A DDP PUBLICATION Pages: 16Vol. IX No. 6; June 2013

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‘2014 to be year of opportunities’ ......................................................................02USA woos ME tourists..........................................................................................03Saudi: Top spender among emerging markets......................................................14

While inquiringabout the summerpromotions and the

prospects expected, Karim ElSanadily, Regional Manager,Gulf, Lebanon & Pakistan,Austrian Airlines asserted,“We are planning to introduce ‘Fly to Vienna andGo to Salzburg & Innsbruckfor free.’ We had introducedthis in Salzburg last year thatproved successful. So we willextend it to Innsbruck thisyear, as it is a destinationthat’s slowly gaining attention. We would like topromote it as a destinationwith Austrian Airlines.”

“Another service wehave recently introduced inother markets is the ‘SmartUpgrade’ which will be avail-able in the UAE market soon.The Austrian Smart Upgradeoffers our passengers theopportunity to determinetheir own price for a BusinessClass upgrade by submittinga bid. Between 72 and 48hours before departure, theywill be informed if the SmartUpgrade has been approvedor not, he added.

Reaching 68 per centyear-round business in 2012,Iberotel Miramar Al AqahBeach Resort expects to close2013 with 70 per cent. TheResort is building new meet-ing and banquet rooms toaccommodate 350 guestsseated in banquet styleexpected to be completed bySeptember-end thid year.“We are offering a summerpromotion for the local mar-ket, which at AED 260 perperson per night in a doubleroom on half board basis dur-ing the weekdays and AED380 per person in a doubleroom per night on half boardbasis during weekends. Weexpect good demand in sum-mer as it’s the time for vaca-tions,” mentioned AshrafHelmy, General Manager &Area Business DevelopmentManager, Iberotel Miramar AlAqah Beach Resort.

Dubai Marine BeachResort & Spa is already work-ing on their promotional cam-paigns & packages for theupcoming season. “We maysoon be engaging in a refur-bishment project of ourrooms & suites. We are alsoprogressing on uplifting our

larger swimming pool, beachand pool bars and a few F&Boutlets,” informed Deepak

Dahiya, Director - Sales &Marketing, Dubai MarineBeach Resort & Spa. “We are

introducing a number ofoffers for both local tour oper-ators and travel agents and

likewise for corporate clients.On the F&B side, we have

Summer is here and so is the age-old question - Where are you headed for the vacations? Summer is usually a timewhen corporate travel declines and leisure increases. Numerous cool offers, lined up alluring promotions for touristsby airlines, hotels, travel trade and others, are likely to add colours in summer tourism in the Middle East.

Cool days ahead with hot deals

SU S M I TA GH O S H

We alwayslook for ways tocreateaffordablepackageswhich appealto our valuedcustomers

We areintroducing anumber ofoffers for bothlocal touroperators,agents andcorporateclients

We areoffering asummerpromotion forlocals andexpect gooddemand asit’s the timefor vacations

Ashraf HelmyGeneral Manager & Area BusinessDevelopment Manager, IberotelMiramar Al Aqah Beach Resort

We haverecentlyintroduced inother marketsthe ‘SmartUpgrade’ whichwill be availablein the UAEmarket soon

Karim El SanadilyRegional Manager, Gulf, Lebanon &Pakistan, Austrian Airlines

Deepak DahiyaDirector - Sales & Marketing, DubaiMarine Beach Resort & Spa

Ayman AshorGeneral ManagerTilal Liwa Hotel

Contd. on page 5

NEWS

FOREIGN EXCHANGEDIRHAM VALUE

(Subject to variation) (As on 16-05-2013)

Country Currency CN Buy CN Sell

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

UK ............................GBP ..............5.4985............5.7119

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

Euro ..........................EUR ................4.662............4.8533

Canada......................CAD ..............3.5508............3.6850

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

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

Kuwait ......................KWD............12.6827..........13.0987

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

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

Australia ..................AUD ..............3.5727............3.7093

Japan ........................JPY................0.3522............0.0388

Philippines ................PHP ..............0.0878............0.0901

Singapore..................SGD ..............2.9021............3.0310

India ........................INR................0.0652............0.0676

Pakistan ....................PKR ..............0.0365............0.0377

Bangladesh ..............BDT ..............0.0460............0.0479

Sri Lanka ..................LKR ..............0.0284............0.0295

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

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

Switzerland ..............CHF ..............3.7280............4.8857

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

Leading the race fortourism revenue growth

are the UAE, Oman, Qatarand Saudi Arabia. Reflectingthe boom in the sector was the rapid progressof the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) itself, with over 3,000 exhibitors from 87 countries booking acollective 22,000 sqm ofexhibition floor space, as against a mere 300exhibitors in 1994, itsinaugural year. The ongoinginvestments into the travel &tourism sector is drivingvisitor numbers and moving towards sustainableeconomic diversification.

Mark Walsh, PortfolioDirector, Reed TravelExhibitions stated, “TheWorld Travel & TourismCouncil (WTTC) EconomicImpact 2013 outlooksupports a positive forecastfor industry development andperformance in the regionthis year.

The incrediblydiverse regionaltourism map, withtravel and tourismdirectlycontributingUS$76.6 billion toGDP in 2012, isforecast to rise by4.2 per cent thisyear alone,” hefurther said.

The growth of a numberof regional destinations,emphasised in the recently-released WTTC figures,

showed that tourism in theEmirates was growingsignificantly faster than theworld GDP growth average.

“The sector contributedan impressive 14 per cent tothe UAE economy in 2012, ascompared to the global trendof 9 per cent. It was expectedto rise by 3.2 per cent in2013,” Walsh said. Industryinvestment, which hitUS$22.5 billion in 2012, isset to increase in 2013 by an

estimated 12 per cent, he added.

Oman, spurred by thegovernment’s US$39 millioninvestment into developmentof Dhofar province aimed atmaking its annual monsoonfestival an in-demand fixtureon the global tourismcalendar.

Qatar has a US$65billion investment plan inplace that focusses on theState’s hosting of the 2022FIFA World Cup. Qatar looksto welcome as many as 3.7million visitors per annum bythe time the tournamentkicks off.

In Saudi Arabia, tourismis currently the country’ssecond largest industry andthis has immensesignificance for the economyas US$80 billion worth ofinvestment into keyinfrastructure projects will becoming to fruition in the next10 years.

The recently-concluded 20th edition of the Arabian Travel Market stressedthat the next decade would provide numerous opportunities for the regionin the tourism arena. The investments into this sector support the duallong term goals of countries within the region.

‘2014 to be year of opportunities’

TT BU R E AU

Industry investment, whichhit US$22.5 billion in 2012,is set to increase in 2013by an estimated 12 per cent

Industry Growth

Mark WalshPortfolio DirectorReed Travel Exhibitions

As part of its continuedfocus on the GCC, the

mission provided Irish com-panies a chance to meet withover 60 travel agents fromacross the UAE. Ten Irishfirms comprising five-starhotels, destination manage-ment companies and touristattractions attended a three-day itinerary in the UAE,including workshops withlocal travel trade held at TheFairmont Hotel, Dubai andAbu Dhabi’s Hilton Hotel.

On March 17, 2013,Tourism Ireland hosted areception at Burj Al Arab, oneof the global landmarkswhich turned green to cele-

brate St. Patrick’s Day,Ireland’s national day.

The mission’s clearobjective was to promoteIreland’s two major tourismcampaigns for 2013 – ‘TheGathering Ireland 2013’ and‘Derry-Londonderry UK Cityof Culture 2013’. It trainedthe spotlight on Ireland’spopular golf and luxury prod-

ucts, also focussing on oppor-tunities to learn English as aforeign language.

Thomas Redmond,Trade Marketing Manager,Tourism Ireland in the GCCsaid, “Irish companies havebeen working hard to developtheir offerings for this regionand that this first stand-alonesales mission would add an

impetus to their plans. Thespending power of the trav-eller from the MENA regionmakes it an attractiveprospect for Irish companies.Ireland’s strong luxury, retailand golf offerings in particu-lar, were well-matched to thetravellers needs.”

Ireland rolled out two of its biggest campaigns in2013, and tourist numbersfrom the UAE are expectedto increase even further.

A short-stay visa waiver scheme was started in 2011 toattract GCC tourists to Ireland. In 2013, Tourism Irelandlaunched a UAE sales mission to boost visitor numbers.

Offering luxury on the isle

TT BU R E AU

The number of visitors toIreland from the GCC hasincreased by 15 per cent com-pared to year-to-date visitornumbers in 2012, new figuresreleased by Tourism Irelandreveal. The number of visitvisa applications in 2013 hasalso risen by 8 per cent, com-

pared to the same time lastyear. The increase seesinbound tourism to Irelandfrom the Middle East continuealong its upward growth tra-jectory. The UAE and SaudiArabia in particular are prior-ity markets for TourismIreland’s focus in the GCC.

ME visitors to Irelandup by 15%

The spending power of the travellerfrom the MENA region makes it anattractive prospect for Irish firms

Thomas RedmondTrade Marketing Manager, Tourism Ireland - GCC

Mariner of the Seasbegins an 11-night

cruise from Dubai toSingapore with port calls atGoa, Kochi, Penang and KualaLumpur. The ship will joinher sister ship, Voyager of theSeas in Asia and offeritineraries ranging from 3 -12 nights from China andSingapore to Southeast Asia,Japan and Korea till year end.

Lakshmi Durai,Executive Director, RoyalCaribbean Cruises - MiddleEast, said, “Guests wouldenjoy a range of newlyenhanced amenities andfacilities onboard. Mariner ofthe Seas is one of the biggestcruise ships to arrive inDubai. She is from theVoyager class of ships whichrevolutionised the cruiseindustry by introducingactive cruise vacations,debuting the first onboardice-skating rink and rock-climbing wall.”

Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEOof Strategy & Tourism SectorDevelopment, DTCM said,“Dubai is currently the

homeport for four luxurycruise lines and features inthe itineraries of no less than20 world’s leading cruiselines. Since Royal CaribbeanInternational first started itsoperations in the Middle East,choosing Dubai as itshomeport in the region, we have developed a highly successful workingrelationship and are pleased

to welcome the beautiful‘Mariner of the Seas’ on itsjourney to the Far East.”

Dubai is consolidatingits position as a destination ofchoice for cruise tourism. In2012, it received 105 shipcalls carrying almost 408,000visitors and expects morethan 420,000 from 110 shipcalls this year.

Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas, aVoyager class ship, arrived in Dubai on May 21, 2013ending her European tour, and left for Asia the same day.

Dubai hosts RCI’s cruise line

TT BU R E AU

Dubai iscurrently thehomeport forfour luxurycruise lines

Mariner of theSeas is one ofthe biggestcruise ships toarrive in Dubai

Lakshmi DuraiExecutive Director for RoyalCaribbean Cruises in the Middle East

Dr Ahmad BelhoulCEO of Strategy & Tourism SectorDevelopment, DTCM

NTO J U N E , 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 3

The recently-concludedArabian Travel Market

2013 saw Brand USA, a pub-lic-private partnership dedi-cated to increasing interna-tional visitation to the UnitedStates, participate at theregion’s premier travel &tourism trade exhibition forthe first time ever.

“We will open an officehere to push trade talks for-ward,” informed Jay Gray,Vice-President, GlobalPartnership Development -Brand USA, while revealingthe firm’s follow-up meas-ures subsequent to ATM.

Developing a compre-hensive promotional cam-paign for online and socialmedia would precede BrandUSA’s advertising in differentmedia, he added. Brand USA’shead office in WashingtonDC, co-ordinates withauthorities in the respectivestates in the US and its vari-ous destinations. “However,

what we target are mainlyexperiences, rather than justdestinations,” Gray stressed.

ATM was a great show,especially for Brand USA

which is breaking into themarket. Gray emphasisedthat awareness about the USwas lacking. USA was notpromoted all these years,attributed to plain priorityand the nature of the market.

However, since the past10 years, realisation hasdawned that it is time tospread out from traditionaldestinations like UK, Europeand Canada, which havealways been the key targetmarkets for USA, he added.Need appeared to work moreon promotional campaigns inemerging markets such asBrazil, India, China and theMiddle East.

Gray promised ATM2014 would see stronger par-ticipation from the US. “Wewill bring all our stakeholdersand partners with us. Beforethat, we will be working withthe trade and coordinatingmarketing campaigns withthem. We need to plan forFAM trips and roadshows,”he concluded.

Post ATM, Brand USA is buoyant about the prospects forrise in influx of travellers from this region. It expectsarrivals to reach 55 per cent from the present 10 per cent.

USA woos ME tourists

SU S M I TA GH O S H

This is precisely whatmakes India a truly

‘Incredible’ destination witha range of products foundnowhere else.

Vikas Rustagi, RegionalDirector, West Asia & Africa,India Tourism, Dubai, thusspelt out India Tourism’s newcampaign, which he said,would help further promoteIndia as a multi-faceted all-year tourist destination.

Rustagi spoke at an‘Incredible India’ presenta-tion held recently in Dubai,attended by over 250 mem-bers of the travel, tourismindustry and media.

“Our idea is tohighlight the hugeand diverse product- India, inviting theglobal tourist todiscover andrediscover thecountry,”

he asserted, adding thatvarious roadshows in differ-ent countries are beingorganised under the cam-paign’s umbrella. In thisregard, roadshows were heldon May 19, 2013 in Jeddah,May 21 in Riyadh and May 22in Dammam.

Elaborating on IndiaTourism’s “prominent andsuccessful” participation atArabian Travel Market 2013,he further informed that the

response Indian exhibitorsexperienced, including hotelsand tour operators, was over-whelming. Huge potential isobserved for the luxury seg-ment of the market.

Tourism in India hasbeen increasing steadily overthe years. In 2012, the totalForeign Tourist Arrivals (FTA)to India stood at 6.65 millionas against 6.31 million in2011. The recent move of theGovernment of India to liftthe restriction of the two-month gap of re-entry of for-eign nationals between twovisits on tourist visa isexpected to further facilitatetravel of international touriststo India.

The Gulf and the ME areimportant markets for India.FTA from this region in 2011registered an overall growthof around 18.5 per cent overthe previous year withtourists from the UAE leadingthe way – up a whopping 46 per cent over the previous year.

India Tourism’s new international campaign, ‘Find WhatYou Seek’, tells tourists that it is India that offerssomething for everyone, be it culture, MICE and more.

Find what you seek in India

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Vikas RustagiRegional DirectorWest Asia & Africa, India TourismDubai

Jay GrayVice-President, Global PartnershipDevelopment - Brand USA

We will open an office in theregion to pushtrade talksforward

GUEST COLUMN

EDITORIAL

Promotions spice upME summer tourismAslew of cool offers by airlines and

hotels are likely to spice up summertourism in the Middle East. Manycarriers already experienced thestrongest traffic growth for any regionin March at 15.6 per cent year-on-year,as per statistics released by IATA.

The lined up promotions for tourists areenticing. A prominent travel agencygroup has announced added-value offersto extend their holiday at no additionalcost, with added value choices at hotelsin Europe, Asia, the Indian Ocean andthe UAE and Oman as well.

Another well-known Hotels & Resortsgroup has revealed its ‘Summer Savings’promotional programme, predicted tosell 30,000 rooms in 2013, double therooms sold during the promotion in 2012.

This summer, a Germany-based airlineoffers more flights than ever from theMiddle East to Europe, the Americas andrest of the world via Frankfurt and Munich.

Dubai itself is launching ‘Summer isDubai,’ a three-month campaign fromJune 7 to September 7, 2013. Thissummer, in addition to the popularDubai Summer Surprises and ModheshWorld, a range of world-class eventsincluding Dubai Sports World and theDubai Rock Festival will provide activityand event options.

Haj and Umrah travel generatedUS$16.5 billion for Saudi Arabia in 2012and business tourism demand isgrowing, particularly for Riyadh.

Travel and tourism are directlycontributing US$76.6 billion to theGross Domestic Products in the MiddleEast and is forecast to rise by 4.2 percent in 2013. All these developmentssupport an optimistic forecast forsummer tourism in the region this year.

Publisher : SanJeet Director : Sumeera Bahl Editor : Deepa Sethi Assistant Editor (ME) : Susmita Ghosh Desk Editor : Archana Sharma Sub Editor : Ramya J.S. D’Rozario Design : Ruchi Sinha / NN Misra Manager Advertising : Geetika Pathak 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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Sharjah continues tomarch on the path of

growth. The SharjahCommerce and TourismDevelopment Authority(SCTDA) has posted signifi-cant increase in the levels ofgrowth in the tourism sectorin the Emirate during the firstquarter of 2013, as againstthe growth recorded duringthe corresponding period last year.

This is borne out fromthe Emirate’s first quartertourism statistics for 2013which we released on thesidelines of the recently-con-cluded Arabian Travel Marketheld in Dubai.

Our Emirate’s travel &tourism industry, along withthe SCTDA, has every rea-son, therefore, to be in anupbeat mood. We put up agrand show for the 16th yearat the exhibition, which hadbrought together more than2,000 exhibitors from morethan 100 countries.

While the 2013 Q1 sta-tistics put the hotel occupan-cy in the Emirate at over 80per cent, as compared to 78per cent in 2012 Q1, thenumber of hotel guests inSharjah during this period in2013 stood at 503,985, ascompared to 466,218 duringthe same period last year - an8 per cent increase. The hotel

room nights or overnightstays touched 612,574, asagainst 539,393 room nightsduring the same period lastyear – a 14 per cent increase.

According to our firstquarter statistics report,European visitors accountedfor 38 per cent of the totalnumber of tourists visitingthe Emirate - once again thelargest block of tourists that

the Emirate attracted.Travellers from the Arab Gulfor GCC states stood second at34 per cent of the tourismmarket share. Asian touristsranked third at 14 per cent ofthe share, while tourists fromother Arab countries stood at10 per cent. The visitors fromthe CIS nations, Americas,Africa and the Pacific coun-tries contributed 4 per centto the tourism market.

The number of hotelestablishments in theEmirate now stands at 101(46 hotels and 55 hotel apart-ments) with a combined totalof 9,093 rooms. More hotelsand apartment hotels are setto join in the next stage toboost the hospitality sectorand its capacity.

The future of the tourismindustry in the Emirate isbright. A number of hotels andresorts are getting ready totake on the challenge of the

increasing number of interna-tional visitors.

I am pleased to state thathealthy investments made inthe Emirate’s hospitality sectorin recent years will ensure thatits hotel room occupancycapacity will leapfrog to12,000 rooms over the nextthree years. These 2013 Q1statistics are a reflection of thepositive development wit-nessed by the tourism sectorin Sharjah and the path toexcellence that the Emiratehas been pursuing.

Sharjah has won itself anumber of accolades andawards, notably the UNESCO’sdeclaration of Sharjah as theCapital of Arab Culture in1998 and the OIC’s selectionof the Emirate as the Capitalof Islamic Culture for 2014.Last year, the Arab tourismministers nominated theEmirate as the Capital of ArabTourism for 2015.

The single most perti-nent reason for Sharjahestablishing itself as a desti-nation with a difference forinternational travellers andfamilies is its uniqueapproach to tourism with itsworld-class cultural and fam-ily festivals. We have show-cased this aspect at interna-tional events and exhibitionsin good measure.

Over the past severalyears, the Authority has suc-cessfully showcasedSharjah’s tourism sector atmajor international forumsand trade exhibitions besideshosting roadshows acrossEurope, Middle East and Asia.

Festivals like theSharjah Light Festival andSharjah Water Festival andvarious other world-class

events have attracted thousands of tourists fromacross the world. It is a factthat Sharjah’s diversetourism experience has put itamongst the world’sfavourite tourist destinations.However, I must state thatthese positive results andincreasing number of inter-national arrivals add to thechallenges and responsibili-ties of all players and actorswithin the tourism industry.

With a number of ambi-tious tourism projects beingundertaken in the Emirate,including Chedi KhorfakkanLuxury Resort and Spa whichwill include 212 luxury suitesand the massive Kalba ecotourism project on theEast Coast, exciting times lie ahead.

The SCTDA has beenworking in co-operation withall stakeholders, both publicand private, to boost andupgrade the tourism industryinfrastructure and facilities inthe Emirate according tointernational standards.

Mohamed Ali Al Noman Chairman

Sharjah Commerceand Tourism Development

Authority (SCTDA)

Sharjah’s tourism authority’s strategy to tap new and emerging tourismmarkets across the globe is paying off with the Emirate attracting moreand more international travellers. In 2012, Sharjah received 1.73 millionforeign tourists, an 11 per cent increase, as compared to 2011.

It is a fact that Sharjah’s diversetourism experience has put it amongstthe world’s favourite touristdestinationsMohamed Ali Al NomanChairman, SCTDA

A destination with a difference

Awards galore forGrand Millenium DubaiThe Grand Millennium Dubai hotel won three top honours at the MENA TravelAwards 2013, including Gold for Best Fine Dining Restaurant for Toshi,Platinum for Best Price Value Hotel and Silver for Best Spa for Jasmine Spa.

The hotel team was led by Peter Mansourian, General Manager. “Theseprestigious awards are an indication of our hard work and perseverance inthe pursuit of delivering best service to our valued guests.”

COVER STORY J U N E , 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 5

With the advent of thesummer season, Bin

Majid Tours launched its‘Summer Promotion’, whichincludes free services for children, special discounts onexcursions and offers onroom stays of five nights and above.

Hassan Ali, GeneralManager, Bin Majid Toursinformed, “We are expectinga busy summer as a lot of travellers, especially families from the region, arechoosing Dubai as theirsummer destination becauseof activity and entertain-ment galore that the city hason offer.”

“The company had avery successful participationat the recently concludedArabian Travel Market inDubai. It was an ideal platform to showcase theirproducts and services to awider market,” informed Ali,who added that the companyforged new partnerships,mainly from the GCC andMENA regions.

Going forward, the com-pany is working on specialtours to other emirates like Ras

Al Khaimah, which has a lot ofattractions - both cultural andeducational - to offer.

2012 was an excellentyear for Bin Majid Tours,business being up by 40 percent as compared to 2011.This gives the company theconfidence to target 60 percent more business in 2013than what was achieved in 2012.

The company’s futureplans include attracting newmarkets like Central Africa,South America, the Far East,especially Japanese tourists.Increased number of visitorsare expected from thesecountries, as we are buildingtheir interest in the countryas a leisure destination.

One of the biggest challenges for the company is the availability of rooms, especially last-minute bookings. However,with the rapport built withhotels and contracts enteredinto special rates and roomallotments, make Bin MajidTours meet the demands of their clients per se with ease.

Bin Majid Tours is buoyant about business in 2013 asit is all set to activate its instant booking andconfirmation-enabling B2B online system to helpgenerate more business.

Online path to success

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Hassan AliGeneral ManagerBin Majid Tours

The companyhad a verysuccessfulparticipation atthe recentlyconcludedArabian TravelMarket in Dubai

several promotions lined upfor summer. We expect a positive response to ouroffers and a boost to ourbookings ahead.”

The Tilal Liwa Hotel hasproven as an ideal destinationfor a desert escape for weekenders. The 111-roomTilal Liwa Hotel is a favouritedestination of both businessand leisure travellers. Theproperty unveiled its summercampaign, targetting guestsfrom UAE and the GCC regionto enjoy traditional Arabianhospitality at prices startingfrom AED444/ on weekendsand AED 555/ on weekdays.

The summer packageincludes a stay at a desertview room with breakfast fortwo adults and two childrenbelow the age of 12 years.Guests can engage in funactivities including quad bik-ing, dune drives, sand board-ing, stargazing, camel ridesand more.

Ayman Ashor, GeneralManager, Tilal Liwa Hotelelucidated, “We are veryhappy to announce our summer campaign. Wealways look for ways to create

affordable packages whichappeal to our valued customers and providedelightful experiences.”

ITS Holidays, theHoliday wing of InternationalTravel Services (ITS), an IATAapproved travel agency is

headquartered in Dubai.There is an increase in holiday plans for summer2013 compared to last year.

“Planned promotions forsummer this year will includeRail Packages by Rail Europe,Fix group departures forNRI’s with SOTC and specialdestinations for FIT. Exclusivepackages will be offered toleisure travellers. For our B2Bagents, special promotionswill be announced accordingly, pronouncedFatima Hafid, MarketingManager, InternationalTravel Services (ITS).

“Our packages offeroptions for every kind of holiday-makers and all nation-alities with special packages toNRI’s ‘Non Residents Indians’and UAE Nationals.”Discussing the future plans,Hafid added, “We will consol-idate our presence in marketslike China, Russia, Turkey,Azerbaijan and Latin America.Planning for specialisation inMedical Tourism and StudentsPackages are on the cards,along with online technologyplatform upgradation andworking with banks, help trav-ellers buy tickets in monthly installments.”

Galileo Travels’approaches and efforts arelined up to create a driftamong the travellers fromGCC to choose the country-side or a village rather than acity, where they will feelabsolutely detached from thebustle of the city, even if it’sfor two nights.

Mohammed Ashfaq,Manager - B2B Sales (GCC),Galileo Travels stated, “Weare already in the market with summer offers and promotions. These are afford-able luxury vacations, 'stay'cations to exotic locations inIndia-Kashmir, south Indiaand the beaches of Goa starting from USD 99 per person per day. Thetarget being anyone from anArab, expats in GCC andpotential NRI's, who can nipthe holidays in connectionwith their annual vacations toIndia. Besides, we have week-end set out getaways.”

Galileo Travels’ havejust expanded operations toGCC in 2013. It’s adding new destinations in India tostay well connected withGCC, and restore the holidayexperiences.

Leisure rules Middle East this summer

Our target isanyone whocan nip theholidays inconnectionwith theirannualvacations to India

We willconsolidateour presencein markets likeChina, Russia,Turkey,Azerbaijanand LatinAmerica

Fatima HafidMarketing Manager, International Travel Services

Mohammed AshfaqManager - B2B Sales (GCC)Galileo Travels

Turkish Airlines adds fivenew destinations this May.The Airline adds operationsto Isparta (Turkey),Santiago De Compostela(Spain), Valetta (Malta) and Salzburg (Austria), following the addition ofFriedrichshafen to its growing network on May 2.

From May 20, 2013,roundtrip flights betweenIstanbul and Isparta(Turkey) will be operatedthree times per week onMondays, Wednesdays andFridays. Introductory roundtrip fares are available fromIstanbul to Isparta (Turkey)starting at 158 TL (includ-ing taxes and fees). Withexisting services to Madrid,Barcelona, Valencia,Malaga and Bilbao, TurkishAirlines adds flights toSantiago De Compostela asits 6th destination in Spain.Beginning May 21,Santiago De Compostelaflights will be operatedthree times per week onTuesdays, Fridays andSundays in both directions.

TurkishAirlines adds5 newdestinationsContd. from page 1

AVIATION

With the celebration of its10th anniversary of

operations, Etihad Airwaysposted cargo revenues ofUS$193 million over US$165million in 2012, an increaseof 17 per cent.

The passenger numbersin Q1 2013 grew by 18 percent, rising from 2.3 millionto a record 2.8 million. Theaverage seat factor was 80.5per cent, compared to 76.5per cent in 2012, despite a 12per cent increase in capacity.The seat factor is aboveIATA’s current global averageof 77.1 per cent.

“Our Q1 2013 resultshave again outstripped globaltrends with our strongestever first quarter results forpassenger revenue,” saidJames Hogan, President andChief Executive Officer,Etihad Airways. “This per-formance demonstrates thatEtihad Airways’ strategy oforganic growth, wide-ranging

partnerships and strategicequity investments is delivering for us and our partners.”

Revenue from code-share and equity partnersjumped by 34 per cent fromUS$136 million to US$182million in the first threemonths of the year and rep-resented 20 per cent of totalrevenue in the quarter.

“Increasing top-linerevenue, our equity partnerships will improvebottom-line results, throughcost savings delivered byoperational synergies,”Hogan added.

Etihad Airways’ equityalliance comprises airberlin,Air Seychelles, VirginAustralia and Aer Lingus.Each airline announced prof-itable results during the firstquarter of 2013, whichdemonstrates the success ofthis new alliance model for allthe member airlines. Thenew twice-weekly freighter

operation from Houston toAbu Dhabi enhanced theresults.

Etihad Cargo also tookdelivery of a new Boeing 777Freighter, which wasdeployed on European andAfrican routes during thequarter. A second Boeing 747freighter entered the fleet atthe end of March, taking the total cargo fleet to eightaircraft.

During Q1 2013 EtihadAirways’ achievementsincluded ‘Big Switch’ to newSabreSonic passenger salessystem, website and check-in system, launch of dailyflights to Washington D.C.,on March 31 and the opening of the new premiumlounge at DullesInternational Airport. It alsoincluded announcement ofdaily flights to Amsterdamfrom May 15, 2013 andopening of US$8 million firstclass and business classlounge in Paris.

Etihad Airways recorded its strongest ever passenger and cargo results forQ1 2013, with the Airline posting passenger revenues of US$900 millionover US$758 million in 2012, an increase of 19 per cent.

Strongest Q1 results in 2013

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James HoganPresident and Chief Executive OfficerEtihad Airways

Increasing top-linerevenue, ourequitypartnershipswill improvebottom-lineresults, throughcost savings

Qatar Airways is signifi-cantly increasing capacity

to Pakistan. From its current 17flights each week across fourcities of Karachi, Islamabad,Lahore and Peshawar, begin-ning June 1, 2013, QatarAirways has stepped up fre-quency to Pakistan by 60 percent to 28 flights each week.While Karachi is up from dailyto double daily, Lahore is upfrom four to seven flights aweek and Peshawar up anadditional flight to three serv-ices each week.

Al Baker predicted that2013 would be the year ofgrowth in the Middle Eastwith five of their eight sched-uled route launches in theregion alone.“Yet again,

Qatar Airways isbucking the trendacross the industry,demonstrating thatwe are resilient intimes of globaleconomicgraveness.

As others are cuttingback, we see the opportuni-ties to expand our global foot-print," he said.

In line with the carrier'ssustained aggressive growthstrategy, the Ethiopian capitalof Addis Ababa will becomeits 20th destination in theAfrican continent, launchingon September 18, 2013 fol-lowed by Clark InternationalAirport in the Philippinesfrom October 28. EffectiveMarch 1, 2014, Philadelphiawill become the airline's fifthUS gateway.

"We stepped up capacityto the United States, intro-ducing Chicago as our fourth

US gateway in April 2013 andwill now add Philadelphia in2014. Philadelphia is one ofthe major hubs of the soon-to-be-merged AmericanAirlines/US Airways and willprovide Qatar Airways' cus-tomers with onward connec-tions to over 100 cities acrossthe US,” he added.

He also gave an updateon the reintroduction of thecarrier's five Boeing 787Dreamliners, the first ofwhich resumed flights on theDoha-Dubai route, with grad-ual phasing in over the nextfew weeks of the other air-craft on long-haul routes likeLondon Heathrow, Munich,Frankfurt and Zurich.

The opening day of ATM saw Akbar Al Baker, ChiefExecutive Officer, Qatar Airways announcing the Doha-based carrier’s route expansion across three continents,together with a sizeable increase in capacity to Pakistan.

Year of growth for Qatar

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Set to introduce an excep-tional traveller experi-

ence, the Kingdom's newestterminal is equipped with thelatest technologies andautomation systems to max-imise efficiency, security and

service quality. It features alarger check-in area, clearlymarked signage, modernflight information monitors,comfortable seating, a largerduty-free area and a widervariety of food and beverageoutlets, among other greatlyenhanced features.

"The official launch ofthe new Queen AliaInternational Airport termi-nal marks an important chap-

ter in Jordan's aviation indus-try and economic develop-ment. With its advancedcapabilities, the airport willplay a major role in placingJordan on the map as an idealchoice for leisure and busi-ness travellers and conven-ient transfer hub, bolstering

the kingdom's tourism andbusiness traffic," said KjeldBinger, CEO, AIG.

The Jordanian consor-tium, Airport InternationalGroup (AIG), responsible forthe rehabilitation, expansionand operation of the QueenAlia International Airport(QAIA) had announced thelaunch of the new QAIA ter-minal's full operations onMarch 21, 2013, following an

eight-hour overnight transferthat took place the priorevening. The transfer processended when the old termi-nals' Dubai-bound flydubaitook off at 10:15 pm and thenew terminal's first officialflight, inbound RJ, landed at11:00 pm.

The new airport under-went intense testing for oper-ational readiness prior to thetransfer, thus ensuringsmooth system integrationand flow.

Inaugurated under thepatronage of King Abdullah IIon March 14, 2013, the newterminal had kicked off itssoft opening on March 3 byrunning select commercialflights.

The new 100,000 sqm Queen Alia International Airportis capable of catering to a steady flow of Jordan's passengertraffic. It projects the airport’s annual capacity from 3.5million passengers to 9 million and later to 12 million.

3 times rise in capacity

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Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways (left) announces theairline’s expansion plans during a press conference on the opening day ofATM 2013 in Dubai

The airport will play a major role in placing Jordan on the mapas an ideal choice for leisure andbusiness travellers

Kjeld BingerCEO, AIG

It features a larger check-in area, clearly markedsignage, modern flightinformation monitors,comfor table seating, alarger duty-free area and awider variety of food and beverage outlets,among others

Hi-Tech Features

The Emirates Groupannounced its 25th

consecutive year of profit andcompany-wide growthending the 2012-13 financialin a strong position, despitecontinuing high fuel pricesand a weak global economicenvironment.

The AED 3.1 billion(US$ 845 million) net profitposted by the Group was up34 per cent from 2012. Thefinancial year also endedwith some very positivenewly reached capacitymilestones throughout thebusiness.

“Achieving our 25th

consecutive year of profit ina financial year with ourlargest ever increase incapacity across the networkis an achievement thatspeaks to the strength of ourbrands and our leadership,”said Sheikh Ahmed binSaeed Al Maktoum,Chairman and ChiefExecutive, Emirates Airlineand Group.

The 2012-13 financialyear saw the Airline’s rev-enue touch a record high ofAED 73.1 billion (US$ 19.9

billion), up 17 per cent ascompared to 2011-12. TheAirline’s profit at AED 2.3billion (US$ 622 million)was up 52 per cent over lastyear’s results. The Airlineadded 34 new aircraft dur-ing 2012-13, with a further198 aircraft on order worthover US$ 71 billion.

Carrying a record 39.4million passengers, anincrease of 16 per cent,Emirates logged a robustPassenger Seat Factor at 80per cent, remaining consis-tent with last year’s results.Emirates’ Destination andLeisure Management,including hotels saw a rev-enue of AED 460 million(US$ 125 million), up 15 percent over 2012.

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Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al MaktoumChairman and Chief ExecutiveEmirates Airline and Group

34% profit hike forEmirates Group

TECHNOLOGY J U N E , 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 7

While Saudi Arabia andthe UAE emerged as

the leading countries in theregion in terms of air trafficvolume in 2012, Qatar postedthe strongest growth.

According to the analysis, 52.8 million of thetotal 99 million Middle Easttravellers, whose point ofdeparture originated from theMiddle East in 2012, comefrom these three countries.

In terms of growthrates, Saudi Arabia, the UAEand Qatar enjoyed an averageof 10 per cent growth rate inair traffic volume in 2012 ascompared to 2011. Accordingto the report released duringthe ATM 2013, it is muchahead of 2 per cent growthacross the region.

Antoine Medawar,Vice-President, Middle Eastand North Africa, Amadeus,commented, “These findingsprovided a clear snapshot oftrends in air traffic volume inthe Middle East – a marketthat was rapidly evolving.”

“We are confidentthat such insights will better place decisionmakers to respondto the differentdynamics in theirairline's operations,” he further said.

With 25 million pas-sengers starting their journey from Saudi Arabia,constituting 25 per cent ofthe outbound air traffic fromthe region - puts the countryin the lead. The UAE is aclose second with 23.1 mil-lion passengers, 23 per centof the regional market share,and Qatar with 4.74 milliontravellers at 5 per cent ofthe region’s air traffic market, comes third.However, Qatar led the wayin terms of passenger volume growth.

“A predominant factorthat fed the demand on certain intercontinentalroutes, particularly those thatconnect the GCC to Europeand South Asia, was thegrowing macroeconomic significance of the region,”Medawar added.

Doha, Abu Dhabi andDubai’s infrastructure helpeddevelop them as global travel hubs.

Amadeus Air Traffic Travel Intelligence Solution reportsthat Saudi Arabia, UAE & Qatar account for over 53 percent of passengers travelling from Middle East in 2012.

Saudi tops outbound chart

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Antoine MedawarVice-President, Middle East and North Africa, Amadeus

The new pact will see Al-Futtaim Travel have

access to Travelport’s latestonline and offline technologysolutions, including TravelportUniversal API, as well asonline consultancy services foranother three years.

“Travelport’s keyobjective has beento support travelproviders like Al-Futtaim Travel inthis fast changingand dynamicindustry,”

said Rabih Saab,President and ManagingDirector, Middle East andAfrica, Travelport.

Travelport’s position asthe regional expert in onlinetravel technology is underlinedby the acquisition of Al-Futtaim Travel’s online busi-ness, which is a key focus ofthe renewed partnership. Fora vibrant and dynamic travelmanagement company like Al-Futtaim Travel, it’s about mak-

ing the most of the onlineopportunity, which is a keybusiness focus for them aswell. Recent research co-sponsored by Travelport,titled ‘Assessing the OnlineTravel Opportunity: TheMiddle East’, which was car-ried out by PhoCusWrightacross 10 Middle EastCountries, showed thatonline sales are expected toreach $15.8bn by 2014.

“We are hence workingvery closely with our cus-tomers to share our onlineexpertise and industry-leadingtechnology solutions to enable

them to make the most of thisopportunity now and in thefuture,” Saab added. Underthe umbrella of its new‘Inspire’ brand campaign,Travelport led the technologydebate at the ATM 2013.

Travelport unveiled thenew and improved‘Travelport Rooms and More’– its hotel booking engine.The new features include afresh look and feel, improvedfunctionality and a new user-friendly interface. Anotherinnovation that Travelportshowcased was TravelportMerchandising Platform,which was launched in thelead-up to the exhibition.

The event saw visitorsto the Travelport stand‘Inspire’ by interactive show-cases of Travelport’s agencysolutions, includingTravelport Smartpoint App,Travelport’s powerful pointof sale solution andTravelport Mobile Agent, theTravelport app for agents’ on-the-go. Visitors were seentrying and testingTravelport’s Tablet technolo-gy at its stand.

Travelport, a leading provider of processing solutionsand data for the travel industry and Al-Futtaim Travel,recently announced the renewal of their partnership anda new initiative to boost the latter’s online presence.

Old bonds & new ties

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Rabih SaabPresident and Managing DirectorMiddle East and Africa, Travelport

ASanskrit name meaning‘illumination’, Verchaska

is also known as ve.com.Verchaska is also in discus-sion with the second largestDestination ManagementCompany in the region.

“We are marketing in theMiddle East for about a yearand half now and have signedwith dnata in October 2012.We are working on a big andchallenging project for them,building a B2B engine for theIraq market. It’s not an easyproject as it’s a complex mar-ket. We are carrying out virtualinterlining, virtual training andvirtual hubs for them, so thatone can cross and book a com-bined ticket with a full costcarrier along with low cost car-rier,” explained AmitabhMendiratta, VP – InternationalSales, Verchaska Infotech Ltd.

Having a solution isvery different from imple-menting a solution. “This iswhere our biggest expertise

lies. Over the years, we haveworked with travel agentsand GDSs like Amadeus.Amadeus is a networkprovider and also a customerof ours. They have imple-mented our tool ‘print mytrip’ – an itinerary managerfor agencies. They liked itand hence it was launched inAsia Pacific last year,” headded.

Beyond India,Verchaska’s list of customersconsist of the largest hotelconsolidator in Kuwait, and

we expect to close four moredeals in next 4 - 5 months.

“It’s easy to have ITprogrammes, but it is noteasy to get good program-mers. It is a complex plat-form, not just because of ourown technology, but becausewe interface with more than65 suppliers.

It’s not enough forus to know oursystem, but be anexpert on thesupplier system

and we must know how tointegrate and manipulate data,and showcase it to our cus-tomers,” he said.

Since its inception in2000, Verchaska is focussed oncreating and delivering criticalsoftware solutions and servic-es that range from web-basedintegrated business platformsto complex e–commerce solu-tions for travel companies.

Verchaska, an India-based travel technology provider, iswell connected with Dubai. They have signed up withdnata, a Destination Management firm in Dubai.

Verchaska & dnata together

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Amitabh MendirattaVP – International Sales Verchaska Infotech Ltd

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ATM 2013 shares recipe for success withArabian Travel Market 2013 clubbed together inbound and outbound professionals in the travel & tourism sectors. Speakers at the sessions concurredon the contribution of partnership as a recipe for success - all working together to support growth. Reflecting the boom in the sector was the rapid progressof the ATM itself, with over 3,000 exhibitors from 87 countries booking a collective 22,000 sqm of exhibition floor space.

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the travel trade

HOTELS1 0 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 3

Citymax Hotels currentlyoperates three properties

in the UAE – two in Dubaiand one in Sharjah. “Buoyedby the consistentlyexpectation-exceedingperformances of their currentproperties, the Group istaking the same businessmodel to the GCC with a viewto address the significantdemand that exists for value-driven and mid-markethotels in the region,”mentioned Russel G HSharpe, Chief OperatingOfficer-Hospitality Division,Landmark Group.

“Business has grown ata good 45 per cent during2012. Customers are a mixedlot, coming from China, Japanand all the CIS countries andIndia where roadshows havebeen run in tandem withDubai Department of Tourismand Commerce Marketing(DTCM),” he added.

“Citymax Hotels hasstuck to its fundamentalpolicy of offering its patrons

4-star facilities at 3-startariffs – factors that havegenerated loyalty over theyears,” explained PraveenBhatnagar, CEO–Hotels and

Wellness, Landmark Group.“The smart yet stylish hotelchain dispenses with non-essential, costly frills, andsavings thus accrued, are

passed on to their valuedguests,” he further said.

“We have tied up withtour operators andwholesalers. They bring inour volumes, as a result ofwhich we benefit from aregular inflow of tourists,”Sharpe emphasised.

“We recently hostedregular leisure travellersfrom among the Indian Jaincommunity for whom ourchefs prepared special foodaccording to their customs.We also include south Indiancuisine in our breakfastmenus, and are quite flexiblein trying to meet the needs ofour customers, unlikeinternational operators,”Sharpe added.

The loyalty thusgenerated, is retained throughtailor-made packages like theHotel’s ‘Inner Circle’ (loyaltyprogramme) whichincorporates special tariff ononline bookings and facilitieslike concierge services, andportals that help customers in the purchase of electronics goods.

The Landmark Group-owned budget hotel brand, Citymax Hotels hasaggressive GCC expansion plans on the anvil, which will see the Group’sproperty count in the region rising to 15 in the next five to seven years.

Citymax makes ‘Landmark’ in GCC

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CitymaxHotels stuckto its policy of offering 4-star facilitiesat 3-star tariffs

Customers are a mixed lot,coming fromChina, Japanand all the CIScountries andIndia

Russel G H SharpeChief Operating Officer-HospitalityDivision, Landmark Group

Praveen Bhatnagar CEO–Hotels and WellnessLandmark Group

The trend, thus far of 75per cent of Danat Hotels

& Resorts’ revenues comingfrom business traffic and therest from leisure, has shiftedtowards the latter in 2013 Q1.

Danat Hotels & Resorts’(DH&R) six properties havetraditionally been popularwith visitors from the GCC,Britain, Germany, China,Russia, India and from eventhe Emirates.

“With the peak seasondrawing to a close, we havelaunched our SummerPromotions which will run tillAugust-end. This will ensurethat a large share of visitors toAbu Dhabi will continue to bedrawn to taste our unique hos-pitality offerings spread acrossour hotels’ different segments,especially through the HolyMonth of Ramadan,” saidWalid Nicolas Harouni, HotelsDivision Director of DanatHotels & Resorts (DH&R) – adivision of NCT&H.

Many of their guestscomprise those from the GCCwho come over for the week-ends to Abu Dhabi. “Since2010, we have seen anincrease in the number of vis-itors availing our special pro-motions/packages duringSpring, Summer, Ramadanand Eid,” added Harouni.

“We are a regional groupand because of our compactsize, we can pay better atten-tion to our guests. We are ableto take quick decisions in doingexactly what needs to be doneto exceed their expectations.

Tweeting ourstrategies andpricing andpromotions/offersfor our guests is ourway of beingtransparent andbuilding a closerapport with them,”Harouni further said.

Eight per cent ofDH&R’s business comes fromtravel agents. FAM trips areregularly organised for travelagents, besides, internationalcampaigns to market thebrand in CIS countries,Russia, China, Germany,London, Riyadh and roadshows with varioustourism boards are an ongoing exercise.

The new brand DanatResidence would be adding200 rooms in 2013 Q4. Anew 200-room hotel in thewestern region of Abu Dhabiis also on the anvil.

The leisure segment of Danat Hotels & Resorts hasrecorded a 10 per cent increase during a time whenhotel occupancies have gone up by 7 per cent ascompared to the corresponding period in 2012.

Leisure traffic on the rise

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Walid Nicolas HarouniHotels Division – Director Danat Hotels & Resorts

At the 8th Annual MiddleEast and North Africa

Travel Awards evening heldon May 8, 2013, TamaniHotel-Marina won the silveraward for the best environ-mentalist hotel.

“We have designed ane-brochure as we no longerprint them,” says Walid Al-Awa, General Manager,Tamani Hotel-Marina, speak-ing about the various envi-

ronment-friendly practicesthat the hotel has initiated.

“This was our secondparticipation at the event andwe won for the second con-secutive year.

It means a lot to berecognised by theregion’s travellersand being highlyappreciated by bothregional andinternational traveland hospitalityindustries,” Al-Awa emphasised.

The hotel has alsothrown its hat into the com-petition this year for theDubai Quality AppreciationAward where commitment toenvironment is among themajor achievements that willbe up for grabs.

“We are looking at effi-cient AC consumption,” headded. “As a family hotel, we

are the best place in the UAEfor families to be.”

Tamani Hotel-Marinahas, therefore, carved a nichefor itself by catering to thetaste of visitors from theGCC, CIS nations likeKazakhstan, Azerbaijan, notforgetting the UAE nationals,besides those who appreciateauthentic Arabic flavour fromEuropean countries like theUK and Germany.

International campaignshave been run to market thebrand and recent roadshowshave been held in Kazakhstanand Azerbaijan. Besides, FAMtrips for travel agents, whobring in almost 30 per cent ofthe hotel’s business, arebeing scheduled.

While the performanceof the hotel has been steady,as is reflected in the modest5-6 per cent increase in roomoccupancies in 2013 Q1, over2012, the hotel’s revenueshave seen a 10-15 per centincrease in 2013 Q1, over 2012.

Located in the business hub of Dubai is Tamani Hotel-Marina, a hotel that delivers on eco-friendliness.No surprise, that it has won a MENA travel award for thebest environmentalist hotel for the 2nd straight year.

Green hotel wins hearts in ME

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Walid Al-AwaGeneral ManagerTamani Hotel-Marina

Sofitel to launch newresort this summerSofitel Luxury Hotels continues to grow its portfolio in theMiddle East as it prepares for the opening of its Polynesianthemed resort, Sofitel The Palm Dubai this summer. Located onthe iconic Palm Jumeirah, the hotel boasts 361 island chicinspired guest rooms and suites, as well as 182 fully servicedapartments. Trumping a total of 100,000 sqm, Sofitel The PalmDubai’s distinct French luxury offering is embraced by rich andiconic elements of Polynesian culture and civilisation.

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India - A 360-day destination for all ATM 2013 showcased innumerable products of ‘Incredible India’ to depict India as a versatile destination. An ‘Incredible India’ pres-entation was held at the Address Dubai Mall Hotel on May 7, 2013, attended by over 250 members of the travel, tourism industryand media. The campaign ‘Find What You Seek,’ highlighted that tourists can find the destination or product of their desire in India.

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Each room at 48 sqm, isspacious, keeping luxury

in mind. Ramee Grand Hoteland Spa will be Bahrain’stallest five-star hotel with166 deluxe rooms and suiteswith a host of dining options.

The Ramee Groupselected Bahrain for its five-star property, as the kingdomis strategically positioned inthe heart of the Gulf, betweenthe markets of Europe andAsia. Bahrain has strong seaand air links to marketsaround the world and has alsodeveloped outstanding region-al road connections that canaccess over 30 million-strongGulf market.

“The Ramee Group’snew 5-star property’suniqueness is its prime loca-tion at the upcoming Seef dis-trict in Bahrain and proximityto the leading shopping mallsof the city,” informedShantharam Shetty, GroupGeneral Manager, RameeGroup of Hotels and Resorts.

“The first five-starproperty of theRamee Group iswell-equipped tocater to both leisureand MICE segmentsin the kingdom andbeyond,” he added.

The Group’s marketingstrategy is aimed at attractingcustomers from both the GCCand the European markets.“Our network of travel agentsspread in GCC, bring us 50per cent of all our business in

the region. A FAM trip toBahrain is being scheduled tointroduce the fraternity to thenew property,” Shetty furtherinformed.

The five-star segment isnew for the Group, but itwould continue its focus onthree- and four- star hotelsand apartments. In SaudiArabia and Abu Dhabi, thefocal point is on furnishedservice apartments.

The next five-star prop-erties on the anvil are one inDubai’s Business Bay and asecond on Abu Dhabi’s ReemIsland. The Group will opensix more five-star properties- two in the UAE, another inBahrain and three in India. Atthe same time, the Group isdeveloping nine more three-and four-star hotels in thesethree countries.

The Dubai-based Grouphas currently 37 properties inoperation, including hotels,hotel apartments and resortsin the UAE, Bahrain, Omanand India.

UAE’s Ramee Group of Hotels and Resorts, a mid-marketfrontrunner, marks its debut presence in the five-starleague with the launch of Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa inBahrain, set to open in August this year.

Ramee now in 5-star league

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Shantharam ShettyGroup General Manager Ramee Group of Hotels and Resorts

“It was our most activeparticipation yet with 52

pavilion co-sharers offeringalmost 90 product lines, atleast a third of which werenew-to-market,” explainedMubarak Al Nuaimi, Director- Promotions and OverseasOffices, TCA Abu Dhabi. “It

was also our most animatedpavilion till date with a rangeof heritage activities, attrac-tions, as did our F1 simulatorchallenge, the photobooth

opportunities offered by ourpartners Yas Island and thecharacter participation ofanimals from Al Ain Zoo andspaceman drivers from YasMarina Circuit.”

The activity attractedpeople to the stand and thesmaller partners benefittedfrom the increased footfall.“Given the response, we willendeavour to leverage pow-erful activations at all ourworldwide promotions,” he added.

“From cruise, toconferences, fromleisure to activitybreaks, the breadthof enquiries wasgreater than everand leads us tobelieve that theratio of business toleisure tourismstays in the Emirateis shifting

–in this particularaspect, the show as a game-changer for us,” said AlNuaimi. “We were alsoencouraged by the muchincreased interest from themedia in the Emirate’stourism offering with scheduled interviews covering broadcast, print and online from the Gulf,Latin America, the UK, Czech Republic, Russia and Germany.”

Saudi Arabia is current-ly Abu Dhabi’s sixth largestoverseas source market forhotel guests. In the first twomonths of 2013, some12,322 Saudis stayed in theEmirate’s 141 hotels andhotel apartments and delivered 27,256 guestnights. They stayed, on average, 2.25 nights.

Together with YasWaterworld, Ferrari WorldAbu Dhabi recently launcheda Yas Park Pass, a dual-combodeal that gives guests accessto both parks on one ticket.

With the partners in the destination’s pavilion, AbuDhabi’s busiest ever ATM participation reflects recentstrides in the Emirate’s tourism offering, according toAbu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.

Strong show at ATM 2013

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Mubarak Al NuamiDirector - Promotions & OverseasOffices, TCA Abu Dhabi

“Emphasising more onpreserving New

Dubai’s history rather thancreating history, we havecome up with the firstattempt to reinforce andrestructure the ArabianCourtyard Hotel. We tried tobring the same characteris-tics, flavour and fragrance ofthe exterior of the historicera inside the hotel like theMuseum, Rulers Court,Grand Mosque, DubaiCreek, Souk,” informedHabib Khan, GeneralManager, Arabian CourtyardHotel & Spa.

The Arabian themecontinues in line with thetourists’ liking. With theoverwhelming demand andresponse from westernisedtourists, the Orient GuestHouse became the first ven-ture of the HeritageCollection, which opened in2006. The Orient GuestHouse located in historic

Bastakiya area at DowntownDubai, which offers gueststhe glorious past with 11Arabian styled rooms, amajlis (lounge).

Next, the Barjeel, isone of the few Wind Towersin this ever changing city,stands out in the neighbor-hood.

Each room at theBarjeel Heritage GuestHouse seems like a journeyinto mystical ‘Arabian night’,located in the heart of theancient township by thewater front.

Ahmedia HeritageGuest House comes next -an oasis of calm in the bus-tle of the city. Its traditionalPersian architectural cre-ation was used for manycenturies to provide naturalventilation in closed spacesas an escape from theextreme desert heat.

“It’s refurnished andredesigned to match and

compliment the characteris-tics of the place, the furniture is handmade tosuit the purpose. So we triedto impart original character-istics to the place as muchas possible. It has not beenan easy job for us. We havegone through all the procedures just as the 4/5star hotels,” Khan added.

Travel agents play akey role for our success. Alot of business comes fromonline travel agents. A spe-cial room rate offer has beenintroduced recently for thetravel agents to feel andtouch the product. FAM tripsare taking place almostevery month with the agents pouring in from overseas.

Named after the GuestHouse, the Barjeel Al ArabRestaurant is located nearthe water front overlookingthe Creek side, neighbour-ing the historic old souk andthe bustling financial

district. The view of Dhowsin the creek and the soundof prayer from the mosquenearby gives one an experi-ence of traditional Arabia.

“Arabic hospitality,being the most importantfactor of the Arabian culture, offers the taste budsa variety of flavours.Recently, we launched theEmirati breakfast in BarjeelHeritage House. It tookaround 2 and half monthsfor research, and the food,recipes and cooking meth-ods are close to perfection,”he further updated.

Heritage houses are foradventurous people whohave a diversified approachto life. Luxury for them isnot the only viewpoint.These places are planned in such a way where thereare no taxi stands, no parking area.

According to Khan,those who love different cul-tures and are from Western

Europe like UK, Germany,Austria, France, Scandinaviaand Belgium constitute 80to 85 per cent of the occu-pancies and the remaining15 per cent from the ArabWorld. Occupancy hasincreased from 10 to 15 percent in 2012 over 2011. Thedramatic growth is observedin November and December2012, and that’s still contin-uing, and around 7 to 8 percent increase in RevPar.

Inspired by old Dubai’s heritage, Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa has offered ‘The Heritage Collection’ - a windowto the magical yet pulsating life style of Dubai’s rich bygone era. It’s a combination of guest houses - The OrientGuest House, Barjeel Heritage Guest house, Ahmedia Heritage Guest. All are uniquely defined by the distinctivecultural flare for design, style and modern comforts to cater to both tourists and business travellers.

Heritage Collection houses Dubai’s colours

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Habib KhanGeneral Manager at Arabian CourtyardHotel & Spa

We tried to impart originalcharacteristics tothe place asmuch aspossible. It hasnot been an easyjob for us

Travel agents play a keyrole for our success. A lotof business comes fromonline travel agents

A special room rate offerhas been introducedrecently for the travelagents to feel and touchthe product

FAM trips are taking placealmost every month withthe agents pouring in fromoverseas

Agents’ Special

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ME steals the show at World Travel Awards The World Travel Awards celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2013 at a ceremony held at Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai on May 5, 2013. It celebratedbrands that set the product and service benchmark to which all others in the travel industry aspire to achieve. The Middle East was the perfect regionto mark the start of WTA 2013 Grand Tour, and raise the standards of excellence in travel and tourism.

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While much of the population from these

emerging markets have yetto experience their first holiday, the intention to travel is high.

Hike in spendToday’s typical traveller spentan average of US$2,390 ontheir last trip, and this figureis only expected to grow further. While Australiantravellers are among the topspenders on the global stage,

travel budgets of those from the emerging marketsare also high with two of thetop three spenders hailing from the emergingmarkets, namely SaudiArabia (US$6,666) and China (US$3,824).

Travel agents to benefitAt the same time, the demandfor travel agents is likely to goup as travellers start venturinginto destinations in the devel-oping world such as Egypt,Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Visitsto these Middle Eastern coun-

tries are likely to be donethrough organised tours ratherthan independent tours. While70 per cent of travellers booktheir trips independently, theneed for travel agents stillexists, particularly in emergingmarkets where people are

more willing to pay for a thirdparty agent to plan their trips.

Travellers from Africaand the Middle East like totravel further and longer of atleast two weeks. They aremore willing to pay for person-alised tours.

Despite the climate of economic uncertainty, it is expected that leisure travel will continue to grow in 2013, with intendedfuture travel on the rise. Among the emerging markets that are most likely to spur this growth, Saudi Arabia tops the list.

Saudi: Top spender among emerging marketsTT BU R E AU

Global APAC AME Europe

Average number ofnights at destination 10 7 15 11

Packaged or Guidedtours 30% 35% 35% 25%Won’t mind payingmore for someoneto arrange myholidays

38% 36% 55% 29%

Travel agents are still valued

Top 5 spenders

Futurespend% change:

Last trip:Saudi Arabia

$6666( 4 8 4 )

Australia

$4118( 4 5 0 )

Saudi Arabia

$3824( 4 2 2 )

Saudi Arabia

$2956( 3 0 9 )

Saudi Arabia

$2888( 2 1 4 )

-17% 9% 18% 52% -13%

While 70% of travellers book their trips independently, the need for travel agents still exists, particularlyin emerging markets where people are more willing to pay for a third party agent to plan their trips.

Outlook for travel is optimistic: traveland budgets are set to increaseWith this comes an increased willingness to spend as budget is now less of a concern in destinationchoice than it has been in the past.

I am going to travel more in the future

Egypt

5.9Brazil

5.9

Saudi Arabia

6.1China

6

Strongly Disagree Strongly AgreeGlobal

5.3

The Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey 2013 was commissioned by Visa to Millward Brown. The survey was conducted with 12,631 travellers* aged 18 years and above, across 25 countries.

Travel arrangements for last trip

Did YouKnow?

Travellers from AsiaPacific, Africa and theMiddle East are mostreliant on traditional

sources when planningand booking. Although

online sources arepopular in Asia Pacific,traditional guidebooks

and magazines still holdinfluence. The opinion of friends and relativeshas a particularly highsway on the destination

choices of people inAfrica and the MiddleEast, where bookingonline is often seen

as complex.

MOVEMENTS J U N E , 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 1 5Grand Millennium Dubai UAE Vanessa Waldow has been appointed as the Director ofSales & Marketing of the Grand Millenium Dubai. Prior to this

appointment, she was at Melia DubaiHotel where she spent two years

managing the sales andmarketing department since thelaunch of the proper ty in BurDubai. In her new role,Waldow’s extensive experienceand in-depth knowledge of the

overseas leisure and corporatesectors as well as the GCCmarket will be required for thegrowth of the property.

Hilton Worldwide Middle East &Africa Egypt & LevantChristian Muhr is the new Vice President of Operations

for Hilton Worldwide, Egypt & Levant.Muhr, a Hilton Worldwide veteranwith an extensive 30-yearinternational hospitality background,will be responsible for drivingoperational performance for the

company’s regional por tfolio of 22hotels across Egypt, Lebanon and

Jordan including the region’sbiggest convention centrein Jordan.

Royal Rose Hotel Dubai Gianni Malerba joins the Royal Rose Hotel as the newGeneral Manager of the property. He brings with him over 28

years of experience acquired ininternational groups like Starwood,Millennium, Grand Hyatt andWarwick International. Prior tojoining Royal Rose Hotel, he was the

General Manager at Grand ExcelsiorHotels, Managing Director for TMC

International Hotels & Resorts, andhas completed his stint atproper ties in Croatia,

England and Morocco asthe General Manager.

Al Murooj Rotana Dubai UAE Ulrike Andorff has been appointed as the new ExecutiveAssistant Manager of Al Murooj Rotana Dubai. A Germannational, she brings with her morethan 25 years of hospitalityexperience. As the new EAM,Andorff will play a significant rolein fur ther strengthening theposition of the hotel in today’scompetitive market. Prior to joiningAl Murooj Rotana, she has playedsignificant roles in various fivestar hospitality brands acrossEurope, Asia, America andthe Middle East.

The Cove Rotana Resort Ras Al Khaimah Bassam Zakaria is the new Director of Rooms of TheCove Rotana Resort – Ras Al Khaimah. He brings with him12 years of experience in this industry.Zakaria will now be responsible forthe overall coordination of Front ofHouse department, Housekeeping,reservation, laundry and security.His career and managerial positionstarted with Rotana in 2006 whenhe held the position of Area SalesManager in Rotana Area SalesOffice, then moved on toAl Ain Rotana.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray UAE Dirk Bansemer has been appointed as the new ExecutiveAssistant Manager of (EAM) of Food and Beverage ofJumeirah Zabeel Saray. In his new role,he is expected to oversee the hotel’spor tfolio of 10 restaurants andnightlife venues. Of German origin,Bansemer has over 28 yearsinternational experience in theindustry and has established anddeveloped a number ofsuccessful restaurantconcepts.

Al Rais Tours and HolidaysLLC., a holidays company inthe United Arab Emirates hasappointed Landmark Toursand Travels Pvt. Ltd., fromIndia as its representative forthe Indian subcontinent toprovide sales, marketing andoperational support for the region.

Landmark has been in thetravel industry since 1991,having a dedicated team ofexperienced & professionals’expertise, with a total expe-

rience of about 30 years inthe industry, in vertical modeof business like CorporateTravel, Events and Leisure.

Landmark will be anextension of Al Rais office inIndia, where the clientsacross the subcontinent willget first-hand information ofall Al Rais products & servic-es offered to the UAE.

Mohamed Al Rais,Deputy Managing Director, AlRais Tours and Holidays said,“The Indian tourism market

is huge, where we have beenon a cautious approach andnow we feel the right timehas come to shake hands witha partner to attract Indiantravellers to explore the UAEfurther and the other Gulfcountries, with affordablechoices and professional service. India has emerged asthe world's fastest-growingoutbound market and inabsolute numbers it is secondonly to China and it is the fit-ting time to develop sales

from the Indian market.” The number of Indians

travelling overseas is set torise from around 15 milliontoday to 50 million by 2020.“We would like to tap a majorshare of this traffic. UAE isalmost an extension of Indianow, with the vast number ofIndian expatriates living inthis country and the growing number of Indiantourists visiting UAE forleisure, in addition to the ever increasing business

travellers,” he added. With the ongoing

endeavor to make our customers get the best services and satisfaction wehave become an ISO 9001certified organization whichguarantees the customersconsistent satisfactionwhere we use a set of principles that ensure acommon sense approach tothe management of ouractivities. This has given usmore efficient working prac-

tices and focuses on theorganizations businessobjectives to improve customer satisfaction.

Al Rais is committed totheir partnership and keenlyfocussed on driving superiorresults. Al Rais Tours andHolidays LLC’s partnershipwith Landmark will giveIndian travellers a better and affordable professionalchoice for planning their holidays and to make it a memorable one.

UAE tour operator appoints India representative

S w i s s - B e l h o t e lInternational, one of Asia’smid-scale hotel operators,attends Arabian TravelMarket (ATM) 2013 with adetailed update on thegroup’s ambitious expansionplans for the Middle East, andinformation on the trio of newhotels currently under devel-opment in the region.

Bahrain will be the nextGulf State to welcome thebrand with the flagshipSwiss-Belhotel Seef current-ly finalising its pre-openingprogramme ahead of an early

2014 launch. This will be followed by the introduc-tion of the first Swiss-Belinnbranded property in Muscat,Oman at the end of 2013.

“Our network now covers 100 hotels and under-development projectsin 12 countries, and theMiddle East is one of thefastest-growing regions aspart of our global expansionprogramme,” said GavinFaull, President andChairman, Swiss-BelhotelInternational.

The opening of theBahrain property will provideSwiss-Belhotel with accessto weekend leisure business from neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Gavin FaullPresident and Chairman Swiss-Belhotel International

Swiss-Belhotel to debut in Oman Air Arabia signs US$350 mn deal

Air Arabia, a low cost carrier in the MENA region, signed a US$ 350 million finance deal from asyndicate of two GCC banks to suppor t the acquisition of 10 new Airbus A320 aircraf t. (From left) Mohammad Sultan Al Qadi, Chairman, Commercial Bank International, Sheikh AbdullahBin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman, Air Arabia and Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa, General Manager,Group Corporate and Institution Banking, Qatar National Bank

HIGHLIGHTS1 6 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 3

The World Travel Awardscelebrated its 20th

Anniversary in 2013. Thefirst leg of the World TradeAwards 2013 Grand Tour sawEtihad, Burj Al Arab,

Emirates, Avis, Europcar,Qatar and Rotana emerge asthe big winners at a ceremo-ny held at Le Royal MeridienResort & Spa Dubai on May 5, 2013.

It was an occasion thatwitnessed the travel industry’s elite attending theglittering gala event dubbedas ‘The Oscars of the Travel Industry’.

Graham E Cooke,President and Founder, WorldTravel Awards said,

“The Middle Eastwas the perfectregion to mark thestart of the WorldTravel Awards 2013Grand Tour, settingthe highest possiblebar for the rest ofthe world to raisethe standards ofexcellence in traveland tourism.”

Etihad Airways was oneof the night’s shining stars,bagging Middle East's‘Leading Airline,’ MiddleEast's ‘Leading Airline First

Class’ and Middle East's‘Leading Cabin Crew.’ Not tobe outshone, Emirates tookMiddle East’s ‘Leading AirlineBusiness Class,’ Middle East’s‘Leading Airline AwardsProgramme’ and MiddleEast’s ‘Leading AirlineWebsite.’

Other award winnersfrom across the GCC saw theaward for Middle East'sLeading Business TravelDestination going to Doha, Qatar.

Middle East's LeadingVilla went to JumeirahZabeel Saray, Middle East'sLeading Spa - The TaliseOttoman Spa at JumeirahZabeel Saray and the awardfor Middle East's LeadingNew Hotel went to JWMarriott Marquis, Dubai. Abevy of awards were won byAtlantis, The Palm, Dubaifor Dubai's Leading Resort,Dubai’s Leading Hotel Suite and Middle East'sLeading Resort.

Abu Dhabi’s meteoricrise to tourism stardom wasalso recognised, as it tookhome a host of top honours,including the award for theMiddle East's LeadingExhibition & ConventionCentre - Abu Dhabi NationalExhibition Centre – ADNEC,the award for Middle East'sLeading Tourist Board - AbuDhabi Tourism & CultureAuthority, Middle East'sLeading Beach Destination -Saadiyat beach, Abu Dhabi,and Middle East's LeadingMeetings & ConferenceDestination. The Abu DhabiFalcon Hospital was therecipient of Middle East’sResponsible Tourism Award.

W Hotel & ResidencesQatar, La Cigale Qatar, SixSenses Zighy Bay Oman withAl Faisaliah Hotel, ARosewood Hotel Saudi Arabiaand Rosewood CornicheSaudi Arabia were among thewinners from other nations inthe region.

As in every edition since its inception in 1993, the World Travel Awards(WTA) celebrates those brands that set the product and service benchmarkto which all others in the travel industry aspire to achieve.

World Travel Awards dazzles ME

TT BU R E AU

Graham E CookePresident and FounderWorld Travel Awards

The Arabian TravelMarket 2013 (ATM) namedthe Philippines as therecipient of the NewFrontiers Award 2013during a special seminarevent held on the secondday of the show.

The award waspresented in recognition ofthe Philippines’ ongoingefforts to rebuild physicalinfrastructure and itstourism economy in thewake of the December 2012typhoon, which affected 6.2million people in the southof the country leaving close to one million

displaced persons.

Benito C Bengzon Jr.,Assistant Secretary,International TourismPromotions, Department ofTourism Middle East office– Philippines, accepted the award on behalf

of the country’s Department of Tourism from MarkWalsh, Portfolio Director,Reed Travel Exhibitions,with previous recipients,Japan and Chile.

Typhoon Bophadamaged more than216,000 houses andleveling large tracts of land.

Philippines awarded forefforts post 2012 typhoon

Benito C Bengzon Jr., Assistant Secretary, International Tourism Promotions,Department of Tourism Middle East office – Philippines, accepts the awardfrom Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions