07 03 market update str: 560 new projects in the · 2017-01-28 · industry-leading innovation from...
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CONNECTING DOHA AND LAS VEGAS
NEW HEIGHTS FOR AIR TRAVEL REVEALED
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28 JANUARY 2017 ISSUE 377
STR: 560 NEW PROJECTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
MARKET UPDATE03
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AccommodationTechnology
International
TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS
28 JANUARY 20172
MARKET UPDATE www.traveltradeweekly.travel
MANAGING EDITOR
Mary Kammitsi [email protected]
JOURNALIST Ellen Petty
CONTRIBUTOR Dominique Christou Panayiotis Karanicholas Stella Alexandrou
SALES & SALES SUPPORT Maria Demetriadou Magda Christou Raluca Apostolescu
DESIGN & LAYOUTElena Stylianou
WEB & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Savvas Kammitsis
DIRECTORS Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi
HEADQUARTERS
T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD P.O. Box 25255, Nicosia 1308 Cyprus Tel: +357 22 021607, Fax: +357 22 103670
WEBSITEwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
EMAILS [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES
Representative for North, South & Central America, and the Caribbean: Neil Strickland GlobeTM Tel: +19542969515, [email protected]
Representative for Indian subcontinent: Faredoon Kuka RMA Media
Tel: +912229253735, [email protected]
Representative for UK & Ireland and Scandinavia: David Simpson Simpson Media Tel: +447900885456, [email protected]
Bahrain (BHD)
Jordan (JOD)
Oman (OMR)
Qatar (QAR)
Saudi Arabia (SAR)
UAE (AED)
Algeria (DZD)
Egypt (EGP)
Iran (IRR)
Iraq (IQD)
Kuwait (KWD)
Lebanon (LBP)
Libya (LYD)
Morocco (MAD)
Syria (SYP)
Tunisia (TND)
Yemen (YER)
Dinar
Dinar
Rial
Rial
Riyal
Dirham
Dinar
Pound
Rial
Dinar
Dinar
Pound
Dinar
Dirham
Pound
Dinar
Rial
0.37
0.71
0.39
3.64
3.75
3.67
109.63
18.72
32,362.58
1,186.49
0.31
1,508.21
1.40
10.05
214.32
2.31
250.15
COUNTRY CURRENCY USD1=
27.1.2017as ofMENA EXCHANGE RATES
ICAO Reveal 3.7 Billion Passengers in 2016
According to preliminary figures released by International Civil Aviation Organi-zation (ICAO), the total number of travellers carried on scheduled flights grew to 3.7 billion, marking a year-on-year growth of six percent.
The number of departures across the globe reached around 35 million, while revenue passen-ger kilometres rose 6.3 percent to above seven trillion, a slowdown on 2015’s result of a 7.1 percent increase.
More than half of all tourists who travelled across international borders did so via air, while low-cost carriers accounted for approximately 28 percent of all passengers. This, along with the re-duced cost of air travel, has played a big role in the overall growth of passenger traffic.
Marriott Reveals Q4 2016 Earnings Release Date
Marriott International has announced that it will unveil its financial results for the fourth quarter (Q4) 2016 on February 15 via a conference call.
Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International and Leeny Oberg, chief financial officer, Marriott In-ternational, will discuss the group’s performance, which will also be broadcasted via the com-pany’s investor relations website. Additionally, a replay will be available for listeners as well as a transcript of the call.
With close to 6,000 properties in 120 countries and territories, Marriott International is said to be one of the largest hotel companies.
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MARKET UPDATEwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
UNWTO Reports International Tourism Growth
According to the latest World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer, demand for in-ternational tourism remained robust in 2016 despite challenges. International tourist arrivals grew by 3.9 percent reaching a total of 1.2 million.
The Middle East received 54 million international tourist arrivals in 2016. Arrivals decreased an estimated four percent with mixed results among the region’s destinations.
“Tourism has shown extraordinary strength and resilience in recent years, despite many challenges, particularly those related to safety and security. Yet, international travel continues to grow strongly and contribute to job creation and the
wellbeing of communities around the world”, said Taleb Rifai, secretary general, UNWTO.
Middle EastTHERE ARE 159,922 ROOMS ACROSS 560 DEVELOPMENTS UNDER CONTRACT IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACCORDING TO STR’S NOVEMBER 2016 PIPELINE REPORT.
T his represents a 10.8 percent growth in rooms under contract compared to the same month in 2015. Of these, 85,446 rooms in 267 properties were labelled as in construction during November 2016. Saudi Arabia led the way with 37,864 keys in 83 hotels, followed by
the UAE with 26,889 rooms in 97 locations and Qatar with 8,748 in 36 hotels.
Meanwhile, some 316 addresses with 58,878 keys were under contract in Africa, including 5,645 rooms across 16 hotels in Egypt.
STR: 560 NEW PROJECTS IN THE
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T he Ministry of Tourism Oman, in coordination with the Tanfeedh Delivery Unit, has organised a comprehen-sive orientation session to all participants in the working groups which have been set up for the implemen-tation of the Tanfeedh tourism lab outcome.
This programme followed a six-week lab session, which resulted in the formulation and detailed analysis of 15 tourism initiatives. The selective projects were then made public through open days, which saw large numbers of society acquainted with the initiatives.
The session focussed on the formation of each of the groups, their operating styles and the methodology of re-porting progress. The key performance indicators will be the measurement tool through which the work progress on each initiative can be measured effectively against the set targets.
Tanfeedh Programme Introduces Orientation Session
Ensuring Sustainable Tourism
D avid Scowsill, president, WTTC, said, “The designation of [this year] as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development will provide the opportunity for us all to expand our role as an engine of job growth
and economic development. WTTC will play our part in ensuring a sustainable future, and in making our world a better place.”
In order for travel and tourism to function sustainably, Scowsill pointed out that three things are needed. These are people travelling, successful businesses and responsible practices.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its Declaration for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, expressing the organisation’s full commitment to the
priorities of the year and setting out its vision of how to maximise the contribution of travel and tourism to sustainable development around the world.
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WEEKLY NEWS TECHNOLOGYwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Keyless Technology Makes Hospitality Functional
V ingCard Essence allows guests to skip the front desk and unlock their room using their smartphone or smartwatch. It also enables hoteliers to create a more homely, design-centric feel in their hallways and room interiors, without compromising on security.
VinCard Essence has an improved reading distance on the radio-frequency identification reader and wireless online ca-pabilities. The product also benefits from compatibility with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access, powered by secure Seos technology, a revolutionary solution that allows guests to take control of their hotel experience, using their smart device. This industry-leading innovation from ASSA ABLOY Hospitality enhances customer satisfaction, frees up front desk staff and saves on operational costs.
Following VingCard Essence’s new release, known as the world’s first invisible lock which is now compatible with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access, guests can now experience a more
convenient node of hotel-room access.
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WEEKLY NEWS TECHNOLOGY www.traveltradeweekly.travel
C ontinuing on from their 10-year exclusive collaboration, Sabre and Mosaid Travel and Tourism Services have designed a ser-vice agreement.
The Saudi-based travel agency will use Sabre’s technology to sup-port its expansion plans throughout the region and provide more personalised travel experiences along with improved customer sat-isfaction.
Commenting on the renewed contract, Nadir Kazalbash, general manager, Mosaid Travel and Tourism Services, said, “Over the years, Sabre has been a trusted and innovative technology provider that un-derstands the challenges we face, and anticipates trends and technol-ogy needed to meet the expectations of today’s connected travellers.”
Sabre and Mosaid Travel Renew Partnership
Hotelrez Hotels & Resorts Adopts Sabre’s Hospitality Solutions
H otelREZ Hotels & Resorts has completed the migration of its member hotels to Sabre’s SynXis Central Reservations and device responsive booking engine, securing its ability to provide more
than 1,000 HotelREZ customers with access to Sabre’s industry-leading technology.
Sabre’s broad portfolio of hospitality solutions empowers hoteliers to create and deliver a unique and differentiating guest experience based on their specific brand.
By implementing Sabre’s technology solutions, HotelREZ will help its member hotels take advantage of connections to new channels and ex-pand beyond its already strong presence in EMEA and accelerate further growth into geographical markets such as the Americas and China, where Sabre has strong channel connections. In addition, HotelREZ customers will have access to Sabre’s newest device responsive booking engine, which offers some of the most innovative approaches to merchandising and customer experience in the hospitality market.
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WEEKLY NEWSwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Expo 2020 Dubai delivered the first public roll-out of its USD100 million Expo Live programme to help fund, accelerate and promote creative projects that
will improve lives while preserving our planet.The initiative calls for individual entrepreneurs, SMEs,
non-profit organisations, and government-related enti-ties to submit their solutions, which should be at a dem-onstration and implementation stage, to Expo Live.
This is the first time a public outreach has been launched by the World Expo and it will be the first of twice yearly cycles up to June 2018 to fund suitable projects.
Expo Live will deploy a combination of programmes, challenges and knowledge-sharing events in the run-up to the 2020 World Expo, focussing on the universal drivers of progress, namely opportunity, mobility and sustain-ability, which are core themes to Expo 2020 Dubai.
Funding Sustainable Projects
Following the comprehensive study of worldwide air trav-el trends conducted by Expedia in partnership with Air-lines Reporting Corporation and other industry sources,
an analysis titled New Heights for Air Travel was released dis-playing spot trends that the modern traveller can use to book with intelligence during this year.
Collectively, the data reveals that two factors, falling tick-et prices and surging capacity, suggest that the current year could be a banner period for travellers taking to the skies, with more options to fly to more destinations for lower prices.
The report is an analysis of worldwide air travel data de-duced from January 01 – October 24, 2016.
New Heights For Air Travel Revealed
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATION www.traveltradeweekly.travel
JW Marriott Tetouan to Launch at Port Marina Smir
T he 22,500 m2 development comprises 194 guestrooms including VIP suites, a spa and three restaurants. Just 16km from the straits of Gibraltar, Marina Smir is Morocco’s first yacht harbour and rapidly be-
coming the port of choice for those travelling along the waters of the Southern Mediterranean. Andrew Linwood, head of design, Areen Hospitality, commented, “As always we search for a balance be-
tween providing durable and functional spaces, whilst still offering an interior which surprises and embraces its guests. Traditional Moroccan hospitality is renowned world over and we wanted to capture this essence within the new JW Marriott Tetouan. Creatively this is always a challenge but one which we feel we have successfully met on this project.”
Areen Hospitality is working on the interiors of a new five-star hotel under the JW Marriott brand, to be built alongside the renowned Marina Smir in Tetouan, Morocco.
P ark Inn by Radisson Hotel & Residence Duqm, Oman has been awarded with a certification 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, procedures, training and management, security equip-ment, fire equipment, fire procedures and training risk preven-tion, and crisis and recovery 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 cer-tification right away. To get it, a hotel has to be well-structured, well-organised in terms of almost all aspects - from the engi-neering, to the security team even the staff and management.”
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WEEKLY NEWS ACCOMMODATIONwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Landmark and Citymax Team Up
L andmark Group is expanding its popular Shukran Loyalty Program to Citymax Hotels with a unique cross border, Earn and Spend programme.
As part of this initiative, Shukran members from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qa-tar, Lebanon and UAE can now earn Shukrans when they book their stay at any one of the Citymax Hotels in the UAE; among other benefits.
Russel Sharpe, chief operating officer, Citymax Ho-tels, said, “We are incredibly excited to unveil this new programme at Citymax Hotels, an offer that residents of GCC can truly benefit from. Making it available at City-max Hotels for our loyal customers to enjoy is our way of saying thank you. We hope that integrating this pro-gramme can delight our guests on a greater level […].”
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Salalah Rotana Enhancing Sustainability
T he five-star water front Salalah Rotana Resort has recently un-veiled an in-house plant nursery as part of its sustainability ini-tiatives and to meet its landscaping needs.
The 30m2 nursery, home to over 200 plants, features a drip irriga-tion system with a network of pipes that allows water flow directly to the plant root, resulting in savings water and less maintenance. The resort has witnessed major impact with a 20 percent reduction in monthly irrigation costs through the use of this system since operat-ing the plant nursery.
Hossam Kamal, general manager, Salalah Rotana Resort, said, “By initiating this project, we are doing our part towards a safer environ-ment. Our plant nursery signifies a key milestone in our sustainability efforts demonstrating our commitment to our environment and all stakeholders”. Pl
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
Dubai Maintains Occupancy but Drops RatesConnecting Doha and
Las Vegas
T he new route will be the airline’s 11th to the US, connecting McCarran International Airport to Hamad International Airport, making Qatar Airways the first Gulf carrier to provide regular scheduled services to Las Vegas.
“Las Vegas is a thriving leisure destination and adding the city to our route map has been long overdue. Growing our Western US network is important to the airline as we are seeing exponential growth in passenger demand from the East via our state of the art hub in Doha,” said H.E. Akbar Al Baker, group CEO, Qatar Airways.
In response to passenger demand, Qatar Airways to commence a four-weekly, non-stop service to Las Vegas, beginning January 08, 2018.
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T urkish Airlines will add Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, to its extensive flight network, as of March 30. Kharkiv flights will be operated four times weekly on Mon-
days, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and will increase to seven times per week as of May 30.
Turkish Airlines Launches its First Flight to Kharkiv
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
As of June 01, Emirates will introduce a daily flight from Dubai to Zagreb, further enhancing its European network.
Commenting on the upcoming addition to the airline’s flight schedule, Thierry Antinori, executive vice president, Emirates, said, “Emir-ates is pleased to have this opportunity to add such a picturesque desti-nation to our global route network. We look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders in Croatia to provide our world renowned ser-vice to our customers on our young, modern fleet of aircraft. We are also committed to our contribution to growing the trade and tourism flows be-tween Croatia and Dubai, […].”
Emirates to Add Croatian Destination
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Iran Air Receives First of 100 Airbus Aircraft
I ran Air has taken delivery of its new A321 aircraft, in a handover ceremony in Toulouse in the presence of Farhad Parvaresh, CEO, Iran Air and Fabrice Bregier, president, commercial aircraft and chief operating officer, Airbus, Gael Meheust, senior vice president sales and
marketing CFM, Tom Enders, CEO, Airbus, and international media. The delivery is the first from a firm order placed by Iran Air in December 2016 for 100
Airbus aircraft, 46 single aisle and 54 wide body jets, as part of its efforts to renew and expand its fleet.
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
On January 09, Air France inaugurated its first commercial flight to Cai-ro with Boeing 787, whereby passengers can now travel on the route from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, six times a week.
Equipped with the latest new travel cabins, the Boeing 787 has 30 seats in business, 21 in premium economy and 225 in economy. In addition, travellers will be able to use Wi-Fi onboard at a small fee.
Air France Connecting Egypt with France
Cairo
E tihad Airways, in association with Lakmé Fashion Week, hosted fashion designer Manish Malhotra, in Abu Dhabi, as part of the airline’s latest initiative
as the preferred carrier of the global fashion industry.Renowned for modernising costumes in Bollywood,
Malhotra visited the airline’s state-of-the-art Innovation Centre and Training Academy and officially launched his Etihad Airways-sponsored virtual reality fashion show, which was filmed at Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai in August 2016.
Patrick Pierce, vice president, sponsorships, Etihad Airways, said, “We are proud to collaborate with him, particularly in India where Etihad Airways is a key player serving many cities across the country with our strate-gic partner Jet Airways.”
Etihad and Lakmé Fashion Week Host Malhotra
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Growth for Oman Air
Ongoing fleet and network expansion, together with a renewed focus on on-board services and developments, will be a priority for Oman Air during this year, ensuring that the airline continues to drive up revenues and increases its growing contribution to the national economy.
In 2016 Oman Air increased its contribution to Oman’s GDP by six percent, creating employment op-portunities to Omani nationals, bringing tourists to the country, building global connections along with supporting small and medium enterprises.
This positive contribution can only be sustained by continuing to generate demand for Oman Air’s expanding services. Differentiation will be a key focus for the coming year to ensure the airline maintains the positive revenue trajectory achieved over the last two years.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Are there any interesting plans in your company's future that overseas and local visitors can look forward to?
RAHIM ABU OMAR: We participate in major travel trade shows such as the World Travel Market in London, ITB in Berlin and Arabian Travel Market in Dubai in addition to attending travel and trade conferences worldwide.
RAHIM ABU OMAR
Q & A
with
GENERAL MANAGER, GULF HOTEL BAHRAIN
BAHRAIN IS BLOOMING IN THE SPORTS EVENTS SCENE HOSTING
MORE INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL EVENTS AS TIME PASSES. RAHIM ABU
OMAR, GENERAL MANAGER, GULF HOTEL BAHRAIN, DISCUSSES HOW THE BAHRAINI HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AND PARTICULARLY GULF HOTEL BAHRAIN,
REACTS TO THE SPORTS TOURISM HIGH INFLOW.
important international tourism exhibi-tions and conferences to the Kingdom with all the media and technical facili-ties needed.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How does the 2016 business performance com-pare to previous years? To what do you owe this?
RAHIM ABU OMAR We have worked hard to keep up with the tourist require-ments in the Bahraini market. In line with the group’s expansion strategy in support to the Bahrain’s growing tour-ism demands, Gulf Hotels Group recently opened two additional four-star projects in the Kingdom, which are Asdal Gulf Inn located in the heart of the Seef business district and Gulf Residence Amwaj, set in the beautiful surroundings of Amwaj Is-land. The Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention & Spa, Bahrain’s iconic legendary hotel, dedicated to consistently providing bet-ter value, recently opened the newest luxury spa in the Kingdom. The 3,100 m2 spa facility features two separate wel-coming reception for men and ladies, individual treatment rooms, hammams, hydro and relaxation pools, experience showers, ice fountains and relaxation rooms. The spa also features a new la-dies hair salon by world renowned stylist Juliano Asmar.
In addition to a ladies fitness centre and a couple VIP treatment room, the spa also features a rooftop relaxation terrace, where you can enjoy healthy treats and views of Manama's skyline.
Local ingredients such as pearls, palm water, herbs and gold are also in-cluded in several treatments.
The Gulf Hotel’s Group recently an-nounced the opening of the first mar-keting office in Shanghai city, China. This move indicates the new tourism identity under the slogan of Ours. Yours which has been launched recently by Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority as part of plans to further diversify the national economy away from its dependence on oil. The vision of the group lies in seeking to attract more Chinese tourists by coop-erating with travel agencies and confer-ence organisers in China. In addition, we have plans to open sales offices in other markets as well.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How impor-tant is sports tourism to your busi-ness? What are your offerings for visitors who come to Bahrain’s for this segment?
RAHIM ABU OMAR: We have special package deals, special menus and pro-motions especially for sports teams and groups who are always welcomed in our hotel.
During 2016, we hosted The 26th Ordinary Asian Football Confederation Congress at the Gulf Convention Center.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How has the MICE segment affected your mar-keting strategy? Do you collaborate with organisations in order to attract guests interested in the segment?
RAHIM ABU OMAR: As the first legend-ary five-star hotel in the Kingdom we are pleased to join The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority in promoting tourism for the Kingdom of Bahrain. We are working closely with the authority and support all kind of activities which help to promote Bahrain’s tourism and economy. We also market and promote Bahrain’s commerce sector as Bahrain is the ideal destination to target both economic and tourism opportunities. From an another perspective, the group seeks to present the Kingdom's boom-ing industry verticals to the world, with the objective of generating business, creating new partnerships and explor-ing new markets especially in the tour-ism an hospitality field by attracting conferences and exhibitions on a global level, in order to offer opportunities and competitive facilities provided by the Kingdom to embrace foreign invest-ment in various sectors and work to de-velop that. And so, we will present the possibilities that could attract the most
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Gulf Hotel Bahrain
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WEEKLY NEWS AIRwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
Emirates is to operate the first ever scheduled com-mercial Airbus A380 flight to South America when it upgrades its Dubai – Sao Paulo service on March 26,
replacing the existing Boeing 777-300ER used on this route.Commenting on the upgrade to the daily itinerary,
Hubert Frach, divisional senior vice president, commercial operations, West, Emirates, said, “The switch to the Airbus A380 offers a total of 959 additional seats per week in each direction, meeting a growing demand from travellers on the route and demonstrating our commitment to Brazil and to the South American region.”
Upgrade on Dubai – Sao Paulo Route
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Gulf Air Moves to New Terminal in Egypt
Gulf Air has moved its Cairo operations from Bahrain to Terminal 2 at Cairo Interna-tional Airport.
Speaking of this development, Maher Salman Al Musallam, CEO, Gulf Air, said, “We are delighted to commence operations to and from Cairo International Airport’s re-cently-opened Terminal 2 – further facilitating and enhancing passenger movement and comforts on the ground. All passengers travelling with Gulf Air can now enjoy a modern, efficient and passenger-friendly facility in Terminal 2. With the broad scope of facilities on offer we anticipate our passengers will be delighted with all that the terminal has to offer.”
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WEEKLY NEWS AIR www.traveltradeweekly.travel
F ollowing a record year, the number Airbus’ commercial aircraft deliveries in 2016 is up for the 14th year in a row, reaching a new company record of 688 aircraft delivered to 82 customers. De-
liveries were more than eight percent higher than the previous record of 635 set in 2015.
This completed orders included 545 single aisle A320 fleet-liners, 68 of which were A320neo, 66 A330s, 49 A350 XWBs and 28 A380s. Over 40 percent of single aisle deliveries were the larger A321 models.
Airbus achieved 731 net orders from 51 customers, of which, eight were new. These included 607 single aisle and 124 wide-body aircraft. At the end of 2016, Airbus’ overall backlog stood at 6,874 aircraft val-ued at almost USD1,018 billion.
Airbus Deliveries Exceed Targets
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Gulf Air Enhances Flight Itinerary
G ulf Air is set to inaugurate a new route to Georgia with direct flights to and from the capital city of Tbilisi which will come into effect in June, offering
three weekly flights via Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport.
Commenting on the upcoming addition to the airline’s network, Maher Salman Al Musallam, CEO, Gulf Air, said, “We are pleased to respond to passenger demand by opening this newest destination. Launching in June, our new route to Tbilisi, Georgia, will cater to summer movement and leisure travellers from the GCC region. As part of our longstanding mission, we are always looking for ways to introduce and strengthen business and tourism links between key global destinations, Bahrain and the region.”
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WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONALwww.traveltradeweekly.travel
I n China's Fujian province, Hy-att Regency has celebrated the opening of Hyatt Regency Fu-
zhou Cangshan. Merging traditional Chinese
culture with modern convenienc-es, the property strives to become a gathering place for business and leisure travellers.
Christopher Koehler, manag-ing director, operations, Hyatt In-ternational, China. “Hyatt Regen-cy Fuzhou Cangshan will resonate with business and leisure travel-lers alike by providing a full range of services and amenities for our guests where they can relax, con-nect, engage, and collaborate with each other.”
F rasers Hospitality Group has launched North Park Place, a 105-apartment luxury serviced residence located within the exclusive Rajpruek Golf Club in
Bangkok, Thailand. The nearby Rajpruek Sports Club offers meeting
rooms, a business centre and conference facilities, ca-tering to the business needs of corporate travellers. The property also boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool, steam room and sauna facilities, a fitness centre, bowl-ing lanes and more.
Choe Peng Sum, CEO, Frasers Hospitality Group, said, “Situated within the world-class Rajpruek Golf Course, North Park Place caters to discerning travellers seeking an exclusive luxury retreat tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok city. Every apartment has been carefully designed with guests’ well-being in mind to create a sanctuary for business and leisure trav-ellers to relax and recharge.”
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Thailand Welcomes North Park Place
R adisson Blu Faridabad has officially opened, hailed as the city’s first upperscale hotel.The 124 room hotel offers elegant and spacious meeting facilities with state-of-the-art technology and
a pillarless Grand Ballroom that accommodates up to 1,000 guests. Raj Rana, CEO, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said, “We are confident the hotel will have a strong ap-
peal to business and leisure travellers and redefine expectations. We welcome this stylish addition to our growing portfolio of 140 hotels in operation and development.”
Among other amenities, guests can enjoy Broadway, an all-day dining restaurant, House of Soy, Pan-Asian food outlet, The Cove bar, and Tea Studio, the property’s patisserie shop. Ra
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WEEKLY NEWS INTERNATIONAL www.traveltradeweekly.travel
A fter launching a far-reaching scheme to strengthen its positions in China and South-East Asia, Louvre Hotels Group
continues to boost its presence in South Asia, keeping up with the region’s constantly growing leisure and business tourism.
The group has become a majority stakehold-er in Sarovar Hotels, an Indian company made up of 75 hotels in the premium, mid-range and budget sectors, through three leading brands, Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico and Hometel.
In addition to the three brands, the group also owns two well established food and bever-age brands, The Geoffrey’s Pub and the Oriental Blossom, and manages the lodging and cater-ing facilities of various institutions in India.
Respective hotel owners for both groups will benefit immediately from local and international management expertise, worldwide distribution, loyalty programmes, sales and marketing initia-tives, and procurement services.
T he 24-floor Mövenpick Hotel Colombo has opened in the Sri Lankan capital, hailing as the first international five-
star property to open in the city in 25 years.Set to become the city's icon, the proper-
ty is characterised by its modern architecture. The address boasts 219 rooms and suites,
a rooftop bar, meeting and event space, lei-sure facilities, and food and beverage outlets.
“Mövenpick Hotel Colombo is an inspi-rational modern landmark that introduces exciting new hospitality concepts to the city; this signifies a new era of prosperity for an island nation re-energised and undergoing rapid development,” said Andreas Mattmüller, chief operating officer, Middle East and South Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.
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Louvre Hotels Groups Takes on India
Mövenpick Enters Colombo
Park Inn by Radisson hotels has announced Park Inn by Radisson Barrancabermeja Cambodia. The hotel offers 95 guest rooms, food and beverage options, including the Terrace Restaurant & Bar, lei-
sure facilities, a fitness centre and a Whirlpool on the 12th floor.The property boasts meeting rooms for groups of up to 120 attendees, with state-of-the-art equipment. “The hotel’s prime location coupled with our Adding Colour To LifeSM guest service philosophy, will make the
hotel an enjoyable place to stay for both business and leisure guests alike,” said Jacqueline Coll, manager, Park Inn by Radisson Barrancabermeja.
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Colombia Welcomes New Property
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GENERAL MANAGER, NIKKI BEACH RESORT & SPA DUBAI
“We are very happy for the success that we have received since our resort opening on December 20, 2016. This was a good indicator that our open-ing had been eagerly awaited by our guests.At Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai we curate spaces. We want to create a social envi-ronment where people can choose to mingle or withdraw themselves for a personal time of relaxation. Growth is an es-sential part of the business. We believe that we can grow further by broadening our ex-posure.”
Growth is an essential part of the business
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DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING, ARMED FORCES OFFICERS CLUB & HOTEL
“Abu Dhabi National Exhibi-tion Centre (ADNEC) fills a prominent role within Abu Dhabi being a contributor to the development of the city, economy, trade and tourism. We are grateful for our stra-tegic position next to ADNEC that helps us raise occupancy rates. As occupancy rates are steadily rising, the Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel team prepares to host the upcoming winter season with five-star luxury services and the best facilities. Our collabo-ration with ADNEC has helped us inch towards our goal. [...].”
We are grateful for our strategic position next to ADNEC
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GROUP CEO, QATAR AIRWAYS
“[Hamad International Air-port’s (HIA) achievement of Skytrax's 5-Star Airport award] just proves that Qatar Airways passengers enjoy a five-star experience on the ground in our Doha home, as well as, in the air in our thoroughly modern fleet. [...] HIA is built around [...] convenience and service, delivered in a setting that is more than just thought-ful and welcoming, but beau-tiful as well. The Qatar Airways experience is truly replicated in this stunning building, and we are now more proud than ever to call it our home.”
[...] We are now more proud than ever to call it our home
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CEO, MANAFA
“The awards [for the top five exhibitors] are an acknowl-edgement of the participants’ hard-work and serve as a stim-ulus for companies to come up with innovative ideas. By celebrating creativity, our ob-jective is to enable firms of all sizes to compare themselves to and learn from the best to evolve and ultimately succeed in exceeding their customers’ expectations.”
The awards [...] serve as a stimulus for [...] innovative ideas
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TRAVEL CHANNELS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair, organ-ised in association with The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD), took place from January 11 – 13.
The three-day annual luxury bridal ex-hibition hosted over 60 leading brands and vendors specialised in catering to luxury events, at the exclusive show.
"Events such as The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair are a great platform for creating awareness about our destination as well as showcasing true Emirati hos-pitality," said H.E. Faisal Al Nuaimi, general manager, ATDD. "Our aim is to position Ajman as the perfect des-tination to experience real Emirati hospitality. We have got outstanding facilities for both leisure and business travellers and want visitors and exhibitors at The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair to learn and discover what the emirate of Ajman offers.”
First Avenue has signed up some of the biggest names in casual dining as plans gather pace to open in Dubai’s Motor City during this year.
The latest restaurants KRIS KROS, BurgerFuel, Kababji and SushiArt, will be among 15 food and beverage outlets at First Avenue in Motor City.
Ramy Moussly, general manager, Al Tawfeeq for Development and Invest-ment, the Saudi-owned backer for the project, commented, “Our plan is to draw local resi-dents, tourists, families, and the leisure and business communities to First Avenue all week round. Located next to Dubai Autodrome, we are leveraging a motoring experience that attracts visitors and creates excitement in an area that is home to so many young families and professionals,” he added.
The Al Habtoor Tennis Academy has opened at Al Habtoor City, Dubai’s luxury hospi-tality, entertainment and residential destination.
The academy caters for year-round tennis with an indoor air-conditioned court, and three outdoor facilities.
Additionally, it includes men’s and women’s changing rooms, a fully-equipped gym, and cafe with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking The St. Regis Dubai Gardens.
The Al Habtoor Tennis Academy has recruited top international tennis professionals to coach adults and children.
Khalaf Al Habtoor, chairman, Al Habtoor Group, said, “The Al Habtoor Tennis Academy is a world-class facility and a tennis lifestyle destination in the UAE. Unlike anywhere else, tennis enthusiasts can practice even during Dubai’s warmest months thanks to the fully air-conditioned indoor tennis pavilion. The academy is a great addition to the Al Habtoor City’s Leisure Collection, […].”
Emirates has introduced new sustainable blankets made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. The soft and warm blankets are made using ecoTHREAD patented tech-nology and are now available in economy
class on all longhaul Emirates flights.Each quilt is made from 28 recycled plastic bottles.
With the latest innovation, the bottles are recycled into plastic chips before being turned into yarn, creating a polar fleece material which is then woven into soft blankets.
By the end of 2019, the airline will have rescued 88 million plastic bottles from landfills. This initiative makes it the largest sustainable blanket programme onboard within the airline industry.
Ajman Hosts Bridal Exhibition
Top Food and Beverage at First Avenue
Tennis Academy Joins Al Habtoor City
Emirates Rolls Out ecoTHREAD Blankets
ecoTHREAD Blankets
Dubai’s Motor City
The Ajman Palace Hotel Wedding Fair
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Egyptian singer Reham Abdel Hakim and Cairo Opera House Orchestra, conducted by maestro Mohammad Al Mougi, during the third night of
Sharjah World Music FestivalSharjah government officials attended the second
Sharjah Forum at Mlieha Archaeological Centre
Qatar Airways celebrated family with its Kids Fly Free promotion
Hamad International Airport became the sixth airport in the world to receive the 5-Star Airport designation by Skytrax
Emirates announced that it will operate the first ever commercial Airbus A380 flight to Morocco
and North Africa
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28 JANUARY 201724
NEWS & EVENTS www.traveltradeweekly.travel
PSI Records Healthy Growth
Art Exhibition for a Cause
With six percent more exhibitors, nearly eight percent more visitors and a share of interna-
tional visitors reaching 57 percent, PSI continued its growth trajectory and once again posted new records at the 55th event.
In total, Reed Exhibitions Deutsch- land counted 988 exhibitors as com-pared to 2015 records of 932 and 18,094 visitors compared to 2016 re-cords denoting 16,810. From now on, customers of the industry are invited by the distributors of promotional products with granted access to the PSI event on the last day.
The exhibition hosted four halls packed with innovation and inspira-tion, presented by professionals from every corner of the globe with a 57 percent share of international visitors.
Between January 11 and 25, RAINBOW 2017, an exhibi-tion of abstract paintings by acclaimed Indian artist
Dinesh Kamble, took place at The Aj-man Palace Hotel.
The exhibition, which is the art-ist’s first one outside of India, will move on to Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, London, Paris and Tokyo.
Kamble noted that RAINBOW 2017 is dedicated to supporting underprivileged women who are victims of acid attacks, with part of the funds from sales being donated towards their medical treatment.
Commenting on selecting the UAE as the starting point of this mega international show, Kamble said, “The UAE for me symbolises freedom of pleasure, enjoyment and happiness. Every emirate is a melt-ing pot of cultures. Ajman has been quietly carving its place on the world tourism map with an intriguing mix of attractions and art is one of them.”
ITB BERLIN
Berlin, GermanyMarch 08 – 12 www.itb-berlin.deIndustry professionals from 187 countries are expected to attend one of the world’s biggest travel trade fairs.
IBTM ARABIA
Abu Dhabi, UAEFebruary 07 – 09www.ibtmarabia.comOne of the leading international events for the Arabian meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry.
MITT
Moscow, RussiaMarch 14 – 16 www.mitt.ruThe 24th edition of one of the leading business-to-business travel events will offer a wealth of opportunities for partnerships within Russia, CIS, and beyond.
EVENTS