A DDP PUBLICATION Pages: 16Vol. X No. 1; January 2014

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Shot in the arm for GCC cruise sector ..................................................................10ME carriers place large fleet orders......................................................................11Visas to 1st time ‘visitors’... ..................................................................................16

2013 was a year whichstarted big and endedeven bigger for

Emirates Airlines. The open-ing in January of theConcourse A, the A380 hubat the Dubai InternationalAirport, was much awaitedby the wave of passengersmoving across the Dubai hub.With 20 gates for double-deckers and thelargest airline lounges in theworld, the facility is a first forthe industry. The year endedeven bigger with theannouncement of the aircraftorder for 150 Boeing 777Xand 50 Airbus A380, at theDubai Air Show, held at theemerging aviation city ofDubai World Central for thefirst time.

“In between these twodevelopments, 2013 has seennine new routes, connectingpeople, places and cultures.By 2020, Emirates expects tobe carrying 70 million pas-sengers. The InternationalCivil Aviation Organisation(ICAO) calculated that threebillion people travelled by air in 2012, and more thansix billion people will do so by

2030,” expressed Tim Clark,President, Emirates Airlines.

“2014 will be no lesschallenging. Emirates nowflies to 138 destinations, the

most recent being Kabul,while Kiev, Taipei and Bostonare the first new destinationsin 2014. Throughout thisyear, Emirates will receive 27new aircraft, nearly half of

which are A380s, joining theworld’s biggest A380 fleet,”he added.

The year 2013 has beenan incredibly successful year

for Dubai’s Department ofTourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM), with aclear highlight being Dubaiwinning the bid to host Expo 2020.

“It is an event whichwill provide a unique plat-form on which to communi-cate the remarkable story ofa young city and nation, andallow us to positively shapeglobal perceptions of theArabian Gulf as a destinationfor both business andleisure,” explained Dr AhmadBelhoul, CEO - Strategy andTourism Sector Development,Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing(DTCM), Dubai.

Hoteliers and hotelapartment operators experi-enced significant growth inrevenues, with total revenuesfor the first nine months ofthe year up by 17.1 per cent,reaching AED15.33billion. Anumber of new hotel establishments have openedin Dubai during 2013,Belhoul added.

“In terms of visitorarrivals, year-on-year from2012-2020, we are targettingan increase of around 9 per

cent per year and the figuresfor the first nine months of2013 show that we are ontrack. Dubai’s Expo bid ispart of a long-term visionthat ensures sustainablenational development and aprosperous future for theUAE. The impact on thetourism industry will be sub-stantial. Between October2020 and April 2021, theExpo will attract more than25 million visitors, 70 percent of which will be fromoutside the UAE – the largestnumber of international visitors in Expo history,” hefurther stated.

The hospitality sector isdeveloping with continuousgrowth in Turkey. In the last10 months of 2013, there hasbeen a 10 per cent increasein the figures with $30 mil-lion. The occupancy at RixosHotels has reached approxi-mately to 2,700,000 in 2013,with the highest figures inthe properties of RixosAntalya, Istanbul Hotels inTurkey and Rixos The PalmDubai and Rixos LibertasDubrovnik in overseas. RixosHotels investments will

Across the Middle East, travel trade is embarking on an agenda of investment and development in 2014, to increasecapacity, improve infrastructure and grow tourist numbers and revenues. Middle East speaks to the industrystalwarts who updated on achievements made in 2013 and enlightened on expectations for 2014.

2014: A year of immense potential SU S M I TA GH O S H

Rixos Hotelstargets 50%growth with 14 newpropertiescoming up in 2014

Dubai’s Expo2020 is part ofa long-termvision thatensures aprosperousfuture for UAE

Dr Ahmad Belhoul CEO - Strategy and Tourism SectorDevelopment, DTCM, Dubai

The year 2014will be a realchallenge, andby 2020, theAirline expectsto carry 70mnpassengers

Tim Clark PresidentEmirates Airlines

Basak Erel Senior Vice President - BrandManagement Rixos Hotels

Contd. on page 6

AVIATION

Plans for regional network ofthe Airlines include the

introduction of several newroutes to the Indian Oceanislands in 2014, following thedelivery of an Airbus A319.

Starting February 2014, AirSeychelles will operate tworound trip services every week

between Seychelles and Paris-Orly through Abu Dhabi.

The launch of regionalservices to Antananarivo,Réunion and Mumbai, anincrease in services to AbuDhabi from seven to 11 everyweek, offering a double-dailyservice with Etihad Airways, areincluded in the strategy. A net-work designed to maximise con-nectivity through the Seychelleswith two-way connectivitythroughout the region withMumbai and Abu Dhabi andbeyond, is also part of the strategy.

Cramer Ball, CEO, AirSeychelles stated, “The newschedule will see Air Seychellesspread its regional footprint andbuild a firm position to establishus as the carrier of choice in theIndian Ocean. It also greatlyincreases options for travel toand from the Indian Ocean withour new flights to Paris-Orly. Wewill also enjoy network feed pro-vided by our convenient sched-

ule times over Abu Dhabi, con-tributing to the bottom line.”

Air Seychelles has signed acodeshare agreement withCathay Pacific Airways. Thiswould enable Air Seychelles totap into Asia’s rapidly growingtravel market, which in recentyears has become an importantsource of tourism growth for the Seychelles.

“This deal is a win-win forboth Airlines and we look forward to strengthen our affil-iation with Cathay Pacific in thefuture,” he added.

The new regional schedulewill see Air Seychelles operatethree round trip flights everyweek to Mauritius and Mumbai,two round trip flights a week toAntananarivo and Réunion and11 return flights per week toAbu Dhabi.

The Airline will also offerthree return flights each week toHong Kong, three return flightsper week to Johannesburg andtwo flights every week to Paris-Orly.

As part of developing its international agenda, Air Seychelles (Mahe) will launchflights to Paris-Orly via Abu Dhabi, subject to regulatory approval. The new Paris-Orly services match Etihad Airways’ existing double-daily services to Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport.

Fly Paris-Seychelles via Abu Dhabi

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Etihad Airways signed a three-year dealwith VisitBritain to increase visitor numbersfrom the Asia Pacific and Middle East region(APME), whilst encouraging more people tofly with Etihad Airways. The partnershipagreement, valued at AED 12 million (£2 mil-lion), will facilitate joint marketing activitiesin key markets around the APME region,including India, Australia, and the GCC.Etihad Airways marketing messages andBritain's 'GREAT' campaign will be maximisedthroughout the partnership and the Airlinewill also benefit from an enhanced presenceon all VisitBritain digital platforms, includingVisitBritain.com and associated websites.

VisitBritain, Etihad signAED12 million dealCramer Ball

CEOAir Seychelles

The newschedule willestablish us asthe carrier ofchoice in theIndian Ocean

Three round trip flights a weekto Mauritius and Mumbai

Two round trip flights a weekto Antananarivo and Réunionand 11 return flights a weekto Abu Dhabi

Three return flights a week toHong Kong

Three return flights a week toJohannesburg

Two flights a week to Paris-Orly

New Schedule

GUEST COLUMN

EDITORIAL

A year of pleasantsurprises

Dubai’s successful bid to host Expo2020 is one of the greatest

achievements in 2013, that is expectedto change the face of the travel &tourism industry in Dubai, UAE and theentire Gulf region. Dubai will attractmore than 25 million visitors betweenOctober 2020 and April 2021. To meetthe needs of this tourist boom, theEmirate will double its hotel inventoryto around 164,000 hotel and hotelapartment rooms within the next seven years.

The aviation industry is also lookingup. The Middle East reported thestrongest international passengergrowth with a 6.3 per cent compoundannual growth rate (CAGR), theInternational Air Transport Association(IATA) has noted in its Airline IndustryForecast. The UAE will add 29.2 millionpassengers over the next four years at aCAGR of 6.6 per cent as total global airpassenger numbers are expected to riseto 3.91 billion by 2017, IATA revealed.Dubai is adding more feathers. It wasnamed the world’s leading destinationat the 20th edition of the World TravelAwards which took place in Doharecently. The Dubai World Trade Centrehas been named the ‘World’s LeadingMeetings & Conference Centre’.

The year 2013 has seen a smooth sailfor the cruise sector too. Abu Dhabi andDubai are expanding their portinfrastructure. DP World-operated MinaRashid in Dubai was voted the World’sLeading Cruise Port for the sixthconsecutive year at the World TravelAwards 2013. The Abu Dhabi Tourismand Culture Authority is expecting anincrease of 13 per cent in passengerarrivals over last year.

The year 2013 has proved to befruitful and the outlook for 2014 isnaturally bright and optimistic for theGulf travel & tourism industry.

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Publisher : SanJeet Director : Sumeera Bahl Editor : Deepa Sethi Assistant Editor (ME) : Susmita Ghosh Desk Editor : Archana Sharma Sub Editor : Ramya J.S. D’Rozario Design : Ruchi Sinha / NN MisraBusiness Development Manager : Crisna De Guzman Manager Advertising : Geetika Pathak Circulation Manager : Ashok Rana Manager Production : Anil Kharbanda

The new Quantum class ofships will combine a new

set of exciting and first-at-seainnovations that can only befound in Royal Caribbean.The ships will take entertain-ment to new heights.

The first ship in the newhighly-innovative Quantumclass of ships is Quantum ofthe Seas which will belaunched in November 2014and will homeport in CapeLiberty, in Bayonne, NewJersey, USA, with winter sail-ings to the Bahamas andCaribbean. Anthem of theSeas, the second Quantumclass ship will become themost technologicallyadvanced cruise ship ever tobe based in Europe when it islaunched in spring 2015.Anthem of the Seas will callSouthampton, UK, home inApril 2015 and offers cruisesto the Mediterranean, beforebeing based in FortLauderdale, Florida, for thewinter months.

We will offer treasuredvacations geared to familiesfor five-nine night itinerariesto Bermuda, The Bahamasand the Caribbean, aboardthe industry’s most innova-tive ships like Oasis of theSeas, Allure of the Seas,Freedom of the Seas, Explorerof the Seas and Grandeur ofthe Seas. The other exciting itineraries includeMediterranean, NorthernEurope, Alaska, Far East andAustralia/New Zealand.

Oasis of the Seas, Allureof the Seas and Freedom ofthe Seas are among six ofRoyal Caribbean ships thatexclusively offer theDreamWorks Experience.Moreover, each ship isequipped with a 3D movietheatre playing the latestDreamWorks animation films.

We, at Royal Caribbeanhave launched our muchanticipated Arabic brochurefor summer 2014 luxurycruise programs. The newly-launched brochures of RoyalCaribbean International andCelebrity Cruises, availablein English and Arabic containinformation about more than

20 incredible cruise itiner-aries for summer 2014 thatwill appeal Middle Easterntravellers.

Our Celebrity Cruisesand Azamara Club Cruiseshave also lined up incrediblevoyages for 2014. Celebrity's2014 European itinerarieswill offer vacationers anunprecedented range oflengths from seven to 28nights in compelling destina-tions. Celebrity Cruises isexpanding its Europe line-upin 2014 to offer a series ofseven night cruises that canbe taken alone or enjoyedback-to-back as 14, 21 or 28-night cruises with all newports on each leg.

Celebrity Cruises is thepioneers of modern luxurywith its cool, contemporarydesign and warm spaces, din-ing experiences where thedesign of the venues is asimportant as the cuisine. Theamazing service that onlyCelebrity can provide are cre-ated to offer an unmatchableexperience for vacationers’

precious time. Celebrity’sSolstice Class of ships exem-plifies Celebrity’s emphasison designing stunning shipsand inviting onboard experi-ences for vacationers whoappreciate the finer things.The ships have taken stylishcruising and impeccableservice to new heights.

Azamara Club Cruisesoffers distinct destination-immersive experiences forup-market travellers. Thecruise line uniquely featuresvoyages with longer staysand more overnights at portsto provide guests the oppor-tunity to experience nighttouring at some of the mostcompelling destinations ofEurope, Asia, South America,West Indies, as well asCentral and North America.

With Dubai winning thebid for World Expo 2020, itexplains an overall growth ofthe UAE economy. The devel-opment that we have beenseeing in many sectors in 2012will further strengthen. Thiswill create more job opportu-nities and more people pour-ing in to Dubai, both as visitorsand residents. Historically,expositions of this sort, havecreated immense developmentparticularly in tourism indus-try. Expo 2020 is no exceptionwith an estimated 25 milliontourists expected to visit dur-ing winter 2020–2021.

In the next few years,leading up to 2020, new jobsare estimated to be createdfor about 277,000 people,and this is no small scale toachieve in a short span ofseven years. This willincrease the earning potentialof UAE residents and theirbuying power leading toincrease leisure activities. Weare bound to, as a part oftourism industry, reap richbenefits out of this. UAE hasestablished itself as a ‘safeheaven’ for making highstandard of living.

Showcasing majorevents like World Expo 2020would enhance the lifestylein the UAE attracting talentsfrom across the globe. Withincreased quality manpowergetting into all spheres ofUAE’s economy, there isimmense potential for all sec-tors of the economy to growin the years to come. Tourismis a by-product of suchgrowth and there is a brightprospect in our business totag on that line of growth.

Lakshmi DuraiExecutive Director – Middle

East, Royal CaribbeanInternational,

Celebrity Cruises &Azamara Club Cruises – ME

Royal Caribbean Arabia has noticed an increased interest from MiddleEast travellers. Hence the company continued its tradition of stimulatinggrowth in the cruise industry with investments in new ships.

2014: New ships, routes planned

In the next few years, leading up to2020, new jobs are estimated to becreated for about 277,000 people, andthis is no small scale to achieve in ashort span of seven yearsLakshmi Durai

Jet Airways recentlyannounced the addition oftwo daily flights to enhanceflight connectivity into SaudiArabia. Effective January 15,2014, Jet Airways will intro-duce two daily flights fromKochi and Chennai to

Dammam in the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia. While theChennai flight will be operated via Abu Dhabi to Dammam, the Kochi-Dammam flight will be served by a daily direct flight.

Jet Airways will nowoffer six non-stop flights toSaudi Arabia, with moreone-stop options. With thesenew enhanced flights, JetAirways will achieve thelandmark milestone ofbecoming India’s first pri-

vate airline to operate over50 daily flights to multipledestinations in the Gulf. This includes daily departures to Abu Dhabi,Bahrain, Dubai, Doha,Kuwait, Sharjah, Jeddah,Dammam and Riyadh.

New daily flights launched to Dammam

COVER STORY6 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

continue in 2014 with newproperty openings in thepipeline.

Basak Erel, Senior VicePresident - BrandManagement, Rixos Hotels,commented, “The expansionplan will focus on the proper-ties out of Turkey in 2014.Further to the announcementof Rixos Bab Al Bahr openingin Ras Al Khaimah, RixosFluela Davos is slated to opensoon and expected to becomeone of the most popular prop-erty of Rixos Hotels. RixosQuba in Azerbaijan is inpipeline, planned to open inthe first quarter of 2014. Wealso have more hotels cur-rently under developmentacross the world. We target50 per cent growth with 14more new properties comingup in 2014.”

2013 wasn't a great yearfor tourism in Jordan as it wit-nessed a slight decrease innumbers. This was due to thecurrent geo-political climatein the region and the economicdownturn in Europe, a bigmarket for Jordan.

“For the upcoming year2014, we'll be focussing more

on religious tourism, businesstourism, MICE, eco-tourismand adventure tourism. We'realso promoting gastronomytourism on a large scale on allavailable platforms. In addi-tion to that, we will be pro-moting Jordan worldwide byexploiting new distributionchannels using social net-working, e-marketing andweb-based platforms in addi-tion to hosting press andblogger trips and by partici-pating in some of the mainexhibitions and trade showsworldwide,” explained Dr.Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat,Managing Director, JordanTourism Board.

In 2013, GTA extendedits sales agent network in theMiddle East with twoappointments for Erbil andthe rest of Iraq recognisingthe country’s increasingtourism potential. “We signedan enhanced distributionagreement with Millennium& Copthorne Hotels MiddleEast & Africa to give theirhotel access to more cus-tomers and increased book-ings. For 2014, we expectmore of the same success.The Middle East and Africashows enormous potential forcontinued growth and GTA is

working hard to capitalise onit to benefit customers andpartners throughout theregion,” informed RamiMashini, Vice President,Sales and Marketing - MEA,GTA. “Estimated to attract

more than 25 million visitors,the majority from outside theUAE, the World Expo 2020offers significant potential.We will continue to widenour reach even further to be‘in on the ground’ in new

markets, for instance, recog-nising Africa’s growthpotential with sales agentspartnerships in Nigeria andSudan,” he furtherinformed. 2013 has been agood year for Royal

Caribbean Internationalwith a double digit growthin guest volume comparedto 2012.

With two Oasis classships sailing in Caribbean,and the recently revitalisedships sailing out of variousdestinations in Europe, Asia& Alaska, 2014 is expected tobe another successful year forthe cruise company.

"We have had an amaz-ing response to our 2013cruise programmes fromMiddle East travellers whichhas helped us to record doubledigit growth from the region.Now with our new itinerariesand exciting new ships, welook forward to another suc-cessful year,” explained Helen Beck, Regional Director,International Representatives,Europe, Middle East, AfricaRoyal Caribbean International,Celebrity Cruises and AzamaraClub Cruises.

She added, “We havetwo of the world's largest andmost innovative cruise ships -Oasis of the Seas and Allure ofthe Seas - sailing in theCaribbean throughout nextyear, in addition to otherFreedom and Voyager class of ships."

2013 was fabulous, 2014 will be more

The response to 2013 cruisepackages fromMiddle Easthelped torecord doubledigit growth

The MiddleEast andAfrica showenormouspotential forcontinuedgrowth

Rami Mashini Vice President Sales and Marketing MEA, GTA

For 2014, we'llbe focussingmore on MICE,religious, eco-tourismand adventuretourism

Dr. Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat Managing Director Jordan Tourism Board

Helen BeckRegional Director, InternationalRepresentatives, Europe, MEA RoyalCaribbean International, CelebrityCruises and Azamara Club Cruises

Contd. from page 1

Honouring agents in EgyptElaf Group of companies for travel & tourism came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Egypt tocelebrate and honour its agents for achieving positive results this year. Special felicitation ceremonieswere held, and were attended by Elaf Group President Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, Head of Travel, Tourismand Hajj & Ummrah, and other department heads of the group.

Natalie Tours holds annual meetThe 2nd annual Congress of Natalie Tours was held in Dubai on December 15, 2013. The topmanagement of the company utilised the opportunity to meet general managers of top 100 successfultravel agencies in Ukraine to discuss joint plans and development of cooperation with regard to theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the key markets for the tour operator. The Congress, held atJumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai, was attended by Saleh Al Geziry, Director of Overseas Promotions atDubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Ghassan Aridi, CEO Alpha Tours,Vladimir Vorobiev, President of Natalie Tours, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior VP for Commercial Operations,flydubai, and Sayyora Asatova of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray.

TECHNOLOGY J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 7

More than 30 of theKingdom’s leading

travel agencies attended twoworkshops held in Jeddahand Riyadh. The workshopsshowed ways to maximisetheir business through thecar content available onTravelport’s GlobalDistribution Systems (GDS)and the latest offers fromHertz.

According to the twocompanies, both the events,hosted by Travelport andHertz in the Middle East,were well received by localtravel agents and set a prece-dent for similar initiatives inthe future.

“Car rental is a non-aircontent and is a key part ofTravelport offer.

The workshops weorganised withHertz really helpedus highlight thebusinessopportunitiesavailable to travelagents in SaudiArabia,”

said Assita Kone,Hospitality BusinessDevelopment Manager,Travelport, Middle East.“We’re thrilled with theresponse we’ve received fromthe local travel trade and areplanning to make theseevents a regular feature in

Saudi Arabia and across theregion in 2014,” she added.

According to HertzInternational, these initia-tives are designed to boostthe long-term outboundstrategy and focus on keygrowth channels which playan instrumental role in thelong-term success.

Travelport’s Galileo andWorldspan GDS systems cur-rently offer deals from 24global car providers. It repre-sents 30,000 locations,ensuring travel agents havethe best choice available andare able to complete entireitineraries including air trav-el, hotels and cars throughthe same booking system.

Travelport also caters toOnline Travel Agencies(OTAs) by providing an effi-cient way to search and dis-play relevant car content ontheir website.

Enabled by Travelport’scutting edge universal APItechnology, it allows agentsto access a wide range of con-tent and apply individualparameters to guarantee rel-evant search results.

To bring local travel agents up-to-speed on the latest carrental trends and opportunities, Travelport and HertzInternational have joined forces in Saudi Arabia.

Tech updates in car rental

TT BU R E AU

Assita KoneHospitality Business DevelopmentManager, Middle East, Travelport

Travelport’s Galileo andWorldspan GDS systemscurrently offer deals from24 global car providers. It represents 30,000locations, ensuring travelagents have the best choice

Global Reach

Today, the tourism indus-try has created a niche

for itself as a significant sec-tor propelling the growth ofeconomies in the Middle Eastand North Africa belt.Spurred development andgrowing competition havegiven way to a host of newoptions available for trav-ellers to consider while plan-ning their itineraries. Markettrends are quick to change,and it is important for travelagents to keep track of thechanges, so as to effectivelycater to consumer needs.

This year, Amadeusconducted its first hotel dis-tribution survey in the regionto understand travellers’ andtravel agents’ perspectives onthe hotel selection and book-ing process. Findings fromthe survey revealed thatwhile making a hotel book-ing, location is the key con-sideration for travellers, fol-lowed by price and the optionto pre-pay or carry vouchers.

With the increase intheir access to technology,agents expect to see a rise inthe influence of hotel reviewsand multimedia content intheir clients’ final decisions.Brand awareness no longerhas critical influence overcustomer choice, whichmeans hotel chains will havemore room to aggressivelypromote their brand.

The study also high-lighted that as many as 41per cent of the respondents

feel that they still have a highinfluence on the clients’ finalchoice, while 52 per centindicated that customerscompare offers with B2C sitesand their own researchbefore deciding.

While agents’influence is stillcritical, it ismandatory for themto retain theirclients by providingimproved solutionsand service to theirclients.

Agents prioritised priceas the most important factorwhile selecting a bookingchannel, followed by post-sales support and access toagency negotiated rates aswell as corporation negotiatedrates. Online bookings havebecome more prominent inthe region, though offlinemethods such as email, tele-

phone and fax are still widelyused. Wholesalers, being usedonline or offline, play a signif-icant role in the bookingprocess.

Unlike the Asia-Pacificregion, where a similar studywas conducted, the MENAregion shows limited cross-selling opportunity. Agentsinvolved in hotel booking do not offer add-on booking services.

The survey offered acomprehensive understand-ing of the needs of travelagencies to meet customerexpectations. Respondentscited that the availability ofone single channel to accesswide variety of content,largely increases efficiency inthe hotel booking process.

That’s where Amadeusjumps in, providing power-ful solutions to travel agen-cies. Amadeus ContentStore, for instance, is a hotelbooking solution that pro-

vides travel agencies accessto over 150,000 hotel properties worldwide atattractive rates, sourcedfrom the region’s leadingaggregators.

It offers agents multi-language post-sales supportin Arabic, English andFrench, supports pre-paidvouchers amongst otherpayment alternates andeliminates commission col-lection issues for agents,providing net rates.Amadeus’ Hotel GDS allowsnegotiated rates to be easilyintegrated and accessibledirectly in the AmadeusSelling Platform application.

Further, Amadeus isinvesting in value added fea-tures such as interactivemaps on the GDS and usergenerated content in otherproducts such as AmadeuseTravel Management.

By Antoine Medawar,VP - MENA, Amadeus

Amadeus conducted its first hotel distribution survey to understand travellers’ and travel agents’perspectives on the hotel selection and booking process. The survey examined the responses of649 travel agents across countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

Hotel booking trends in MENA

Antoine MedawarVice President - Middle East and NorthAfrica, Amadeus

The Costa neoRivieriacelebrated her Abu Dhabimaiden call at Zayed Portrecently. Officials fromAbu Dhabi Ports Company(ADPC) handed over acommemorative plaque tothe captain of the ship,officially honouring thisspecial occasion. Thecruise liner, which sails forCosta Crociere offers a capacity for 1,700 pas-sengers and 670 crewmembers, will be visitingAbu Dhabi on a weeklybasis till February 2014.

With a total of 11 calls,the neoRiviera will bestaying overnight eachtime, giving all guests acomprehensive day andnight-time experience ofAbu Dhabi. The ship's oneweek itinerary is called’The Emirates in Style’,and includes a day at theprivate Al Maya IslandResort and a night underthe desert sky, with adawn spectacle and break-fast at an Arabian village.

CostaneoRivieramakes maidencall in Zayed Port

FAMILY ALBUM8 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

The Middle East aviationsector is leading a global

revival of air travel, recordinga year-on-year double digitincrease of international passengers, according to the latest report released bythe IATA.

The global AirPassenger Market Analysisreport, issued in October2013, stated that the MiddleEastern carriers experiencedthe strongest rate of increasein international revenue passenger kilometres (RPK)in October, up 14 per centcompared to a year ago, withgrowth so far this year reach-ing 12.1 per cent. Airlines inthe region have benefittedfrom strong growth in busi-ness-related premium travelthroughout the year, particu-larly to developing marketslike Africa. Continuedincrease in export orders sug-gest that business travelrelated to internationallytrading industries will continue to grow. Solid

performance of keyeconomies like Saudi Arabiaand the UAE has also sup-ported strong expansion inboth business and leisuretravel to regions like Europe.

While the global aver-age RPK increase stands at6.6 per cent, the Europeanairline manufacturer Airbushas predicted that MiddleEast airlines will buy 1,000 ofits aircraft, worth US$124 bil-lion, over the next 10 years.

The growth of airtravel from theregion can be largelyattributed to tourismgrowth along with alarge expatriatepopulation,

particularly in the GCC,which is home to nearly 50million expatriates who travelto their home countries or toother global destinations ontheir annual vacations.

This year IATA is fore-casting a global industry net

profit of $11.7 billion withMiddle East airlines con-tributing $1.6 billion to that.For 2014, the outlookimproves to $16.4 billionglobally with airlines in theMiddle East expected to generate a net profit of $2.1billion—the highest ever forthe region.

According to the WorldTravel & Tourism Council,the Middle East generatedUS$78.1 billion in visitorexports in 2012, while thisyear the region is expected tohave attracted 57 millioninternational tourist arrivals.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) reportsthat the Middle East airlines recorded a 12.2 per centgrowth in 2013 as compared to 2012.

ME air travel up by 14%

TT BU R E AU

Celebrating 1st anniversary with pompOn December 12, 2013, Al Ghurair Rayhaan and Al Ghurair Arjaan by Rotana celebrated their first anniversary with extravaganza, live entertainment anda gourmet menu especially created by their master chef to celebrate the momentous night.

At Belgrade's airport, aday before the Airline’s

first flight, Dane Kondic,CEO, Air Serbia andAleksandar Vucic, DeputyPrime Minister, Serbia,unveiled an Airbus A319plane. It had a double-headed

eagle logo in Serbia's national- red, white and blue colours— the first of the company'sfuture fleet.

"Welcome to a newdawn," said Kondic on theoccasion, when Air Serbiawas officially launched byVucic, in the presence of gov-ernment representatives and

other VIPs, national andinternational media and air-line employees.

Backed by UAE’s EtihadAirways, Air Serbia willreceive a US$ 40 million loanfacility, which in turn will beconverted into a 49 per centequity stake in January 2014.

The Government of Serbiawill match this with an equalfunding injection.

Etihad Airways and theSerbian Government will alsoeach provide a shareholderloan of up to US$ 60 millionto meet working capitalrequirements and support

network development for thenew airline.

Vucic said, “The launchof Air Serbia marks an impor-tant new beginning for theairline industry in our coun-try. The new investment inAir Serbia would deliver acustomer-focussed, commer-cial business which wouldattract trade and tourism intothe nation.”

Air Serbia launchednew routes from its hub atBelgrade's Nikola TeslaInternational Airport to AbuDhabi, Banja Luka (Bosnia),Bucharest (Romania),Ljubljana (Slovenia) andPrague (Czech Republic) 2013end. These new flights add tothe 29 destinations previous-ly served by its predecessor,JAT Airways, as part of its2013 summer schedule.

Air Serbia also plans tolaunch another seven newroutes between January andApril 2014, in addition torescheduling existing opera-tions to optimise connectionsvia its hub in Belgrade.

Air Serbia, the country's new national carrier, partlyowned by Etihad Airways, was launched in late 2013,with its first flight bound for Abu Dhabi from Belgrade.

Air Serbia takes off

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The new investment would deliver acustomer-focussed, commercialbusiness which would attract tradeand tourism into the nationAleksandar VucicDeputy Prime Minister, Serbia

IATA forecasts a globalindustry net profit of $11.7bn and ME airlines willcontribute $1.6 bn to that

ME carriers experiencedthe strongest rate ofincrease in internationalRPKs in October 2013, up14 per cent compared to ayear ago

Growth

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Commenting at theForum, which was held

over two days fromDecember 9-11, 2013, at theRosewood Abu Dhabi,Mohammed Al Dhaheri,Strategy & Policy Director,Abu Dhabi Tourism & CultureAuthority (TCA Abu Dhabi)said, “The sector holds outhuge growth potential if allstakeholders engage in discussions to identify the opportunities and challenges. If we seize thisopportunity, we will look backon this day as a milestone inthe development of cruisingin Arabia.”

He added, “Today, wehave the chance to openlydiscuss the growth opportu-nities which clearly exist forthis region’s cruise industry.”The entire region needs tocome together to drive anambition of becoming a cred-ible and highly appealingcruise region.

“To do this, we have topool our resources, in terms

of marketing, both to thecruise industry and the con-sumer. There are challenges,but they are not insurmount-able. We do though have tobecome easier to do businesswith,” he further comment-ed. “In Abu Dhabi, we aretaking our cruise ambitionsseriously.

We are committedto building apermanent cruiseterminal andintroducing a stop-overdestination onDelma Island in ourwestern region

along with other plansin the pipeline.”

TCA Abu Dhabi has alsoset up a dedicated industrydevelopment committeespecifically for the industry.“This committee, whichincludes representatives ofthe port, Abu Dhabi termi-nals, immigration, EtihadAirways and the Department

of Transport will eventuallybe expanded to include pri-vate sector players,” heexplained. “Abu Dhabi is nowworking with Fujairah, Dubaiand Muscat to develop thesector in a new Cruise ArabiaAlliance approach.”

He concluded, “We aretaking part together in road-shows around the region tocreate awareness of thisindustry among the traveltrade, the media and the endconsumer. We have realisedthat we need to convince con-sumers here of the advan-tages of cruising.”

The Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum hosted by AbuDhabi, was to facilitate decision-making and discuss keyissues to enable a new chapter to begin in the region.

New terminal on the cards

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Welcoming the beginningof the new cruise sea-

son and arrival of MSC Lirica,Khalid Jasim Al Midfa,Director General, SharjahCommerce and TourismDevelopment Authority(SCTDA) said, “Sharjah looksahead to again host interna-tional luxury cruise passen-gers from Europe and aroundthe world.”

Arriving from AbuDhabi, MSC Lirica will visitthe Khorfakkan port everyTuesday before proceeding toMuscat in Oman. BetweenNovember 26, 2013 and April1, 2014, a total number of 19

calls will be made to theEmirate’s East Coast. Around43,000 luxury cruise passen-gers are expected to visit theEmirate during the 2013-14cruise season.

He further addedm“With some of the world’smost popular cruise linersvisiting Sharjah’s East Coast,the attention is again on thepicturesque region which hasseen major strides on thetourism and developmentfront recently.

Sharjah is keen to develop the East Coast and exploit itseconomic potentialby developing thetourisminfrastructure in the area.”

The arrival of thou-sands of international luxurycruise passengers should bechannelled to generate economic opportunities ben-efitting all. The Sharjah gov-

ernment, in past couple ofyears, has unveiled severaldevelopment initiativesincluding the ChediKhorfakkan Luxury Resortand Spa and the Kalba ecotourism project, thelargest such initiative in the region.

Meanwhile, onNovember 1, 2013 SeabournOdyssey, another luxury cruiseliner, also visited theKhorfakkan port with morethan 400 passengers on board,and Costa Fortuna visited theport on December 17.

Cruise liner, MSC Lirica arrived at the Khorfakkan portrecently, and with it began Sharjah’s new cruise season,that expects 43,000 passengers to visit the Emirate.

Cruise season begins

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The partnership waslaunched with a Cruise

Gulf Road Show which tookplace recently, touring sever-al cities in the GCC.

The objective of theroadshow was to increase thenumber of residents in theregion who consider cruise asa holiday option; increaseawareness of the Gulf as acruise tourism destination;and to train and motivateregional travel trade agentsto sell cruises in the Gulf sail-ing out of Dubai.

Dubai is the cruise hubof the region and has beenthe home port for cruise lineslike Costa, Aida, RoyalCaribbean, TUI and MSCCruises. Costa, Aida and MSChave confirmed gulf cruiseitineraries for Dubai for the2013-2014 season.

The port of Oman andAbu Dhabi are a vital part ofthese itineraries.

Helal Saeed Almarri,Director General, Dubai'sDepartment of Tourism and

Commerce Marketing(DTCM) said, "The CruiseGulf Road Show presents atremendous opportunity todemonstrate the continuedgrowth and success ofDubai's cruise tourism indus-try, and to join our partnersfrom Oman and Abu Dhabicruise industries to promotethe Gulf as an attractivecruising destination."

The delegation com-prised representatives fromthe three tourism authori-ties, cruise lines Costa andMSC visited a number ofGCC neighbours over the

six-day roadshow. It targetted 400-450 leadingtravel agents and other keystakeholders.

The roadshow arrivedin Kuwait, followed byBahrain and Qatar.

It then travelled toSaudi Arabia, spending a sin-gle day each in Jeddah,Riyadh and Al Khobar.

Salim Al Mamari,Director General, TourismDevelopment, OmanMinistry of Tourism said,"These are truly excitingtimes for the GCC region's

tourism industry, particular-ly across the luxury cruisesegment, which demon-strated continuous growth.”

In line with this, thejoint venture agreementbetween Oman's Ministry ofTourism, the Department ofTourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM) in Dubaiand Abu Dhabi Tourism &Culture Authority (TCA AbuDhabi) proves to be bothtimely and strategic as it joinshands in positioning theregion as a premiere cruisingdestination- ultimately driv-ing huge economic and

development opportunitiesfor the whole of GCC.

Sultan Al Dhaheri,Director, Tourism Eco-Systems, Abu Dhabi Tourism& Culture Authority com-mented, "Abu Dhabi haslong-term cruise industryambitions and is workingclosely with our regional des-tination partners to progressa GCC-wide approach to fulfilthe needs of operators.”

Dario Rustico, Directorof Sales & Marketing, CentralEurope, Africa, Middle Eastand India, Costa Cruises said,

"The UAE and the GCC regionis a firm fixture in our winterdeployment since 2006 andour participation to the CruiseGulf Road Show is the first ofmany activities we have in thepipeline, in line with our planto invest more to develop thelocal source market.”

Pierfrancesco Vago,Executive Chairman, MSCCruises said, "MSC Cruises'return to the Emirates reaffirms our strong belief inthe region's potential as aninnovative and highly desirable destination forcruise travellers."

The Ministry of Tourism Oman, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and Dubai’s Department ofTourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) have partnered to promote cruise tourism in the GCC.

Shot in the arm for GCC cruise sector

Khalid Jasim Al MidfaDirector General Sharjah Commerce and TourismDevelopment Authority

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Mohammed Al DhaheriStrategy & Policy Director, Abu DhabiTourism & Culture Authority

On November 1, 2013Seabourn Odyssey,another luxury cruise liner,also visited the Khorfakkanport with more than 400passengers on board

Costa Fortuna visited theport on December 17

Rise In Visitors

The roadshowdemonstratesthe success ofDubai's cruisetourismindustry

Helal Saeed AlmarriDirector General,DTCM

These areexciting times forthe region'stourism industry,particularly in theluxury segment

Salim Al Mamari Director General,Tourism Development,Oman Tourism

Abu Dhabi isworking withregionalpartners to fulfilthe needs ofoperators

Sultan Al Dhaheri Director, Tourism Eco-Systems, AbuDhabi TCA

The UAE and theGCC region is afirm fixture in ourwinter deploymentsince 2006

Dario Rustico Director of Sales &Marketing, Central Europe,Africa, Middle East andIndia, Costa Cruises

MSC Cruises'return to the regionreaffirms ourbelief in theGCC's potential

PierfrancescoVago Executive Chairman,MSC Cruises

AVIATION J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 1 1

The order book exceededUS$200 billion with an

exact figure of $206.1 billion– bulging with aircraft, partsand MRO deals, reflecting thegrowing importance of theMENASA region as theworld’s aviation hub. MajorMiddle East carriers such asEtihad Airways, EmiratesAirline, flydubai and QatarAirways placed large fleetorders to Boeing and Airbus.

Sharief Fahmy, CEO,F&E Aerospace, organiser ofDubai Airshow said, “DubaiAirshow this week steppedinto the record books of avi-ation history, breaking allrecords in terms of the valueof deals done. The world’smost powerful aerospacecompanies now come toDubai to do business, in whatis now the world’s mostexciting, innovative and busi-ness-friendly environment.”

Boeing received 259orders and commitments

from Emirates (150), QatarAirways (50), Etihad Airways(25) and a previouslyannounced order fromLufthansa (34) for the newlylaunched 777X. The com-bined value of the agree-ments is more than $95 bil-lion at list prices, placing the777X as the largest productlaunch in commercial jetlinerhistory by value.

Charlie Miller, VicePresident, InternationalCorporate Communications,Boeing said, “Dubai 2013 hasbeen a truly historic andrecord-breaking airshow forthe company. We would liketo thank our hosts for theorganisation of such amomentous event at thestunning new airshowvenue.”

Airbus got a total of 160orders and commitmentsworth US$44 billion. Byvalue, Emirates placed thesingle largest order for 50additional A380s, worthUS$20 billion. By numbers,Etihad Airways placed the

single largest firm order forAirbus at the Dubai Airshow,with 87 aircraft worth US$19billion at list prices.

Dubai Airshow is organ-ised under the patronage ofSheikh Mohammed binRashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Ministerof the UAE and Ruler ofDubai, and in co-operationwith Dubai Civil AviationAuthority, Dubai Airports,Dubai World Central and theUAE Armed Forces.

Around 1,046 exhibitors from 60 countries took part in the biennial Dubai Airshow which was held at the newDubai World Central in November last year. The event drew a trade attendee intake of 60,692.

ME carriers place large fleet ordersTT BU R E AU

Airbus got a total of 160orders and commitmentsworth US$44 billion

By value, Emirates placedthe single largest order for50 additional A380s,worth US$20 billion

By numbers, EtihadAirways placed the singlelargest order for Airbus,with 87 aircraft worthUS$19 billion at list prices

Shopping Cart

SAC Craig Marshall, Crown Copyright/MoD

HOTELS1 2 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

“The tourism sector isdoing extremely well

in Dubai and by the WorldExpo 2020, it will be the bestyear. The hotels will bebooming by then, as will thecity,” said Bartz. “By thistime, Meydan would have150 hotels in the Middle Eastregion. We opened five hotelsin Dubai recently, and anoth-er one in Sharjah.” Meydanhas signed a contract to opena hotel in Ajman byDecember. The group alsohas a contract signed fordevelopment of hotels inQatar and another five hotelsin other areas of the region,with an addition of 400rooms. They have alsorecently opened 72 apart-ments in Abu Dhabi.

“We are growing!”declared Bartz with a smile.

Meydan’s target clientsare from the GCC, bothleisure and corporate, fol-lowed by leisure tourists fromRussia, UK, China andGermany. Near 50-60 per

cent of the apartments arealready rented, and 70 percent of these are on a long-term basis, on yearly or on

6-month contracts. The restof them are rented on a dailybasis for corporate business.They are situated in the heartof the town close to the officedistrict and convention cen-tres, etc. They are also spa-cious enough to hold meet-ings in the well-equipped liv-ing rooms, saving a large sumnormally spent on hotel busi-ness centres.

“A lot of families comehere and our Chinese guestsare especially fond of theseapartments, as it gives themthe freedom to cook their ownmeals,” said Bartz. Meydancaters to both leisure and busi-ness, depending on the sea-son. They have special pack-ages during religious eventswhen large numbers comeinto the area. Their occupancyrate is 90-93 per cent. Therack rate per day is AED 520.

In an exclusive with Middle East, Sascha Bartz,Head of Hotels & Resorts, from the Meydan Group, talksabout their plans for the Middle East region.

‘2020 will be the best year’

DEEPASETHIFROMLONDON

Celebration with the theme of waterThe Sharjah Water Festival 2013 is the 11-day fiesta, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) for theseventh year. The extravagant festival featured popular entertainment and amusement activities, such as the Diving Show, Ice Age Show, IceRink, Petting Zoo, and Speaking Tree.

Cape Reed, renowned forthe construction and

installation of exclusive tai-lor-made sustainable timberand thatch structures, started

work on the project in April2011. It completed the designof 7,000 sqm of thatchedroofing for the hotel, as wellas 5,000 sqm thatch tile ceil-ings. The property, located onthe Palm Jumeirah, has 318

rooms and suites, 561 serv-iced apartments, 42 beachsuite units and three luxuri-ous Lodge Villas as well. Thecompany's primary roofingmaterial, which gives thecompany its name, is capereed, a kind of thatch, andstrict farming practices areadhered to ensure its sustain-ability. "The natural materialsused throughout the resortare key in connecting ourguests to their environment,"said Christophe Schnyder,General Manager, Sofitel ThePalm, Dubai.

"Cape Reed definitelyfalls into this category as theyprovide a very successful nat-ural product with a high levelof installation and qualitycontrol. They were selecteddue to their expertise in deal-ing with the natural reedproduct, which was utilisedeffectively as a unique archi-tectural element throughoutthe Palm Jumeirah SofitelResort," he added.

A massive project was completedby Cape Reed Group of Companiesfor Sofitel Palm Resort & Spa,which opened in July last year.

AED15mn projectcompleted

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Meydan also has a contractsigned for development ofhotels in Qatar and anotherfive hotels in the region

Expansion

The naturalmaterials usedare key inconnecting ourguests to theirenvironmentChristopheSchnyder General Manager, SofitelThe Palm, Dubai

Sascha Bartz Head of Hotels & ResortsMeydan Group

By 2020,Meydan wouldhave 150 hotelsin the region andrecently weopened fivehotels in Dubai

Le Méridien DubaiHotel & ConferenceCentre plans to unveil themuch anticipated newexpansion of its premisesby the second quarter of2014. Strategically posi-tioned, the new expansionof 197 guest rooms andnew banqueting facilitieswill continue to furtherdeliver the hotel’s servicestandards, values andsimultaneously addressnew market trends.

The 8-storey buildinghousing the 197 newguest rooms is being con-structed adjacent to thecurrent Royal Club, andwill further increase thecurrent room inventory of383 to 580. The new spa-cious guest rooms of 52 sqmeters are designed withmodern interiors.

Personalised butlerservice on each floor, a rooftop pool and anexclusive Club lounge, inaddition to the currentRoyal Club benefits, areonly some of the featuresand benefits guests can expect.

Le MéridienDubaiundergoesexpansion

With the opening of anew facility, US-bound

passengers will be able toclear US immigration andcustoms at Abu DhabiAirport. Etihad Airways willalso launch direct flights toDallas/Fort Worth, Texas in2014, its fifth destination inthe United States. “The newservice will also strengthenthe commercial and bilateralties between the UAE and the US,” informed JamesHogan, President and CEO,Etihad Airways.

The addition of the newultra-long haul three flights-a-week, which start onDecember 3, 2014, followsEtihad Airways’ pledge toexpand its US flight networkto cater to the growingdemand from business andleisure travellers.

Etihad Airways’ UScodeshare partner will tough-en Etihad Airways’ reach anddepth across the US, attract-

ing air travellers from theMiddle East and India. Indiais one of the world’s fastest-growing air travel marketsthat play an increasinglyimportant role in the Airlines’growth.

“Through our purchaseof 24 per cent investment inJet Airways, the first foreigninvestment permitted in anIndian airline,

we have laid thefoundation for majorgrowth in airservices betweenAbu Dhabi andIndia and beyond,

throughout our globalnetwork,” he further stated.

“Subject to receivingregulatory approvals, we willcontinue to expand our Abu Dhabi-India operations,”he added. The first stage of thestrategy includes additionalflights and the introduction oflarger aircraft on existing

routes to India. The Airline hasdoubled the number of flightsfrom Abu Dhabi to Mumbaiand New Delhi with immedi-ate effect. The other additionalflights planned are to Kochifrom June 2014; to Bengaluruand Chennai from July 2014and to Hyderabad fromOctober 2014.

Etihad Airways and JetAirways also plan to codeshareon each other's flights betweenAbu Dhabi, India and othermarkets in the Middle East,North America and Europe.

Etihad Airways plans to use Abu Dhabi as a global hubconnecting international passengers and freight withflights to and from India.

Etihad expanding into India

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The new EVW is free ofcharge and is a quick

alternative to a visit visaapplication. Those eligible forthe EVW will be able to travelto the UK after completingand printing a short onlineform, 48 hours before travel.UK intends to extend thescheme for Kuwait in 2014.

However, the travellerswishing to work, study, enterinto a civil partnership ormarriage or visit the countryfor more than six months,must obtain a visa and cannottravel on an EVW document.

This change will increasetourists and business visitorsfrom these countries to theUK. Previously, there was a 29per cent rise in visit visasissued to nationals from theMiddle East. Globally, visitvisas to the UK have increasedby 15 per cent.

Sandie Dawe, CEO,VisitBritain informed, “Britain

is a popular destination for res-idents of the Gulf countries.

We observed arecord 37 per centincrease in thevalue of Gulfresidents spendingin Britain in 2012 -that’s a recordaverage of £3,555per visitor.”

Dawe added, “We knowthere is already a huge aspi-ration to travel to Britain toshop and enjoy our attrac-tions and events, so we’redelighted that the recent visachanges will make it easier toget here and come moreoften. If current trends con-tinue, we are set to seeanother record year for Arabvisitors in 2014.”

UK Visas andImmigration (UKVI) has madeimprovements to the visa sys-tem in 2012 to attract more

business travellers and visitorsto the UK, announcing same-day visa services and mobilevisa service in India and China,and the further rollout of pre-mium services like the 3-5 dayvisa processing and theGREAT Club.

Comparing September2013 with the same monthlast year, the number of UKvisit visas issued in the UAEhas increased by 43 per cent,Qatar by 39 per cent, Omanby 32 per cent and Kuwait by40 per cent.

Tourists and business visitors from the UAE, Qatar andOman can obtain an electronic visa waiver (EVW) to travelto the UK from January 1, 2014.

UK e-visa waiver for GCC

SU S M I TA GH O S H

James HoganPresident and CEOEtihad Airways

Sandie DaweCEO VisitBritain

Recognised as the onlyrepresentative of

Azerbaijan-based in the UAE,the tourism operations ofAvionics Travels & Holidaysstarted in 2003. It specialisesin inbound travel servicesmainly for the Russian marketin the UAE. Since 2011, thecompany started outboundbusiness providing packagetours to the CIS regions, SriLanka, Maldives, Mauritius,Seychelles, Thailand, Egypt,Turkey and Europe.

“Dubai is a prime loca-tion for all MICE require-ments with superior infra-structure and facilities. Weare now targetting ‘Eventsfor Expo 2020.’ There will bebusiness coming in from thecountries participating in theWorld Expo. Once we knowwhich countries are partici-pating and the ways to goahead, we will start promot-

ing ourselves to the key peo-ple who organise events andconferences and makearrangements for them tocome and stay till the Expogets over,” informed Munir Sherwani, Managing

Director, Avionics Travels & Holidays.

“We have managedgroups and tours from thecountries which are within 4-5 hours flight distance. In2014, we are planning toexpand beyond to the coun-tries about 7-8 hours flightdistance away. We are lookingat Malaysia, Thailand,Vietnam, Italy, Greece,Cyprus, Kenya and SouthAfrica,” he added.

Avionics observed year-on-year business growth of 40 per cent in 2012, anoth-er 30 per cent in 2013 andforecasts a growth of 50 percent in 2014.

“Mostly, due to unavail-ability of accommodation,business cannot flourish as itshould. Since more exhibitionsare coming up presently, theMICE requirement of theindustry will always be high.But with the construction sec-tor getting a boost and withthe introduction of several ini-tiatives and incentives forthose who want to buildhotels, the business will be onthe ascending trail without anyhindrance,” he added.

Destination Management Company for the inbound andthe outbound, Avionics Travels & Holidays is focussingon the MICE segment for the World Expo 2020.

Aim on MICE for Expo 2020

SU S M I TA GH O S H

The agreement comes fourmonths after The

Exclusive Travel Groupexpanded to the GCC.Qantas, with new partnerEmirates, offers more flightsto New Zealand than anyother GCC carrier.

Qantas and Emiratesoffer a network of interna-tional and domestic flightsboth to and within theAustralasian region.

It operates more than130 services every weekfrom Auckland, Christchurch,Wellington and Queenstownto Australian east coast citiesfrom more than 65 destina-tions in the Middle East,North Africa and Europe.

Rob Young, Founder &Managing Director, TheExclusive Travel Group, commented, “New Zealand,Australia and the SouthPacific remain uncharteredterritories for many discern-ing travellers from the GCC.”

He further added, thattogether with Qantas and its

extensive route path, theycan look forward to intro-duce visitors from theMiddle East region to a newclass of luxury travel.

According to Qantas,luxury travel is a growingsector in the GCC and theagreement with TheExclusive Travel Group is testament to this.

The Exclusive TravelGroup is an inboundDestination ManagementCompany designing bespoke and personalised travel experiences to NewZealand, Australia and theSouth Pacific.

Headquartered in NewZealand, with an office inAustralia and sales repre-sentatives in the GCC,Russia, UK and NorthAmerica, The ExclusiveTravel Group crafts ultra-luxury travel experiencesacross three categories -leisure, corporate and VIP.

The Exclusive Travel Group will promote luxury travelto the high net worth sector of the GCC region, outboundto New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.

DMC partners with Qantas

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According to Qantas,luxury travel is a growingsector in the GCC

The Exclusive Travel Groupcrafts ultra-luxury travelexperiences across threecategories - leisure,corporate and VIP

Luxury

Munir SherwaniManaging DirectorAvionics Travels & Holidays

In 2014, we are planning to expandbeyond to thecountries about7-8 hours flightdistance away

Rob YoungFounder & Managing Director, The Exclusive Travel Group

New Zealand,Australia and theSouth Pacific remainuncharteredterritories for manytravellers from the GCC

There was year-on-yearbusiness growth of 30% in2013, and they expect agrowth of 50% in 2014

Forecast

NEWS J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 1 3

FAMILY ALBUM1 4 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

The VITO Middle Eastoffice assists the Ministry

of Tourism Creative Economy(MOTCE) of Indonesia in sev-eral activities throughout theyear. It promotes Indonesia inthe Middle East throughtrade shows, FAM trips andin-house workshop for thetravel agencies to createawareness and interestamong them.

“We have participatedin ATM and GIBTM 2013 andorganised FAM trips witharound 10 travel agents eachin partnership with SingaporeAirlines and Etihad Airways,”informed Nour Aridi, CountryManager, VITO Middle EastRepresentative Office.

“Participating in tradeshows like EMITT in Istanbul,GIBTM in Abu Dhabi andATM in Dubai are very impor-tant for us.

The trade shows remainthe first in excellence for theregional tourism industry tonetwork with the key playersand meet potential partnersto promote Indonesia,” she added.

MOTCE announcedtheir 2014 strategy campaignfocussing on 16 markets,based on the diversity ofIndonesia’s culture and her-itage - nature, ecotourism,recreation , sports, cruises,culinary and shopping, healthand wellness and mostimportantly MICE.

“MICE business isdeveloping in Indonesia withready-to-receive 15 destina-tions including Jakarta andBali. The MICE business con-tributed to 30 per centtourism revenues in 2013,"Aridi added.

Indonesia will hostAPEC Summit and the 9thWorld Trade OrganisationMinisterial Meeting. Buildingmany more convention cen-tres are also in the processacross the country.

Indonesia Tourism experienced year-to-year growth withan increase of 5.16 per cent compared to 2012. The UAEtourist arrivals to Indonesia rose by 64.6 per cent in 2013.

Attracting UAE tourists

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Joining hands for a cleaner worldUnder the patronage of Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman, Ajman Municipality, in association with UAE Ministry of Education, Ramada Hoteland Suites Ajman play a major role in making the world cleaner and greener for the future generation. The hotel organised 'Go Green Painting Competition'in the northern emirates and an award ceremony to felicitate the winners.

Nour Aridi Country Manager, Visit Indonesia TouristOffice Middle East Representative Office

MICE business isdeveloping inIndonesia withready-to-receive15 destinations,such as Jakarta

MOTCE announced their2014 strategy campaignfocussing on 16 markets,based on the diversity ofIndonesia’s culture andheritage

Campaign 2014

Presently, Saudi Arabiaranks as the largest visi-

tor market to the Philippinesand continued to record sig-nificant growth in 2013. ThePhilippine Department ofTourism along with thePhilippine Embassy in Riyadhand Philippine ConsulateGeneral in Jeddah, havecome together to launch anew revitalised promotionalpush to encourage moreSaudi nationals and expatri-ates to holiday in thePhilippines in 2014.

To kick-off the activities,a week-long promotionalcampaign to both the cities ofRiyadh and Jeddah had beenconducted from December14-20, 2013.

In 2012, the countryhosted around 30,040 visitorsfrom Saudi Arabia, which wasan increase of 7.5 per centcompared to 2011. The trav-ellers’ arrival from SaudiArabia between January-September 2013 was 30,258,exceeding the arrivals in

2012. The number represents34.7 per cent when comparedto same nine-month figuresexperienced in 2012.

The inclination for fur-ther increase in arrivalsremains strong, following theincrease in direct flights serv-ices between Philippines andSaudi Arabia.

Raymund Glen Agustin,Chief -Russia, India and theMiddle East MarketDevelopment Group,Philippine Department ofTourism said,

“We are committedto deepening ourengagement withtravel industryprofessionals,airlines, media andconsumers in theMiddle East, tofurther spread themessage that traveland tourism to thePhilippines offersgreat value and ismore fun.

With the support of ourindustry partners, compatri-ots at the Philippine Embassy,consulates in Saudi Arabiaand our new marketing representative office withAVIAREPS, a cohesive programme of promotionalactivities, events, seminarsand participation at the keytravel exhibitions will berolled out over the forthcom-ing months, with the objective of enticing morevisitors to the Philippines.”

The Philippine Department of Tourism has recognisedSaudi Arabia as the primary outbound market fordevelopment, especially from the Middle East.

Visitors to Philippines rise

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Raymund Glen AgustinChief -Russia, India and the Middle EastMarket Development Group, PhilippineDepartment of Tourism

MOVEMENTS J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 1 5

Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel Dubai Stephan Vanden Auweele has been appointed GeneralManager of the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel to spearhead theextensive renovation of the landmarkhotel. Vanden Auweele holds over 20years of experience in opening andmanaging hotels around the world.Previously, he held the position ofGeneral Manager, Aloft Abu Dhabi,which he opened in 2009. VandenAuweele was also responsible for theopenings of Sheraton Algarveand Sheraton La Caleta.

Rotana Abu Dhabi Greg Allan will join Rotana as the new Area Vice President– Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. He has 30 years of experience in theindustry which includes his position asArea Director - Operations for SouthEast Asia for Marriott International.Previously, he was the Vice President- Rooms, Food & Beverage, Head ofMarketing, Resor ts World Sentosa,Singapore. Allan graduated from NapierUniversity in Edinburgh, Scotland.He will be overseeing theoperations of Rotana in AbuDhabi & Al Ain.

Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi Stefan Gaessler has recently been appointed the GeneralManager at Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi. Gaessler brings

with him over 24 years of experienceand has held a number of positionswithin the Hyatt family. Since joiningHyatt Regency Chicago in 1990, hemoved up the ranks in quicksuccession from Assistant Food andBeverage Manager to EAM Food and

Beverage Grand Hyatt Seoul. Prior tojoining Hyatt, Gaessler held several roles

at Steigenberger Hotel Sonnenhaldeas par t of the food and beverageand front office team.

Air China Dubai Bi Zhang has been appointed as the General Manager, DubaiBranch of Air China recently. He brings with him 21 years of

experience in the airline industry. Prior tothis appointment, he was the ViceGeneral Manager of Tokyo Branch andthe General Manager of Nagoya Branch,counting a total of 11 years experiencein Japan. In his new role, he looks

forward to face the challenges of anotherdynamic air transpor tation

business arena in the UAE,and in the regions of theMiddle East and Africa.

Dubai Michael van der Ende is joining Travelport as Head ofOTA (Online Travel Agencies) for Middle East, Africa and India.joins Travelport from dnata travel, part ofthe Emirates Group, where he held theposition of B2C Manager. He brings awealth of experience from the OTA sectorhaving held senior positions in Europe withlastminute.com and Opodo. In his new role,he takes on the responsibility of overseeingand driving Travelport’s online businessacross the region, as the localtravel industry seeks toestablish its onlinepresence.

Travelport Atlanta Bret Kidd has been appointed as the Vice President &General Manager, Airline IT Solutions, Travelport. Kidd joinsTravelpor t from Stratos ManagementSystems, a private equity-backed ITservices firm that he co-founded andgrew to over $130 million. Previously,he held a variety of executive positionsat EDS/HP in the Travel & Transportation,Global Public Sector and CorporateStrategy and M&A groups. Kidd beganhis career on Capitol Hill, servingas special assistant to U.S.Senator Phil Gramm.

Jeddah Bruce Hanna has been appointed by Travelpor t as theCountry Manager for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Hanna has more than 20 years ofexperience with Travelport. He joined theSaudi Arabia team from Johannesburg,

where he was VP Commercial forTravelport Southern Africa. Prior to this,he was the Director for Market Supportin Africa, as well as President and CEO

for Galileo India. In his new role,Hanna is responsible

for all Galileo-relatedcommercial activity in

the Kingdom.

Qatar Airways Doha David Edwards has been appointed Executive Vice-President of the corporate jet arm of Qatar Airways, QatarExecutive. Edwards will be responsiblefor guiding all strategic, commercialand operational aspects of the Airline’sprivate jet division. In his new role,Edwards will focus on strengtheningQatar Executive’s footprint in theoperator’s existing key markets. Priorto this, Edwards wasManaging Director, MiddleEast and Asia for GamaAviation.

Grand Millennium Al Wahda Abu Dhabi Archana Kawatra is the new Director of Sales &Marketing at the Grand Millennium Al Wahda Abu Dhabi. Shehas 16 years of experience in thesales industry. Previously, she wasthe Director of Sales, MICE withRotana Hotels in Dubai. Kawatrahas star ted her career in hotelindustry in 1997 with hotel chainssuch as The Ambassador Groupof Hotels, Taj Hotels, and HyattInternational as SalesManager, MICE, where shespent 4 years and shemoved to Dubai on 2007.

Burj Al Arab celebrates 42nd UAE National Day

Burj Al Arab in Dubai, celebrated the 42nd United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Day in magnificent style.A stunning laser and digital 3D display, accompanied by spectacular choreographed music, captured thehistoric 42-year journey back to when the UAE was founded in 1971. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, UAE Vice President, and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said,"This event was a fitting finaleto an incredible few days for the UAE - beginning with the announcement of the country's successful bidto host Expo 2020 in Dubai."

Franchisee partner for DubaiThomas Cook (India) Ltd, India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company,recently appointed TravTips, as its franchisee partner for the market of Dubai. TravTips is a dynamicsales & marketing consultancy company in the Middle East. (From left) Hassan Moosa, Licensingdepartment, DTCM, Suraj Mainat, Managing Director, TravTips, Madhavan Menon, Managing Director,Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, Khalid Al Marri, Head Licensing Department, DTCM, Khalid Al Halyan, Headof Inspection Entertainment Activities, DTCM and J P Singh, Sr Vice President, Leisure Travel Outboud,Thomas Cook (India) Ltd were present at the event.

NTO1 6 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 4

At the World TravelMarket (WTM) 2013, the

Middle East countries dis-played the immense growthof infrastructure and technol-ogy in tourism. The vision ofRas Al Khaimah (RAK) is toput the Emirate on the inter-national map. The RAKTourism DevelopmentAuthority is working withmore intensity towardsattaining 10,000 rooms by2020. They already have aninventory of 3,000 rooms,and aim to reach 5,000 roomsin another six months. “Wehad a little bit of a handicapof not having enough rooms.Now that we have the infra-structure, we came to WTMto showcase our product andincrease the share of touristsfrom the UK and Europeanmarkets,” declared Motik.

Ras Al Khaimah isblessed by having all theassets required to attracttourists. The Emirate has

beaches, mountains, naturalbeauty, traditional hospitality,centuries old culture and is afamily-friendly destination. Itis 45 minutes by road, fromDubai. “We provide outdooractivities like golf, deep seadiving, water sports, fishing,biking, hiking, horse ridingetc. But, 80 per cent of thepeople come to relax and forthe young and families, wehave the Aqua Park,” he said.

Ras Al Khaimah isattracting tourists from

Germany, Poland, UK, Russia,Indonesia and China. “Tocater to these tourists,” stated Motik,

“We are aiming at creating a high-end destinationwith affordableluxury hotels, whichare important fortourists today.”

Dubai is getting bignumbers from India andChina, the overflow duringpeak times comes to Ras AlKhaimah. “We are workinghard to increase tourism tothis area. MICE will be thenext target niche,” declaredMotik, “But at present, weare concentrating on leisure.We now have world classresorts and hotels like thenew Waldorf Astoria andDouble Tree by Hilton,amongst many other luxury resorts that are alsocoming up.”

Khalid Motik, Director, Ras Al Khaimah TourismDevelopment Authority, talks about how the Emirate isopening its doors to welcome tourists.

Tapping European tourists

DEEPASETHIFROMLONDON

The Council of Ministersentrusted the Saudi

Commission for Tourism andAntiquities (SCTA) with thetask of issuing tourist visason the basis of certain regu-lations approved by theMinistries of Interior andForeign Affairs. The SCTA hasmore power to manage theEmirate’s public touristspots.The new law, whichaims at managing tourismfacilities and services, wasendorsed by the Cabinetchaired by Salman Bin AbdulAziz, Deputy Premier andMinister of Defense, SaudiArabia, at Al Yamama Palacein Riyadh.

According to the regu-lation, SCTA will proposewhich tourist spots are to beidentified as the public touristplaces in coordination withthe relevant authorities. Itwill also work out the execu-tive regulations of the law soas to govern tourist activities.

Furthermore, SCTA willalso monitor the list of pricesfor tourist residential unitsand for their activities andservices as well. And theyhave the right to control andinspect tourist accommoda-tion facilities. The newtourism law aims at bringing

about a qualitative improve-ment in the industry, whichis expected to create employ-ment for Saudis.

The law stipulates thattourist areas are protected aspublic property and cannot beowned privately. It bans oper-ators from participating in thesector without license. SCTAhas the power to penalise

those who break the law,imposing fines up to SR100,000 and cancellation oflicenses. Public tourist placesare protected by the new lawand it is not allowed for anyprivate party to own them.The State will use them ormake investments in them

directly or lease them to theprivate sector through a pub-lic bidding.

Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja,Minister of Culture andInformation, Saudi Arabia,said that the prices are to befixed by the licensed tourismoperators for tourist accom-modation facilities, activitiesand services as well.

Those foreigners who intend to visit the historical sitesof Saudi Arabia, can avail tourist visas from thegovernment, in a bid to boost tourism.

Visas to 1st time ‘visitors’...

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Khalid MotikDirector, Ras Al Khaimah TourismDevelopment Authority, Government ofRas Al Khaimah

Public tourist places are protected bythe new law and it is not allowed forany private party to own themSalman Bin Abdul Aziz Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, Saudi Arabia