INTERVIEW WITH CYNTHIA FLOUTY

DEUTSCHE HOSPITALITY EXPANDS IN TUNISIA

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17 JUNE 2017 ISSUE 397

ITB BERLIN PROMOTES HALAL TOURISM

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Slowed Growth for Middle Eastern Gateways

During the month under review, Muscat International Airport experienced the fastest growth, up 16.7 percent compared to the same period in 2016. Meanwhile, major transit hubs were impacted by the timing of the Easter holidays, resulting in sluggish growth. Passenger traffic increased 3.8 percent at Dubai International and five percent at Hamad International Airport.

In terms of air freight, the region experienced a surge of 15.5 percent in the respective month, bol-stering the 10.2 percent boost seen in Q1.

Passenger Traffic Soared at Abu Dhabi Airport

Abu Dhabi International Airport handled over two million passengers in April, a 5.6 percent increase over the corresponding month in 2016.

During the month under review, India reclaimed its status as the main traffic driver with 1.9 per-cent year-on-year growth in travellers, representing 18 percent of all tourists. Passengers on Saudi Arabian routes registered a sharp 17.4 percent increase over the same month in 2016, attributed to higher travel demand to Riyadh and Jeddah during the Umrah season. April also

saw rising figures of travellers from the hub to Australia, up 28 percent, as a response to the launch of Etihad Airways’ double daily flight to Sydney.

According to Airports Council International, the number of passengers travelling through Middle Eastern airports in March rose 2.3 percent year-on-year, contribut-ing to the 4.9 percent jump observed in the first quarter (Q1).

Abu Dhabi International Airport

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RAKTDA Launched European Campaign

The campaign began in London where Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA, hosted a round table of 18 senior UK travel trade and media representatives taking the opportunity to talk about investment prospects in the emirate. The tour concluded with a media event in Prague, which preceded the news from Ras Al Khaimah

International Airport about the launch of the inaugural flight from Václav Havel Airport Prague. “International markets are crucial to our goal of achieving one million visitors by the end of 2018,” concluded

Mattar.

Aiming to attract more European visitors and investors to the emirate, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) recently launched a 10-day road show across nine key UK and

European destinations.

SCTH Prepares for Eventful

Summer

Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Herit-age (SCTH) is expecting more than 12 million visitors to various occasions related to the Saudi

Summer 2017 programme, which includes some 113 tourism festivals boasting over 820 events.

In collaboration with the country’s tourism stake-holders across all regions, SCTH has already revealed the timetable of the festivals, providing quality enter-tainment for residents and visitors during the summer break. In order to boost international tourism, a spe-cially designed programme Live Saudi Arabia will offer tourist trips across the country complemented with cultural, sports and adventure events.

Muharraq to be Islamic Capital of

Culture 2018

Muharraq, Bahrain’s third largest city located on Muharraq Island, has

been named as the Islamic Capi-tal of Culture 2018, reflecting its unique cultural heritage within Bahrain’s rich history.

During recent years, a series of conservation projects have been carried out across the city, focussing on the famous Pearling Trail, a serial cultural heritage site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. The pathway consists of 17 buildings, three oys-ter beds located in the nearby sea, a segment of the coast and the seafront Bu Mahir fortress in the southern tip of Muharraq.

Restoration work at the site has been progressing over the last four years and the trail is scheduled to be completed in line with Muhur-raq being named the Capital of Is-lamic Culture 2018.

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Dubai Ruler Inspected Iconic

Tower

H.H. Sheikh Moham-med bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler, Dubai,

paid a visit to the construction site of The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, to review the progress of the emirate’s highly-antici-pated new landmark.

Accompanied by Moham-ed Alabbar, chairman, Emaar Properties, the group of senior officials were briefed on the building milestones such as completion of foundation work in a record time and the com-mencement of works integral to the structural support and design of the tower.

Alabbar commented, “[…] The Tower at Dubai Creek Har-bour is our tribute to the nation, a new architectural marvel that will enhance our civic pride, and contribute to the economy by promoting the tourism sector.”

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17 JUNE 2017

Amadeus Behind flydubai’s Loyalty Scheme

With simplicity as its main philosophy, through Amadeus Loyalty Management, the new scheme ena-bles members to earn one point for every USD1 spent and the option to pool with other members to redeem rewards, among other features.

Maher Koubaa, head, airline group, Middle East and Africa, Amadeus, explained, “Our technology is designed to help airlines effectively manage and leverage their loyalty programmes, whatever their size or business model. flydubai’s OPEN programme shows true innovation in catering to the needs of the airline’s customers, and its suc-cess is the hallmark of what a successful partnership can deliver.”

In a bid to secure customer loyalty in a fast-growing and competitive environment, flydubai has applied Amadeus’ technology to create its new rewards programme, OPEN.

Tripadvisor Unleashed En-

hanced Travel App

South Africa Introduces Market-

ing Platform

TripAdvisor has presented a new streamlined expe-rience for its native iOS

application, allowing travellers to seamlessly plan every aspect of their trip, including finding the lowest price for the right ho-tel, as well as retrieve the best value on flights, vacation rentals, restaurants and things to do in-destination.

“Travellers want to know they are getting the best value on a hotel and other parts of the trip, and we have now redesigned our app to make sure they do just that,” divulged Stephen Kaufer, co-founder, TripAdvisor.

Furthermore, with a re-freshed homepage, updated cat-egories and enhanced search ca-pabilities, the new platform also adapts to user preferences and makes customised recommenda-tions.

F ollowing a review of its growth strategy, which aims to attract five million addition-al tourists within the next five years, South

African Tourism (SAT) has built a platform to offer marketing collateral to stakeholders, in form of SAT Digital Asset Library (SATDAL).

The website features information about the country as well as images, footage and other digital files which can be edited by partners for co-branding purposes.

“[SATDAL] is where all the assets pertaining to our brand will be housed in order to enable us to provide stakeholder engagement tools and collateral that can be used at various points in the traveller decision-making journey,” an-nounced Sisa Ntshona, CEO, SAT.

Sabre Digital Expe-rience to Improve Customer Focus

On the back of new trends in the airline sector related to digitalisation and emergence

of customer experience as a key brand differentiator, Sabre has introduced its retailing solutions set to assist the air-lines in strategic growth.

The technology provider’s digital experience system, SabreSonic Cus-tomer Sales and Service, boasts fea-tures to enable seamless end-to-end customer sales and service solution, such as customer experience, air-ports reimagined, and airline retailing and data analytics. Furthermore, Sa-breSonic Customer-Centric Retailing Platform is a customer-focussed sys-tem designed to optimise web-based offerings and to develop personalised products and services addressing cus-tomer’s unique needs. The technology solutions allow airlines to incorporate passenger data and enhance custom-er experience from shopping to post-trip follow-ups.

Kruger National Park, South Africa

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WEEKLY NEWSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Jumeirah Golf Estates Commits

to Dubai Championship

J umeirah Golf Estates has extended its position as the host venue of DP World Tour Championship, Dubai,

until 2020, further strengthening its long standing relationship with The PGA Eu-ropean Tour.

The announcement coincides with DP World’s renewal as title sponsor to the tournament, also until 2020, with the top 60 players set to compete at the golf course for the ninth time on November 16 – 19.

Keith Pelley, CEO, The PGA European Tour, said, “The support of Jumeirah Golf Estates has been critical in the growth and development of the DP World Tour Championship over the past eight years and we are delighted they have reaf-firmed their support until 2020.”

A iming to expand its network in the UAE, ITB Berlin has recently announced its marketing alliance with International Travel Week Abu Dhabi (ITW Abu Dhabi), hailed as the world’s leading Muslim travel event.

Taking place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on November 25 – 26, the event will focus on addressing the needs of the fastest growing and most important sectors for Muslim travellers including Halal tourism, medical tourism and family friendly travel.

Commenting on the forthcoming exhibition, David Ruetz, head, ITB Berlin, said, “With its rapid growth and by specialising in Halal tourism, [...] ITW Abu Dhabi is certain to become a major player in the global travel market. We greatly look forward to assist-ing our colleagues in the UAE with their marketing and promotional activities.”

ITB Berlin Promotes Halal Tourism

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Nirvana Boosts Summer Travel Offerings

The itineraries include a four-day tour of Athens’ cultural sites and discover-ing India on a six-day trip around Golden Triangle featuring journeys to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Furthermore, the tour operator offers a fusion of

eastern and western culture on a bespoke five-day journey to rail-linked cities of Sarajevo and Mostar, both boasting scenic landscapes, rich histories and re-nowned UNESCO World heritage attractions.

For the summer holiday season, Nirvana Travel and Tourism is

launching exclusive offers to the destinations preferred among Emirati

travellers, such as Greece, India as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kanoo Group Staff Recognised

US Vacation Days Rose in 2016

The Kanoo Group acknowledged its high performing employees from across its workforce in a recently concluded

awards ceremony. The event, held at the Royal Ascot Hotel, highlighted staff that demonstrat-ed their commitment to the company.

Celebrations of excellence recognised some of the more remarkable performances from 2016, which proved to be a successful year for the group, despite some very chal-lenging trading conditions.

During his speech, Mishal Hamed Kanoo, chairman, The Kanoo Group, expressed his sin-cere thanks to employees for their incredible dedication and commitment to the company.

According to Project: Time Off’s (P:TO) latest report titled State of American Vacation 2017, Americans

took an average of 16.8 days leave in 2016, up from 16.2 days in 2015.

The results, based on survey of 7,331 US employees conducted by GfK and ana-lysed completed by Oxford Economics, also revealed that 54 percent of workers ended 2016 with unused annual leave, a one per-cent decrease from 2015.

Katie Denis, senior director, P:TO, said, “Our workforce still has a long way to go to rewire its thinking that hours worked and busyness are equivalent to productivity. […] The increase in vacation usage is a posi-tive indicator for American work culture.”

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dnata Australia Invests in

Technology

dnata Australia has recently invested AUD1.5 million (USD1.4 million) for the installation of five state-of-the-art x-ray

machines across hubs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, in order to keep with the mandated Piece Level Screening require-ments for cargo consignments to the US.

Along with the changes to cargo screen-ing, which will also impact airlines and the ex-tended freight forwarding community, dnata has identified improvements in operating procedures and provided training for its staff.

dnata has been working closely with cus-tomers, government authorities and other cargo terminal operators to ensure that the processes are safe, efficient and supported by customers.

Wego Inspires Holidaymakers

Ahead of the Eid holiday travel season, the travel search provider Wego exam-ined new trending destinations cater-

ing for every type of traveller.Mamoun Hmedan, managing director, Mid-

dle East, North Africa and India, Wego, recom-mended European cities, shopping and Ha-lal dining having Kuala Lumpur and Turkey’s Antalya region for holidaymaking families. Fur-thermore, for couples, he suggested Dubai as a vibrant classic, the Azerbaijani capital Baku as an off-the-beaten-track choice, and the Egyp-tian resort town Sharm el Sheikh. Meanwhile, single adventurers, according to Hmedan, should head to Kathmandu or Muscat. He con-cluded that South Africa and Georgia represent emerging hotspots fitting all travelling styles.

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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATIONwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Deutsche Hospitality Expands in Tunisia

Expected to open in November, the new address will offer 371 rooms and suites as well as six res-taurants and bars along with a thalassotherapy centre.

The company will operate the hotel under a management agreement with owners, Tunisia-based Marhaba Company.

Commenting on the new addition, Puneet Chhatwal, CEO, Deutsche Hospitality, stated, “[…] After a few months in the Tunisian market, our representation has expanded to three hotels. This is a highly pleasing development which is a ringing endorsement of our strategy of expansion.”

Following its recent debut in Tunisia with the launch of two properties, Deutsche Hospitality is continuing to pursue its robust growth in North Africa with the opening of Steigenberger Hotel

Palace Marhaba.

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Conrad Cairo Inaugurates Airport

Office

C onrad Cairo has launched a new representative office in Terminal 2 of Cairo International Airport, pro-

viding a range of travel-related services to visitors.

These include a personalised meeting service upon arrival and departure with visa, immigration and customs procedure assistance, VIP lounge access, limousine transportation and reservation services, among others.

Wolfgang Maier, general manager, Con-rad Cairo, stated, “We are proud to provide our guests this valuable service that will reduce time spent on transfers and proce-dures. This service is being offered to our guests in the spirit of inspired hospitality that Conrad Hotels & Resorts are known for worldwide.”

S ix Senses Zighy Bay has launched its handcrafted private cruiser Dhahab, offering the experience of the golden age of Arabian voyages around the Musandam coast.

Furnished in a relaxed artisan style, the Omani vessel is able to host up to six guests in three cabins. During three-day tailored itineraries, cruisers can take a advantage of the facilities such as an air-conditioned saloon, sun decks, dining outlet, cinema and a large open gallery, along with an exceptional service.

Aaron McGrath, general manager, Six Senses Zighy Bay, said, “We are thrilled to launch this beautifully restored classic dhow to our guests. We are committed to offering unforgettable memories and look forward to welcoming visitors on-board this exceptional experience.”

Zinghy Bay’s Iconic Dhow Sets Sail

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Amwaj Rotana Hosted Iftar Event

Bintan Resorts Launches Muslim-Friendly Initiatives

A iming to increase its appeal to Muslim trav-ellers within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region, Bintan Resorts, an inte-

grated beach resort destination in Indonesia, has re-cently partnered with halal-friendly travel companies CrescentRating and HalalTrip.

The new initiatives launched, include a Muslim Visitor Guide, available in English, Chinese and Arabic which highlights Bintan Island’s Muslim-friendly re-sorts, attractions and Halal-friendly restaurants.

As MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Trav-el Index 2017 revealed, the Muslim travel market will continue to grow at a fast pace with the sector esti-mated to reach USD220 billion in 2020.

I n celebration of Ramadan, Amwaj Rotana Jumeirah Beach - Dubai recently organised Iftar for the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.Run by the hotel’s team members, the event welcomed a group of

40 women and children for a buffet and complementary entertaining programme featuring henna artists and various children activities.

Jasmine Arika, director, marketing and communications, Amwaj Ro-tana Jumeirah Beach - Dubai, said, “[…] It was our first time working with the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children and it will not be our last. The Iftar was a great opportunity not just for us to offer a meal but also to dedicate our time through our volunteers.”

Elaf Group to Open Jeddah Property

E laf Group has announced the upcoming opening of a five-star hotel in Jeddah, set to further reinforce the developer’s strate-

gic expansion and presence in Saudi Arabia.Adhering to the values of Saudi Vision 2030

in boosting the tourism through quality hospi-tality offerings, the address will contribute to the country’s multiple projects in the pipeline, cur-rently boasting 170 hotels and 60,395 rooms in various stages of development, as released in TopHotelProjects’ study The 2017 Saudi Arabia Hotel Construction Overview Report.

Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, CEO, Elaf Group, said, “[…] The new hotel is being expected to help ad-dress the demand for more hotel rooms in Jed-dah, which clearly demonstrates the country's rapidly thriving tourism industry […].“

Atlantis, the Palm Celebrated World

Ocean Day

To commemorate World Oceans Day, Atlantis, The Palm organ-ised a family fun day on June 09,

offering ocean lovers the opportunity to get involved in fun activities while also learning about the marine world at The Lost Chambers Aquarium.

Visitors had the chance to view an ocean-themed photography exhibi-tion as well as get inspired by recycled material sculpture displays created by schools across the emirate.

Commenting on the initiative, Natasha Christie, director, The Lost Chambers Aquarium, stated, “We are pleased that on the occasion of World Oceans Day, we can inspire visitors to appreciate, celebrate and protect our precious oceans.”

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Dubai International Introduces sleep ‘n fly

Featuring 20 state-of-the-art igloo shaped sleep pods along with seven premium double cabins with pull-out children’s beds, the hub’s new Scandinavian-designed lounge provides an oasis of relaxation.

Eugene Barry, executive vice president, commercial group, Dubai Airports, commented, “The opening of sleep ‘n fly expands Dubai International's existing range of rest and relaxation options, and is the latest in a line of personalised and engaging products we are rolling out to cater to the evolving needs of global travellers.”

Aiming to enhance passengers experience, Dubai International has recently unveiled its sleep ‘n fly lounge, enabling travellers passing through Terminal 3 to get some rest while waiting for their

flight.

Emirates to Unveil Upgraded First

Class Cabin

Emirates has announced that Dubai Air Show in November will see the launch of its redesigned first class cabin, set to

make the debut on board a Boeing 777-300ER.The anticipated product will feature six pri-

vate suites in a new layout, compared to eight suites on the carrier’s existing B777 fleet, along with extra innovative add-ons across business and economy class cabins.

Informing that further details, such as de-ployment of the aircraft, will be revealed in a due course, Tim Clark, president, Emirates, further un-covered that the results of years of planning and development invested into the revamp will take the passengers’ flying experience to another level.

Turkish Airlines Adds Summer

Links

On the back of increased travel demand, Turkish Airlines has announced multiple new routes linking the Middle East and

Germany with key destinations in Turkey, set to be launched throughout the summer.

For Middle Eastern travellers, the Turkish na-tional carrier will add direct services to the coun-try’s hotspots, including total of 16 weekly sched-ules between Trabzon and Jeddah, Kuwait, Riyadh, Al Qassim, Yanbu and Medina, along with 13 week-ly flights between Antalya and Jeddah, Baghdad, Erbil, Riyadh, Amman, Kuwait and Sulaymaniyah.

Furthermore, the airline is set to boost the links between Izmir and German destinations, such as Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart.

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Etihad Boosts its European Boeing

Network

Etihad Airways has announced plans to strengthen its Euro-pean Boeing 787-9 Dreamlin-

er route map with the deployment of the aircraft on year-round sched-ules to Amsterdam and Madrid.

Joining Düsseldorf and Zurich as the carrier’s other European Dreamliner destinations, the 299-seat jets will be introduced on Am-sterdam services from September 01, followed by Madrid on Octo-ber 01. Furthermore, the summer months will also see a seasonal de-ployment of the aircraft to Athens.

Peter Baumgartner, CEO, Eti-had Airways, said, “Since intro-ducing our first [Boeing] 787 into commercial service more than two years ago, we have enjoyed excel-lent feedback from guests on our ground-breaking cabin interiors that have set a benchmark for high service levels in the region and across the world.”

Air Cairo Boosts Prague Links

Air Cairo has announced its plans to launch a new service from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport to Václav

Havel Airport Prague, set to take-off on June 26.Following the carrier’s established routes

to the Czech capital from Hurghada and Marsa Alam, the new schedule reflects an increased demand for the connection between the desti-nations during the summer season. The service will be operated once a week on Mondays with Airbus A320 boasting 174 seats.

Etihad Deploys Extra A380 to JFK

Reflecting the growing demand for Airbus A380 services, Etihad Airways has recently announced

the deployment of an additional su-perjumbo on its twice daily flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), replacing a Boeing 777-300ER.

All 14 weekly nonstop schedules from Abu Dhabi International Airport to the New York hub will now be oper-ated with an Airbus A380.

Peter Baumgartner, CEO, Etihad Airways, commented, “The response we have received from our guests travelling between Abu Dhabi and New York since we first launched the A380 service two years ago has been phenomenal. We are delighted to fur-ther expand our world-leading prod-uct to all guests flying to and from the Big Apple.”

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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel

EgyptAir and Kenya Airways Enhance Links

In a bid to improve connectivity to Egypt, Kenya Airways has recently signed a codeshare agree-ment with EgyptAir, on the Nairobi – Cairo route.

Aiming to offer customers of both airlines more options of connectivity between the two cities, while also enabling more convenient travel through Cairo International Airport and Jomo Kenyatta Inter-national Airport, the new partnership will initially cover seven international itineraries.

The cooperation also reinforces the airlines’ com-mitment towards customers by increasing the range of destinations all around the world, offering seam-less connectivity on their shared routes with only one booking and a one-stop luggage check-in to their final destination.

Aigle Azur Adds Paris – Beirut Route

As part of its strategy to expand medium-haul flights, Aigle Azur has recently announced the launch of its brand new service between Paris Orly Airport and Bei-

rut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, effective from June 23, using Airbus A320 and A319 aircrafts.

On the ground, business class passengers will have a prior-ity dedicated check-in desk, preferential route through secu-rity and immigration channels as well as access to VIP lounges. On board, both business and economy class passengers will be served high-end hot meals, adapted to flight times, along-side a wide choice of drinks including a selection of wines, champagnes, digestives and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as hot towels.

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Emirates Inaugurated

Zagreb Schedule

Emirates celebrated its debut service from Dubai International to Zagreb’s Franjo Tuđman Airport on June 01, with

350 passengers aboard the Boeing 777-300ER.Welcomed with a water cannon salute and

traditional Croatian folk dancers, the flight’s delegation, consisting of high-ranking offi-cials, attended a reception at the hub’s new terminal, including a press conference, gift ex-change and cake cutting ceremony, followed by a guided static tour of the Emirate’s aircraft, highlighting the innovative onboard amenities. Commending the partners for the efforts in preparation of the event, Thierry Antinori, chief commercial officer, Emirates, said, ”Today is an important milestone for Emirates as we launch full operations into the market and reinforce our commitment to growing trade and tourism flows between Dubai and Croatia.”

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Airbnb Boosts South African

Economy

Holland America Boosts Mexico Cruises

Singapore MICE Showcased in

Frankfurt

I n 2016, Airbnb revealed that its South African community gener-ated an estimated ZAR2.4 billion

(USD177.58 million) to the country’s economy, the sum of guest spending and host income.

During the year under review, hosts welcomed approximately 400,000 guest arrivals into their homes, 37 per-cent of which were South African, in-cluding a majority from Johannesburg which bolstered the significant rise in guest numbers.

Nicola D’Elia, general manager, Af-rica and the Middle East, Airbnb, com-mented, “We want to be good partners to everyone in South Africa and sup-port the responsible and sustainable growth of innovative forms of travel.”

C hangi Airport Group (CAG), Sin-gapore Tourism Board and Sin-gapore Airlines (SIA) launched

the second edition of Singapore MICE Advantage Programme at IMEX Frank-furt.

The joint initiative seeks to provide a differentiated and seamless Singa-pore business event for MICE organisers and visitors, this year with new and im-proved benefits, aims to further refine the experience.

Coinciding with the above, the Singapore Incentives & Rewards pro-gramme for Europe and North America will also be extended for an additional year until December 31, 2018, after been first launched in 2016 in partner-ship with CAG and SIA.

Holland America Line has announced the deployment of extra vessels for 2017-2018 Mexico cruise season, with

a second vista-class ship set to sail to three iconic ports.

Building on the success of last season, from September through to February 2018, the liner’s 1,964-guest vessels ms Oosterdam and ms Westerdam will sail 11 seven-day Mexi-can Riviera cruises from San Diego, calling at Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

Orlando Ashford, president, Holland America Line, said, “Our Mexico cruises offer convenience and ease, especially for a multi-generational family looking for a unique vaca-tion. By calling at three ports, we are able to fully immerse our guests in the culture, history, entertainment, recreation and cuisine of the country.”

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K ate Brown, governor, Oregon, an-nounced at Oregon Governor's Conference on Tourism, that 2016

was the industry’s seventh consecutive year of increasing growth and economic impact, with travel-related spending gen-erating record revenues for the state.

Independent findings deduced by Dean Runyan Associates indicated that travel-related spending increased by nearly USD500 million in 2016, reaching a record USD11.3 billion, while the number of Oregonians directly employed in the in-dustry surpassed 109,000.

Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon, commented, “This report, indicating the strong economic impact and jobs num-bers the industry brings to the state, shows us that we are on track to achieve our mis-sion of inspiring travel that drives econom-ic development, enhancing communities, both large and small, in every corner of the state.”

A delegation of 120 Chinese journal-ists and celebrities recently spent 15 days in Tanzania, touring hot-

spots such as Lake Eyasi and Serengeti National Park.

The purpose of the visit was to film and write about the country’s unique at-tractions and natural beauty, promoting Tanzania in China.

Upon arrival at Julius Nyerere Interna-tional Airport, Chinese reporters, popular artists and other influencers were warmly welcomed by Thomas Mihayo, chairman, Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB) and other officials.

Speaking during a short welcome reception event, held at Ramada Hotel Tanzania, Mihayo noted that the visitors are part of TTB’s initiatives of promoting Tanzania as a unique tourist destination in China through their various media cam-paigns.

W ashington state’s capital city Olympia saw a major tourism development in 2016 with increased visi-tor spending and newly opened and renovated

hotels, attributed to active tourism promotion and funding.Thurston County saw some 1.24 million visitors in 2016,

with spending of USD303.2 million, a 7.3 percent year-on-year rise, representing more than double that of the whole state, according to Dean Runyan & Associates’ recent study Travel Impacts 2016. The figures reflect the goals of an 18-month rebranding project by the regional visitor and convention bureau, including renaming the destination marketing unit Visit Olympia to Experience Olympia & Beyond. Furthermore, increased tourism positively affected the infrastructure devel-opment and hospitality expansion, with four new properties adding 300 keys to the market.

A ccording to Mastercard Asia-Pacific Destina-tions Index 2017, Bangkok retained its po-sition as the most visited city among 171

destinations across 22 countries, which altogether welcomed 339.2 million tourists in 2016.

With 19.3 million international overnight arrivals in 2016, the Thai capital surpassed Singapore which had attracted 13.1 million visitors. The destination also topped the list of total nights stayed with 87.6 million nights, demonstrating the trend of longer trips among visitors to the region. In terms of over-all tourism expenditure, the city took second place with USD12.7 billion tourism spending, overtaken by Singapore where travellers spent USD15.4 billion in 2016. With China representing the main source mar-ket for visitors to Bangkok, the figures show the sig-nificance of the whole region for the global tourism industry.

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Oregon Conference Revealed Promising Results

Olympia Enjoys Tourism Growth

Tanzania Targets Chinese Market

Mastercard Asia Pacific Index: Bangkok Top Destination

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WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONALwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Airbus and China Strengthen

Links

Dallas Hub Prepares for

Passenger Growth

Delta to Revolutionise

Boarding

Aiming to enhance cooperation in avia-tion and aerospace, Airbus and China have recently signed a memorandum

of understanding to develop engineering skills and technology innovation in the country.

Based on an already established solid foun-dation, the two parties will also tackle global issues such as environment, and broaden the collaboration to include sectors like helicop-ters.

Fabrice Brégier, president, commercial aircraft, Airbus, stated, “The success of the industrial cooperation between Airbus and China makes itself a model of high-tech and win-win partnership between China and Eu-rope. Together with our Chinese partners, we are confident in meeting the new challenges and opportunities and look forward to an even deeper and broader partnership.”

Delta Air Lines has launched the first phase of testing a biometric boarding pass ex-perience at Ronald Reagan Washington

National Airport, which enables Delta SkyMiles members enrolled in CLEAR to prove their identity at the Delta Sky Club with fingertips.

Without any printed documents, the sec-ond stage of the programme will allow the eli-gible passengers to check a bag, check-in and board the flight. After analysing the outcomes of the testing period, the carrier intends to identify necessary improvements and broader implementation.

Expressing the company’s excitement to pioneer such customer experience, Gil West, chief operating officer, Delta Air Lines, said, “We are rapidly moving towards a day when your fingerprint, iris or face will become the only ID you will need […].”

With an excess of 18 million custom-ers expected to travel through Dallas/Fort Worth International

Airport (DFWIA) during this year’s summer period, a projected year-on-year increase of 3.5 percent, the gateway is offering new amenities and digital platforms to make the travel experience more seamless.

In preparation of this forecast, Ken Bu-chanan, executive vice president, revenue management, DFWIA, commented, “This summer, we are rolling out new mobile food ordering, the DFWIA journey planner and opening an enhanced parking facility for easy access to Terminal E.”

He further elaborated that innovative new services helped DFWIA earn the title of the number one large airport for customer satisfaction in North America.

17 JUNE 201714

WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONAL www.traveltradeweekly.travel

M arriott International has revealed the conver-sion of Cape Town’s Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa into South Africa’s first Marriott-branded hotel,

known as Cape Town Marriott Hotel Crystal Towers. Incorporating the groups’ technology tools among a

plethora of amenities, guests at the revamped 180-key property can seamlessly check-in with the Marriott App, while conference organisers can take advantage of Meet-ings Imagined.

Alex Kyriakidis, president, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International, said, “[...] The most recent statistics for tourist arrivals to the country reflect the great poten-tial for the country’s tourist industry – 10 million interna-tional travellers visited during 2016, a 13 percent increase on the 2015 numbers.”

B est Western Hotels & Resorts has unveiled Best Western Premier Ion Delemen, a 246-key upscale ad-

dress in Malaysia’s Genting Highlands, nes-tled in the jungle-clad hills of Pahang state.

In addition to providing a natural re-treat, the property is on the doorstep of Resorts World Genting, a large theme park, casino and Malaysia’s longest cable car ride, along with 20th Century Fox World, a theme park set to open later this year.

The hotel is operated by Ion Delemen Hospitality, and is part of the Ion Delemen development, which is expected to fully open in 2018 and will include an interna-tional wellness centre.

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Marriott Debuts in Cape Town

Genting Highlands Welcomes Best Western

AVANI to Expand in Auckland

Swiss-Belhotel to Investigate India’s

Potential

A ppealing to independ-ent travellers seeking unique experiences and

great hospitality, AVANI Hotels & Resorts has launched in New Zea-land, following the acquisition of the Metro Suites in Auckland.

The 40-storey hotel, sched-uled to debut in October, will be refurbished and rebranded as Metropolis AVANI Residences. Following the revamp, the 370-key property will offer one- and two-bedroom apartments each with spacious living and dining areas, well-equipped kitchens, laundry facilities, and impressive skyline and harbour views.

The property will also feature a swimming pool, indoor and outdoor spa facilities as well as a gym.

S wiss-Belhotel International an-nounced its plans to expand into India, with a team led by

Gavin Faull, president, Swiss-Belhotel International, visiting the country in the last week of May to explore oppor-tunities for development.

Laurent Voivenel, senior vice presi-dent, operations and development, Middle East, Africa and India, Swiss-Belhotel International, stressed, “It is an exciting time to enter India. Coun-trywide hotel markets are perform-ing at an all-time high with average daily rates ranging between INR4,200 – INR7900 (USD65 – USD122) and oc-cupancy ranging between 54 percent – 75 percent. Hotel markets are clock-ing nearly 12 percent higher room revenue over 2015, which in itself wit-nessed nearly 11 percent higher room revenue growth over 2014.”

M inor International (MINT) is concur-rently launching three new projects in Phuket, worth in excess of THB9 bil-

lion (USD261 million). The new investments, which comprise an ul-

tra-luxury residential venture, a new development phase of Anantara Vacation Club and a mixed-use retail and commercial building which aims to pro-vide a strong platform to drive sustainable earn-ings growth of its mixed-use business.

MINT is set to invest in a second luxury resi-dential project Avadina Hills by Anantara, valued at approximately THB6 billion (USD174 million), through a joint venture partnership with Kajima Overseas Asia.

MINT Boosts Phuket

Presence

17 JUNE 2017 15

WHO’S MOVEDwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

PASCAL EGGERSTEDT has been appointed as the new general manager of Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi – Yas Island and Staybridge Suites Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, where he will oversee operations at both properties.Eggerstedt joins the proper-ties from InterContinental Doha – The City, where from 2014, he served as general manager. Overall, he has more than 20 years of experi-ence in the industry and near-ly a decade within the Middle East and Africa.Eggerstedt first began his ca-reer with InterContinental Ho-tels Group in Thailand, before moving on to corporate roles in Hong Kong, Singapore and the company’s headquarters in London.

SULTAN ALRIYAMI has taken on the role of manager for Jordan and West Bank at Emir-ates, where he will drive the airline’s commercial priorities as well as build on its business performance.Since first joining the carrier in 2014 as part of the UAE Na-tional Trainee Management Programme for Commercial Operations, Alriyami has held commercial support roles in Singapore, and more recently in Iran.In his new role, Alriyami will strengthen the Emirates lead-ership team and will deliver significant benefits to maxim-ise performance in the region.

STEFAN PICHLER has been named as president and CEO of Royal Jordanian Airlines, bringing with him more than 30 years of experience in the aviation industry.Pichler began his career in the sales department of Lufthansa before rising up the ranks to assume the role of chief com-mercial officer. He has also served in leadership positions across numerous airlines in-cluding CEO at airberlin, CEO at Jazeera Airways and man-aging director of Fiji Airways, among others.In his new role, Pichler will en-sure the carrier continues to invest in human capital, adopt advanced technical applica-tions and deploy creative mar-keting techniques to boost revenue and competitiveness.

PASQUALE BAIGUERA has assumed the role of general manager of Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain, joining from Möven-pick Hotel Beirut which he led for three years.With more than three decades of experience in the hospital-ity industry, Baiguera brings extensive knowledge with strengths in proactive leader-ship, strategic management, sales and revenue develop-ment. In addition to four ap-pointments in the Middle East, Baiguera has worked for other five-star brands in Denmark, Finland and Italy.

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Baiguera is a proactive leader

Alriyami will drive Emirates' commercial

priorities

16

RENDEZVOUS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How is the current state of tourism in Lebanon?

CYNTHIA FLOUTY: The tourism sector is one of the pillars of the Lebanese econ-omy, but its performance for the coming years hinges on political and security stability, both locally and in the region. We always have hope that the tourism will keep on increasing.

We think this will be a good year if the situation remains stable.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Where do your guests arrive from?

CYNTHIA FLOUTY: When it comes to our guests, they are mostly from the Iraqi, Jordanian and Egyptian market, in addition to the European market and Gulf. Lebanon is a preferred destination for the Arab speaking countries. And ex-

CYNTHIA FLOUTY

Q & A

with

DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING, MÖVENPICK HOTEL BEIRUT

WITH HOPE ON THE HORIZON FOR THE RESURGENCE OF LEBANON’S TOURISM INDUSTRY, CYNTHIA FLOUTY, DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING, MÖVENPICK

HOTEL BEIRUT, PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON THE CURRENT INDUSTRY TRENDS.

change their travel plans from Turkey to Lebanon. We always aim for more seg-ments such as pharmaceutical and mul-tinational companies.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Which mar-kets are you targeting? What is your strategy going forward?

CYNTHIA FLOUTY: The tourism sector has long been one of Lebanon’s lead-ing economic sectors, this year should be promising, since we got the presi-dent elected.

We aim for MICE business, in addi-tion to leisure, it is considered one of the biggest segments in our hotel. We expanded our market to Iran, we dou-bled our sales trip to Jordan and Egypt and we aim to target the Turkish mar-ket.

Not to forget the Lebanese dias-pora, who are considered one of our target markets, especially during the summer season.

We always aim to secure a base business group from different seg-ments and yielding when needed.

pectations are always exceeded by the Lebanese hospitality.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: In terms of alternative tourism segments what does Lebanon offer?

CYNTHIA FLOUTY: Lebanon offers eco-tourism and religious tourism, in addition to medical tourism. We have a large segment from the Iraqi market in Lebanon who come for medical tour-ism. They are very important but they are not enough to cover the demand of the market, especially [because] Lebanon as a touristic country is not well promoted abroad.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What is be-ing done to assist in the growth of alternative segments in Lebanon?

CYNTHIA FLOUTY: The demand for Lebanon increased in the beginning of this year, compared to 2016, due to the unstable political situation in the region and especially after [events in] Turkey in 2016, which led many Arab citizens to

17 JUNE 2017

Mövenpick Hotel Beirut

Mövenpick Hotel Beirut

17 JUNE 2017 17

TRAVEL CHANNELSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel

After a record 13th victory in the tournament Emirates FA Cup, Arsenal Football Club brought the iconic trophy to the Arsenal Soccer Schools Dubai, followed by the Emir-ates Group’s headquarters.

During the occasion, over 120 children had a chance to admire and take photos with the historic cup. Formed as a joint venture between the airline and the football club, the centre trains some 400 pupils annually, elevat-ing the potential of aspiring young footballers. Emirates has been a sponsor of the renowned team since 2004, which includes the club’s jersey sponsorship and nam-ing rights to its home ground, Emirates Stadium.

Etihad Guest, Etihad Airways’ loyalty programme, has celebrated the signing of its five millionth member by gifting 500,000 miles and an upgrade to gold status to the milestone member, Rashid Al Shehhi, who joined the rewards scheme while applying for an ADIB credit card.

Shehhi noted that he would also donate some Etihad Guest miles to relief ef-forts in Somalia, in line with the spirit of Ramadan and in support of the UAE’s Year of Giving initiative.

The award-winning programme offers thousands of opportunities to earn miles through more than 150 retail partnerships and co-branded cards with major UAE banks.

Royal Jordanian in cooperation with social development units has launched its an-nual Ramadan campaign by delivering food supplies to less privileged citizens of the eastern desert region in the Mafraq governorate.

Committed to interacting with local communities through its corporate social responsibility initiatives, the carrier prepared meals, distributed presents and cre-

ated an entertaining programme for 170 orphans across various charities and for a number of families residing in Amman’s Queen Rania Park. This year’s campaign will see the airline host more banquets and distribute aid parcels to various target groups.

Aiming to further educate architects within the field of built heritage and conservation, ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre and Sharjah Insti-tute for Heritage have together launched a five-module course.

The first week-long module, titled Introduction to Architec-tural Documentation for Built Heritage in the Arab Region, saw the participation of 13 professionals from the UAE, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Palestine and Yemen.

Zaki Aslan, director, ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conserva-tion Centre, stated, “[...] We are committed to the safeguarding of cultural heritage in the Arab region for the benefit of local societies, individual countries and the region as a whole. This course will provide the best practices in heritage conservation and management, serving as a unique learning experience [...].”

Etihad Guest Reached Five Million Members

Royal Jordanian Initiates Ramadan Meal Campaign

Sharjah Delivers Lessons on Built Heritage

Emirates FA Cup Admired in Dubai

From left, Shehhi is congratulated by Yasser Al Yousuf, managing director, Etihad Guest

Emirates FA Cup

Participants of the first module

17 JUNE 201718

TRAVEL CHANNELS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

In the context of celebrating the UAE’s Year of Giving, Etihad Guest collaborated with Emirates Red Cres-cent to launch a special Ramadan campaign provid-ing families in need in Somalia with thousands of meals. Members of Etihad Airways’ loyalty programme are

now able to donate their miles to the emergency re-sponse in the African country.

Yasser Al Yousuf, managing director, Etihad Guest, commented, “[…] The message is simple, the more dona-tions we receive, the more people Emirates Red Crescent is able to feed. We have an ambitious goal of providing 20,000 meals and we hope that Etihad Guest members will join with us in supporting this important cause.”

Renowned Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo has taken part in an international commercial campaign for Egyptian Steel.

The highly-acclaimed advert features the football icon discovering and en-joying Egypt’s tourist hotspots and activities, including horseback riding at the pyramids, relaxing on the Nile aboard a traditional sailing boat, sightseeing at

the temples of Luxor, along with admiring Khan el Khalili and Moez Street’s medieval ar-chitecture. As well as emphasising the potential of the country’s youth, the campaign is set to empower, motivate and inspire the young generation towards building a stronger and innovative nation.

Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF) attended the 70th Cannes Film Festival in France with the aim to assess the current cinematic offerings and bring attractive movie premieres to the UAE.

The organisation, which hosts film screenings and movie activities for children, met with high-ranking industry representatives, setting the ground for future col-

laborations. During the prestigious event, Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, director, SICFF,

was awarded by Indywood Film Carnival for contribution to the global film industry and for pioneering visions in developments of Arab media arts. She commented, “[…] For us, the festival represents more than just a market place for films – it is an important focal point for cultural exchange and for building bridges of communication.”

Benin and African Parks have announced the signing of a 10-year renewable partnership to revitalise, re-habilitate and develop Pendjari National Park, one of the largest remaining protected reserves in West and Central Africa.

The total investment of USD26 million will be used to pro-tect and develop the landscape spanning 4,800km2, forming one of the 45 flagship projects of the Revealing Benin invest-ment programme, first revealed in December 2016.

“It is a critical and progressive moment for conservation and for the entire region, and we are honoured to enter into this partnership with the government of Benin, to manage this extraordinary landscape for the benefit of both wildlife and the people of Benin,” elaborated Peter Fearnhead, CEO, African Parks.

Etihad Supports Somali Families

Ronaldo to Inspire Egyptian Youth

Sharjah Film Experts Attended Cannes Festival

Benin and African Parks to Conserve Pendjari

Ronaldo

Pendjari National Park

17 JUNE 2017 19

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what you have been up to.

Send your photos to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel Because a picture is worth a thousand

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Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, director, Sharjah International Children's

Film Festival, delivered a speech during 70th Cannes Film Festival on May 17 – 28

In recognition of employees efforts and con-tribution to the company's success, Oman Air sponsored six employees, chosen in a draw, to

perform Hajj

Amwaj Rotana Jumeirah Beach Dubai received a certificate of appreciation for organising Iftar for Dubai Foundation for Women and

Children

Cycle Safe Bahrain inagurated the first road safety awareness ride on May 26

Students from Future Rehabilitation Centre became pilots for the day through Etihad Airways' Airbus A380 simulator experience

Arsenal Footbal Club brought the iconic Emirates FA Cup to Arsenal Soccer Schools Dubai

22ND UNWTO GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Chengdu, ChinaSeptember 04 – 09 World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) annual meeting will bring together tourism officials and private sector leaders.

17 JUNE 201720

NEWS & EVENTS www.traveltradeweekly.travel

Al Ain’s Cultural Celebrations

Concluded

Middle East Leads ICCA

Meetings Market

Al Ain’s five-month events cal-endar has come to an end, marking another successful edition of the cultural initia-

tive, due to return in September.Organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism &

Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the festival was held at multiple venues, and attracted some 230,000 visitors who enjoyed community-focussed activities and events including music, tours, poetry, movies and other shows, designed to spread awareness of Emi-rati heritage, past and present, along with reinforcing the city’s status as the UAE’s cultural heartland.

H.E. Saif Saeed Ghobash, director general, TCA Abu Dhabi, stated, “The programme highlighted the vibrant cultural scene by increasing visitor numbers to Al Ain [...].”

According to the Inter-national Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) ranking, the Middle

East represented the fastest growing region for hosting international as-sociation meetings in 2016.

The region has achieved growth of 250 percent, the largest global rise, from 100 meetings held in 2007 to 255 in 2016, significantly contrib-uting to the record year with 12,212 ICCA registered rotating internation-al meetings worldwide.

Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA, explained, “[…] The association sector is tak-ing off in the Middle East, driven by growth in an educated, professional middle class, a desire for professional education, standards and accredita-tions, and an understanding by inter-national associations that this is a mar-ket of great long-term potential […].”

THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOURISM AND BUSINESS

Lucerne, SwitzerlandAugust 31 – September 01 The second edition of the event will see the presentation of research related to the tourism and hospitality sectors.

OTDYKH LEISURE

Moscow, RussiaSeptember 20 – 23 www.tourismexpo.ruThe 23rd edition of the exhibition will be held alongside its events focussing on MICE, luxury as well as medical tourism, spa and health.

IFTM TOP RESA

Paris, FranceSeptember 26 – 29 www.iftm.frMore than 31,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the multi-target event with dedicated programmes for the leisure, business and MICE sectors.

EVENTS