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Middle East and North Africa Edition

DECEMBER 11, 2010 ISSUE 57

33

44

NAUTICAL TRAVELInternational consultancy, Booz andCompany, has identified coastaldevelopment as a major opportunity fortourism in the Middle East. However,according to the company, there are areasin need of major reform if the sector is toreach its potential.

In This Issue

MOROCCO’S VISIONMorocco has embarked on a new 10 yearplan for developing tourism in thecountry – focused on sustainability andquality. A new schema for hotelclassification has been revealed as anintegral component of the programme.

The Address Hotels and Resorts, Emaar Hospitality’sflagship brand, has signed a management contract for a

hotel in Bali, Indonesia. Marc Dardenne, CEO of The Address Hotels and Resorts, said the property marks

a milestone in the brand’s expansion, as the first hotel thatwill be operated by the company in South East Asia.

55www.traveltradeweekly.travel

AsianAddressAsianAddress

oe Sita, president of IFA HotelInvestments, which secured the loanfor IFAHR, said the deal marked a shiftof the investment mood in the region.“This is the first new foreign bank

funding for a Dubai hotel real estatedevelopment we have seen in a very long time,”he said.“It is evidence of renewed confidence in theregion and the industry and confirmation ofongoing confidence in the IFA Group and itsprojects on the Palm Jumeirah.”Paul Jurie, global head of alternativeinvestments at Standard Chartered, explained

why the bank had chosen to backIFA despite a prevailing mood ofcaution within the financingcommunity. “Banks like ours are beingjudicious about arrangingfinancings; we will only backprojects, and ultimatelycompanies, in which we believeall the necessary fundamentalsare in place for a successfuloutcome,” he said.“The Fairmont Palm Jumeirah

hotel is already well underway and is backed bya customer with a successful track record, bothin the region and in other parts of the world.”

Jurie said IFA has already taken funds fromStandard Chartered through anothercompany in which it is a stakeholder: Thaicompany Raimon Land received USD165million from the bank for its The Riverdevelopment in Bangkok.The latest funding will be used by IFAHR tohasten construction of the hotel, to ensure itsopening in the first quarter of 2012.

IFA Claims Usd115 Million LoanA frosty climate in the Middle East’s real estate financing sector may be thawing,with IFA Hotels and Resorts (IFAHR) securing USD115 million from StandardChartered Bank for its Fairmont Palm Jumeirah development.

DECEMBER 11, 20102

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY

EditorLaura Warne

Deputy EditorLouis Dillon Savage

Design & LayoutElina Pericleous

Sales & MarketingMarianna TsiamasDimitris Thomaidis

DirectorsAndreas ConstantinidesMary Kammitsi

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Websitewww.traveltradeweekly.travel

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COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=UAE (AED) Dirham 3.69Egypt (EGP) Pound 5.79Saudi Arabia (SAR) Riyal 3.75Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1501Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37Jordan ( JOD) Dinar 0.70Syria (SYP) Pound 47.18Kuwait (KWD) Dinar 0.28Qatar (QAR) Riyal 3.64Oman (OMR) Rial 0.38Tunisia (TND) Dinar 1.45Morocco (MAD) Dirham 8.44Iran (IRR) Riyal 10,480Yemen (YER) Rial 214.52Algeria (DZD) Dinar 74.69Libya (LYD) Dinar 1.25

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 08/12/2010Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar Al Futtaim to Provide General Services at DWC

Al Futtaim Services has been granted a contract to provide general aviationservices at the new Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport(DWC).Al Futtaim Services is a subsidiary of Al Futtaim Group, which is a diversifiedcompany more than 70 years old.The agreement marks the group’s first foray into aviation service provision,according to Omar Al Futtaim, vice chairman of Al Futtaim group.If operations commence as planned, in the third quarter of 2011, Al Futtaim willbe the first general services operator at the facility.Omar Al Futtaim signed the agreement for Al Futtaim Group, while SheikhAhmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority,chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, and CEO of Emirates Airline andGroup, signed on behalf of DWC.

JThis is the first new

foreign-bank funding for a Dubai hotel... we have seen

in a long time

Fairmont Palm Jumeirah

A lessandro Borgogna,principal at Booz andCompany, outlined justhow strong growthcould be.

“The demand for marina berths isexpected to more than double by 2015 toabout 82,000 berths, with the GCC andEgypt expected to account for the bulk ofthe demand,” he said.“If MENA governments take the rightsteps to develop the sector, this numbercould approximately quadruple by 2025.”However, Booz and Company predictedthat the marina developments alreadyunderway in the region are unlikely tomeet growing demand.“In order to meet this frenzied growth inmarina demand, developers will have tomake capital investments of USD200billion to USD300 billion in the next 15years,” Borgogna said.“The development of marina leisureresources must keep pace with thegrowing demand if the MENA region isto achieve the economic benefits thatmarine tourism can bring.”According to Fadi Majdalani, partner atBooz and Company, those economic

benefits are wide ranging. “Nautical tourism boosts regionaleconomies by encouraging foreignspending on domestically producedgoods and services, increasinggovernmental revenues through taxes,and creating employment,” he said.In order to promote nautical tourism inthe region Booz and Companyrecommended: streamlining regulatorybureaucracies; nurturing a nauticalculture; creating a network of marinas;promotional campaigns focused on thesegment; and effective programmes ofenvironmental sustainability.

3DECEMBER 11, 2010

Nautical Tourism Could be Missed OpportunityInternational consultancy, Booz and Company, has identified coastal development as a major opportunityfor tourism in the Middle East. However, according to the company, there are areas in need of major reformif the sector is to reach its potential.

MENAgovernments

... need tocreate an

environmentconducive tothe sector's

development

Dubai Marina

Yachting

A new schema for hotelclassification has beenrevealed as an integralcomponent of theprogramme.

Named Vision 2020 the plan replaces thepreceding Vision 2010 programme whichaimed at increasing tourism volume to thecountry.Morocco is expected to receive a total of9.3 million tourist arrivals in 2010,according to figures from the WorldTourism Organisation (UNWTO),falling short of the set goal of 10 millionvisitors.However, Morocco managed stronggrowth – nearly doubling its arrivals over

the period of Vision 2010 – growth whichcontinued throughout the marketbreakdown of 2008 to 2010. Income generated from tourism cameclose to tripling in the same timeframe,according to the UNWTO.Morocco’s ruler, King Mohammed VI,affirmed the importance of tourism to hiscountry upon the inauguration of the newplan, which has been under study since2007, according to the Moroccan nationalnews service.As part of the programme Morocco willinstate a new hotel classification system,designed by the UNWTO.The UNWTO has been drawn in as apartner in Morocco’s tourism

development and will be responsible fortraining auditors to assessaccommodation around the country. Talib Rifai, secretary general of theUNWTO said that having achieved highvolumes of visitors, quality andsustainability should be the new goals forthe Moroccan industry.“Now is the time, through Vision 2020, toensure the sustainability of these gains byfocusing on quality of services offered totourists,” he said.“UNWTO is very pleased to contribute tothis goal through supporting the highquality of standards in hotels and thedevelopment of a new hotel classificationsystem in Morocco.”

DECEMBER 11, 20104

- Accommodation

Morocco’s Visions of the Future: New 10 Year PlanMorocco has embarked on a new 10 year plan for developing tourism in the country – focused on sustainabilityand quality.

King Mohammed VI

Now is the time ...

to ensure thesustainability

of thesegains byfocusing

on quality of servicesoffered totourists

Casablanca

5DECEMBER 11, 2010

- Accommodation

The Address expands to IndonesiaThe Address Hotels and Resorts, Emaar Hospitality’s flagship brand, has signed a management contract fora hotel in Bali, Indonesia.

Marc Dardenne, CEOof The AddressHotels and Resorts,said the propertymarks a milestone

in the brand’s expansion, as the first hotelthat will be operated by the company inSouth East Asia.“The management contract to operate TheAddress, The Terrace - Bali marks a newchapter in the evolution of The AddressHotels and Resorts brand as we make ourforay into Asia,” he said.“Indonesia is one of the growth marketsfor The Address Hotels and Resorts, andThe Address, The Terrace – Bali fitsperfectly with our key operational ethos.”

The property is owned by PT TerasNirwana Bali.Construction has not yet begun on thehotel, with the search for appropriatecontractors currently under way.The Address Hotels and Resorts hasannounced that it will be heavily involvedin the design process for the hotel,including the choice of interiordecoration.Haryono Eddyarto, president of PT TerasNirwana, said The Address brand wouldintroduce a new kind of hospitality to Bali.“We are privileged to work with TheAddress Hotels and Resorts on the firstsignature hotel in Asia,” he said.“The unique approach of The Address to

service and quality will bring a newdimension to the Balinese experience forvisitors from around the globe, to thisone-of-a-kind hotel.”The property is set on a two hectare blockof land and will include 199 rooms whenfinished.

The unique approach of The Address

to service and quality will bring a newdimension to the

Balinese experience

DECEMBER 11, 20106

- Air Travel

Cathay Pacific to Link Abu dhabi and Hong KongHong Kong based airline, Cathay Pacific, is ready to start flying to Abu Dhabi, having reached an agreementwith Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) for four services per week. Flights will commence on June 2, 2011.

Air Arabia will commence operations to Afghanistan onDecember 16, 2010, with flights to the capital city of Kabul.Four round trip flights per week have been scheduledbetween Kabul and Air Arabia’s primary hub in the emirateof Sharjah, UAE.AK Nizar, head of commercial department for Air Arabia,emphasised Kabul’s potential as a commercial centre.“The launch of direct service to Kabul, our first destinationin Afghanistan, marks another milestone in Air Arabia’s evergrowing network,” he said.“Its strategic location along the trade routes of South andCentral Asia also makes it a prime hub for trade and commerce.”The route will become Air Arabia’s sixty-sixth destination.

It [is a] strategic location along the trade routes of South

and Central Asia

A ccording to ADTA, theroute will be used byboth leisure andbusiness travellers.Khalifa Al Mazrouei,

chairman of ADAC, said Cathay’s choiceto fly to Abu Dhabi reflected the growingimportance of the city as an aviation hub.“We are delighted to welcome CathayPacific to Abu Dhabi, the capital of theUnited Arab Emirates; it is a clearindication of Abu Dhabi's growingmarket strength in attracting newpartners,” he said.“This announcement comes as a result of

Abu Dhabi Airports Company’s aggressive

route development strategy and the closeco-operation with Abu Dhabi TourismAuthority in demonstrating the benefits toCathay Pacific of the major economic andtourism transformations underway in AbuDhabi.”Al Mazrouei said ADTA would continue todevelop its relationship with Cathay Pacific.

This announcement comes as a result of Abu

Dhabi Airports Company’saggressive route

development strategy

Air Arabia to Fly to Afghanistan

Cathay Pacific Aircraft

Air Arabia aircraft

7DECEMBER 11, 2010

- Air Travel

IATA CeO successor Named: Tyler to replace BisignaniGiovanni Bisignani, CEO and director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) willretire in July, 2011.

Tony Tyler, CEO ofCathay Pacific, will thenstep into the role, whichBisignani has held since2002.

Tyler, who was selected by a unanimousvote of IATA’s board, will become only thesixth person to hold the position since thegroup was founded in 1945.David Bronczek, CEO of FedEx Expressand chairman of the IATA Board ofGovernors, explained the choice.“Tony’s leadership of Cathay Pacificthrough challenging times prepares himwell for the job,” he said.“His knowledge of Asia will help IATA

take advantage of opportunities in theindustry’s largest market and his globalexperience gives Tony the rightperspective for our global association.“We are absolutely confident that Tony isthe right person to take the association toeven greater heights.”Bisignani also endorsed the selection.“Tony is a great recommendation to leadIATA. His deep knowledge of Asia will helpposition IATA to deliver even greaterleadership in this important region,” he said.“I am also confident that the globalrespect gained during his successfultenure as IATA Chairman from 2009 to2010 positions him well to fulfil IATA’s

mission to represent, lead and serveequally all of our 230 members.”Tyler has been the CEO of Cathay Pacificsince 2007 and has worked with the SwireGroup – parent company to the airline –since 1977.

Tony Tyler

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) hasrevealed its new strategic plan to cover the years from 2011to 2013.According to Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, director generalof GCAA, the plan lays down six priorities for the Authority.These include: compliance with International Civil AviationOrganisation (ICAO) safety standards; developingenvironmental regulations for the aviation sector, whileinfluencing the development of global policies; increasing theUAE’s influence on global civil aviation; improving internaloperations; and establishing financial self-sustainability.Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, minister for the economy inthe UAE and chairman of GCAA, said the new standards setby the plan would ultimately benefit aviation in the UAE andaround the world.

UAE Unveils Future Aviation Strategy

Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi

DECEMBER 11, 20108

- International

UAe Travellers are Third Most Loyal Market for UKConfounding acrimony over the recent FIFA World Cup rivalry, the GCC remains one of the most importantmarkets for the UK inbound travel market.

The UK’s travelpromotion body,VisitBritain, hasrevealed that visitorsfrom the GCC, and

particularly the UAE, are notable for ahigh ratio of return visits.91 percent of UAE visitors to Britainreturn to the country, according to asurvey conducted by VisitBritain – arate beaten only by Luxembourg andIreland.Carol Maddison, UAE manager forVisitBritain, said the Olympic Gamesin 2012 would spur further visitsfrom the GCC, which would then

generate ongoing business.“We are hoping that visitors from theUAE and across the Middle East will befurther inspired to visit Britain eitherbefore or during the Games, and we areparticularly looking forward towelcoming younger visitors, who oncethey experience the UK, will returnagain and again,” she said.The loyalty survey took in 50,000overseas visitors and was carried out aspart of the UK Government’sInternational Passenger Survey. Overall, it revealed that 77 per cent ofparticipants had been to the UK at leastonce before in the previous 10 years.

Oxford Street,London

DECEMBER 11, 201010

Agent’s InsightName: Renny JohnsonPosition: Tours ManagerCompany: Mezoon Holidays and Mezoon DMCLocation: Oman

Who are you: please tell me a little about yourself andyour company?Mezoon is part of a very big corporate house calledOMZEST, which was founded in 1972.I have been appointed the task of managing their traveldivision which covers both inbound and outbound: theinbound under the name of Mezoon DestinationManagement, while the outbound is Mezoon Holidays.

What is new in Oman?What is new is that they [Oman Tourism Board] arecompletely focused on inbound. Now they are focusing onthe MICE market and this week we have the Asian BeachGames – there are lots of events coming up.

When will Oman hit the big leagues as a destination?Oman is already marked on the world map. The OmanTourism Board is trying their best and are promoting likeanything.It has already started booming. Now in December andJanuary it is very hard to get rooms: most are booked sixmonths in advance.

Where is the most popular attraction in Oman?The most popular is the fort, which shows the real Omaniculture. We also have very long beaches in Oman. I think itis around 17,000km of coastal beaches, more than anyother destination in the GCC.

Why is Oman a good destination in the long term?There is nothing to change. We do not need big concretebuildings like some other destinations – we just want to keepit how it is now and market the whole nature of the place.

Jordan’s Travel Agents Take Police to SchoolJordan Inbound Tour Operators Association ( JITOA) isworking with tourism police in the country to improve servicesfor travellers.JITOA and the Jordan Tourism Police Department signed amemorandum of understanding (MoU) on December 2.The agreement covers co-operation on improving police serviceto visitors by training officers for better communication skills.So far 98 officers have begun the training courses, which willteach them English useful for carrying out their jobs.Advanced courses are also planned to prepare them to train thenext generation of students.The scheme has been implemented with funding provided by theJordan Services Modernisation Programme ( JSMP), which ismanaged by the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation( JEDCO) and funded by the European Commission.

Petra Tourist Patrol

The Oman Tourism Board is ...promoting like anything

[Rooms] are booked six months in advance

11DECEMBER 11, 2010

don’t Hate the Player, Change the GameSo-called emerging markets are set to arrive in a big way over the next five years, with important ramificationsfor the travel industry. Deloitte Hospitality has released a report full of predictions for the period and statedthat the Middle East has an opportunity to change the game as the world shifts away from the west.Seven major factors were identified by Deloitte as being crucial for taking advantage of the changing markets.

TechnologyInvest in technology.“The battle to drive bookings through proprietary websiteswill continue, but all major operators will also developapplications and websites for mobile devices to meetconsumer demands,” the report recommends.

TalentMaintaining a good service staff can make or break a travelbusiness. According to the report, the average hotelier spends33 percent of revenue on labour costs, but employee turnoverin the industry is as high as 31 percent. Make sure you havestrategies in place to hold on to your indispensable personnel.

Crisis ManagementThe report found that the key to the hospitality industry'ssurvival of unpredictable shocks is to establish appropriateresponses, protocols and risk management programs. Operators also need to capitalise on new opportunities thatmay present themselves in challenging times.

SustainabilityAccording to Deloitte,sustainability will become adefining issue for the industryin 2015 and beyond. Rising populations andincreasingly scarce resourceswill provide a challengingbusiness environment inwhich sustainability willneed to be embedded withinall facets of the hospitalityindustry.

Emerging MarketsBy 2015, China and India are set to have greater absolutetourism growth than the UK, France or Japan. The MiddleEast is well positioned to capitalise on a huge upswing inoutbound travel from these countries, with strong routenetworks linking them to destinations across the region.

BrandRigour in branding will become more important, as social mediaentrench product identities deeper into the lives of consumers.Alex Kyriakidis, global managing partner of tourismhospitality and leisure at Deloitte, explained the importanceof this trend.“The transparency of social media will highlight anyinconsistencies in the delivery of the brand, and will providea quick and enriching communication channel betweenbrand and consumer,” he said.“The most successful brands will be those that embrace andlearn to harness social media rather than underestimate orfight against its influence.”

DemographicsGrowing middle classes inChina and India, along with anaging population in traditionalwestern feeder markets are setto become major factors.According to Robert O'Hanlon,partner in charge of tourismhospitality and leisure atDeloitte, the key to attractingboomers is appealing to their'forever young' attitude anddesire for experiential travel.

DECEMBER 11, 201012

Travel Talk is your space – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel

I remain fullycommitted toleading IATA

Giovanni BisignaniCurrent CEO, IATA“After nearly 10 years of crises,challenges and change, I willlook forward with confidence tohanding over the reins of IATA’sleadership to Tony in July. Untilthen, I remain fully committedto leading IATA as it strives tomake the industry safer, greenerand more profitable.”

Giovanni Bisignani

Tony TylerIncoming CEO, IATA“Giovanni has made IATA’s role critical to theindustry by successfully managing IATA’sUSD300 billion financial systems whiledelivering important industry-wide changes. Ilook forward to the opportunity to build on thissolid foundation. Aviation is a dynamic industry.We constantly have to adapt to changing marketconditions, new business models, different trafficpatterns and frequent crises.”

I look forward to theopportunity to build on this

solid foundation

Tony TylerAllessandro Borgogna Principal, Booz and Company“The MENA region is already making efforts to respond to booming demandfor marine leisure activities. In the last seven to 10 years, the region has seenan explosion in the construction of marinas. The UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, andQatar have been spending billions of dollars to vie for the title of the ‘YachtCapital’ of the region.”

The[MENA]region has

seen anexplosion

in theconstructionof marinas

Allessandro Borgogna

Travel Trade Weekly: There havebeen reports of falling occupancy inBeirut compared to last year – haveyou noticed this?Daniel Weihrauch: If you look at themarket in Beirut, the IHG hotels beat oroutperform their competition.At the Phoenicia we have actually had thesame business levels as last year.2009 was a record year and for us to beable to match those figures we are veryhappy.To give an idea, we could go back 10 years– in Beirut 2004 was a record year andthen in 2005, because of what happened[the assassination of Prime Minister RafikHariri], there were some very tough years.Then we had very strong growth in 2008and 2009 was the absolute record, but2010 has also had very good results.In fact, in terms of visitor arrivals,numbers have increased by around 10percent according to the tourism board.There are some more properties that havecome on the market and ones that havebeen on the market which now have theirfull inventories available, so this mighthave pushed occupancy down, but wehave had the same levels as last year.

Travel Trade Weekly: Why hasLebanon done so well, while the restof the world struggles?Daniel Weihrauch: When you look atLebanon from a tourism point of view, itis amazing what we have. One thing is location- it is five hours toLondon, four to Paris, one and a half to

Istanbul, three to Dubai, and three to Riyadh.The second thing is climate; theMediterranean climate means that it is agreat escape for people from the Gulf andeven for people from Europe, because youhave guaranteed sunshine.Also, variety – there is a 10 degreetemperature difference between themountains and the coast and Lebanon isvery small, only taking around three hoursto drive across from south to north.So, there is a very great opportunity fortravellers here to see the variety that theplace has to offer.I am from Germany and have lived inDubai and I have people ask me howBeirut is different.I tell them that it is a more authentic city.The life that you can feel here is whatmakes it so special.

Travel Trade Weekly: What are thechallenges of operating in Lebanon?Daniel Weihrauch: Security is a veryimportant issue. It is obviously a very bigconcern, but since the Doha agreementwas put in place in [May] 1998 – so it hasbeen nearly two and half years now – ithas been very stable.And with what you could call aneconomic boom, with growth of almosteight percent, Lebanon has become veryattractive for tourism.There are always challenges when runninga business. For us, it is people. We havearound 1,300 employees here at the

Phoenicia so one challenge is to attractnew talent.There is almost what you could say is ashortage of talent in Lebanon becausepeople have left to go to other places –to France, to Australia, to Dubai.We try to be something like a talentfactory here at the Phoenicia – whereveryou go in the Middle East, to anotherIHG hotel, chances are you will find atleast one person who has worked withus here.

Travel Trade Weekly: What are theadvantages?Daniel Weihrauch: In terms ofadvantages, I have to relate back to thedestination. Beirut and Lebanon ingeneral are amazing places.For us, every market is important.Obviously leisure, but the businessmarket is very important, MICE is alsoextremely important.Lebanon has something for everyone. It isa gateway to the whole Levant.

DECEMBER 11, 201014

Q&A with daniel WeihrauchOverlooking the famous corniche in Beirut, InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut is the flagship property of theInterContinental Hotels Group in Lebanon. Daniel Weihrauch, general manager of the hotel, shared his viewon Beirut with Travel Trade Weekly.

Lebanon... is a gateway

to the whole Levant

2009 was the absolute record, but

2010 has also had verygood results

Daniel Weihrauch

15DECEMBER 11, 2010

Dassault FalconBernard Delouÿe has been named as the new customerservice manager in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordanand Syria for business jet manufacturer, Dassault Falcon.Delouÿe will provide support to users of Dassault’s line ofbusiness jets in the region and will be stationed in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia.He comes from a technical background, with 24 yearsexperience in aviation maintenance, including experiencegained in the French military.Dassault Falcon recently opened a regional sales office inDubai and claims around 60 of its corporate jets areoperating around the region – a number which the companyexpects to grow by 30 percent in the next three years.

Etihad Airways has appointed anew country manager for Kuwait.Nabil Matarweh Hijazine hastaken over the role from MagdiLabib, who now is responsiblefor  the airline’s commercialactivities in Cairo.Hijazine has come to theposition from Etihad’s Tehranoffice where he was manager.He has 25 years of experience inthe aviation industry.Prior to joining EtihadAirways, Hijazine worked ascountry manager for QatarAirways in Algiers and Jordan.He has also held a variety ofsenior sales positions in Jordan,working for Emirates; AirFrance; British Airways; and

Royal Jordanian Airways. In addition to his airlineexperience, Nabil has alsomanaged a travel agency inJordan.

Dassault Falcon 7X

Etihad Airways

Nabil Matarweh Hijazine

Indonesia, the most populous Muslimnation in the world, will hold its firstreligious-themed travel exhibition in2011.Pameran Wisata Religi Indonesia 2011(PWRI), as the event has been named,will be organised by RajaMICE, a localexhibition management company.PWRI will cover religious travel for allfaiths including pilgrimages and otherfaith-sensitive factors for travellers, suchas halal compliant services.

Panca R Sarungu, CEO of RajaMICE,said he expected strong interest from bothIndonesia and international exhibitors.“Travel abroad is often a first choice [forIndonesians], due to the history ofreligion that occurred both within andoutside of Indonesia, we expect 100 localand international exhibitors, includingnational tourism organisations.”Airlines from the Middle East includingEmirates, Etihad Airways, GarudaIndonesia, Qatar Airways, TurkishAirlines, Kuwait Airways, Saudi ArabianAirlines, Gulf Air, Oman Air, and AirArabia have all been slated to participate.RajaMICE has also partnered withKomunitas Penyelenggara Wisata Muslim(Indonesian Moslem Pilgrimage TravelOperator Community, or KPWM) for theevent.Heru Leksono, founder of KWPM, said

his group would highlight the range ofoptions available for Muslims who wishedto travel without neglecting their faith.

“We will not only emphasised Hajj andUmrah products but also encourageIndonesian Muslims travelling worldwidewith halal food and praying slots in theitinerary,” he said.

Bali religious procession

DECEMBER 11, 201016

eventsMoroccan Travel MarketMarrakech, Morocco, January 12-15, 2011 (en.mtm.ma)Exhibition for international travel professionals.

Blossom JapanTokyo, Japan, January 18-21, 2011 (www.blossomjapan.com)A new invitation-only luxury travel exhibition focusing on theJapanese market.

Fitur International Tourism Trade FairMadrid, Spain, January 19-23, 2011 (www.fitur.es)Fitur is a meeting point for tourism professionals to establishlines of action, strategies and business alliances.

HobexTripoli, Libya, January 25-27, 2011 (www.wahaexpo.com/hobex)International hotel business exhibition.

India Travel Market - Mumbai, Mumbai, India, February 4-6, 2011 (www.indiatravelmart.com)Travel trade show for inbound, outbound and domestic tourism.

Emitt IstanbulIstanbul, Turkey, February 10-13, 2011 (www.emittistanbul.com)Istanbul’s only international trade fair: focused on tourism inthe Eastern Mediterranean.

Religious Travel Fair Launched in Largest Islamic Nation

We will not onlyemphasise Hajj and

Umrah products

Studying the Koran