A DDP PUBLICATION Pages: 16Vol. VIII No. 6; June 2012

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Despite recession andregional politicalunrest, Reed Travel

Exhibitions, the organiser ofATM maintained the leisureand business tourismthroughout the event.Tourism is continuouslyincreasing throughout theMiddle East and the rest ofthe world and that was evi-dent with the number of foot-falls, the event witnessed.

“ATM 2012 had anincrease of 7-10 per centtrade visitors compared tothe 2011 event. It has wit-nessed a rise in decision mak-ers and influencers by 35 percent from members of itsbuyers club, hosted dele-gates, regional and interna-tional speakers and hostedluxury travel buyers,”explained Mark Walsh,Portfolio Director, ReedTravel Exhibitions.

Like other participatingcountries, ‘Incredible India’also showcased its might byexhibiting its entire tourismpotential, both business andleisure during the event.

“We had 22 exhibitorsrepresenting the tourismdiversity of Heritage, Nature,Culture and Wellness from

India depicting the countryas a multi-faceted tourist des-tination with luxury, wildlifeand wellness/medical tourismpotential. On the whole, ATMis a platform that provides a

kind of revitalisation.According to the exhibitors,tour operators and travelagents, it is more than aninvestment. The transactionwith new contacts helps in

knowing and understandinga region in a better way andthat’s what they want and getout of ATM,” explained VikasRustagi, Regional Director,India Tourism, Dubai.

During ATM, QatarAirways informed about theirglobal network expansionplans and the launch of newroutes in the Middle East,Africa and Asia at a pressconference during the event.

“The announcementreflected the importanceQatar Airways has, onexpanding its destinationportfolio and its existingroutes frequency, to providepassengers with more traveloptions,” said Akbar AlBaker, CEO, Qatar Airways.

In establishing produc-tive business relationshipbetween Philippines and Gulf travel trade key players, the Arabian TravelMarket 2012 has proved to beinstrumental.

“ATM is an importantvenue for us to push our newtourism brand to various tourwholesalers and individualtravellers. It is one of ourefforts to tap the high-endMiddle East market which isconsidered as one of thehighest spending travellersin the world,” expressedBenito C. Bengzon, JR,Assistant Secretary,International TourismPromotion, Department ofTourism, Phillipines.

“This year’s participa-tion was apt enough to fur-ther spread awareness aboutour marketing campaign andhelped sustain confidencefrom the partners in theregion,” he added.

Present for 20 years inATMs with German partners,Munich Tourism Board feltcomplete as they participatedindependently for the firsttime in ATM 2012.

“ATM is extremelyimportant for us as we couldmeet many business partnersand be updated and informedabout the popularity of thecountry. We could interactwith the travel trade, themost significant distributionarm, to discuss about thebusiness strategies and road-shows in different parts of theworld along with the launchof e-learning tool in MiddleEast before the main seasonstarts, which has alreadystarted in the Indian market,”informed Ralf Zednik,Marketing, Director of Sales,Department of Labor andEconomic Development,Tourist Office, Munich.

According to RusselG.H. Sharpe, COO - HotelDivision, Citymax Hotels,

Revamping the market visibility and promotional value of the travel professionals, the recently wrapped up Arabian Travel Market 2012 witnessed an increase of 7-10% in number of trade visitors compared to ATM 2011.

Theannouncementreflected theimportanceQatar Airwayshas, onexpanding itsdestinationportfolio and itsexisting routesfrequency

The transactionwith newcontacts helpsin knowing andunderstandinga region in abetter way andthat’s what theywant and getout of ATM

ATM haswitnessed a risein decisionmakers by 35%from members ofits buyers club,hosteddelegates,regional andinternationalspeakers

Mark WalshPortfolio DirectorReed Travel Exhibitions

Vikas RustagiRegional DirectorIndia Tourism, Dubai

Akbar Al BakerCEOQatar Airways

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Contd. on page 7

ATM instilling confidence

EXHIBITIONS

FOREIGN EXCHANGEDIRHAM VALUE

(Subject to variation) (As on 22-05-2012)

Country Currency CN Buy CN Sell

USA ..........................USD ................3.653..............3.685

UK ............................GBP ..............5.7183............5.9396

Egypt ........................EGP ................0.605..............0.711

Euro ..........................EUR ..............4.6118............4.8010

Canada......................CAD ..............3.5505............3.6757

Bahrain ....................BHD ..............9.5739............9.9137

Oman ........................OMR................9.405............9.6512

Kuwait ......................KWD............12.9663..........13.4183

Saudi Arabia ............SAR ..............0.9625............0.9972

Qatar ........................QAR ..............0.9944............1.0209

Australia ..................AUD ..............3.5575............3.6644

Japan ........................JPY................0.0454............0.0476

Philippines ................PHP ..............0.0836............0.0865

Singapore..................SGD ..............2.8376............2.9630

India ........................INR................0.0656............0.0686

Pakistan ....................PKR ..............0.0396............0.0415

Bangladesh ..............BDT ..............0.0438............0.0456

Sri Lanka ..................LKR ..............0.0277............0.0288

Nepal ........................NPR ..................0.05..............0.056

Morocco ....................MAD................0.405..............0.525

Switzerland ..............CHF ..............3.8370............4.0017

South Africa ..............ZAR ................0.485..............0.553

Airport Show 2012

Held under the patronageof Sheikh Ahmed bin

Saeed Al Maktoum,President, Dubai CivilAviation Authority, Chairmanof Dubai Airports andChairman of Emirates Airlineand Group, Airport Show2012, organised by ReedExhibitions, carried on fromMay 22 till 24 supported byleading international industryassociations and local gov-ernment authorities. As anadded value to this edition,the show organisers, for the

first time, introduced ‘HostedBuyer Lounge’ where allhosted buyers gathered inone exclusive location.

Reflecting theunmatched business growthopportunities, the MENAregion offered the global avi-ation industry, still stagger-ing under economic crisis,with millions of dollar worth

deals discussed during thethree-day exhibition. Theprogramme of 2011 attract-ed projects approximated atUS$ 29.16 billion. It also fea-tured registered HostedBuyers from the airports ofthe UAE, Iran, Algeria,Djibouti, Pakistan, SaudiArabia, Iraq and Bahrainamong others.

The Emirates had beenthe official carrier for the 2012 edition, providing10 per cent discount on fares for the exhibitors and visitors of the Show.Focussed on security, opera-tions and constituent servicesmeeting, the volume of thepassengers and cargo, the lat-est technology and innovativesolutions for airport securitywas the event’s highlight.

Mohamad Bader-Eddin,Show Director, Reed

Exhibitions Middle East, said, “The Airport Show in its 12th year had great additional value to the region’saviation industry, facilitatingsignificant deals and contracts by the momentum ofthe industry."

“The AirportShow,” he added,“always acts as an ideal platform for the airport operators to explore the currentand future productsand services

regarding airport security while providing convenient networkingopportunities for the key government officials,decision-makers and thetechnology companies.”

ME continued its strong standing as the Airport Show 2012 - a B2B eventfor airport build and supply, witnessed the participation of over 178 exhibitorsand numerous visitors from over 60 countries held on May 22-24.

178 Exhibitors from 60 countries

Mohamad Bader-EddinShow DirectorReed Exhibitions Middle East

As an added value to thisedition, the show organisers,for the first time, introduced‘Hosted Buyer Lounge’ whereall hosted buyers gathered inone exclusive location

Added Value

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Showcasing Middle East Aerospace marketThe Airport Show in its 12th edition was held on May 22-24, 2012 at the Sheikh Saeed Hall (1, 2 and 3) of Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). The event showcased a huge portfolio of the latest innovative technology products and services. Taking place on 10,302 sqm, the biggest biennial event in the MENA region and Indian subcontinent will gather 178 exhibitors from over 60 countries.

ME NTO J U N E , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 3

Despite the global econo-my still unsettled, Dubai

hotels posted an excellent

occupancy level and guestnight performances in 2011.Guest nights rose to32,848,190 in 2011, anincrease of 23 per cent com-pared to 2010.

The tourism depart-ment conducted 12 work-

shops during the 4-day ATM2012 with plans of more tohost in the pipeline. Majid Al Marri, Director ofClassification, DTCMinformed, “Higher-rankingrepresentatives of about 180hotels attended the work-shops to update the hospital-

ity industry professionalsabout the new hotel classification scheme, to meetthe expectations of thetourism industry and benefit

from the new programmedesigned to raise the quality standards of the hospitality establishments in the emirate.”

DTCM has launched adedicated website www.clas-sification.dubaitourism.ae forits new hotel classification

programme. It provideslicensing and classificationinformation for guest estab-lishments of all categoriesand ratings.

DTCM has offeredfirst-of-its-kind Accoladeprogramme initiative in the region to highlight the quality of 5-star hotels and resorts.Qualifying establishmentscan apply for a Gold and Platinum Accolade

that will significantlyincrease their marketingopportunities and high-light luxurious service standards.

With immense response from hotels in the emirate, the Dubai Departmentof Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) announced its new ‘HotelClassification Scheme’ with 90 properties enrolling for the new system.

‘Hotel Classification Scheme’

Majid Al MarriDirector of ClassificationDTCM

DTCM started variousinitiatives and awarenessprogrammes related toGreen Tourism. TheseSustainable Tourism initia-tives are proving effectivefor Dubai hotels in reductionof electricity and water con-sumption. DTCM has beenactive in ensuring the hotelindustry contributes to

Green Tourism. In 2009, theDubai Green Tourism Awardwas launched to encourage

five, four and three starhotels to reduce their carbon emission by 20%.

Raj Shetty, Chairman and MD of Ramee Hotels felicitated the India tourism team during their visit to Ramee Hotels in Dubai. The team included Sultan Ahmed, Minister of State for Tourism, India, MK Lokesh, Ambassador of India, Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India and Vikas Rustagi, Regional Director, India Tourism, Dubai with various other dignitaries.

India Tourism team inRamee Hotels

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DTCM Green Tourism initiatives

GUEST COLUMN

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EDITORIALATM ignites

positive moodThe grand success of the recently

concluded ATM 2012 highlightedthe remarkably buoyant mood of theregional tourism sector. The organiserof ATM, Reed Travel Exhibitions,reported a healthy increase in visitornumbers, driven by the show’srenewed B2B focus and buoyed bypositive indicators from the region’stourism sector.

According to the organisers, the2011 event attracted over 16,000 tradevisitors and indicators for this yearshow an increase of between 7-10%.The show also saw a significant rise indecision makers and influencers, up by35%, from members of its buyers club,hosted delegates, regional andinternational speakers and hostedluxury travel buyers.

Independently Audit Bureau ofCirculations (ABC) audited, ATM 2012also recorded a 7% increase inexhibitors for this year’s event aheadof the start of the show, with more than21,000 sq m of floor space hosting over2,400 exhibitors and 82 newcompanies. This increase was alsoreflected in its international reach with54 national pavilions and 87 countriesrepresented overall.

In its global overview of the travelindustry presented as part of the WTMVision 2012 conference series,Euromonitor International revealed at theATM that MENA and the Gulf countriesin particular are expected to see positivegrowth from this year, with visitor arrivalsup in across the region, increasing morethan 10% in Saudi Arabia.

Going by all such indications, thebusiness buzz is certainly back and as tourism experts rightly points out the regional travel industry is in an exceptionally buoyant moodwith participants remaining positiveand confident.

Cleartrip for Business is aone-stop-shop that

enables a Corporate to proac-tively take complete controlof his/her travel expenses.

The Gulf is home to themost diverse populations inthe world starting from localNationals, Arab expatriates,Westerners and significantnumbers of India andPakistan citizens. Ushering ina refreshingly simpleapproach to online travel,Cleartrip (www.cleartrip.ae),the leading Indian onlinetravel company gives UAE an access to a simple, comprehensive and fastbooking site that allows them to book flights andhotels at an unprecedentedspeed with the most up todate information.

Been in the UAE for 2 years now, Cleartrip has plans to invest extensive-ly. It has raised US$ 40m in 2011 for its continuedexpansion in the GCC andaims up to US$ 12m more over the next two years.

The $1 billion online travel market is set forsignificant growth in theregion and Cleartrip’s strate-gy is to ensure strong per-formance, expansion andservices to match thisgrowth. Cleartrip has beenlocalised for each country inthe GCC and we’re eager to showcase through-out the region our ability to make travel simple withcomprehensive content,innovative technology,responsive customer service

and a travel platform thatstrives to just work better.

With the launch of ourcustomised websites inOman, Qatar, Bahrain,

Kuwait and recently in SaudiArabia, Cleartrip’s long-termstrategy in the ME is toexplore new and dynamicmarkets with a full productrange customised for each

country. In February, thisyear, the company sold 600 air tickets and 100 room nights each day, reflect-ing a 120 per cent increaseover the last year.

After launching the newcountry-specific websites, we are anticipating toincrease to 1,000 air tickets and 200 room nightsdaily by the end of 2012. Thelaunch of the localised web-site in the Kingdom of SaudiArabia is the first big offeringamong the expansion projectsfrom here where the travellers can search andbook in Saudi Riyals and noton pricing of UAE beingshowed there.

Convenience is a habitat Cleartrip. The commence-ment of a specially created24/7 English and Arabicspeaking call centre and a local Saudi number caters to all the travel needs and requirements of atraveller and ensures trustand transparency.

Further, the introduc-tion of a ‘pay by cash’ option,in association with the UAEExchange, takes paymentconvenience to another level. One can make a booking on Cleartrip and holdthe booking until 8 hours,within which a cash paymentcan be made at any UAEExchange branch.

Another feature inCleartrip’s cap is the intro-duction of Cleartrip forBusiness (www.cleartripfor-business.ae).

After conducting in-depth research, we foundthat companies felt theirtravel expenditure was inef-ficient, on top of which manyhad to pay for additionaloverheads in terms ofimplants, raising concernsabout transparency andadministration. We’re veryexcited about it and are hoping that with the launchof Cleartrip for Business(CFB), many companies willsee the benefits of being ableto dramatically reduce theirtravel expenses.

Finally, Cleartrip isleading the way with the most complete interna-tional travel offering available. We have always taken significantsteps to ensure your interna-tional travel booking is easier, cheaper and more exciting while makinginternational flying simpleand hassle-free.

Offering highly opti-mised and intuitive searchresults, Cleartrip is the only comprehensive webportal to display flightsacross 40 low cost interna-tional airlines. This not only means lower prices with the availability ofinternational LCCs but alsoprovides an access toroutes/airports that are notcurrently serviced by fullservice carriers, particularlyin Europe and Asia.

(Tarique Khatri Senior Vice President-

Business DevelopmentCleartrip)

With concentrated focus on technology, Cleartrip has developed the firstever exclusively online business travel solutions product for the UAE market – ‘Cleartrip for Business’ (CFB). It helps companies save big by packaging all the administrative aspects of corporate travel and combining this with a dynamic and cost efficient travel booking too.

CFB: Simplifying business travel

Tarique KhatriSenior Vice President – BusinessDevelopment, Cleartrip

Cleartrip hasbeen localisedfor each countryin the GCC andwe’re eager toshowcasethroughout theregion our ability to make travelsimple

Moving to a new office inAugust 2012, DiscoveryTravels, a complete traveland tourism company, handles travel solutions,Destination Managementand Holidays providing stan-dard services.

The company is anactive member of ‘RPGroup of Companies’ withoffices in GCC and India

and is soon going to launchtheir online portal bySeptember this year. “Wealso do representationsfrom thriving markets likeThailand, Malaysia andGoa. On similar lines, werepresent the Philippineshere for their inbound mar-ket while they as a destina-tion represent us for their outbound market,”

informed Ramesh Patnaik,General Manager,Discovery Travel, Dubai.

“We promote MedicalTourism in Kerala highlight-ing our three 5-star proper-ties, The Raviz – Kollam,Raviz – Kadavu and TheLeela. We will have separatemarketing strategies only forthe GCC as our accessibilitywithout including the whole of the region. At themoment we are operating asregional sales office for RPgroup of hotels and resorts,”stated Patnaik.

Expanding boundaries

Ramesh PatnaikGM, Discovery Travel, Dubai

CRUISES J U N E , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 5

Q. How can you differentiate DisneyCruiseline from others?

A. The obvious difference is the brand‘Disney’, as it is known worldwide toprovide every family the value-for-money.Disney Cruise Line is a non-gaming cruiseline that suits every profile from GCC.

Q. How much awareness regarding cruises isthere in the Middle East?

A. The travel trade definitely requiresawareness in selling cruises. The traveltrade seriously needs to look into thisavenue which still offer them goodcommission level. Because of this lack ofawareness a good size of the bookings endup with the cruise lines directly from thisregion thereby depriving the travel trade its due commissions. As thedistributor for Disney Cruise Line, we havethat tool and are prepared to train the traveltrade throughout GCC on how to sell DisneyCruise Lines.

Q. Did you find any changes in the travelpattern or approach among the cruiselovers recently?

A. The clients are more aware and areexercising cruise vacation these days.Though the evolution with regards to thedemands of the clients for a niche cruiseproducts has been a bit slow.

Q. What kind of all-inclusive experience doesDisney Cruises offer?

A. A cruise experience is always inclusive ofmany things. It includes adjustment invarious categories, safe transportation,meals and onboard entertainment.

Asif Hussain, Manager - Outbound Al Tayer Holidays(Distributor for Disney Cruiseline GCC-wide)

Giving utmost credit forsuch results to the travel

trade, Royal CaribbeanCruises launched ‘WOWPerformer’ Awards for thetravel industry partners fromthe ME during ATM.

“We have ‘Cruising forExcellence’, an online train-ing programme, for our travelpartners. Identifying upbeatand passionate travel compa-nies, we organise seminarsfor them, provide them atouch and feel experience ofthe product. We receivearound 95 per cent businessfrom our travel partners,”informed Helen Beck,Regional Director, Royal

Caribbean Cruises, Europe,Middle East & Africa.

Sailing from Barcelonaon April 30, 2012, RoyalCaribbean International’sVoyager of the Seas, the second largest ship, docked in Dubai for the first time on May 15.

It visited Alexandria viathe Suez Canal and went toSharm El-Sheikh and Safaga,before arriving in Dubai.

“We have presentlyfinished a successfulseason in the MEand will bring afully-revitalised‘Serenade of theSeas’ cruiselinermaking its MEdebut to Abu Dhabiin the upcomingwinter 2012/13,”added Beck.

While guest bookings increased by more than 30 per cent in the ME, Royal Caribbean Internationalshowed positive growth in 2012 so far compared to 2011.

New products on platter

Helen BeckRegional Director, Royal CaribbeanCruises, Europe, Middle East & Africa

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCC)presented awards to 15 senior travel industry partners from the Middle East at a special ceremony held at the Shangri-LaHotel, Dubai. The event was attend-ed by travel trade and VIPs.

Royal Caribbean Cruises is hon-oured to show appreciation of theoutstanding co-operation and dedi-cation received from around the Gulfin support of Brilliance of the Seas’2011 and 2012 winter seasons.

As in previous years, Europewas the most popular cruise desti-nation for travellers from the MiddleEast. According to Royal CaribbeanCruises, approximately 75 per centof all bookings from the region weremade for European cruises. The sec-ond most popular destination forcruise travellers from the MiddleEast was the Caribbean.

Royal Caribbeanhonours travel trade

Royal Caribbean Cruiseslaunched ‘WOWPerformer’ Awards for thetravel industry par tnersfrom the ME during ATM

We have ‘Cruising forExcellence’, an onlinetraining programme, forour travel par tners.Identifying upbeat andpassionate travelcompanies, we organiseseminars for them,provide them a touch andfeel experience of theproduct

RCI for Agents

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Hamad Bin Mejren and Jamal Humaid Al Falasiof Depar tment of Tourism & CommerceMarketing – Dubai won the Brilliance of the Seas Recognition Award

AVIATION6 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 2

Francois Bouteiller, CEO, nasair, said,

“No print-out is required.Travellers simplyneed to show their smartphone screen to the immigration, security checks andthe boarding gate.”

He added that nasairtravellers can also choose toreceive their Boarding Pass byemail, with the print out theycan proceed directly to the

boarding gate. Web check-inand the Mobile Boarding Passservice is available for trav-ellers, travelling from Jeddah or Riyadh with cabin baggage only.

The Airline has also signed a franchise agreement at the ATM toempower young Saudi entre-preneurs. The deal forms the key role of the airline’s Saudiasation strate-gy that will give the travellersmore choice.

As part of the franchise, nasair offers progressive incentive scheme to provide the oppor-tunity to make significantannual profits.

Other benefits includedirect referral to the franchis-es, call centre support andconsolidation withinapproved zones. Being ontime, competitive fares,young fleet and smart services are its four core val-ues that pioneered nasair asa ‘Smart Airline’.

In spite of politicalunrest within the adjoiningmarkets, nasair, Saudi

Arabia’s national carrier,enjoyed increased sales in2011. It became possible dueto the bookings made by thetravel partners that resultedin almost 30 per cent of theairline sales. To express gratitude for this continuedsupport the airlines honouredthe most cooperative travel agencies from theKingdom, UAE and Kuwait atATM 2012.

As part of an innovative approach to enhance passengerexperience, nasair launches the option of receivingboarding pass directly to their smartphones. The airlinealso witnessed an increase in sales in 2011.

nasair on smartphones

Francois BouteillerCEOnasair

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SriLankan Airlines hasappointed Metro Travels

& Tours as its PassengerSales Agency (PSA) to spear-head the operation.

By increasing its fre-quency to the Gulf region,SriLankan Airlines aims totap the holidaymakers whoare keen to travel to Asia andFar East destinations. SriLanka’s geographical location

makes it ideal for most of thetravellers to enjoy dual holi-days in Colombo and the FarEast or Colombo and theMaldives. The traffic mostlyconstitutes of transit travellers than leisure andbusiness, some on transit for employment for this part of the world.

“We have increased the number of flights,refurbished all theaircraft, reducedancient aircraftfrom 14 to 5 whileinducting new onesto further enhanceour services,”said NishanthaWickremasinghe, Chairman,SriLankan Airlines. “Theextra frequencies have raisedSriLankans’ overall capacityby 42 per cent and 90 per cent load factor,” he further informed.

In SriLanka, the presenceof traditional travel agents are more, going graduallyonline though, plays the most vital role for the airlines. Around 80 per cent of business pours in throughthe trade.

Mihin Lanka, SriLanka’sbudget carrier, also transferspassengers travelling fromthe Middle East and Colomboto Jakarta and Dhaka provingfruitful synergy between boththe airlines to develop andincrease business.

SriLankan Airlines opened its new sales office on May4, 2012 in the Jaffna Peninsula located at the north ofSri Lanka. The branch office will facilitate travel for-malities to a large clientele in Jaffna and Kilinochchi.

New PSA for Sri Lanka

Nishantha WickremasingheChairmanSriLankan Airlines

SU S M I TA GH O S H

He added that nasairtravellers can also chooseto receive their BoardingPass by email, with the rintout they can proceeddirectly to the boardinggate

Smart Flying

Sri Lanka’s geographicallocation makes it ideal formost of the travellers toenjoy dual holidays inColombo and the Far Eastor Colombo and theMaldives

In SriLanka, the presenceof traditional travel agentsare more, going graduallyonline though, plays themost vital role for theairlines. Around 80 percent of business pours inthrough the trade

Flying High

The revolutionary Fiber-To-The-Screen® IFE sys-

tem works through fibre opticcables, making it lighter andviable for a LCC to minimisefuel consumption, an airline’ssingle biggest cost.

The performance of fly-dubai, in just less than threeyears, highlighted theremarkable passenger growthparticularly from the CIS,Eastern & Central Europe andGCC markets duringFebruary 2011 – March 2012.Showcasing its expanding

network and services, flydubai made its debut at ATM 2012.

Since one year, the lowcost carrier has put in effortto make travel more conven-ient by signing a series ofdeals with GlobalDistribution Systems (GDS)providers. It has allowedthousands of travel agentsfrom worldwide to access toits fares and the travellers toconnect to any other airlinefrom a flydubai flight.

Dubai Airport revealsthat passenger trafficbetween Dubai and Russia inQ1 2012 climbed 46.53 percent to 3,59,066, comparedto 2,45,050 during Q1 2011.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO,flydubai said, “Our visionthree years ago was to builda unique network that notonly offered real value fortravellers but also strategi-cally opened up new markets,benefitting the trade andtourism sector.

The airline managesto maintain itsbudget model by offering different products at differentprices by givingpeople choices.

Most exciting fact is that we have just started our journey. Potential is huge for further growth andwe will continue to targetnew destinations.”

flydubai became the first low cost airline in the MiddleEast to introduce on-demand In-Flight Entertainment(IFE). In doing so, it also became the first airline in the world to show movies in high definition.

HD entertainment on air

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Ghaith Al GhaithCEOflydubai

The performance offlydubai, in just less thanthree years, highlighted theremarkable passengergrowth par ticularly fromthe CIS, Eastern & CentralEurope and GCC marketsduring February 2011 –March 2012

In Just 3 Years

Kerala Tourism launched a campaign in Saudi Arabia with a series of roadshows. The roadshows were held at Jeddahon May 6, followed by Riyadh on May 7 and Dammam the next day. A.P. Anil Kumar, Kerala Tourism Minister led thedelegation, along with T.K. Manoj Kumar, Tourism Secretary to the Gulf region. As many as 65 leading firms attendedthe roadshow at Jeddah where Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Consul General of Indian Consulate was present. The number swelledto 100 at Riyadh where Hamid Ali Rao, the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia graced the occasion. At Dammam, aquality crowd of 80 trade partners attended the roadshow.

Kerala in Saudi Arabia

COVER STORY J U N E , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 7

Landmark Hospitality, whileattending Arabian TravelMarket for the second time,observed substantial differ-ence between ATM 2011 andATM 2012. “We had lot ofpessimism in the previousyear in regard to how tourismin particular would be. Butthis year has seen great con-fidence level; with Q1 2012proving fantastic for ourproperties, running over 95per cent occupancies andhence, looks quite optimisticregarding the high occupancyrate to continue further in theremaining year. We keep cre-ating awareness among thetravel trade, as they are themost vital feature for us byarranging roadshows inIndia, Middle East, CIS mar-ket, China, Russia, Brazil andFar East, that is also emerg-ing as new markets.”

An extremely well andstrategically located,Discovery Travel stand in themidst of all the TourismBoards has benefitted thembeyond expectation withplenty of business proposi-tions from ATM 2012.

“There were hugepotential meetings which canbe converted into business.

Lots of local corporate andlocal sub agents approachedus, which will surely work out

to give us 100 per centgrowth rate. We have alreadystarted planning for ATM

2013,” expressed RameshPatnaik, General Manager,Discovery Travel, Dubai.

ATM isimportant forus as we couldmeet manybusinesspartners andbe updatedand informedabout thepopularity ofthe country

It is one of ourefforts to tapthe high-endMiddle Eastmarket whichis consideredas one of thehighestspendingtravellers inthe world

Benito C. BengzonJR, Assistant Secretary International Tourism PromotionDepartment of Tourism, Phillipines

Ralf ZednikMarketing, Director of Sales,Department of Labor and EconomicDevelopment, Tourist Office, Munich

Lot of localcorporate andlocal subagentsapproachedus, which willsurely workout to give us100 per centgrowth rate

This year hasseen greatconfidencelevel; with Q12012 provingfantastic forour properties,running over95 per centoccupancies

Russel G.H. SharpeCOO - Hotel DivisionCitymax Hotels, Landmark Hospitality

Ramesh PatnaikGeneral ManagerDiscovery Travel, Dubai

Revival trends @ATM 2012Contd. from page 1

James Hogan, President& Chief Executive Officer,Etihad Airways has beennamed World Tourism andTravel Council’s (WTTC)Vice Chairman for theMiddle East and Africa.

The announcement wasmade at the 12th WTTCGlobal Summit being held atthe Pamir ConventionCentre in Tokyo, Japan.

Speaking from Tokyo,Hogan said he was delightedto accept the position andlooked forward to playing amajor role in planning the13th WTTC Global Summit tobe held in Abu Dhabi inApril/May 2013.

He said it was an hon-our for Abu Dhabi to hostthe 13th WTTC GlobalSummit in 2013. “The traveland tourism industries are amajor contributor to themeteoric rise of Abu Dhabiand its emerging role on the

global stage,” he stated.“The WTTC Global

Summit in Abu Dhabi nextyear will not only build onthis momentum but alsoshowcase the Emirate’sabundance of world classtourism infrastructure andattractions, which are theproduct of millions of dollarsof investment by the AbuDhabi Government,” headded. “I’m confident thatnext year’s Global Summitwill provide further stimulusfor travel and tourism growthto the UAE capital.” Hogan isa member of the ExecutiveCommittee for the 2012WTTC Global Summit event.

Hogan gets a new rank in WTTC

James HoganPresident & Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Etihad Airways

Q1 performance showsthat more Gulf residentsare visiting Singapore andthe upcoming summerholidays are expected tobring a 10% increase invisitor numbers comparedto the previous summer,say senior Singaporetourism officials.

First quarter figuresfrom Singapore TourismBoard (STB) show that14,280 visitors arrived inSingapore from the UAE,an increase of more than18% over the first quarterof 2011. During this time,Singapore also saw a36.3% increase in visitorsfrom the KSA.

Mohamed HafezMarican, Area Director -ME and Africa, STB saidthat he expects ‘at least a10% jump’ in the numberof Gulf visitors toSingapore this summerseason. “Thanks to the recent investment in the infrastructure,‘new’ Singapore offers adifferent holiday experi-ence to Gulf visitors,”said Marican.

Singapore up18% in UAEarrivals

Qatar National HotelsCompany (QNH) reveals itsnew corporate identity to theregional and internationaltourism industry. Rebrandedas Katara Hospitality, thecreation of a completely newcorporate identity generatedby a name more relevant forthe company’s ambitiousinternational expansionplans will herald a new eraof opportunity for the hospi-tality giant, in line withQatar’s own tourism devel-opment strategy.

“Over the last fourdecades we have been at theforefront of the development

of Qatar’s hospitality indus-try at both domestic andinternational levels. As weembark on a new wave ofstrategic expansion, weseized the opportunity toredefine the brand and setthe scene for future growthof not only our rapidlyexpanding portfolio, but ofQatar’s reputation as a keyplayer in the global tourismmarket,” said Sheikh Nawafbin Jassim bin Jabor Al-Thani, Chairman, KataraHospitality.

The word ‘Catara’ datesback to 150 AD and wasoriginally used by the

ancient Greeks to refer tothe area known as the QatarPeninsula, before Europeancartographers began usingthe spelling ‘Katara’ on his-torical maps dating from thefirst half of the 18th century.

Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassimbin Jabor Al-ThaniChairman, Katara Hospitality

QNH is now Katara Hospitality

HOTELS8 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 2

Citymax Hotels hadentered the market in

May 2010 with their firstproperty in Al Barsha, Dubaiand next in Bur Dubai inNovember 2010 and there-after in Sharjah in May 2011.Strategically located CitymaxHotels, established in 2009, the hospitality arm of Dubai-headquarteredLandmark Group fills up the vital gap between valuedriven and mid-market hotels in the region.

Russel G.H. Sharpe,COO, Hotel Division, CitymaxHotels Landmark Hospitalitystated, “The UAE today is nolonger perceived as a merestopover option but a holidaydestination of choice.Citymax Hotels continuouslyattempt to offer the guests the best in hospitalityexperience and the soaringrate of occupancy is testa-ment to the focussed cus-tomer service we offer.”

Emphasising on theimportance of the traveltrade, Citymax Hotels is incontinuous process of creat-ing awareness through vari-

ous campaigns and road-shows being organised inIndia, Middle East, CIS,China, Russia, Brazil and FarEast and also getting intonew markets. Orientationprogrammes, award cere-monies, product discountsare the few among manyschemes planned for the travel agents.

“We have offered about more than 100 rooms complimentary to the potentialtravel agents, along with provisions of sending them on excursions,”

informed Sharpe. Landmarkhas its presence in India aswell as with ‘Inner circlemembership card’ similar to‘Shukran’ in Dubai and havetied up with them on specialprivileged rates.

Attending ATM 2012 forthe second time, CitymaxHotels has observed signifi-cant variation between ATM

2011 and ATM 2012. Hugelevel of confidence this yearhas won over a lot of pes-simism in the previous yearon how tourism in particularwould be. But the biggestchallenge to overcome is tomake people understand thedifferentiated features of it asthe safest and perfect value-for-money hotel.

Providing quality stay at affordable rates, CitymaxHotels have enjoyed rapid increasing occupancy level in Q1 2012 touching over 95 per cent.

Over 95% occupancy

To develop both tourismand commerce in the

United Arab Emirates, specif-ically in Abu Dhabi, NationalCorporation for Tourism &

Hotels contributes to the pro-motion of the Abu Dhabitravel industry, both as a localand international destination.

Danat Hotels & Resorts is theupscale hotel division of theNCT&H with four and five-star properties in Abu Dhabi;Danat Al Ain Resort, DanatJebel Dhanna Resort, Al RahaBeach Hotel, Tilal Liwa Hotel,Sands Hotel and DhafraBeach Hotel.

“As Danat Hotels &Resorts, we under-stand the local mar-ket, its culture andthe guests’ needsand pay attention tothe guests satisfac-tion to attain repeatguests, suitable forcorporate andleisure business,”

explained Rima Rawass,Group Marketing Manager,Danat Hotels & Resorts – A

Division of NCT&H. “We areclosely in alliance with AbuDhabi Tourism & CultureAuthority (ADTCA) andhence, plan to participate inseveral tradeshows withADTCA in 2012, offeringmore local promotions and conduct GCC roadshowswith them.”

Danat Hotels & Resortshave agreements with majorDestination ManagementCompanies (DMC) and touroperators which bringsinbound business to thehotels in Abu Dhabi from UK,China, Germany, Russia andUkraine and so on.

“Our hotels located in AlGharbia Region and in down-town Abu Dhabi, alwaysinvite the travel trade on famtrips to check our products,services and guest activities,”added Rawass.

Looking forward to sign more hotels under Danat Hotels& Resorts, National Corporation for Tourism & Hotel will launch 3 more properties in 2012 after their makeover.

Speedy growth in progress

Rima RawassGroup Marketing ManagerDanat Hotels & Resorts

Russel G.H. SharpeCOO, Hotel DivisionCitymax Hotels Landmark Hospitality

Landmark has itspresence in India as wellwith ‘Inner circlemembership card’ similarto ‘Shukran’ in Dubai andhave tied up with them onspecial privileged rates

Brand Presence

SU S M I TA GH O S H TT BU R E AU

The hotel hosted its first‘can collection drive’ in

2012 and actively supportsthe ‘Responsible Business’programme of the parentcompany – The CarlsonRezidor Group.

It has received theGreen Key Certification with a strong relation

with EEG (EmiratesEnvironmental Group), participating in the globalEarth Hour initiative inMarch end.

Responsible Business is the keystone of theRadisson Blu company cul-ture where many of the hotels have been distinguished with eco-awards that highlight theefforts as a responsible cor-porate citizen.

In January 2012,Rezidor launched ThinkPlanet, an ambitious energysaving initiative. “It aims toreduce energy consumptionby 25 per cent by 2016 not on a property level but on corporate intensity as we have more than 400 hotels worldwide,”informed Basel Talal, GeneralManager Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah.

“The hotel is based ondiesel machinery and sinceJanuary 2012 we have start-ed working on a project of themain boilers and shifted fromdiesel to gas and now byMay-end we will be entirelyoperational,” added Talal.

Taking initiative ofplanting huge number oftrees in Kenya to balance car-bon emission, the companyhas also planted 1,000 treesin Radisson Blu, Sharjah’slandscape area to counterbal-ance its carbon emission.

Aiming at environmental activities, Radisson Blu ResortSharjah has rolled out a series of Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) intended initiatives.

Radisson Blu on CSR way

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About 83 per cent of thehotels have low energy lightbulbs in all guest rooms,around 87 per cent haveoutdoor lighting steered bytimers, 77 per cent havewater-efficient showerheads in all guest rooms,58 per cent use waste com-pactors, 70 per cent usesuppliers that comply withthe latest environmental &ethical standards

Eco Efforts

Awarded for community care

DoubleTree by Hilton Ras Al Khaimah was awarded the ‘Crystal CookieCommunity Care Award’ by DoubleTree by Hilton Hotels. The rare honouris awarded only to those hotels who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to community care and to social responsibility and is regarded as an outstanding and special achievement.

‘2011 Brand of Excellence’

Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa has triumphed once again to winanother award and add to its growing list of honours. The hotel has nowbeen named ‘2011 Brand of Excellence’ by Hilton Hotels & Resorts forMiddle East & Africa region. This performance on loyalty, service, con-dition and cleanliness based on Satisfaction And Loyalty Tracking (SALT)and Quality Assurance (QA) scores.

Basel TalalGeneral ManagerRadisson Blu Resort Sharjah

To woo the highspenders, France hasintroduced a new hospi-tality segment called‘Palace’ in which 42% ofthe occupants are Arabs.The yield per high networth visitor from theMiddle East is typicallymuch more than suchtravellers from otherparts of the world. In2011, out of the 79 mil-lion tourists that Francewelcomed, 8,91,000were mostly from theMiddle Eastern Gulfcountries of UAE, Kuwaitand Saudi Arabia. TheMiddle East feeds only2.5% of France’s hotelnights but 30% of itshotel nights in luxuryhotels comes from theArabs. 50% of MiddleEast tourists spend morethan €5,000 a day withan average stay of 11days in France.

By 2020, it is esti-mated that the highestpercentage of tourismgrowth will come fromKuwait, Lebanon, Saudi,UAE and Egypt.

France ranks 1st as outbound market for ME

Free accommodation offer Etihad Airways has launched an ‘Essential Stopovers’ offer under which the passengers who stop over in Abu Dhabi for a minimum of two nights before December 1, 2012 will get one night free accommodation. This offer is a par t of the airline’s Essential Abu Dhabi programme and can be redeemed at 25 three-star and five-star hotels.

HOTELS

Rezidor Hotel Groupobserved a 10 to 15 per

cent increase in occupancy inQ1 2012 over Q1 2011observed from China, Russiaand emerging markets likeSaudi Arabia.

Highlighting the impor-tance of the travel trade,playing the most importantrole, the Hotel Group has cer-tain incentive plans for themrolling out in summer 2012.Subsequent roadshows alsotook place starting from May

5 in Saudi Arabia and there-after to Kuwait and Qatar.

Talking about theimpact of political unrest inthe UAE, Yigit Sezgin, GlobalDirector - Sales andMarketing, Rezidor HotelGroup said, “Dubai is alwaysupbeat with various facets.They cater to all kind of exhi-bition and conferences facil-ities along with the increase

in inventories that Emiratesand flydubai brings in. Withthe arrivals of A380s, Dubaibrings in around 600 trav-ellers and thus results in bril-liant turnovers with the qual-ity of the product.”

“Dubai will always lead as anentertaining andamazing destinationwith an influx ofbusiness and ceilingRevpar. The Emiratehas experiencedhighest Revpar inthe world in Q12012 ahead of New York, Paris,Moscow, Tokyo among many others tomention,” informed Sezgin.

Rezidor Hotel Group will take over a giant property,Ramada with over 500 rooms in Doha, Qatar andrebrand it as Radisson Blu from July 1, 2012.

A big takeover in Doha

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Yigit SezginGlobal Director - Sales & MarketingRezidor Hotel Group

“ATM 2012 is the post-opening stage

of Hotel Diva and the 2ndyear of our presence, whichhelped us to establish con-tracts with the travel trade ofour source markets of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Dubai,” statedShankar Bharadwaj, GeneralManager, Hotel Diva, alsoresponsible for the wholesales team of all the proper-ties under the Group.

Combined with confer-ences, special events facilitiesand outlets, this 4-star hotelis the perfect choice for bothbusiness and leisure guestsamong other four hotelsmanaged by Gama Group in

Bahrain. The Gama Group isalso venturing into expandingits plans of introducing morehotels in the near future.

“The propertyreceives around 25per cent of businessoverall from GDSand the travel trade.Bahrain has a very good presence of travelagents and whole-salers who dealwith Europe andMiddle East market.

Also, Cruise businessflourishes here predominant-ly among others. Seminars at

regular intervals, frequenttraining sessions along withfam trips are organised now

and then to stay abreast and to create awareness and encouragement

among the travel agents,” hefurther informed.

As the situation startedimproving in the kingdomwith the Government con-cluding Formula 1 successful-ly on April 22, the Groupanticipates reaching its ulti-mate goal of expectation andthe tourism to make headway.

Even though the hotel started on April 2011 at the peak of unrest, it showed prospect in its occupancy level of an average of 60 per cent in 2012 compared to 2011. This 4-star hotel caters to both business and leisure guests among other four hotels managed by Gama Group in Bahrain.

One-year-old and growing strong

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Shankar BharadwajGeneral ManagerHotel Diva

Further, underlining the facton, ‘Green’ status, Hotel Divahas planned to distributepotted plants to all corporateguests on June 5, TheWorld’s Environment Day,with the tagline ‘PersonallyYours’

CSR Efforts

Thailand-based ONYXHospitality Group has beenappointed by Gulf Tradingand Contracting Company(GTC) to operate a 120-roomhotel in the Qatari capital,Doha. This is ONYX’s firststep for expansion in the

Middle East for the Amaribrand. The property isscheduled to open inSeptember 2012. Ideallylocated just 15 minutes fromDoha International Airport,the property also boasts aprime position for exploring

Doha’s historic and culturalsites, including the IslamicArt Centre and Souk Waqif.

Peter Henley, Presidentand Chief Executive Officer,ONYX said, “This project willbe the first Amari property inthe Middle East. It is a signif-

icant milestone for us and weplan to bring the personalisedguest services and experi-ences that are a key attributeof the Amari brand to theregion. Amari Doha will pro-vide genuine Asian hospitalitywith a modern twist.”

Introducing the first Amari Doha in Middle East

Prince Sultan binSalman bin Abdul Aziz,President, SaudiCommission for Tourismand Antiquities (SCTA),inaugurated the websiteof the Saudi tourism filmsand photo library’s web-site (www.seesaudi.sa).

Hamad Al Sheikh,Assistant Vice President,SCTA for Investment,said, “The library websiteis the first of its kind inthe region, which is builtby photographers andtourism filmmakers.” Thewebsite includes photosfrom Saudi Arabia reflect-ing different parts of thecountry, illustratingtourism and culturalscenes and landmarks inthe kingdom.

Hussam Al Mejali,Project Manager, saidthat the library is distin-guished by the high-quality criteria, which isapplied to all materialbefore publishing to keepthe library at the highestlevel of performance andproviding a high qualityof material.

Saudi photolibrary launched

The Group will take over agiant proper ty, Ramadawith over 500 rooms inDoha, Qatar and rebrand itas Radisson blu since July1, 2012

Takeover

FAMILY ALBUM1 0 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 2

ATM: Busy networking, discovering newThe four-day Arabian Travel Market 2012 featured an increase in the numberof visitors, renewed by B2B highlight. This show experienced 35% rise in decision makers and influencers from buyers’ club members and hosted delegates and 7% increase in exhibitors. More than 21,000 square metres of floor space hosted over 2,400 exhibitors and 82 new companies with 54 national pavilions and 87 countries represented overall.

FAMILY ALBUM J U N E , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 1

travel trends and nurturing relationships

FAMILY ALBUM1 2 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 2

ATM 2012: Business at its best !

Designed for 3rd partydevelopers, the

Developer Network providesmembers with full access tokey software resources, keento support and get an entryto the new TravelportDeveloper Directory.

As part of the new pro-gramme, Travelport’s devel-oper tools will continue to bebuilt on open standards tech-nology, the applications caneasily integrate with existingTravelport databases andtechnologies.

Members can also gain access to the

Universal Desktop SoftwareDevelopment Kit (SDK).Incorporated with workflows,shopping and booking fromblended GDS and non-GDScontent and custom pop-upwidgets anytime.

“By providing local developerswith a single accesspoint to our contentand agency net-work, along withtechnical support,we can promote and innovate morewithin the Middle East’s travel industry,” said Rabih Saab, Presidentand Managing Director,Middle East and Africa,Travelport. “This pro-gramme will allow us to part-ner more closely with thedeveloper community, so thatwe are well placed to offerthe best possible applicationsto our network of travel agen-cies,” he added.

Travelport has alsosigned an agreement with dnata at ATM 2012 to utilise the industry-leading Travelport Universal

API™ technology for the firsttime in the Middle East.“dnata now has access to next-generation technology that represents a re-engineering ofTravelport’s infrastructure,”said Saab. “Universal APIunderpins the GDS technol-ogy of the future, allowing easy access to aworld of content and func-tionality efficiently.”

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline and Travelporthave also announced a new agreement that further opened up easyJet booking services tobe sold by all Galileo-con-nected agency customersworldwide and any otheragency using the TravelportUniversal API™.

TECHNOLOGY J U N E , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 3

‘Amadeus MobileTraveller’, is a multi-lin-

gual mobile application, thatprovides pre-trip, in-trip andpost-trip functionalities.Launched by Amadeus dur-ing ATM 2012, this mobileapplication, is designed toprovide the users an accessto real time travel informa-tion including flight, carrental and hotel bookings.

Supported byTechmaster, a developmentpartner for Amadeus in theMENA region, this all-in-oneGDS-powered mobile appli-cation functions as planning,searching and booking flights,hotels and cars, tracking itin-erary and flight information

and sharing travel experiencewith friends through socialmedia channels.

Antoine Medawar, VicePresident, Middle East andNorth Africa, Amadeus, said,“Owing to the advancing

mobile entrance rates, thetravellers are becomingincreasingly demanding andtechnology savvy. The needto keep pace with this trendand provide travel agents, acompetitive edge has neverbeen greater.

Amadeus MobileTraveller has beenspecifically designedfor the region toenable travel agentsto stay at the fore-front of new trendsand traveller habits, opening up new avenues forgrowth and advancement ofthe regional travel andtourism sector altogether.”

The application’s com-bination with AmadeusContent Store – Amadeushotel booking solution givesthe MENA travel agents anaccess to a wealth of hotelproperties, sourced from theregion’s most popular aggre-gators and wholesalers ateffective prices.

Accessible worldwide once downloaded onto the user’s mobile device,‘Amadeus Mobile Traveller’ benefits the travel agents in the Middle Eastand North Africa by playing the role of a new distribution, commerce and communication channel.

‘Amadeus Mobile Traveller’

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Antoine MedawarVice President - MENAAmadeus This all-in-one GDS-powered

mobile application functionsas planning, searching andbooking flights, hotels andcars, tracking itinerary andflight information and sharingtravel experiences withfriends through social media channels

Hi-tech

Marina Byblos Hotel celebrated the achievement of two awards won at MENA Travel Awards 2012. Following its successful launch in June 2011, Marina Byblos Hotel won the gold award for ‘Best Price Value Hotel’ and silver award for ‘Best 4 Star New Hotel For The Year 2011’ during the MENA Awards 2012.

Celebrating dual achievement

Acquiring double digit growth in the ME, Travelporthas launched ‘Travelport Developer Network’ to inde-pendent software developers in the ME to co-developinnovative solutions for the travel agents of the region.

Tech solutions for agents

Travelpor t signs withdnata to utilise TravelportUniversal API™technology for the firsttime in the ME

easyJet and Travelpor thave also announced anew agreement that willopen up easyJet bookingservices to be sold by allGalileo-connected agencycustomers worldwide andany other agency usingthe Travelpor t UniversalAPI™

Joining Hands

Rabih SaabPresident and Managing Director,Middle East and Africa, Travelport

“Our partners, cus-tomers and even

competitors have shownhuge appreciation mention-ing, we have added value to ATM instead of being only exhibitors,” informedRamzi Al Qassab, RegionalCommercial Director, Sabre Travel Network Middle East.

Technological develop-ment undoubtedly had a

major impact on the globaltourism industry and theregion’s travel community isno exception. Embracing andimplementing the next gen-eration technologies was oneof the critical issues discussedat ATM 2012.

“In 2011, we have enjoyed double digit growth with ourlong term andstrategies, in spiteof the socio-politicalsituation in theregion,”

he added. Sabre doesn’t only cater as a GDS but also,its consultancy and airlinesolutions, provides manyforms of support.”

“One of Sabre’s coremotos is - Even if the marketis down we are not going topull out, we are here for longterm, as we globally believein Middle East and confidentthat the market will take aturn up for sure. We staycommitted to our long termplans,” stated Al Qassab.

Being the sponsor of the new Technology SeminarTheater at ATM 2012, Sabre Travel Network MiddleEast, brought number of guest speakers from the region to address how online business is taking shape.

Technology wonder!

Ramzi Al QassabRegional Commercial DirectorSabre Travel Network Middle East

Versailles Hotel with Utell International

During the recently concluded ATM, Versailles Hotel signed up with world renown Utell International. Talking to TravTalk, Manoj Padhi General Manager, Versailles Hotel said that this was just the beginning and better things were yet to come and partnership with Utellwas a right step in the right direction.

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German events industry breaks its own record The German event industry has concluded the year 2011 with record results: 2.72 million events took placeand were visited by 338 million participants throughout Germany. Compared to 2010, which had alreadybeen a very positive year, the number of visitors grew by another 4.5 percent. The number of events increasedby 1.2 percent, the proportion of foreign participants remained stable at 5.9 percent (increase of 0.1 percent). The boom of the past two years has also led to a growing range of offers. In 2012, the country offers6,614 conference and event sites, three percent more than in the previous year, according to the results ofthe Meeting & Event Barometer 2012, the essential annual study for Germany's event industry.

Sabre connects theconsumer to the TMC, theTMC to the Airline, Hoteland Car Rental Company,the airline and hotel with itscustomers and a whole lotof connections in between

Sabre Connects

NTO1 4 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 2

ATM 2012 has beeninstrumental in estab-

lishing productive businessrelationship between thePhilippines and the Gulf trav-el trade key players.Philippines, the country of7,107 islands, being the pop-ular destination for theMiddle East travellers, thereis substantial increase of traf-fic from the region with themajor developments in therecent years.

“As the region’s leadingtravel event, ATM is animportant venue to push our new tourism brand to various tour wholesalersand individual travellers and this is one of our efforts to tap the high-valueMiddle East market, which isconsidered as one of thehighest spending travellersin the world,” expressedBenito C. Bengzon, JR,Assistant Secretary,International TourismPromotion, Department ofTourism, Philippines.

“This year’s partici-pation is very time-ly to drum upawareness for ourmarketing cam-paign and to sustainconfidence andpatronage from thepartners in theregion,”he added. In 2011, thePhilippines had attracted55,829 tourists from theMiddle East with a growth of

14.60 per cent from 2010arrivals. The first quarter of 2012 continues its growth at 12.24 per cent.Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwaitand Qatar are the key travelmarkets in the region besidesKorea, US and Japan.

Increasing flights andpositioning Philippines as a key hub destination for families and honeymoon-ers from this part of theworld is the main aim of theTourism Board.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines hadrolled out its new tourism campaign, ‘It's more fun inthe Philippines’ at the recently concluded 19th ATM.

Philippines calling

Benito C. BengzonJR, Assistant SecretaryInternational Tourism PromotionDepartment of Tourism, Philippines

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwaitand Qatar are the key travelmarkets in the region besidesKorea, US and Japan

In 2011, the Philippines hadattracted 55,829 touristsfrom the Middle East with agrowth of 14.60 per centfrom 2010 arrivals

The first quar ter of 2012continues its growth at 12.24 per cent

ME Arrivals in thePhilippines

In the presence of Thai andlocal UAE key travel

industry representatives in Dubai, TAT announced that they expect 10 per cent increase in the number of visitors travellingfrom the GCC in 2012 com-pared to 2011 at the pre-ATM conference.

Juthaporn Rerngronasa,Deputy Governor -International Marketing, TAT,expressed, “The Middle East market has been an increasingly important source market to Thailand

over the last couple of years and we see positive signs of this trend to continue.”

“In 2011, Thailand wel-comed 19.23 million interna-tional tourist arrivals, whogenerated approximate rev-

enue of 25 billion US dollars.Among which Middle Eastvisitors comprised 6,50,000,who generated 1 billion USdollars in tourism income.During Jan–Mar 2012 thenumber of ME visitors was1,40,000,” she added.

“In the coming year,TAT ME office will continueto support the Thailand brand‘Amazing Thailand: AlwaysAmazes You’, focussing onauthenticity, value for moneyand hospitality,” explainedWisoot Buachoom, Director,TAT. Highlighting a significantstrategic shift, TAT will nowfocus its marketing efforts onniche markets targetted atspecific customer segments inspecific countries.

“As a sub-theme to the‘Amazing Thailand: AlwaysAmazes You’ campaign,Middle East marketingstrategies will also promi-nently feature many‘Miracle Moments’ Thailandhas to offer, to attract bothfirst-time and repeat visi-tors,” he added.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) actively participated in ATM 2012. The Tourism Board exhibited Health and Wellness, Weddingand Honeymoon, Green and Golf Tourism for the Middle East market.

Amazing Thailand for Middle East

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Munich is well known inthe MICE sector as well,

as there are many incentive options and areas to organise specialincentive programmes.

“Besides peak travel phase, we expect 3 to 8 per cent ofgrowth, hence we try to promote its strongtouristic aspectsinspite of toughcompetition and decreasing marketingbudget to fight out the eco-nomic crisis. Strength lies onthe renowned royal castlessituated in the beautifulBavarian Alps, besides,Munich is also the home toBMW’s company headquar-ters, its center for design andengineering. There is no lan-guage barrier, newspapersand periodicals are all

printed in English and Arabic Television channelsare telecasted in the hotels,”explained Ralf Zednik,Marketing, Director of Sales,Department of Labor andEconomic Development,Tourist Office, Munich.

Establishing as a centerfor green technology, Munich,the car city, has raised the first charging station for e-cars reflecting the city’s environmental policy,making it one of the cleanestcity in Germany.

Participating in theGerman roadshow recently,the tourist office is alwaysgeared up to take part in dif-ferent roadshows to encour-age the travel agents in everyway. “We have been the part-ners for Euronet roadshow,the incoming agency forSaudi Arabia roadshows inFebruary 2012 with the trav-el partners joining fromAustria. We have created e-learning tool for the travelagents of Indian market andin the process of planning forthe Middle East region beforethe main season starts,” fur-ther informed Zednik.

To offer best services tothe Middle East travellers,Munich co-operated withpartners like Munich Airportin a very intense way.

Around 40 per cent of the ME travellers pour in to Munich all through the year. It is well known for its MICE sector as well.

Munich for MICE

Ralf ZednikMarketing, Director of Sales, Departmentof Labor and Economic DevelopmentTourist Office, Munich

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The MICE sector is veryimportant and when it comesto overnights, MICE travellerscomprises of 30 per cent,business, 20 per cent and 50per cent leisure travellers

MICE @Munich

ME marketingstrategies willalso featuremany ‘MiracleMoments’Thailand has to offer

The ME markethas been anincreasinglyimportantsource marketto Thailandover the lastcouple of years

Juthaporn RerngronasaDeputy Governor - InternationalMarketing, Tourism Authority of Thailand

Wisoot BuachoomDirectorTourism Authority of Thailand

Middle East visitorscomprised 6,50,000, who generated 1 billion US dollars in tourismincome

During January – March,2012 the number ofMiddle East visitors was1,40,000

ME Arrivals

Fun and frolicThe Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippineshad rolled out its new tourism campaign, ‘It'smore fun in the Philippines’ at the recently concluded 19th ATM 2012 through a PhilippineReception at the newly opened PhilippineConsulate office in Dubai.

MOVEMENTS J U N E , 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 5

Dubai will once again feature a 4-star beach hotel on its coastline, as Jebel Ali International Hotels prepares to open the Ocean View Hotel on The Walk at JBR beach. The Ocean View Hotel, which will be Dubai’s only 4-star beach hotel and the only 4-star hotel on The Walk is already built and overlooks the Arabian Gulf and The PalmJumeirah. All the 341 rooms and suites feature sea views. The property is going through last minute completion and isdue to open in late - 2012. The Ocean View Hotel will also caterto business travellers with a fully equipped conference centreand 6 meeting rooms, many of which feature natural daylightand shaded balcony space for breaks.

Jad Doumet has recently been appointed as the Director ofSales, GCC & Government for Jumeirah Group in Dubai. Prior

to joining the Jumeirah Group, heworked at the Armani Hotel, Dubai asthe Director of Sales. With over 12years of experience, Doumet hasworked with leading global brandssuch as Hilton in Jeddah, Saudi

Arabia and InterContinental LeVendôme & InterContinental Phoenicia

in Beirut. He is a Lebanese nationaland is fluent in Arabic and English.

Amadeus GulfOmanTaji Pulikal is appointed as the new Country Manager forAmadeus Gulf in Oman. He comes with over 28 years ofexperience in varied capacities of thetravel and airline industry. In hisvarious profiles, he has spent 2 yearsin Travel Agency Operations, 16years in Airline Experience and 10years in various Travel Agencies. Inhis present profile, he will be managingthe team with his organisational andinter-personal skills along with hisleadership qualities.

Mercure Grand Hotel SeefBahrainYasser Bahaa will join Mercure Grand Hotel Seef in Bahrain as the new General Manager, effective May 7, 2012. Bahaa is a 46-year old Egyptiannational, with over 15 years of industryexperience. He will be responsible formanaging all aspects of the MercureGrand Hotel Seef’s operations and willlead the team in Bahrain. Prior to this,he was the General Manager of the ibisAmman in Jordan.

Dollar Rent A Car Oman Ashraf Jallad has been appointed as the new Manager for Dollar Rent A Car in Oman. Jallad brings over 17 years experience in the Middle East car rental business and will be responsible for driving sales and overseeing the operations of Dollar in Oman. He will report to the General Manager ofDollar Rent A Car.

Jumeirah Group DubaiNicholas Clayton joins Jumeirah Group as the ChiefOperating Officer. He joins Jumeirah Group from the ViceroyHotel Group where he was the Presidentand later became the CEO. In that role, heled a team of 3,500 colleagues in 15properties. Previously Clayton spent 14years with Ritz-Carlton in theirbusinesses in the United States, Australiaand finally Singapore where he was theManaging Director of the Ritz-CarltonMillenia. He then joined MandarinOriental in 2001 as SeniorVice President Operationsbased in Hong Kong.

Millennium Airport Hotel DubaiDubaiWinfried Helmetag has been appointed as the new ExecutiveChef of Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai. Helmetag is a Germannational with more than 20 years ofexperience in the ME, ten of those yearsbased in the UAE, from hotels in Ajmanto Abu Dhabi. His career in the Arabworld began with a stint in Cairo in1980. He has also spent a period inBahrain and two separate spells inJordan. For the last seven years, hehas worked as Executive Chef for twoKempinski Hotels in the UAE.

Etihad Airways ThailandKirk Albrow is appointed as the new General Manager Thailand for Etihad Airways. He has been with the airline since 2004 in a number of senior commercial roles, includingRegional General Manager for AsiaPacific and for Europe and theAmericas. His extensive internationalsales experience includesmanagement positions at Swissair, United Airlines and British Airways.

Ocean ViewHotel on The Walk at JBR beach

Hilton Worldwideannounced the official open-ing of Hilton BursaConvention Centre &Spa and Hampton byHilton Bursa in Turkey. This is the company’s first dual-branded property withinthe country.

As the first combi-nation of Hilton Hotels &Resorts and Hampton byHilton brand property inEurope, the companyreports that its guestswill be able to enjoy bothupscale and economybrands whilst visiting

Bursa. The hotels are locat-ed in the centre of Bursa,

north-western Turkey, with access to the city’s cul-

tural sites, business dis-tricts, commercial andindustrial areas.

The property offers187 rooms, inclusive of 12suites, apart from Food &beverage and Leisure andwellness facilities. Forthose travelling on busi-ness, the hotel offers con-ference and events spacefor business and socialclients, including a grandballroom for up to 1,200guests that also benefitsfrom additional outsidespace for up to 800 guests.

First dual-branded property in Turkey

Madinat JumeirahDubaiMargaret Paul is appointed General Manager of Madinat Jumeirah – The Arabian Resor t. In her present

profile, she will oversee the managementof the resor t’s three hotels – Al Qasr, Mina A’Salam and Dar Al Masyaf – as well as the SoukMadinat Jumeirah and the resor t’s

Conference Centre. Paul, a Britishnational, has been with Jumeirah

Group since 2002. Prior to joining theJumeirah Group, Margaret

worked for Le Meridien Hotelsin Europe and Dubai.

Jumeirah Beach HotelDubaiMahmoud Sakr becomes the new General Manager ofJumeirah Beach Hotel. He star ted his career with Jumeirah in

1999 as Director of Rooms for JumeirahGroup’s flagship hotel, Burj Al Arab. He waspromoted to Executive Assistant Manager -Rooms Division, then to Resident Manager,before becoming Hotel Manager. In 2008 hebecame General Manager of Mina A’Salam,

part of Madinat Jumeirah resort.Sakr, an Egyptian national, hasworked for several prestigioushotels throughout Egypt,Saudi Arabia and the United

Arab Emirates.

CAR RENTAL1 6 TRAVTALK J U N E , 2 0 1 2

The Company will open its16th branch at MotorCity

in Dubai before the end ofJune and plans to add at leastfive more locations to its UAEnetwork this year, with othersin the pipeline.

“Our new MotorCity location will service the residential community there, as well as those inArabian Ranches,Victory Heights and the GreenCommunity,”

said Nigel Johnson,Managing Director, HertzUAE.

“We’re responding tothe growing demand by tak-

ing our car rental offeringinto these communities. Thebiggest chunk of our monthlycar rental business comesfrom UAE residents, asopposed to tourists and 80per cent of this businesscomes from expat profession-als working and living in theUAE. Typically, they’re peoplewho need a car for months ata time, when they come backto the UAE in January afterspending Christmas away or

when they return inSeptember at the end of the summer holidays,” he added.

Hertz UAE posted a 12per cent growth in inventorylast year, whereas, onlinedaily and weekly car rentalbookings rose by 35 per cent.

The Company is nowlooking to build on that growth in 2012 and will follow up the purchase of more than 4,800 new vehi-cles in 2011 by introducingapproximately the samenumber to its fleet this year.

“The new MotorCitybranch will be the first neigh-bourhood car rental serviceavailable to residents in thatparticular area of Dubai,”Johnson continued saying, “Itis a part of our strategic net-work expansion which isdesigned to make the rentalexperience as easy as possi-ble by extending our reach

into every corner of the com-munity in the UAE.”

“We’re looking towardsadding new branches whilefive are in the pipeline forlater this year. At the sametime, we’re continuing withthe refurbishment of ourexisting locations across theEmirates,” he concluded.

The growing demand for seasonal car rental services from business professionals and long-term UAE residents is helping drive the expansion plans of Hertz UAE into local communities.

Seasonal demand drives Hertz

Nigel JohnsonManaging DirectorHertz UAE Her tz UAE posted a 12

per cent growth in inventorylast year, whereas, onlinedaily and weekly car rental bookings rose by 35 per cent

80 per cent of this businesscomes from expatprofessionals working andliving in the UAE

Hertz UAE posted a 12 percent growth in inventory lastyear, whereas, online dailyand weekly car rentalbookings rose by 35 per cent.

Growth Chart

TT BU R E AU

Savoy Park, Savoy Suites and Savoy Crest hotel apartments, all membersof the Dubai Quality Group, bagged three prestigious Dubai Green TourismAwards 2011 presented by DTCM. The event was held on May 1, 2012at the International Exhibition Centre. Faroukh Sunny, General Managerof the three Savoy Hotel Apartments took the stage along with Savoy’sGreen Team Members to receive the awards from DTCM’s officials.

Hat-trick for Savoy Dubai

(L-R): Daisuke Matsunaga, Japanese Consul-General in Dubai receivingthe New Frontiers Award 2012 from Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, ReedTravel Exhibitions and Carlos Salas, Trade Commissioner, Embassy ofChile in United Arab Emirates. Last year’s recipient Chile attended thisyear’s Arabian Travel Market to present the award.

Japan honoured at ATM