str global: dubai does - travel trade weekly...2015/09/05 · abu dhabi: 1.98 million guests in h1...
TRANSCRIPT
BEIRUT FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED
04
06
SALALAH’S KHAREEF SEASON ATTRACTS 400,000 VISITORS
IN THIS ISSUE
MARKET UPDATE
ACCOMMODATION
AIR
INTERNATIONAL
WHO'S MOVED
RENDEZVOUS
TRAVEL TALK
AGENT CORNER
TRAVEL CHANNELS
PHOTO ALBUM
NEWS & EVENTS
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STR GLOBAL’S PRELIMINARY JULY DATA FOR DUBAI INDICATES SIGNIFICANT YEAR-OVER-YEAR PERFORMANCE INCREASES,
AS DEMAND GROWTH CONTINUES TO OUTPACE SUPPLY.
STR GLOBAL: DUBAI DOES WELL IN JULY
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
MARKET UPDATE
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TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS
MANAGING EDITORMary Kammitsi
ASSISTANT EDITORMaria Kazeli
SENIOR JOURNALISTRita Kasziba
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PRESS Maria Demetriadou Pauline Shahabian
Inna Armeanu
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Dinar
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Riyal
Dirham
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Rial
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Dirham
Pound
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0.37
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0.39
3.64
3.75
3.67
106.22
7.83
29,961.03
1,154.41
0.30
1,519.92
1.37
9.75
188.82
1.96
214.89
MENA EXCHANGE RATES
As of 4/9/2015Currencies shown in blue are fixed against the US Dollar
COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=
Abu Dhabi: 1.98 Million Guests in H1More than 1.97 million visitors stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 163 hotels and hotel apartments in the first half (H1) of the year, a 17 percent rise over the same period in 2014.
G uest nights climbed 11 percent to over 5.7 million, average length of stay, however, dropped five percent, revealed Jasem Al Darmaki, acting director general, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to entice guests to spend more time in the
emirate. India has regained its spot as Abu Dhabi’s largest international
source market, producing an average length of stay of 3.71 nights, well above the overall figure of 2.89 nights. The top five is completed by the UK, China, Germany and the US.
MAF: Focus on Expanding FootprintFor the first half of the year, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF)’s revenue rose seven percent year-on-year.
T his showed sustainable growth in a period which saw Dubai remaining at the core of the group’s business along with expansion in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
The company’s ongoing ventures in the emirate continued with the in-vestment of AED267 million (USD73 million) for the first phase of City Cen-
tre Me’aisem, the sixth City Centre mall in the UAE, expected to open in September.“This is a transformational year, two decades since the launch of City Centre Deira,
and we are positioning the business for accelerated development. […] On the back of a strong 2014 we are progressing well,” said Alain Bejjani, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim.
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MARKET UPDATE
35 SEPTEMBER 2015
Commercial Sales Skyrocket at Abu Dhabi Airports
STR GLOBAL: DUBAI DOES WELL IN JULYSTR Global’s preliminary July data for Dubai indicates significant year-over-year performance increases, as demand continues to outpace supply.
T he emirate witnessed a boost in supply and demand of 4.8 and 32.1 per-cent, respectively. At the same time, occupancy rates grew 26.1 percent to 57.6 percent and RevPAR surged 22.4 percent to AED353.43 (USD96.22). In contrast, average daily rates (ARR) decreased 2.9 percent.
STR Global analysts note that Dubai’s occupancy level for the month under review remained below 50 percent until the conclusion of Ramadan.
Commercial sales of Abu Dhabi Airports reached AED707.6 million (USD192.7 million) in the first six months of the year, a rise of almost 11 percent year-on-year.
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W hile top performing categories were food and beverage and duty free, all of the company’s commercial activities increased including specialty retail, hospi-
tality, banking and currency exchange, car park-ing, advertising and Skypark Plaza operations.
Dan Cappell, acting chief commercial officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, commented, “Abu Dhabi Duty Free, in conjunction with our partners, will continue to focus on improving the customer ex-perience. Our retail and food and beverage refur-bishment programme will enable us to offer our passengers the widest possible choice, through exclusive offers, product launches and innovative promotional campaigns, delivering great value and excellent customer service.”
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WEEKLY NEWS
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Beirut International Festival Association LaunchedLebanon’s tourism offering is to be enriched following the introduction of the Beirut International Festival Association, which is to be chaired by Lama Tammam Salam.
I n her welcome speech, Tammam Salam commented that the main aim of the venture is to cre-ate cultural events that will take place in Beirut.
“We will not only focus on music festivities, but on cultural, artistic, technological and sports events which will take place throughout the year,” she added.
The first event, Beirut International Festival – Nabad Beirut, will be held between September 21 – 27, and is to feature story telling and 3D projection mapping of the story of the Lebanese capital.
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WEEKLY NEWS XX
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WEEKLY NEWS
Salalah’s Khareef Season Attracts 400,000 Visitors
Salalah welcomed a massive influx of tourists during this year’s Khareef season, according to the Oman Ministry of Tourism, which reported
393,312 visitors in the region between June 21 – Au-gust 11.
During the same period in 2014, the destination welcomed 272,306 travellers.
“This year’s Khareef season saw a significant in-crease in the number of local, regional and interna-tional visitors. The yearly Salalah Tourism Festival, along with the opening of the new Salalah airport, is also driving this growth,” said Salim Edi Al Mamari, director general, tourism promotion, Ministry of Tour-ism, Oman.
Palestinians Enjoy Domestic Trips
A ccording to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), 36.9 percent of households in Palestine undertook a domestic trip in 2014. Out
of these, 32.5 percent visited the West Bank and 45.5 per-cent the Gaza Strip.
The most popular location in the West Bank was Mega Fun Land in Tulkarm governorate with 21.8 percent of travellers, and Alnoor city in Gaza Strip with 21 percent of the total.
The PCBS survey also indicated that 16.1 percent of households travelled outside of the country during the year: 45 percent went to Jordan, 23 percent to Saudi Ara-bia, 6.5 percent to Egypt and 2.8 percent to Turkey. Visit-ing friends and relatives was cited as the main reason of outbound trips taken.
Gaza beach, Palestine
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WEEKLY NEWS
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D ubai World Central (DWC), a subsidiary of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, has named its 145km2
master-planned city Dubai South.The new destination is expected to generate over half a
million jobs and sustain a total population twice that num-ber, and is already hosting Al Maktoum International, Air-port, which will have the capacity of 220 million passengers per year upon full completion.
H. H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation, noted, “Dubai South is the emirate’s flagship urban project that will set the bench-mark for the rest of the emirate in terms of manifesting the themes of happiness as set out in Dubai Plan 2021.”
DWC Landmark Project Named
TCA Abu Dhabi Conducts GCC Road Show
I n a bid to boost visitor arrivals during the shoulder season, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) toured a number of GCC cities.
Representatives of the destination’s tourism sector met with key industry players who, besides get-ting a glimpse into the UAE capital’s attractions, also learned about the opportunities and facilities available for the business segment and the various initiatives and services of Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau.
“We will be providing more attractive offers to encourage our GCC guests to enjoy their time in Abu Dhabi and stay longer, especially that the weather has started to cool down,” said Sultan Al Mansouri, coun-try manager, Saudi Arabia, TCA Abu Dhabi.
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Did you know...
During the first
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Abu Dhabi received
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5 SEPTEMBER 2015
WEEKLY NEWS
10
WEEKLY NEWS
Qatar to Welcome Hamleys
M all of Qatar has signed up world-famous toy store Hamleys to open its first outlet in the country.
As a double height department store of 2,386m2, the shop will offer Qatar residents and visitors an exclusive range of toys not commonly available in other stores, and will play host to ongoing events, character visits, theatrical ele-ments and parades.
Rony Mourani, general manager, Mall of Qatar, said, “We have always promised to bring the very best exclusive brands to Qatar and we are living up to our promise by bringing the world’s most iconic toy store to Doha for our visitors.”
R iyadh’s historic Al Zahera neighbourhood is up for a re-vamp, according to Saudi Commission for Tourism & Na-tional Heritage (SCTNH).
The currently deteriorated area will be transformed into a high-profile commercial centre with shopping malls, libraries, serviced apartments and other facilities. Land in the area will be re-sold to investors, both individuals and organisations.
The project is jointly carried out by a number of public and private parties, including Ar-Riyadh Development Authority, Ri-yadh Municipality, SCTNH, the country’s Ministry of Finance and Riyadh Development Company.
Riyadh Awaits a New Al Zahera
M EBAA Show Morocco has been recently concluded, having hosted African companies such as Air Ocean Maroc, AfricAir and Waga Engineering & Distribution exhibiting alongside
key business aviation players like Bombardier and Gulfstream.Attendees at the event, held at King Mohammed V Airport in
Casablanca, enjoyed a display of business aircraft, while over 50 ex-hibitors had the chance to network and establish new relationships in North Africa.
Ali Alnaqbi, founding chairman, Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), commented, “We are pleased to have [had] such a cross section of the industry represented here at MEBAA Show Morocco. With around 50 percent of the region’s busi-ness aviation activity based here, it is the ideal location for this event to take place.”
MEBAA Brings Industry to Casablanca
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
ACCOMMODATION WEEKLY NEWS
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Elaf Launches B2B Online Platform
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E laf Travel & Tourism Company debuted a new online business-to-business (B2B) trading portal connecting the group’s entire network to establish a virtual market-
place of all travel-related businesses. The platform acts as a one-stop shop, enabling users to
benefit from easy access to competitive rates offered by more than 500,000 hotels worldwide, over 150 international airlines and 1,000 international tour operators. Additionally, it also displays special offers on car rentals, sightseeing trips, travel insurance and other ancillary services.
As Mohammed Bin Mahfouz, vice president, travel tourism and Hajj Umrah, Elaf Travel & Tourism Company, revealed, the company will soon launch its business-to-customer portal as well as a mobile application.
InterContinental Dubai Marina to Lure Foodies InterContinental Dubai Marina has celebrated the inauguration of Marina Social and The Social Room, offering a British-Mediterranean inspired menu to guests and visitors of the recently-launched hotel.
The restaurant and bar cater to the city’s gourmet con-noisseurs with Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton’s famed deformalised dining style.
“Dubai has grown to be a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and evolved into a true foodie haven. […] With Marina Social and The Social Room settling in the heart of Dubai Marina, what we are most excited about is offering fantastic food in a great atmosphere, this is our true passion,” said Atherton.
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATION
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M arriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel, the first property under the brand to open outside of the US, celebrated its first anniversary on
August 1. In August 2014, Renaissance Hotel, Courtyard by Mar-
riott and Marriott Executive Apartments Doha City Center merged to form the existing 577-unit project, deemed a flagship in the Marriott International portfolio.
Since the rebranding, the establishment welcomed 637,435 diners into its 10 restaurants and hosted 1,384 meetings.
Marriott Marquis Doha: Strong First Year
R Hotels has officially soft opened ibis Styles Jumeirah, located on Al Mina Road in
Jumeirah, Dubai. The three-star property features
191 rooms and suites, an all-day din-ing restaurant and two specialty out-lets, plus a gym, meeting rooms and a business centre. With its strategic lo-cation, the hotel aims to cater to both leisure and corporate travellers seek-ing cost-effective accommodation at the heart of the city.
Sumair Tariq, managing director, R Hotels, commented, “There is a grow-ing demand for mid scale accommo-dation in Dubai with premium facili-ties and services and we are optimistic on capturing this specific market.“
ibis Styles Jumeirah Unveiled Jumeirah Inks Deal for Malaysian Development
Jumeirah Group has signed management agreements with Oxley Holdings to operate a 190-room luxury hotel and to brand 273 premium residences in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
Jumeirah Kuala Lumpur hotel and Jumeirah Living Kuala Lumpur residences will be set within one of the three towers which make up the landmark mixed-use development that is set to transform the skyline of the city. The structures, interconnected via a retail podium, will be located in the middle of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre precinct.
Construction of the development, which will cover an area of more than 12,500m2, is ex-pected to start in 2016 and be completed in 2021.
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ACCOMMODATION WEEKLY NEWS
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Madinat Jumeirah to Launch Event Space in October
M adinat Jumeirah is preparing to inaugurate Fort Island’s expansion, creating what is hailed as the UAE’s largest hotel event space.
Set over 1,750m2, the area has tripled in size and is set to play host to a range of events for up to 1,400 people. Margaret Paul, general manager, Madinat Jumeirah, described it as one of the city’s most innovative and exclusive outdoor venues, which will provide versatile options for every type of event.
Located in the heart of the resort, Fort Island will be connected to the property by four bridges and guests can also access it by wooden abra boats.
S tarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide unveiled Shera-ton Grand, a new premier
tier that recognises the brand’s exceptional properties around the world.
The first to Sheraton Grands are located in Dubai, Bangalore, Beijing, Edinburgh, Miyazaki, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro. By year-end, the company plans to designate another 40 hotels, with plans for 100 by early 2017.
“Sheraton Grand celebrates our standout hotels and helps us fur-ther reinforce Sheraton as a trusted voice in global travel,” said Adam Aron, interim CEO, Starwood Ho-tels & Resorts Worldwide.
Sheraton Distinguishes Properties with New Class
Ramada Corniche Abu Dhabi Eyes Emerging Markets
R amada Corniche Abu Dhabi is determined to further grow its business by focussing on China and other emerg-ing markets.
As Julien Péchey, general manager, Ramada Corniche Abu Dhabi, revealed, the plan also includes the opening of new res-taurants and the development of food and beverage services.
In addition, as Péchey disclosed, a Silk Road festival will take place at the four-star property between October 6 – 12 with the participation of chefs from countries of the region as well as travel agents, tourism officials, diplomats, journalists and other personalities.
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR
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Qatar Airways Presents Airbus A350 Qatar Airways deployed the world’s newest aircraft on the Doha – Dubai route.
Between August 8 – September 1, the airline show-cased the Airbus A350 on 28 of its Dubai shuttle frequencies.
Passengers benefitted from a new boarding expe-rience achieved by a dome-design entrance with wel-come light distribution, and enjoyed extra wide seats with generous legroom in all classes.
Ishfaq Jalal, acting vice president, GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq and Yemen, Qatar Airways, said, “The A350 pro-vides passengers with an unmatched travel experience thanks to its modern technology and spacious innova-tive design and features.”
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Emirates Resumes Flights to Baghdad
Oman Air and Cargolux Cooperation Expanded
From September 17, Emirates will recommence passenger services to Baghdad, which were suspended in January.
The flights will be operated four times per week on an Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration.
Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice president, commercial operations, centre, Emirates, said, “Commercial air transport has been one of the cornerstones of economic development for Iraq and we want to continue to support the development of economic opportunities in Bagh-dad by increasing access to international markets and inward investment.”
T he partnership between Oman Air and Cargolux, which launched in April, introduced a second frequency to Chennai.
The addition is the cooperation’s latest step in expanding air freight services from Oman to India. The collaboration was established to en-able both parties to jointly access new freighter destinations and contribute to the development of the Sultanate’s logistics hub, allowing the cargo airline to utilise Oman Air’s experience of flying to a range of global destinations. In addition, it enables the Middle Eastern carrier to further expand its cargo operations.
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AIR WEEKLY NEWS
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flydubai Adds Astana to Its Network
f lydubai is to launch flights to Astana, extending its route net-work in Kazakhstan to three des-
tinations. Starting October 26, the low-cost
airline will operate four times a week to the capital city, becoming the first Dubai-based carrier to serve the route.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai, said, “It has been a year since the start of our operations in Kazakhstan and we are pleased to extend our network in the country, where we have seen strong demand for our services.”
Astana
Etihad Introduces New Concierge Team
E tihad Airways has teamed up with global concierge service provider Ten Group, to serve the needs of guests travelling in The Residence by Etihad onboard the airline’s Airbus A380
fleet.The service provider will bring a specially-trained Etihad Life-
style Concierge team who will work closely with the airline’s Lon-don Savoy-trained Residence by Etihad Butlers. Utilising intelligent systems, global support and unmatched supplier relationships, the newly-established group will deliver a highly personalised and dis-creet experience, providing access to a range of services, including dining reservations, entertainment bookings, special events, desti-nation information and lifestyle options.
The Residence by Etihad
Gulf Air Explores UK Potential
I n a bid to identify areas of mutual interest and oppor-tunities for growth, Maher Salman Al Musallam, act-ing CEO, Gulf Air, held a meeting with Kuljinder Bahia,
founder, Southall Travel, one of the largest travel agencies in the UK and a long-established, long-haul flight specialist.
The two parties reaffirmed their commitment to a long-standing cooperation and to researching new areas of potential collaboration in a common effort to promote Bahrain.
Serving the UK market since 1970, Gulf Air links Lon-don’s Heathrow Airport to Manama with double-daily flights and offers connectivity from the European capital to various cities across its network in the Middle East and Asia.
Maher Salman Al Musallam (left) and Kuljinder Bahia
Did you know...
flydubai entered
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5 SEPTEMBER 2015
WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONAL
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Dusit Cements African Presence
Holiday Inn Express to Launch in Krabi
D usit International has penned a deal with South Africa-based eLan Property Group to manage several hotels and resorts in south-ern Africa and the Indian Ocean.
According to the agreement, the Thai hospitality expert will initially run five hotels and resorts in the region, out of which two are in South Africa, two in Mozambique and one in Mauritius. Overall, the deal provides that the Asian hotelier will over-see a total of 1,400 rooms across nine properties.
The two partners will also work on a regional hospitality education programme, the details of which will be announced in due course.
I n 2017, Krabi, Thailand will welcome its first Holiday Inn Express-branded property, nestled on the popular Ao Nang Beach, just a 30-minute drive from Krabi International Airport and a two-hour drive from Phuket International Airport.The 222-key hotel will offer comfort and convenience, including free Wi-Fi and 24-hour gym access.Leanne Harwood, vice president, operations, southeast Asia, InterContinental Hotels Group, said, “As Krabi
International Airport becomes more accessible […] and international direct flights to Krabi increase, we antici-pate a surge in visitor arrivals over the next few years. It is a great time to be bringing the Holiday Inn Express brand into Krabi.”
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WHO'S MOVED
175 SEPTEMBER 2015
ALI TABBAL
SAIF AL YAARUBI
Ali Tabbal continues as Ker-zner International’s chief oper-ating officer. Tabbal, who has served the group as chief financial of-ficer for the past three years, will now oversee global op-erations ensuring alignment of resources, systems and talent to support Atlantis, One&Only and Mazagan resorts, as well as all projects in development. He will also provide strategic leadership across all key opera-tional areas of business.As chief financial officer, he was a major contributor to the com-pany’s growth. Tabbal joined Kerzner International in 2012 from Kingdom Holding Compa-ny where he was deputy chief financial officer. Prior to that, he worked for Dubai Holding.
Saif Al Yaarubi is the new chief financial officer of Ker-zner International.Al Yaarubi has over 25 years of experience, and he most re-cently worked as chief operat-ing officer of Alizz Islamic Bank. Prior to that, he was finance director at Investment Corpo-ration of Dubai, the investment arm of Dubai’s government.He began his career in 1991 in the finance department of Oman’s Ministry of Defence and then moved to Dubai in 2000 to join Ernst and Young. Previous roles also included chairman of the audit commit-tee and member of the steer-ing committee of Aswaaq, as well as a member of the au-dit committee for Dubai Aero Space.
ALI MOHAMMED
Ali Mohammed has joined Four Seasons Hotel Alexan-dria at San Stefano as hotel manager. After 15 years away from his homeland, Mohammed re-turns to Egypt with extensive experience that he gained in destinations such as Saudi Ara-bia, the Bahamas, Canada, the Maldives, Syria and Thailand. He joined Four Seasons Ho-tels & Resorts in 2002 at the opening of Four Seasons Ho-tel Cairo and continued in Riyadh as part of the house-keeping department. He later also assisted in the launch of Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, before accepting a role in Toronto. Most recently he served at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Thailand as a camp manager.
Mohammed returns to Egypt after
15 years
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
RENDEZVOUS
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Q & A withTariq Al Essa
WITH SAUDI ARABIA’S EVENTS SECTOR GRADUALLY GROWING, IT WAS ONLY NATURAL TO HAVE A BODY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENHANCING THE INDUSTRY’S EFFECTIVENESS, AS TARIQ AL ESSA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAUDI EXHIBITION & CONVENTION BUREAU (SECB), COMMENTS.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Is Saudi Arabia targeting MICE tourism more actively than in previous years?
TARIQ AL ESSA: Increased emphasis has been placed on developing the business tourism sector by both pri-vate and public sector organisations within Saudi Arabia. In 2013, the Sau-di Council of Ministers passed a reso-lution forming SECB.
SECB was created to streamline the processing of event-related li-censes, increase the proficiency of event organisers and venues, develop research and statistics in relation to the sector and encourage investment into the sector through private-public sector partnerships. The country has also witnessed strong interest be-tween domestic and foreign organi-sational partnerships in regards to developing events specific to the eco-nomic strengths of the country.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How en-couraging are the signs that the country will have a bright future in this tourism niche?
TARIQ AL ESSA: There are positive growth indicators for the sector. We have seen an increase in events in key economic sectors as well as received optimistic feedback from the coun-try's primary stakeholders. Govern-ment agencies including the Minis-try of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Saudi Customs are working together with SECB to streamline processes for or-ganising events within the country.
SECB has implemented develop-ment programmes such as the Saudi Ambassadors network and the Saudi Association committee to focus on bringing additional international events to the country.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Which are the country’s most prominent mar-kets in terms of conferences?
TARIQ AL ESSA: Saudi Arabia is still predominantly a domestic market. Since the country has the largest econ-omy and population in the GCC, it has naturally developed a robust business events sector. In addition, SECB has col-laborated with organisers from the US
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAUDI EXHIBITION & CONVENTION BUREAU
“SECB WAS CREATED TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESSING OF EVENT-RELATED LICENSES
and the UK to develop events within the healthcare, shipping and logistics, as well as energy sectors.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What are developments are coming up at the bureau?
TARIQ AL ESSA: SECB is hosting the third edition of the Saudi Convention and Exhibition Forum in November. Dur-ing the forum, SECB will launch an inte-grated online portal which will create a new industry standard in providing in-formation and enabling stakeholder en-gagement. A team has been formulated and is working on the framework and content of the system currently.
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WHO'S MOVED
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Kamal Naamani has been ap-pointed head of new projects at Al Habtoor Group’s hospital-ity division.In his capacity, Naamani will oversee the operations of the company’s portfolio of new de-velopments. He assumes the position after gaining experience as manag-ing director for Asia Pacific at Pragma Group and Pragma Lifestyle. Naamani brings more than 25 years of experience to the ta-ble. Throughout his career, he has made significant contribu-tions in the areas of business development, strategic plan-ning, as well as sales and mar-keting. He was responsible for the development and expan-sion of Cavalli-branded proper-ties, as well as other food and beverage brands throughout Asia Pacific.
AGNES CLARKE- HLAVACS
TON VAN VILSTEREN
KAMAL NAAMANI
JULIEN PÉCHEY
Agnes Clarke-Hlavacs has taken on the role of revenue optimisation manager for the Middle East region at The Rezi-dor Hotel Group.Clarke-Hlavacs began her jour-ney in the tourism industry at Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London, where she was suc-cessful in guiding the property through a challenging eco-nomic climate. She then moved to Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre, where she was initially responsible for set-ting up all necessary distribu-tion and revenue management systems as well as the ongoing business planning, budgeting and forecasting. In her new position, Clarke-Hlavacs will be in charge of the UAE, Jordan, Egypt and Oman, and is tasked with growing ho-tel revenues and assisting the respective teams.
Ton van Vilsteren has been chosen as Jumeirah Group’s new chief financial officer. Since graduating from Hotel School, The Hague, in the Neth-erlands in 1995, van Vilsteren has worked his way up through Hilton Worldwide, starting as a management accountant with Ladbrokes, which later joined forces with Hilton Worldwide, and being promoted to interna-tional and global finance posi-tions within the company. Since 2007, van Vilsteren has been head of finance for the Asia Pa-cific region at Hilton Worldwide, with overall responsibility for the accounting function and financial operations across all regional offices in Asia Pacific.In his new role at Jumeirah Group, he will be in charge of the financial direction, con-trol and management of the company.
Julien Péchey has been named general manager at Ramada Abu Dhabi Corniche.Péchey’s career spans 18 years in the resort and business seg-ments of the hospitality indus-try and encompasses various managerial roles. He previously worked as general manager at Ramada Ulaanbaatar City Cent-er, Mongolia for more than two years and he also earned a gen-eral manager certification from Wyndham Hotel Group.Earlier in his career, Péchey spent several years in South Pacific, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Building on his modern and dynamic approach, in Abu Dhabi his main mission will be to deliver the brand promise.
Péchey’s career spans 18 years
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
TRAVEL TALK
20
JAMES HOGAN
PETER MANSOURIAN
President, Etihad Airways
General manager, Grand Millennium Dubai
“Aviation is a global industry, not a local one. Like so many other industries, aviation should have access to global investment funds in order to provide the capital required to grow efficiently and remain competitive. Global in-vestment is not a threat. It is both a lifeline and an energiser, which can only be good for European aviation, European economies and European jobs. Let’s not for-get that nobody else wanted to invest in Alitalia. [...] We have not only ensured that Alitalia stays in the air. We have also invested in protecting and creating jobs in Italy. We have invested in rebuild-ing the Alitalia brand.”
“We are confident the new look will take [our Pan-Asian res-taurant] Toshi to new heights. It is undoubtedly the perfect place for locals and tourists to savour the finest Asian special-ties. While the old favourites continue to be on the menu, many exciting new dishes have been added to tempt the palate. In addition, we are delighted to announce a weekly Asian-themed Saturday brunch, daily happy hours and family-style dinners combined with live en-tertainment.”
COEN MASSELINKGeneral manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Doha
“Cooperating with Cathay Pacif-ic [to fly famous blogger, Khalifa Saleh al Haroon, also known as Mr Q, to Hong Kong] was a natu-ral choice given the synergy between our two brands. Both have a strong Asian heritage and both are renowned for pro-viding an incomparable level of care and service. We are eager to extend our signature heart-warming welcome to Mr Q and look forward to seeing his ad-ventures.”
Cooperating with Cathay Pacific was a natural choice
SAMEH SOBHY
General manager, InterContinental Hotel Cairo Semiramis
"I am honoured [to recognise three IHG Dining Rewards Champions for recording the best sales scores]. I want to thank all InterContinental Hotel Cairo Semiramis champions for their hard work, great efforts during the past year. This award recognises hotels and resorts among the Middle East area that exemplify the best sales revenue for the IHG Dining Re-wards programme, as well as the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in hos-pitality and service quality.”
This award recognises […] the best sales revenue
Global investment is not a threat
It is undoubtedly the perfect place for locals and tourists
TRAVEL TALK IS YOUR SPACE – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to [email protected]
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
AGENT CORNER
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Michael Loullis
Managing director and owner
ML Smart Events
Cyprus
www.smarteventscy.com
Agent’s Insight
When and how did you get involved in the tourism industry?I always wanted to get involved in the tourism industry as this was very intrigu-ing for me. For this reason, I actually chose to study economics with a major in tourism management. Since 1990, I have been working in the destination manage-ment company (DMC) and professional congress organiser (PCO) business as an employee for some years, later on as a partner, and as of 2005 as the owner of ML Smart Events. I took a small break, for approximately four years to work in the hotel industry as sales manager at a large property. […]
What are the most important attributes of a good PCO and DMC?Very important factors are punctuality, with deadlines for quotations, precision when putting together a quotation and reasonable pricing.
What is the most frequently asked question that your company receives from customers?In recent years we faced last-minute requests and demand for an immediate re-sponse. [However,] to put together a professional quotation, it needs to be worked on and that takes time.Another question is about the location of where the group will be accommodated. Usually when the client is not familiar with the island, this becomes an issue.
What are the must-visits and must-dos in Cyprus that no one should miss? Attractions to be visited are the Green Line in Nicosia (the only remaining divided capital in the world), archaeological sites, such as the Kourion Amphitheatre and Paphos Mosaics, Kykkos Monastery, the popular village of Omodos and the beauti-ful coastline of Limassol with the recently-completed marina and promenade.[…] As a DMC and PCO, we also use the Cypriot beaches for our activities to empha-sise the Cyprus product – sun, sea and crystal waters – within the MICE business.
Which destination is on your bucket list?The mystic Latin American region.
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Travelport Celebrates Business Wins
T ravelport has announced a number of new business ac-complishments with renowned travel agencies based in Abu Dhabi.
The signing ceremony was held after a comprehensive workshop and a series of live demonstrations which show-cased the travel platform’s technology and capabilities.
The occasion took place at Travelport’s Beirut office and was attended by recently-acquired travel agency customers, Safe Travel, Rahlty Travel and Orient House Travel.
The new clients signed long-term agreements with the technology provider, enabling access to travel content inven-tory, and will benefit from the merchandising capabilities of the company’s point of sale solution, Travelport Smartpoint.
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5 SEPTEMBER 2015
TRAVEL CHANNELS
22
Oman Urges Increased Tourism Safety
Oman’s Ministry of Tourism participated in a traffic safety campaign, running under the slogan Drive Safely and Enjoy the Beauty of Oman, which included a
range of programmes and events focussed on raising awareness in tourist sites.
UNWTO: Africa’s Positives Absent
from Global Media
SCTDA Invests in Sharjah Hotel Staff
A s part of the Marhabtain initiative, Sharjah Commerce & Tour-ism Development Authority (SCTDA) organised a training course aimed at developing the capabilities of frontline em-
ployees in the hospitality sector. The three-day programme took place at Hilton Sharjah Hotel in
August.The training attracted participation from 15 properties in the
emirate and a total of 36 staff. Led by a group of hospitality and tour-ism experts, the course covered a variety of topics, including effective communication with customers, dealing with comments and com-plaints, etiquette skills, anger management and dealing with situa-tions concerning hotel guests.
Flea Market Returns at Sheraton Abu Dhabi
Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort will host yet another charity flea market on September 19 in support of United Nations Chil-dren’s Fund (UNICEF).
Organised three to four times a year in the property’s Arzanah Ball-room, the event allows exhibitors to sell their pre-loved goods to bar-gain hunters and enjoy a fun-filled day while also supporting, through table hire, UNICEF’s work.
“Our charity flea markets have been running for a number of years. It has quickly become a sought-after event and it remains an incredibly popular date in our calendar,” explained Yves Tarabout, deputy general manager, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort.
Stronger regional cooperation and increased partnerships are key to building an effec-
tive brand value for Africa, it was concluded at the recent World Tour-ism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Conference held in Ghana.
John Dramani Mahama, presi-dent, Ghana, who opened the con-ference, stated, “We must change the negative perception that has been built over the years. Africa is not one country, it is 54 different countries. […] There are many […] unique sell-ing points of this continent that we can package for the world. If we pack-age Africa, the international media will respond.”
“It is a tragedy that many of the positive stories of Africa are often hidden from the headlines,” said Taleb Rifai, secretary general, UNWTO.
Charity flea market at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort
Marhabtain training course
A mong the two ap-proaches under-taken, one con-cerns tourists that are visiting new
destinations in the Sultanate. The idea of the project is to send a text message to the visitor upon entering the des-tination with information to help with safety regulations in the area.
The second initiative is a fog detector which provides automatic control over the fog signal, and is supplied in hazardous areas.
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
PHOTO ALBUM
23
Abu Dhabi Ports employees donate blood during a two-day campaign launched in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Blood Bank
Health day and a special message at Centro Sharjah
The cheese room at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is always ready for the Friday brunch
Modhesh, Dubai's ambassador of smiles, was at Dubai International, welcoming little travellers with gifts
Kids enjoy a Power Rangers show during Dubai Summer Surprises
Share with us the latest images of your activities and let your colleagues know what you have been up to.
Send your photos to [email protected] Because a picture is worth a thousand words...
Take a Shot!
5 SEPTEMBER 2015
NEWS & EVENTS
24
EVENTS
MICE ASIA PACIFIC EXHIBITION
Singapore, SingaporeSeptember 10 – 11www.miceasiaexhibition.comOver two days, the show aims to connect Asia’s leading meetings, conference, exhibition and events organisers and help them network with Asia Pacific venues.
WORLD ROUTES
Durban, South AfricaSeptember 19 – 22www.routesonline.comThe programme, which takes place in Africa for the first time, attracts the most senior representatives of airlines, airports and tourism authorities.
THE HOTEL SHOW
Dubai, UAESeptember 28 – 30 www.thehotelshow.comPresenting a full view of the hotel and hospitality industry, the event boasts over 17,700 attendees from across the sector having grown by over 12 percent in the past year.
FOOD & HOSPITALITY OMAN
Muscat, OmanSeptember 07 – 09 foodandhospitalityoman.comA business and networking platform to promote the latest products and services in the food and beverage sector.
ONLINE TRAVEL MARKET HURGHADA
Hurghada, EgyptSeptember 04 – 05www.otmhurghada.comA specialised event for travel technology and online travel solutions in Egypt and the Middle East.
Panama Hosts ACI General Assembly
P anama’s Tocumen International Air-port hosted the Airports Council International (ACI) Latin America-
Caribbean/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition, organised under the theme Airports: Shaping our future, which gathered global airport leaders in Panama City between August 31 – September 2.
The event was preceded by an expanded forum and symposium programme.
“It is most fitting that this year’s event [took] in Panama,” said Angela Gittens, direc-tor general, ACI World. “Located at the isthmus that connects the Americas, the country is emblematic of aviation’s power to bring peo-ple and businesses together.”
BBC Good Food Show Comes to Dubai
T he first-ever BBC Good Food Show will be coming to Dubai with a spe-cial winter edition, as Turret Media
announced.To be held at Dubai World Trade Cen-
tre between December 17 – 19, the event will provide top entertainment and op-portunities for shopping from the very best regional producers.
Live cooking shows will be performed by famous chefs, Paul Hollywood, James Martin and Andy Bates, who will be ap-pearing on stage alongside Dubai-based celebrity chef Silvena Rowe.
Laura Biggs, managing director, BBC Good Food Shows, said, “We are delighted to be bringing the tried and tested suc-cessful formula of the BBC Good Food Shows to Dubai for the first time.”
Panama City