Arabian Travel News - July 2010 by ITP Business Publishing

July 2010 Issue 7 Vol. 5

An ITP Business Publication

Licensed by Dubai Media City

SUMMER IN THE CITY

BA INTERVIEW Strikes won’t impact Middle East flights

Top 5 city breaks to sell to your clients

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Contents News 03 News Agents slam new Saudia service charge; Al-Futtaim Travel announces Thomas Cook tie-up; Industry must do more for environment; World Cup package sales ‘exceed expectations’; Agencies see travel boom in Iraq; Kanoo opens VAT refund office.

06 Tourism Boards GCC tourists flock to Turkey after raid; New VisitBritain website launched; Sharjah targets the Kazakhstani market.

08 Cruise Shrek and pals to entertain cruise goers; Agents can earn a free cruise with Silversea.

10 Tools Sabre starts a ‘Red’ revolution; Travelport launches new leisure portal; Thrifty goes digital.

14 Airlines

No let up in FlyDubai expansion; Qatar Airways six new routes.

Comment

Q&A

16 Accomodation

26 Industry Insider

24 Battling on Through

Wolgan Valley in ‘exclusive’ club; Kempinski opens in Cairo.

Meet our brand new columist Tim Waddell, from Al shamel Travel who asks whether the service fee is starting to show its flaws .

BA’s Paolo de Renzis says its ‘business as usual’ for British Airwaysdespite the threat of more strikes.

News Analysis

How to sell

18 After the Turmoil

29 Ask the expert

Bangkok is safe once again, but how quickly will Thailand’s tourism industry bounce back from the damage done by the protests?

Alexander Rauser, CEO, Connect explains how travel agencies can target their customers online with Twitter and Facebook.

31 Incentives Uncovered Find out what amazing perks and benefits you could be in line for, for selling more hotel rooms.

39 Summer in the City We look at this year’s top city breaks to sell to your clients from Berlin to Singapore.

46 RetailTherapy Chic Outlet Shopping Villages offer the ideal add-on for your clients who love to shop.

Agent Action 52 FAM Report

39 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

Travel agents report back on their adventure to Indonesia with Garuda Indonesia Airlines.

56 54 Caught on Camera Were you snapped at a travel event?

56 Meet the Agent V.Jayaram, managing director, Sharaf Travel talks travel.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

News

Agents slam new Saudia service charge As Saudi Airlines scraps commission agents face revenue losses of “85 percent” COMMISSION Travel agents in Saudi Arabia say their revenues are set to plummet after Saudi Arabian Airlines abolished commission and introduced a new SAR15 (US$3.9) service charge fee for all domestic flight tickets sold. Prior to ruling, which came in on June 15, agents were entitled to four percent commission on domestic tickets, but now they are forced to implement a maximum SAR 15 service charge, which agents say will lead to a major loss of revenue. Raju Abraham, office manager, Al Bassam Travel and Tourism said: “Travel agents are not against this decision since the majority of the airlines are at a zero commission for a long time. “But the limitation of the margin to SAR 15 per ticket is our major concern. As an example, a Saudia first class return ticket to Jeddah cost

SAR 2460 and agents used to get four percent on that amount. Now our profit margin for such a ticket will be reduced by 85 percent.” “We as the travel agents need Saudia to allow us to claim our regular commission from the clients.” Majid Kaki, deputy general manager, Elaf Group agreed that travel agents should be allowed to set their own service charge and added that the SAR15 charge “would not even cover expenses”. “Of course it will lead to a loss of revenue for us. They have put a certain figure on the service charge and we

Majid Kaki, Elaf Group says the fee won’t even cover expenses

cannot exceed it,” said Kaki. “I have no clue why they have done this. I am very surprised. It’s a very strange circumstance. Until today I don’t think any other air-

SAR15 New service charge introduced by Saudia

line has done this but if this works the other airlines might follow. He added: “I don’t think they should control the agents and how much to charge for the service fee. Each travel agency is different. For example at Elaf Group we have 200 staff but some other travel agencies only have three. We need to be able to provide a good service and I would rather set the service fee myself. Kaki said Elaf Group has

aired its objections about the new service fee with the airline but so far received no response. “We have asked them not to control the fee. All the other airlines they are all zero commission but none of them have come to us to tell us what to charge – it’s up to us what we can charge the customers. It will be better to let us travel agents set our own service charges just like the other airlines such as Lufthansa, BA, Austrian have done.” He added that his staff had now started to divert domestic flight business onto the Saudi low-cost carrier Nas Air and away from Saudia as there was a potential to earn more commission. A spokesperson for Saudi Arabian Airlines confirmed that: “Tickets issued electronically will be free of charge but tickets for domestic flights issued by travel agencies will have an issuance charge of SR15.”

Al-Futtaim Travel announces Thomas Cook tie-up PRODUCTS UAE-based Travel Management Company Al-Futtaim Travel has signed a Preferred Sales Agent agreement to distribute Thomas Cook – Middle East Outbound leisure products in the UAE . The agreement was signed by William Horsley, general manager, Al-Futtaim Travel and Mounir Kamal, managing director, Middle East for Thomas Cook Overseas. Horsley said: “We are constantly looking to provide

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

greater options to our customers for all their travel needs. Thomas Cook is clearly the world’s bestknown name in travel and holiday packages. We are extremely delighted to offer our customers the best and the most exotic travel destinations from Thomas Cook. “This agreement with Thomas Cook is further endorsement by a global brand of Al-Futtaim Travel’s market-leading position as a corporate and leisure Travel Management Company.”

Thomas Cook offers unique international school summer camps in the UK, Spain and Austria, exploring new places, practicing different sports activities with 100 percent supervision by camp leaders. Other Thomas Cook leisure offers include Insight Vacations, escorted motor coach tours, attractive leisure packages to destinations such as Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles, and seasonal special offers.

William Horsley, general manager, Al-Futtaim Travel

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

News Industry must do more for environment DMC calls for establishment of a ‘green’ forum to help in cutting down carbon footprint ENVIRONMENT Richard Devadasan, manager of MICE, SNTTA Emir Tours has slammed the inbound tourism industry for its lack of concern for the environment and says tour operators and DMCs must do more to protect it. “There are plans to ‘green’ Dubai from a business perspective, but to make sure we look at green issues as far as tourism goes is crucial because its one of the biggest industries,” said Devadasan. “I think the government needs to have a bigger drive in cleaning up and getting us to do a better clean-up act,” he added.

Devadasan wants the industry to be united in cutting down its carbon footprint

“I get a lot of slack from my clients who say, have you seen your desert and all the rubbish that’s been left out there? It’s appalling the amount of wastage that we have when we organise

a conference – and we don’t have enough recycling agencies in this country, which is a shame.” SNTTA has brought in a number of ‘eco-initiatives’ to its MICE division such as

replacing bottled water with jugs of water, recycling plastic lanyards and badges and donating used white boards and marker pens to locals school instead of throwing them away.

Devadasan admitted that while these actions were “baby steps” he now wants the entire tourism industry to come together and make a conscious effort to cut down its carbon footprint in the form of a ‘green forum’ where ideas on how to go green can be shared and acted upon. “The objective of the green forum is that we all stand together and have a policy to go green - all the industry should be united. The idea is to connect with people and get to know if they agree with me on these grounds and put a plan together that’s going to put Dubai in the league of destinations which are already green conscious.”

UAE FIFA World Cup package sales ‘exceed expectations’ PACKAGE SALES Sales of FIFA World Cup packages in the UAE have “exceeded expectations” according to MMI Travel, the official World Cup tour operator in the country. MMI Travel had a target to sell 300 packages costing between Dh12,000 (US$3,267) and more than Dh39,550 per person for tickets, accomodation and air fares – to the World Cup in South Africa, but it ended up selling 450 packages. “In the past several weeks prior to the start of the World Cup we have seen an uptake of sales of our FIFA travel packages,” said Mayank Dhingra manager, MMI Travel. “As we conclude the sales cycle, our analysis shows that we bucked a

global trend having sold over 450 packages, far exceeding our target of 300 packages.” Dhingra admitted that many football fans held out till the last minute to book packages to the event. “We have always been a traditionally late booking market and this was borne out again by the sudden spike in demand after the first week of June,” he said. “We even added two additional staff to our sports team to cater to the enquiries coming in.” Dhingra said he anticipated another late flurry of interest as the event draws to a close and fans looked to snap up late deals for the World Cup finals on July 11. “As the excitement around the event continues to grow and once the teams advancing to the quarter-final

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

MMI Travel sold 450 packages to the FIFA World Cup.

rounds are announced on 25th June, we will see a second spike. Although at this time we only have five packages left for the finals and a few more for the semi-finals which are expected to sell out within the next few days.” Dhingra said that MMI had started its World Cup campaign early, kicking off last December and had peaked around February / March. “This gave us sufficient time to pace ourselves and ensure sustained sales throughout the six-month period. “When demand picked up around April-May we had achieved top-of-mind-recall with clients and were well poised to cater to the anticipated surge.”

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

Agencies see travel boom in Iraq New flights routes and growing economy mean ‘huge’ business potential NEW MARKET With economic growth and a growing number of airlines announcing new routes into the former warridden country, travel agencies say they seeing a huge boom in travel to and from Iraq, which they are keen to jump on board. Sharaf Travel plans to open its first office in Baghdad in July. Managing director of Sharaf Travel, V. Jayaram said: “We are one of the few agencies who are setting up shop there. We see tremendous potential

Recent weeks have seen a rash of carriers launch new flights to Iraq

EMIRATES DELAYS IRAQ FLIGHT LAUNCH Emirates Airline said it has been forced to postpone the launch of flights to Baghdad, scheduled to start on July 1. It did not give a new launch date. The carrier cited “operational reasons” for the delay, adding that it hoped to begin services later this year. Recent weeks have seen a rash of carriers launch new routes to Iraq as demand increases. In June Etihad Airways started non-stop flights from to Erbil, the airline launched a daily service to Baghdad in April. Air Arabia announced the launch of its service from Sharjah to Najaf in western Iraq, and Lufthansa announced that it will re-start its regular service to Baghdad in September,

in Iraq. It’s the right time to move there with the government opening up, and more and more airlines flying into the country such as Emirates, Lufthansa, Austrian, Royal Jordanian, Gulf Air. This says a lot, it means that there is a lot of business there and we want to be there as well.” Jayaram said Sharaf Travel would be targeting “corporate houses, government institutions and the armed forces for business”. “Our strength is that we have our office in Dubai because there is currently a lot of travel between Iraq

and Dubai, so that will give us an advantage there.” Jayaram added that if the Baghdad branch was a success, further expansion across Iraq could be on the cards. “We could look at Erbil and other cities. That’s on the plan depending on how this goes. We don’t want to jump into anything big. We’ll start with Baghdad and gradually move in.” Prime Travel opened an office in Camp Victory the largest military zone in Baghdad last year, and according to manager, Aiden Walsh, the branch is the now the company’s most profitable “Our main audience is the small to medium sized contactors who don’t have the infrastructure to organise their own travel,” said Walsh. “It’s a very highly charged environment. Contracts are given very quickly and the movement of people can be quite rapid. But we feel we have found a niche in what we do. With all the flights going to Iraq now I think a lot of the mainline corporate travel companies will try to get a foothold in the market because there is huge amounts of business over there,” he added.

Police launch crackdown on dodgy tourism companies CRACKDOWN Dubai Police has launched a crackdown on dodgy tourism companies in Dubai suspected of involvement in human trafficking. Commander-in-chief Dhahi Khalfan Tamim was reported in the local media as saying that an “inspection campaign” is currently underway to find tourism companies which have “links to organised crime outside the country, as well as influence at hotels and travel agencies” and who are “bringing girls into Dubai for trafficking.” One local travel agency head commented that some travel companies in Dubai were sponsoring visit visas for “anybody and everybody - including single girls who end up in wrong places.” A Dubai police report in April said there were 23 cases of human trafficking last year.

Kanoo Travel opens VAT Refund Office in posh Paris department store NEW LAUNCH Kanoo has opened a VAT refund office in Paris in conjunction with Premier Tax Free. The office is located in the prestigious Printemps department store and allows foreign tourists vis-

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iting the store to receive an instant VAT refund on the day of purchase. “With heightened security screenings in place worldwide, cash refunds at the airport add even more to the time spent there,” said Abdulla Abu Khamseen,

executive general manager, Kanoo Travel. “Kanoo and Premier Tax Free aim to make Tax Free shopping more enjoyable and easy by offering refunds in cash at city centre locations. Our aim is that customers will spend more of their time

enjoying shopping and visiting Paris, saving both time and money.” Kanoo also offers a full foreign exchange service enabling tourists to receive refunds in the currency of their choice.Tax Free Shopping allows non-European

residents to claim back VAT on purchases over 175,01. With VAT at 19.6 percent in France this means significant savings can be made for visitors from the Middle East. Kanoo and Premier Tax Free plan to extend this service to the UK later this year.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Tourism Boards GCC tourists flock to Turkey after raid Bookings to Turkey increase by 20 percent following Israeli flotilla attack in June TURKEY The Turkish tourism board has reported an increase in visitor numbers from the GCC region since the Israeli flotilla raid last month in which Israeli commandos attacked a convoy of Turkish ships carrying aid to the Gaza strip. The aid ships were provided by a Turkish aid organisation and were carrying mostly Turkish passengers. While Israeli tourists are now boycotting Turkey as a result of the situation, the surge in visitor numbers from the GCC “more

Emin Kaya said bookings had jumped by 20 percent from the Gulf

than compensated for this decrease” according to Emin Kaya, from the Turkish Consulate General in Dubai.

New VisitBritain website comes in 22 languages

He added: “We are losing maybe 95 percent of tourists from Israel but we are compensating with tourists

Sharjah targets the Kazakhstani market SHARJAH SH

VisitBritain has re-designed its website ahead of the 2012 Olympics

UK VisitBritain has launched a brand new website to inspire visitors from around the world to come to Britain ahead of the Olympic games in 2012. The website delivers personalised content tailored to the country the visitor is from and is available in 22 languages. The site forms part of VisitBritain’s digital strategy which involves social media, online content and

mobiles. Laurence Bresh, director of marketing, VisitBritain said: “The new website is key to our strategy to inspire visitors to visit Britain before, during and after the Olympic Games. “The site is available in 22 languages to ensure our reach is truly global,” he added. The new site, which has been in development for a year features photo galleries, videos and maps that show how easy it is to explore Britain. www.VisitBritain.com

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

from this region many more times. When Israel attacked the Turkish flotilla, the situation had the impact of people from this region booking more holidays to Turkey. GCC visitors increased their bookings to Turkey by 20 percent in two days.” Kaya added that GCC visitors had a far higher tourist spend: “The Israeli tourists spend around US$ 600 – 650 dollars per person in Turkey but GCC people spend $2,000 - 2,400 per person. That’s four times more, so with this increased rate we are many times covering any decrease in tourist spend.”

Sh Sharjah has launched a strategy to attract tourists from the Ukraine and Kazakhstan as part of its drive to open up new tourism markets. Last ne

Mohamed Al Noman says Kazakhstan holds potential

month, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) embarked on a road show to the two countries to promote the emirate and its attractions. Sharjah’s delegation included representatives from Air Arabia which launched services direct to Kazakhstan last November. SCTDA’s director general Mohamed A. Al Noman said: “The key objective of the SCTDA’s marketing strategy is to diversify the targeted market in order to meet the future requirements of the emirate’s tourism and commerce sectors. Our focus on the Ukrainian and Kazakhstani tourism markets is an important step at this time, due to the potential and benefits in both countries.”

The GCC market is the fastest growing market for tourists to Turkey. Due to this increasing popularity, Turkey recently revised its visitor targets and is now aiming for a 50 percent increase in GCC tourists this year. “Turkey was already popular in this market but now it is getting more popular,” said Kaya. “If you come in the morning you will see a crowd in front of the Turkish consulate - every day we receive around 400 visa applications from this region. So we have increased our targets to a 50 percent increase in numbers.”

Se launches Seoul its summer shopping festival sh KOREA K

The festival runs until Sept. 12

The Seoul Tourism OrganiTh sation is launching a ‘Grand sat Sale 2010’ in a bid to boost Sal tourism to Seoul. The sumtou mer shopping festival kicks me off on July 21 until September 12 and over 5,000 stores be in Seoul are taking part in the event. As well as discounts eve on shopping, the event will also involve cultural events. als According to Seoul Tourism, Ac this year’s event promises thi to be much bigger than last year’s when the number of yea stores involved was only 810. sto

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www.germany.travel

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Cruise Shrek and pals to entertain cruise goers Royal Caribbean teams up with DreamWorks Animation for onboard entertainment ENTERTAINMENT Royal Caribbean International has teamed up with animated film studio powerhouse DreamWorks Animation to bring the stars of Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda onboard its cruise ships. Starting in December cruise goers will be able to interact with the well-known characters through a variety of shows and activities. “We are constantly striving to offer dynamic and engaging programming onboard our ships and couldn’t think of a better brand than DreamWorks Animation to

Norwegian Epic Sets Sail NEW LAUNCH The brand new Norwegian Epic - Norwegian Cruise Line’s biggest cruise ship departed from Southampton, UK on June 23 on her first sailing - a sold-out seven-day transatlantic crossing to New York. Following inuagural activities, the new ship will begin sailing alternating sevenday Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami from July 10 through to April 30, 2011. Ports of call on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary include Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas. Meanwhile, the Western Caribbean cruises visit Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico.

Shrek will entertain guests on board the cruise ships

Agents can earn free cruise with Silversea AGENT INCENITVE Luxury cruise liner Silversea Cruises has announced a new incentive programme called ‘Sell to Sail’ offering travel agents the chance to earn a free cruise when they make three new bookings on any upcoming 2010 voyages. The bookings must be made, and deposits received, between June 15 and October 1, 2010. “This is a great opportunity for agents to boost their sales in a difficult economic climate and receive a generous personal reward in the process,” said Trudy Redfern, Silversea’s managing director of the UK & Ireland. “Furthermore, it offers our travel agent partners the prospect of experiencing the magnificent Silver-

Silversea is incentivising travel agents with a free cruise

sea product first-hand and differentiate between the other brands in the marketplace,” Agents who qualify must submit a redemption form by October 1, 2010 and take their cruise on or before March 31, 2011. Email: salesuk@silversea. com for more information.

help take it to the next level,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation. “DreamWorks Animation and Royal Caribbean are both innovative companies who at the core are in the business of entertaining. Together we can raise the bar by delivering the next generation of premium entertainment at sea.” The Dreamworks characters will first come to life onboard Allure of the Seas, which makes its debut in December and will be the world’s largest cruise ship. Guests can expect special events and energetic parades

as well as interactive ‘character meals’ in the main dining hall as well as plenty of photo opportunities with the Dreamworks characters. Activities and games for children will be integrated into the ‘Adventure Ocean’ children’s program, and 3D movies will also be introduced at the ships theatres. To celebrate the addition of Allure of the Seas to the cruise line’s fleet, the DreamWorks Animation cast of characters will perform an aquatic based show full of acrobatics and high-diving stunts in the AquaTheater, an outdoor venue at the stern of the ship.

Cruises drive Dubai tourism STATISTICS The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said it expects to host a total of 120 cruise ships at the Dubai Cruise Terminal at Port Rashid and over 325,000 cruise ship passengers in Dubai this year. According to statistics revealed by DTCM, cruise ships brought 26,580 tourists to Dubai from April 6 to June 14, 2010, on 17 different ships. . Silver Whisper brought in 227 passengers; the Seabourn Odyssey brought in

293; Brilliance of the Seas brought in 4,287; AIDA Diva brought 2,438; Costa Luminosa brought 2,175; Ocean Princess brought in 524; Spirit of Oceanus brought in 71; Crystal Symphony brought in 372 Costa Deliziosa, meanwhile, carried 10,358 travelers in five trips. Ships that visited Dubai during the latter part of the period included The World with 56 passengers; Azamara Quest with 667; C Columbus with 254; Queen Victoria with 1,823; Albatross with 605, and Dawn Princess which transported 1,875 travelers in June 2010.

325,000 Cruise ship tourists expected in Dubai in 2010

You explore Sir Bani Yas Island. We protect it.

The smallest gazelle on Sir Bani Yas Island can run up to 60 kilometres per hour. That’s why we set our speed limit at 50. This is just one of the many ways we ensure that nature and wildlife come ﬁrst on Sir Bani Yas Island. Book your adventure and let your personal guide introduce you to some of the region’s most endangered wildlife.

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Tools New Sabre product starts Red Revolution Brand new product from Sabre promises increased revenue and efficiency for agents NEW PRODUCT Sabre has launched a brand new product called Sabre Red designed to help travel agencies increase customer loyalty and business performance, resulting in increased revenues, improved efficiency and reduced costs. Sabre Red features a range of powerful new capabilities spanning the entire spectrum of a travel agency business from booking travel, to serving customers, to business intelligence. With Sabre Red, agencies will be able to respond quickly to the emergence of airline ancillary fees and other merchandising initiatives, the growth in demand for mobile services, changes in preferred supplier agreements, and meet the needs

Sabre Red allows agents to send mobile messages to travellers

of demanding travellers. “To succeed in today’s highly competitive market where travel is more complex and travellers face more choices than ever, travel companies face the challenge of balancing resources to deliver great customer service with the need to meet profitability goals,” explained Greg Webb, president of Sabre

Sabre hosts ABTTA Dinner

Travel Network at the launch of the new product. “Sabre Red helps agencies enjoy the best of both worlds - creating and maintaining high customer loyalty, while also growing revenue and keeping costs in check.” The Sabre Red Workspace is designed to provide users with faster start-up times and high performance even in low bandwidth areas.

EVENT Sabre sponsored the annual Association of Bahrain Tours & Travel Agents (ABTTA) gala dinner last month at the prestigious

L’Hotel in Seef. The dinner er was attended by 70 lumiinaries from the travel and d tourism industry in Bahrain n including Sofyan Almoayed, d, chairman of ABTTA and d Hakim Al Aradi.

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

touch and feel today and that’s what we’re delivering, with more great capabilities being rolled out throughout 2010 and into 2011.” Sabre has been pilot testing the Sabre Red Workspace over the past six months with over 250 customers, and plans to upgrade all Sabre customers onto the new Red Workspace in the coming months.

What does Sabre Red do? -Shop by total price including ancillary fees. - Mobile Traveller Messaging Service e.g. pre-trip notifications and in-trip messaging - Multi-Source enabled: new air and hotel content - Preferred Supplier Optimisation: increase preferred supplier sales by up to 20 percent - Post-Booking Automation: save up to 20 minutes per transaction using automated exchanges

Travelport launches leisure portal NEW PRODUCT N

A. Hakim Al Aradi; Sofyan Almoayed, Chairman ABTTA, Shaikh.Mubarakk Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO, Sabre Travel Networkk Hisham Al Baradei; Hans Mathhias.

“Sabre Red is the result of extensive market research, usability testing, and customer input throughout the design and development process to bring something unique, compelling and innovative to market that genuinely meets the needs of agencies today, tomorrow and in the future,” added Webb. “Customers want something they can

Travelport has launched a Tra new ne one-stop leisure portal for travel agents. Known as Travelport K Leisure, the portal is an Le upgraded version of the up Galileo Leisure portal. TravGa elport has invested in its elp Galileo Leisure offering Ga in response to the ongoing growth of global leisure su travel spend which is expected to reach around exp US$700 billion by 2014. US The new Travelport LeiT sure su portal features extensive siv hotel, hostel, B&B and car options as well as new functionality to add locafun

lised content at a country level. It is free of charge to use for all travel agents, even if they do not subscribe to a Travelport GDS. Jane Lewis, vice president, Land and Sea, for Travelport, explained: “The new and improved Travelport Leisure portal not only has a great new look, but also dramatically increases agents’ earning potential through the availabil-

ity of new, easily bookable leisure content. Our partners in the travel trade told us they liked using Galileo Leisure but wanted an even greater choice of content and we have responded to their feedback. This new leisure portal complements Travelport’s core GDS platforms and we are confident it will attract even more users from the travel trade.” www.travelportleisure.com

$700 billion Spend on leisure travel globally by 2014

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Central beach accommodation on Dubai’s seaside shopping promenade

Discover Oasis Beach Tower’s 2, 3 and 4-bedroom serviced beachside apartments along The Walk in Dubai Marina, with easy access to four licensed restaurants, shops, outdoor cafés and galleries. Unwind on the large swimming pool deck, enjoy Jumeirah Beach just 3 minutes’ walk away or catch a free ride to the private beach at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa and surrounding shopping malls.

For reservations please contact your travel agent or visit

www.oasisbeachtower.com

Middle East’s Leading Hotel Apartments

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Tools Thrifty takes a ‘huge technology leap’ Paper forms replaced by PDAs meaning car rental is done at the ‘click of a button’ NEW PRODUCT Thrifty Car Rental has introduced Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to enable automated car rental. The PDAs will replace the manual documentation process currently in use, significantly reducing admin time and meaning customers can experience much faster car rental process. “This automation is a huge technology leap for Thrifty in the UAE and will significantly enhance our customers’ overall rental experience,” said Rahul

The new PDAs will save 1.5 million sheets of paper every year

Singh, general manager, Thrifty Car Rental. “The solution will eliminate the downtime between customers signing vehicle check-in forms and the counter staff keying in data, increase staff productivity and enhance system accuracy. If a driver in Dubai delivers a vehicle to Ras-Al-Khaimah, as soon as the customer signs the PDA, the data will automatically be reflected on a real time basis across the Thrifty Vehicle Management System, and the information is immediately accessible to any Thrifty staff with the

simple click of a button.” The new software took 12 months to develop. Singh added: “We are leading the way for car rental companies to go digital. By introducing this technology we expect to significantly reduce our costs from untraceable traffic fines and Salik charges. This ecofriendly solution will reduce paperwork previously generated on a daily basis. Based on our current transaction volumes we estimate we will save approximately 1.5 million sheets of paper annually across the UAE.”

New Year Countdown

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Come and discover Hong Kong’s unique world of dazzling celebrations. Experience an enchanting mix of Chinese and Western festivities in a mesmerising year-round whirl of festivals, music, sports, arts and cultural events you’ll ﬁnd nowhere else. Visit FestiveHongKong2010.com

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

Cultural Celebrations

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

Summer Spectacular

Mid-Autumn Festival

International Races

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Airlines BRIEFS

No let-up in Flydubai expansion

Gulf Air Flies to Medina

Budget airline launches routes to Colombo, Karachi, Latakia,Istanbul

Gulf Air has launched a four times a week service to the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. The service has been launched in time for Ramadan to make it more convenient for Muslim passengers to travel to Medina via Bahrain with the shortest possible connecting time and Gulf Air expects it to be one of its most profitable routes due mainly to pilgrimage traffic.

Oman Air new Pakistan flights Oman Air has launched flights to Lahore and Islamabad, its second and third destinations in Pakistan after Karachi.

Royal Falcon to Abu Dhabi Jordanian airline Royal Falcon has launched direct twice weekly flights from Marka Airport, Amman to Abu Dhabi International Airport. The airline also started flights in Sharjah in March.

Etihad self service kiosks Etihad Airways has introduced self service check-in kiosks at Abu Dhabi airport. To use the kiosks, customers key in their booking reference or e-ticket number; scan their passport; or insert their Etihad Guest card. Once this has been done the customer can choose their seat and print their boarding pass and baggage tags.

NEW ROUTES Budget airline Flydubai is showing no let-up in its rapid expansion as it notched up four new destinations last month. The airlines launched routes to Colombo, Sri Lanka; Karachi, Pakistan; Latakia, Syria and Istanbul in Turkey - as well as adding another new Boeing 737-800 to its fleet/ The airline, which started operations in June 2009, now flies to 21 destinations around the world. Flydubai’s model is to offer lower prices than fullservice airlines and charge extra for additional services such checking in luggage or buying food on board.

Fly Dubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith lands in Latakia, Syria

Flydubai will operate four flights per week to Colombo. Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, who travelled on the inaugural flight said: “Sri Lanka is a popular tourist destination and by making travel to the capital a little less complex, a little less

stressful and a little less expensive, I am confident this new route will be a popular one. Especially since a one way fare costs from just AED450, including all taxes, charges and one piece of hand luggage.” Flydubai also began its

service to the Syrian port city of Latakia. Flydubai now flies to three cities in Syria and the flights to Latakia come hot on the heels of the airline’s announcement that traffic between Damascus and Dubai has grown by 39 percent since flydubai launched flights to the Syrian capital last summer. Flights to Latakia operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with prices starting from AED350. Meanwhile flights to Karachi will depart from Sunday to Thursday and will cost from AED300 and flights to Istanbul operate five times a week and are available from AED450 including one piece of hand baggage.

Qatar airways announces six new routes NEW ROUTES Qatar Airways announced it will launch six new routes starting from October 2010. The Doha-based airline will phase in the route expansion over a four-month period with daily flights to Phuket kicking off on October 11. The new flights will operate via Kuala Lumpur.

Three weeks later, on November 1, Qatar Airways will add the Vietnamese capital Hanoi to its network with four flights a week via Bangkok. The new route will support existing services to Vietnam’s largest city of Ho Chi Minh City, where flights will also be stepped up from foura-week to daily. November 24 marks the

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker announces the routes

launch of the carrier’s European expansion drive with thrice-weekly flights to the French Mediterranean city of Nice. Flights will operate via Milan. The New Year will see Qatar Airways’ entry into Eastern Europe with the launch of four flights a week to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, starting on January 17. The services continue on to Budapest, capital city of Hungary.And on January 31, the airline begins five flights a week to Brussels. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said of the expansion drive: “Budapest, Bucharest, Brussels, Nice, Hanoi and Phuket represent markets underserved so these are excellent opportunities for us to tap into.

“We spend a lot of time diligently analysing new route opportunities and I am pleased to say that the routes being announced will not only open up new markets, but also strengthen our network strategy over our Doha hub.” He added: “Today’s route network and fleet size will increase sharply over the next few years and all of us within Qatar Airways rise to the challenge by continuing to give our customers the Five Star level of service they fully deserve.” By 2013, Qatar Airways plans to serve 120 business and leisure destinations worldwide with a fleet of 120 aircraft. Today, the airline’s fleet stands at 84 aircraft, flying to 90 destinations.

Accomodation HOTEL DEALS HOTEL AL KHOZAMA Located in the Al Faisaliah Mall complex in Riyadh, Al Khozama has special room rates from SR495 plus 15 percent service charge until end of September. Tel: 966 1 273 3168 LEBUA AT STATE TOWER The five-star Bangkok hotel has a ‘Sweet Suites’ promotion including offering an opulent suite and buffet breakfast starting at AED 1,078 per night for a twobedroom suite. For an additional AED 114 guests can upgrade to the Tower Club at lebua. Until 31 October. www.lebua.com CITYMAX HOTEL The brand new hotel in Al Barsha has an introductory offer to celebrate its launch. The first 100 customers pay only AED99 per night. This promotion is valid until the end of July. citymaxhotels.com BONNINGTON HOTEL The newly opened hotel in Jumeirah Lakes Towers has a ‘weekend getaway’ promotion. For 330 AED per person, guests can enjoy one night’s stay, complimentary BBQ at Cavendish, access to the pool, plus 25 percent off all F&B. Tel: 971 4 356 0400

Wolgan Valley in ‘exclusive’ club Emirates property is founding member of Luxury Lodges of Australia MARKETING Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, an Emirates Hotels and Resorts property, has become a founding member of Luxury Lodges of Australia (LLOA); an association that aims to promote Australia’s leading luxury properties to domestic and international markets. “Such an initiative has been missing up to this point,” said Tony Williams, senior vice president, Emirates Hotels & Resorts. “Much of Australia’s marketing efforts are regional or state based, and LLOA will

Wolgan Valley has become is a founding member of the association

now fill the void by creating a definitive listing of the finest properties across the whole country; a complete

Kempinski opens in Cairo NEW PROPERTY Kempinski has opened a boutique hotel in Cairo – the Kempinski Nile Hotel. The 191-room property is designed by French architect Pierre Yves Rochon, and is located on the banks of the Nile. Reto Wittwer, CEO & president for Kempinski Hotels said: “Cairo is a city we have long been interested

to establish Kempinski’s presence. We are delighted to open with such a great property on the banks of the Nile.” The hotel features an Ottoman restaurant and shisha bar. GM Axel Ludwig added: “The prime location of the property, combined with its superlative facilities, give Kempinski a great opportunity to positively establish the brand in Cairo.”

The Kempinski Nile Hotel is Cairo’s first boutique property

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

guide to the greatest Australian experiences in a single portfolio.” Joost Heymeijer, gen-

eral manager, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa said: “Wolgan Valley has been pioneering firsts since its inception eight months ago, and as a founding member of LLOA, we have solidified our formidable presence as a luxury landmark destination in Australia.” The 15 founding member properties of LLOA represent both long-established and new lodges and camps, ranging from wilderness lodges to vineyard retreats, dining destinations; island hideaways to luxe outback camps.www.luxurylodgesofaustralia.com.au

Frasers brings luxury hotel apartments to Dubai NEW PROPERTY N Fra Frasers Hospitality has introduced its new luxury int extended-stay accommodaext tion brand to the UAE, with tio the opening of Fraser Suites in Dubai. D Fraser’s first propF erty, Fraser Suites Dubai is ert located on Sheikh Zayed loc Road, Dubai and occuRo pies the top 23 levels of the pie 45-storey Sidra Tower, a 45 mixed-use development mi featuring commercial office fea suites and high-end retail sui outlets. ou Choe Peng Sum, CEO, C Frasers Hospitality said Fra there was a high demand for the extended stay accofive-star v modation in Dubai. “The mo introduction of world-class, int luxury-serviced residences lux complements Dubai’s posico

tioning as a global leader in many other areas of the hospitality industry,” he said. “As more international brands establish a presence in the emirate, they are seeking the level of gold-standard service and accommodation that are integral offerings of the Fraser Suites brand.” Fraser Suites Dubai features 180 suites and penthouses, offering openplan living spaces with full kitchen and laundry facilities, large balconies, work desks, luxury bedding, marble bathrooms, daily housekeeping services and a 24 hour concierge and reception service. The property also features a business centre, boardroom and meeting facilities, outdoor pool, gym and tennis courts.

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

Personalized Holiday Planning Whether on one resort or over several resorts; or combine your resort stay with a cruise. Our customer-tailored holidays offer you the choice of more than one Maldivian experience.

Fasmeeru Building 5th Flr, Boduthakurufaanu Magu P.O. Box 2034, Male, Republic of Maldives Tel: +960 332 9889, Fax: +960 331 2832, Email: sales@crowntoursmaldives.com

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REGIONAL NEWS

News analysis

After the turmoil Bangkok is safe once again, but how quickly will Thailand’s tourism industry bounce back from the damage done by the demonstrations? People give donations to Thai monks in a mass prayer at Lumpini Park to bless the Nation a week after the deadly antigovernment protest crackdown.

ith the streets of Bangkok now cleared of anti-government protestors, Thailand’s tourism industry has embarked on a major charm offensive to try to lure back visitors and wipe away the images - televised worldwide – of the army crackdown on Red Shirt protestors in the city centre. The violence and fatalities in the Thai capital had the effect of completely devastating Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry over the months of May and June. Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development board has estimated that the demonstrations led to losses of 113 billion baht (US$ 3.49 billion). Hotels saw occupancies plummet - Deepak Ohri, CEO of the Lebua at State Tower in central Bangkok said occupancy levels during May and June fell to just 21 percent; and as the violence started to

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

The impact of the riots has cost Thailand a very expensive lesson and the country needs to be restored as soon as possible ” escalate, hotels located in the demonstration area itself, such as the landmark Dusit Thani Bangkok, were even forced to close their doors for the duration of the protests.

SAFETY REIGNS With the political turmoil over for now, the government has been quick off the mark to try to revive its vital tourism industry, ploughing 400 million baht ($12.4million) into promoting Thailand and helping tourism related-business affected by the rioting.

A major campaign has been launched in the Middle East aimed at driving home the message to potential visitors that Thailand is safe to visit. The campaign officially kicked off in June with an event at the Dusit Thani Dubai called ‘We Love Thailand’. H.E Pasan Teparak, Thailand’s consulgeneral told guests that while Thailand’s 2010 tourism targets had been revised down from an expected 16 million visitors to 14 million, he had “every confidence that Thailand could overcome past challenges.”

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REGIONAL NEWS

News analysis

“I want to tell the world that that the situation in Thailand is now back to normal and that foreign travellers and tourists are warmly welcome back. The impact of the riots has cost Thailand a very expensive lesson and the country needs to be restored as soon as possible.” He added: “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. This is why we are sitting here before you to brief you on our current situation in Thailand and to show you that Thailand is now back on track, blinking on your radar screen as one of the best destinations to travel to before summer begins.” Other Thai tourism execs backed up this message. Manan Boonyachai, Middle East general manager for Thai Airways said one of his primary goals was now to educate the travel trade about the safety of destination. “We are trying to educate our travel agent partners to fully understand the situation,” said Boonyachai. “One thing we have to do now is to tell them that everything is back to normal; even though the state of emergency is still valid, it doesn’t mean anything to tourists– it’s for the sake of safety for everyone, life in Bangkok is normal.”

A DAMAGING PRICE WAR A number of incentives have been introduced by the Thai government to stimulate foreign travel to Thailand. For example, a waiver of tourist visa fees, as well as its ‘3G’ campaign standing for ‘Good Food, Good Health and Good Price’. But the drop in visitor numbers has been so steep that an inevitable price war has begun, meaning the already cheap destination just got even cheaper. Royal Orchid Holidays - a division of Thai Airways - for example is offering holidays to Thailand at 50 percent reductions. There are fears that such price-slashing will only serve to damage the industry further. Albert Van Walbeek, chairman of the Thai Pacific Asia Tourism Association (PATA) said if hotels slash prices now they could take up to “four years” to recover. “Putting Thai tourism product suppliers under revenue management and cash flow stress does not help Thailand’s tourism industry. It will only create more post-crisis challenges for tourism organisations that have already suffered low occupancy and demand due to the political crisis over the last eight weeks or so. He added: “History shows us that while brutal price-cutting may offer some shortterm relief, it creates artificial benchmarks

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that are used against Thailand’s hotels and tour operators in the medium and long term” Hotelier Deepak Ohri agrees that ‘adding value’ rather than cutting rates is the way to help Thailand’s tourism industry recover. “Many hotels and airlines have been criticised for dumping the rates so low,” he said. “At Lebua we are not dumping rates to bring in guests - on the contrary we are adding value. Value is always appreciated at any level, by any consumer.” Lebua at State Tower has introduced a promotion for an upgrade to its executive Tower Club suites. “For around US$210 per night you have free mini bar, internet, and three food presentations per day. It’s a great concept and we see a lot of Middle Eastern travellers accepting it which is a very positive start.”

LONG TERM PROSPECTS Price slashing or not, Thailand’s tourism industry has always been resilient and quick to bounce back from any disaster. Just think back to November 2008 - and another PR disaster for the country’s tourist trade - when Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport was hijacked by protestors leaving tourists stranded inside for days. Pramoth Supyen, Middle East director,

Tourism Authority of Thailand said he feels optimistic about GCC visitors returning quickly to Thailand: “I think especially for the Middle East market, both the Arab people and expats they don’t care about this situation because it has passed already and was only concentrated in a small area of Bangkok” He added: “If you don’t want to go to Bangkok you can go directly to Phuket or to Chiang Mai. Yes, some of our department stores may have been burned and damaged, but in Bangkok we have so many of them. I am very optimistic about the Middle East market coming back.” And it seems that the sentiment among local travel agents is not far removed: “The number one destination in this market has always been Far East, and it will always be the Far East,” said V Jayaram, managing director, Sharaf Travel. “Thailand is an every-green, all-year-round destination. It’s affordable and it offers enough for everybody. Yes we have felt the impact of bookings on the holiday side, but we are happy now the situation is all over and its business as usual. He added: “Thailand was a sad story, but I think people saw what was happening there and just put forward their plans. The tourism industry will do all that it takes to make sure they bounce back strongly.”

Putting Thai tourism product suppliers under cash flow stress will only create more post-crisis challenges ”

A Thai soldier stands guard at Government House in Bangkok. The authorities have now lifted the curfew that was imposed during the protests.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Tourism Boards News analysis

The new Abu Dhabi Ambassadors celebrate their graduation

ambassador’s

welcome

Sixty-seven UAE nationals train to become the ‘welcoming face’ of Abu Dhabi ixty-seven UAE nationals successfully passed a three-month tourism training programme last month set up by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) aimed at training them to become the ‘welcoming face’ of Abu Dhabi. The ‘Abu Dhabi Ambassador Programme’ was initially launched for students of tourism at Zayed University, but has now been expanded to include anyone in a customer-facing role in both the public and private sectors. This was the largest group to take the course in its three year history and ADTA

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

hopes that the growing interest in Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry among the local population will inspire more Emirati nationals to take up a fully-fledged career in tourism. “The programme’s evolution says much about the way all sectors of our community are now embracing our ‘Travellers Welcome’ promise,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, ADTA. “The Abu Dhabi Ambassador alumni will expand annually and we hope that many university students will carve out careers in this emirate’s growing tourism industry. The programme is demonstrating, once again, this emirate’s

inclusive approach to destination building and delivery of its brand commitment which Abu Dhabi Ambassadors are bringing to life,” he said. He added that the new ambassadors “shouldered the responsibility of representing Abu Dhabi to the world.” Mohamed Al Bowardi, secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council described the programme as an educational catalyst which will assist Abu Dhabi’s long-term sustainability goals. “Tourism is now delivering tangible economic and social benefits to this emirate and contin-

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REGIONAL NEWS

News analysis

ADTA

Through interaction with guests to the emirate, nationals can showcase their homeland and leave ever--lasting memories in the hearts of visitors.” ues to develop. The industry is earmarked as a key economic contributor for the emirate in the 2030 plan and there is huge potential for UAE nationals to play a defining role in achieving our goals. “Through interaction with guests to the emirate, nationals can showcase their homeland and leave ever-lasting memories in the hearts of visitors. “By becoming a host, guide or ‘ambassador’, they have the platform to share their

Q&A

culture, their home and send positive messages about Abu Dhabi to the world. It is an opportunity, and a responsibility, which is now being increasingly taken up - a trend we find immensely encouraging.” As well as students from Zayed University, course participants came both the private and public sectors and included employees of Abu Dhabi Customs; Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage; Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; ADTA; the

Department of Economic Development; Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Police and the UAE Ministry of the Interior. The course covered everything from business tourism and international business etiquette to site visits to various attractions around Abu Dhabi and Al Ain including Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace and an organic farm.

Course Details: Enrolment for Abu Dhabi Ambassador’s ‘Second Class of 2010’ begins after Ramadan with the course being run in the final quarter of the year.

Nasser Al Reyami, Tourism Standards Director, ADTA talks about his plans for increasing the number of Emirati nationals employed in the tourism industry

ATN: Do you think the growing popularity of the Ambassador Programme will inspire more Emiratis to enter the tourism industry as a career? This is not the primary aim of the programme but certainly we do hope more Emiratis will consider the tourism sector for a long-term, fulfilling career. The programme’s main objective is to improve the overall visitor experience ensuring that all the Emiratis they come into contact with at any stage of their trip have the

Nasser Al Reyami, Tourism Standards Director, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority

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destination knowledge, cultural understanding and confidence to deliver in a manner consistent with our brand. However I can tell you that a number of past Ambassadors are now actively employed in the tourism sector – some within ADTA. ATN: Does ADTA have any targets for increasing the number of nationals working in Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry? ADTA is looking to increase the percentage of Emiratis working in the tourism industry to five percent by 2012 – up from its current level of one percent. The authority firmly believes Emiratis have a key role to play, particularly in extending hospitality to travellers and sharing our cultural heritage for the delivery of an authentic and memorable visitor experience. ATN: What are you doing to reach this goal? ADTA’s Tourism Emiratisation strategy created in 2009 aims to create opportunities for UAE nationals to learn and understand the scope and function of tourism and its relevance to Abu Dhabi’s developmental plans. Numerous initiatives have been organised to entice greater participation of UAE nationals in the tourism sector. For instance we regularly go out to conduct briefings in local schools, we have a culture guide programme

which trains UAE nationals to run the guided tours of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, we stage a Tourism Youth Summer Camp which was so successful last year that three members became cultural guides. ADTA’s Emiratisation Programme is in its early stages but is already showing signs of progress. In 2010 activities are being expanded to include careers fairs and job placements specifically for UAE nationals within the tourism industry. ATN: Tourism has not traditionally been an industry that Emiratis would consider as a career. What are the main barriers and do you think perceptions are changing? Perception is the main barrier – which we are consistently endeavouring to overcome. Emiratis often think the only jobs open to them in tourism are in the hospitality industry and these would not always fit with our cultural traditions. But the industry is much more than that and this is what our programmes are all about – correcting the misconceptions, educating people about the industry and the role it has to play in Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification. Yes I do think the perception is now changing, we most certainly are making progress although I acknowledge that there is still some way to go.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

ADTA

duates to a r g e s r u o c me of the o s h among t i g n w i p w u o r t g h g s i ATN cau in tourism t s me an e o r c e t e n b i o t w o s e h find out what it tak d n a , ls a n tio Emirati na u Dhabi. b A r o f r o d ambassa

Najla Alnahdi, Etihad Airways ATN: What did you think of the Abu Dhabi Ambassador programme? It is a unique programme, it enriched our own perceptions. Each Emirati has a hospitable nature. We were Bedouin and we have it in our instincts to be guides. As part of the course we went on a trip to Al Ain and on the way back the guide told us a training techguide. By the nique to be a good gu some females end of the trip som were holding a microphone m and talking into it for the first time in the their lifetime. The message iis that each of us has a sense to talk about our a nation. nation

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

Bader Al Jabri, ADTA ATN: Why are Emiratis so keen to become ambassadors for their country? We know that Abu Dhabi is jumping into a really strong field in tourism so the awareness is there and people are motivated to find out more about their country and to present it to the other nationalities nalities visiting here. I think year by year it will increase. It was a very successful programme amme for local Emiratis to learn about Abu u Dhabi and to act as promoters for their country. untry. ATN: Will this course encourage courage more Emiratis to take up careers in tourism? I think the course caught the e interest of a lot of people and a lot of people ople are going to shift to studying tourism rism in the future. Local people e wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say no to something that is beneficial to their country.

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REGIONAL NEWS

ADTA

REGIONAL NEWS

Q&A

Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

Battling on through Paolo De Renzis, area commercial manager, Middle East, British Airways tells ATN it’s ‘business as usual’ at BA despite the threat of more strike action ATN: This has been a challenging time for BA. How do you think your reputation in the Middle East has been affected due to the ongoing cabin crew strikes? We have had challenging times yes. But during the strike period we were able to still fly 80 percent of our long-haul customers so the whole of the 777 fleet has been flying, and in the Middle East - apart from Bahrain, Doha and Jeddah - most of the stations have not been affected. So generally speaking we had a strong, robust, contingency plan to fly more than 70 percent of our customers long haul and more than 50 percent short haul. Of course in some stations we went through challenging times - as I mentioned flights to Bahrain, Doha and Jeddah have been cancelled quite a few times, but all the others have not been affected. ATN:What has been the feedback from your customers to the situation? We have been really impressed with the loyalty of our customers. We are back to business as usual and the summer bookings are pretty strong. ATN: Do you think the strikes will continue on into the summer? At the moment as I mentioned its business as usual. And we haven’t received any official notification of strikes. Today we went out into the Middle East with special offers both in premium and non-premium travel.

The message to travel agents is thank you very much for all your support in these difficult times. We have stayed close to them, and we have been thanking them for all their support. And the good news for the Middle East is that the impact was quite limited in our area.

ATN: How important is the Middle East market to British Airways? Its one of the most important markets for British Airways in the world, we are very committed to the Middle East and even though we have been through difficult times

ATN: Do you think Willie Walsh is doing the right thing by refusing to give in to the unions? The industry has gone through some very challenging times and everybody within British Airways contributes to the future of the company - no one is immune. So we believe that the reaction from the unions in disproportionate. There are no salary cuts; there are no job cuts so we believe it is the right thing to do. Many of our cabin crew have been supportive anyway so we could still operate most of our long haul and short haul flight and we hope not to see more disruptions in the future. But if there is another disruption our plan is to operate 100 percent of our long haul flights.

Paolo De Renzis, area commercial manager, MIddle East, British Airways

ATN: Many travel agents say they won’t be selling BA to their clients until the strike situation is resolved – how are you working with the trade to instill confidence in BA? We have been communicating on a regular basis with our trade partners. We have also been very impressed with the support we have received and the loyalty to BA. We have been updating BA.com and have sent regular communication to all the agents both corporate and trade partners and as I mentioned the summer bookings are quite strong in the Middle East so I am confident we are back to normal and back to business.

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

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REGIONAL NEWS

Interview

BA’S BATTLE WITH THE UNIONS: A STRIKE TIMELINE OCT 5 2009: BA declares plans to axe 1,700 staff and freeze cabin crew pay for two years. DEC 14 2009: Cabin crew vote to strike for 12 days over Christmas, causing chaos for millions of passengers. DEC 17 2009: The strike plan is left in tatters by the High Court after it emerges that the union included in the vote members who already planned to leave the airline. MARCH 20-22 2010: The first three days of strikes. MARCH 27-30 2010: Another BA walkout causes travel havoc for passengers in the run-up to Easter. MAY 10 2010: Negotiations with Unite fail and the union announces 20 days of walkouts set to take place over a three and a half week period. MAY 22 2010: Eleventh-hour talks to call off the strike are hijacked by Socialist Workers Party activists. MAY 24 2010: The first in a series of three fiveday strikes gets underway. The strikes are the most damaging in BA history. The airline carried 400,000 less passengers than in May 2009 and lost £181m. JUNE 9 2010: Willie Walsh brands the strikes a failure as they did not ground BA. JUNE 20 2010: Unite plans third round of strikes for the summer holiday period. JUNE 24 2010: BA lauches recruitment drive for new flight staff on lower pay. JUNE 27 2010: As ATN went to press Unite agrees to delay its next strike ballot to consider a new proposal from BA. This means strikes are now unlikely to go ahead over the summer. BA’s next crisis is averted, for now.

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Many of our cabin crew have been supportive so we could still operate most of our long-haul flights. If there is another disruption our plan is to operate 100 percent of our long-haul flights ”

De Renzis says that flights to the Middle East will be unaffected by any further strike action

last year, still in the Middle East had 35 percent capacity growth. It was one of the few markets in the entire network where we did increase capacity. We re-started flights to Saudi Arabia. This confirms and highlights our commitment to the Middle East. In the future we plan to grow in the Middle East; but I can’t be more specific with plans right now. ATN: How do you compete with Gulf airlines which have young fleets of aircraft? We have a pretty young fleet and we have new aircraft coming in. This month we have 777-

300’s coming in which we have put our new First Class product. We have invested £100 million in our new First Class. I have flown it and it’s fantastic. ATN: Many airlines have chosen to scrap their First Class cabins; do you think there is still enough demand for premium travel? We strongly believe there is still demand on specific routes for First Class and that’s why we invested £100 million otherwise we wouldn’t be convinced it was the right thing to do.

BA SLASHES FARES IN BID TO WIN BACK CUSTOMERS: In an attempt to regain the faith of its customers, BA has slashed fares from the Middle East to Europe and North America. The discount fares will be available until July 2010 and are valid for travel up until December 31, 2010. Return trips to Europe – including all taxes, fees and surcharges – are available from AED 2,195 and to the USA for AED 3,555, while fares to Europe in premium economy start from just AED 3795 and business class from just AED 8965 all inclusive return. In addition, customers who book in Club World to the UK are eligible for up to seven days free car hire through Avis when they book online at ba.com.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Comment Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

Putting a price on service Tim Waddell says agencies are suffering as the service fee starts to show its flaws

s I look back over the first half of 2010 I can’t help but reflect that it’s been a strange year so far. While trying to regain our momentum and balance staffing and demand following the downturn that affected us all in 2009, we have been dealt a number of peculiar challenges. The year started with the on-again, offagain strike action by BA cabin crew that had us juggling passengers itineraries more precisely than a Covent Garden street performer. Then, the eruption of that volcano in Iceland caused chaos as passengers, stuck in far corners of the world, clamoured for us to get them home - seemingly unaware of exactly what a ‘No Fly Zone’ really was. Just in case that hadn’t messed with our customer demand and company staffing levels enough, 2010 had to be a World Cup year and an estimated three million global tourists were searching for the most competitive deals to South Africa where they wanted to paint their faces like tribal warriors, blow plastic trumpets and maybe even watch a little football. There are no Middle East teams in this year’s spectacle but the interest in World Cup travel from the region has been intense. On top of the BA strike and volcano issue, this has brought to the fore an ongoing problem for local travel agencies – that of balancing demand, service and competitive service fees. When airlines first stopped paying commissions and travel agencies were left to bill a service fee on top of the ticket price, many agency owners, (despite their initial reservations), found they were actually better off. Quietly they celebrated the move, though publically they chastised the airlines for trying to put them out of

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

Is travel all about price at the end of the day? Will the only agencies that survive be those that can muster enough volume to drive down service fees to the lowest level, or those small enough to survive on tiny margins?” business. Over time there has been a shift in this reality and, today, the simple service fee is showing its flaws. The problem with the service fee is that, as an agency, you only get to bill the fee with the eventual ticket or reservation. And yet, by the time the reservation has been processed 80 percent or more of the ‘visible’ work has been completed. In a price sensitive market it is all too often the case that customers shop around for quotes and eventually book with the agency that offers the best price - this leaves a number of agencies with a lot of work done for nothing. But is travel all about price at the end of the day? Will the only agencies that survive in the years ahead be those that can muster enough volume to drive down their service fees to the lowest level, or those that are small enough to survive on tiny margins? I think the events of early 2010 may well spark a shift as customers realise an agency’s service fee is for exactly what it says on the tin – ‘service’. And service is not simply making the reservation and issuing the ticket. In today’s volatile world, clients have been forced to assess their agency’s ability to deliver above and beyond the normal call of duty. Whether it is the agency’s phone and email response times, afterhours service, or simply the ability to make it happen

in times of crisis, travellers have had a number of reasons to put faith in their travel provider and identify what their ‘Service Fee’ actually got them. Agencies should take the initiative going forward providing optimum service to the traveller, allowing for disaster preparedness as well as periods of high demand. Service fees will of course play their part in covering the cost of staffing but, by educating the customer on exactly what they can expect to receive in exchange for the fee, travel agencies should be able to build and maintain a loyal client base. With research showing that it is seven to 10 times more expensive to acquire new customers than to keep existing ones coming back, putting the Service back into the service fee has to be something that all travel agency staff are focused on in the year ahead to ensure that the ‘best price’ model doesn’t drive us all out of business and ultimately leave the traveller wanting.

Tim Waddell is director of marketing at Alshamel Travel. What’s your view? Email: monika.grzesik@itp.com

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Thailand is safe to travel to again you’ll be relieved to hear. But how dangerous was it ever in the first place? The images beamed around our television screens of Bangkok descending into chaos were of violent demonstrations, soldiers firing into crowds of red-shirted protestors and shopping centres being burned to the ground. It was enough to convince millions of terrified tourists to boycott Bangkok, and led the Thai tourism industry to lose out on millions of dollars in revenue. But in today’s world of 24-hour rolling news and instant internet updates, it’s often hard to know what the real story is. It’s worth bearing in mind that the protestors in Bangkok were targeting the government and not foreign tourists. And while the violence did escalate, it was concentrated in a very specific area of Bangkok - which is after all a huge city.

At the ATM show in Dubai, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s governor Suraphon Svetasreni was quick to blame the media for its ‘unbalanced coverage’ of events saying: “Life in almost all of Thailand continues as usual.” He probably had a fair point. One Thai hotelier described to me how he watched a major international news channel set up a ‘dramatic’ broadcast next to a street barricade - before the crew crossed the road for a casual outdoor lunch. He said: “Of course it looked dangerous to the rest of the world, but that just wasn’t the full story.” The real truth is that there are problems going on all over the world, but there are also major misconceptions. Should we stop holidaying in the Greek Islands due to protest marches in Athens? Or avoid the UK when demonstrators hit the streets of London? After two months of trauma, Thailand is now making a massive effort to revive its tourism industry, bending over backwards with promotional campaigns and incentives such as a waiver of visa fees, so hopefully it won’t be too long before the ‘Land of Smiles’ is smiling again. And as to staying safe, well it makes sense not to get caught up in any violent demonstrations wherever you are in the world (whether that be London, Athens, or Bangkok). 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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RE: SHEIKH: UAE MUST COORDINATE TOURISM PROMOTION This makes perfect sense from a marketing perspective. The majority of countries have their own tourism portals that show what’s on offer in each area or city. For exampleVisitScotland.com, VisitJordan.com, VisitSweden. com, CzechTourism.com etc. This gives visitors far more options and helps to highlight the best that the country has to offer tourists, while at the same time branding the destination and establishing a stronger presence.

RE: THE ‘RIGHT’ REGULATION IS REQUIRED As a tourist guide I had a situation where a safari company wanted to put seven guests plus the driver in a Toyota Landcruiser! I complained as this was dangerous but the company did not like it Some drivers are driving extremely wild. Some 4x4’s are really badly maintained. A number of tourists have died in the U.A.E. Often the camps are dirty and the food is inedible. There are a few companies that are of course not guilty but they are in the minority!

RE: FOLLOW THE CRESCENT MOON It’s great to see halal tourism on the rise. In Turkey we have a great market for it with all the Islamic resorts like Sah Inn, Caprice, Bera hotel. Just recently another site called www.halaltrip.com launched providing halal hotel reviews. I wish all these new ideas all the best: this is a a great help for Muslims worldwide! Mesut Tosun To give your view visit: www.hoteliermiddleast.com

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Question: How do I reach my customers using social media? Expert: Alexander Rauser, CEO, Connect

ocial Media has changed the way people interact and the accessibility of information. Users share information such as stories, pictures and status updates, which generates conversations with others. Social media is no longer a buzzword, but an integrated part of an individual’s everyday life. As a marketing tool, social media works across many industries. Organisations have started using this medium to communicate their brands as well as new product and service offerings to their customers. In this new age of ‘connected’ online users, direct interactions with consumers and tighter brand engagement initiatives are gaining importance everyday. Two popular forms of social networks are Facebook and Twitter, which if used intelligently can be a cost effective channel for targeted marketing initiatives to reach your customers. For example. travel agencies can set up a Facebook Fan page, which offers information about their organisation, new travel offers, special deals and discounts as well as any other information that interests target customers. In order to attract traffic to the site, pay-per-click advertising can be used to target users by age, gender, keywords or location. These online adverts will promote the page to target audiences so that they can ‘fan’ the page and be informed of updates on a regular basis. In addition, travel agencies are able to implement promotional codes

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directly onto the platform and spread the word virally. Twitter has transformed itself into a messaging protocol used by thousands of applications communicating and sending messages through the network. To start up a successful Twitter account, media such as PR or radio advertising can be utilised to build a follower base. The actual messaging or advertisement can lead people to a company’s Twitter account and make them connect using incentives, games or promotions. In both social media networks, once the organisation has built a network of interested users it is important to keep the conversation going. The key to success is constant interaction. More and more organisations are employing dedicated staff to handle their social media activities. Influential marketing is an integral part of social media marketing and building up an

effective social graph will lead to better results. Social media users are typically well connected and have an average of 100 friends or followers. So as a marketer, it is important to get exposed to these friends and their respective networks. However, organisations need to be mindful that the conversations on the networks cannot be pre-moderated, they can only be managed, as these are live conversations with audiences. Therefore organisations should have a social media strategy that can effectively deal with both positive and negative feedback from users. It’s not one of the easiest forms of online marketing, but if managed appropriately social media can reap in the benefits for organisations: direct customer interaction and engagement, research opportunities and return on investment.

Travel agencies can set up a Facebook Fan page, which offers information about their organisation, new travel offers, special deals and discounts as well as any other information that interests target customers.” July 2009 – Arabian Travel News

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INC UNC ENT OVE IVES RED Ho are tel o an offe perat roo d ben ring ors a ms efi som rou . So ts t e a nd o wh ge maz the at a t yo ing wo re u se pe rld you lli rk wa ng m s itin or g fo e r?

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

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ANANTARA Tell me more: Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has 12 properties across Thailand, Bali, Maldives and two in the UAE – Desert Islands Resort & Spa and Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort which are highly popular with UAE residents for “staycations” and weekend getaways. What does Anantara offer agents? Anantara has a special offer over the summer for travel industry professionals to experience the properties at a reduced cost until 8 September for AED 500 on single or double occupancy, subject to A 10 percent service charge and 6 percent tourism fee. On this special Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort offers Travel industry professionals can complimentary breakfast, while Desert Islands experience a luxury Anantara Resort & Spa offers two daily activities. property for just AED 500 a night What’s new? This year Anatara is opening its third over the summer months! Maldives property, Anantara Kihavah Villas. The M resort will offer 76 luxury over-water and beach r suites with private infinity pools and an underwater s restaurant. reservationsqas@anantara.com r

JEBEL ALI INTERNATIONAL Tell me more: Jebel Ali International operates the five-star Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, comprising the Jebel Ali Hotel and the all-suite Palm Tree Court & Spa, Dubai; the Hatta Fort Hotel and the Oasis Beach Tower on Jumeirah Beach strip. What does Jebel Ali International offer travel agents? There is currently a special incentive for travel agents who book on GDS :20 percent commission for all bookings made before 31 July (valid for any travel period). The hotels also offer special interline fares for all travel agents who would like to experience their properties. What’s new? Jebel Ali International’s new resort, Round Island Resort Mahé, Seychelles will open later this year. It is a secluded island resort where guests will be able to enjoy a unique combination of quintessential Creole architecture, natural beauty and personalised service. Contact: sales@jaihotels.com

Make 20 percent gs commission on all bookin al tion rna Inte at a Jebel Ali 31! Resort made before July

KEMPINSKI Tell me more: Kempinski has an international portfolio of over 60 hotels featuring traditional European hospitality, including Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, Dubai and Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi. The luxury hotels are aimed at an upmarket clientele looking for top quality. What does Kempinski offer travel agents? Kempinski offers discounted rates for travel agent family travel as well special training days for agents to update you on the latest company news based on the concept of ‘edutainment’ – information mixed with fun. m What’s new: Kempinski is seeing huge expansion this W year. Its first residence property in the Middle East y has opened in Doha - the Kempinski Residences and h Suites, Doha. The Kempinski Hotel and Residences S Stay with your family at Palm Jumeirah opens later this year as does its first P a Kempinski property at boutique property in Cairo, the Kempinski Nile b discounted rates! Hotel A second Doha property, the Kempinski Marsa Malaz is set to open next year as well as another hotel on the Palm, Emerald Palace Kempinski. o

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

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INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP (IHG) Tell me more: IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms with nearly 4,400 hotels in 100 countries around the world. The group owns a number of brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. What does IHG offer travel agents? As well as the standard industry commission rates, IHG has its InterContinental Middle East Voucher Programme (ICME) where registered travel agents can receive credit facilities in hotels that are also registered with the programme. The programme started in August 2003 and so far 154 travel agents across the Middle East are actively participating. What’s new? IHG has launched a ‘Stay for 7 nights, only pay for 5’ summer promotion. The offer is valid until September 30 2010 at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites across the Middle East and Africa region. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts across the Middle East & Africa have launched a Frequent Business Travellers campaign. Guests who book the Business package will receive full buffet breakfast for two adults on a double occupancy basis, free broadband internet and up to two pieces of laundry pressed per stay.

FAIRMONT RAFFLES HOTELS INTERNATIONAL Tell me more: The global hotel company has 95 hotels under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. There are six Raffles hotels including Raffles Dubai, as well as properties in Cambodia and China, while Fairmont has over 60 properties around the world. The brand has a reputation for its sense of classical heritage and sophistication. What’s on offer for agents? Agents can sign up to ‘Famous Agents’, a special travel agent rewards and incentives programme. Agents who enroll and become experts on selling the properties can earn rewards such as free stays around the world. Every time Famous Agents send their clients to one of the properties they earn points that can be redeemed for complimentary getaways for themselves. Points are earned for reservations in all room categories and for wholesale bookings. Famous Agents also have exclusive access to discounted agent rates and, as a preferred guest, will receive a welcome gift and guided hotel tour. To enroll, agents have to take a short lesson module and answer corresponding multiple-choice questions, only taking about 20 minutes. After submitting an online application form, agents receive a personalised membership number, which can be used immediately to track client reservations and earn points that can later be redeemed for various rewards. www.frhi.com/ famousagents What’s new? Raffles Dubai has launched a special summer package for UAE residents on its 70 sq m Signature Rooms starting from AED 777. The offer runs until 8th September and includes breakfast and late check-out. Contact: 971 4 314 9777 / bookus.dubai@raffles.com

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Sign up to the ‘Famous cial Agents’ programme - a spe e em sch s travel agent reward n ear to nts which allows age rld. free stays around the wo

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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ADDRESS HOTELS AND RESORTS Tell me more: There are four Address hotels in Dubai located at Downtown Dubai, Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina and Montgomerie Dubai plus The Palace – The Old Town which is also part of the group. The slick and modern five-star premium hotel brand is built on the brand philosophy of being ‘where life happens’. The Address has also signed management contracts for luxury properties in Morocco and France opening in 2012. What does Address Hotels offer travel agents: Agents are entitled to attractive travel industry rates for personal visits to any of the properties. The offer includes discounted room rates and breakfast. What’s new: This summer guests staying at any of the properties get free passes to attractions in Downtown Dubai including At the Top, Burj Khalifa and Dubai Aquarium and Dubai Ice Rink. The offer runs until September 9, 2010 and includes summer rates. Contact: 971 4 4238888 / theaddress.com.

Stay at an Address Hotel rate, for a special discounted with breakfast included.

and Join the XTC programme oy enj have the chance to eks an all-expenses paid we ury lux a at two holiday for Banyan Tree retreat!

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

BANYAN TREE HOTELS & RESORTS Tell me more: From a single boutique resort in Phuket, Banyan Tree has grown to over 40 locations around the world including UAE, Maldives, Seychelles, Thailand, Mexico, and China and there are projected to be more than 80 locations by 2012. Banyan Tree’s focus is on spa and wellness and one of the brand’s key selling points is its Asian therapists, trained at Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket, to ensure consistent delivery of its signature Asian spa expertise. What does Banyan Tree offer travel agents? Agents can join the Xtraordinary Travel Consultants (XTC) programme and gain a host of privileges in exchange for securing bookings at all Banyan Tree and Angsana properties. These include preferential rates for accommodation, dining and spa treatments, and the chance to enjoy an all-expenses-paid one-week holiday for two at a selected Banyan Tree or Angsana retreat. Members can track their progress on the dedicated XTC website: banyantree.com/xtc What’s new: Banyan Tree Al Wadi opened in April in Ras Al Khaimah offering a luxury desert and golfing retreat set amidst miles of rolling sand dunes. The resort has launched the ‘Summer of Indulgence’ promotion including a complimentary night’s stay with every two paid nights, as well as complimentary use of the wellness facilities. Rates start from AED 2,130 inclusive of daily breakfast. The offer runs until 30 September 2010. Contact: tim@terhabinternational.com / 971 50 458 9434

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MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Join a special Mandarin

Tell me more: Mandarin Oriday Oriental product training ental operates 41 luxury hotels rn lea to especially for agents in 26 countries, with 17 in Asia, . els more about the hot 13 in the Americas and 11 in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The flagship property is the The Mandarin, in Hong Kong. Mandarin Oriental is known for providing luxurious service mixed with oriental charm and its aim is to be recognised as the top global luxury hotel group. What does Mandarin Oriental offer to agents? Agents who sell Mandarin Oriental get 10 percent commission, plus regular product training days. The group recently hosted a GCC roadshow where call centre and front desk reservation agents met with GMs as well as taking part in a product training session specifically designed for the the hotels that they feature. What’s new? Manadarin Oriental has launched a ‘Summer Breaks’ offer valid until 6 September 2010. Bookings are for a minimum of two nights, and provide guests with a hotel credit of US$25 – 100 per day which can be redeemed against spa treatments and dining. Contact: www.mandarinoriental.com / Dubai 800 065 0539

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July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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REZIDOR Tell me more: Rezidor currently has 400+ hotels in 62 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It operates the following brands; Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson, Hotel Missoni, Regent and Country Inn and Suites. Radisson Blu is the largest upscale brand in Europe and Rezidor is also the leading airport hotel operator in Europe. What does Rezidor offer travel agents? Rezidor has a special summer promotion aimed specifically at travel agents in the Middle East called “Book and Earn”. Agents that register receive $5 for every room night booked at participating hotels on bookings made from 1st June to 15th September 2010. What’s new with Rezidor? Last year was a record year for Rezidor in the Middle East in terms of the hotel openings. Eight new hotels opened in Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Al Khobar, Al Madinah, Cairo, Muscat and Tripoli. Rezidor also launched its mid-market brand Park Inn in the Middle East with hotels in Abu Dhabi, Al Khobar and Muscat. This year sees the launch of another brand with Hotel Missoni opening in Kuwait. Contact: ersin.manaz@rezidor.com. Contac

tion Rezidor’s summer promo nts age ans me n’ Ear and ‘Book ht nig get $5 for every room ber! booked until 15th Septem

EMIRATES HOTELS AND RESORTS Tell me more: There are currently two properties; the luxury, all-suite Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa featuring private pools and tented villas is set in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve; and Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa - Australia’s first luxury conservation based resort, is nestled between two national parks bordering the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Both properties have an ethos for the natural habitat and environmental sustainability and focus on service, luxury, and location. A third property - The Cap Ternay Resort & Spa on the Indian Ocean island of Mahe - will be the largest ever resort in Seychelles with 458 rooms. It’s currently in the design and planning phase. What’s on offer for travel agents? All bona fide Travel Agents receive a 10 percent commission on all bookings as well as a special agent rate to experience the resorts for a limited time only. What’s new? The ‘Spectacular Summer with Al Maha’ promotion allows guests who book two nights to stay an extra night for free. The offer runs until 7 September 2010 and includes all meals and two desert-based activities per night’s stay. Contact: For Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa 971 4 303 4222, almaha@emirates.com

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

Experience Al Maha for a special agent rate for a limited time only!

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Amari hosts around four on agent FAM trips a year. Get ppro the out ck che board and erties for yourself!

AMARI Tell me more: Thai brand Amari has 11 properties across Thailand from seaside and mountain locations to urban settings such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket and Krabi. The chain is popular with Gulf tourists. What’s on offer for travel agents? Amari hosts around four agent FAM trips a year to various properties. What’s new: Amari recently announced plans to refurbish Amari Watergate Bangkok and Amari Coral Beach Phuket, which will commence in mid 2010. New developments include Amari Residences Bangkok, scheduled to open in September 2010. Located adjacent to the Bangkok Hospital, the 128-room serviced apartment development will target short- and long-term visitors, especially those visiting the city for medical treatment. The brand is planning expansion outside Thailand with properties in the Arabian Peninsula.

ROTANA Tell me more: Rotana has more hotels in the UAE than any other brand and plans for more than 70 properties in the Middle East by 2014. What does Rotana offer to travel agents? Rotana hosts regular FAM trips as well as specially discounted rates for agents that wish to experience the company’s properties. There is also a reward programme to recognise agents’ efforts. What’s new: Rotana’s ambitious expansion plans mean that in the coming four years the brand is set to open 10 new hotels every year in the region. Earlier this year Rotana opened Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in Dubai. The second quarter sees the opening of Amwaj Rotana - the brand’s first resort in Dubai, and Centro Rotana in Barsha. Nour Arjaan by Rotana opens in Fujairah in June 2010 and August will see the opening of Centro Sharjah Airport aimed at travellers passing through Sharjah. In the third quarter of 2010, Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana is opening in Abu Dhabi. This will be a luxurious alcohol-free beach resort property with 443 rooms and suites, a private beach and watersports activities.

Join an agent FAM trip to ck a Rotana property to che it out for yourself!

EVIAN ROYAL RESORT

Earn an additional 10 percent commission on Erbookings made at Hotel ! mitage until September 30

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Tell me more: There are two hotels situated on the south bank of Lake Geneva, in the town of Evian les Bains in France – the five-star Hotel Royal and the four-star Hotel Ermitage. Both hotels offer stunning views of Lake Geneva and the Alps. What does Evian Royal Resort offer to agents? Hotel Ermitage is granting an additional 10 percent commission on any reservation of a suite with a lake view until September 30 2010. What’s new? Hotel Ermitage has just been completely renovated in tune with its natural surroundings. The new design features natural materials and a cosy décor. The hotel reopens on June 15. Contact: www.evianroyalresort.com

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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City breaks

Chilling out against the Book Tower in Bebelplatz Square in Berlin

Summer in the city As temperatures here heat up, we look at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top city break destinations for your clients to escape to this summer, with ideas on where to stay, what to do and how to get there, plus sample packages. www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

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

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Berlin, Germany WHAT IS IT LIKE? Berlin is not just the capital of Germany; it’s also the European capital of cool. This vibrant, buzzing city positively crackles with energy: according to the Berlin Tourism Board there are more than 1,500 events taking place in Berlin every day. Whether you are a lover of fashion, art, design, music, or history, Berlin has it all with a plethora of museums, galleries, opera houses and gourmet eating to choose from. HIGHLIGHTS: History is everywhere in Berlin. As well as what’s left of the Berlin Wall, famous landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate – a powerful symbol of how the city was once divided in two; the Palais of Charlottenburg, and the Reichstag - the German parliament which underwent a complete renovation by Lord Norman Foster in 1999 (the view from the glass dome at the top is a highlight). For a taste of modern Berlin head to Potsdamer Platz, home to trendy shops and bars.

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

WHO TO SELL TO: Art lovers and culture vultures / party animals. Berlin is famed for its buzzing nightlife and its cafes are packed at all hours. This city-break is the ideal sell for clients looking to let their hair down. HOW TO GET THERE: Qatar Airways from Doha and Air Berlin recently launched a three times weekly non-stop service from Dubai. WHERE TO STAY: For an authentic Berlin experience, try Rocco Forte’s Hotel de Rome.

This luxury hotel is housed in the original 1889 building constructed to house the head office of Dresdner Bank. The ornate and classic design has been given a modern twist. SAMPLE PACKAGE: Visit Berlin has two nights with breakfast plus a 48-hour Berlin Welcome card which gives unlimited travel on public transport and discounts on tourist attractions from 79 euros per night. www.visitBerlin.de

This vibrant, buzzing city positively crackles with energy: according to the Berlin Tourism Board there are more than 1,500 events taking place in Berlin every day ”

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City breaks

Cork, Ireland

WHAT IS IT LIKE? Dublin might seem like the obvious choice when it comes to recommending city breaks in Ireland. But with its buzzing vibe and burgeoning arts, music and food scene, Cork City, in the South West is gaining a cultural reputation to more than match the Irish capital (Lonely Planet even voted it the third top city in the world to visit). Trendy new bars, art galleries and theatres are springing up all over the place giving Cork an exciting, modern vibe. But the traditional bits are still some of the best – such as its cosy old pubs where foot-stomping live music can be found any night of the week. HIGHLIGHTS: Cork City is steeped in culture and heritage. Visitors can ring the Shandon Bells in the 300 year-old tower of St. Anne’s Church, marvel at the French Gothic spires of St. Finbarre’s Cathedral where the city is believed to have been founded, and the nearby Elizabeth Fort and Red Abbey, or stroll through Bishop Lucey Park and view portions of the city’s original 13th century walls. No visit would be complete without a trip to Blarney Castle, to kiss the famous Blarney Stone rumoured to give visitors the ‘gift of the gab’. WHO TO SELL TO : Food lovers: Cork’s top-notch restaurant scene features amazing local Irish produce and the local English Market sells food from all over the world. History buffs: there’s a wealth of history to discover in Cork. DON’T MISS: On 1 July, Cork welcomes the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race for eight days of festivities culminating in a farewell from Cork Harbour on 9 July 2010. Thousands of supporters will be in town for the celebrations. WHERE TO STAY: Hayfield Manor is one of Ireland’s top five-star hotels, tucked away in a quiet corner of Cork City. Situated in secluded leafy grounds, the opulent, classy retreat is the image of timeless style associated with manor houses of the Georgian era. HOW TO GET THERE: Etihad Airways has10 weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to Dublin with connecting flights to Cork through its code share partner Aer Arann. The flight typically takes around 7.5 hours. There are also various flights from London to Cork, so visitors can go via Emirates and British Airways and transfer to Cork with Aer Lingus. SAMPLE PACKAGE: Al Rostamani Travel has a four day Cork City Break including flights with Etihad Airways to Dublin, return transfers by first-class train to Cork and three nights stay in the Hayfield Manor Hotel including breakfast starting from 4,175 AED per person on twin sharing basis.

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July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

City breaks

Singapore WHAT IS IT LIKE? It’s clean, green and vibrantly multi-cultural.Singapore offers a diverse range of travel experiences, whether its cosmopolitan city life, high-end indulgences, world-class dining experiences, luxury shopping, nature or wildlife encounters – there’s something for everyone. The centre of the island has sparkling reservoirs and leafy forests where you can hear monkeys clattering through the trees. HIGHLIGHTS: Singapore’s mouthwatering food is a huge draw for visitors. The city has some of South East Asia’s most stylish restaurants as well as its best shopping experiences. There are plenty of attractions for both kids and adults including the world’s largest observation wheel – the Singapore Flyer, the world’s first Night Safari and the Botanical Gardens.For family fun, head to Universal Studios Singapore, located in Resorts World Sentosa. The park features 24 thrilling rides and attractions including the world’s only Madagascarr ride. Sentosa Island also features the recently opened Megazip Adventure Park, where thrill-seekers can race friends and family along tree-top wires, which hang 75m off the ground and run for over 450m, allowing riders to reach speeds of up to 50km per hour. WHO TO SELL TO: According to the Singapore Tourism Board, this city break is the ideal sell for Arab nationals. With 15 percent of the population being Muslim it’s seen as a ‘home from home’ for regional visitors, offering a safe, familyorientated environment that caters for all cultural and religious needs. WHERE TO STAY: The hotels in Singapore are top class. While Raffles Hotel, that symbol of colonial opulence is always a perennial favourite, this

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

This year has seen the opening of two brand new multi-billion dollar ‘integrated resorts’ set to prove hugely popular with families from the Gulf ”

year has ha seen the opening of two new multi-billion dolmultilar ‘integrated resorts’ which resor are sset to prove hugely popular huge with fa families from the G Gulf: Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. Sand The three-tower complex Marina comp Bay Sands features luxury accommodation and entertainment, ent including includin a designer shopping mall and convention centre, conventi six celebrity restauceleb rants and a casino. The icing on the ici cake is the cak Sands Sky P a r k perched

200 metres above the ground and the size of two jumbo jets, with panoramic views of the island. A more understated, but equally luxurious accomodation offering can be found at the five-star St. Regis Hotel on Orchard Road, Singapore’s premier shopping district. With a customised fleet of Bentleys to chauffer guests around its ideal for shopaholics. DON’T MISS: The annual Great Singapore Sale takes place until 25 July offering discounts of up to 70 percent off clothes, jewellery, toys and electronics. The Singapore Food Festival is on from16 – 25 July and annual Formula 1 race, which sees Singapore’s streets transformed into the F1 circuit takes place from 24-26 September. HOW TO GET THERE: Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. Plus Singapore Airlines from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait. SAMPLE PACKAGE: Al Rostamani Travel and Holidays has a three night stay at the four star Berjaya Singapore Hotel with breakfast and transfers and flights with Sri Lankan Airlines from AED2,455 per person on a twin-sharing basis. www.yoursingapore.com

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City breaks

Vienna, Austria WHAT IS IT LIKE? According to a recent survey by Mercer, the Austrian capital has been voted the ‘world’s most livable city’ for the second year in a row, and its no surprise. With almost half of the city given over to parkland, plus the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) creating much of Vienna’s western border, nature is always close at hand. Vienna also has a splendid historical side to offer visitors with plenty of grand imperial palaces, museums, magnificent squares and glorious baroque interiors to take in. HIGHLIGHTS: A cruise down the River Danube is the perfect way to take in the city. The Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the landmark of the city, while Vienna Prater features an amusement park with around 250 attractions including the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel, as well as a more relaxing park area. MuseumsQuartier - one of the world’s largest cultural quarters buzzes with urban energy. And don’t forget to have an espresso in a traditional Viennese coffeehouse and watch the city go by. WHO TO SELL TO: Culture and art lovers: from its architecture to its art galleries Vienna has culture on every corner. WHERE TO STAY: There’s nowhere grander

than the Hotel Imperial. This stately hotel was originally built in 1863 as the Palace Wuerttemberg. Situated on the Ring Boulevard, the hotel is known for its top-notch service. It even has personal butlers to iron your newspaper in the morning. Arabic clients are well-catered to with Arabic TV, room service menus and newspapers. DON’T MISS: ‘Summertime in Vienna’. In July and August the Viennese city hall square transforms into a vibrant venue for a music

and film festival. Classical music, free cinema shows and culinary treats are on offer. HOW TO GET THERE: Austrian Airlines has daily flights from Dubai. SAMPLE PACKAGE: Austrian Airlines offers a city break to Vienna including economyclass return tickets with airport transfers, three nights accommodation in the fourstar NH Wien Hotel located on Mariahilfer Strasse, daily buffet breakfasts and city tours from AED 3150.

The Austrian capital has been voted the world’s most livable city ”

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

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City breaks

Madrid, Spain

WHAT IS IT LIKE? Spain’s sprawling capital is a city of contrasts – urban yet green, ancient yet modern. Bustling and vibrant yet relaxed and laid back too. HIGHLIGHTS: Madrid is well-known for its amazing shopping, from the boutiques of Chuecha to the designer names of Salamanca and not forgetting El Rastro Market, one of Europe’s most famous flea markets. The city also has plenty of historic buildings: the Plaza Mayor; Royal Palace and triumphal arches, and the Teatro Real date from the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries respectively. There’s also Spain’s first skyscraper, the art nouveau Telefónica building. For art lovers, the Museo del Prado houses one of Europe’s finest art collections. Meanwhile football fans can try to get tickets to see Real Madrid at their hallowed home ground Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. WHO TO SELL TO: Party lovers – Madrid has some of the best nightlife in Europe and visitors will be able to find something going on into the small hours any night of the week. It’s also a great family destination with plenty of kids’ attractions such as The Wagner Park, The Zoo and the Water Attraction Park. For clients that want a quick shopping break, Madrid offers all the favourite Spanish brands like Zara, Uterque, Manolo Blhanik, Massimo Dutti, Corte Fiel at great prices. WHERE TO STAY: The luxury Villa Magna Hotel in the heart of Madrid’s shopping district has been recently refurbished, blending

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its classic style with contemporary facilities. Hotel AC Santo Mauro is a boutique hotel set in 19th century palace surrounded by a fairy tale-like garden. Favoured by celebrities and footballers, the hotel has just 51 rooms and offers top-class personalised service. DON’T MISS: The high fashion at Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week from 17 September .

HOW TO GET THERE: Qatar Airways flies daily from Doha. Emirates Airlines is launching its Madrid route from Dubai on 1 August. SAMPLE PACKAGE: Al-Futtaim Travel has a 7 day Madrid & Tenerife package with two nights bed and breakfast in Madrid and four nights half board in Tenerife from AED 1840 per person.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

How to sell News analysis

REGIONAL NEWS

Value Retail has nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages in key European destinations: Barcelona, Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Munich

Retail therapy With nine luxury shopping villages in hot spot destinations around Europe, Chic Outlet Shopping offers the ideal add-on for your clients who love to shop ith shopping being something of a national obsession here in the Middle East, it’s probably no surprise to learn that travellers from this part of the world are just as determined to indulge in this favourite pastime when they’re abroad as they are when they’re at home. Value Retail - which operates nine ‘Chic Outlet Shopping Villages’ around Europe says its has received a thirty percent increase in Middle Eastern visitors in the first quarter of this year and it is now targeting a 52 percent increase by the end of the year. The luxury European shopping villages are proving popular with Middle Eastern customers for a number of reasons. Chic Outlet Shopping Villages offer luxury designer goods from top fashion and lifestyle brands such as Armani, Gucci, Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

and Roberto Cavalli to name just a few, at discounts of up to 60 percent. Not only that, but visitors from the Middle East are allowed to claim an additional tax free saving of up to 15 percent, making for some fairly phenomenal savings to be made on designer goods.

SHOPPING EUROPEAN STYLE But according to Sally Beames, director, Marketing, PR and Tourism, Value Retail, the Chic Outlet Shopping experience is not only about grabbing a Gucci handbag at rock bottom prices. It’s also about the entire ‘shopping experience’ itself, which she explains offers something completely different to the megamall concept found in the Middle East. “Shopping is a way of life in the Middle East, but what’s interesting is how different the shopping experience is in our villages compared to the retail experience here,” says

Beams. “We think that’s what’s endearing us to our Middle Eastern customers.” One major draw is the style and architecture of villages themselves which feature elegant boutiques, cafes, and restaurants: “The scale of the villages is very small in comparison to a Middle Eastern mall. They are built for a European vernacular and are European

€300 Average spend of GCC shopper at Chic Outlet Shopping Village

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News analysis

Shopping breaks

MAKE COMMISSION NOW! Chic Outlet Shopping has launched the first commissionable product for the travel industry which provides key partners with the ideal add on to European travel itineraries for group and FIT travellers. The luxury Shopping Express shuttle service will operate from key city centres in partnership with some of the leading excursion/coach operators across Europe including Cityrama (France), Madrid Shopping Tour (Madrid), and JJ Kavanagh (Ireland) transporting customers to each of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages. Tickets can be booked online. Approved Travel Industry partners have the opportunity to benefit from net rates (up to 25 percent off with the exception of La Vallee Village which is capped at 10%) on ticket sales.

in architecture. Each village has its own identity, reflecting the locale it resides in. And the shopping experience is outdoors so in every way it’s a quintessentially European experience,” she adds. Another bonus is that each village is strategically located close to major European tourist hot spots approximately one hour away from the destination cities of Barcelona, Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Munich and Paris. “The locations in Europe are chosen in very interesting areas where people can combine shopping with culture, shopping with sightseeing, shopping with spa, shopping with food or shopping with a children’s activity such as Disney Land Paris,” explains Beams.

cut commissions and hotels have cut commissions. Its another ancilliary option to give something the client wants, pre-arranged, pre-sold and commissionable to the travel agent community for the first time ever this year,” says Musa. In terms of the target customer, Beams describes this as anyone that is “used to spending money” – the average GCC shopper spends 300 per visit to Chic Outlet Shopping, She adds: “The typical customer is someone who knows Europe very well. Possibly has a house there, definitely travels there over the summer, knows their brands very well, and appreciates the newness of the brands that are being offered to them,” said Beams Musa explains: “Our focus initially was the

The Arabic market is the lucrative shopping market. They are the ones who specifically travel for shopping” SELLING SHOPPING BREAKS Value Retail is now on a major push to bring more shoppers from the Middle East to its villages and is looking to work with travel agents across the region to do this. “We have been working towards the best way of adding value to the travel agent so that this can be a moneymaking opportunity for them too,” says Naz Musa, managing partner, Gulf Reps who is representing Value Retail in the Gulf. The villages have created packages in conjunction with local hotels, attractions, tourist boards and transport handlers that travel agents can simply pre-sell to their clients. “They are simple packages, spa and shopping, dinner and shopping. It gives the travel agent community in the region something to pre-sell and make a commission out of when all the airlines have

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expatriate market, just because it was a quick win market for the UAE but very quickly it became apparent that the Arabic market was the lucrative shopping market, especially outside the UAE. They are the ones who specifically travel for shopping and they spend the most so they are our target audience.” As for which villages are set to prove the biggest hits with Middle Eastern customers this year, Value Retail is predicting that the Spanish villages – Las Rozas in Madrid and La Roca in Barcelona are set to make an impact thanks to new direct flights routes opening up to those cities with Emirates and Qatar Airways. “Spain is going to be interesting for us,” said Beams. “We are now able to focus on Spain more because we’ve got access to it.”

ATN asked representatives from Value Retail what was so appealing about their European shopping villages: “Shopping is a way of life in the Middle East, but what’s interesting is noticing how different the shopping experience is in Europe compared to the retail experience here. We hope that’s what is endearing us to our Middle Eastern customers” Sally Beams, director, Marketing, PR and Tourism, Value Retail “I always present La Vallee Village as a relaxing shopping experience. In Paris we compete in a sense with the department stores, but customers also want another experience, and of course we have all the Disney Land hotels just five minutes away as people might come to Disney but extend their stay by a night to visit us too.” Bernard Kouao, tourism manager, La Vallee Village “We have seen over the last four years amazing increases in Middle Eastern visitors to Munich.All five-star hotels understand the demands of that clientele so we invited all the concierges from the hotels to brainstorm with them about how to cater to our Middle Eastern customers. We came up with really important ideas like a prayer room in Ingelstat village, Arabian menus, translation services, and a limousine service that you can book directly into the village.” Jens Riewenherm, marketing director, Germany, Value Retail

www.chicoutletshoppingtraveltrade.com

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Shopping breaks

Top 5 shopping villages: We pick the top Chic Outlet Shopping Villages to recommend to your clients INGOLSTADT VILLAGE, GERMANY SHOPPING STATS: Ingolstadt Village is 50 minutes north of central Munich in the heart of the German state of Bavaria. The shopping village has more than 60 luxury boutiques. HOW TO SELL: Munich is one of the top tourist destinations with GCC visitors. The destination has become so popular with Middle Eastern travellers that Ingolstat village along with many of the five-star hotels in Munich are working hard to cater to this demand by adding in prayer rooms, Arabic translation services and limousines to take customers directly from their hotels to the village.

KILDARE VILLAGE, IRELAND SHOPPING STATS: One of the newest villages in the Value Retail group, Kiladare Village is an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive from Dublin and has 50 boutiques. HOW TO SELL: Kildare is renowned the world over for horse breeding and the Irish National Stud. It is also home to the Curragh Racecourse where the prestigious Irish Derby sponsored by Dubai Duty Free takes place every year in June, so the area is attracting an increasing number of Middle East visitors. A shuttle bus runs from Kildare Village to the Irish Stud so the two attractions can be easily combined in one trip.

LA ROZAS VILLAGE, SPAIN SHOPPING STATS: Las Rozas village is 30 minutes from the centre of Madrid in Spain. It offers 100 luxury outlet boutiques. HOW TO SELL: Emirates is to start its daily service to Madrid in August so La Rozas Village is expected to see a surge in popularity among Middle Eastern visitors this summer. A day at the village can be combined with a tapas lunch and a visit to San Lorenzo de El Esorial Monastery.

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

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REGIONAL NEWS

Shopping breaks

BICESTER VILLAGE, UK

FAM TRIP FEEDBACK:

SHOPPING STATS: The village is located just outside Oxford and is 60 minutes from London by train. There are 120 boutiques offering British brands such as Pringle and Mulberry. HOW TO SELL: Bicester Village makes a great day out from London. You could combine shopping with a trip into Oxford, one of England’s most charming cities, and take in the historical spires.

Tuan Azran Burah, Kanoo Travel joined a recent FAM trip to Las Rozas Village in Madrid and La Vallee Village in Paris. This is what he thought:

LA VALLEE VILLAGE, FRANCE SHOPPING STATS: The village is just 35 minutes from the centre of Paris and only five minutes from DisneyLand Paris. There are more than 95 luxury boutiques. HOW TO SELL: Being so close to Disneyland Paris is a major draw. Many clients chose to stay an extra night at the theme park for a day shopping.

What did you think of the shopping villages? The villages in Madrid and France are both located away from the busy cities. The villages offer a very unique feel to shopping for luxury brands with a very casual and comfortable atmosphere. They are clean, open and welcoming. To add to it all, the special offers and discounts were great! Do you think the shopping villages will be popular with clients from this region? Given that most families extend their stays in Europe for long periods, the Chic Shopping Villages and day tours to the countryside will be a popular add-on. In Paris, the village is just five minutes from Disneyland, so the kids can enjoy Disney whilst the parents shop at the village. It couldn’t get better. Apart from the international luxury brands, each village also features local designers. I guess this gives the visitor a taste of local design and fashion trends too. The local brands were surprisingly outstanding. What was the highlight of the trip? We were treated to a Flamenco performance in Madrid which was great, and of course visiting Disneyland and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was a superb itinerary, we were busy, but at the end of the day learnt quite a lot about the cities we visited and the shopping villages too.

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July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Agent action

NEWS MIME

New recruit ATN chats to Mohammed Kaddo newly appointed Middle East sales manager at The Vision Destination Management ATN: What is your travel industry background? From 1996 to 1999 I started as a reservation and operation agent at a DMC. I was handling and taking care of inbound travel from Syria, Jordan and Lebanon for big German tour operators such as Studiosos Reisen, Mundos Risen, Phoenix Reisen, Neckermann and Big Cruises. Then I had a big change to become assistant tour manager and sales manager to promote Syria, Jordan and Lebanon for the Italian Market with some important names for that region Quattro Venti, Opera Roma Pellegrinaggi di Vatican, Turisanda, Francorosso, Antichi Splendorio. The last ten years have given me huge

experience and many skills of how to deal with the Middle East region. From 2006, I have had a new direction with the opportunity to leave Damascus and go to Dubai in order to improve my knowledge about the hotel and travel industry. ATN: What attracted you to the role at The Vision DMC? I feel The Vision is like my own company. Every day I work with a nice feeling and look forward for the next day in order to do the best job I can do. For me, I feel that I am in one family and hope this feeling lasts forever. ATN: What are your main responsibilities? Mainly my responsibil-

I want to see my skills being used for the benefit of the company and to see the smile of guests.” ity as sales manager for the GCC & Middle East area is to develop the region through the use of technology and product availability.

checked very carefully as we all know. We are focusing on selected agents known for their reliability and professionalism.

ATN: What do you think will be your biggest challenges? The GCC & Middle East market is year-round but also very competitive and in the last few years very price sensitive. Besides that: payment conditions have to be

ATN: What are you most excited about? Seeing my department grow and bringing in more benefit for The Vision as well as for me too, because when business gets better I will get better as well. I want to see my

skills being used for the benefit of the company and to see the smile of guests and hear thanks for what I do. We are busy developing some new ad-hoc packages and products that I’m sure will be appreciated in the market. ATN: What do you love most about working in the travel industry? My contacts are my treasures. Making sure relationship grow continuously and giving clients the right confidence to deal with us. ATN: What are the hardest parts of your job? Seeing the “circus prices” and making sure we select reliable partners in terms of financial agreements

Checkin’ in/checkin’ out VISHAL MEHTA Vishal has joined Illusions Online as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer. Based in Dubai since 1995, Vishal has worked for Nasdaq listed blue-chip companies for the past 18 years including being financial controller at Logica CMG, SVP Corporate Services and

Nasdaq Dubai. He considers himself to be something of a ‘financial gladiator;’ raising the bar again and again. Vishal is said to break all the stereotypes of the typica typical finance person as be being on the “dull” side. W With his love of adventure including four wheel dri drives, bungee jumping, w white water rafting, sky ddiving, and romancing his wife, the team at Illusions sa say Vishal brings a bbreath of fresh air to the comp pany.

JAUHAR ABDUL GAFOOR

Jauhar Abdul Gafoor has joined Amadeus Gulf as sales es har manager for Abu Dhabi. Jauhar m takes on this role moving from cal his earlier position as technical support manager at Amadeus where he spent ten years covering markets such as UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Syria.

ALI ABDULLA AL SHAMSI

SHAFEEKH AZEEZ

Etihad Airways has appointed Ali as general manager of its Abu Dhabi Hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport.A UAE national, Ali has worked in the aairlinee industry dus y for o more o e than a 23 3 years – including positions with Emirates Airline and Gulf Air.

Shafeekh joins Amadeus Gulf as director of sales for Dubai. Prior to joining Amadeus, Shafeekh was commercial manager with Al Rostamani Travel where he worked for 10 years and held several key positions. In his last role as Shafeekh headed the Corporate Travel, Retail Travel, Business Development, Marketing and Sales divisions. Shafeekh has more than 12 years of regional travel industry experience.

REGIONAL NEWS

Agent Action

FAM Report: An Indonesian Adventure Garuda Indonesia Airlines invited 12 lucky GCC agents on its inaugural flight to Jakarta Last month 12 GCC travel agents headed off on a week-long FAM trip with Garuda Indonesia Airlines to mark the launch of the first direct flights from Dubai to Jakarta. After an eight-hour flight from Dubai the agents landed in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital and gateway to the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia, including the beach paradise of Bali. From there the agents took in the cities of Jakarta and Yogyakarta, checked out local markets, shopping malls, Buddhist temples and botanical gardens, before jetting off to Bali - the jewel of the Indonesian archipelago - situated two kilometers off east Java where they discovered lush tropical forests, vast paddy p y fields and beautiful sandy y beaches.

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: - A visit to a rain forest camp and restaurant deep in the mountains of Bali with Waka Land Cruises. The agents travelled by Landrover through the countryside passing temples, farms and traditional Balinese villages along the way. - White water river rafting with Bali Adventure Tours on the Telaga Waja River.

WHERE THEY STAYED: Mandarin Oriental in Jakarta, The Sheraton Mustika Hyatt Regency in Jogjakarta The Royal Pitamaha, Bali Discovery Kartika Plaza, Bali

Garuda Indonesia Airlines: Garuda Indonesia launched its daily non-stop flights from Dubai to Jakarta on 2 June. The flight leaves Dubai at 20.30 and arrives in Jakarta at 07.55 the next day. Garuda Indonesia provides a useful ‘immigration-on-board’ service whereby passengers eligible for visa on arrival can buy a voucher at the check in desk, and during the flight, immigration officers on board the aircraft carry out the passport check and issue the visa, cutting out the need to queue at immigration on arrival.

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Agent action

To feature your agent FAM trip here contact: monika.grzesik@itp.com

FAM TRIP FEEDBACK: ACK: THE AGENTS REPORT BACK C. C. Pius, Tariff Operations Manager, Dnata World Travel Services From my experience I would rate Garuda Indonesia as a very friendly airline which offers a high standard of in-flight customer service. During the trip, rafting was the most fascinating experience and I would strongly recommend this to anyone visiting Bali. The full-day tour with Waka Land Cruise was a different experience - terraced paddy fields were seen everywhere. I will not forget the visit to an Indonesian village house where I ate their traditional breakfast delicacy. Lunch at the Waka Land Cruise restaurant Alex Chacko, senior travel consultant, which is located in the midst of the forest Sharaf Travel was a unique experience and something Our tour organiser, Smailing Tour and Ser- to remember for a long time. vices was excellent. I would rate Garuda The visit to the famous Buddha and Indonesia as a very friendly airline which Hindu temples in Jogja (Prambanan and offers a high standard of in-flight cusBorubudur) added a spiritual touch to the tomer service and most important is the tour. We enjoyed having tropical fruits onboard visa service. I would recommend like jack fruit, mango, pappaya, water this as one of the unique points to sell melon, sweet melon, guava and snake Garuda Indonesia. fruit very much. Among the hotels and resorts that I have All the hotels we stayed in were exstayed, I liked Aman Resort the best folcellent. I would recommend the Royal lowed by Mandarin Oriental. The people Pitamaha due to the separate villas with private pools and surrounding waterfalls in Indonesia and Bali in particular are very friendly and their willingness to acand greenery. cept tourists is an additional attraction. During the trip, rafting and Waka Land I would strongly recommend Indonesia Cruise lunch was the most fascinating experience and I would strongly recomto my friends and clients as a top holiday mend this to anyone visiting Bali. destination. Mohammed Akram Noufal travel manager, Alfaisal Travel Tourism & Cargo Agency It was very nice trip. We experienced the on-board services of Garuda’s inaugural flight from Dubai, which I found to be excellent. The friendly response of the airhostesses, meals and beverage and the facility of visa-on-board is very nice idea. All the suppliers we met were highly supportive and didn’t hesitate to provide useful information about the fares in their properties. They showed full ability to cooperate with us to support the tourism industry between UAE and Indonesia.

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Rolanny Castillo, holidays operation, Al Faisal Travel & Tourism The sightseeing tour in the three cities was amazing. When we visited the botanical gardens I enjoyed looking at the different trees and flowers I have never seen before in my country. Rafting – wow! I can’t explain the experience. I love it and if have the chance I will go again. I would strongly recommend Indonesia to my friends and clients as top holiday destination. Mohammed Basheer, manager, Akbar Travels of India, Ras Al Khaimah Among the places visited: Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bali, my personal favourite is Bali. We truly had a marvelous experience there. S. Kumar, operations manager, DBA & Sons Travel Tours The tour was an excellent experience clubbing tradition, adventure and leisure. We appreciated the in-flight services and the launch of the on-board immigration where passengers can complete immigration formalities in a cool atmosphere and not worry about the queue at arrivals after a long flight. For local people I would recommend the destination as a honeymoon break. Bali is an ideal choice for those who love nature and for honeymooners who want to enjoy nature with privacy, luxury at a cost effective price.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Agent Action

Caught on Camera ATN’s snappers were at all the travel events this month. Were you caught on camera? BRITISH AIRWAYS WINNERS EVENT British Airways announced the winners of the British Airways Business Opportunity Grants at the Address Hotel, Downturn Dubai. The grants are part of BA’s commitment to stimulate business travel. Thirty local businesses all received 10 return flights on British Airways Club World worth a total of AED 6.5 million.

Adam Ridgeway from MediaCube accepts his BA grant.

The BA grant winners pose for a photo.

AUSTRIAN AIRLINES AWARDS Austrian Airlines held its Annual Gala Dinner and awards night at the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort with a ‘red and white’ theme. The airline used the occasion to award recognise its top travel agents and special partners.

Stephan Linhart, Head BIU Intercont & Middle East, Austrian Airlines, Christina Debbah, Vice President Global Sales and Distribution, Austrian Airlines, Karim El Sanadily, Regional Manager for Gulf Region, Lebanon and Pakistan

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

Christina Debbah, vice president global sales and distribution, Edris Taher Mohamed, deputy managing director, Al Rais Travel, Stephan Linhart, Middle East director, Austrian Airlines, Karim El Sanadily, Gulf regional manager.

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Agent action

‘WE LOVE THAILAND’ The Dusit Thani Dubai hosted the ‘We Love Thailand’ event on 23 June. Everyone from the Thai community in Dubai was in attendance including the consul-general Pasan Teparak, director of Tourism Authority Thailand’s MIddle East office Pramoth Supyen, and Manan Boonyachai, UAE general manager, Thai Airways International. The event kick-started a promotional campaign designed to bring tourists back to Thailand.

The guests enjoyed Thai music and dancing.

The guests get stuck in cooking up a Thai-style storm.

The Madinat Jumeirah’s Pai Thai served up delicious mini-bites.

Pasan Teparak, Thai consul-general welcomes guests

A Thai lady shows off her fruit carving skills.

Tranquility Spa provided Thai massages for tired guests.

Guests sample the Thai dumplings.

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Thai restaurants around Dubai provided the food including Mango Tree, Pai Thai and Thai Chi.

July 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Meet the agent Meet CELEBRITY the agent CRUISES Q&A

V. Jayaram The managing director of Sharaf Travel talks about his time in the industry.

Investment in technology to run your business is the key. I feel there’s no escape from technology. If you don’t invest then you lose. It’s sad that as travel agents we don’t make that kind of money. At a travel agency today everybody knows what kind of money we make. Gone are the days when you’ve got built-in and hidden commissions. It doesn’t happen anymore. Of course my charges will be more than the airline. It’s a service fee and you’ve really got to justify that service fee. The team we have is fantastic. We have a lovely working environment and that’s the reason why we are able to keep people. Today you have agents poaching one

another for staff and saying I can pay you AED 1000 more. But it’s a trend that’s on the decline. People have realised too much jumping around doesn’t get you anywhere. People are important, they are our assets so we work very closely with them. We believe in empowering our staff. These are things which are normally not done in a travel agency. We involve our staff in the decision making process. Our business is so fragile. If anything happens anywhere in the world, the travel industry is the first to get affected. If somebody drops a bomb somewhere that’s it - it’s finished. Or there’s SARS or you’ve got the ash cloud -

This is my 27th year in travel. You never say you know it all because of how things are changing. I’m still learning all the time ”

Arabian Travel News – July 2010

you don’t know from which side you’re going to get hit. It all leads to travel. Every year from 2006 we’ve had something. If everything goes fine its good for us but how can you predict? The successful business model relies on your service levels to clients and your negotiating skills with the

airlines. There’s got to be a balance and a good mix And because most of our business is done on credit today, I need to make sure I get my money on time. We are in the travel business. We are not in the money lending business. We work very closely with all the airlines and we are extremely comfortable with our relationship with them. Without them we couldn’t do what we are doing today and it’s vice versa in this part of the world. The airlines have got their limitations, 70 percent of bookings are still generated from the travel agent. But gone are the days when they could be lavish in their distribution costs, we understand that they have to survive. I have worked on the airline side as well so I understand exactly how the airlines work. There are airlines who sell target based incentives to travel agents, you sell this many volumes for me and I give you x percentage – we are not the kind of agent who sells on targets we want to be fair to the client. We don’t want to push a particular airline just because we make an extra buck. Here you still need to have a personal

touch; you still need to talk to a travel agency. You still need travel services. Unlike in the west where people are quite comfortable putting their credit card in, here people are hesitant to use websites so there is still enough for us, especially on the holiday side. Holidays can’t be done on the web, if I was a traveller I would want to go through an expert who tells me the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages. You need to evolve with the time; you need to move with the changes. If you are not tech savvy and you are not getting to the change quickly you will be left out. The strong ones who have got the money and are serious about the business will end up surviving and the weak ones will perish. The challenge is to maintain service levels. People don’t mind paying a percent more for some state of the art booking tools, and we want to make it easier for the end user. And we don’t mind spending a little money on the technology front to make sure we offer our clients the best technology. This is my 27th year in travel. You learn it all, you learn the tricks of the trade, but you never say you know it all because of the way things are changing. I’m still learning all the time.

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