A DDP PUBLICATION Pages: 16Vol. VIII No. 10; October 2012

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n First ‘check-in service’ ........................................................................................06n Middle East outshines in outbound......................................................................08n Lama expands to Abu Dhabi ................................................................................14

From April next year, thetravel industry will witness the new global

aviation partnership betweenEmirates and Qantas in action.This 10-year agreement willgo beyond code-sharing andinclude integrated networkcollaboration with coordinatedpricing, sales and schedulingand a benefit-sharing model.

gives you detailsabout, this first and one-of-its-kind initiative, in the historyof global aviation industry.

Through close code-sharing arrangements thepartnership will combineEmirates’ network of more than 60 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Qantas’ networkof more than 50 domestic andregional destinations in

Australia with nearly 5,000flights per week.

The carriers will also cooperate on theirrespective trans-Tasmanservices between Australiaand New Zealand. Neither ofthe airlines will take equity in the other.

When asked about thefactors that led Emirates totake such a huge decision,

Majid Al Mualla, Senior Vice President - CommercialOperations, Gulf, Middle East& Iran, Emirates said, “Thislong term partnershipbetween two premium airlines was created to expand our global network,improved connectivity andprovide greater choices for Qantas passengers fromAustralia and New Zealand toEurope, the Middle East

and Africa. It will also provide reciprocal enhancedconnectivity for Emirates passengers to the QantasGroup’s domestic and otherinternational services,”

Regarding choosingQantas as the preferred airline for this 10-year agreement, he explained,“Emirates is the largest

The new partnership between Emirates and Qantas, will include code-sharing, integrated network with coordinated pricing. Qantas will also move its hub for European flights to Dubai.

Decade of aviation partnership

‘Leisure’ is thelargest internation-al autumn trade

fair for tourism in Russiaand CIS for sealing touristdeals. Since its inception,the Department of Tourismand Commerce Marketing(DTCM) has played a pivotalrole, promoting Dubai andgrowing the economic

contribution of tourism tothe emirate.

The 400sqm DTCMpavilion has witnessedaround 74 participants fromtourism sector in the emirate, including hotelfacilities and tour operators.The number of tourist companies featuring Dubaiin Russia, the Baltic Statesand the Commonwealth ofIndependent States reached

1,080 in 2011 against 602in 2010, with an increase of 79 per cent.

Paying year-long atten-tion to the Russian Market,DTCM has opened a representative office inMoscow, long back, to promote Dubai in Russia and the Commonwealth ofIndependent States. “Thenumber of Russian hotelguests in Dubai saw a signif-

icant rise in 2009, in fact1,83,308 visitors. The number further grew in 2010to 2,09,381, an increase of 14per cent and rose again in2011 to 2,55,746, a rise of 22per cent, informed Eyad AliAbdul Rahman, ExecutiveDirector - Media RelationDivision & BusinessDevelopment, DTCM.

Likewise, the number ofhotel guests in Dubai from

Russia, the Baltic States and Commonwealth ofIndependent States hit3,88,386 in 2009 as compared to 4,43,363 in2010, a rise of 14 per cent.An increase of 15 per centwas further recorded in 2011with 5,10,852.

“Representing anincrease of 27 per cent, the number of Russian

To stimulate economic and social development, Dubai continues its participation for the 20th

year in a row in Moscow Tourism Fair ‘Leisure 2012’ held during September 19 - 22, 2012.

‘Leisure’ at the helm of Dubai

Contd. on page 7 u

RAINA MANDAL

SUSMITA GHOSH

Contd. on page 6 u

Eyad Ali Abdul RahmanExecutive Director - Media RelationDivision & Business Development, DTCM

Majid Al MuallaSenior Vice President Commercial OperationsGulf, Middle East & Iran, Emirates

NEWS

After successfully con-cluding the roadshows

in Amman and Dubai in June,India Tourism is back inaction with roadshows beingheld in Muscat and Turkey,both in mid October afterwhich there will be a promotional event in Kuwaiton October 31.

The Gulf and the MiddleEast is an important tourismgenerating market for Indiawith over 250 thousandinbound travellers. From 6.3million tourists that visitedIndia in 2011, the majorityof foreign tourists camefrom North America andEurope and rated Kerala,Tamil Nadu, Delhi, UttarPradesh and Rajasthan asthe top five states.

Kuwait is a very important tourism generatingmarket with high spendingtourists possessing highestper capita income in the

region. Hence, besides highlighting various uniqueaspects of India’s tourism,the luxury aspect of India isemphasised more for theKuwait travellers.

“We need to underlinethe air connectivity to SouthIndia, Mumbai and Gujaratfrom Kuwait to promotehealth spas, holidays in themountains, wildlife and luxury trains. Hyderabadwith its unique historical ties,

deserts and traditional touchof Rajasthan, different cultureof Goa altogether will beincluded in their luxury filledtravel,” asserted VikasRustagi, Regional Director,India Tourism, Dubai.

“We need to educate thecounter staff and the productdevelopment managers howto package the India product.

In fact, the idea is toconnect tourismservice providers ofKuwait withprofessional serviceproviders of India, sothat the Indiaproduct can be bestunderstood andpromoted in theKuwait market,” he further added.

According to WorldTravel and Tourism Council,India will continue to be a

tourism hot spot till 2018 andhas the highest 10-yeargrowth potential. A growth of2.5 per cent in August 2012over August 2011 wasobserved as compared to agrowth of 5.3 per cent registered in August 2011over August 2010.

The India Tourism office in the Middle East is making great efforts topromote Incredible India as a destination by conducting roadshows acrossthe region in 2012. explores further...

in Kuwait

TT BUREAU

Vikas RustagiRegional Director India TourismDubai

The Gulf and the MiddleEast is an importanttourism generating marketfor India with over 2,50,000 inboundtravellers

Highlighting the variousunique aspects of India’stourism and the luxuryaspect of the destinationis being emphasised bythe tourism board for theKuwait travellers

According to WTTC, Indiawill continue to be atourism hot spot till 2018and has the highest 10-year growth potential

Showcasing India

Foreign exchangeDIRHAM VALUE

(Subject to variation) (As on 24-09-2012)

Country Currency CN Buy CN Sell

USA ..........................USD ................3.653..............3.685

UK ............................GBP ..............5.8588............6.1074

Egypt ........................EGP ................0.605..............0.711

Euro ..........................EUR ..............4.6746............4.8816

Canada......................CAD ..............3.7053............3.8369

Bahrain ....................BHD ..............9.5739............9.9137

Oman ........................OMR................9.405............9.6512

Kuwait ......................KWD............12.8877..........13.3505

Saudi Arabia ............SAR ..............0.9625............0.9972

Qatar ........................QAR ..............0.9944............1.0209

Australia ..................AUD ..............3.7742............3.9018

Japan ........................JPY................0.0459............0.0484

Philippines ................PHP ..............0.0865............0.0898

Singapore..................SGD ..............2.9453............3.0791

India ........................INR................0.0670............0.0702

Pakistan ....................PKR ..............0.0380............0.0398

Bangladesh ..............BDT ..............0.0438............0.0456

Sri Lanka ..................LKR ..............0.0274............0.0284

Nepal ........................NPR ..................0.05..............0.056

Morocco ....................MAD................0.405..............0.525

Switzerland ..............CHF ..............3.8595............4.0324

South Africa ..............ZAR ................0.485..............0.553

GUEST COLUMN

EDITORIALGala Eid bonanza

in the offingSummer is officially over and the

Middle East tourism sector is gearingup for a vibrant Eid Al Adha season.Major airlines, hotels and other sectorshave started unveiling attractivepackages for tourists.

Interestingly, the Global Village willwelcome visitors on October 21 tocover the period of the Eid Al Adhathat falls around the last week ofOctober, making this season thelongest in its 17 year history.

Emirates calls tourists looking for anidyllic retreat this Eid Al Adha to takeadvantage of Emirates Holidays’exclusive offers.

For travellers planning ahead for theEid Al Adha holidays, Hertz hasannounced the return of the Hertz GlobalSale, offering discounts of up to 33% oninternational car rental in 100 countries.The sale covers, car rental bookingsmade from September 3 to 30 forvehicles booked till this year end.

On the cruise front, Dubai CruiseTerminal catered 3,96,500 cruise touristsin 2011 and this year Dubai is expectedto see 4,20,000 cruise tourists to theemirate, according to DTCM. TheTourism Body has stated that thenumbers are projected to go up to4,50,000 passengers and 125 cruiseships in 2013; 4,75,000 passengers and135 ships in 2014.

IATA has declared that ME carrierswere the strongest performers withdemand growth of 18.2%, outstrippinga capacity expansion of 13.4% with loadfactors at 78.6%. The Dubai InternationalAirport has witnessed 27.9m passengersin the first half of 2012.

According to the Hot Stats IndustryReport from TRI Hospitality, Dubaicontinues to be the star performer in theME, registering a 10% rise in visitornumbers in 2011 and 23% increase inguest nights, with average occupancyreaching nearly 82%, figures that areexpected to be repeated during 2012.

Publisher : SanJeet Director : Sumeera Bahl Editorial Director : Rupali Narasimhan Editor : Deepa Sethi Assistant Editor (ME) : Susmita Ghosh Desk Editor : Archana Sharma Sub Editor : Raina Mandal Design : Nityanand Misra Manager Advertising : Geetika Pathak Asst. Manager - Sales : Akassh Kapoor Circulation Manager : Ashok Rana Manager Production : Anil Kharbanda

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

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Autorent framed a uniqueexclusive car rental

scheme as PAYD for its cus-tomers in late 2011, wherein,the customer would be pay-ing only for what he drivesalong with a base price,which saves 75 per cent ofthe mileage charges. Theconcept was simple ‘I driveonly 100 kilometers per day,why should I pay the rentalcharges same as someonewho drives more?’

We, at Autorent, areproud to announce that it isthe only car rental companythat has its base in MiddleEast. We are also participat-ing in the World TravelMarket 2012 in London thisNovember. The objective ofparticipating in WTM 2012 isto showcase the companybrand in par to other com-petitors and building newpartners. It also helps us instrengthening the retail seg-ment across the globe.

Being a transportationservices company, we alwaysfelt, it is incomplete to be inthe industry with just a CarRental and Leasing company,hence, we decided to formAutorent Limousines ServiceLLC in May 2012 as a separate entity to service theluxury car segment. Besides,Autorent added the InfinitiG25 to its fleet, as thedemand for renting and leasing the high-end vehicles increased.

We have a separateteam to study and under-stand the growing needs ofthe customer and fulfill theirrequirements. We stronglybelieve, more the easyapproach, more the business.With this strategy and thegrowing demands of

customers, Autorent hasexpanded its branch presencein all the 3 countries, for thecustomers to reach, as wellthe company to approachtowards the customers. Thisway of approach has signifi-cantly contributed to thecompany’s growth in termsof expansion, new customers,revenue and providingemployment opportunities inthe region.

The company has plansto maximise its fleet size withwide range of vehicle modelsfor the customer to choosefrom. To make this happen, itis already in the planningprocess to introduce new prod-ucts in the car rental industry.

Autorent has been partnering with leading carrental, airlines, hotels, tourand travel agents worldwide.As an initiative, we had participated in the ArabianTravel Market 2011 and tiedup with major car rental service providers.

To establish Autorent asa global brand, it has somestrategic plans to broaden itsexisting market segmentsand potentially enter intonew markets. As the firststep, we are working closelywith our partners and provid-ing world-class service to allthe customers, visiting thisregion. To ease the partnerswith their online bookings,the company has built a dedicated partner portal providing iFrame access ofthe booking engine and XMLAPI for the partners to integrate in their website.

In the initial stages ofpartnering with the traveland tour operators, we learn

a lot of things. Now, weunderstand their needs bothvis-à-vis business and technology. And, with all theexperiences gained and withdedicated professionals working with us from theindustry, the company isdoing very well with partnersby understanding the scope of business with their support.

We are in the process ofcreating technology orientedtravel platform and setting upin-house call-centre to facilitate and cater to thegrowing number of customers. Starting from thebeginning of 2013, trans-portation services companywill be well equipped to serveits customers both in theregion and worldwidethrough its affiliated partners.

Chandra MouliSenior General ManagerAutorent Car Rental LLC

Autorent, a Middle East based car rental and leasing company, has been inbusiness for over 5 years, operating in UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia. It isthe only car rental company in the region to introduce the ‘Pay As You Drive(PAYD)’ scheme, for weekly and monthly rentals.

The concept was simple ‘I driveonly 100 kilometres per day, whyshould I pay the rental chargessame as someone who drivesmore?’

Chandra MouliSenior GM, Autorent Car Rental LLC

‘Pay As You Drive’ scheme

Showcasing India tourism in ‘INDEXPO’India Tourism, Dubai showcased Medical and Wellness Tourism in a special trade show, ‘INDEXPO in Muscat held from September 4 to 6, 2012.

AVIATION O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 5

The airline had launched itsfirst domestic scheduled

flight to Sir Bani Yas andDalma Island in June 2012.The new flights to Fujairah, AlAin, Sharjah and Ras AlKhaimah are not only expect-ed to give a further boost to

the tourism sector but alsoenable visitors and residentsto fly to Abu Dhabi, which isfast emerging as the newinternational aviation hub, tocatch their connecting flightsto the rest of the world.

“Air connectivity is akey component of any coun-try’s development. At RotanaJet, we are committed in developing a safe, reliableand efficient air transportconnecting the variousEmirates of UAE with thecapital to improve easyaccessibility both domestical-

ly and internationally. Thiswill facilitate greater andmore equitable benefits for tourism growth as well,” explained Ahmedbin Saif Al Nahyan,Chairman, Rotana Jet.

“In today’s world theconsumers travel behaviour

have changed rapidly. Theyare looking for comfortableand more efficient ways ofreaching from one place toanother without spendingmuch time. We believe thatRotana Jet has a contributoryrole in facilitating this,”added Al Nahyan.

According to Ali MajedAl Mansoori, Chairman,ADAC, “The launch of thenew services would help provide high-end efficientservices to its diverse customers and develop connectivity within the whole of UAE.”

The twice daily flightconnecting Abu Dhabi toFujairah started operationson September 19, whileSharjah got connected withthe national capital onSeptember 26. Price not topunch any pocket as allinclusive one way fares toFujairah, Sharjah and Ras AlKhaimah start from AED 200and to Al Ain at AED 150.

TT BUREAU

The launch of the newservices wouldhelp providehigh-endefficientservices to itscustomers

Ali Majed Al MansooriChairman ADAC

n Emirates will begin dailyflights to Algiers from March1, 2013.

“Algiers will be our 22nd

destination in Africa, providing a wealth of newtravel options for customersin Algeria, who will be able tofly non-stop to our industryleading hub in Dubai and con-veniently connect to pointsacross the Middle East, AsianSubcontinent, the Far Eastand Australasia. This movewill mark the airline’s growthin the African market,” said

Ahmed bin Saeed AlMaktoum, Chairman andChief Executive, EmiratesAirline and Group.

Qatar, Wipro join hands

Ahmed bin Saeed Al MaktoumChairman and Chief ExecutiveEmirates Airline and Group

From Dubai to Algeria

Qatar Airways gets into a long-term strategic partnership with leadingIndian IT Company Wipro. The partnership was signed by (L) AkbarAl Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways and (R) Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro.This agreement will bring together Qatar Airways’ expertise in aviationsystems and Wipro’s experience of application development andproject management to develop a new suite of IT software.

We are committed to develop a safeand efficient air connectivity to thevarious Emirates of the UAE toprovide easy accessibility bothdomestically and internationally

Ahmed bin Saif Al NahyanChairman, Rotana Jet

Rotana Jet, in its bid to reduce physical distances and travelling timebetween the Emirates, launched twice a day, domestic flights to Fujairah,Al Ain, Sharjah and RAK on September 9 with ADAC.

Expanding domestic services

AVIATION6 TRAVTALK O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2

By launching UAE’s firstdomestic flight, connect-

ing Ras Al Khaimah with AbuDhabi, John Brayford, CEO,RAK Airways said,

“Initially, there willbe four flights everyweek, After whichwe will increase theservices with dailyflights fromDecember 12 andfurther to doubledaily from March13, 2013.”

Brayford informed thatthe carrier will start itsdomestic service to AbuDhabi from October 3 with afare of Dh410 for a returnflight. A one-way travel willtake about 45 minutes.

The airline will get thedelivery of its third aircraft inMarch and fourth inNovember 2013. The thirdaircraft delivery will help theairline to double its dailyflights to Abu Dhabi andCalicut, new route ofDammam and increase frequency on other existingroutes. The fourth aircraftwill enable the airline to double the number of flights.

RAK Airways hasalready signed a code-shareagreement with EtihadAirways, allowing the formerto book passengers forLondon, Manchester, Dublin,Bangkok and Geneva. Thefirst ever agreement betweentwo UAE carriers will seeEtihad Airways place its EYcode on the RAK Airwaysflight between Ras AlKhaimah and Abu Dhabi. Inreturn, RAK Airways willplace its RT code on Etihad’sfive agreed routes.

“We hope to addGermany and the US shortly and agreed not tocompete with Etihad,”Brayford confirmed.

RAK Airways launches UAE’s first domestic flightconnecting RAK and Abu Dhabi from October 3. Theairline also signed a code-share agreement with EtihadAirways on five flight sectors including domestic flights.

RAK flying domesticOffering increased convenience for the passengerstravelling from Dubai, Air Arabia opened its first ever‘City Terminal Check-in service’ outside an airport onSeptember 8 in Lamcy Plaza shopping mall in Dubai.

First ‘check-in service’

TT BUREAU

The facility allows theflyers to check-in for

their flight in Dubai and isequipped to accept baggagefrom the passengers and sentstraight to the SharjahInternational Airport.

Checked-in passengers,who can choose seats for theirflight, will receive theirboarding passes and claim tags

for any checked-in luggage atAir Arabia base in LamcyPlaza. Managed overall, theyonly need to reach the airportto proceed to their flight.

“Our new City Check-infacility will be a great valueaddition for our passengers.

It will help inreducing theamount of time thetravellers need tospend at the airportand make theprocess of flying alittle more hassle-free,”

said, Adel Ali, GroupChief Executive Officer, Air Arabia.

Passengers will be ableto check-in their baggage 24-hour prior before their flighttill up to three hours before

departure at a desk openfrom 9am to 10pm.

Air Arabia shuttleservice to SharjahInternational Airport ispresently available fromLamcy Plaza.

The airline recentlyenhanced its Sharjah-Delhiservices by increasing itsfrequency to twice daily. AirArabia, the largest MiddleEastern airline to serveIndia, currently offers seven weekly flights to Delhi. Effective September1, the carrier offers flights 14 times a week, departing SharjahInternational Airport daily.

TT BUREAU

This new flight will onlytake 45 minutes on a one-way travel

Only 45 minutes

The airline plans to introduce these new

products on all their servicesto and from UAE aroundJanuary 2013.

Voted World’s BestBusiness Class in the Skytrax2012 survey from more than18 million passengers world-wide, Cathay Pacific has over-all load factor averaged above80 per cent in 2012 so far.Due to expatriates’ naturedtraffic, majorly corporates,Middle East is an importantregion for the airlines as itflies to 5 different destina-tions within the region.

“Cathay Pacific in theMiddle East offers the best

schedules for travellers toconnect Hong Kong andbeyond to greater Asia.

A range of products andfares are launched within dueintervals to satisfy the travellers need at the bestpossible value. We also workon a sound distribution channel so that travel tradeare constantly updated aboutCathay products in the market,” said Brian Yuen,Country Manager, UAE &Oman, Cathay Pacific Airways.

“The travel agentsare our valuablepartners, servingthe important rolein letting travellersknow why CathayPacific is the bestway to fly intoHong Kong andgreater Asia,” hefurther elucidated.

The airlines’ sales teamstays abreast regularly withthe travel trade to updatethem with every develop-ment and also get informed

on their anticipation. CathayPacific has already startedselling the new product andexpects their trade partnersto show prospect within asmall span of time with betterand more communication.The bulk of the airlines’ busi-ness pours in from their trav-el trade partners.

Cathay Pacific presentlyoffers 17 non-stop flightsevery week between HongKong and the UAE, the mostdirect flights between Dubaiand Hong Kong and one andonly direct operation to serveHong Kong directly from Abu Dhabi.

Cathay Pacificwill launch the new Business and PremiumEconomy Class from October 29 on the Dubai-Hong Kongflights. Presently all the flights operating to and fromDubai and Abu Dhabi, features the flatbed products.

Economy Class at its best

SUSMITA GHOSH

The airline offers 17 non-stop flights every weekbetween Hong Kong andthe UAE, the most directflights between Dubai andHong Kong and one andonly direct operation toserve Hong Kong directlyfrom Abu Dhabi

Cathay in UAE

international carrier withover 180 wide body aircraftand a network reach of over125 destinations on six continents and Qantas isAustralia’s largest carrierand has an extensivedomestic, regional andtrans-Tasman reach. By linking the two, customerswill have a luxurious travelexperience with premiumservice on a modern fleetincluding the largest A380network in the world.”

Qantas will move itshub for European flights fromSingapore to Dubai givinggreater access to a broaderEuropean base for Australiansto more than 30 Europeandestinations including manygateways which were previously, not on the Qantasnetwork such as Rome and Munich.

“The Emirates Qantaspartnership brings together

two of the world’s greataviation brands. Bycombining forces, both theairlines will benefit from cost savings and enhancedeconomic efficiencies,including economies of scale

and joint purchasing. Thiswill contribute in optimisingthe operating performance ofeach organisation creating acommercial relationship, afirst in the aviation history,”he further added.

The airline is planningfurther, in regards toincreasing its flights andadding new aircraft to thefleet, to cater to the growingmarket that will come withthe new agreement,“Emirates will continue tostay on course with itsexpansion plans. We havealready launched 10 new

destinations in 2012 whichinclude Buenos Aires, Dublin,Lusaka, Harare, Dallas,Seattle, Ho Chi Minh City,Barcelona, Lisbon and Erbil.We are going to includeAdelaide, Lyon, Phuket,Warsaw and Algiers for theperiod of 2012-13. Theairline has no plans to deviatefrom our proven strategy ofinvesting in our business,which is reinforced by thispartnership,” he informed.

Emirates has thelargest fleet of A380s in theworld with 23, which willincrease to 32 by the end of2012. Qantas has a fleet of12 A380s which willenhance the offering oftravel on this highly popularaircraft. In addition, Qantas will launch new dailyA380 services on theSydney-Dubai-London andMelbourne-Dubai-Londonroutes. Emirates will code-share on these routes.

Al Mualla concluded bysaying, “In early 2013,Dubai International Airportwill open Concourse A, theworld’s only purpose-builtA380 Concourse providing20 contact gates, plus fourremote stands for the aircraft. The facility willoffer the world’s largestFirst Class and BusinessClass lounges and offer anideal stop-over destinationfor global travellers.”

Travellers spoilt for choice

Brian YuenCountry ManagerUAE & OmanCathay Pacific Airways

John BrayfordCEORAK Airways

Adel AliGroup Chief Executive OfficerAir Arabia

Through close code-sharing arrangements thepartnership will combineEmirates’ network of morethan 60 in Europe, theMiddle East and Africa andQantas’ network of morethan 50 domestic andregional destinations inAustralia with nearly 5,000flights per week

Partnership in Action

This new service will offerconvenience for thepassengers travelling fromDubai

New Service Offers

Contd. from page 1 u

Both the airlines will benefitfrom cost savingsand enhancedeconomicefficienciesincludingeconomies ofscale and jointpurchasing

HOTELS

passengers travelling throughthe Dubai InternationalAirport amounted to5,27,524 in 2009 over6,70,038 in 2010. The number shot up again in2011 and witnessed 8,90,140passengers with an increaseof 33 per cent,” Rahmanexplained further. Moreover,DTCM has further expandedits promotion of Dubai’stourism assets through a partnership with the AmericanSociety of Travel Agents(ASTA). DTCM has announcedDubai as the official host of ASTA InternationalDestination Expo (IDE) 2013to be held in Dubai. ASTA estimates attendance in Dubaiin 2013 to be around 500 and700 travel agents.

With the USA nowbeing the 4th most productive source market fortravel to Dubai, the traveltrade is delighted to seeDubai as the site for theirannual international meeting,IDE 2013. The ASTA agentsare eager to become betterinformed and share the benefits of creating newtourism traffic for Dubai.

Around 76 highest pro-ducing travel agents and

tour operators from Chinarepresenting both leisure andMICE sectors were present atthe event. The reaction of thedelegation to Dubai’s attrac-tions was highly positive.These visitors stayed for onlyfew days but advantageouslythey were prepared to travelduring off seasons and hence,observed potential for thecorporate travel sector.

China is becoming oneof the world’s top outboundtravel markets and Dubai iskeen to tap this market withits global appeal. Most of theChinese visitors are keen instaying at a location in Dubai,which is within close proxim-ity to all top touristic andshopping attractions.

“We were happy withthe response and interest wereceived at the summit,” com-mented Peter Mansourian,General Manager, Grand

Millennium Dubai. “Thisevent has familiarised themajor travel operators with the relevant facts and contacts.

We are ready toexert all therequired efforts to accommodatespecific needs of theChinese travellerand tailor madepackages to suitethis marketsegment,” headded.

The hotel had show-cased its new packages specif-ically designed for the Russiantraveller at Leisure 2012 inMoscow held in September totap in to one of the key globaloutbound markets.

The hotel’s sales teamhas targetted other markets

like Europe, GCC, SouthAmerica and Russia whilealso emphasising on theevents and meetings sectoras well.

Other sales activities forthe fourth quarter includeparticipation and presence ofGrand Millennium Dubai atWorld Travel Market inLondon in November and atEIBTM in Barcelona inDecember 2012.

Grand Millennium Dubai participated in the first Chinese Visitor Summitheld in Dubai on September 5-6, to familiarise themselves with theoverseas operator locations, facilities and packages.

Chinese Visitor Summit in Dubai

TT BUREAU

Peter MansourianGeneral ManagerGrand Millennium Dubai

Delegates in the Chinese Visitor Summit

Rotana will expand itsportfolio in the UAE with

four additional hotels. ThisOctober, the Group will opentwo new hotels - Al GhurairArjaan Rotana hotel apartments and Al GhurairRayhaan Rotana hotel inDubai. The expansion planswill see the hotel group man-aging 14,380 rooms by theend of 2012. The brand alsoexpects a 6 per cent growthof occupancy in 2013 acrossits portfolio in the regionwhen compared to 2011.

Abu Dhabi reported asurge in occupancy in

October while hotels inDubai were as full as theywere in 2007. Growing 9.7percentage points to 82.8per cent in October 2011,Abu Dhabi has seen anincrease in occupancy in theregion. It moved closer toDubai, which saw an occupancy increase of 87.3per cent during the month.

“Despite the severalchallenging economic andpolitical factors, 2011 hasseen the hospitality industryin the Middle East and Africa registering positive growth.

We have properties inSyria and Egypt, both affected by the unrest butwe are hoping to settledown soon though,” commented Selim El Zyr,President and CEO, Rotana.

“To keep evolving ourproducts in line with travel trends and guest preferences, is the essentialmeans of our growth.

Presently,addressing one ofthe key areas ofgrowth is the mid-tier market, forwhich wedeveloped theCentro Hotels byRotana brand,”added El Zyr.

The company presentlymeets the needs of businesstravellers seeking a convenient location withinthe heart of the city, ensuringease while organising andattending conferences, meetings and events.

Maintaining its position as the largest hotel brand inthe Middle East, the Rotana Groupwill open eight newhotels in 2012 including its first properties in Bahrain,Jordan and Oman and its second hotel in Qatar.

2012 expansion plans in ME

TT BUREAU

Selim El ZyrPresident and CEORotana

The Group will raise thenumber of Centro roomsto 1,464 and the totalnumber of Rotana roomsto over 14,000 by 2012 end

It has further plans to open25 ‘Centro Hotels byRotana’ properties acrossthe Middle East and Africaby 2014

14,000 by 2012 end

22% rise in Russianhotel guestContd. from page 1 u The number of

Russian hotelguests in Dubaisaw a significantrise in 2011 to2,55,746, a riseof 22 per cent

A baby boy born on-board an Emirates flight fromDubai to Manila has been named EK after theidentification code used by Dubai-based airline.

A baby boy named EK

O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 7

STATISTICS8 TRAVTALK O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2

Three-quarters of out-bound tourist arrivals

generated from the sourcemarkets of the ME region are

to destinations within the MEregion. The Americas andAfrica have, by and large,maintained their share of MEtourist arrivals, althoughboth destination regions have

seen higher market shares inearlier years than achievedin2010.

The statistics of destina-tion-wise arrivals from the MEfor 2009-2010 (as available),

compiled from UNWTO data,indicate that seven of the topten destinations with the high-est numbers of ME arrivals areintra-regional destinations.Importantly, two European

destinations feature in the topten list: Turkey and France.

The ME region generatedsome 36 million internationaltourist arrivals in 2010, havingmore than quadrupled from

8.2 million in 1990. Accordingto data available, Saudi Arabiais the ME’s largest tourist generating country with over7 million outbound touristarrivals in 2010.

The ME region is one of the fastest growing tourist generating regions with a worldwide market share of 3.8% in 2010(UNWTO 2011). The rapid pace of economic development has been a key factor for the growth of outbound tourism.

Middle East outshines in outboundTT BUREAU

�COUNTRY 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Middle East 13,991 22,972 24,419 27,122 31,869 32,715 36,000 (arrivals reported by destinations)

Saudi Arabia 4,403 2,000 4,126 4,087 6,032 7,233 United Arab Emirates* 3,689 4,427 5,047 5,350 5,063 Kuwait 1,236 2,173 2,529 2,649 Oman 2,018 2,248 2,285 2,074 1,672 Qatar Bahrain Lebanon Syria 3,863 4,564 4,042 4,196 5,253 5,215 6,259 Jordan 1,625 1,523 2,139 2,094 1,972 2,054 2,917 Egypt 2,964 5,307 4,531 Libya Iraq Palestine Yemen

Destinations Series Number of arrivals (x 1000) Change %

2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2010-09

To world 13,991 22,972 24,419 27,122 31,869 32,715 36,000 10.0

Saudi Arabia TF 3,599 5,607 5,516 7,444 9,334 8,678 8,245 -5.0

Syria VF 2,111 3,456 3,445 3,124 4,391 4,712 6,192 31.4

Jordan VF 1,676 4,354 4,881 4,787 5,124 5,134 5,347 4.2

Kuwait VF 1,191 2,005 2,223 2,619 2,778 2,996 3,103 3.6

Tunisia TF 713 1,440 1,507 1,582 1,809 2,034 1,863 -8.4

Egypt VF 890 1,511 1,706 1,687 1,676 1,571 1,761 12.1

v Arrivals from Middle East at Worldwide Destinations, 2000-2010

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

All Source: UNWTO

8.2 8.4 8.7 8.8 9.3 9.3 8.910.1

11.6 12.3 14.015.4

17.5 17.1

20.823.0

24.427.1

31.9 32.7

36.0

4646

194

4728

19

54

25317

49

25

49

9

17

44

20

30

145

52

12

n Europe n Africa n Asia and the Pacific n Americas

xInterregional Tourist Arrivals from Middle East, 1990-2010 (%)

32

18

4

1990 1995 2000

u Middle East Outbound Tourism, Trips Abroad, 2000-2010 (x1000)

w Interregional Tourist Arrivals from Middle East, 1990-2010 (%)

2005 2008 2009 201030

HOTELS

The new wing of the build-ing with 144 rooms and

suites will give a preview ofthe sandy beaches andArabian Gulf that surroundsthe property. It will offer140+ acres of a Beach Hotelsetting with gardens with anextension of a 900-metre pri-vate beach.

“The extension willenrich this alreadyunique propertymaking the most ofits stunning locationand expandingguest facilities.

For both local and international visitors, it willexceed their expectation andstrengthen its establishedreputation as an exclusivelifestyle destination,”

expressed Kamal Zayati,General Manager, Al RahaBeach Hotel.

By the 1st quarter of2013, the hotel’s alreadyexcellent culinary offeringwill be enhanced by theopening of new outlets. It hasbeen designed, to offer a fullexperience, with its 3 openkitchens, Sushi Bar, Pre andPost Dinner Bar and Lounge.

Pan Asian Restaurant, willpresent, options of Asian cui-sine from the island andpeninsula of Asian Continent.

Even the Abu DhabiTourism Authority (ADTA)lends its support withtargetted marketing andpromotional plans and helpsthe hotel industry at majorinternational trade andconsumer fairs with strongbrand presence and conductsinternational and regionalroadshows and workshops.

Al Raha Beach Hotel, Abu Dhabi opens the multi-milliondollar new building with state-of-the-art technologiesand amenities this October. The brand’s new wing willadd an extra 144 rooms and suites to its existing portfolio.

Multi-million $ building

TT BUREAU

Kamal ZayatiGeneral ManagerAl Raha Beach Hotel

F&B promotions in SevillaRestaurant, Cafe Mozart,Wanasah, La Piscine, PoolBar & Restaurant, BlackPearl and Azur

The Body & Soul Spa hasincredible offers in October2012

October Promotions

In terms of revenue, thereis a 40 per cent increase so

far and October seems to bea stronger month. Ideallyserviced residence for business executives, familiesand leisure travellers, thehotel provides outstandingfacilities on a short term orextended stay. Dedicated on

expansion graph, a newMediterranean themedrestaurant will also come up,with a capacity of 150 headsin November.

Opening 2 properties inRiyadh soon, Frasers standsout from the crowd in thishighly competitive market.

Frasers Hospitality haslaunched its new high-techbrand, Capri by Fraser, withthe opening of its debut property in Singapore. It willbe followed by the opening oftwo more Asian properties –Capri by Fraser at BangsarKuala Lumpur and Capri byFraser at District 7 Ho ChiMinh City.

“With more than 85per cent occupancyyear round, we arein touch withmultinationalcorporations and launched our Rewardsprogramme knownas ‘Fraser Rewards’,

which is a ‘Thank You’note from us. It’s an initiative to encourage themto be loyal to our brand. Wealso launched ‘GlobalLoyalty Program’ of FrasersWorld in April, as our company has a goal to act asa Solution Provider globally,” informed DavidBrown, General Manager,Fraser Suites Dubai.

While discussing thevalue of the travel trade network, Brown explainedthat the travel trade are moreappropriately termed ‘influ-encers’, as they have thepower and ability to recom-mend to their clients wherethey should choose to stay.

The travel agents arecommunicated on a regularbasis and product training areconducted to assist themunderstand the brand.Frasers believe nothing beatsthe concept of ‘touch and feelof the product’ and hence, thetravel trade actively partici-pates in familiarisation trips.

“We are also active inmajor travel trade shows likeWTM and ATM, which assistsus in spelling out the uniqueconcept that we offer,” Brownfurther informed.

Fraser Suites Dubai is catering to the MICE sector by opening a new conference centre, comprising 3 meeting rooms and 3 executive boardrooms, inNovember, that will accommodate up to 200 delegates.

Expansion plans in full swing

TT BUREAU

David BrownGeneral ManagerFraser Suites Dubai

Frasers Hospitality haslaunched its new high-techbrand, Capri by Fraser

The group will open 2 newproperties in Riyadh and 2more in Asia

New Launch

CRUISES1 0 TRAVTALK O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2

Q. How many vessels does MSC Cruisesoperate on? What are the variousdestinations that the fleet sails to?

A. We have 12 vessels under MSC fleet,Divina being the latest addition. MSCPreziosa will become the 13th addition tothe MSC Cruises’ fleet by next year 2013.We cover Mediterranean (East & West),Northern Europe, Caribbean, SouthAmerica, South Africa and Red Sea.

Q. What programmes/clubs are available forchildren travelling on MSC?

A. There are 4 different Kids Clubprogrammes available on-board MSCCruises, each tailored to a specific age -Mini Club, Junior Club, the Y-Team andthe MSC Generation teen club.

Q. What all facilities can be pre-purchasedfrom MSC Cruises?

A. Clients can pre-book on-board facilitieslike shore excursions, beverage packages(available both for adults & kids) & spapackages. Besides, they can also pre-purchase transfers to/from airport to portas well.

Q. What exclusive luxurious product doesMSC offer to its cruise travellers?

A. MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSCDivina and MSC Preziosa introduce MSCYacht Club - an exclusive ‘ship within aship’ that offers luxury, privacy andpersonal service combined with an arrayof leisure facilities and entertainment on-board. It has its own Concierge Receptionand Butler Service.

Rashmi ShenoyCommercial Co-ordinator, MSC Cruise Division, Sharaf Travel LLC

The new super luxury cruisewill offer a wide variety of

cruises China, Taiwan, Japan,Korea, Southeast Asia and HongKong. It will launch in the earlymonths of 2013. Formerlyknown as Norwegian Dream,50,764 tonnage, SuperStarGemini will join Star CruisesSuperStar Virgo, SuperStarAquarius, SuperStar Libra andStar Pisces to offer incredibleholiday experience to its guests.

Besides luxurious cabins,multi-cuisine restaurants,entertainment and recreationalvenues and body care outlets,the 1,532 passenger capacityvessel will house 766 guestcabins. The new luxury cruiseis scheduled to have 4,000square feet shopping areaincluding a duty-free shop.

“SuperStar Gemini is atestament to our ongoing effortto expand our footprint in the

region from our well-estab-lished key markets in HongKong, Penang, Sanya, Singaporeand Taiwan.

With thestrengthened fleet, we are well-positioned tofurther develop theAsia-Pacific cruisemarket byintroducing world-class cruisingexperience as aholiday option to thegrowing North Asiaholidaymakers,”

said Najeeb Mithvani, SecondAssistant Vice President, Sales,Star Cruises.

Star Cruises haveannounced to parade its newacquisition through a series ofcruises between January 2 and

March 31, 2013 covering vari-ous countries and touristhotspots including Krabi,Phuket, Singapore, Ho Chi MinhCity, Nha Trang, Hong Kong,Sanya, Danang, Halong Baybefore commencing her sum-mer deployment several othertourist attractions betweenApril and October 2013. Afterthe Shanghai deployment,SuperStar Gemini will be home-ported in Sanya in the winterseason from mid-October 2013,

calling at Vietnam portsamongst others.

SuperStar Gemini promis-es to offer onboard facilitiesincluding culinary pleasure andrecreational fun, includingrestaurants of Chinese, Asianand international cuisines, opendeck barbecue, show lounge,karaoke, spa and health club,beauty salon, children’s play-room and swimming pool.

Star Cruises, togetherwith Norwegian Cruise Line,owns a combined fleet of 18ships which visit over 200 des-tinations across the worldincluding Asia-Pacific, Northand South America, Hawaii,Caribbean, Alaska, Europe,Mediterranean and Bermuda.

Star Cruises is investing US$ 50 million for the renovation and refurbishmentof Norwegian Dream to a super luxury cruise SuperStar Gemini that promisesto be the first of its kind resort at sea combined with a shopping haven.

‘Resort at sea’ by Star Cruises

TT BUREAU

Najeeb MithvaniSecond Assistant Vice PresidentSales, Star Cruises

The 1,532 passenger capacityvessel will house 766 guestcabins and will have 4,000 sqft of shopping erea

‘Resort at Sea’ offers

For her first season in theregion, MSC Opera will

operate out of Durban. Newports of call during the seasonhave also been added andguests can now enjoy thewildlife, shores and unparal-leled scenic beauty ofHermanus, South Africa,Anakao, Madagascar andLuderitz, Namibia.

“These itineraries areperfect to discover fromMSC Opera or MSC Sinfonia,two ‘Lirica Class’ ships, withtheir rich entertainment andwellness options,” explainedRashmi Shenoy, CommercialCo-ordinator, MSC CruiseDivision, Sharaf Travel.

On November 1 MSCOpera will depart fromVenice, Italy for a 20-day/19-night southboundcruise and will arrive inCape Town, South Africa forthe first time ever onNovember 20. Following twoocean cruises from CapeTown to Durban and fromDurban to Cape Town, MSCOpera will then operate outof Durban from November

26, 2012 until February 21,2013. Durban will say goodbye to MSC Opera onFebruary 17, 2013 when shewill make her way to CapeTown on a five-day/four-night cruise, with ascheduled call in PortElizabeth. On November 9,2012 MSC Sinfonia willdepart from Genoa, Italy, for a 20-day/19-night southbound cruise.

“MSC Sinfonia will alsooffer cruises to Mossel Bayand Hermanus, SouthAfrica, Luderitz, Namibia,Maputo, Mozambique and

For the first timeever, MSC Sinfoniawill offer a 12-day/11-nightroundtrip cruise to Walvis Bay,”further informedShenoy.

South Africa will saygoodbye to MSC Sinfonia onApril 15, 2013, when shestarts her 19-day/18-nightreturn cruise from CapeTown, South Africa toGenoa, Italy.

Introducing additional voyages for the region’s 2012-2013summer season, MSC Cruises sends MSC Opera to join hersister ship, MSC Sinfonia in South Africa. It will replace MSCMelody and take over the cruises departing from Cape Town.

MSC Opera enroute SA

TT BUREAU

Rashmi ShenoyCommercial Co-ordinatorMSC Cruise DivisionSharaf Travel

The 3 waste streams arePackaging, biodegradable

waste and paper that arebeing treated so that they can

be reduced, recycled andreused as by-products. Costahas a policy of 100 per centseparation of solid waste on-board, with separate storage and disposal of thestreams like glass, plastic,metal, food, paper, ceramicsand aluminum.

Another area of theproject concerns wet waste,food and other organic

waste, which on a ship likeCosta Pacifica carrying up toalmost 5,000 guests andcrew, accounts for about 22per cent of total waste.

The third categoryinvolved in the project is paper, which accounts for about 16 per cent of the total waste generated by a ship like the Costa Pacifica. ‘SustainableCruise’ has already analysed the waste flow(supply, storage, use anddisposal) of paper on-board the vessel.

The Costa Pacifica waschosen to pilot this, the

world’s first ever shipboardexperimental project involv-ing the use of innovativetechniques and methods.

“We are very proud to bemanaging thishighly innovativeproject on-board theCosta Pacifica,which will be thepilot ship for newmodels ofmanagement ofcertain types ofsolid waste,”

commented FabianFernandes, General Manager,Alpha Holidays, PSA for CostaCruises, UAE, Bahrain, OmanKuwait and Saudi Arabia.

‘Sustainable Cruise’ alsoaims to set up a new volun-tary certification scheme forshipboard waste treatment.In terms of CO2 reduction,its’ effects possibly pave theway for the introduction of specific EU environmentallegislation for shipping.

Costa Cruises is the first cruise company in the world tocarry out a ‘Sustainable Cruise’ project. It will providestimulus for the implementation of the EU Directive onthe three waste streams on-board the Costa Pacifica.

‘Sustainable Cruise’ project

TT BUREAU

Fabian FernandesGeneral Manager, Alpha HolidaysPSA for Costa Cruises, UAE, BahrainOman Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

The 3 waste streams arePackaging, biodegradablewaste and paper that arebeing treated so that they can be reduced,recycled and reused asby-products

‘Sustainable Cruise’ alsoaims to set up a newvoluntary cer tificationscheme for shipboardwaste treatment

A landmark experimentBahrain hosted over2,30,000 tourists inone week betweenaugust 16-22 during eidcelebrations, acc. to theMinistry of interior.More than 1,90,000tourists entered Bahrainvia the king Fahdcauseway while nearly40,000 landed at theBahrain airport.

quick read

FAMILY ALBUM O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 1

Austrian Airlines Award NightAustrian Airlines hosted its Annual Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony on September 13, 2012. Each year, the airline in collaboration with ViennaInternational Airport celebrates the support, hard work and achievement of its valuable travel partners. The awards were given by Christina Debbah,Vice President for Global Sales and Distribution and Karim El Sanadily, General Manager for Gulf, Lebanon and Pakistan.

TECHNOLOGY 1 2 TRAVTALK O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2

As part of the renewedagreement Air France-

KLM will make its EconomyComfort seats available to thetravel agents by using industry standards developedby ATP Co and IATA.

Sabre will also use its latest shopping technology toprovide Sabre connected travelagents with even better accessto the best possible availabilityon the airline’s flights.

Air France will imple-ment Sabre group-bookingtechnology, which will makeit easier and more efficient forthe travel agents to manageAir France group reservations.

Selling products throughtravel agents is a vital element of the overall distri-bution strategy. The ability tomarket and sell the EconomyComfort seat will enrich the

content, available to the Sabrecommunity and will undoubt-edly play a part in the futuregrowth of the airline.

“Having access to fullcontent and real-time availability is what travelagents expect.

The decision to useindustry standardsto sell ancillaryproducts is anothermajor step in theevolution of howairlines sell theirproducts,”

explained DanielNaoumovitch, CEO, Sabre,Middle East and North Africa.

“The transparent shop-ping environment that weprovide our travel agencycustomers will continue togrow and flourish, as carriers

increasingly recognise, thebenefit of selling extrasthrough the GDS,” addedNaoumovitch.

Air France-KLM is thelatest of a large number of air-lines, including Emirates, GulfAir, Oman Air, Qatar Airwaysand Egypt Air to have com-mitted to Sabre and chosen tosell products through thetravel agency channel.

Sabre Travel Network has signed a multi-year full-contentagreement with Air France-KLM. Now, the airline’s seatand ancillary products will be available to travel agentsconnected to the Sabre global distribution system (GDS).

Finally a win-win deal

TT BUREAU

Daniel NaoumovitchCEO, SabreMiddle East and North Africa

Travelport’s holisticapproach is an industry’s

first while no other GDS hasmade concrete progress inefforts to tackle this challenge to date.

According to CWT, thisis due to a number of factorsincluding the hotels’ failureto load the data into theProperty ManagementSystem (PMS) or CentralReservation System (CRS).The rate is not being set upcorrectly or missing codeinformation due to inaccuratecode information beingentered as many codes areoutdated and duplicated.There are multiple processesfor uploading data as well.

In an effort to solve thisproblem, Travelport said it isworking with hotels tostreamline and simplify rateloading processes. According

to the company, this includesconducting rate audits withhotels, designing and implementing new processesand removing the availabil-ity of outdated & duplicatedcodes and streamlining theprocess for hotels to uploadtheir negotiated rates.

Keith Harrison, GlobalHead - Hospitality Suppliers,Travelport said, “Some of thepositive changes we’ve intro-duced include building a feed-back process, asking hotelchains to put service levelagreements in place with

local properties and increas-ing the frequency of updatesin the Travelport GDS chan-nel. As a result, agents usingTravelport will gain confi-dence in serving their cus-tomers as per their negotiatedcontracts, compared withother channels and GDSs.”

Travelport has alreadynoted supplier compliancerise from less than 80 percent to more than 97 percent. The scheme, whichkicked off in the US andCanada, will be rolled outglobally later in the year.

Travelport cited an external research from CarlsonWagonlit Travel (CWT) Group that up to 25 per cent ofthe hotel negotiated rates are incorrectly uploaded ornot loaded at all.

‘Fixing’ hotel rates

TT BUREAU

We have asked the hotel chains toput service level agreements inplace with local properties

Keith HarrisonGlobal Head - Hospitality Suppliers, Travelport

STR Global Report

The region’s occupancyincreased 11.9 per cent

to 53.8 per cent duringAugust, its average daily rate

increased 3.0 per cent to US$154.93m and its revenue peravailable room grew by 15.3per cent to US$ 83.37m.

“Ramadan endedearlier this August

compared to August 2011and performance metricswere positively impactedbecause of it, showing a19.6 per cent RevPAR

increase across the MiddleEast,” said ElizabethRandall Winkle, ManagingDirector, STR Global.

Highlights among theregion’s key markets for

August 2012 include (year-over-year compar-isons, all currency in U.S.dollars):

R Cairo, Egypt, reportedthe largest occupancyincrease, rising 69.7per cent to 37.9 percent, followed byAmman, Jordan, with a52.9-per cent increaseto 43.2 per cent.

R Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,fell 8.5 per cent in occu-pancy to 31.0 per cent,reporting the largestdecrease in that metric.

R Dubai, United ArabEmirates, increased23.7 per cent in ADR toUS$ 184.23, posting

the largest increase inthat metric, followedby Jeddah, SaudiArabia (+18.1 per centto US$ 255.99) andAmman (+17.8 percent to US$160.00).

R Sandton, South Africaand its surroundingareas experienced thelargest decrease inADR, falling 11.6 percent to US$ 118.45.

R Six markets achievedRevPAR increases ofmore than 25 per cent:Amman (+80.1 percent to US$ 69.10);Cairo (+66.4 per centto US$ 39.81); Dubai(+59.9 per cent to US$ 109.29); Jeddah(+40.6 per cent to US$202.75); Muscat, Oman(+36.1 per cent to US$61.27) and Manama,Bahrain (+25.8 percent to US$ 67.08).

R Beirut, Lebanon, fell4.9 per cent in RevPARto US$ 68.41, postingthe largest decrease inthat metric.

The Middle East-Africa region reported positive performance results inAugust 2012 when reported in U.S. dollars, according to the data compiledby STR Global.

MEA results for August 2012

TT BUREAU

Country Occupancy %change ADR %change RevPAR %change

Egypt 53.4% +17.0% EGP404.38 +19.5% EGP215.84 +39.9%

Saudi Arabia 56.1% -7.6% SAR 1,290.90 +4.5% SAR 723.69 -3.5%

South Africa 57.2% +8.2% ZAR 825.13 +4.4% ZAR 471.93 +12.9%

United Arab Emirates 56.7% +22.3% AED 585.92 +19.5% AED 332.51 +46.2%

Performances of key countries in August 2012 (all monetary units in local currency)

* percentages are increases/decreases for August 2012 vs August 2011

n Etihad Towers Abu Dhabiannounced the opening ofthe UAE Embassy of theRepublic of Fiji in its commercial tower. TheEmbassy will be the pacificisland nation’s first officialrepresentation in the MiddleEast region.

Commenting on theopening of a secondEmbassy at Etihad Towers,Richard Foulds, PropertyManager, Etihad Towerssaid, “It is a great honour towelcome the Embassy ofThe Republic of Fiji to our

commercial tower at EtihadTowers, particularly giventhat it will be Fiji’s firstoccupational representationin the Middle East region; asignificant moment for bothFiji and the UAE. They areanother highly prestigiousaddition to our ever-growingcommercial profile and tonow have two Embassieswithin our development is atestament to our premiercommercial and residentialoffering and our close proximity to the UAEMinistry of Foreign Affairs.”

Fiji in Etihad Towers

n The Hertz Corporationhas entered into a new partnership withTurkish Airlines to provide members of the carrier’sMiles&Smiles frequent flyerprogramme with preferen-tial rates on car rentalsworldwide and Bonus Mileswith every booking.

The three-year agree-ment means Miles&Smilesmembers around the worldcan immediately start takingadvantage of best availablerates on Hertz car rentalswhile earning 500 BonusMiles for each booking.

The partnershipbetween Hertz and Turkey’sdynamic national carrier

means that Miles&Smilesmembers can enjoy bestrates and discounts on Hertzcar rentals across a growingglobal network of more than8,500 locations in more than150 countries.

This will be equallyattractive for those travellingon business and in need oftheir own transport for meet-ings and sightseeing and forthose using their Hertz rent-a-car to embark on holidayroad trips. In either cases,the car rental is made easyby the presence of a helpfulHertz location on arrival atmany airports and citieslinked in the Turkish Airlines network.

Hertz on Turkish radar

Ramadan ended earlier this yearthat showcased a 19.6% RevPARincrease across the Middle East

Elizabeth Randall WinkleMD, STR Global

NTO O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 3

The Tourism Authority considers steps to take in

respect to the activities of DEC how they can be coordinated with QNCC, inaddition to the coordinationwith the hotels hosting guests.

“Qatar hasestablished itself as a uniquetourism destinationwith strength inbusiness and sportstourism.

The hotel sector showshow it is maturing ahead ofthe challenges we face in the next decade,” informed Ahmed AlNuaimi, Chairman, QatarTourism Authority.

Business tourism con-stituted 72 per cent of the

number of visitors receivedby Qatar in 2011.

Doha Exhibition Centrehas hosted more than 34exhibitions and conferencesincluding 10 shows held forthe first time. It has con-tributed to the local tourismindustry by hosting somemajor exhibitions like DohaInternational Jewellery andWatches Exhibition and Qatar

International Motor Showand Doha Trade Fair andExhibition, amongst others.

Exhibitions and confer-ences are important contributors to the develop-ment of business tourism andother sectors. Hence, theexhibition industry is of particular interest to thetourism industry, especiallyin light of the reports whichconfirms that Qatar hasbecome a major host for MICE.

As part of reforming Meetings, Incentives, Conferencesand Exhibitions (MICE) industry, Qatar Tourism Authority(QTA) plans to bring together Doha Exhibition Centre(DEC) and Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).

Joining hands for MICE

TT BUREAU

Ahmed Al NuaimiChairmanQatar Tourism Authority

Business tourismconstituted 72% of thenumber of visitorsreceived by Qatar in 2011

DEC has hosted more than34 exhibitions andconferences including 10shows held for the first time

MICE in Doha

Moreover according toCBJ the revenue gener-

ated from tourism rose by38.5 per cent in August 2012compared to August 2011.

With the increase innon-resident tourists visitingJordan from Iraq, Libya andnon-Arab foreigners likeAmericans, the growth in

revenue has taken place.These developments haverecovered the tourism sector,which is one of the mainsources of foreign currencypouring into the Kingdom.

Nayef Fayez, Ministerof Tourism and Antiquities,Jordan informed,

“The number ofovernight visitorshad also increasedby 7.4 per cent inthe first eightmonths to reach2.9 million.”

Fayez also noted thatcompared to neighbouringcountries, tour packages inJordan are among the mostexpensive, which affects thecompetitiveness of the sector.Jordan’s 16 per cent salestax, is the highest in theregion, compared to 10 per

cent in Lebanon and Egypt. Currently Egypt is considering to lower its salestax to 5 per cent and 8 percent in Turkey and 0 per centin Israel.

Jordan continues tooffer complete MICE productdue to its strategic location inthe Middle East, professionalDMC, high-end facilities andinfrastructure, historical sitesand most importantly anoasis of peace and stability.

MICE unit is being created at the Jordan Tourism Board aiming atunderstanding the needs ofMICE organisers and workingwith the tourism sector toupgrade and promote services offered by localproviders. The Tourism Boardcontinues to attend major MICE events takingplace regionally and internationally.

According to Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ ), Jordan’stourism revenues scaled up to JD 1.7 billion from JD 1.4billion in the first eight months of 2012 over same periodin 2011 witnessing a rise of 19.2 per cent.

Tourism revenues mounted

TT BUREAU

Nayef FayezMinister of Tourism and AntiquitiesJordan

Dublin buzzes withfestivals in autumn like

Dublin Theatre Festival fromSeptember 27 to October 14.Ireland’s most celebratedfood festival and the world’s longest running, not-to-be-missed Oysterfestival has continued fromSeptember 28-30.

Ireland’s most iconicvenue, Croke Park Stadium visualises spectacu-lar panoramic views ofDublin. At 44 meters aboveground, five viewing plat-forms along a walkway offera unique perspective ofDublin’s most popular andcelebrated landmarks.

“The number of visitorsfrom the GCC region hasrisen steadily thanks to theintroduction of the Visa waiv-er scheme, allowing holdersof a valid UK Visa, entry tothe Republic of Ireland alongwith the excellent airlineaccess to Dublin from theUAE,” expressed AmandaBurns, General Manager -Middle East and Asia,Tourism Ireland.

“The island of Irelandattracts tourists who enjoyhigh profile events and activities. This summer theisland was abuzz with the

excitement of the Irish Open,the Dubai Duty Free Racesand the Volvo Ocean Race, allof which have a strong resonance with the MiddleEast market and the UAEthrough a shared love of golf,horse racing and sailing,” further informed Burns.

Globally recognised as asurfing town, Bundoran is thebest place to start any surfingadventure to explore therugged northwest corner ofIreland’s Atlantic coastline.In September and October,

the water is the warmest, theAtlantic is at full throttle andthe crowd is stoked. Besides,Bundoran is well-known forits welcoming accommoda-

tion, friendly locals, livelynightlife and good food.

In Donegal, a land-based adventure around thisregion’s scenery offers thrillsbeyond surfing, including thesea cliffs at Slieve League,among the highest and mostspectacular in Ireland.

Tourism Ireland observes savings for tourists as reducedValue Added Tax (VAT) makes travel to Ireland bettervalue than ever. The temporary reduction in VAT is inplace since July 2011 till December 2013.

Lower VAT boosts Tourism

TT BUREAU

The number of visitors from theGCC region has risen steadilythanks to the introduction of theVisa waiver scheme

Amanda BurnsGM - Middle East and Asia, Tourism Ireland

It applies services totourism and hospitalitysectors along with numberof tourist attractions

VAT Reduction

‘Chill’ time for agents in SeychellesTo continue increasing awareness of the Seychelles and the islands’ uniqueness to the Middle Easternclientele, the Seychelles Tourism Board Middle East Office and Etihad Airways/ Air Seychelles organiseda second Fam Trip to Seychelles with five travel agents from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai & Sharjah, UAE.During their four-day visit, the group were given the oppor tunity to experience and explore differentislands. A series of FAM trips will be implemented over the next 12 months to increase the number ofagents experiencing the Islands.

AGENTS1 4 TRAVTALK O C T O B E R , 2 0 1 2

To leverage the emirate’sgrowing stature as a

‘stand-alone’ destination, theopening of the office, is thefirst step, of a long-termdevelopment plan of LamaGroup for the UAE capital.Lama currently accounts forover 1,50,000 Indian visitorsannually to the UAE and isalso marketing F1 packagesto Indian visitors.

“India is now AbuDhabi’s second largest overseas source market for hotel guests.

The expanding airaccess between thedestinations and theclose proximity offlying time is suchthat we now havethe country firmly inour sights for ouroverseas promotionaloffice networkexpansion,”

expressed Kulwant Singh,Managing Director, LamaGroup.

Presently four carriersfly from India to Abu DhabiAirport. Etihad Airways isplanning to launch flightsfrom Ahmedabad inNovember 2012, its ninthIndian destination.

According to Abu DhabiTourism & Culture Authority(TCA Abu Dhabi), it will be amajor boost for hotel guesttally from India, which isgrowing every month sincethe last 18 months.

“We have receivedmajor support from TCAAbu Dhabi for this move. Ithas helped us, sell the emi-rate to the MICE segment, particularly out of India, forthe growing Indian weddingmarket which is keen on theUAE; for the FIT sector, which is again eager onunearthing new destinationsand on the digital mediasector, in particular for loca-tions for Bollywood movie

shooting and premieres,”said Singh.

Lama, headquartered inDubai, presently handlesIndian inbound traffic inbetween 60- 70 per cent intothe UAE, with a high potential to market Dubaiand Abu Dhabi as a two centre UAE stay.

“The digital media sec-tor could prove a rich vein forAbu Dhabi which has thediversity of locations thatwould appeal,” added Singh.

With the newly openedAbu Dhabi office, Lama hasplanned to market it alongwith its stakeholders, a four-city road show in Indiato convey what the emiratehas to offer.

In the first six monthsof 2012 around 65,519Indian nationals stayed inAbu Dhabi's hotels and hotelapartments, 31 per cent riseon the same period in 2011.Around 234,043 guest nightswith 15 per cent increase onthe first six months of 2012over 2011.

Identifying Abu Dhabi as a ‘significant and welcoming destination withhigh-end accommodation’, Lama Tours & Holidays has opened an officein the capital. The move targets its inbound operations on FITs, MICE,Wedding and Bollywood.

Lama expands to Abu Dhabi

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Kulwant SinghManaging DirectorLama Group

Lama currently accountsfor over 1,50,000 Indianvisitors annually to the UAEand is also marketing F1packages to Indian visitors

They presently handleIndian inbound traffic inbetween 60- 70% with ahigh potential to marketDubai and Abu Dhabi

Lama & India Connect

Recognised for its variouspromotional offers, the

travel agency company alsooffers holiday packages for SriLanka, Turkey and India dur-ing Eid Al Adha in October.

“Our business has flourished by 12 percent in Q3 2012over Q3 2011 andexpects 15 to 16 percent increase by theyear end.

We have lots of promotions in progress likewe provide a discount voucher of AED 150 againsta purchase of AED 300 in all Sharjah CooperativeSocieties and many othersare in the pipeline,”expressed Arshad Munir,General Manager, SATA.

With aggressive mar-keting strategies, the travelcompany has taken initiative

to reach every customer withtheir innovative proposals.

“We have been providing tourist visas to alltravellers since the last sevenyears. With reference, we don’tcharge any guarantee depositfor family members, besides,refundable deposits that areneeded for friends or relatives where the visacharge includes medical insur-ance as well,” he further said.

By participating in various roadshows, events

and exhibitions, SATA getsvibrant exposure and SharjahTourism plays a vital role inthis venture.

Working majorly andclosely with the labour market, online appearancedoesn’t affect SATA a lot.There is a big market sharefrom the corporates as theyare always contented with thetraditional travel agents. Shortbreak holidays are preferrednowadays while trends driftedtowards new generation.

“We have introduced ‘Edu-Trip’ with the schoolchildren on education tourand travelled to UK andFrance in 2011 with an overwhelming response,”Munir further informed.

Besides existing offices in Ajman and RAK, SharjahAirport Travel Agency (SATA) plans to extend its presencethroughout UAE by opening office in Dubai and AbuDhabi by the end of this year.

Expanding its presence

SUSMITA GHOSH

Arshad MunirGeneral ManagerSATA

The travel agency companyoffers holiday packagesfor Sri Lanka, Turkey andIndia during Eid Al Adha inOctober

October Offerings

n The 18th World Routes -The World RouteDevelopment Forum is beingheld in Abu Dhabi fromSeptember 30 till October 3,2012. This event witnessesthe largest gathering of air-lines, airports and tourismauthorities in the world.Hosted by Abu DhabiAirports Company, support-ed by Etihad Airways andAbu Dhabi Tourism &Culture Authority, ROUTES2012 event has attractedover 2,750 delegates frommore than 80 countries. Thislargest global annual airlineand airport networkingevent has marked the returnto Abu Dhabi after the set-ting of one of the first WorldRoutes events in 1996.

Khalifa Al Mazrouei,Chairman, ADAC while

addressing a press confer-ence, during early 2012informed, “Route develop-ment holds the most vitalrole for any airport, airlineand related industries. AbuDhabi International, beingone of the fastest growingaviation hubs in the world,today, is very happy to beselected to host the world’sleading air transport forumand event in 2012.”

“The winningbid is a collectiveachievement notonly just for theaviation sector butfor Abu Dhabi as awhole.

It also provides anopportunity to showcase the

UAE’s capital city and thewider emirate to the world,”he further said.

This year’s World RouteDevelopment StrategySummit has brought togeth-er all aviation, tourism andcargo stakeholders and decision makers under oneroof to participate in discussions and debates andset commercial and politicalagenda for the industry.

Khalifa Al MazroueiChairmanADAC

18th World Routes in Abu Dhabi

Jumeirah Creekside Hotel features more than 480 unique artwork pieces from52 artists originating from 11 countries in the Middle East. While, the hotels,Cuban-themed rooftop bar and lounge - Cu-ba has refrigerated floors so thatone won’t burn their feet while relaxing by the pool.

Art at its best

The Emirate of Sharjah culminated on an upbeat note by winning the‘Most Active Destination’ award at the Leisure Moscow 2012 traveland tourism fair in the Russian capital, held from September 19 to 22. The Sharjah pavilion attracted considerable attention of the tourismindustry where several dignitaries, business leaders andrepresentatives of international media visited the emirate’s pavilionand were briefed about the emirate and its tourism projects.

‘Most Active Destination’

InterContinental Hotels Group has signed an agreement with Kuwaiti-owned Almadina Real Estate Development to open a 442-room Crowne Plaza Resort in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The hotel iscurrently under development on the manmade Marjan Island.

1st Crowne Plaza Resort

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Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group DubaiAdrian Hearn is appointed as the Regional Directorof Sales – Middle East for Mandarin Oriental HotelGroup. He will be based at theGroup’s Regional Sales Offices inDubai and will head up the Group’ssales strategy and effor ts in theMiddle East. He brings over 20years of hotel industry experienceto the role. Hearn is a Britishnational and has spent the past nineyears in the region and bringsspecialist knowledge andexcellent client connectivityin the GCC market.

Cathay Pacific AirwaysDubaiBrian Yuen is the new Country Manager - UAE & Oman forCathay Pacific Airways. In his present profile, he will beresponsible for leading and managingthe overall business and operationaldevelopments of the airline in the UAEand Oman. Yuen joined the airline asa Management Trainee and hasaccumulated diverse experience andheld a variety of managerial positionswithin the airline, including marketing,revenue management and cargo sales.

RiyadhAiman Roujouleh has been appointed as theRegional Director of Sales – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain for Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Group. Roujouleh brings a wealth ofexperience from the luxury hospitalityindustry to his new role. He joins Mandarin Oriental after nine yearswith Four Seasons Hotels & Resor ts in Saudi Arabia where he most recently held the

position as Associate RegionalDirector of Sales.

Radisson Blu and Park Inn HotelsSharm El SheikhDenis Dernault has been appointed as the General Managerfor both the Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels, Sharm el

Sheikh. Dernault has extensive knowledgein the hospitality industry, par ticularlywithin resor t proper ties, with over 30years experience to his name. Hestarted his career in 1980. Over the next20 years he went on to developconsiderable skills holding various food

and beverage related positionsaround the world.

Rocco Forte HotelsAbu DhabiNader Hamarna is the new Regional Director – Sales,Middle East for Rocco Forte Hotels. Hamarna is specifically

tasked to manage and grow the outboundleisure business from the Middle Eastto Rocco Forte’s European hotels, aswell as maintain and develop corporateindividual, meetings and incentivesacross the region. He brings over eightyears of dedicated Middle Eastern hotelssales experience to the job, having. Mostrecently he was the director of business

travel for The Ritz Carlton, Dubai.

The Pullman HotelDeira City CentreJean- Phillippe Bittencourt joins the soon-to-relaunchPullman Hotel, Deira City Centre as the new General Manager.Bittencourt brings 30 years of experiencefrom the hospitality industry. In hisprevious experience, he has workedin various places such as France,Morocco, Argentina, Brazil and theUnited Arab Emirates. Born andeducated in Rio de Janeiro, he holds aBachelor Degree in Economics andSocial Sciences apar tfrom others.

Crowne Plaza Dubai DeiraDubaiRaffi Torikian is the new Area Director of Sales andMarketing for Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira. In this new role, hewill be overseeing and supporting thesales and marketing teams at theHoliday Inn Sharjah, the Holiday Inn Dubai Downtown and theHoliday Inn Dubai Embassy District.Torikian began his career with IHGin 2001at the InterContinental LeVendome Beirut, Lebanon and sincethen, he has steadily progressedthrough various roles within the IHG group.

Travelport JeddahGhulam Al Balooshi is appointed as the interim GeneralManager for Travelport’s Galileo operations in the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia (KSA). A seasoned GDS andairline veteran, Al Balooshi joinedTravelpor t in 2010 with more than 35years of experience within the travelindustry. In his present profile, he will beresponsible for all Galileo-relatedcommercial activity in the Kingdom. Hebegan his career with Gulf Air and hasheld senior-level commercialpositions at both Sabre andAmadeus Gulf.

Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile PlazaEgyptYasmine El Gawhary acquires the new position of Directorof Rooms for Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, Egypt. In

her new role, El Gawhary will lead ateam of 285 staff and oversee theactivities of key guest-facingdepartments. She has served at theCairo proper ty for close to eightyears and was also a par t of the task force involved in training the Front Office staff at the much anticipated Four Seasons

property in Beirut.

Hyatt Capital Gate Abu DhabiAbu DhabiLuis Soares takes over as the Associate Director of Salesfor Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi. Previously, he held the

position of Sales Manager at Hyatt RegencyLondon - The Churchill. A graduate inTourism Management – Marketing fromthe University of Algarve (Faro, Portugal),Soares brings seven years of experiencein the hotel industry and has held a number

of positions in five-star hotels in Europe.Besides sales, he also has a marketing

background and he waspositioned as the brandmanager at Vila Sol Spa &Golf Resort.

Emaar Hospitality Group DubaiJosef Kufer has been appointed as the new Chief OperatingOfficer of Emaar Hospitality Group. In this profile, he will be responsible for the overalloperations of the organisation.Spearheading projects within theEmaar Hospitality’s subsidiaries, hewill also work closely on expandingits five-star premium brand, TheAddress Hotels + Resor ts. Kuferbrings with him invaluable insights onthe global hospitality landscape.

Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel DubaiDubaiHussein Saad Hassan Sarhan is appointed as the newReservations and Revenue Manager at Park Regis Kris Kin

Hotel Dubai. Sarhan is an Egyptian nationaland prior to this profile; he was the Revenue Manager of RoyalInternational Hotel, Abu Dhabi. In hispresent profile, he will be responsiblefor executing revenue strategies. He

moved to Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel &Resort in 2007 and became the

reservations supervisorthe following year at Sheraton KhalidiyaHotel in the capital.

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Difficult to miss duringthe day, but hard to find

at night, this unique hotel hasonly a big red neon sign at acorner that gives away theproperty’s uniqueness.

With the present 340rooms, the hotel propertyreceives more than 90 percent occupancy and thenewly added 60 keys willmake the total inventory to400 keys. With the additionalrooms, the hotel expects tocater to the corporate andMICE segments.

Iftikhar Hamdani,General Manger, RamadaAjman said, “We are excitedto open the newly refur-bished wing by offering qual-ity rooms to our corporateand leisure segment in thecoming winter season.”

Hamdani personallybelieves that keeping thestaff happy is the onlyapproach for more guestarrivals. He says that thestaffs are the actual guests (inthe property) who can getmore external guests andrepeat customers as wellthrough their dedicated skills.Implementing a transparent

relation with the staff, theGeneral Manager organises alot of sports activities toenhance team-building spiritalong with providing regularincrements and annualbonuses to them.

Ramada Ajman believesin following sustainablemeasures and takes up Corporate SocialResponsibility by involving in environmental support.They engage themselveswith many activities round the year.

Beach cleaning, regularblood donations camp at thehotel, Earth Hour celebration,education to the guest for theenvironment support, visitsto the elderly home Ajmanand special need children at Sharjah are few among the many initiatives taken by the hotel.

To convey their concernand responsibility, RamadaAjman has planned to organ-ise a Fashion Show for themembers of Ajman Club ofPhysically Challenged onNovember 3, 2012, with agala dinner for around 400people. For the betterment ofthe organisation, the hotel

has also taken an initiative tocollect and present AED50,000 on the same evening.

To make the ‘Go Green’campaign successful which isgoing to be held on January2013, the hotel is underwayto educate school children,hotel staff and the guests. Thefront office is also well awareof the concept and helps increating a buzz, by informingall the guests who are check-ing-in and checking-out.

“We have reached out tothe victims of the recentflooding in the Philippines thisSeptember by sending cashdonations through HumanAppeal International UAE.Besides, we were into dona-tion campaign for Somaliaand Pakistan during theirrecent calamity,” he added.

The Zero LandfillProject initiated by RamadaAjman was launched in Q12012, making it the firstamongst the hotels in theUAE. It has achieved 90 percent waste diversion fromthe landfill and further aimsto bring it to 95 per cent,through the Reduce, Reuseand Recycle approach inwaste management.

The property has generated positive feedbackand reinforcement from key entities in the emirate including AjmanMunicipality EnvironmentDepartment and AjmanChamber of Commerce.Besides the waste manage-ment, the property is alsomotivated to put its efforts on water conservation andenergy conservation.

Ramada Ajman reachesout to the needy throughclothes donation drive, acrossthe world through HumanAppeal International UAE.

“We want to take astand against poverty bydonating unwanted clotheswhich can be of good use toothers. We will continue withour altruism throughout alloccasions as helping others istruly a pleasurable and nobledeed,” Hamdani expressed.

Focussing on the CIS,GCC and Indian market, thehotel majorly deals withlocal tour operators and var-ious other travel agentsmainly for tapping theleisure segment. With thesupport of local DMCs, thearrival of Russian tourists in

the property has alsoincreased by 100 per cent,while the German marketstays steady. The travelagents, mostly from thecountries of Russia, Ukraineand Kazakhstan also touredthe property’s facilitiesrecently. The trip was organ-ised by Royal Park and AlFanar Tourism.

Located at the heart ofAjman City, with proximityto Ajman Beach Road, thecity’s major commercialareas and main airports inthe UAE, this 4-star luxuryproperty guarantees unpar-alleled Arabian hospitality,first-rate amenities andsuperb dining experience.

The new Bar-be-queoutlet is scheduled to openby mid October 2012 in itsprivate beach and also anIndian cuisine restaurant.The hotel also opened spasin August both in the prop-erty and in its private beachwhich is fetching excellentbusiness.

The hotel participatesin various events every year like ITB, ATM, Leisure Moscow, WTMamong others.

We are excitedto open thenewlyrefurbishedwing byoffering qualityrooms to ourcorporate andleisuresegment in thecoming winterseason

Iftikhar Hamdani General Manger Ramada Hotel & SuitesAjman

Ramada Hotel & Suites, Ajman, the black hotel, became a landmark with a bunch of three 15-storey towers.The hotel not only promotes the property but also Ajman as a destination. Opening the door of its Tower 2,upgraded with fully refurbishment and the two executive floors on October 9, 2012, the hotel expects sellingmore than 1,00,000 room nights in 2012.

‘Making room’ for MICE & corporates

SUSMITA GHOSH

Numbers go up for Rail Europe

All in all, Rail Europeaccumulated sales at the

end of July reached 133M€

and should exceed 200M€ bythe end of the year.

“After the all-time highsrecorded in 2010 and 2011, this performancedemonstrates Rail Europe’s structural capacity to developits sales, despite a difficultglobal economic environ-ment,” said Pierre-StephaneAusti, CEO, Rail Europe. “Ourbusiness model, based oninnovation and the excellenceof our global distribution, isour best asset to keep on theexcellent trend of this firsthalf of 2012,” he added.

“Middle East shows anincrement of 26 per cent bythe end of August comparing

to same period in 2011. As aresult of an aggressiveexpansion of Rail Europesales network across the

region; the growth of sales isexpected to overcome 30 percent by the end of 2012,” saidWaleed Ahmed, RegionalManager, Rail Europe -Middle East Office, Dubai.

The company’s goodresults benefit from thenumerous promotional initia-

tives that boosted the sales,particularly the ‘Rail Europe’s17th Birthday’ activities andthe ‘Summer promotions’. To

capitalise on these successes,the company will launch asimilar promotional pro-gramme in November, withnumerous discounts and spe-cials, to entice more travellersto discover Europe by train.

Above all, the secondhalf of 2012 will be marked by

two major developments: thelaunch of direct connectionsto some of the most importantEuropean railways, DeustcheBahn and Trenitalia. Withthese direct connections, RailEurope customers and travelagents will be able to accessthe same offer as in Germanyor Italy, with real time accessto all trains, fares (includingthe most discounted ones),and promotions, as well as to advanced functionalitieslike e-ticketing.

In a context of economicslowdown and deregulationin the European railwaysindustry, Rail Europe reaffirms its leadership,dynamism and commitmentto always offer to its cus-tomers and carrier partnersthe best platform to booktrain tickets and rail passes,to Europe and beyond.

Compared to S1 2011, Rail Europe witnessed a growth of 21 per cent insales and 23 per cent in passenger numbers for the first semester of 2012.

Sales 21%, Passengers 23%

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ME shows a growth of 26% by August2012 compared to the same period in2011 and is expected to show 30%growth by December 2012Waleed Ahmed, Regional Manager Rail Europe - Middle East Office, Dubai

n The number of visitors toAl Majaz Waterfront, one ofthe premier tourist destina-tions in Sharjah and theUAE, has passed the onemillion mark during the firsthalf of 2012. Ahmed ObaidAl Qaseer, Chief OperatingOfficer, Sharjah Investmentand Development Authority(Shurooq), expressed hispride in reaching this resultand attributed the largenumber of visitors – whichis made up of differentnationalities and cuts acrossall age groups – to therenewal of and diversifica-tion in activities and servicefacilities. According to AlQaseer, the number of visi-tors totaled 11,51,433 bythe end of June 2012 andincluded 3,48,000 visitors to

restaurants and cafes andmore than 8,00,000 visitorsto other attractions such asplay areas, sport facilitiesand picnic areas, amongothers.

He added that theincreasing interest in AlMajaz Waterfront can beattributed to its strategiclocation in the heart ofSharjah and its beautifulnatural surroundings, familyatmosphere and the widearray of leisure options andactivities that cater to theneeds of all age groups andsocial segments. He statedthat a number of recentlylaunched activities alsoplayed an important role inattracting visitors, thus con-tributing to the destination’ssteady growth rate.

1,00,000 visitors in Q1