bus shuttle services to the local mosques.

HOW TO SELL: Key draws: Bazaars and festivities in Kampong Glam. How to get there: Emirates Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways Contact: Singapore Tourism Board Tel: 971 4335 3770 Email: dubai@stb.gov.sg www.yoursingapore.com Singapore is lit up for the Hari Raya (end of Ramadan) celebrations.

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

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News analysis

Ramadan Destinations

Malaysia Malaysia is promoting itself as the ideal destination to spend Ramadan this year for families from the GCC, and even launched a special ‘Malaysian Ramadan tourism package’ at this year’s Arabian Travel Market. Malaysia’s Minister for Tourism Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, says: “We believe that Malaysia is the destination of choice to spend Ramadan. Why? Number one, commonality of religion; number two: we are east of the Middle East so the daylight hours will be shorter for guests; third, our Ramadan celebrations are quite different to the Middle East. Our Ramadan New Year is the most important New Year for the Malays in Malaysia. Fourth, in Malaysia there is a very peculiar culture whereby non-Muslims will also join with Muslims in breaking fast regardless of their religion. People all come together. And last but not least the month of Ramadan is the month of Ramadan bazaars. It’s the only month of the year where many housewives and homemakers will cook very special food and sell it at the bazaars. You will find that the whole country waits for these bazaars. It’s a celebratory occasion.” Dr Ng adds that as part of the drive to encourage more Gulf visitors to Malaysia during Ramadan, the shops will be opening later and hotels will offer lavish iftar buffets. “We will look at having the shops to open longer hours at night because it’s so unique to the Arab world that during Ramadan people shop till two or three in the morning. “Hotels taking part in this programme will also be changing the hours at which they serve

The Zahir Mosque in Malaysia has been voted one of the top ten most beautiful mosques in the world.

food and the type of food they serve. In Malaysia every hotel during Ramadan will always have a sumptuous buffet served as the whole country celebrates.” Another draw is the Qur’an reading competitions aired nightly on Malaysian TV. Dr Ng adds: “We are a very modern, progressive Islamic country, and any Muslim that comes to Malaysia will feel very comfortable – from the perspective of food, prayer times and religious practices. They will feel very at home and yet they experience very different experiences, because Malaysia is an Islamic country but with great diversity.

Ramadan is the month of Ramadan bazaars, its a celebratory occasion in Malaysia” She adds: “Because Ramadan and summer will be with us for the next four years we would like to see Malaysia be the Ramadan tourism destination of choice.”

HOW TO SELL: Key draws: Ramadan bazaars, Qu’ran reading contests on TV, late night shopping and hotels serving lavish iftars buffets. How to get there: Emirates, Etihad and Gulf Air all fly to Kuala Lumpur. Oman Air recently also started flights from Oman to Kuala Lumpur. Contact: Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Tel: +971 4337 7578 Email: mtpb.dubai@tourism.gov. Zahir Mosque is one of the oldest in Malaysia.

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Dr Ng says Malaysia should be the ‘Ramadan destination of choice’.

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

50 FAVOURITE INTERIOR DESIGNS

01.07.10

To celebrate the outstanding commercial interior design work taking place across the Middle East, CID is publishing a 100plus page, perfect bound special supplement showcasing the region’s most impressive interiors in the following sectors: • Hotels • Leisure & Entertainment • Ofﬁces • Retail • Restaurants • Institutional This invaluable reference source for Middle East interior designers will be distributed with the full run of

Commercial Interior Design’s July issue so it will reach the magazine’s full BPA audited run of 6,944 qualiﬁed individuals and be seen by the 26,245 readers that use CID each month. The CID: FAVOURITE 50 INTERIOR DESIGNS will also be available as a digital magazine on ConstructionWeekOnline.com, where the 83,000-plus monthly visitors to the region’s leading construction portal will be able to enjoy this special publication.

A D V E R T B O O K I N G D E A D L I N E : 17. 0 6 .10 TO BE IN VO LV ED IN T HE CID : FAVO URIT E 5 0 IN T ERIO R D ESIGNS C O N TA C T

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REGIONAL NEWS

Ramadan Destinations

Jordan The key draws of Jordan are its perfect climate and the myriad of festivities, celebrations and activities that will be taking place during Ramadan. “Jordan is a great place to come during Ramadan for GCC families, because the weather is cooler, and the atmosphere is traditional and family friendly,” says Sa’ed Zawaideh, educational, medical, religious tourism manager, Jordan Tourism Board. During Ramadan there will nightly entertainment in many of the coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and malls as well as at Jordan’s many cultural sites. The biggest highlight is the Jordan Festival which takes place from 30 June until 30 August. The cultural and arts festival will feature performances from famous Arabic singers, dancers and poets - many of them staged in dramatic open air locations such as among the ruins at Jerash – one of best preserved ancient Roman cities in the Middle East. The festival is a huge draw for visitors from all around the Middle East region. GCC visitors to Jordan will encounter a slightly more laid back approach to Ramadan to what they might be used to at home adds Zawaideh: “Jordan is a moderate country and more liberal than GCC countries in a sense that all hotels outlets and food outlets are open during Ramadan.”

The highlight is the Jordan Festival which will feature performances from famous Arabic dancers, singers and poets ”

Cultural performances during the Jordan Festival are set to take place among the ruins of the ancient city of Jerash.

HOW TO SELL: Key draws: The Jordan Festival 2010 takes places from June 30 – August 30. The festival will feature performances by Pink Martini, Il Divo, Rim Banna (Palestine), Palestine Youth Orchestra and Shaolin Monks among many others. Tickets will be available online and at locations around Jordan. How to get there:Emirates, Etihad, Royal Jordanian Contact: Jordan Festival contact: + 962 6 461 3300 E-mail: info@ jordanfestival2010.org www.jordantourismboard.com The cooler climate means visitors to Jordan in the summer can still take in sites like the Roman city of Jerash.

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June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Ramadan Destinations

Egypt Egypt is known as the ‘country of one thousand domes’ and with so many beautiful mosques to visit, plus a lively atmosphere during Ramadan nights, its a popular destination to experience the month of Ramadan. Some of the must-visit mosques in Cairo are in Islamic and Coptic Cairo, or Old Cairo. The area features the Mosque of Amr Ibn El Aas - one of the oldest in Cairo. Other well known mosques are Al Rifai, Sultan Hassan, Ibn Tuluun and Mohamed Ali Mosques. But there are other less known mosques with beautiful architecture that visitors can also

Ramadan nights in Egypt come alive with cultural shows.

For a different type of iftar meal, and to enjoy a nice breeze on the Nile, visitors can rent a felucca and sail away enjoying the glittering lights of Cairo ” visit. These include: the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Al-Malik Al-Mu’ayyad Shaykh. Raised on the ruins of an ancient jail, this mosque is an outstanding landmark of Cairo’s Islamic monuments and was one of the leading educational institutions of the fifteenth century. It is located behind Bab Zuwayla – the southern gate of the old Fatimid City. The Blue Mosque: originally constructed in 1346, the mosque got its name thanks to a restoration project completed in the 1600’s which included redecoration of the sanctuary with Isnik blue and turquoise tiles outlined with plant and floral designs imported from Istanbul and Damascus. Other places to visit include the Museum of Islamic Ceramics, located in the Palace of Prince Ibrahim, which is an impressive example of Islamic architecture and decoration. The museum features a priceless collection of Islamic ceramics from Egypt, Iran, Turkey and southern Spain and demonstrates various fir-

ing and decoration techniques. Ramadan nights in Egypt are known for coming alive with events and entertainment such as music concerts by popular Arabic singers, folklore shows, poetry recitals, oud concerts and Arabic classical concerts taking place almost every evening. Popular places to go for entertainment in historic Cairo are El Amir Taz Palace: a restored Bahari Mamluk palace; Al-Geneina Theatre: the open-air amphitheatre situated inside Al Azhar Park; The Salal Eldin Citadel, which holds music concerts in its garden; and Kobet El Ghouri, and arts centre where you can see dances, music concerts and poetry recitals. For a different type of iftar, and to enjoy a nice breeze on the Nile, visors can rent a felucca boat and sail the night away enjoying the glittering lights of Cairo, or take the boat during dusk and watch the sunset. Most felucca owners will treat guests to some authentic Arabic music too.

HOW TO SELL: Key draws: Egypt’s famous Ramadan tents spring up all over the country during Ramadan. There are many stunning mosques to visit not forgetting all the ancient monuments. How to get there: Emirates, Etihad, Egypt Air, Qatar Airways Contact: Egypt Tourism Authority Tel: + 2 02 2684 1970 www.egypt.travel/ arabic.egypt.travel.

Egypt has many traditional souks to explore selling handicrafts, rugs, lanterns and antiques made by Egyptian craftsmen.

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

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Advertorial

Rezgateway forges new ties with Alshamel International Alshamel International selects Rezgateway for complete end-to-end reservation system ezgateway, a leading technology provider to the travel industry, has been selected by one of the world’s pre-eminent Travel Management firms, Alshamel International, providing a fully-integrated endto-end reservation system. The system, Rezpackage 3.1, will dramatically enhance Alshamel’s awardwinning customer service. Rezpackage 3.1 includes dynamic packaging capabilities, B2B and B2C reservation, back office system, integration to a payment processing, affiliate module, call center module and much more. Alshamel will be able to provide customers with a fast, easy and real-time access to its travel products. Rezgateway vp marketing and sales Girma Wossenseged, said the company had established a strong presence in the Middle East and that it was increasing rapidly. “Building on our broad experience and successes, we are dedicated to providing solutions that solve challenges faced by our customers,” Girma said. Rezgateway president and CEO Mesfin Eyob said Alshamel was a strategic win. “It validates our dedication to helping clients in the Middle East succeed,” he said. “This is not a system that competes with GDS, it’s an enhancement that opens up a world of opportunities for clients and increases profitability without any additional work,” he added. Rezgateway is the complete reservation and back office online solution for: TOUR OPERATORS • DMCs • TRAVEL AGENTS • RECEPTORS • AIRLINES • EVENT PLANNERS Dynamic packaging reservation system with shopping basket features. Features include: B2B and B2C bookings GDS integration Integration to 3rd party wholesale inventory providers

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Rezgateway is proud to welcome these customers to its growing family

ABOUT REZGATEWAY Established in 2001 as the worldwide leader in software for the travel industry, Rezgateway’s concept is to provide a one vendor solution to airlines, tour operators, travel inventory distributors, receptors, event planners and DMCs. By using Rezgateway’s range of services, our customers can easily create, manage, integrate and distribute travel inventory using Internet technologies. Headquartered in Northern Virginia USA, the company also maintains sales and support offices in Las Vegas, USA, Toronto, Canada, Dubai, UAE, Sydney, Australia and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

ABOUT ALSHAMEL Alshamel International, established in 1996, is an IATA approved full-brokerage travel management organization. With its diverse, well trained and experienced employees of more than 300; it delivers its award winning services in Kuwait (head office), Qatar, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan and the UAE. Alshamel’s award winning services include: Leisure Travel. Corporate Travel. US Govt. & Military. Medical, Health & Spa. Travel Wholesale. Cargo Services.

Contacts Alshamel International TEL: + 965 297 6000 EMAIL: KuwaitTravel@Alshamel.com WEB: www.alshamel.com Rezgateway, Inc TEL: + 1.703.880.4448 Ext. 25 MOB: +971 50 980 5524 EMAIL: girma@rezgateway.com WEB: www.rezgateway.com

June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Ramadan Destinations

Follow the crescent moon Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of new travel company Crescentrating.com talks about his ‘halal-friendly’ rating system designed for Muslim travellers ATN: What’s the idea behind your new travel service Crescentrating.com? The concept of a rating system based on the services and facilities provided for Muslim travellers was developed by myself in 2006. I travelled extensively and stayed many nights in hotels and was struggling to cope with the basic needs of a Muslim traveller (Halal food, prayer directions, timings etc). I am sure there must have been many in the same situation. Crescentrating’s key focus, as a pioneer in the field of ‘halal-friendly fravel’ is the launch of a rating standard for hotels, travel and tourism services for their ‘halal-friendliness’. The website lists all the Crescentrated facilities, and provides information such as Qiblah direction, prayer times and Islamic travel etiquette. We believe the Crescentrating standard will encourage the travel and tourism industry to cater to the needs of Muslim travellers globally, thereby targeting 1.6 billion travellers across the world. ATN: How do you rate hotels and tourism products as being Halal? The best way to go about it is to rate how

We believe the Crescentrating standard will encourage the travel industry to cater to the needs of 1.6 billion Muslim travellers across the world” friendly they are towards halal-conscious travellers. We look at the following criteria and rate them from one to seven: prayer facilities, halal food services, guest bathroom facilities, Ramadan facilities, recreation facilities and services and non-halal activities. ATN: With Ramadan coming up in summer this year what key elements will a Muslim traveller be looking for in a destination? The Muslim traveller will be looking for an environment that they are comfortable in observing the requirements of fasting, and an environment where these practices are respected. As for these requirements, generally they could be in found destinations where

Crescentrating is a new system which rates hotels and travel services on their ‘halal-friendliness’

there is a Muslim majority, a Muslim minority country, but with a strong local Muslim population or destinations where the tourism boards are actively trying to make their destinations Ramadan friendly. On a practical level Muslims will be looking for hotels which can cater to Iftar and sahour, mosques at walking distance from the hotels, availability of halal and multicultural food and probably also lectures in the mosques in Arabic for the Middle Eastern visitors. ATN: Which destinations would you recommend as ideal places for Muslim travellers from the GCC to spend Ramadan? Malaysia, Turkey, Singapore and Indonesia, all market themselves as Halal friendly / Ramadan friendly destinations. Most hotels in Indonesia and Malaysia will be providing special Iftar and sahour services. A few hotels in Singapore will also serve Sahour and Iftar. In many other destinations there are a few hotels which will be providing these services. In London and some cities in Canada due to the strong local Muslim populations there will be places which the visitors can go for Iftar and Sahour although you may not find this in the hotels. ATN:What has been the feedback to crescentrating.com? We have had excellent feedback from both the industry and the consumers. We believe many hotels will be signing up with us in the next couple of months. As for consumers, the feedback has been overwhelming. They seem to love the approach of ours; both the rating concept as well as the information provided on our website.

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

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DEBI Report Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx News analysis

News analysis

Destination Britain and Ireland Event drives home the ‘value-for-money’ message ast month Visit Britain and Tourism Ireland held their flagship business-to-business travel trade event in Dubai for the first time, inviting more than 80 tourism suppliers from the UK and Ireland to meet with 200 buyers from the Asia Pacific and Middle East region over a packed three-day event. With the British pound still weak against the dollar, the British suppliers were keen to

push their ‘value-for-money’ message to the industry. “The global tourism industry is slowly emerging from the recession,” said Keith Beecham from VisitBritain. “A weaker currency results in more value for visitors, and currently Britain has a price advantage for the region compared to most currencies.” ATN spoke with representatives from tourism boards around Britain and Ireland to find out what they had to offer visitors from the Gulf.

ENGLAND

SCOTLAND

While visitors from the GCC are already quite familiar with London, VisitEngland is on a mission to get people out of the capital and exploring the rest of the country. “It is becoming more of a trend to go beyond the capital especially as there are some great developments in the five-star hotel sector outside of London,” said Anke Suessmann, international manager, VisitEngland. One such property is the stunning Scarlett Hotel in Cornwall, a luxury eco-retreat situated on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean (www.scarlethotel.co.uk). VisitEngland also recommends Bath as a top pick destination. “As an out of London getaway city, Bath is really up and coming. It is steeped in history. The Thermae Bath Spa opened a few years ago, it’s a refurbished 18th Century spa with natural hot springs and a roof top pool which overlooks Bath Abbey and the lovely countryside around,” said Suessmann. www.visitengland.com

Scotland is promoting its culinary tourism thanks to the quality of its natural produce. The International Culinary Tourism Association declared Scotland one of the most “unique” places for food and drink on the planet and 2010 is ‘Scottish Year of Food and Drink’ with food fests including Taste of Edinburgh in May (www. tasteofedinburgh.co.uk) and Foodies at the Festival in August (a culinary take on the Edinburgh Festival). Visitors to Scotland could try a specialist package such as the Islay and Whisky Coast 4-Day Tour which takes in Scotland’s finest malt whisky distilleries. (www.rabbies.com)

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

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REGIONAL NEWS

Austria

WALES

NORTH EAST

Wales is hosting the Ryder Cup for the first time in October and the event is expected to draw thousands of international visitors. The golf tournament is being played at the purpose-built Celtic Manor Resort in Newport; packages are available at Ryder Cup Travel Services (www.rcts.co.uk). As well as golf, Wales offers heritage with a plethora of castles to explore. Visitors can buy a three-day or a seven-day pass, and four of its castles are world heritage sites. “Visitors come to Wales through Manchester or London,” said Eirlys Thomas, head of marketing networks, Visit Wales. “For accessing the great outdoors, Wales is probably the closest to London. We have three national parks and four areas of outstanding natural beauty, all combined with a heritage backdrop.” www.traveltradewales.com

With Emirates Airlines offering direct flights to Newcastle in the Northeast of England, the region is promoting itself as the new ‘gateway to the UK’ for visitors from the GCC. “I think more and more people are getting turned off by Heathrow so they may be looking for somewhere new to access the UK, and Newcastle is one option. The beauty of the region is that you’re close to all the key tourist attractions within the UK so you can base yourself there and explore Edinburgh, York, the Lake District and London,” said Hayley Quarmby, PR officer, One North East. With stunning countryside such as Northumberland National Park and empty beaches, the Northeast is one of the UK’s most tranquil and unspoilt regions. A major tourist draw is Alnwick Castle - otherwise known as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films (www.alnwickcastle.com). www.visitnortheastengland.com

IRELAND Ireland is experiencing a massive boom in visitor numbers from the Middle East with a 53 percent year-on-year rise in visa applications from the GCC in 2010. Visitors are attracted by the natural beauty of Ireland, said Amanda Burns, Tourism Ireland, general manager, Middle East and Asia. “For GCC nationals it’s about the scenery and the landscape, The chance to get away from the blistering heat in the summer months to the cooler climes of Ireland is a real draw.” Top natural attractions include the Ring of Kerry – Ireland’s most scenic drive offering waterfalls, an old abbey, picturesque villages and the wilderness of Kerry’s mountain range; and the Cliffs of Moher which are so stunning they were recently declared one of the finalists in a contest to find the world’s new ‘seven wonders of nature’. www.discoverireland.ae

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June 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Q&A

Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

A friendly British welcome On her recent visit to DEBI, Sandie Dawe MBE, CEO, Visit Britain says Brits are a lot more friendly and welcoming than people might think. ATN: How important is the Middle East market to Britain’s tourism industry? It’s very important. It’s a very high value market. The numbers in themselves aren’t enormous but it’s a very high spend per head and its a very loyal market so its definitely one that we want to nurture. ATN: Many GCC visitors go to London - how do you encourage them to see more of Britain? There’s a lot of connections with London and I know there are residents here who have second homes there, but there’s every reason to explore the rest of Britain and spend more time out of London. What they’ll get is the quintessential English countryside, the greenery - all the things you don’t have here - and with airlines like Emirates you’ve got great regional connectivity so you can fly direct to Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle. You can spend a few days somewhere else in the country and fly back out of London.

Sandie Dawe says Brits are fun and relaxed

Arabian Travel News – June 2010

ATN: What’s so appealing about Britain to visitors from this part of the world? Britain offers something you don’t have here. We have more than 1000 years of built heritage. We’ve got the greenery, the climate is temperate, its never too hot, never too cold, especially if you come in the summer, its really pleasant. They like the shopping which is really good. We have Harrods, Selfridges, Bicester Village. They also like the depth of entertainment – there is always something new at the West End. You can get fantastic entertainment around the rest of the country as well with festivals and theatres etc.

ATN: How was tourism to Britain impacted during the recession? We had a weak pound which was great for affordability and value for the eurozone and the dollar, but at the same time people in those economies were fearing for their jobs. So we were up against the fact that some of our key markets were in recession. The market that really did fall off a cliff last year was business and corporate which was down a good 20 percent. Our leisure market was slightly up last year and I think it was as a result of the fact that we ran a very strong ‘value’ campaign absolutely driving home that message. We were

What we are doing is to turn up the volume on the ‘personality’ of Britain - the fun, the friendliness and the welcome. ” ATN: What are you doing to promote Britain as a destination this year? What we are doing is to turn up the volume on the ‘personality’ of Britain - the friendliness and the welcome. Our research shows that people think that we are perhaps a bit reserved, and not as dynamic, welcoming and fun. We are very good about showing off the countryside and the monuments, but we have got to be not too shy about putting forward our personality. Our new logo is simply “you’re invited’ so we’ll use that right up through the Olympics – we want to use the Olympics as an opportunity to show that friendly side of us as we put on the world’s biggest party. It’s the perception among people who haven’t been to Britain. Those who have been find that we are a lot friendlier and more fun and relaxed and multi-cultural than the stereotypes but of course we live in a world of perception and stereotypes so our challenge is around fun and welcome and friendliness.

really tactical – we shifted to price-led short term marketing. ATN:What are your forecasts for this year? We are looking at a tiny increase in terms of numbers and values - probably almost less than 1 percent. So we are holding our own, the spend might go up 3 or 4 percent. Quite a lot of that is about the weak pound. But we don’t really see the business market recovering quickly. Now we are worried about that volcano because the ash will affect the North Atlantic so that’s a bit of a concern. The last time it erupted it went for 18 months apparently – there’s nothing you can do about it and depending on which way the winds blowing it could dampen the demand across the Atlantic just at a point when we know the demand was coming back strongly. The other concern that might dent demand this year is the World Cup because people stay at home and watch the television rather than go on holiday. www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

REGIONAL NEWS

Agent Action

Around the world with Emirates Holidays Four hundred travel agents attended the Emirates Holidays World event in Dubai last month to hear from over 30 different destinations. Were you caught on camera?

A group of agents from Karachi listen intently to a workshop presentation. Travel agents look very fetching in their Le Meridien hats.

Natalia Kravtsova and Olgo Rakova from Russia with tribal warriors

The agents from Karachi took bags of information home with them.

Kayode Obijole and Hafeez from Peacock Travel & Tours, Pretoria, South Africa

Arabian Travel News â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2010

Agents got in on the action and learnt some traditional Greek dancing.

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

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