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SHARM EL-SHEIKH TO BRING BACK INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
KHALIFA PORT SET TO EXPAND
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14 JANUARY 2017 ISSUE 375
DUKES COMES TO DUBAI
ACCOMMODATION10
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InternationalCruising
Travel Talk
TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS
14 JANUARY 20172
MARKET UPDATE www.traveltradeweekly.travel
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JOURNALIST Ellen Petty
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Positive Growth for Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines has reported growth in various categories for the period of January – November, 2016, in comparison to the same period in 2015.
Available seat kilometres in 2016 reached 157.2 billion, a 13.6 percent increase from the 140.4 billion achieved in 2015 with domestic and international figures showing a six percent and 14.7 percent growth respectively. Revenue passenger kilometre also increased 7.8 percent increase from 109.7 billion to 117.2 billion with the domestic and international lines achieving
a respective growth of 4.7 percent and 7.2 percent. Emre Ismailoglu, general manager, Dubai and Northern Emirates, Turkish Airlines, commented, “Our
aim for this year and for the many years to come is to continue our growth among all the categories to help maintain our customers’ satisfaction, while also showcasing our commitment to the market.”
Carnival Cruise Line 2016 Earnings Revealed
Carnival Cruise Line denoted healthy results for the year 2016, with net income having soared along with the diluted earnings per share (EPS) in comparison to 2015.
US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles net income for the full year of 2016 was USD 2.8 bil-lion, or USD3.72 billion diluted EPS, compared to 2015 at USD1.8 billion. Adjusted net income for 2016 peaked USD2.6 billion, or USD 3.45 billion adjusted EPS. Revenues for the full year 2016 reached USD16.4 billion, significantly higher than that of 2015.
Arnold Donald, CEO, Carnival Corporation, noted, “We achieved the most profitable year in our com-pany’s history as well as record fourth quarter earnings.”
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRPORTSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
B ahrain Airport Company (BAC), held a GSN 6 Aerodrome Auditing and Compliance course at the Movenpick Hotel, Muharraq, as part of
a Global Safety Network Diploma Programme offered by Airports Council International.
BAC, Civil Aviation Authority, Bahrain Airport Ser-vices, and Bahrain Aviation Fueling Company staff par-ticipated in the event, which was conducted by BAC’s human resources and administration division.
The course provided aerodrome safety and com-pliance staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to audit their own safety procedures, infrastructure and equipment, as well as those of other organisations operating at their aerodrome. The course combined classroom activities with practical exercises on-site at an airfield, allowing delegates to experience auditing techniques under real conditions.
I n another remarkable first for Dubai the UAE witnessed the in-auguration of the VIP Terminal at Dubai South by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman, Dubai Civil Aviation
Authority, H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, advisor to president of UAE, and H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.
The 5,600 m2 VIP Terminal is located minutes away from Al Maktoum International and features all the necessary amenities.
The first private jet take-off took place in April 2016, and since then the terminal has witnessed 1,000 flight movements which are numbers anticipated to grow to 4,000 movements in this year. Speaking on the occasion, Al Maktoum said, “The launch of the VIP Terminal at Dubai South’s Aviation District is yet another significant step towards realizing Dubai’s vision of becoming the aviation capital of the world […]”
GSN 6 Aerodrome Auditing and Compliance
Course in Muharraq
VIP Terminal Officially Opened in Dubai
Abu Dhabi International Welcomes 1.9 Million Travellers
T his represents a passenger traffic increase of 5.3 percent with consistent growth throughout 2016, with an overall traveller rate of 22 million passengers denoted from January to December 2016.
Moreover, traffic to and from Saudi Arabia saw a large surge compared to 2015, with a signifi-cant increase of 43.5 percent. Meanwhile cargo services experienced growth of 1.3 percent in November 2016 compared to November 2015.
Abu Dhabi International Airport received close to 1.9 million passengers in November, 2016, representing a 4.4 percent increase in airport traffic compared with the same period in 2015.
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14 JANUARY 2017
Muscat National Development & In-vestment Company (ASAAS) has an-nounced its third major project in
Oman, a multi-cluster 1.5 million m2 entertain-ment and leisure destination to be built in Barka.
Promoting domestic and international tourism, this mega-project has been specifi-cally planned to complement and enhance Oman’s existing tourism attractions.
As the first development of its kind and scale in Oman, this national asset will boast an integrated theme park, a wildlife and water-park, an equestrian centre and edutainment centre as well as multiple hotels, a residential zone, retail areas that will offer a range of retail, leisure and dining.
Commenting on the development, Khalid Al Yahmadi, CEO, ASAAS, said, “It will, without a doubt, add new vitality and impetus to Barka and the surrounding area but the immense scale of the destination means that its impact will extend well beyond the immediate vicinity of its operations.”
Khalifa Port Set to Expand
Improving Egypt’s Ports
A bdel Fattah El Sisi, president, Egypt, has pressed for action to complete a plan to upgrade six ports in the Suez Canal region by June 30, 2018.
In a meeting with Dalia Khorshed, investment minister, Egypt, and Mohab Mamish, chairman, Suez Canal Authority (SCA), El Sisi directed that the SCA coordinate efforts with the private sector to make use of empty platforms at the ports in the Suez Canal region.
Under the plan to upgrade the six ports; namely East Port Said, West port Said, Sokhna, Arish, Tor and Adibiya, new platforms should be established in the Suez Canal re-gion and an electronic system should be applied at the six ports, according to Mamish.
The plan is set to improve services offered at the ports in order to lure new navigation lines. Kh
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Yas Island Introduce New Virtual Apps
T he new application was designed for location-based explo-ration of the island, helping users track exclusive offers and experiences available only through the app. Adding to its
uniqueness, is its customisable feature whereby users can filter ex-periences by mood, allowing them to discover various attractions, dining options, hotel and retail options, among others.
Gerardo Llanes, executive director, Yas Island Destination Man-agement, stated, “We believe these channels will enable us to con-nect with every type of visitor, and satisfy each of their unique needs through customisable and compelling high-tech features.”
Through the introduction of a new smartphone app and 360º virtual map tour that coincide with its recently revamped website, Yas Island is looking to enrich users’ experience and help them better
plan their stay on the island.
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WEEKLY NEWS CRUISINGwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
D ue to be delivered in 2018, ICE 68m, Burgess custom super yacht, built by CNN Yachting in cooperation with Turkish shipyard AES yacht, delivers supreme comfort options without compromising on perfor-mance.
Defined as part of the explorer range, the liner delivers cruising speeds at 12 knots and a respectable maxi-mum speed.
The yachts deck space includes a range of culinary options and relaxation areas, a swimming pool, a huge beach club and a touch-and-go helipad forward whilst the interior boasts accommodation for 12 guests across six cabins. The owner’s area, occupying the entire upper deck, hosts a gym and massage room.
The main deck consists of three largely sized VIP cabins and one twin room as well as an additional assistant cabin with attention given to the owner’s privacy, offering direct access to the sky lounge business meeting room located on the exterior tender arrival position.
Burgess announced ICE 68m
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Norwegian Cruise to Sail to Cuba
T he company’s inaugural cruise to the destination will set sail from Port Miami on Oceania Cruises Marina in March, including multiple day calls allowing guests to explore Havana.
Seven Seas Mariner, member of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet, will call in Havana during two cruises in April, while Norwegian Sky will also offer a selection of four-night journeys that will dock overnight in Havana in May.
Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises will operate a collection ofvoyages this year, including calls to Havana, making Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings the first US
cruise operator to have multiple brands approved to operate in Cuba.
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N irvana Travel and Tourism, together with Fly Egypt, welcomed a group of Egyptian media delegates to the UAE, in line with the launch of the direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Alexandria.
The tour included visits to Abu Dhabi’s leading cultural and travel destina-tions such as Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Saadiyat Cultural District.
Alaa Al Ali, CEO, Nirvana for Travel and Tourism, commented, “Our unique collaboration with Fly Egypt will allow both companies to meet the growing tourism demand between the UAE and of Egypt.”
Enhancing Ties Between UAE and Egypt
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habiD ollar Rent A Car announced the open-
ing of a new branch in Oman to ser-vice customers at Muscat International
Airport. The branch is staffed with professional agents who can recommend the best vehicle for both business and leisure travellers looking for short- or long-term leases of a wide selec-tion of transport.
Marwan Al Mulla, general manager, Dollar Rent A Car, UAE and Oman, commented, “This new branch is another example of Dollar Rent A Car’s commitment to rapid expansion into the re-gion. The Muscat International Airport is expect-ed to have a capacity to handle approximately more than 12 million passengers every year so this is indeed the perfect opportunity to get a share of these passengers.”
Sharm El-Sheikh to Bring Back International Tourism
I n an attempt to bring back foreign tourism levels to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt began operating four direct flights from Geermany in December 2016. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, the move coincides
with Egypt's winter tourist season, which previously saw large numbers of visitors from Europe.
At the end of October, 2016, German travel companies along with a number of European airlines also resumed direct flights to the popular South Sinai tourist destination, including companies from Turkey, Belgium and Poland.
According to the state's official statistics body CAPMAS, it was noted hat Western Europe sent the highest number of visitors to Egypt in October, 2016 at 36 percent. Germany contributed 38.8 percent of all Western Euro-pean tourists to Egypt for the corresponding month. Sh
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Dollar Rent A Car New Branch Welcomed
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WEEKLY NEWSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Success at Yas Island
Y as Island ended 2016 with a record-breaking festive season, with its month long Winterland Festival and
New Year’s Eve celebrations concluding with great success.
From traditional carnival rides like car-ousels and roller coasters, to a winter market showcasing the trendiest retailers in the UAE, the festivities catered to people of all interests and ages.
New Year’s Eve saw British rock band Cold-play entertain over 30,000 fans with a sold-out show at du Arena, along with a firework show and more.
Mohammad Al Zaabi, CEO, Miral Asset Management, said, “Each year, we strive to raise the Yas Island experience to unprecedented new heights, as we work with our partners to deliver an array of memorable events, activities and entertainment designed to exhilarate visi-tors. This past year has been no different.”
I n an effort to revive the practice of tradi-tional storytelling, Al Noor Island is host-ing Sharjah’s first International Storytelling
Festival, themed Tales on the Island.Held in the last three weekends of January,
the event showcases storytellers from across the Middle East as well as the UK, Europe and Southeast Asia. Performers celebrate heritage and cultural diversity through story walks, live music and visual art, without the use of books, screens or microphones.
Marwa Obaid Al Shamsi, manager, Al Noor Island, commented, “As the cultural capital of the Arab world, we in Sharjah feel every bit responsible for reviving and preserving an age-old tradition that will not only enrich our society but will contribute to the culture of storytelling around the world.”
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WEEKLY NEWS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Showcasing Saudi Products
M any young Saudi en-trepreneurs are taking part in a weekly market
organised by Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in Jeddah.
Until May, traders at the sea-sonal Basta Market, with over 240 booths that opens to customers on Fridays, showcasing a range of products including food, gifts, fash-ion accessories and art.
Different activities for children are also organised at the venue, which is a 5,000m2 plot in Al-Ruwais district.
Over 800 young Saudi men and women are expected to take part in the trading event, in addition to many families.
According to Faiz Al-Harbi, board member, JCCI, the ongoing event is aimed at finding a platform for youth to showcase their products.
U NWTO has prepared a number of events to be held at FITUR, starting with the presentation of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.
Also, on January 18, the 13th Edition of the UNWTO Awards on Innova-tion and Excellence in Tourism will commend some of the best examples of sustainable tourism around the world. Preceding the ceremony on January 16, the awards Forum will serve to present the 12 projects shortlisted from 139 initiatives that were received from 55 countries.
In addition, more than 20 ministers of tourism from Africa will debate the opportunities that the sector can bring to the continent. The Tourism Invest-ment and Business Forum for Africa (INVESTOUR) will focus on the role of sus-tainable tourism to foster social inclusion and prosperity. The forum, organised in cooperation with Casa Africa, will this year include two round tables, tech-nology and design of new touristic products and capacity development for youth and women in tourism.
Spain’s International Tourism Fair Returns
A ccording to a recent report released by Trans-parency Market Research, the global com-mercial avionics systems market is expected
to show fast growth in the coming years. Primary driv-ers for this are set to be a boost in demand for systems that calculate real time data for the aviation industry, coupled with the rate at which the aviation industry is evolving within the developed economies of North America and Europe. There is further room for improve-ments and development, yet there are barriers due to the high costs of system maintenance making aviation vehicles more susceptible to online hacks.
The global commercial avionics systems market is expected to reach USD31.07 billion by the end of 2024, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 3.5 percent within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024. At the end of 2016, the global commercial avionics sys-tems market is expected to reach USD25.34 billion.
Global Commercial Avionics Systems Set to Rise
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATIONwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Opportunities for Young Jordanians
This initiative is to empower young Jordanian entrepreneurs from 18 to 35 years old through provision of training, funding and mentorship needed to create and sustain their startup businesses.
Shortlisted candidates from an application will be admitted to an intensive one month training programme on business development skills and tools, after which, they will present their business plans in front of a judging committee who will choose the winner.
In addition to the financial grant, the winner will also be matched with a professional men-tor who will be shadowing the young entrepreneur throughout the first year of the business offering advice, best practices and business insights to ensure sustainability.
Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa and DoubleTree by Hilton Aqaba have announced their partnership with Tamweelcom.
UAE Attracting Indian Guests
In a bid to attract a bigger share of Indian visitors to the UAE, the team at Golden Sands Hotel Apartments
took part in a successful road show in Pune.
The team visited India together with Orient Tours and met with more than 150 top agents from the city.
The initiative is in line with the fact that the property receives a monthly average of 25 percent to 30 percent of total hotel guests from this market.
“The Indian market is in our top three visitor [bracket] because we of-fer good value for their money and because of our ideal location, thus we are expecting an increased number of guests [from this market] this year, both from our loyal and new guests,” said Mohammed Khoori, general man-ager, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments. H
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATION www.traveltradeweekly.travel
to DubaiON DECEMEBER 28, 2016, DUKES DUBAI HAD ITS SOFT OPENING AT THE WEST TRUNK OF PALM JUMEIRAH, DELIVERING AN UPSCALE BLEND OF COSMOPOLITAN LUXURY, MIXED WITH BRITISH CHARM AND TRADITION. T he Dubai property is the first international one for DUKES, which has
been popular with GCC visitors in London for decades. Following the soft opening, bedrooms on the first six floors of
the 15-floor property are in service, as well as the hotel’s signature Great British Restaurant and DUKES Bar.
The hotel, once fully completed early this year, will boast 273 guestrooms including 64 suites, with a ladies-only Liberty Duchess floor featuring 20 rooms, as well as 227 fully furnished hotel apartments and six dining outlets.
DUKES COMES
DUKES Dubai
P ark Inn by Radisson Hotel & Residence Duqm, Oman has been awarded for its level of safety and security by Safehotels.
In order to receive this certification, the hotel was evaluated for security and safety levels regarding hotel facilities and safety services process, procedures, training and management, security equipment, fire equipment fire procedures and training risk prevention, and crisis and re-covery management.
Nuno Neves, cluster general manager, Park Inn Muscat and Park Inn Duqm, said, “Safety and security has always been under the supervision and responsibility of the hotel business. Being a hotel does not necessarily mean you get the international certification right away. To get it, a hotel has to be well-structured, well-organised in terms of almost all aspects - from the engineering, to the security team even the staff and management.”
Oman Hotel Awarded for Safety
Oryx Rotana Welcomes Club Rotana
O ryx Rotana has launched Club Rotana, providing maximum comfort, person-alised hospitality services and supe-
rior facilities, thereby offering one of the best business and leisure experiences for all guests.
Club Rotana mumbers will be entitled to a private and personalised check-in and check-out at Club Rotana lounge. They will be offered welcome drinks upon check in as well as ameni-ties in the room, in addition to assistance with any requests and bookings.
Lana Jwainat, director, marketing and com-munications, Oryx Rotana, said, “We are hon-oured to announce the official opening of Club Rotana at Oryx Rotana, which will add an addi-tional outstanding experience to businessmen, guests and travellers.”
Park Inn Duqm receives Safehotels certification
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATIONwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
DUKES COMES
E maar Properties has signed an agreement with Al Marjan Island to develop 85,000m2 of mixed-use projects in-cluding high-end residential, hospitality and retail components on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.
Emaar Properties will pilot the first phase of its project on the man-made island, which will feature a five-star luxury hotel and serviced residences along with a world-class retail zone.
The agreement predicts the development of several hospitality and retail projects in Al Marjan Island, which ex-tends over 4.5km2.
Commenting on the initiative, Mohamed Alabbar, chairman, Emaar Properties, said, “Through the agreement, we will create a new magnet for investments in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors supporting the vision of the gov-ernment to boost the tourism sector and create jobs.”
Enhancing Projects on Al Marjan Island
E laf Group has entered into a strategic lease partnership agreement with Al Aqeeq Real Estate Development to rent the Al Majeedi
Residential Center situated in front of Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi.
The agreement comes in line with the support of the Saudia Arabia’s government efforts to boost the domestic travel and tourism sector in line with
the country’s economic diversification scheme.Under terms of the agreement, the Al Ma-
jeedi Residential Center will be renamed as Elaf Al Majeedi Hotel. The new hotel is expected to accommodate the growing number of tour-ists who visit the country for religious purposes such as Hajj and Umrah as well as to see religious sights and its rich cultural traditions.
Elaf Group to Rent Saudi Property
Ramada Ajman Hosts Conference
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Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, CEO, Elaf Group (left) and Aymen Bin Hamza Saeed, CEO, Al Aqeeq Real Estate Development (right) during the signing ceremony
I n line with its continuous advocacy of sustainability, Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman and Ramada Beach
Hotel Ajman organised the Interna-tional Roundtable Conference for fu-ture leaders on the topic of climate change.
Students, aged between 12 to 16 years, from 21 different nationalities took part in the interactive discussion, which aimed to gather insights, identi-fy the ecological challenges, and share the best practices that are being car-ried out by their respective countries to address the pressing subject.
H.H. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi also aided the event by offering his expertise on environ-mental missions. Sumair Tariq, man-aging director, R Hotels, and Ignace Bauwens, regional vice president, Mid-dle East and Africa, Wyndham Hotel Group, were also among the guests for the conference.
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Dubai Welcomes Direct Service from Chengdu
T he airline offers two direct weekly flights on its Airbus A330, an important move from the previous service from Dubai to Chengdu which was via Yinchuan He-dong International Airport.
This initiative is a significant addition to Dubai International Airport’s connectivity which spans 240 destinations across six continents.
E nding 2016 on a positive note, Emirates denoted a consecutive year of growth underlined by fleet and network expansion, as well as customer focussed product investments.
Growth emerged from the scaling up of its fleet with the addition of 36 new aircraft via seven new passenger points and one cargo des-tination, rounding off the year with 154 destinations in its global net-work, whilst investing in a series of product developments and service enhancements, both in the air and on the ground.
Commenting on 2016, Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline, said, “[…] Emirates will continue on our strategy of organic growth, lever-aging on the geo-centricity of the UAE, and Dubai’s dynamic devel-opments in tourism and commerce. We will also continue to invest in our product and services so as to offer our customers an outstanding experience and value proposition while they discover the world.”
Emirates Denotes a Year of Growth
Dubai International Airport welcomed Sichuan Airlines’ first direct flight from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport with a traditional water salute.
Connecting Addis Ababa and Stockholm
E thiopian Airlines is revising its air traffic schedule to Scandinavia and will begin fly-ing non-stop from Addis Ababa to Stock-
holm Arlanda Airport.The carrier currently makes a stopover on the
European continent on route to Stockholm, but beginning in March, Stockholm will instead be the stop on route to its final destination, Oslo.
Ethiopian Airlines already flies between Ad-dis Ababa and Stockholm via the European con-tinent, but passengers will now no longer have a stopover. Travel to Stockholm will be smoother, and the journey will be one hour shorter.
The airline will fly the Addis Ababa-Stock-holm-Oslo route four times a week beginning on March 26 and on May 29, traffic will increase to five departures a week.
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Etihad Airways and Montenegro Airlines
Collaborate
Etihad Airways and Montenegro Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement that provides travellers with enhanced connectivity when fly-
ing between Southeast Europe and the Middle East.The agreement will see Etihad Airways placing its EY
code on Montenegro Airlines’ flights between Belgrade and two destinations in Montenegro, its capital Podgor-ica and the town of Tivat on the Adriatic coast.
Montenegro Airlines will, in turn, enhance access to Etihad Airways' network by placing its YM code on the airline's daily flights between Belgrade and Abu Dhabi.
Gregory Kaldahl, senior vice president, network, Etihad Airways, said, “Travellers in Montenegro can now reach our Abu Dhabi hub with a convenient one-stop connection in Belgrade, from where they can access key destinations in our global network with greater ease. In turn, Etihad Airways will expand its travel offer to Mon-tenegro, an increasingly popular business and tourism destination.”
F rom January 19, Gulf Air will implement a modified daily flight schedule to and from Beirut in response to passenger demand from across the GCC region.
Catering to weekend leisure and business travellers, the airline’s Beirut flights will now include Thursday departures from Bahrain and the Satur-day flights which will now depart Bahrain in the morning.
Commenting on the modified flight schedule, Ahmed Janahi, chief commercial officer, Gulf Air, said, “Our new flight timings on Thursdays and Saturdays cater to weekend passenger movement between the GCC, Bahrain and Beirut, giving travellers more convenient travel times and better connectivity across the region.”
Gulf Air Alters Flight Schedule
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Emirates SkyCargo has expanded its net-work of cargo destinations in the US with the launch of a new daily service to
Fort Lauderdale, Florida which commenced December 15, 2016.
Fort Lauderdale is Emirates SkyCargo’s 13th destination in the US and its second in Florida. The route is operated by a boeing 777-200LR which offers a total cargo capacity of over 330 tonnes per week, allowing trade opportunities and providing additional con-nectivity to its cargo customers in South Flor-ida and the broader region. Customers will be able to access global markets and connect to trade partners through Emirates SkyCargo’s network consisting of 150 destinations, span-ning across 82 countries in six continents.
Launch of Flights from Doha to Tbilisi
Emirates SkyCargo to Serve Fort Lauderdale
E tihad Airways and Lufthansa have concluded a codeshare agreement, whereby the German air-line will place its LH code on Etihad Airways’ twice
daily non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt and its twice daily non-stop services between Abu Dhabi and Munich.
The UAE’s national airline will, in turn, put its EY code on Lufthansa’s longhaul, non-stop intercontinental ser-vices between Frankfurt and Rio de Janeiro and Bogota.
Moreover, Lufthansa’s point-to-point carrier Euro- wings and Austrian Airlines, have signed an agreement to wet-lease 38 aircraft from airberlin, in which Etihad Airways holds a 29 percent stake. Of these, 33 will be operated for by Eurowings Group and an additional five aircraft are to be flown by Austrian Airlines. The agree-ment has a term of six years and will become effective from February.
Etihad Airways and Lufthansa Enhance Ties
Q atar Airways now offers direct flights to Tbilisi from Doha, with four weekly services.
Operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, the new direct scheduled flight time, of just over three hours from Doha, sees overall journey times drop significantly across the airline’s global network to and from this increasingly popular tourist destination.
Commenting on the new service, Akbar Al Baker, group CEO, Qatar Airways, said, “As both an economical and cultural hub, our new short-er flight times will attract many business and leisure passengers alike.”
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Etihad Airways Signs Codeshare with
Precision Air
E tihad Airways announced that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with Precision Air, Tanzania’s do-mestic airline.
Under the new codeshare agreement, Etihad Airways will place its EY code on Precision Air flights between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Mtwara, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Pemba, and between Nairobi and Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Precision Air will place its PW code on Etihad’s daily services between Dar es Salaam and Abu Dhabi, strengthening ties between East Africa and the UAE. Flight bookings were avail-able from December 21, 2016.
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Etihad Set to Bring 1,000 Chinese
Tourists to Morocco
The airline announced the 1,000 Chinese Visi-tors to Morocco campaign in partnership with Beijing Yougo World International Travel
Service (Uniway), hailed as the largest Chinese tour operator specialising in outbound tourism to the Middle East and Africa.
Etihad Airway is also working closely with the Moroccan National Tourist Office to support plans to attract 100,000 Chinese visitors each year by 2018.
Aiding this movement is the visa exemption policy for Chinese tourists, which was effective from June, 2016. Uniway expects to carry 1,000 Chinese travellers with Etihad Airways to Morocco between February and June this year.
Commenting on the initiative, Daniel Barranger, senior vice president, global sales, Etihad Airways, said, “We are delighted to see the obvious increase in demand and the great interest from Chinese tour-ists to visit Morocco.”
Qatar Airways Cargo has announced that it will launch freighter operations to four new destinations in the Americas, starting February 02.
Boeing 777 freighters will fly twice a week to the South American cities of Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Quito and the North American city of Miami. The twice weekly freighter service will depart from Doha via Luxembourg, the cargo carrier’s European hub, with stops at Sao Paulo in Brazil, Buenos Aires and Quito in Ecuador. On the return leg, the freighter will stop in Miami and Luxembourg before arriving in Doha.
Increase in Cargo Operations
Oman Air has introduced a new baggage pric-ing concept which will help the airline stand-ardise, and in many cases, reduce the charges
currently in place for additional luggage. All passengers will receive one 30kg piece of
checked-in baggage, with business and first class pas-sengers being permitted one extra bag with a maxi-mum weight of 20kg. This will increase to 30kg for travellers with valid Gold and Silver Sindbad cards. Pas-sengers travelling in economy with valid Gold and Sil-ver Sindbad cards will also be permitted one extra bag a maximum weight 20kg.
Oman Air’s current pricing model for additional baggage will be replaced with an additional concept whereby passengers will be able to purchase additional pieces of luggage with a maximum weight of 20kg per piece to be checked-in. Additionally Oman Air will in-troduce pricing for specialist luggage which includes items such as pets and sporting equipment.
As of March this year, Air France will be offering new routes to Marrakech and Porto on board three new weekly scheduled flights departing
from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. The flight will be served by the latest medium-haul
travel cabins via the Airbus A320.Air France will connect Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Mar-
rakech on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays and serve Porto on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
New Baggage Concept for Oman Air
Air France to Reach Marrakech and Porto
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How pleased were you with business in 2016?
JAYA BHUSHAN PATNAIK: The three factors that have affected the travel tour-ism and residential occupancies for the year 2016 were regional [events], the crude oil price slump and over supply. Our group could overcome and sustain the crisis and [was] able to manage with slight difference in occupancy and average daily rate (ADR), down 10 percent and QAR15 (USD4.12), respectively, though the intensity of the damage is much higher in terms of revenue. As mentioned above, the oversupply in the market has been a concern to hotel
JAYA BHUSHAN PATNAIK
Q & A
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GENERAL MANAGER, LA VILLA HOSPITALITY
QATAR IS PREPARING FOR THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP, AN EVENT OF A LIFETIME AND AS JAYA BHUSHAN PATNAIK, GENERAL MANAGER, LA
VILLA HOSPITALITY EXPLAINS, HOTELS ARE GOING ALL OUT TO MAXIMISE
SUPPORTERS’ EXPERIENCE.
this world class event has certainly helped Qatar to reshape in every as-pect. From the day Qatar won the bid, it placed itself in the world map and the tourism sector. [The country is] taking a big stride and not looking back in terms of the leisure segment, besides Qatar be-ing a predominant business destination.
Travelling football fans are a distinct sub segment of leisure-based tourism with sport orientation; hotels can always arrange and manage to cash this up-beat by offering a few extra perks such as customised tour packages, shuttle services to the venues and airport, cus-tomised mobile apps for live updates, match summaries and venue informa-tion. [Properties can also provide] a big screen displaying matches, hassle-free visa assistance and desert living.
To enter the market ahead of time by adapting to their basic common needs like comfortable and secured ac-commodation, hassle-free reservation, changes to the menus to suit their taste buds, as well as facilitating them with multilingual staff. Customising their ac-commodation along with travel needs to ensure all the sports fans get maxi-mum safety and comfort.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What does the future hold for La Villa Hospitality?
JAYA BHUSHAN PATNAIK: Consolida-tion, expansion, market penetration, standardisation of services, desert living, concept development and service incor-poration, enhancing the guest’s stay ex-perience by offering value added services.
operators as it can directly regulate the revenues and ADR.
[...] Though the rising numbers of in-ventory is a big concern, our expertise in budget segment, propagated brand value, necessary and timely tweaks keep us, as always, ahead as leaders in the budget segment.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What will be the impact of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the industry in Qatar? Given that the number of hotels are expect-ed to continually rise until the 2022 FIFA World Cup, what are you doing to stand out from competition?
JAYA BHUSHAN PATNAIK: The 2022 FIFA World Cup is a blessing in disguise, not only for Qatar but also for its travel and tourism industry. This renowned event will take Qatar further ahead and place it as a preferred choice on the global destination map, this would sub-sequently help Qatar to sustain [arriv-als] even after 2022 event by itself.
I am quite confident that the Qatar government has a very clear road map ahead of 2022, since 2022 is not the end of an era, rather it is going to be the be-ginning of the golden era for Qatar, [as the country’s] mission 2030 implies.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What servic-es or facilities will you offer to max-imise football fans’ experience?
JAYA BHUSHAN PATNAIK: The 2022 FIFA World cup is one of the biggest achievements that Qatar has ever got,
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RENDEZVOUS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
La Villa Palace Hotel
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WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONALwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
I n the last quarter of 2016, Villa Premiere Boutique & Romantic Getaway concluded its ex-tensive renovation. The USD 3.8 million dollar revamp saw the resort, situated in Puerto Vallarta, establish a more contemporary look. The main pool was refreshed as well as an additional deck and lounge spot can be found
on the beach, as well as additional roof and honeymoon terraces. Culinary offerings have been upgraded substantially with the La Ceiba restaurant’s new panoramic second floor and ex-tended terrace at Gourmet Restaurant Murales. Enhanced new kitchen facilities have reached the highest of standards, ensuring quality, taste and adhering to health and safety regulations. Vi
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Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway Opens
F ollowing a USD10 million overhaul, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group an-nounced the opening of Radisson
Hotel Detroit Metro Airport. The property boasts 272 guest-rooms
and suites, offering high-speed Internet, with additional perks including pull-out sofa beds.
Included are indoor and outdoor pools, a 24-hour fitness centre, Metropolis brand-ed dining options with room-service, along with nearly 1394m2 of meeting space fea-turing eight rooms with audio-visual equip-ment, supplemented with full-service cater-ing. The Great Lakes Ballroom is ideal for larger events, as it can fit up to 520 guests for receptions. It can also be divided for smaller events.
Located just minutes from the airport, travelling is made easy with the hotels com-plimentary shuttle service and parking.
T he Luxury Collection has announced the signings of five flag-
ship properties namely, the internationally-renowned bou-tique hotel The Wellesley and the exclusive The Westbury in London, Hôtel de Berri, a new alluring hotel in the heart of Paris, Cristallo Resort & Spa in Cortina, Italy, the first ski resort of the collection, and The Alex-ander in Yerevan, marking the brand’s debut in Armenia.
These illustrious additions to the portfolio will further strengthen the brand’s pres-ence in Europe, with the year on target to be another mile-stone year for The Luxury Col-lection brand., Th
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Detroit Metro Airport Welcomes Radisson Hotel
The Luxury Collection Adds Five Hotels
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L EGOLAND Beach Retreat in Florida is set to welcome its first guests on April 07.
Designed with attention to detail and kid-centric features, LEGOLAND Beach Retreat is a village-style vacation resort with 83 beach-themed bungalows offering 166 separate rooms, each with LEGO décor inside and out.
Each bungalow includes an outdoor play area with fun and challenging elements, all within view of the bungalows’ shaded patios.
Located about a 0.8 km from the theme park entrance, the site also features a central swim-ming pool and sandy play area, a buffet restau-rant, pool bar, a giant LEGO inspired lighthouse with a real rotating beacon and views of Lake Dexter.
H yatt Hotels Corporation announced the open-ing of Andaz Delhi in Aerocity. The 401-key ad-dress offers 45 suites and two dining choices
comprising a European food hall, AnnaMaya, and An-daz Deli with a heated swimming pool and sun deck. The hotel offers 3,484m2 of event spaces comprising of one of the largest indoor luxury wedding spaces in Delhi and can accommodate up to 1,500 guests.
The property will also feature 129 serviced apart-ments and a fully furnished gym with the latest equip-ment, expected to open this year along with the opening of the Hong Kong Club, a Cantonese evening destination with a bar, club and lounge.
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Hyatt Opens Andaz Delhi
A n affiliate of KSL Capital Partners (KSL) has completed the acquisition of Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, which comprises of all the hotel chain’s holdings, including its portfolio of 37 multi-branded hotels, con-dominiums and vacation resort properties throughout Hawaii and the Asia Pacific - Indian Ocean region.
Outrigger Hotels and Resorts will continue operating business as usual across its holdings, providing guests throughout the world with its signature Ke Ano Wa'a hospitality.
“We are honoured to have the opportunity to invest in Outrigger and further enhance its focus on providing exceptional, authentic and localised guest experiences. As we move forward with this new era for Outrigger, we are optimistic that it will continue global growth in iconic resort destinations and achieve even greater success,” commented Marty Newburger, partner, KSL. O
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TRAVEL TALKwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
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
SECRETARY GENERAL, WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO)
“[...] Tourism is a sector of hope. Not only is it one of the most resilient economic sec-tors, but it also unites people across backgrounds, cultures and continents every day. Through travel, we gain un-derstanding, tolerance, and empathy for our fellow man – essential in the globalisation era, where our global village can only prosper through harmonious living.The tremendous hope that our sector provides should in-spire us all to act for the good of people and planet.”
Through travel, we gain understanding, tolerance and empathy
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GENERAL MANAGER, NIKKI BEACH RESORT & SPA DUBAI
“We are a very multi-cultural and diversified talent base focussing on making our guests experience one-of-a-kind. At Nikki Beach we like to be unique and offer services that are rarely found else-where. We are the first Nikki Beach resort with a beach club on its premises launched in the region, offering guests the option of choosing between a vibrant beach club atmos-phere [...] as well as relaxing in the tranquillity of a beachfront or a more private garden villa with special features to suit preferences of our GCC guests and families.”
At Nikki Beach we like to be unique
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EXECUTIVE CHEF, FOOD AND BEVERAGE, ARMED FORCES OFFICERS CLUB & HOTEL (AFOC&H)
“[Sheikh Zayed Heritage Fes-tival] will feature a variety of live cooking stations special-ising in Khaleeji food such as Luqaimat and Harees as well as beverage stalls that will be located around the whole festival site. Preparations are in full swing and the AFOC&H kitchens will be used for food preparations along with the multiple live cooking stations at the event. We are con-stantly preparing and plan-ning for events as our aim is to continually exceed the ex-pectations.”
We are constantly preparing and planning
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GENERAL MANAGER, TAMANI HOTEL
“Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in tourism sector adds further responsibility, as we have to maintain our excel-lence of services over par, doubling and upgrading our efforts in providing the fin-est hotel services, as well as we are proud that Tamani has been the only hotel chosen for this award from the UAE.”
We have to maintain our excellence
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WHO’S MOVED www.traveltradeweekly.travel
DAGMAR SYMES has begun her new role of general man-ager at Phoenicia Hotel and Le Vendome Beirut, where she will focus on quality control across all touch-points, and create memorable experienc-es for guests through a people oriented approach.Symes has more then 20 years experience in the luxury and hospitality sectors, including companies such as BVLGARI and Louis Vuitton where she was responsible for expand-ing boutiques across France and Austria.Furthermore, she held the position of hotel manager at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kem-pinski in Munich, where she achieved record turnover and profit levels in 2010. Since 2013, Symes was general man-ager a Kempinski Summerland Hotel & Resort Beirut.
SEAN MENKE has been named president, CEO and member of the board at Sabre Corporation.Since first joining Sabre in 2015 as executive vice presi-dent, Menke contributed to major business opportunities such as gaining an increased global market share and un-der his leadership, the com-pany extended multi-year agreements with some of the world’s biggest travel organi-sations. He also led the inno-vation that enables the sale of customised fares and ancillary products.Prior to this, Menke served as CEO of Frontier Airlines and held senior executive position at numerous airlines, includ-ing Air Canada.In his new role, Menke will lead the team to capitalise on Sabre’s strategic vision.
STEPHEN MEREDITH has been unveiled as the new general manager at Steigen-berger Hotel Business Bay, Dubai.Meredith has accumulated more than 26 years of man-agement experience for a range of international brands across Europe, Africa, South-East Asia and the Middle East. He first joined the hotel as ex-ecutive assistant manager in May 2016.UK-born Meredith joined the address from Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, where he achieved great success as the property's director of food and beverage.In his new role, Meredith will be responsible for some 350 rooms and suites, upholding the five-star property’s high quality offering and level of service.
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SANJEEV AGARWALA has rejoined Al Habtoor Group as chief operating officer at Hab-toor Hospitality and Al Habtoor Investment.He joins the group from Meraas Holding where he lead the ini-tial public offering and rights is-sue of Dubai Parks and Resorts. Ahead of that, Agarwala held a number of roles at Al Habtoor Group over a period of 17 years, including group chief financial officer and director strategy and business development in addi-tion to a variety of positions at Habtoor Hotels.
Agarwala previous held a number of roles at Al
Habtoor Group
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WEEKLY NEWS AGENTSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
S heikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, CEO, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibi-tions Authority (BTEA), took part in
the Gulf wide event held to announce the details pertaining to third edition of Bah-rain shopping festival, Shop Bahrain.
The press conference was held at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh and was attend-ed by Saudi media representatives.
The Shop Bahrain roadshow, which will also take place in Doha and Kuwait, aims to introduce the residents and visitors coming from the neighboring countries, on the fes-tivals new and various events and activities as well as showcase the kingdom as a tour-istic family destination regionally.
The festival, co-organised by the BTEA and Tamkeen, is held in cooperation with the partners from the public and private sector such as Gulf Air, Batelco and YK Al Moayyed & Sons.
The 30-day event, aimed at celebrating the kingdom’s hospitality and tourism of-fering, will kick off on January 19 and will run until February 18.
T ravelClick announced the launch of its Demand360 business intelligence solution, hailed as the only competitive market intelligence product available to the hospitality industry that
provides future visibility into markets and share performance across all distribution channels and segments in Finland.
The solution connects directly with property management sys-tem interfaces and reservation management systems, eliminating the need for manual data submissions. Hoteliers can use Demand360 to not only optimise revenue management strategies and profitability, but also to adjust distribution strategies with a more comprehensive picture of hotel demand over time.
“Our customers can develop a deep understanding of the hos-pitality industry through these insights and use it to their advantage moving forward,” concluded Mattias Green, sales manager, Finland and Norway, TravelClick.
Shop Bahrain Roadshow Announced
Demand360 Gives Solutions to Hospitality Professionals
Tripadvisor Sees Enhancements via Expedia
A s part of the initial test, the refined hotel inventory courtesy of Expedia will be available to book on the Tripadvisor US desktop site. Both transac-tion and customer services will be handled by the partner.
Commenting on this initiative, Aaron Price, senior vice president, global mar-keting, Expedia, said, "With this new agreement, we are interested to see how we can drive additional customer acquisition given the product and customer experience enhancements instant booking has made."
Following the announced agreement between Tripadvisor and Expedia, a select hotel inventory will be added to the Tripadvisor instant booking platform.
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Focussing on continued economic progres-sion, Michigan Strategic Fund board con-cluded its final meeting for 2016. A range of projects and developments were approved, revitalising and enhancing support for the
community generating an expected total of USD450 million capital investment and 1,893 jobs.
These projects include, an Amazon large volume product fulfillment centre in the city of Livonia, Ford Land Development Corporation build living spaces and numerous other investment and improvements.
“Today’s projects, including major investment an-nouncements in Southeast Michigan and community revitalisation projects around the state, demonstrate that our states’ economy continues to expand and di-versify,” said, Rick Snyder, governor, Michigan. He fur-ther added, “The commitment and innovation of these companies, combined with the high quality of Michi-gan’s talent, will keep our state moving forward.”
H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Essam Al Qassimi, chairman, Department of Civil Avia-tion, Sharjah, crowned the winners of the UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro Cir-cuit World Championship and the Grand Prix of Sharjah on December 21, 2016, at Khalid Lagoon.
The second UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro Circuit World Championship was organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority on Decem-ber 19 – 21, 2016. It included a Jet Ski race that attracts the world’s best riders for high-speed racing in addition to aerial acrobatics in its freestyle category.
Qatar Airways, in partnership with Hasbro has updated its range of plush toys, chil-dren’s activity kits and inflight lunch boxes designed to entertain and delight the airline’s youngest travellers.
Plush infant toys Elefun and Mr. Potato Head are joined on board by classic favourites such as Clue Junior, Guess Who, Monopoly Here and Now World Edition
and The Game of Life for older children.The airline’s specially prepared children’s meals feature new Pictureka or Monopoly de-
signed lunch boxes that young flyers can take home.The new additions are currently available on Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 services between
Bangkok, Guangzhou, London, Paris, Sydney, and Doha, and will be rolled out across the entire network this year.
Rossen Dimitrov, senior vice president, customer experience, Qatar Airways, said, “We are committed to ensuring we provide the very best customer experience to families flying with us, […].”
A new digital system has been launched at Los Angeles Interna-tional Airport (LAX), Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) to improve response times for wheelchair services. Halied as the first airport to apply bluetooth-beacon technology for wheelchair tracking and dispatch. The results reveal improve-
ments in response times for travellers requesting wheelchairs, and better communications and operational efficiency.
Introduced just a few years ago, bluetooth-enabled beacon technology is rapidly being deployed by retail stores and malls to increase sales by track-ing shoppers and sending tailored sales pitches to their smartphones.
The following technological enhancement is set to address the growing number of wheelchair requests from the 38 foreign air carriers operating in the terminal. In 2015, LAX received over 970 thousand requests for wheel-chairs across all terminals, 28 percent were at TBIT. Aero Port Services says it is currently receiving an average of 900 requests daily.
Michigan to Undergo
Economic Regeneration
Aquabike Class Pro Circuit World Championship Concludes
Qatar Airways Entertains Kids
First Bluetooth-Beacon Technology at LAX
Michigan state
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Hamad International Airport welcomes key players from FC Bayern Munich for a meet and greet session with
50 lucky guests AirlineRatings.com rates Qantas Airlines as the safest airline yet again
Burj Al Arab broke the Guiness World Record for the heaviest tin of caviar
Dubai Harbour set to be developed as the Middle East and Northern Africa ’s largest marina Dubai Duty Free celebrated 33 years of business
A World as Big as Your Imagination by Sharjah Children Biennial
14 JANUARY 2017 23
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A Successful Tasty Festival
Abu Dhabi Invitational
Presents Paul McGinley
The Abu Dhabi Food Festival which took place on December 05 – 23, 2016 saw great suc-cess, with having welcomed
over 29,000 visitors. Organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism &
Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the food festival provided foodies and fami-lies who attended the various events across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia. They were offered a variety of experi-ences with celebrity chef appearances, food trucks, organic markets, themed dining experiences, and dedicated sta-tions and cooking activities in malls across the emirates.
Sultan Al Dhaheri, acting executive director, tourism sector, TCA Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi Food Festival has be-come one of the significant offerings on our annual calendar of events and we are adding more elements to it annually to further distinguish what we will offer.”
To be held on January 28 – 29, Ryder Cup legend Paul McGinley will lead a group of star guests at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Invitational
at Yas Links on Yas Island.The Irishman, who played in three
consecutive victories for Europe and famously led the side to glory in 2014, will captain a Professional Golfers’ Team against a Celebrity Team in an exciting change of format for the second Abu Dha-bi Invitational event. This tournament, has established itself as a world-class compe-tition where pro golfers, the GCC’s leading amateurs, sporting celebrities, leading business executives and entrepreneurs come together to play tournament golf and raise funds for charity. This year’s edi-tion will comprise an Amateur Champion-ship on January 28 with invited sponsor and stakeholder guests before the main Invitational on January 29. Both days are open to the public.
IBTM ARABIA
Abu Dhabi, UAEFebruary 07 – 09www.ibtmarabia.comOne of the leading international events for the Arabian meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry.
FITUR
Madrid, SpainJanuary 18 – 22www.ifema.esThe 37th edition of the travel trade fair for both inbound and outbound Ibero American markets.
EMITT
Istanbul, TurkeyJanuary 26 – 29www.emittinstanbul.comIndustry professionals from more than 70 countries are expected to attend the exhibition focussed on the East Mediterranean.
EVENTS