Arabian Travel News - August 2010 by ITP Business Publishing

An ITP Business Publication

August 2010 Issue 8 Vol. 5

Licensed by Dubai Media City

INDUSTRY DISUNITED

ULTIMATE EID ESCAPES

DTTAG challenged by lack of members

Top breaks to sell to your clients

CREDIT

CRACKDOWN AGENTS SAY IT’S TIME TO TIGHTEN UP ON PAYMENT TERMS

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Contents News 05 News TMCs call for industry-wide clampdown on credit terms; TMCs want end to voucher system; ITP expands into Iran; SAA cancels travel agent talent contest.

08 Accomodation Auris on major expansion drive; New One to One in Lebanon; Rotana opens new low-cost Dubai hotel.

10 Cruise Royal Caribbean drops Bahrain from cruise; Queen Elizabeth to call in Dubai; Costa christens new China port.

12 Airlines Austrian flies to Baghdad again; RAK Air to re-launch; Emirates lands in Prague; Gulf Air launches new routes; Etihad flies to Seoul; Flydubai begins Iraq operation.

14 Luxury Agents need more product knowledge; New Anantara Maldives villas gear up for launch; InterCon opens in New York.

Ask the expert 16 Steering your way to success Sam Eltibi, executive director, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group explains how to make money from selling car rental.

Roundtable debate

Q&A

18 Seeking Standards

28 Taking the Helm

We gathered the heads of the region’s top TMCs to discuss how standards can be improved

Ali Helmi, newly appointed CEO at Net Tours talks openly about the challenges facing the inbound tourism industry.

Q&A 24 Industry disunited Leo Fewtrell, general manager, DTTAG explains the challenges of uniting the travel trade.

Comment 26 Industry Insider Tim Waddell says challenges in cash flow management are halting industry development.

How to sell 31 Ultimate Eid escapes

With Eid arriving in September, here’s some Eid break ideas your clients will love.

36 Hot summer offers The summer promotions and Ramadan deals are heating up.

31 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

Agent Action

42 Jordan Rocks

48 Travelport bash

Think Jordan, think Petra? There’s so much more to offer your clients in this fascinating country.

250 local travel agents turned out for a special ceremony to launch Travelport in Bahrain.

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Online

The online home of

Most-read stories on

hoteliermiddleeast.com EDITOR’S PICK

1. Ex-Nakheel exec plunges to death at Dubai hotel

Travel out of Europe disrupted by French strikes

A strike by air traffic controllers in France is disrupting short and medium haul flights out of Europe. Around a fifth of flights from Charles de Gaulle airport were cancelled on Wednesday 21 July, while half of flights from Orly remain grounded. Air traffic controller unions are protesting plans to merge France’s 4000 controllers and 8000 other DGAC personnel into a Europe-wide system.

2. Hilton shut down because of prostitute ring 3. Five-star hotels sold food not fit for consumption 4. Leading the way with luxury 5. Man faces jail after trying to sell The Ritz 6. Elisabetta Gucci sued by Gucci over Dubai hotel 7. Top 20 Ramadan F&B festivities 8. ADNH signs Ritz Carlton to run Grand Canal Hotel 9. Hotel cleaner returns US $50,000 left in room

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10. J-Lo sued for US $40 million for abandoned hotel gig IN PICTURES

Ryanair pays Stelios damages for Pinocchio ads

16,000 tourists stranded after operator collapse

Irish budget airline Ryanair has agreed to pay libel damages of US $64,200 to the founder of rival carrier easyJet, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

British tour operator Goldtrail has collapsed leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded in Greece and Turkey.

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Arabian Travel News – August 2010

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ATN News

August 2010

TMCs call for industry-wide clampdown on credit terms Agents face cash flow nightmare as clients take five months to pay up CASH FLOW Travel Management Companies (TMCs) have called for tighter credit policies to be introduced across the industry after admitting they were suffering from customers taking up to 150 days to pay them for their services. In a roundtable debate hosted last month by Arabian Travel News TMC heads said that they were being forced to act as money lenders - pre-financing their clients’ travel, while at the same time having to meet strict fortnightly BSP (Billing and Settlement plan) payment cycles with IATA. Sunil D’Souza, country manager – UAE & Oman, Kanoo Travel described credit collection as being the “biggest risk to a travel company’s business today” while Benjo van Laarhoven, executive vice president, Alshamel International said it was the “biggest worry that wakes me up at night.” In many cases the TMC execs said they earned no revenue on transactions at all. “Once 120 days elapses, you’ve earned no money on those transactions,” said Mark Reed, general manager, Arabian Pacific. “You’ve been paying for it. And you can’t do anything else with that money.” Asim Arshad, chief executive officer, Orient Travel Services agreed: “The biggest challenge all of us face is collections and receivables. There’s nothing bigger than that. If a sale is delayed by three months, 120 days or 150 days - which is the norm here then you land up paying much more to the bank then you’ve actually financed that organisation.” And with BSP set to move to a weekly payment cycle later this year, the burden placed on travel agents’ cash flow will be even greater. “I am

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TMC heads are calling for an industry wide clampdown on the credit terms offered to corporate clients

already suffering from customers who are paying me at 120 days,” said Laarhoven. “When BSP and IATA are having this one week cycle we will have to subsidise even more.” TMCs said it was common for corporates to exploit the situation by switching freely between different travel companies and in many cases not paying at all. D’Souza estimated that Kanoo Travel lost “three or four out of ten” customers by refusing to offer longer credit terms than 30 days. TMCs now want an industry wide clampdown on credit policy as far as corporate clients are concerned. “If we all stood together and said no one in our industry will offer anything more than 30 days credit then

no corporate will get anything different,” said Reed. “And if they go round to eight agencies and we all said we only give 30 days as a maximum rule – then the corporates wouldn’t be able to take the Mickey.” “There are only about 25 to 30 TMCs who control 98 percent of corporate business,” added Arshad. “If

150

days taken for some corporates to settle payment with TMCs

these travel agencies got together to agree on some proper credit lines it will change the whole perception [of travel companies] because our income will change.” Laarhoven suggested the trade should work together to come up with industry standards which could be implemented across the board, similar to policies imposed by credit card companies. “What they do is say to customers you have to earn your credit. You have 30 days; you can earn 45 days after we have seen that you have paid your bills every month. Or, your credit limit is now one million – I can give you two million after you have paid all your bills. We have to create some similar standards.”

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

News MIME NEWS

TMCs want end to hotel voucher system Hotels agree a move to online booking system would benefit both hotels and agents HOTEL BOOKING TMCs want to see a move towards hotel bookings by credit card, arguing that the pre-paid voucher system used in this region is “outdated” and places too much pressure on agents to pre-finance clients travel. Currently, most hotel stays are sold through consolidators, which issue clients with a prepaid voucher, then bill the TMC. According to Tim Waddell, director of marketing Alshamel Travel: “Consolidators terms of credit are often much tighter than most TMC’s own and they act similar to BSP in many respects — cutting TMCs off if credit lines are overdue, leaving them unable to service clients’ hotel needs.”

He added that booking hotels via GDS was quicker and easier and didn’t hold any liability for the agent. “Bottom line – there is no credit line/cash flow issues between supplier and TMC.” But Naz Nizari, senior vice president, EmQuest said hotel bookings were generally not made through the GDS because it was easier to negotiate rates through a tour operator. “The volumes booked through GDS aren’t that big mainly because tour operators can negotiate rates with hotels directly. The GDS doesn’t have that negotiation capacity.” Dubai Marriott Hotels market sales manager – leisure and MICE, Maria Baxa, agreed that hotel booking should be online as it would

ITP expands into Iran EXPANSION ITP - International Travel Partnership has expanded its travel management network into Iran through a tie-up with East Express Co. Ian Epps, director of Partnership Relations with ITP said, “East Express is a premier corporate travel management company in Iran with a range of services and many years experience of working with multinational customers. The company is well-known to us and East Express’ partnership with ITP is an investment in the future by both companies; Iran is a market with much commercial potential.”

Mohamad Kermani, commercial director of East Express, added: “I think ITP and East Express make a very good combination. The ITP focus on quality and professionalism has always been our philosophy so we match well in that regard. Our appointment as ITP partner in Iran creates a commercial advantage for us, for ITP partners and a host of benefits for our clients. “By the same token we are looking forward to being of service to ITP clients from other ITP partners so that we can help strengthen the global brand and add to its quality of service,” commented Kermani.

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

The voucher system for hotel bookings puts pressure on TMCs’ cash flow

“help the hotel and TMC with easy tracking”. But she argued a virtual credit card was “too risky”, suggesting the use of a “code or reference number” instead. “The voucher system works for both hotels and TMCs and benefits both equally,” Baxa added. Director of marketing and communications, Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek Stephanie AbouJaoude, suggested, “something similar to certain online systems that a few online American giants use for booking and reservations through virtual credit cards is the way to go for the overall travel industry’s payment method structure. This would both benefit hotels as well as agents as it is accurate, tracked and saves a lot of time and follow-ups .”

SAA cancels travel agent talent contest COMPETITION The hotly anticipated 2010 ‘Come Live Your Dream’ event - a travel agent modelling and dance competition organised by South African Airways (SAA) - has been cancelled. The grand final of the event was due to take place in August in Dubai in conjunction with SAA’s new brochure launch. Last year’s event saw 580 travel agents apply to enter the contest and this year’s event was slated to be ‘even bigger’. A spokesperson for South African Airways confirmed that the event had been cancelled due to a “man-

agement re-shuffle” and “organisational changes” within the company - adding that there was still a possibility that the event could take place after Ramadan. A statement from the air-

line said: “I regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances South African Airways has decided to postpone the Come Live your Dream 2010 contest until further notice.”

580 travel agents entered the competition last year

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Luxury Agents need more product knowledge Travel agents pass up vital opportunities to learn by not attending supplier events EDUCATION Jacqueline Campbell, managing director, The Travel Collection said that many travel agents in the region do not make enough effort to educate themselves about the products they are selling. According to Campbell the level of product and destination knowledge among travel agents varies from country to country. While agents in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait make more effort to become “consultants and travel specialists” - agents in the UAE were more likely to

Campbell urges agents to become ‘consultants’ rather than ‘handlers’

act just as “handlers”. “In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the demand on them to have knowledge is much

New Anantara Maldives villas gear up for launch NEW LAUNCH The luxury Anantara Kihavah Villas are gearing up to launch in September. Set on Kihavah Huravalhi, one of the most exclusive of all the Maldivian islands, the new resort is 35 minutes by seaplane from Male International Airport. The resort features 78 spacious over-water and beach suites, made up of 74 onebedroom villas and four two-bedroom villas, each with a private pool, dining pavilion, wooden sundecks, and lounging areas complete with hammocks, daybeds, outdoor showers and over-sized bathtubs big enough for two. A butler service will be available 24 hours a day. The interior design is contempo-

The villas feature sunken tubs

rary with local and Moroccan accents. Rooms feature Bose Home Theatre systems, inroom internet access, and espresso machines. Four expansive two-bedroom villas will include a separate living room, marble flooring, his and hers walk-in wardrobes, a pantry, and a sunken tub fitted into an open-air water feature. The Anantara Kihavah resort will also boast the largest swimming pool in the Maldives.

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

stronger because their clientele asks for that. So they do more research, whereas here I think the clientele may

spoon-feed the agent,” said Campbell. Campbell said knowledge and education was key to selling luxury and VIP travel. “For us, the agents that really sell our products well are the ones that have a passion and desire and want to learn.” She added that the biggest problem is that many agents do not take suppliers up on the opportunity to enhance their product knowledge, by turning up to supplier hosted events. “The frustration I find is that travel agents are given so many opportunities here

that they don’t avail. There are a lot of events that they are invited to, and there should be a commitment to attend these events because the supplier wants to give them something and they should want to learn.” Campbell added: “Its either they’re just not interested, or in some cases the agents are overworked and don’t have the time to learn and it’s a matter of survival, should I be sitting in the office and coping with this pile of work or should I go to this event and learn to help me cope with this work.”

InterContinental opens in New York NEW LAUNCH N Int InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has launched Gr the InterContinental New York Times Square, the largYo est hotel to open in Manhattan since 2002. Located on 8th Avenue L and 44th Street, just west of an Times Square, InterConTim tinental New York Times tin Square is in the heart of Sq Broadway within walkBro ing distance of 40 theatres and close to the fashion disan trict. The hotel is also convetric niently located close to Penn nie and Grand Central stations an making it ideal for both busima ness and leisure travellers. ne The 36-floor hotel has 607 T bedrooms, 29 corner suites be and a 2,700 square foot presan idential suite. It offers guests ide unrivalled views over Times un Square, Broadway, the HudSq son River and the New York City skyline from almost all Cit

the hotel’s giant windows. Jeffrey Beers International has designed the hotel’s interior. All bedrooms feature a 42-inch flat panel HDTV, a work area with a touch screen computer so guests don’t need to bring their laptop with them, free Wi-Fi and an extra large bathroom with a walk-in rain shower. Simon Scoot, vice president, global brand management, InterContinental

Hotels & Resorts, said: “This is the largest new build hotel in New York to open since 2002. “The InterContinental New York Times Square is perfectly placed to give guests great access to some of the best known restaurants, landmarks and shopping areas. Our guests will get the ‘in the know’ experience that InterContinental is known for through our specially trained concierge.”

InterContinental New York Times Square

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Cruise Royal Caribbean drops Bahrain from cruise Negative feedback from the trade led to the destination being scrapped from itinerary ITINERARY Royal Caribbean International has dropped Bahrain from its Gulf cruise itinerary for the winter sailing season due to bad feedback from customers and the trade. Lakshmi Durai, executive director, Middle East, Royal Caribbean, said: “We have adjusted the itinerary based on our customer and trade partner feedback and replaced Bahrain with an overnight stay in Muscat. We’re working very closely with the authorities to put Bahrain back into the programme as soon as possible.”

Brilliance will not be sailing to Bahrain on her next Gulf cruise.

The decision will mean Bahrain will lose out on millions in tourism revenue. Helen Beck, regional sales director, Royal Carib-

Queen Elizabeth to call in Dubai NEW SHIP Dubai’s ambitions to become a major cruise ship destination have been given a boost after it was announced that it is included on the maiden journey of Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth liner. Cunard Line said its newest ship, the 964ft Queen Elizabeth with a capacity of more than 2,000 passengers, will visit Dubai for an overnight stop on March 31, 2011 as part of her maiden world voyage. For her maiden World Voyage, Queen Elizabeth will offer a 103-day journey from Southampton. “These sailings via Dubai offer fantastic opportunities for our guests in the Middle East to see the wonders of the world while enjoying Cunard’s signature White Star Service,” said Ashok Kumar, director Business

Development Cruise Master Middle East representing Cunard Line. The cruise liner is currently nearing completion at an Italian shipyard ahead of her naming ceremony in Southampton in October. Dubai tourism chiefs said they expected the number of cruise ship passengers to significantly rise this year. Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said 120 ships and more than 325,000 passengers are set to dock at the Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashidin 2010.

33 Countries on Queen Elizabeth’s maiden voyage

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

bean told The National that the company had received complaints from customers about the long distance between the port and the city

centre and unscrupulous taxi drivers overcharging. “We had quite a lot of negativity from UK guests in particular,” she said. “We’re speaking to the tourism department in Bahrain and taking the feedback to pieces. There’s an awful lot of things to do and see. We’re working very closely to get the issues resolved and get them [Bahrain] back into the programme as soon as possible.” High demand for the cruises, as reported by travel agents has led Royal Caribbean to increase the length of its Dubai-based season

for the 2,500 passenger Brilliance of the Seas. The ship will return to Dubai in November 2011, two months earlier than previously planned, and will offer an increased range of itineraries including a 12-night Dubai and India cruise featuring ports of call such as Muscat, Oman, Cochin, Goa and Mumbai. “Also included within this cruise itinerary is an overnight stay in Dubai onboard the ship at the end of the cruise which makes this an affordable way to enjoy this fascinating Emirate,” added Beck.

Costa christens new China port NEW TERMINAL Costa Romantica has become the first ship to sail into the new cruise terminal in Tianjin, Beijing. The 1,700 passenger ship will call at Tianjin 10 times this year and is Costa’s second ship, to be deployed in the Far East. Since its debut in China in 2006, Costa Cruises has invested about US$65 million in the region and increased its capacity fivefold. This year it will make 93 Chinese port calls. More than 120,000 cruise guests are expected to take a Costa cruise in Asia this year. The cruise line offers sailings from Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Singapore, and includes stopovers in resorts such as Sanya, China; Halong Bay and Da Nang in Vietnam; Okinawa, Kagoshima, Nagasaki and

Fukuoka in Japan; and Cheju, South Korea. President of Costa Cruises Giabbi Onorato said: “Costa Cruises is proud that the first call of the Costa Romantica - a symbol of ‘Italian-made’ excellence and elegance worldwide - also marks the inauguration of the new Tianjin cruise terminal. He added: “The new terminal is a reward for our pioneering investment and work in this part of the world, that

has been brought to fruition thanks to the invaluable support of the Chinese authorities. “The ultimate aim is to popularise a new form of vacation in China, that was practically unheard of before in the People’s Republic: namely, cruise vacations.” Tianjin Port is about 105 miles southeast of Beijing. The terminal building can handle up to 4,000 cruise passengers at a time.

Costa Romantica was the first to enter Tianjin Cruise Terminal in Beijing

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Airlines BRIEFS

Austrian flies to Baghdad again

BA PRIVATE JET

Carrier to re-launch flights to Iraqi capital after twenty-year break

British Airways and CitationAir have launched a new private jet service exclusively for BA customers flying within North America and the Caribbean. The ‘PrivateConnect’ service will give customers `pay-by-thetrip’ access to a network of private aircraft operated by CitationAir and its parent, the Cessna Aircraft Company. If transferring between the two carriers, chauffeured transport will be on hand after clearing customs to drive customers between their British Airways flight and CitationAir private jet.

EGYPT AIR TO PORT GHALIB Kuwait’s Kharafi Group has entered into an agreement with Egypt Air Express to operate direct flights to Port Ghalib twice a week from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Egypt Air Express will also connect Port Ghalib with other Egyptian cities such as Luxor, Alexandria, Abu Simbel and Sharm-Al-Sheikh.

EMIRATES GEARS UP FOR DAKAR FLIGHTS Emirates’ is gearing up to launch its new route to Dakar, set to be the only scheduled passenger service between the UAE and Senegal. The carrier has hired its first Senegalese cabin crew and sales staff for the flight. Starting 1September 2010, Emirates will fly non-stop to Dakar five times a week every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

NEW ROUTE Austrian Airlines is carrying out flight safety analysis in order to re-launch scheduled flights from Vienna to Baghdad from 31 October. The airline will fly four times per week from Vienna to Baghdad with the Austrian Premium Service Airbus A320. The flight will offer

FLIGHT SCHEDULE: Vienna-Baghdad: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. Depart 10.00 Arrive 16.00 Baghdad-Vienna: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. Depart 17:00 Arrive 19.30 Austrian Airlines will fly to Baghdad four times a week

RAK Air to re-launch

Emirates lands in Prague

RE-LAUNCH

NEW ROUTE

RAK Airways, the UAE’s fourth national carrier, has announced plans to re-launch services before the end of the year, following a hiatus of just over 12 months. Sheikh Omar Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, chairman of RAK Airways, explained that difficult market conditions

Sheikh Omar Al Qassimi

a dedicated business class of 24 seats. Baghdad will be Austrian Airlines second destination in Iraq. The airline currently flies five times a week from Vienna to Erbil in northern Iraq. Baghdad was first incorporated into the carrier’s route network in 1982, but flights to the Iraqi capital were stopped in 1990.

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

created by the global economic downturn in 2008/09 which had forced the airline to suspend scheduled services in May 2009 had sufficiently eased. “We are now ready to make a strategic re-entry into the market,” he said. “We have a lot of exciting new plans, which will be unveiled soon. Omar Jahameh, our recently appointed CEO and his team are finalising the details of our flights to destinations in the Gulf, Africa and the Indian Sub Continent.” He added: “The decision to re-launch the airline is part of the ambitious vision of H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, aimed at boosting tourism in the emirate. RAK Airways is viewed as a key part of that plan.”

Emirates launched flights to Prague last month. The airline is providing the only daily, non-stop passenger service to the capital of the Czech Republic. Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline, who was on board the first flight said: “The Czech Republic is a popular tourist destination and an exciting emerging market. The route is off to a good start with passengers joining the inaugural flight to Prague from more than 20 countries across the world, underscoring the hub role of Dubai and the boost this new link will provide to the Czech tourism industry.” Miroslav Dvorak, CEO of Prague Airport welcomed the flight. She said: “The Emirates’ flight is the first scheduled all-year-round

Czech ladies welcome the flight

non-stop service to Dubai. It will enable Czechs to travel directly to the Middle East for the first time, whilst also linking passengers to a range of destinations in the Eastern hemisphere. Thanks to this network of connections, we are expecting a great deal of interest in flights to Dubai.” EK 139 leaves Dubai daily at 10.30hrs and arrives in Prague at 14.50hrs. EK 140 departs from Prague at 1620hrs and gets into Dubai at 0010hrs the following day.

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Gulf Air launches new routes

BRIEFS

Yemen and Sri Lanka are added but services to Kerala are scrapped

QATAR EXPANDS FLEET

NEW ROUTES Bahraini carrier Gulf Air will launch flights to Aden in Yemen and will re-launch services to Colombo in Sri Lanka. The airline will start flights to Aden via Sana’a from September 22 with four weekly services while the Colombo service will begin from October 5 with five flights per week. “The launching of services to these two new destinations further demonstrates our new business strategy to identify and expand our operations into niche and under-served markets and create potentially high yield city-pairs by providing direct service to Bahrain and beyond,” said Gulf Air chief

Samer Majali. “Gulf Air is establishing a leadership position as the first Gulf carrier to connect Aden to the region as currently no other Gulf carriers are serving this city. As the commercial capital of Yemen, Aden presents enormous opportunity for Gulf Air to establish itself in this new market,” he added. Gulf Air is relaunching services Colombo after stopping flights in March 2005. As part of its business strategy, Gulf Air has been reviewing its entire route network and the airline has added six new destinations to its network since September 2009 - Baghdad, Najaf and Erbil in Iraq, Alexandria, in Egypt, Aleppo in Syria and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar Airways used the Farnborough Airshow to announce orders for two additional Boeing 777200 Long Range aircraft as part of its continued growth plans. The order is valued at US$501 million. The Doha-based airline also revealed a revised delivery schedule of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with the first to arrive from the fourth quarter of 2011 to help meet early aircraft requirements.

Gulf Air has launched routes to Aden and Colombo

Meanwhile the carrier has decided to suspend flights to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in India from the end of July. The final service will depart from Bahrain on July 31, with the last inbound flight to the kingdom on August 1. A spokes-

person told Gulf News: “Gulf Air apologises to passengers affected by these cancellations and will be contacting those booked and ticketed on these services to provide them with a full refund or offer alternative travel arrangements.”

Etihad flies to Seoul

Flydubai begins Iraq operation

NEW ROUTE

Etihad Airways will commence operations to the South Korean capital, Seoul, on December 12 - the 65th destination on its network. Etihad will operate a daily return service to Seoul’s Incheon Airport from Abu Dhabi, operating Airbus A330-200 aircraft configured with three cabins, offering 2,800 seats each week. James Hogan, CEO, Etihad Airways said: “South Korea is emerging as a key partner for the UAE, and the decision to commence services to Seoul reflects this strengthening partnership. Over the past two years, Korean business has been building a strong

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presence in the UAE, particularly in the clean energy sector, construction, technology and small to medium enterprises. “We expect the increasing trade relations between the two countries will lead to growing numbers of business travellers, as well as people from both regions visiting friends and relatives.”

Hogan meets Jong Hum Park

Budget airline Flydubai has launched a twice weekly service to its first Iraqi city with flights to Erbil, the capital Northern Iraq. flydubai’s COO, Hamad Obaidalla, said: “Stability and prosperity is returning to Iraq and particularly the Kurdistan region, and this makes Erbil an important gateway into the country. “Erbil has seen encouraging development in recent years with many strategic projects being implemented across infrastructure, energy and commerce. Our new direct service will further strengthen the growth of the city by offering affordable

ABU DHABI AIRPORT SEES GROWTH Abu Dhabi International Airport has seen an increase of 11.7 percent in passenger traffic, compared to the same period last year. The airport’s growth is attributed to international passenger traffic rebound and is supported by Etihad Airways’ increased frequencies and new destinations. The top routes from Abu Dhabi in the first half of this year were: London, Bangkok, Doha, Manila, and Bahrain, accounting for 20 percent of the total passenger traffic at the airport during this period.

A380S GO WIRELESS Erbil is Flydubai’s first Iraqi city

and quality air links between the UAE and Iraq.” Abdul Hadi Osman, commercial attache of the Republic of Iraq in Dubai said: “The flydubai service will contribute to and accelerate the turnover of the Iraqi economy. “ A one-way flyDubai fare from Dubai to Erbil is priced at AED1,225.

Emirates Airline and OnAir, an aviation technology company have signed a deal to install mobile and internet in-flight passenger communications services on all A380s. All 90 aircraft will be equipped with the system. Passengers will be able to use mobile phones and BlackBerrys to make calls, send texts or use wireless internet from 2011.

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Accomodation BRIEFS MIDDLE EAST SEES DECLINE IN RATES The Middle East was the only region globally to see declines in hotel occupancy and average daily rates (ADR) during the first half of the year. But latest data from industry experts STR Global showed the region’s hotels still achieved the highest ADR at $201.The Middle East also achieved the highest figure for revenue per available room (revPAR) in the world in the first half of the year at $125. BAHRAIN HOTELS SLASH RATES Luxury hotels in Bahrain have slashed room rates to BD45 ($119) per night during the summer to boost tourism. The five-star hotels executive committee launched the summer promotional package supported by Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry to run until August 30. OMAN TO GET LUXURY RESORT Investment development company Omran has laid the foundation stone for a five-star resort in Oman. The Al Baleed resort will be built in the state of Dhofar and will be ready by the end of 2012.

Auris on major expansion drive Dubai-based hotel management company plans 10 hotels by 2015 NEW BRAND Dubai-based Auris Hotel Management has invested around AED 850 million in launching a number of new properties in Dubai. Auris opened its first two properties last month – the Al Nawras Hotel Apartments in Deira, closely followed by boutique hotel apartments in Al Barsha. A third property in Dubai Marina will open in October, followed by a five-star hotel in Al Barsha - the 338-room Auris Plaza Hotel to open in December. Hatem Gasmi, manag-

Auris Hotel Apartments, Al Barsha

ing director of Auris said the hotel apartments will predominantly target the corporate market. In reference to the ‘boutique’ tag he said: “The market perception of the work boutique is that it

New One to One in Lebanon NEW PROPERTY One to One Hotels & Resorts has launched its latest property in the mountain village of Dhour Choueir in Lebanon. The property is located thirty minutes drive from Beirut, between the peaks of Mount Lebanon, overlooking the Bay of Beirut, and is aimed at families looking to enjoy mountain activities, winter sports or as a base

One to One Dhour Choueir

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

to explore Beirut. The boutique hotel has forty stylishly-appointed rooms and one and two-bedroom suites with balconies offering panoramic views of the mountains. “As an international hotel chain, our expansion into Lebanon is part of a strategic plan to enhance the brand within the region,” said Sami Ayari, CEO, One to One. “The picturesque village of Dhour Choueir provides a great location to enjoy the mountains and outdoor activities,” added hotel manager, Youssef Ziadeh. “The hotel provides an excellent base from which our guests can unwind and explore the nearby forests and mountains in the summer or seek more active pursuits during winter at the nearby ski slopes.”

is synonymous with luxurious but there are three reasons for the word boutique: maybe the design is not so special or unique, but size is there and with just 60 apartments I guarantee the service will be there.” Auris has plans for more regional properties as well as international expansion. “There are two or three more projects under negotiation in the UAE, and we are also interested in India and Africa. By 2015 we aim to have 10 hotels.” Gasmi said he was confident there was enough demand to justify the bold

expansion: “Figures and facts are there to justify what we are doing.” He added the he was establishing the new brand on “transparency - especially when it came to rates.” “We believe it’s bad for business when people are paying different amounts for the same segment,” said Gasmi. “We want to build our name on transparency and trust. We will make sure that our clients get the best available rates and when the rate is adjusted it will be the same everywhere and applicable whatever channel you book through.”

Rotana opens new low-cost Dubai hotel NEW PROPERTY N Ab Dhabi hotel chain Rotana Abu has opened a new low-cost ha hotel in Dubai. ho The 245-room Centro BarT sha is located close to the business districts of Media bu City and Internet City. It is Cit the second Centro-branded property Rotana has opened pro to date. d The hotel company is workT ing towards opening 25 Centro hotels across the Middle East and North Africa region Ea by 2014. Omer Kaddouri, COO, O Rotana said: “Business travel Ro and accommodation for the an budget conscious execubu tive is an increasingly importiv tant market in the Middle tan East and the Centro Hotels by Ea Rotana concept is specifically Ro designed to cater to this rapde

idly expanding market.” He added: “We are redefining the conventional concept of economical comfort and offering affordable superior class accommodation and hospitality.” Rotana currently managed a portfolio of more than 70 properties throughout the Middle East.

Centro Barsha by Rotana

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Ask the expert

Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

Steering your way to success Sam Eltibi, executive director, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group MENA & Asia Pacific explains how travel agents can make easy money out of car rental

ar rental is too often viewed by travel agents as a difficult product to sell. Why? Because the process of renting a car is not as straightforward as that of renting a hotel room or booking a flight or a cruise. Selling car rental is seen by agents as being “too much hassle” or “not enough commission” for all of the work involved. The car rental transaction may seem almost inconsequential when compared with big ticket items such as an airline ticket or a cruise trip. But taking this view would be a huge mistake! Selling car rental can be a hugely lucrative revenue stream, as well as an easy one if one follows some basic principals. In a seminar Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group conducted in Dubai last December entitled: How to sell car rental we proclaimed that: “The number one obstacle in selling car rental is confusion, confusion not only by the customer - but confusion by the travel agent.” What does this mean? It means that product knowledge of any item is the key to success. If one does not have the necessary product information and the confidence that comes with having that knowledge, one cannot possibly be viewed by your customer as a professional. Confidence by the agent is the key to developing the rapport and trust of your client. It is paramount to selling any item. Once the customer believes in you and trusts that you know your product, taking your advice is quick and easy. But how do you develop this rapport? The number one way is having product knowledge. Car rental is a complicated transaction and as with the airlines, there are many options available that may incur extra fees. Here are some frequently asked questions about car rental that every travel agent should know the answer to: - What exactly does the collision damage waiver cover?

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

Selling car rental is an easy way to add incremental revenue to your transactions. The caveat is having knowledge of the product, and the confidence to offer proactively to every customer. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s revenue.” - Do I need Personal Accident Insurance? - With four pieces of luggage, two adults and two children, what size car would you recommend? - What on earth is “LDW Excess Waiver”? These are all legitimate questions and if you have effectively convinced your customer that you are a true travel expert, they will expect you to give them the guidance they need. At the end d of the day, there are only 20 or so questionss that are continually asked by potential carr rental customers. The secret is for the travel vel agent to know the answers. Once educated, ed, car rental becomes easy and quick. An incremental ncremental product to airfare, cruise ticketss or almost any form of travel. Easy money! Armed with h the confidence to answer your customer’s queries, you can take the information gathered hered during rapport building and offer with th confidence, a recommendation for car rental wherever you customer may be travelling. elling. Even though many customers will ask for the “cheapest” available rental, you will be able to provide a quick and convincing cing list of the benefits to your customer by telling them how their eir entire trip will be enhanced d by reserving a car that will be much more

comfortable based on the amount of people, luggage, physical characteristics, length of time in the car and number of children etc. At the end of the day, selling car rental can be an easy way to add incremental revenue to your transactions. The caveat is having the knowledge of the product, and the resulting confidence to offer proactively to every customer. It’s It s quick, it’s it s easy and it’s it s revenue.

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel ww www w ww w w.hho hot ootteeli ellliiermid ermid er miid m dddle dlle leeas eea eas eas astt.c .ccom om om/ m//ttra rra avvel veeell

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Roundtable debate

Seeking Standards Arabian Travel News gathered the heads of the region’s top TMCs at the Fairmont Hotel, Dubai for a lively nohold’s barred debate to discuss the challenges of zero commission, why standards must be improved and how lack of unity in the industry is hampering progress. ATN: What have been main challenges you have faced as the travel industry has moved into a zero commission environment? Benjo: A TMC is from the point of view of an airline, a distribution channel. Now airlines want to take the costs out of that distribution channel and I think we can moan and we can cry about this but it’s going to happen. What I have seen is that we have confused our customers. The issue is that what we are doing is not aligned with what the airlines are doing – our customers in this region of the world are utterly utterly confused and the reality of this confusion is that they are moving away from us. They are going to the internet, or calling four TMCs at the same time. Transparency is nowhere, and I think five miles from here there is an airline that has done a great job in being a part of that lack of transparency. It’s up to us, and our customers to change this. Mark: When they cut all commission I was under the impression it would be a level playing field among all agencies to simply add a transaction fee to the value that you consider your business. You have to pay your rents; you have to make it worth your while, however you add that value. Now what the

Arabian Travel News – August July 2010 2010

airlines do on their websites, they won’t add on a transaction fee or it’s very very minimal and we all suffer because of that. We do the research for a client and they’ll go off and book it on their own. I’ve had clients walk away over AED70. I’m not interested in that business. If you can’t see the value in what I’m providing for AED70 then I’m sorry I don’t want to talk to you. Bill: The unfortunate thing is that there are plenty of people behind you and around you and their standards are so low and depressed because of the weakness within our industry that they will lower their fees to that level. And that’s a sad point because if people stood together and were strong and very professional in their approach and the way they present themselves, we would have an organisation with standards. But the standards have been let down either by certain airlines who direct feed business or certain operators who do the same thing. ATN: How would you like to see standards in the industry improved? Bill: We have such a corruptive market in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi it’s been cleaned up, in

Kuwait to a degree it’s been done and also in Bahrain. India is a massive country, where they have huge corruption but when it came to sorting out the airlines and agreeing legitimacy for travel agents to earn an income – a mark of 7 percent - to sell air tickets, everyone agreed and the government has backed it. When you compare us with other markets in the West, the US and even India and how strong and organised and structured they are, we are living in a very immature and childish market. ATN: Why has the travel industry in Dubai not been successfully regulated? Sunil: DTTAG (Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group) is striving hard to bring people together onto a single platform so that they can address the larger issues in the market place. However the challenge seems to be that we only have about 60 travel agencies signed up in all. We shouldn’t forget that Dubai practices an open enterprise which means people are free to do whatever they want to do. In Abu Dhabi people are getting the commission because they have the backing of the Chamber of Commerce and Civil Aviation. So it is like a line with teeth.

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Roundtable debate

MEET THE ARABIAN TRAVEL NEWS PANEL OF EXPERTS (L-R): Bill Horsely, general manager, Al-Futtaim Travel Asim Arshad, chief executive officer, Orient Travel Benjo van Laarhoven, executive vice president, Alshamel International Mark Reed, general manager, Arabian Pacific Sunil D’Souza, country manager, UAE & OMAN, Kanoo Travel

Bill: In Abu Dhabi they can still be a professional organisation and the customer does not go around blackmailing the travel agent. What we have got in this market is a situation where many agencies are constantly bending the rules. Large agencies have a lot of overheads, a lot of expenses, so they throw the money into the market and do volume deals and volume arrangements. Sunil: The solution is at hand but people are not looking at working towards it. Why is ATTAC [Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism Agencies Committee] strong in Abu Dhabi? Or the Sharjah Travel Agents Association is equally

strong? And why not DTTAG? The problem here is that only half of the travel community understands the importance of having a legalised body in place and you need certain numbers to justify it. Why doesn’t everybody join hands and work with DTTAG to come up with a similar body and then we can start implementing these solutions. ATN: Do you think the situation for travel agents improve in Dubai if the industry was regulated as in Abu Dhabi? Benjo: I am a member of ATTAC in Abu Dhabi and I have customers who we do not charge seven percent. So I would like to take you out

If we all stood together and said no one in our industry will offer anything more than 30 days credit then no corporate will get anything different, it would be more of a level playing field.” Mark Reed, Arabian Pacific

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August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Roundtable debate

This industry and this region of the world has one big problem - we do not have alliances with our customers. We should be out there telling our customers that without a TMC you are lost in the future, because of fragmentation, because of all the fees that are coming, because the airlines are not thinking for you.” Benjo van Laarhoven, Alshamel International of this ‘pink cloud’ – this whole thing about the seven percent in Abu Dhabi is a farce. We checked it ourselves by doing mystery shopping on the high street. We went to all the Abu Dhabi large names and said “I want to book this can I get a discount?” We found you can get a discount everywhere. So you might think in Abu Dhabi things are much better, but I would not like to spend a lot of time in Dubai fighting for the same rule with the percentage because its not going to work. I think we are suffering from the fact that we had the seven percent or nine percent for too long because Abu Dhabi has the highest number of travel agents per capita. And I can tell you that it’s not healthy. We can do with 50 percent less travel agents and let’s just try to be the 50 percent that is surviving. There’s going to need to be a shake out. Asim: As far as I’m concerned I’m quite happy with the situation in Abu Dhabi. There is an opportunity to make money and retain a higher income. Obviously we would prefer to have something very similar to what ATTAC is doing. We were very happy when DTCM started putting in some minimum licensing restrictions. And at least you would be able to eliminate a lot of agencies who were ‘fly by night’ who were making a lot of problems. But let’s not put it that way that regulation has to come in or restriction has to come in. Unfortunately we have not been able to do this as a lot of people don’t see a value in an association. We would all love to have better incomes but since it’s not mandated to join it makes it more difficult for DTTAG. Bill: What’s happening is, because we have so much fragmentation in the way we do business it makes it very difficult for us to be considered a professional body. I want us to have

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

the opportunity and ability as a travel body in Dubai that we are respected and that when somebody interacts with us the first thing they start don’t start arguing over is our service charges. Benjo: But in no region of the world has this worked. Why would it purely work in this region of the world? These type of regulations have never come to great solutions - not in Europe, or in the US or Asia. We can help ourselves get better, and then if you’re better and I’m better, our industry will also have a better perception in the marketplace. ATN: Aside from the regulating service fees are there any other ways in which the industry could work together to improve the situation for travel agents? Benjo: We need to identify what are the things that keep us awake at night? What should be dealt with by DTTAG? I am suffering from customers who are paying me at 120 days when on the other hand BSP and IATA have a one week cycle so we have to subsidise. Let’s try and get some industry standards there. Sunil: I think that is a very valid point here. The biggest risk our business today has here is credit collection. All that you have billed, all that you have worked for through the year a few companies can bring it down. Asim: I think the biggest challenge all of us face is collections and receivables. There’s nothing bigger than that. Making money or not making money. You can have a seven percent retention on paper but if you don’t get paid your money, how does that sale become profitable to you? If that sale is delayed by three months, 120 or 150 days which is the

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Roundtable debate

Mark Reed, Sunil D’Souza and Bill Horsely.

norm then you land up paying much more to the bank than you’ve actually financed that organisation. In these times when we are going through the cash crunch and recession people are delaying their payments, there are various excuses which are being made. In the past we tried to come up with a system of sharing information on bad debts, but it was not legally allowed to share that information. Mark: If we all stood together and said no one in our industry will offer anything more than say 30 days credit then no corporate will get anything different, it would be more of a level playing field. And if they go round to eight agencies – and they all said we only give 30 days as a maximum rule – then the corporates wouldn’t be able to take the Mickey. Once 120 days elapses you’ve earned no money on those transactions, you’ve been paying for it, and you can’t do anything else with that money. As a small organisation we can’t even com-

pete with the 30 days but what we have found is that some clients who like our personal service will compromise, so we can do 15 days or something like that which we can just about work around. And then it’s a choice whether the customer deals with us or whether they go to someone that can provide them with extensive credit. Benjo: What we need to explain to our customers is that delivering full content has a cost. Let’s educate them on credit management and on credit card usage. This industry and this region of the world has one big problem - we do not have alliances with our customers. Everybody here, we all know that the GDS is the most productive, most efficient way of booking travel. But the airlines want it differently so if you put pressure on the airlines together with your customers then things happen. They will not listen to us, but they will listen to the large corporates. We need to bring the corporates together and have a voice towards the

As far as I’m concerned I’m quite happy with the situation in Abu Dhabi. There is an opportunity to make money and retain a higher income. Obviously we would prefer to have something very similar to what ATTAC is doing.” Asim Arshad, Orient Travel

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August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Roundtable debate

ROUNDTABLE POINTS RAISED: JOIN THE DEBATE • The travel trade in Dubai is not a united body. • Only 60 travel agencies have joined DTTAG [Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Association] making it hard for the group to represent the industry. • Without government backing and more agency support DTTAG cannot regulate the industry. • Agents undercut each other on service fees. • Cash flow mannagement is the biggest challenge facing agencies today as TMCs have to pre-finance their clients travel. • It is not unusal for corporates to take 150 days to pay TMCs. • Clients need educating about the changes in the travel industry, including zero commission, and the benefits of using credit cards. Email monika.grzesik@itp.com with your views on the issues raised

airlines. If we don’t do this we are on our own and we will keep fighting with each other. ATN: What kind of message should TMCs be giving to their clients? Benjo: We are very internally focused about how bad things are for us. That is not the message I think we should be sending. We should be proud; we should be out there telling our customers that without a TMC you are lost in the future: because of fragmentation, because of the airline fees that are coming, because the airlines are not thinking for you. Yes they are building a nice terminal and a nice lounge but they are not interested in getting you the lowest fare for that same seat that we can deliver. Only then can we increase service fees to the level of AED 150 – 200 that we all need in this market. We need a way of explaining to the audience what is happening in this industry. The whole aspect of pre-financing for our customers is a concept that because of all the percentages nobody understood. Our customers need to realise that if they use credit cards they save money. And that right now we as an agency have to pick up the bill with Emirates because we still have to do all kinds of manual reporting. I think its the only way out and as long as our customers don’t really understand all this we are on our own.

ATN: If you could change one thing about the travel industry to improve standards what would it be? Bill: We need sufficient strength for us to operate our business in a legitimate way, and to be recognised as a professional body. Travel people in this part of the world are seen as low-end professionals and that’s all because of our own behaviour in the past so what I’d like is transparency and to be united. We need 300 members of DTTAG and a united front. Sunil: If you go to Deira there’s a fish market. This fish market has its own legalised body, controlled and overseen by the various inspectors from the municipality. We don’t have a unified, legalised body in place – why? Because nobody believes in it and nobody is working towards it. The myth is that the airlines think they have control of the business in the market place but the reality is that 80 – 85 percent of business is run through travel agencies. We still have the power in our hands, we still are influencing decisions in the market place, we still can do a lot but what we need is to work united with a body that gets legal recognition from the government here. But for you to bring about change you need to participate. So in my opinion the key is to work together.

We don’t have a unified, legalised body in place – why? Because nobody believes in it and nobody is working towards it. But for you to bring about change you need to participate.” Sunil D’Souza, Kanoo Travel

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

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Roundtable debate

We need sufficient strength for us to operate our business in a legitimate way, and to be recognised as a professional body. What I’d like is transparency and to be united.” Bill Horsely, Al-Futtaim Travel Stand united and put a body in place and then you can take things forward. Mark: I would ask for DTTAG to be recognised by the government just to have more influence and because of that we need more members, more people to join in to have an active voice. I think trying to standardise credit lines would help the industry. That might sound a bit radical to some of the big guys – the DNATAs,the Kanoos. Asim: Having been a part of DTTAG and various ‘movements’ and bi-laterals going back years in this market, we have to take a reality check. So my wish list would be – there are only about 20 - 25 travel management companies who are into the corporate business. You could have 200 or 300 travel agencies but there are about 25 TMCs who control 98 percent of the corporate business. If these travel agencies get together and agree on some proper credit lines that will change the whole perception because our income will change and we will be able to do everything.

Benjo: I don’t need to see 300 members of DTTAG. In fact, I would like to see a few not coming back, because of the new bank guarantees and because they are giving 200 days credit and cheat our customers with all kind of silly commission that they’re stealing. If you’re a member of DTTAG it should be about: what standards do you reach to be a member? How much money do you invest in training? How do you treat your staff? Are you banning your staff if they leave you – if so then you’re not a member of DTTAG. Because we as a trade don’t accept business practices that have come out of the 70’s. So if you are offering different credit lines than what we accept as normal; then you should not be member of DTTAG. Let’s just clean up this place and this is how we can do it.

ATN’s roundtable debate took place in the business suite at the Fairmont Dubai www.fairmont.com/dubai

Benjo van Laarhoven and Asim Arshad.

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August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Roundtable News analysis

Industry disunited A lack of unity under the Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group (DTTAG) means the body is paralysed to implement change. Leo Fewtrell, general manager, DTTAG explains the challenges he is up against. ATN: Why doesn’t DTTAG have full membership of all the travel trade in Dubai as trade bodies do in other markets? In Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Bahrain, in order to get a license as a travel agent you have to be a member of the travel agent group there. In Dubai you don’t. Unfortunately the Civil Aviation here will not even entertain the idea of supporting us or making it mandatory for agents to join DTTAG. ATN: Why not - given that this model has been successful in other markets? For the rationale that Dubai doesn’t do this kind of thing. We don’t force, we have an open skies policies - which is ludicrous. As I’ve said to them so many times – if you want travel and tourism groups to behave in a proper and respectable manner, you need to regulate the industry for the protection of the end-user. And DTTAG is far less likely to get the body officially recognised while we still only have 60 odd members. ATN: It sounds like a chicken and egg situation. So what is DTTAG doing to bring more travel agent members on board? We are constantly trying to recruit. We write to the agents, email them, phone them every month. We have just now started another push where we have asked each member of the executive committee to recruit another member. We’ve set up a DTTAG linked-in discussion group because we want to encourage people to join. We want people to give their comments in a forum of what the professionals think about the business that they’re in. We’ve just started a DTTAG e-zine. We have a website where we put on special offers - things of interest to the travel trade. We look to get discounts to the travel trade. We are getting more and more things out there. We are not trying to marginalise nonmembers.

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

ATN: Why have you only managed to get 60 members so far? Is it a question of cost? The fee for the majority of the agents is AED2000 a year – if you cannot afford AED 2000 you shouldn’t be in the business. I even did a deal with EmQuest and I got them to agree that they would pay the sponsorship fee for ten agents who are using EmQuest and some of the agents here are so appalling that half of them wouldn’t even send the forms in. People go in to those agencies and buy tickets and the people who are running them are not even capable of filling in a form. Would you buy from them if you knew that? It’s a case of being bone idle and lazy - and yes you can use those words.

To make it work you all have to stick together and travel agents here have found it impossible to stick together over anything over the last 25 years ”

ATN: How important is it that the travel trade in Dubai is regulated? This is desperately needed. The Civil Aviation Authority needs to accept that before they grant a travel agent licence they need to be a member of DTTAG. They are the key to specifying membership of DTTAG as a pre-requisite which is what happens in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi and elsewhere. If that happened we could put in requirements for agencies where we look at their professionalism, as well as ensuring that agencies could make a minimum return on transactions. Without regulation all it does is gives companies the incentive to run away which has happened in the past. They think, why don’t I just sell a thousand tickets at a big discount this week and take the money and run.

We’ve got no power to enforce it. This is what I keep telling the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – how can we have a regulatory body when we can’t enforce anything? We can’t kick anyone out. We can’t suspend anyone’s license.

ATN: Would DTTAG look to regulate the service fees? We came out at a General Body meeting a few years ago and got everybody to agree on transaction fees and service charges. Immediately I was getting calls saying this agency is not doing it, that agency is not doing it.

ATN: How hard is DTTAG pushing for support from the authorities - surely being backed by DNATA must hold some sway? We’ve met with Civil Aviation, met with Chamber of Commerce, met with DTCM - trying to get meetings with them is very tough. And we’ve just got nowhere. It’s of no

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News analysis

given to corporate clients. Could DTTAG work with TMCs to implement this? The one thing I always say to people is: never give credit. If you’re going to give credit give 30 days. If they want more than 30 days put in a penalty clause, an extra two percent interest if it’s over 30 days, five percent if it goes to 60 days as that way at least if you ever don’t get paid from companies that are delaying and delaying, at least you’ll make money, but don’t give more than 30 days. Don’t accept it. The impetus is to get accounts but why get accounts is you’re not going to get paid and your servicing them? The problem is because of the lack of professionalism in the industry. It goes back to the fact that it’s a discount driven market which wasn’t such a problem when airlines paid commission. ATN: Could DTTAG work with agents to bring in those standards? Again in Dubai it’s difficult if you can’t mandate that. But that’s something that if they think we could succeed in that it would be worth attempting – we have not done that in the past but definitely we should raise it.

concern – no interest to them, they are paying lip service to it. We have tried, we keep trying. This is what we deal with on a daily and weekly basis. We are committed to this. ATN: Without official backing is DTTAG a redundant organisation? No. DTTAG does provide a key role – we have a relationship now with IATA that didn’t exist before. Agents used to get no response from IATA and DTTAG has changed that. We provide free training for staff to try to educate, improve and incentivise the staff. There is a rationale to improve the industry

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overall. When the municipality introduces new rules we are the only channel of communication for agents. We provide support to members; we take up issue with the airlines. An individual agency would never be listened to by an airline, but they do at least respond to DTTAG. The strength of DTTAG is although we are not representing the majority of agents, we represent the agents that sell almost 80 percent of business in Dubai. ATN: TMCs are calling for a clampdown across the industry on the credit terms

ATN: What do you ultimately hope to achieve with DTTAG? I’d like the business to be regulated. I want it to be fair. I am very passionate about it, but I believe that you can’t affect change from outside. You have to be within the movement to affect change. You’re not going to do it by standing on the outside. To make it work, you all have to stick together and travel agents here have found it impossible to stick together over anything over the last 25 years. There is a solution; there is an answer to it. If the agents would just for once get themselves together: DTTAG isn’t the best that it could be, but let’s make it the best that it could be. Let’s have our say, let’s all get together and join – let’s have an organisation that comprises the majority of the travel trade and let’s mandate the travel agent heads to go to Civil Aviation on behalf of 200 or 250 agents and represent them – not 50 or 60. DTTAG is so much stronger than any single travel agent here, because we have 60 of the biggest on board. But 60 out of 300 doesn’t have the same impact compared to 200 out of 300.

To join Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group visit www.dttag.com and complete the online form

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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Comment Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

The real cost of money Tim Waddell argues that challenges in managing cash flow are leading to stagnation in the travel industry

hen we talk about service fees in corporate travel management, the majority of the discussion centers around SLAs [Service Level Agreements] to which we, as service providers, agree to be held accountable. Telephone and email response times, best fare guarantees and generated savings are just some of the things hotly negotiated by customers who seek the most for their money. And yet, more and more, it is not the cost of ‘time’ in service delivery that baselines our service fee to clients, but the cost of ‘money’. Cash flow in Travel Management is becoming one of the biggest challenges of the decade. With clients contracted to settle their invoices within an average of thirty days, and BSP [Billing and Settlement plan] requiring payment within seven, it is easy to see understand why the landscape is challenging. But it is the knock-on effect of this cash flow cycle that presents the bigger danger to the industry in the region. While there may ultimately be profit in a business, today’s travel companies are forced to juggle available funds to settle with BSP in a timely manner leaving little room in the budget for things like staff training and technology investment. This is resulting in industry stagnation as many companies cannot finance development and growth, forced to focus instead on meeting the financial rules and regulations of IATA/BSP. Some corporate customers exploit this cash flow weakness, moving their business between multiple agencies and never paying on time. In the traditional set up, where clients settle direct with their TMC, customers who do pay on time suffer at the hands of such debtors. And it is not just airline bookings that

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

Today’s travel companies are forced to juggle available funds to settle with BSP in a timely manner leaving little room in the budget for things like staff training and technology investment. This is resulting in industry stagnation as many companies cannot finance development and growth.” feed the cash flow spiral. The outdated pre-paid voucher system, so prevalent in the region for hotel bookings puts added pressure on travel providers to pre-finance their clients travel and perpetuates a problem that desperately needs a solution. Changes in client behaviour is of course a large part of the fix. TMCs need to work on partnerships with their clients, explaining the benefits of corporate credit cards and what they offer; including insurance, loyalty rewards, cash flow management and potential savings. For clients that are not ready for the benefits of corporate cards, TMCs need to reevaluate their own credit policies; maybe mirroring those of the credit card companies. For example, offering clients 15 days credit in the first three months of a contract and then, if they continue to pay on time, 21 days from month four, and 30 days credit after that. In this way the industry can reward good behaviour and help itself break out from the cash flow cycle that halts its own development. Travel trade associations such as DTTAG

[Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group] can work in the best interests of the industry not only by vetting potential suppliers and protecting the industry from bad behaviour but by supporting agencies, as a group, in blacklisting bad debtor clients, and promoting payment management solutions. As more BSPs across the region move to weekly reconciliation, TMCs will be forced to think strategically when it comes to the costs associated with pre-financing their clients’ travel. Nowhere is this going to more evident in the year ahead than in Dubai, where the introduction of both a larger BSP Bank Guarantee and weekly reconciliation, in Q4, will shake up a market that has survived for too long on easy credit.

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

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In this month’s roundtable debate I was amazed to learn from travel company heads that it’s become standard industry practice for Travel Management Companies to offer their clients months of free credit. TMCs will often wait up to five months before receiving payment for their services (that is if corporates ever get round to paying them at all, which in today’s post-recession environment is apparently an all too familiar situation). Given that travel agents are not qualified bankers, why on earth have they suddenly moved into the money lending business? This is obviously a great situation for clients to be in, but by extending months of free credit TMCs are just becoming a free source of money at their own expense. No doubt corporates know this and happily

factor it in to their own cash management plans . But don’t forget these are businesses far bigger than those of the travel companies they are taking advantage of. And what if the client can’t or won’t pay for the travel in the end? It’s time to clamp down on this behaviour. Travel bosses at the roundtable all agreed that the problem stemmed from a lack of understanding on the customers’ side about changes in the industry since zero commission. Clients need to be properly educated about the fact that travel agents don’t get paid by the airlines anymore, and that just like any other service industry, payment is due promptly upon completion of that service. But it also comes down to professionalism in the industry. If all TMCs got together to work out standarised travel industry credit terms that were implemented across the board, this would mean better incomes for everybody and a chance for the industry to move forward. But this would only work if everyone agreed, and acted as a professional body. Not if one agent saw it as a chance to grab accounts by undercutting everyone else. Cash flow is central to everyone’s survival. It’s time to take control of it. 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: STEERING CLEAR OF ‘DANGER ZONES’ I am taking full advantage of the value for money in Thailand now, flying there for a week’s vacation! I understand that from the end of July for around one month there will be great air fares too, and that is a fantastic time to escape the heat of the UAE for the beaches and greenery. Having lived there, I know how quickly life returns to normal in Thailand after any problems. Personally, I have absolutely no fears for my safety or that violence will break out again.Caroline Tapken

Most areas of Thailand are safe enough for tourists but it must also be stated that the country is in a major political power grab and anything could happen in a very short time frame. Only a year ago another group seized the international airport in Bangkok grounding thousands of tourists from leaving the country. The situation now is even worse and many have warned that Thailand may slide into a civil war with no one knowing what the catalyst may be. Ricefield Radio Thailand

While there were demonstrations as is normal in any democracy, Red Shirt protests are characterised by the violence that accompanies them - assaults, arson, storming of hospitals and private residences, grenade attacks, illegal searches. As long as the State of Emergency prevents a repeat of these disgraceful scenes, Thailand is safe. I currently live in an area under the State of Emergency and can travel freely without intimidation - freedoms I could not enjoy during the Red Shirts’ siege of the city. English bob

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Q&A

Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

Taking the helm Ali Helmi took over as CEO of one of the region’s most established Destination Management Companies, Net Tours at the end of last year. He speaks frankly to ATN about the challenges in the inbound tourism industry. ATN: As the new CEO of Net Tours what are your plans for the company and how is business going at the moment? From the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010 we have improved and gained business. For a good company like Net Tours this [the downturn] will be only a correction, it will never be a bad time. When I took over the company, customer-wise we were very little, but now we are growing every day with new tour operators from Italy, Japan, Germany, Brazil and Spain - you name it. We have a marketing plan, and we will fulfil it. In the meantime we are establishing a good foundation for the company. We are re-structuring the organisation. Before we didn’t have a good foundation for the company. It was a list of names without any organisation. Not only that but we were growing without any HR management, which is very important for any company. There are many things involved in HR apart from hiring and firing people. I am creating a bonus scheme. It means we are not only taking care of salaries we are also taking care of our people so that they serve our clients well and according to our standards.

Ali Helmi, CEO, Net Tours

28 28

Arrabia Ara Arabian bia ian TTravel rrav avvel el New N News ew ws – A August ug ugu u gust g st 20 2 201 2010 010

ATN: What are the biggest challenges facing DMCs and tour operators in Dubai? Right now Dubai is facing a major problem. In the beginning there was a lot of support from the government for DMCs, because DMCs who had been here were few and Dubai at that time was not on the map as a tourism destination. That old generation of DMCs who are local - they consider them selves as ambassadors of their country.

But the competition that came in to the market since 11 or 12 years was not a healthy competition. Why? Because everybody thought he can gain a lot of money, and not by providing the best services. Nowadays it is almost like a jungle, everyone would like to grab business. ATN: How would you like to see standards in the tourism industry improved? I think you have to identify who are the DMCs and who is the travel agent. These are two different catagories with a very big difference. DMCs are the companies who are certified, and not only that but they have their own facilities. They have their own inbound department. Travel agencies can sell tickets, and they can sell safaris. But they don’t have their own fleet, or their own garage. Here in Dubai there are a maximum of ten DMCs with their own inbound department. At Net Tours we have nine departments which include inbound, outbound, local sales, MICE, plus we have an IT department, HR department, accounting and management. So the scope of the organisation is totally different from an ordinary travel agent. I already have one camp and I’m building another camp. I have a fleet of 80 cars. I have my own garage in Al Quoz. How many others have the facilities I’m talking about? There are approximately 527 travel agencies but only five or six that are participating in worldwide exhibitions in order to bring people from all of these places around the world to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. ATN: What impact do you think these smaller operators selling tours are having on the inbound tourism industry? We are struggling right now, because the competition is very hard and you have to reduce the prices, which is a very complicated equation.

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We are struggling right now, because the competition is very hard and you have to reduce the prices, which is a very complicated equation. Added to that there is a governmental company called Arabian Adventures which is supported 100 percent by the government and we cannot compete with them.” Added to that there is a governmental company called Arabian Adventures which is supported 100 percent by the government and we cannot compete with them. We can’t actually even come close to them - I don’t mean service wise, but rates wise. And that is the dilemma. That is the where we are right now. ATN: In what way does Arabian Adventures receive preferential treatment over other DMCs operating in the market? We don’t own hotels, but they do. They have their own flights with Emirates which is additional value for them. We try to sell Emirates but we will never get the same rates as them - it’s a fact. This is a monopoly and I’m sorry to say this came from other countries where they found this experience is very wrong. For example in Egypt, Egypt Air used to be merged with Master Travel but after 15 years they found that this was not the correct way. So they sold Master Travel. The government doesn’t own its travel and tourism company now. They found after 15 years that this is not working. ATN: What kind of government support what you like to receive at Net Tours? The kind of support we are looking for right now: I will tell you frankly. Give us the same support as Arabian Adventures. Let me grow and give me the same facilities. They have been given land for their operations - give me these same facilities. We don’t mind Arabian Adventures being with us, but there should not be any monopoly in that side. We don’t mind if they are part of the Emirates Group but it should not be given exclu-

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sively that Arabian Adventures can meet and assist their clients and the Marhaba service is forced on behalf of all the other tour operators. Now we cannot meet and greet our own customers in the airport, we are forced and obliged to sign a contract with Marhaba - which is a branch of Arabian Adventures. It will never improve the travel and tourism industry. ATN: In such competitive market conditions, what helps you stand out at Net Tours? Our ideology at Net Tours is not only about money. It’s about how to represent the country with the best services, with the best dress with the best attitude, not only to our clients but all over the world when we represent Dubai or the UAE at exhibitions. ATN: Is it difficult to provide this high service standard if you are forced to compete on price? In the beginning it’s a challenge but the issue here is how to calculate your costs. You have to know very well where you make you can effectively cut costs. If you provide low quality food in your camps your clients will get sick, and not only that they can sue you. So you have to keep this at a high level. If it is not food then it is salaries. Nowadays accommodation has come down, two years ago it cost you a third of your salary. Right now its 23-25 percent of your salary so the reduction is quite big, and that’s where I can save. We rented a camp for all of our employees so they began to be happy, more productive, and they can now work more than ten hours instead of nine hours.

ATN: How do your staff at Net Tours feel about the changes that have taken place? The most important thing to us here is the working environment. This is a family business. We are not here sitting here just to manage and give instructions - we are a team. Two days ago I went to take some shopping for the camp. Why did I go there? Because I am one of the team. If the people we call the ‘frontier staff’ who meet the clients – our guides and our drivers - if they feel confident and happy how will they service they clients? Positively and happily. So this positive attitude will give a good impression to the clients. If my clients are served properly every day they will come back. It’s not about money, it’s not about prices. It’s about hospitality. A company’s assets are not the chairs, not the computers it’s the human beings, it’s the service.

ABOUT NET TOURS • Net Tours was established in 1989 by Abdul Hakim Obaid Mohd Albudoor. • It is the oldest and largest private tour operator in Dubai. • It has offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar. • Net Tours caters to FITs and groups for leisure, business and MICE providing a whole spectrum of tours such as desert safaris, dhow dinner cruises, city and mountain tours. • It forms part of Net Group which has a number of specialised divisions including: Net Conference and Conventions, Net Cruises and Net Golf.

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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How to sell News analysis

How to sell: Eid breaks

Eid breaks

Ultimate

escapes

Eid al-Fitr - or the end of Ramadan - is set to begin around September 10 this year. Here’s how to sell an Eid break escape with a difference. Germany: Best for culture lovers

Festival hop in Germany WHY GO: At this time of year the festivals in Germany are in full swing and with Germany being such a fun loving and cultural nation you are guaranteed a good time. Germany is embracing the Ramadan spirit with Berlin hosting a special Ramadan festival “Nächte des Ramadan” (Nights of Ramadan) from 13 August to 12 September where both Muslims and non-Muslims will be able to celebrate together. The cultural festival includes concerts, films, readings, dance and culinary delights Head to Berlin for from Morocco to Turkey and the Ramadan Festival from Syria to China, which give and Hannover for the International Fireworks an insight into different Muslim Festival held in the beautiful cultures. Herrenhausen Gardens

HOW TO SELL How to get there: There are no direct flights from the Middle East to Hannover, but the city is extremely well connected by air, rail and autobahn to all major German and European cities, including Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, Paris, London, Istanbul.

TOP TIP

TOP PICK: With Germany being such a perennial favourite among the GCC audience, this year its time to suggest a new destination to clients who might think they have ‘been there done that’. Hannover is emerging as a stand-out Eid getaway. The city best known for hosting trade fairs has some fantastic attractions and is making a huge push towards targeting the Middle East market. WHAT’S ON AT EID? During the Eid period, Hannover will be laying on a host of family festivals and free entertainment including the famous International Fireworks Festival on 18 September at the Herrenhausen Gardens. This eye-popping pyrotechnical display, set to music is an unmissable spectacle. Other events include the Herbfestival Herrenhausen, 10 - 12 September, an outdoor festival celebrating the best of autumn, featuring cooking demonstrations, markets,

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The lake at Herrenhausen Gardens

and entertainment, and TANZtheatre International, 1-11 September: featuring the world’s most exciting contemporary dance theatre groups. According to Udo Sass, senior vice president, Aviation, Hannover Airport, for visitors who have not yet experienced Hannover, Eid is the perfect time to come to the city. “Hannover is Germany’s best kept secret and makes for the perfect family destination either as a stand-alone destination, or due to the excellent connections of Hannover Airport to all major destinations in Europe, in combination with another German or European city,” he says. WHO TO SELL TO: “Travel agents should sell this destination to Arab and Asian families, especially those already planning to visit Germany or Europe, but looking for a couple of days to visit somewhere new,” says Sass.

Where to stay: Kastens Hotel Luisenhof; Courtyard by Marriott Hannover Maschsee; Maritim Grand Hotel Hannover; Mercure Hotel Hannover Mitte Sample packages: Al Rais Travel is offering a special ‘Hannover Fireworks Festival package’ which includes hotel accommodation for three nights, daily breakfast, airport transfers, Hannover city tour, entrance to the fireworks festival and a picnic package at the festival. +971 4 393 3333 / www.alrais.com Visas: EU nationals do not need a visa. Nationals from most other countries need a Schengen Visa. Useful link: www.germanytourism.de

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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How to sell: Eid breaks

TOP TIP With its diverse, tropical scenery from volcanos to ancient forests, the Seychelles provides adventure not just a beach flop. This is the ideal sell for clients looking to get out and do some exploring.

Seychelles: Best for luxury and activity seekers

Take a tropical island break The Maldives is still the number one Indian Ocean destination for GCC travellers seeking a luxury getaway. But while its perfect for romance and honeymooners with its tiny atolls and one-island resorts – for clients looking to combine luxury with a more active break they might want to consider Seychelles or Mauritius which offer more diverse scenery and a plethora of exciting activities. WHY GO? With its crystal clear waters, uninhabited islands, secluded beaches and protected nature reserves Seychelles offers the ultimate luxury Eid break. “The unique selling points of the Seychelles have been confirmed and reconfirmed in surveys as being what tourists from the GCC countries are looking for,” says Alain St. Ange, director of tourism marketing, Seychelles Tourism Board. “The appealing year round summer climate, the privacy of the Seychelles beaches, the cleanliness of the islands, the safety of the Seychelles and the affordable experience these unique midocean creole islands offer.” This is the option for visitors looking to get away from it all in a secluded paradise. Guests can choose to stay on the mainland at Mahé, or travel to one of the many island resorts via seaplane or boat. “The privacy of our visitors is and remains the driving mission of all the hotels,” says St. Ange. “Seychelles remains one of the few countries of the world where the concept of ‘personalised tourism’ is practiced. Seychelles is able to

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

claim that concept because it is not and will never be a mass tourism destination. No charter flights land in the Seychelles and the islands are not after the hundreds of thousands in visitor arrival numbers because that would make the island just another destination welcoming tourists.” WHAT’S ON AT EID? As well as stunning beaches, Seychelles offers an array of activities including diving and snorkeling, sailing, fishing, hiking, spas, cycling and golf. Island hopping is a popular activity as it provides the opportunity to visit vastly different environments - rocky granite islands one minute, dark green jungles and sandy beaches the next. Agents can sell Seychelles as one of the last untouched island destinations - advise customers to visit the region while it is still a secluded paradise.

HOW TO SELL How to get there: Emirates from Dubai seven times weekly and Qatar Airways from Doha four times weekly. Where to stay: Luxury five-star resorts offering private villas include: Banyan Tree Seychelles; Constance Ephelia Resort; Fregate; Four Seasons Resorts; Hilton Seychelles Northole Resort & Spa; Le Meridien Fishermans Cove and Denis Island Resort Sample packages: Maia Luxury Resort & Spa situated on a private peninsula on the island of Mahe offers 30 spacious and private hilltop and beachfront villas, each with a dedicated butler and a private pool. Maia has a ‘Stay four nights pay for three offer’, including daily breakfast and one complimentary dinner per person, per day. The offer is valid until 25 December 2010 reservations@southernsun.sc / www.maia.com.sc Visas: All nationalities can obtain a visa free of charge on arrival at Mahé International Airport as long as they hold a passport that is valid for six months from date of entry, proof of accommodation, sufficient funds and an onward flight ticket. Useful link: www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles offers guests a secluded paradise

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REGIONAL NEWS

How to sell: Eid breaks

Mauritius: Best for eco-adventures and family fun

Visit a natural paradise WHY GO? “Mauritius offers something for everybody,” says Dr Karl Mootoosamy, director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority. While the destination has stunning beaches there is more to it than sunbathing. Activities include scuba diving - there are more than 30 dive sites, snorkelling in crystal clear waters around the world’s third largest coral reef which surrounds the island; golf – there are eight 18-hole or five 9-hole golf courses; deep sea fishing; and for those that want to be pampered a large choice of spas including some of the world’s most famous brand names such as Clarins, Givenchy, Guerlain, La Prairie and Shisheido. TOP PICK: For nature lovers, Mauritius is a paradise. Top things to do include hiking round the Black River National Park, the biggest nature reserve on the island extending over 6,754 hectares, which is home to around 311 species of native and endemic flowering plants and nine species of birds that can only be found in Mauritius; and visiting the Chamarel Waterfall which plunges more than 100m against a scenic backdrop of forests and Mauritus is a nature mountains.

TOP TIP

lovers paradise. The Black River National Park - the biggest nature reserve on the island is home to an array of plants and birds that can only be found in Mauritius

WHERE TO STAY: There are over 100 hotels to choose from. A number of major brands have opened in Mauritius such as Oberoi, Four Seasons and the One & Only Le Saint Géran. The St. Regis Mauritius Resort will be in service by the end of the year. WHAT’S ON AT EID? “Obviously, Eid is a time for families and unlike other paradise islands; Mauritius has a very wide choice of things to do,” says Mootoosamy. “For the family, most hotels offer kids clubs, entertainment, an amazing choice of food (including halal), and water sports. But there’s plenty to do away from the hotel such as hiking, cycling, nature parks, diving, shopping, golf, dolphin watching, walking with lions, horse riding, excursions, and deep sea fishing.” He adds: “Mauritius has a pleasantly tropical climate with daytime temperatures averaging 22 degrees during Eid time, an ideal escape from the intense heat of the Gulf area.” WHO TO SELL TO: “Mauritius will appeal to all including couples looking for an exclusive getaway to families looking to have fun,” says Mootoosamy. “Most of the five-star properties offer apartments or private villas, ideal for larger families.”

HOW TO SELL How to get there: Emirates flies 9 times a week from Dubai. Sample Packages: Shanti Ananda Maurice is a heavenly hideaway located on a natural beach and surrounded by lush forests in the southern most unspoilt part of Mauritius. With 61 villas and suites, Shanti Maurice offers exceptional privacy. For couples or single travellers, the worldrenowned Ananda Spa is the perfect place to restore harmony and balance. The resort is offering 50 percent off double occupancy until 31 October 2010. Reservations@shantiananda.mu / www.shantimaurice.com Visas: Most nationalities including Gulf Arabs, Indians and Europeans, don’t need visas.

MALDIVES: EID OFFER A newcomer to the Maldives resort scene is Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa – the first luxury resort in the Maldives located south of the equator. The all-villa resort includes nearly two kilometers of sandy beach. The five different accommodation styles range from private ocean retreats to tropical tree houses – a first for the Maldives. A unique aspect to this resort is that guests can explore by bicycle the five neighbouring islands connected by a 17-kilometre road. The resort is a 70-minute flight from Malé and an eight-minute boat ride from Gan Airport on Addu Atoll. Eid package: The resort has a special four-night package valid from 8 -18 September 2010 from US$1,050 per night. Valid for Beach Villa and Deluxe Pool Villa stays, it includes: one complimentary night, return domestic flights from Malé to Gan for two, daily breakfast for two, one complimentary Arabic dinner, two complimentary extra beds for children under the age of 12 and a discount of 25 per cent on the second villa rate when booked for the same party. reservations.slmd@shangri-la.com / www.shangri-la.com.

Mauritius is surrounded by crystal clear waters

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August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

How to sell: Eid breaks

Kenya: Best for a family adventure

Take an African safari WHY GO? Kenya is known as the ‘Safari Capital of the World’ offering both spectacular scenery and wildlife. This is classic Africa, a land of rolling savannah, beautiful lakes and big sky. And being just a short hop from the Middle East it makes the ideal Eid break destination. “With excellent flight access and a short four-and-a-half hours flight, Kenya makes an ideal short break for GCC visitors,” says John Chirchir, regional marketing manager, Emerging Markets, Kenya Tourist Board. WHAT’S ON AT EID? The Eid break is the perfect time to come to Kenya as the famous wildebeest migration - when millions of animals migrate from the Serengeti into the Maasai Mara usually takes place Kenya is the safari capital of the world between July and September. Utterly unique, this is one of the most WHO TO SELL TO: Kenya is the ideal sell for spectacular natural occurrences in the clients who have never been on a safari. It world. Each year around 1.5 million wil- also suits time-poor travellers looking for a debeest and 300,000 zebra and antelope long weekend adventure. “Kenya has been gather up their young and start their long gaining in popularity among GCC resitrek from Tanzania’s Serengeti Plains, fur- dents for its luxury weekend escapes and ther north to Kenya’s Masai Mara National nature retreats,” says Chirchir. “AdditionReserve. They go in search of food and ally, the Swahili culture most prevalent water. The wildlife spectacle is unparal- along Kenya’s coast is steeped in Arabic traleled - a continuous charging mass ditions making much of its exotic mix of animals that stretches from very welcoming and familiar. With one horizon to the other. One 25 percent (or 10 million) of the The annual wildebeest way to watch the show is from population being Muslims, migration is one of the world’s most spectacular a hot air balloon floating hovHalal cuisine and Islamic tranatural occurrences. The best ering over the Masai Mara ditions are also widely underway to watch it is from a hot air balloon hovering plains. stood and catered for.”

TOP TIP

HOW TO SELL How to get there: Kenya Airways flies daily from Dubai; Emirates Airlines flies twice daily from Dubai; Air Arabia flies three times a week from Sharjah; Saudi Arabian Airlines flies daily from Jeddah, Egypt Air flies five times a week from Cairo and Qatar Airways flies daily from Doha. Where to stay: Accommodation options range from luxury tented camps and five-star hotels and resorts to camping safaris. Kenya’s luxury lodges or camps are a once in a lifetime experience. The Governnors Camp, Masai Mara is one of the top luxury safari camps located on the site once reserved for Kenya’s colonial Governors. www.governorscamp.com Visas: Visas are now required by all visitors to Kenya. Visas (US$50) are valid for three months and can be obtained on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

over the Masai Mara plains.

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

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How to sell: Eid breaks

Desert: Best for relaxing and unwinding

Escape into the dunes WHY GO? For clients that don’t want to spend hours on a flight to a faraway destination and are looking for somewhere closer to home to relax and unwind, a truly luxury desert retreat such as Qasr Al Sarab provides the ultimate Eid escape. The stunning desert retreat, run by Anatara is located amidst the golden red sand dunes of the Liwa desert. The resort was recently awarded two international awards at New York’s Hospitality Design Awards and since opening only in November last year, has been recognised with top accolades from around the world including making it into Condé Nast Traveller UK’s 2010 Hot List. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The resort is located in the Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali), the world’s largest stretch of uninterrupted desert, which extends from the UAE into Oman, Saudi Arabia andYemen. The drive up to the resort itself can-

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Abu Dhabi’s Empty Quarter is one of Earth’s hottest, driest, and least hospitable environments. Remind clients to be prepared for the heat, to take sunscreen and headscarves for outdoor not fail to awe any visitor. Perched desert valley where you can watch activities.

on a sand dune, a winding ten kilIometre drive through the windswept dunes, its hard to imagine a more difficult place to build a hotel and there is an incredible sense of anticpation which builds as you wind your way through the dunes towards the hotel entrance. Stretching for over a mile into the desert, the sheer scale of the development is impressive. The resort itself has been designed to resemble a traditional Arabian fort and the architects worked with staff at Al Ain museum to ensure its authenticity. Totally isolated from the rest of civilisation the resort feels like fortress marooned in the midst of the desert. ACCOMODATION: Qasr Al Sarab offers the ultimate in five-star luxury. All the rooms are beautifully appointed with hand-crafted Arabian furnishings, and stunning views of the

AL MAHA DESERT RESORT As a Dubai desert alternative Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa is surrounded by some of the region’s most spectacular desert landscape, and wildlife. The resort is also the only resort in Dubai that offers all meals and two desert-based activities per night’s stay, inclusive in the rates. Meals can be taken in the stunning Al Diwaan restaurant overlooking the desert and the Hajar mountains, and desert activities on offer include falconry, guided nature walks, desert safaris, wildlife drives, horse riding, camel treks and archery. After a day of discovery, guests can unwind in their Bedouininspired suite, each with its own private, temperature-controlled swimming pool and a sundeck. Eid package: Al Maha is running an Eid promotion which offers guests half price on every second night of stay. The offer is valid from 8 – 30 September and includes full board and two desert-based activities per night’s stay. Tel: +971 4 303 4222 / almaha@emirates.com

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the sun disappear behind the dunes at the end of the day. The spacious marble bathrooms are particularly indulgent, with rain showers and enormous sunken bathtubs. The property offers 154 rooms in varying room types, from Deluxe with balcony or terrace in two wings off the main body of the hotel. There is also a separate complex of one-, two- and three-bedroom villas with their own living and dining areas, a 24 hour butler service, rain showers, outdoor terraces and private plunge pools - a perfect way to escape the desert heat. WHAT’S ON AT EID? This is the place to come to completely get away from it all. The Anatara Spa offers Thai massages by Thai staff. Other activities at the resort include trekking through the desert by foot, camel, or airconditioned 4x4.

HOW TO SELL How to get there: Qasr Al Sarab is located 90 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi’s capital, three hours drive from Dubai. Sample packages: Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort has a Ramadan package with a room rate of AED 700 subject to 10 percent service charge and 6 percent tourism fee The offer is valid until 13th September reservationsqas@anantara.com / +971 2 886 2088

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

How to sell How to News analysis sell: Jordan

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The summer promotions and Ramadan deals are heating up. Here’s a selection of some of the great hotel deals on offer.

Ritz Carlton Middle East

Aloft Abu Dhabi

Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort

Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts in Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Sharm El Sheikh have a ‘Peace of Mind’ package which offers guests either a three night stay for the price of two; five nights for the price of three; and a week for the price of four nights (The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai is offering the package to guests staying four nights for the price of three only). The packages include deluxe accommodation, daily breakfast for two, airport transfers and Ritz Kids special activities program for youngsters or complimentary resort access. It runs until September 10, 2010. www.ritzcarlton.com/MiddleEast

Aloft Abu Dhabi, set in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre has launched the Summer A+ Hotelier rate especially for hoteliers. A spectacular Aloft room rate of AED 325 net on single & double occupancy including breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi internet. For an additional AED200 the offer can be upgraded to a Sweet Suite. The offer is valid until 11 September 2010 and is applicable for Abu Dhabi and Dubai Hotelier staff upon presentation of Hotel ID. +971 2 654 5100 / reservations.aloftabudhabi@alofthotels.com (quote promotional code: HOTELIER)

Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah is offering a Ramadan package from AED 349 per person per night on twin sharing basis including taxes, Iftar and suhour during weekdays until 8 September 2010. For every two nights stay, the third night is free. The offer includes buffet breakfast and lunch or dinner. Two kids under 12 can stay free with parents including meals. Iftars are held in the traditional Ramadan tents, ‘Layali Al Aqah’, with the majestic Hajar Mountains providing a breathtaking backdrop. +971 9 244 9000 / reservations@lemeridien-alaqah.com

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

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Hot summer offers

Raffles Dubai

Hilton Dubai Jumeirah

Rosewood Corniche

Raffles Dubai has a special summer offer for UAE residents on its 70 square metre Signature Rooms, starting from AED 777. The offer is valid until 8 September and includes breakfast for two and a late checkout of 4pm. In addition, the sophisticated 150 square metre Diplomatic Suites and the 205 square metre Landmark Suites reflecting the hallmarks of residential charm are available for those seeking to indulge in their own private residential sanctuary. The summer rate is designed for UAE residents looking to retreat from the city into a calm, lavish ambience. +971 4 324 8888 / bookus.dubai@raffles.com

Hilton Dubai is celebrating its ten year anniversary with an ‘Experience of a Decade’ package available for its Executive rooms with a special rate of AED800 per night for a minimum five night stay. It includes two signature spa treatments, a three-course dinner for two at Pachanga, and access to the Executive Lounge with free flowing house beverages, special breakfast buffet and unlimited snacks throughout the day. Guests will also be “showered with luxuries” throughout their stay including complimentary airport transfers. The offer is valid until 31 October. +97143182111/reservations.dubai@hilton.com

Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is offering a summer promotion for GCC families and Jeddah residents of SAR1,149, based on two people sharing and excluding service charge. The offer runs until 10 August and includes buffet breakfast at the Habsburg restaurant, personalised butler service and VIP amenities including access to the rooftop pool.Rosewood also invites Muslim guests to make the most of their proximity to the Holy City of Mecca by using the hotel’s special Umrah trips service with prices starting from SAR1,000 for five hour limo hire. + 966 2 257 8888 /www.hotelcorniche.com

City Seasons Dubai

Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah

Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh

The City Seasons Hotel Dubai has a ‘Summer Advantage’ promotion which offers guests one free night for every three that are paid for. Rates will be best available rate upon check-in. The offer is valid until September 10 2010. Meanwhile. City Seasons Suites is also offering ‘stay-four-paythree’, ‘stay-seven and pay-five’ and ‘stay ten nights and pay seven’ deals over the summer. Rates will be best available rate upon check-in. Offer is valid until September 15 2010. +971 4 294 2 777 / sales@cityseasonshotel.com

The Coral Beach Resort in Sharjah is running its “$1 promotion” again throughout the summer. The offer consists of two nights stay for AED 599 net (single or double room) and the third night for only $1. The offer includes breakfast, tax and service charges. Coral Beach Resort is located 15-minutes from Sharjah International Airport and 45-minutes from Dubai International Airport and is a family friendly resort offering activities for all ages including watersports and a Kid’s Club. + 971 6 522 9999 / www.coral-beachresortsharjah.com

In celebration of its 10th anniversary this year, the luxury Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel in Riyadh is offering a selection of special summer offers for guests which are valid until September 2010. Summer rates at the hotel, which is linked to the adjoining Al Faisaliah Centre start from SR1095 for a Superior Room single or double occupancy. A number of tailored packages are also available that include the signature Friday brunch at La Brasserie, and Iftar and Souhour offerings during Ramadan. +966 1 273 2000 / www.alfaisaliahhotel.com

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August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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VISIT LONDON

An aerial view of Central London.

Welcome to London ondon is a city of wonderful contradictions. Fast-paced yet blissfully serene. Steeped in a thousand years of tradition yet constantly renewing itself. Loved for its iconic buildings and attractions yet with surprises around every corner. In short, London is that rarest of beasts – a world-famous city that never disappoints. And there’s never been a better time to visit. With the London 2012 Olympic Games fast-approaching, there’s an incredible energy and excitement about the city. A surge of investment is seeing a wave of restaurant and hotel launches, multi-million pound improvements to the transport system and the construction of amazing new shopping areas. Opening in the next few months is One New Change. Set opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral, this new shopping mall will boast an amazing roof-top terrace with spectacu-

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

lar views of Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece. On Oxford Street, Park House, situated directly opposite Selfridges and encased in a glass roof, will be home to three floors of high-end shops and will open in 2011. And when it starts welcoming customers next spring, Westfield Stratford City will be Europe’s largest retail complex. With over 60 different national cuisines, and restaurants to suit every budget, London is a magnet for food lovers. And when it comes to fine dining the choices are truly mouth-watering. Almost 50 London restaurants have Michelin stars, while this summer saw the launch of the hotly-anticipated new restaurant by one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, Pierre Koffmann. Meanwhile, on October 4th, the London Restaurant Festival begins, with hundreds of restaurants throwing open their doors and serving up specially-created Festival

Menus. It’s set to be a fabulous food fortnight. There’s an incredible vibrancy in the arts too. Most of London’s world-famous museums are already free to visit, while new galleries and exhibition spaces are popping up every week. Sports lovers are always in for a treat when they spend time in the capital. The summer sees the Wimbledon tennis tournament, international cricket, as well as the highlight of the racing season, the Derby (Epsom Downs racecourse is just 30 minutes from London) and the world famous season of races at Ascot. Meanwhile there’s Premiership football and rugby throughout the autumn, winter and spring. London truly is a city for all seasons and all tastes. Alive with activity seven days a week, it’s the kind of place that’s very easy to fall in love with and very hard to say goodbye to. Please visit: www.visitlondon.com

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London rom the splendour of its palaces to the gory history of the Tower of London to an amazing collection of Princess Diana’s dresses, London has an abundance of royal attractions. Here are a few of the most popular: Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official residence when she’s in London. If the Union Jack flag is flying above the palace, she’s at home. If you’d like to take a peek inside, buy a ticket for the Annual Summer Opening of the State Rooms, which takes place between August and September every year. The popularity of Diana, Princess of Wales, endures even a decade after her untimely death. Kensington Palace was her official home in London. The Palace is currently undergoing a huge restoration programme and is currently hosting an unusual exhibition called the Enchanted Palace looking at the lives of all the princesses who have lived there. In the shadow of the stunning Tower Bridge, take a tour with one of the Yeoman Warders around the Tower of London, one of the

world’s most famous buildings. Discover its 900-year history as a royal palace, prison and place of execution. Gaze up at the White Tower, tiptoe through a medieval king’s bedchamber and marvel at the Crown Jewels. Hampton Court Palace was the residence of England’s notoriously fickle monarch, King Henry VIII. Each of his six wives stayed here, indeed this is where he proposed to Jane Seymour, his third wife. Inside, costumed guides bring the palace’s 500 years of royal history to life. Outside in the formal gardens, you can have fun getting lost in the magnificent maze. There are concerts and exhibitions to be enjoyed, while the palace is also home to the Royal School of Embroidery and hosts the Hampton Court Flower Show. Kew Palace and its famous gardens were home to the British royal family in the 1600s. The palace boasts an eclectic collection of royal treasures, including an early wooden jigsaw of the world. You’ll also love Queen Charlotte’s Cottage. Nestled in the trees nearby, it was built for the royal family to take afternoon tea.

Hampton Court Palace, the former home of British monarchs, including Henry VIII and his six wives.

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Try afternoon tea at the Langham Hotel’s Palm Court, the place where this wonderful tradition was born over 140 years ago.

London or lovers of the finer things in life, there’s no better city in the world than London. Here are a few highlights, from pampering, to eating out, to sleeping in style: Head to New Bond Street. Popular with celebrities on a spree, it is one of the city’s most exclusive shopping areas. Well worth a look is the recently-redesigned Louis Vuitton store. Designed by flamboyant architect Peter Marino at a cost of £30m, it is surely one of the most opulent places in the world to buy a handbag. At the end of a long day’s shopping, it’s time to relax. Head to the Ritz or to Claridge’s for high tea. Or try the Palm Court at the Langham Hotel. It’s here that this quintessential English tradition was born over 140 years ago. And its standards haven’t dropped – it was recently awarded the Tea Guild’s ‘Top London Afternoon Tea 2010’ award. Alternatively, treat yourself to a bit of pampering. The Mandarin Oriental hotel is home to a spa used by the stars (Jennifer Aniston is said to use it when she’s in London). Or you could go to see Leighton Denny at Harrods. Joan Collins is just one of the stars who can’t resist his jewel-encrusted manicures and expert pedicures. Meanwhile Arezoo’s Salon – also in

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

Harrods – is famed for fine-tuning the faces, eyes and skin of some of the world’s most famous women. For dinner, the choices are almost endless. There are dozens of restaurants with Michelin stars. Among those that have two are The Ledbury, Le Gavroche, Hibiscus and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley. Meanwhile, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester both have three. When it comes to hotels, London is second to none, with 2011 seeing the completion of multi-million pound refurbishments at some of the capital’s best-loved hotels. The renovation of the Savoy started in 2007 and is one of the most ambitious hotel projects ever undertaken. Celebrated designer Yves Rochon led the restoration project, revitalising the hotel’s core Art Deco style while also infusing a contemporary feel. The W London - Leicester Square enjoys a prime location in the heart of the West End. Opened in the autumn of 2010, it is an ideal spot from which to explore the area’s theatres, cinemas and nightlife. The Dorchester Collection has also opened a new hotel. Named 45 Park Lane, it will be offer 46 rooms, be the eighth venue in the brand’s portfolio and be situated only yards from sister hotel The Dorchester.

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Trafalgar Square, home of Nelson’s Column and the National Gallery.

rom north to south and from east to west, London is packed with world-famous must-see attractions. For those interested in culture, the arts and the capital’s history, here are a few recommended activities. Each mini-itinerary is centred on one area of London. Trafalgar Square. Top of the bill has to be the vast National Gallery. Free to enter and home to countless masterpieces it would be easy to spend an entire day wandering its galleries. On the east side of the square is the beautiful St Martin’s in the Fields Church. Drop in for one of its popular lunchtime recitals, or get a bite to eat in the well-kept secret that is its excellent ‘café in the crypt’. And of course Trafalgar Square itself is a wonderful place to soak up the atmosphere of London as you gaze up at Nelson’s Column. A couple of hundred metres away is Leicester Square, the gateway to London’s ‘Theatreland’. Visit the ‘tkts’ booth for half-

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price tickets to top West End shows. The booth offers discounted theatre tickets on the day of the show. Greenwich. One of the most picturesque parts of London, Greenwich simply oozes history. It’s here you’ll find the Cutty Sark (opening again in early 2011 after extensive restoration work has been completed), the Royal Observatory (home of Greenwich Mean Time) and the National Maritime Museum.

Don’t miss Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Bankside. Just a few decades ago, Bankside was home to a disused power station (now Tate Modern), and derelict Victorian wharf buildings (now Pickfords Wharf, which is teaming with restaurants and eateries). Today the area is a cultural hotspot, with most visitors making their pilgrimage to Tate Modern, London’s cathedral to modern art. But while in the area, don’t miss Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Vinopolis (a homage to wine), Clink Prison (London’s oldest jail) and everyone’s favourite horror attraction, London Dungeon. South Kensington. South Kensington is where you’ll find three of London’s biggest museums: the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum. Just to the north lies the Royal Albert Hall, the ultimate London concert venue. Cross over the road into Hyde Park to take in the Victorian splendour of the Albert Memorial.

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

How to sell How to News analysis sell: Jordan

REGIONAL NEWS

Think of Jordan and what automatically springs to mind? Petra of course. But there’s so much more to offer your clients in this fascinating country. Monika Grzesik went to Jordan to find out what.

ention Jordan and for most travel agents two things will automatically spring to mind: Petra and the Dead Sea. And while it’s true that Petra is without doubt one of the most spectacular sights in the Middle East, and the Dead Sea, one of the most unique, there is so much more to discover in this fascinating country. At some of Jordan’s lesser-known places you can explore the rock formations at Wadi Rum, see Roman ruins at Jerash; find sun, sea, sand and diving on the coast at Aqaba, not to mention a captivating combination of ancient and contemporary life in Jordan’s vibrant capital city of Amman. “For many visitors, Jordan is only Petra but when they visit they are surprised to see that

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

Petra - which is indeed a world wonder - is only a gateway to what Jordan offers its visitors,” says Saed Zawaideh, regional marketing coordinator Jordan Tourism Board (JTB). JTB is now making a major effort to ensure that the country’s other attractions are not overlooked by tourists, with a branding strategy focusing on six diversified experiences; history and culture, leisure and wellness, fun and adventure, religion and faith, eco and nature and MICE. “‘Jordan Takes You Beyond’, is our slogan and how we brand Jordan,” says Zawaideh. “JTB has been marketing Wadi Rum as an adventure destination for adventure and nature lovers, Jerash which is the most preserved Roman city outside Rome, Ajloun

which combines both the nature and history experiences, and many more touristic sites within our 11 international representative offices,” he explains. “The government is also providing facilities and resources to make tourism a more developed sector with infrastructural developments such as different category hotel facilities and enhanced roads and services.” Last year, according to JTB, Jordan received around 1 million visitors from the GCC region, with the majority arriving during the summer months. “We are noticing an increased interest in Jordan from neighbouring countries such as Syria and Lebanon, so we are focusing now on attracting more visitors from there,” adds Zawaideh.

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How to sell: Jordan

Jordan

AMMAN Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city of total contrast. On the one hand, Amman is a modern, progressive Arabic city with trendy bars, cafés and restaurants and a buzzing nightlife. But you don’t have to look hard to find evidence of the past, all over the city, such as the ancient Roman Citadel which looks down on the city from its posiRecommend clients visit the Royal Automobile tion on Jebel al-Qala’a, the Museum to discover the highest hill in Amman. history of Jordan through a quirky display of the Unlike cities in the Gulf, Royal family’s cars www. glass skycrapers are few and royalautomuseum.jo far between. The architecture in Amman has a traditional feel as local law dictates that all houses have to be built from the same local stone in a uniform white colour to a certain height. The overall feel of the city is laid back and The city of Amman is built on a series of hills out of almost uniform local white stone. liberal. In the evening cafes in the downtown area come alive, and although Jordan WHERE TO STAY: is an Islamic state, the country is proud of Le Royal Amman (+962 6 460 3000 /www. its ethnically and religiously diverse popu- leroyal.com); Le Meridien Amman Hotel lation. Jordan is a very tolerant country and (+962 6 569 6511 /www.lemeridienamman. alcohol can be bought freely. com); Landmark Amman Hotel & conferTop things to do in Amman include a ence Centre (+962 6 560 7100 / www.landvisit to the Royal Automobile musem, markamman.com; InterContinental Jordan and a visit to the downtown souks. (+962 6 464 1361 / www.intercontinental.com).

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JERASH Just 40 minutes drive from Amman, the city of Jerash is one of the best preserved examples in the Middle East of an ancient Roman city. With its triumphal arches, majestic theatres and half fallen columns Jerash has survived incredibly through time. In ancient times, Jerash had a population of about 20,000 inhabitants and its citizens prospered from the agricultural land surrounding the city. The city is so well preserved, that wandering round the ruins, it’s very easy to imagine life there 2000 years ago – the centre bustling with shops and merchants, the thousands of spectators seated on the stone steps of the hippodrome. You can even see ancient track marks from carriages in the stone. Not to miss is the daily Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE) staged by the Jerash Heritage Company at the Hippodrome The show runs twice a day (11am and 3pm) everyday except Fridays and features forty-five legionaires in full armour displaying drill and battle tactics, ten gladiators fighting to the death and Roman chariots competing in a classical seven lap race around the the ancient hippodrome. www.jerashchariots.com

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TOP TIP Remind clients to take plenty of water and sunscreen with them for walking around the ruins in the heat.

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

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How to sell: Jordan

AJLOUN For clients looking to escape the daily grind and really get back to nature, a visit to Ajloun Nature Reserve should be added on to every Jordan itinerary. Located north of Amman in the Ajloun highlands - with its rolling hills, pine forests and olive groves the 13 square kilometre reserve is reminiscent of Mediterranean hill country. The views over the Jordan valley are awe-inspiring, and it’s possible to encounter all sorts of wild animals in the forests, from Roe Deer to birdlife, as well as explore ancient sites, local villages, water mills and forts dotted around the area. The reserve is managed and protected by The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature Recommend that clients (RSCN). Visitors can camp visit Ajloun Castle. The castle was built in 1184 to protect the onsite at the reserve or trade routes between Jordan stay in eco-friendly caband Syria. From the top of the ins in the middle of the forcastle, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the est. The accommodation is Jordan Valley. fairly basic, but entirely ade-

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The ancient Ajloun Castle offers awe-inspiring views over the Jordan Valley

quate for a few nights. And without phones, TV’s, cars, roads or any real noise except the sounds of nature this is the place to get away from it all and immerse yourself into the utter tranquility of nature. Activities on offer at the reserve include hiking through the woodland on various nature trails (guides from RSCN are available

to take visitors around) and visits to local RSCN community projects such as a calligraphy workshop (where local women will show you how to write your name in Arabic calligraphy) and an organic soap-making house. All the proceeds of these projects go straight back into the local community. www.rscn.org.jo

ing itself into an international resort offering sun, sand and some of the best diving and snorkelling in the area. Millions have been invested into luxury hotels in Aqaba including the impressive, luxury Tala Bay resort where you’ll find a number of five star hotels including the Hilton, Radisson Blu and Movenpick among others; as well as a marina, beach club and diving club. The temperate climate and gentle water currents in Aqaba have created a perfect environment for the growth of corals Aqaba is a good base and a teeming plethora of marine life. to visit the desert at Wadi Rum. The best way to get There are several dive centres in Aqaba offering wellthere is to rent a car - Avis and maintained diving equipment, professional instructors, Hertz have offices in Aqaba - and drive. It’s a straight and transport by boat to a variety of dive sites. road and easy not to One of the major attractions of Aqaba is its climate. The get lost. temperature rarely drops below 20°C even in winter, while in summer the cooling sea breezes make the soaring daytime temperatures much more bearable, making it a year-round destination. Other sites in Aqaba are the Archaeological Museum, Mamlouk The Movenpick Tala Bay is one of the many new luxury resorts springing up in Aqaba Fort, the Aqaba Marine Science Station and Aquarium, and the remains of what archeologists believe is the world’s oldest church. Aqaba International Airport is just a 20-minute drive from the town centre and has flight links to Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Kuwait.

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AQABA

The city of Aqaba is situated at the most southern part of Jordan and lies on the most northern tip of the Red Sea - on a clear day you can see Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Jordan’s Red Sea coastal resort has long been a favourite weekend destination for holidaying locals (as well as with Saudis who can drive across the border just 30 minutes away). But Aqaba is now transform-

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

WHERE TO STAY: Tala Bay is a new and exclusive residential community situated 15 minutes outside of the city centre and 20 minutes from King Hussein International Airport. Luxury hotels in this development include Radisson Blu Tala Bay Resort (+962 3 209 0777 / www.radissonblu.com), Movenpick Resort Tala Bay (+962 3 209 0300 / www.moevenpick-hotels.com).

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How to sell: Jordan

WADI RUM Offering some of the most extraordinary desert scenery you’ll ever see Wadi Rum is a definite highlight of any visit to Jordan. This desolate stretch of desert was made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. It is home to the Seven Pillars of Wisdom - a range of mountains that inspired his autobiographical novel of the same name, and is also the setting of the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O’Toole. The scenery at Wadi Rum is utterly spectacular, with stark, craggy mountains looming up over the billowing red sand dunes below. Watching the sun set from the top of one of the huge rocks is quite a dramatic experience. One of the most striking (and impressive) things about the tourism industry at Wadi Rum is how utterly untouched the landscape is. Wadi Rum is strictly protected and controlled and a huge effort is being made towards conservation. Everyone has to register at the visitors centre before going into the desert. There are no hotels and no development to spoil the landscape and it is essential to have a guide. Mine explained to me how seriously sustainable tourism is viewed by Jordan’s royal family - who actively support organisations such as the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). Jeep tours are the easiest way to get around Wadi Rum. But for the more adventurous camels can There are several be hired. Hiking is also posoptions for exploring Wadi Rum. Visitors should head sible with a Bedouin guide. for the Visitors Centre where There are two “easy” trails they can hire a 4WD, driver

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HOW TO SELL How to get there: Royal Jordanian, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways. When to go: The best time to visit is in spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), when the climate is beautifully warm and sunny. However, even in the peak summer months, Jordan’s climate still makes for a very welcome respite from the oppressive heat of the Gulf. in the evening it’s still cool enough to sit outside and outdoor festivals such as the Jordan Festival are planned for the summer period.

The desert at Wadi Rum

leading from the visitor centre, one short and one much longer. A night spent at Wadi Rum is the ultimate desert experience. Visitors sleep in a traditonal Bedouin goat haired tent, or outside under a blanket of desert stars and enjoy typical Bedouin hospitality including shisha and Arabic tea under the stars. www.WadiRum.jo WHERE TO STAY: Captain Desert Camp is a Bedouin campsite offering accommodation in goat haired tents and traditional Bedouin meals around a camp fire, as well as jeep and camel tours. www.captains-jo.com

and guide or for the more adventurous a camel and guide.

Visas: Visas are required by all foreigners entering Jordan. These are issued on arrival at the airport Sample packages: Dnata Travel offers three nights at the five-star Marriott Hotel in Amman from AED 2,350 per person including breakfast, return economy class flights, and return airport transfers. The offer is valid until 7 September 2010. www.dnatatravel.com Al-Futtaim Travel has a 7day/ 6 night trip to Jordan with 4 nights in Amman and 2 in Petra as well as tours to Jerash ,Ajloun Castle, Madaba, Mt.Nebo, Petra and Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. Prices start at AED 3330 per person for five-star accommodation, transfers, and guides. www.alfuttaimtravel.ae Emirates Holidays offers the ‘Jordan Explorer’ a 7 day/6 night car tour from Amman-Petra-Dead Sea-Amman. The package starts at AED7,810 per person including flights, accomodation in Amman, Petra and Dead Sea in five-star hotels, transfers and tours. Until 30 Sept. Emirates-Holidays.com

The desert scenery at Wadi Rum is some of the most extraordinary in the world.

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

REGIONAL NEWS

Q&A

Q&A CELEBRITY CRUISES

Bringing tourism to the local level Jordan’s Minister of Tourism & Antiquities Maha Khatib explains how Jordan’s tourism industry is all about bringing benefit to local communities in Jordan

ATN: What is your strategy for increasing visitor numbers to Jordan? Jordan prepared in 2004 a national strategy for tourism with specific targets from 2004 to 2010. The target was to reach 1.6 billion JOD (US$2.3bn) in tourism receipts by the end of 2010. What happened is that in 2008 we were already beyond that number. In 2009 the receipts were 2.1 billion JOD ($3bn) and I think by the end of 2010 which looks extremely good, for the first quarter we will easily reach 2.4 billion JOD ($3.4bn). So we reached the target two years early. This is why we are updating our strategy. What we really need to do now is not to talk about numbers as much as making sure that we keep the quality of service up, making sure that we diversify even more our product, and making sure that – and this is the most important – the benefit reaches the local communities, not only the big investors. ATN: How will you ensure that local communities benefit from tourism? We are putting a lot of effort into creating new tourism-related products at the local community level. We are talking about 12 thematic ‘trails’, some of which are related to nature – hiking, biking, trekking that follow a certain route and pass through certain villages which can provide food and beverage and lodging – it’s ‘eco-tourism’ style. Other themes are to do with heritage in our cities. We are working with the communities to preserve the very rich heritage and architecture of some of the downtown areas of our cities. We are also working on a trail that connects castles in Jordan, and another trip that has to do with the Arab Revolution, and a re-enactment behind the Lawrence of Arabia story.

Jordan has never been a massmarket destination and we don’t ever want it to be. Jordan is a destination that is visited by those who appreciate the diversity between culture, history, nature and eco-tourism” able to maintain our service levels irrespective of the crisis. We didn’t sell ourselves cheap because we didn’t want to compromise quality unlike so many countries where they really sold themselves cheap. We are actually getting a lot of investors with new products that have to do with luxury and spa. ATN: So are you specifically looking to target the high-end visitor to Jordan? Yes, Jordan has never been a mass-market destination and we don’t ever want it to be. Jordan is a destination that is visited by those who appreciate the diversity between culture, history, nature and ecotourism. We know that people who come to Jordan know about Jordan before they come. We don’t have long beaches where peo-

ple can get $200 packages, and we don’t want those kind of people because we don’t want to compromise our natural recourses. Jordan has very precious archeology that would be in jeopardy if we allow very big numbers and a huge flow of people. We are taking care of everything in Jordan- nature, heritage, archaeology, and we are building up our tourism industry slowly but surely. ATN: What do you think is most appealing to GCC visitors about Jordan? The weather is very very appealing. Jordan is unique in that it is a country that does not have humidity at all. We are living in a beautiful country that has very moderate weather in summer and in winter and beautiful variety of weather at the same time. It’s cool in Amman in summer time, hot at the Dead Sea where you can swim and sun tan. This is helping us a lot.

ATN: How has Jordan managed to keep increasing its visitor numbers despite the economic downturn? For so many reasons – one of the most important is that we were

Arabian Travel News – August 2010

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

REGIONAL NEWS

Agent action

NEWS MIME

New recruit Ghulam Al Balooshi, the new director of the Lower GCC region at Travelport talks of the challenges of growing GDS market share. ATN: What is your travel industry background? I began my career in the airline industry, working at Gulf Air in various operational roles. It was there that I first gained exposure to different aspects of the airline industry, including distribution. Since then, I have held a number of senior GDS positions in the Middle East at Sabre, Amadeus, and now Travelport, where I am currently in charge of the Lower Gulf Region. ATN: What attracted you to the role at Travelport? After more than 35 years in the travel and tourism industry, I wanted to lend my expertise to a well-respected GDS provider with good growth potential. The Lower GCC is a key territory for Travelport and I feel that I am well posi-

tioned to drive business in this area and contribute to the continued growth of the company in the region. ATN: What are your main responsibilities and objectives in your new role? I will be working closely with a talented commercial team to ensure that we provide the highest levels of service and support to existing customers, whilst identifying new opportunities for growth. I will also be overseeing the roll-out of new and innovative GDS technology to help our travel agency subscribers manage their operations more efficiently. ATN: What do you think will be your biggest challenges? We operate in a very competitive environment where GDS market share growth

I have spent my whole life working in the travel industry, therefore it has become part of who I am.” doesn’t come easily, therefore we have to work extra hard to achieve our goals. However, I am proud to be leading the charge for Travelport in the Lower GCC and look forward to the many opportunities that lie ahead in this challenging role. ATN: What are you most excited about? Bringing our success to new heights! I also enjoy building long-lasting relationships and am looking forward to

the customer-facing aspect of this role. Over the years, I have listened to clients and built their trust, therefore I plan to put my extensive network to good use. ATN: What do you love most about the travel industry? I have spent my whole life working in the travel industry; therefore it has become a part of who I am. I love the rush that the industry still gives me – it is changing so rapidly and there are always

new and exciting challenges around the corner! ATN: What are the hardest parts of your job? Achieving aggressive targets and ensuring that we are continually positioned to provide the highest levels of service and support to our travel agency partners. In this job, you need to be able to strike a delicate balance and please various stakeholders. ATN: What are you most proud of in your career? I’m proud of my successful track record driving business and delivering profitable growth within the GDS industry in the Middle East. Working at the forefront of travel technology and helping shape its development in the region has been very rewarding.

Checkin’ in/checkin’ out FARIS AZZEE

ERSIN MANAZ

GURU PRASHANTH

Faris Azzee has been appointed new general manager for Travelport in Saudi Arabia. Azzee will head up Travelport’s extensive operations in Saudi, the GDS’s largest territory in the Middle East. He previously held the position of country manager for the UAE, where he played a key role in leading the company’s transition into a direct GDS operation for travel agents. Born in Dammam, Azzee is a Saudi national with a wealth of expertise in the GDS industry. Prior to joining Travelport in 2008, he worked at Amadeus for six years.

Ersin Manaz has been promoted to director of sales, Leisure & Crew at Rezidor Hotel Group. Hailing from Turkey, Manaz has 15 years experience in the hospitality industry. He joined Rezidor in 2005 as night manager, Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel Residence & Spa, Manama before joining the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek as group sales manager in 2007. In 2009 he joined the Rezidor Global Sales Office in Dubai.

Guru Prashanth has joined the Rezidor sales team as regional sales manager. An Indian national, Prashanth holds an MBA in Finance from the Cardiff Business School, and an MBA in Hotel and Tourism Management from the University Center “Cesar Ritz”, Swiss Hotel Management School, Switzerland. He speaks English, Hindi and German, and will be working to drive reactive sales for MICE follow ups and leads, as well as field sales and profiling MICE accounts. He will also drive cross sales within the region.

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

August 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Agent action

REGIONAL NEWS

Travelport hosts welcome bash in Bahrain More than 250 travel agents attended Travelport’s official Bahrain launch in Manama More than 250 travel agents attended a special ceremony in Manama last month to mark the official launch of Travelport’s entry into Bahrain. The GDS provider has established new Galileo operations to provide support to the local travel trade, with a full-service team in place to meet the needs of Galileo travel agents and partners. Overseeing the new operation is Travelport’s newly-appointed director for the Lower Gulf Region, Ghulam Saleh Al Balooshi, a Bahraini national and highly-experienced GDS veteran with more than 35 years experience within the travel industry. Al Balooshi said at the launch: “As a result of this new distribution structure, we are well positioned to respond to the growing needs of the travel trade and nurture our long-term presence in Bahrain. We look forward to having a direct relationship with local travel agents and injecting innovation, competition and value to the local landscape.”

Arabian Travel News – August 2010