Travel Trade Monthly, May 2011

INVESTIGATION: PRIVATE AVIATION

MARKET UPDATE 4VISIT: Lebanon 6EXPLORE: Bahrain 12REZIDOR SUPPLEMENT 19INVESTIGATION: Private Aviation 31ONSITE: Thailand 34EXCLUSIVE: Budget Travel 37TRAVEL CHANNELS 40TRAVEL TALK 41TOUR: Spain 42LONG HAUL: Kenya 44WHO’S MOVED 46RENDEZVOUS 47NEWS AND EVENTS 48

EXPLORE: BAHRAIN

MAY 2011 ISSUE 19

VISIT: LebanonVISIT: Lebanon

Middle East and North Africa Edition

www.traveltradeweekly.travel

With the financial and tourism hub of Bahraintaking a significant step back in light of conflictin the country, expectations for the future aresuspended in mid-air. Bahrain was ranked assecond in the region for its tourism and travelcompetitiveness by The Travel and TourismCompetitiveness Report, 2011, released onMarch 6. Currently its bright future appears tobe delayed, but by no means destroyed.

The political unrest in a handful of countriesthroughout the Middle East and North Africahas caused a decrease in air traffic but also putintense pressure on private charter aviation, ascompanies desperately try to fly their employeesout of danger zones at short notice.

In This Issue

66

1212

3131

Lebanon has long attracted both leisure and business visitors to itsurban centres, although in light of recent political debates, perceptions

of the country’s tourism future are inconsistent. As a country full ofnatural beauty and outdoor activities, a change in tourism focus may

be in question, taking tourists away from the feared cities.

May 2011, Issue 19

REZIDOR Supplement 19

MAY 20114

T he 2010 published annual report also reveals thatthe cargo revenue grew by 238 percent, while seatfactor increased from 61 percent to 72 percent. Inaddition, the airline added eight new destinationsto its global network and enhanced the fleet with

two new airbus A330s. As part of the 2010 achievements, the carrier signed a codeshareagreement with Malaysian Airlines and also became the first airline inthe world to offer both GSM mobile phone and broadbandconnectivity aboard. Despite the loss of OMR78 million (USD202.5 million), as a resultof investments in the fleet, technology and infrastructure, the carrierexperienced significant growth. H.E. Darwish Bin Ismail Al Bulushi,on behalf of the board of directors, commented on the excellentresults.“Oman Air’s innovation and rapid expansion over the course of 2010was impressive and our confirmation as an acclaimed luxuryinternational carrier has shown that our planning and investment havebeen highly effective.”Peter Hill, CEO, Oman Air, highlights on the carriers’ achievementsand high standards. “Oman Air’s results for 2010 are extremely positive and we have

witnessed remarkable growth in all areas of our business. Despite achallenging year for aviation, we have been able to expand our fleetand our route network, carry more passengers and transport morecargo. We have pioneered new technology, launched new productsand offered an outstanding customer experience. We have increasedour revenues, which - whilst major fuel price increases, ash clouds andsevere weather in Europe had an impact - have grown by 40 percent.2010 has been a transformative year for Oman Air and one that hasseen us recognised as an international airline of the highest quality.”

COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=UAE (AED) Dirham 3.67Egypt (EGP) Pound 5.95Saudi Arabia (SAR) Riyal 3.75Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1,502.5Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37Jordan ( JOD) Dinar 0.71Syria (SYP) Pound 47.45Kuwait (KWD) Dinar 0.28Qatar (QAR) Riyal 3.64Oman (OMR) Rial 0.38Tunisia (TND) Dinar 1.35Morocco (MAD) Dirham 7.75Iran (IRR) Riyal 10,46Yemen (YER) Rial 215.25Algeria (DZD) Dinar 71.31Libya (LYD) Dinar 1.20

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 27/4/2011Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLYManaging Editor

Mary [email protected]

JournalistsRita Kasziba

Duncan MacRaeMarianna Keen

Design & LayoutElina Pericleous

Sales & MarketingDimitris Thomaidis

DirectorsAndreas Constantinides

Mary Kammitsi

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Oman Air has AchievedRemarkable Successand Growth in 2010The national carrier of the sultanate of Oman recordeda significant increase of 40 percent in revenues, whilethe number of passengers carried rose by 38 percent to3.3 million.

A lthough Lebanon’s travel andtourism industry has beendeterred, the country is used toovercoming political unrest.According to the World Travel

and Tourism Council (WTTC), the travel andtourism industry is still expected to be one of theworld’s fastest growing sectors, and Lebanonappears as eager as ever to cash in on this.However, the competitiveness of Lebanon in thefuture travel market will depend on the country’spolitical stability, security, investment, andstability of the region as a whole.As in many parts of the Arab world since the revoltstaking place this spring, Lebanon’s travel market

has seen a significant hit. Its domestic situation,following the collapse of its cabinet in January, isalso likely to have held back more tourists. Politicalgridlock and heightened sectarian tension, asrelayed in the international media, have arousedpanic from travellers, which is yet to pass.

HotelsThe country’s hotel market appears to be mostaffected by the squeeze in its critical tourismindustry, with management adjusting to thesituation however they can. According to theWTTC’s March update of the industry, thegrowth in hotel occupancy and overnight visitorarrivals in the Middle East slowed significantly

early this year, which is partly due to the politicalupheaval in the region. Subsequently, accordingto the report, the Middle East region hasexperienced a fall in average room rate, thusfurthering the pressure already felt by hotelsfrom decreased visitor numbers impacted bydisplacement of tourism and high oil prices.Hotels throughout Lebanon have felt the lack oftourism, although opinions regarding theworrying trend vary. Maha Bourachi, director ofsales and marketing, Mövenpick Hotel andResort Beirut, commented on the culpability ofturmoil throughout the Arab world. “The changein business levels is mainly due to the conflict inthe region which is shifting business away fromthe Middle East for the time being.” Alternatively, Michelle Naaman, director ofmarketing and communications, Monroe Hotels,remarked that unrest in Lebanon is a more prevalentcause of the drop in visitors. “A drop in occupancyis due to the political situation in Lebanon, whichmade business and leisure customers either cancelor postpone their reservations and events. A veryminor and insignificant percentage was due toconflicts in other Middle Eastern and Africancountries.” With 2011 bringing uprising across the region itis difficult to know what is impacting visitornumbers most. Despite the situation,management of hotels have demonstrated areadiness to cope with slumps and react tochallenges, with some taking an imperviousoutlook and seeking creative solutions.Rita Faddoul, director of sales and marketing,Riviera Hotel, commented that Lebanon is notgreatly affected by turmoil. “Lebanon is a differentcase to any other country; political debates doaffect the hotel occupancy but not dramatically.” Whatever the approach taken, the effect that thebout of instability is having on hotels cannot be

MAY 20116

- Lebanon

Lebanon in BriefCapital: BeirutCurrency: Lebanese Pound (LBP)Language: Arabic

Gaining Stability and Altering PerceptionsLebanon has long attracted both leisure and business visitors to its urban centres, although in light of recent political debates,perceptions of the country’s tourism future are inconsistent. As a country full of natural beauty and outdoor activities, a changein tourism focus may be in question, taking tourists away from the feared cities. Some economic players believe media coverageis to blame for the lack of confidence in the destination, portraying the country as an aggressive warzone without sufficientrecognition of Lebanon’s long struggle for democracy of a kind. Travel Trade Monthly assesses diverging views and the potentialfor revival of Lebanon’s tourism industry.

Marianna Keen writes

The hotelmanagementis benefiting

from thecurrent

situationand

relatively low

occupancyby finalising

the hotel and

resort’srenovation

ignored. It is dispersed from budget to leisureaccommodation and is affecting all travellermarkets.Naaman highlighted the extensive effectexperienced across the hotel industry. “At MarkaziaMonroe Suites our vacationers are mainly Arabnationals, while at Monroe Hotel we get a lot ofgroups and business travellers. Both hotels wereaffected as a result of the turmoil.”Roy Gharios, director of sales, RamadaDowntown Beirut, commented that the businesstravel market has been a main source of revenuefor the hotel. “Corporate business wasaffected less than leisure since Beirut isnow considered among the safest in theregion. Our location in the centre ofdowntown makes us benefit from a bigshare of the corporate business in town.This is what allows us to enjoy a decentoccupancy, even in the current turmoilin the region.” Some hotels have been able to benefitto some extent from their uniquelocations, whether appealing to theapparently more prevalent corporatetravel market or offering a peacefulgetaway from the cities to locals orinternational visitors.Andrea Wrba, general manager,Intercontinental Mzaar LebanonMountain Resort and Spa, which issituated far from the turmoil, recountedlittle effect on business levels. “Localbusinesses have been slightly affected butnot in large numbers and families fromLebanon have been coming up due to thegreat winter season with snow in midDecember until early April.” Although the largest sector forIntercontinental Mzaar is the localmarket, the property attracts foreignguests mainly from Gulf countries suchas Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well asthe expatriate community. “We alreadysee a small lift in the travels and thebooking situation,” added Wrba. The hotel will be closed for the monthof May for renovation work, adding tothe 10 rooms and two meeting roomsrecently completed.Away from such retreats, the situationis quite different and losses are moreprevalent. Mohamad Al Mohtadi, headof sales, Coral Suites Al Hamra,commented on the significance of theloss in Gulf tourism. “The main feederin the Lebanese tourism sector is Gulf

tourism, and no doubt the massive disturbancesand changes in the Middle East and Africa arenegatively affecting this sector in hoteloccupancy and rates.”Several hotels have taken positive approaches tothe situation, undertaking renovations andimprovements, which provide an optimisticoutlook for the industry’s future when stabilityis finally achieved.Rana Younes, marketing manager, Coral BeachHotel & Resort, Beirut, commented that thetiming of the turmoil has worked out well for the

hotel. “The hotel management is benefiting fromthe current situation and relatively low occupancyby finalising the hotel and resort’s renovation,landscaping and maintenance plans.” The hotel’s main market is leisure tourism, comingpredominantly from Iraq, Saudi Arabia andJordan, and occupancy has reportedly dropped by50 percent compared to the same period last year.The travel industry can never survive dependingon only one segment, which is why it’s healthy tohave a business mix and amend the hotel’s focus,suggested Gharios.

7MAY 2011

- Lebanon

MAY 20118

- Lebanon

“We at Ramada Downtown focused a lot on thecorporate market, creating a tactical promotionwith added benefits. Also focusing on service isthe key to success.” Due to the current situation,most bookings are made last minute, makingtrends difficult to forecast.Carol Roncoletta, director of marketingcommunications, Safir Hotels, also emphasised theneed to adapt the hotel’s strategy due to lost GCCoccupancy. “[Safir Heliopolitan Hotel – Beirut] is cuttingexpenses and closing half of the floors. We are alsousing the rate of the day strategy.” Contingency plans for Safir Bhamdoun Hotel aresimilar, including cutting costs. “We only have different strategies to follow in suchsituations and since demand is low, we areaggressive in getting business from any market orsegment,” said Roncoletta.With the holiday season including religiousoccasions ahead, much of Lebanon lies in wait forconditions to improve and for the start ofeconomic recovery through the summer months.In particular, hotels await an improvement in trafficfrom GCC markets, which are expected to returnas widespread turmoil disperses.

In the meantime, hotels are having to focus on awider market base.Jean Marc Panossian, general manager, LeCommodore Beirut, expressed a change in focussince the start of political instability. “Our mainmarkets are GCC countries, Jordan, Egypt andEurope (business and leisure). Now we arefocusing on the Turkish and Iraqi markets as well.”Rosa Bou Chaaya Khoury, director of sales andmarketing, Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel, believesthe collapse of the cabinet minister has been themain influence of reduced occupancy inLebanon. “The leisure market was most affected as most ofthe Europeans cancelled their flights to the regionand the people from the Gulf didn’t travel toBeirut during their February and April holidays,especially those from Saudi Arabia.”For hotels that focus primarily on markets awayfrom the Middle East, expectations forimprovement are different as there is a difficultyin predicting when international travellers willfeel safe to visit Lebanon again.Mona Mounzer, sales and marketing manager,Byblos Sur Mer, observed that the newly openedboutique hotel has experienced a volatile leisure

market due to a largely European customer base.“Being a boutique hotel out of the capital Beirut,in the historical city of Byblos, our visitors comemostly for leisure, which represents around 80percent. Other than the Lebanese market, ourtravellers come mainly from Europe, followed bythe Middle East. Since the European market(leisure market) is very volatile, we are directingour sales and marketing efforts to the corporatetraveller visiting Byblos and to local Lebanesecommunity.” Mounzer believes that until now, Lebanon hasbeen the most stable country among itsneighbours. “Whether or not the travel industrywill prevail depends on how the mediacommunicates Lebanon’s political situation.Most of the time the media exaggerates what’shappening in the country,” she added.Wrba agrees that international media coverage ofthe Lebanon situation is impinging on thecountry’s essential travel industry. “The generalmedia coverage does influence travel behaviour.” Hotel openings for the future include the 5 starKempinski Hotel Summer Land Beirut and the 145room Solidere Rotana, which are both scheduledto open in 2012.

Travel AgentsJean Abboud, President, Association of Travel &Tourist Agents in Lebanon (ATTAL),highlighted that the travel and tourism industryas a whole has not been drastically influenced.“There are of course some cancellations, but thewhole incoming flow was not affected. Theaccommodation sector, hotels and furnishedapartments, are more affected.”Abboud believes that the local situation isaffecting the industry more than the MiddleEastern unrest elsewhere. “Lebanese political restand the quickening of cabinet formation aremajor actions towards regaining tourismflourishment. Change in trends will show up inthe absence of real and quick solutions.”ATTAL is adapting to the situation by followingthe standing real stage demands which include,declaring priority of the tourism industry in alleconomical governmental plans beingdeveloped; setting up a solid and comprehensivetourism programme based on the latestknowledge and information; raising the yearlybudget of the ministry of tourism so that it canlaunch promotional campaigns and improvemarketing policies.

According to Abboud, ATTAL also aims to re-establish the National Council of Tourism so thatit can form new principles, working withprofessional experts including tourism associations,Casino du Liban, Middle East Airlines, banks andtrade chambers. Finally it anticipates encouragingtourism investments and establishing lendinginstitutions to support active incoming touroperators. The Investment Development Authorityof Lebanon reports a slowdown in new projects,when compared to the same period last year, notingthe lack of a new government as a clear obstacle toattracting investors. Absolute Tourism investmentis below the world average, according to WTTC.

Air TravelAn expected reduction has also been recorded inair travel. The Tourism Ministry statistics forApril showed that Rafik Hariri InternationalAirport indicated a 13.36 percent drop in arrivalsto Lebanon during the first quarter of the yearcompared to the first quarter of 2010. Thiscoincides with the International MonetaryFund’s prediction that Lebanon's 2011 economicgrowth rate would fall to 2.5 percent from anaverage annual 8.0 percent over the last four

years, due largely to political uncertainty. Mohammed Amin Hulaiwah, director of corporateaffairs and communications, Gulf Air, stressed thatdespite a decrease in travel to Lebanon, flights inand out of the country have been minimallyaffected. Flights from Bahrain to Lebanon weresuspended temporarily due to security reasons.“Delays were minimal and were due to operationaland technical reasons,” added Hulaiwah.In January the tourism sector suffered a setbackwhen the Saudi Arabian government asked itscitizens to avoid Lebanon, following the collapseof Saad Hariri’s government. After sectarianconflicts broke out in Bahrain, officials there alsowarned nationals not to travel to Lebanon fortheir own safety.

Looking ForwardOn a tourism level, internationals are put off byinstability on a range of levels. The GlobalCompetitiveness Report 2010-2011 from theWorld Economic Forum (WEF), rankedLebanon first out of all countries for its affinityfor travel and tourism, with tourism accountingfor a significant amount of economic activity. Inaddition, there is a very positive attitude towardforeign travellers, and an appreciation of thevalue of the country’s attributes for tourism. Thereport also found that tourism infrastructure iswell developed in the country (ranked 29th).However, in order to further improve Lebanon’stravel and tourism competitiveness, politicalstability and security are key.The WEF report ranked Lebanon ninth on TheTravel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2011for the Middle East and North Africa. Itconcluded that its ground transport infrastructureshould be further developed, safety and securityissues must be addressed and policy rules andregulations should be more generally reviewed inorder to better support the sector’s development.Looking forward, environmental sustainabilitywill also need to be taken into account.According to the WTTC March update, thisMarch, the number of non-Lebanese Arab arrivalsfell by 29.64 percent from March of 2010.Domestic travel is important, but countries witha greater relative contribution to GDP from traveland tourism tend to be more reliant oninternational visitors. According to the WTTCLebanon report 2011, released on February 14,Lebanon’s relative travel and tourism contributionto total GDP by country, is 33.8 percent, whichrepresents the highest of all MENA countries. Thisis expected to rise by 4.3 percent by 2021.“The situation can quickly turn positive ifstability returns; it’s not our first crisis in theregion or in Lebanon,” added Roncoletta.

MAY 201110

n

- Lebanon

We only have

differentstrategies to follow in such

situations and sincedemand

is low, we are

aggressive in gettingbusiness from anymarket orsegment

Bahrain’s tourism and financialsectors have been hit by the unrestthat has gripped the country sinceFebruary 14, and the modernArab country is experiencing a

considerable set back. Jarmo Kotilaine, chiefeconomist at NCB Capital, estimated theimmediate loss to Bahrain’s GDP at aboutUSD320 million since protests broke out. The Travel and Tourism Economic ImpactReport 2011 on Bahrain, released by the WorldTravel and Tourism Council (WTTC) onFebruary 14, estimated direct contribution oftravel and tourism to Bahrain’s GDP to beBHD598 million ( USD1.59 billion), amountingto 6.6 percent of total GDP in 2011. However,with the market becoming unstable since thereport’s release, this speculation appears

increasingly threatened.According to a report by consultants at CBRichard Ellis released on April 13, hoteloccupancy rates have been fluctuating and haveeven plummeted to between five percent and 10percent. A huge contributor to Bahrain’s travelmarket has been the Bahrain Formula OneGrand Prix held at the Bahrain InternationalCircuit. The cancellation of the event due onMarch 13, with any new date yet to be confirmed,has proved a significant hit to Bahrain’s economy.

Strategy of HotelsBahrain’s hotel industry, which relies on a regularcalendar of business conferences and a more orless predictable peak leisure travel season,appears to have taken the most severe hit fromthe unstable environment.

A. Rahman Morshed, CEO, National Hotels Co.,commented on the impact on the sector. “Thehotel industry has suffered drastically onoccupancy levels since the start of the currentsituation in Bahrain with all market segmentsshowing a decline compared to last year. With thecancellation of Formula One; business groups,major exhibitions, and corporate travel suspended,the occupancy levels have sunk between nine to12percent for one of the strongest months.”Fraser Suites Seef Bahrain recorded a drop inoccupancy of more than 50 percent since theFebruary outburst, with leisure and businessmarkets equally affected. Juliana Mateva, director of sales, Fraser SuitesSeef Bahrain, expressed that in April the hotelwitnessed a return to normality. “We participatedat GIBTM this March exhibiting at the Kingdomof Bahrain Tourism Sector stand, sending themessage to potential buyers and clients thatBahrain is ready for business. There are signs thatthe business market has started to recover slowlyand we forecast business will be back to normalafter three months.”Oriadna Ortega, sales and PR executive, MarriottExecutive Apartments Manama, noted the threatposed to the business despite its location. “Whilewe are located in a safe area, not affected directlyby the social disturbances, we have to becontinuously cost aware in order to minimise theimpact on our profit margins.”Rogier van Zeventer, director of online revenueand marketing, Al Safir Hotel, indicated how thehotel has capitalised on its fortunate location. “AlSafir is situated in Juffair, an area away fromwhere people are protesting; therefore we have aunique opportunity to attract business fromother areas. Of course we can’t deny a drop inoccupancy since the conflict started but wehaven’t been affected like other hotels that aresituated in the area of what used to be the Pearlroundabout.

MAY 201112

- Bahrain

Cosmopolitan Bahrain Preparing for RecoveryWith the financial and tourism hub of Bahrain taking a significant step back in light of conflict in the country, expectations for the futureare suspended in mid-air. Bahrain was ranked as second in the region for its tourism and travel competitiveness by The Travel andTourism Competitiveness Report, 2011, released on March 6. Currently its bright future appears to be delayed, but by no means destroyed.Travel Trade Monthly investigates the travel and tourism potential for Bahrain in the continuing turbulence and its aftermath.

Marianna Keen writes

Bahrain in BriefCapital: ManamaCurrency: Bahraini Dinar (BHD)Language: Arabic

There aresigns

that the businessmarket

has started

recoveringslowly and weforecastbusiness will be back tonormal

after threemonths

MAY 201114

- Bahrain

We are targeting the companies in the conflict areas to grab business,either to house their staff or corporate travellers.” Al Safir Hotel indicates that movement is seen in the corporate sector,while the leisure market, primarily from GCC countries, is bookingtravel to Dubai instead of Bahrain. Adjusting to the situation, theproperty removed its cancellation policy, has introduced value addedrates and discounts, and has allowed rooms to be booked without acredit card.The Novotel Al Dana Resort, located in the heart of the Kingdom’s

diplomatic and business area, has also recorded a dramatic businessdownturn with an occupancy rate of around 25 percent. Pierre Gaudou, general manager, Al Dana Resort, remarked on theelevated loss from the holiday market. “The leisure market has been affected even more as the Saudi border wasclosed and 65 percent of our clientele is coming from this country.”With the King Fahad Causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia nowopen, albeit with differing views on the achievement of free movementbetween the two countries, tourism dependent enterprises in Bahrainanticipate the full return of Saudi tourism.Michele Magrone, director of sales and marketing, Sheraton BahrainHotel, commented on the situation. “Sheraton Bahrain Hotel has, likeany other hotel in the country, been affected by the recent events inBahrain and we hope for a prompt return to normality.”

New DevelopmentsIndicating support for growth in the region’s tourism sector, the Traveland Tourism Economic Impact Report, 2011, indicates that investmentin travel and tourism is estimated at BHD241.4 million (USD647.5million) or 8.9 percent of total investment for the year. It signifies thatthis should reach BHD369.7 million (USD998 million) or 9.5 percentof total investment in 2021. To date, the government of Bahrain hasencouraged tourism development and contributes to large-scale tourismprojects in the country.Despite the perils facing the district of Al Seef, Kempinski has stayed onschedule to open the Kempinski Hotel Bahrain City Centre in the areathis autumn, as part of the Bahrain City Centre mega retail andentertainment complex. The hotel will comprise of two towers (Diamondand Pearl), with 460 guest rooms and suites geared towards corporateand leisure visitors. Ibrahim Korkut, director of sales and marketing, Kempinski HotelBahrain City Centre, remarked that the situation in Bahrain is recognisedbut it has not stagnated progress. “While the safety of staff and potentialguests remains paramount, the entire team looks forward to proudlypresenting the hotel to the region later this year.” Another hotel due to open in 2012 is the Ibis Manama Seef, Accor’smidscale lodging offering aimed at plugging a gap in the increasinglybudget aware market. Accor’s luxury Sofitel Accor Zallaq Resort launched a soft opening onFebruary 20, with an official opening postponed due to unrest and a dateis yet unfinalised. St Regis Hotel will be unveiled in Bahrain by StarwoodHotels and Resorts Worldwide, joining the high-end luxury hotelmarket. Located on a reclaimed island, the property is scheduled to openin 2012.Hilton Hotels is scheduled to open the first Conrad hotel in the Kingdom,on the luxurious Reef Island in 2012. The BHD450 million (USD1.2billion) freehold development project of Reef Island will cover an area of579,000m2, with this year’s March completion now delayed until June.

Another delayed development is Durrat AlBahrain, with completion expected in 2015. Thisresort city is planned to have both residential andrecreational facilities. Showing significant progress in the Kingdom isthe Bahrain Bay waterfront community, currentlyin phase two, located off the north shore ofManama. Bahrain Bay Development B.S.C. hasconfirmed that construction on what will soonbe Bahrain’s Four Seasons Hotel and Spa isunderway and on schedule to open in 2014. Thehotel will form one of three anchor

developments for the project. With ongoing issuance of permits, otherdevelopments have also commenced constructionon the site, including the 285 room luxury ShazaBahrain Bay Hotel, scheduled to open March 2014. The Anwaj Islands project, connected to themain island by a causeway, approximately 1.8 kmin length, is also set to include new hotels.Marriott’s long awaited 323 room RenaissanceBahrain Hotel has a 2011 completion date, whilethe Royal Tulip Resort and Spa on the AmwajGateway is due to be complete in 2012.

The USD1.3 billion Al Areen Development,appears to have experienced a setback, withZawya Projects reporting the development to beon hold. Existing leisure facilities on the resortinclude the Al Areen Palace and Spa and the LostParadise of Dilmun Waterpark (LPOD).

AttractionsFor LPOD, having the weather and conflictsworking against the entire tourism industry, AdamPage, head of marketing and PR, LPOD, adopteda positive approach to the situation.

“As well as showing caution andawareness to changes, we have made thebest of the situation by using the timefor touches to the park, be itmaintenance improvements, training,preparation for the season, etc.” Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS),which will take place January 18-21,2012, has already attracted manycompanies to Bahrain, indicating thatunrest is expected to have limited effecton corporate events. The SupremeOrganising Committee for BIAS 2012,has received signed commitments for50 percent of the total chalet spaceavailable at the upcoming event.Amanda Stainer, exhibitions and eventsdirector, Farnborough InternationalLtd., highlighted the continueddemand. “Sales for BIAS 2012 arelooking extremely positive. We receivedan excellent number of early sign upsand chalets are continuing to sell well.”

Air TravelMohammed Amin Hulaiwah, directorof corporate affairs andcommunications, Gulf Air, confirmedthe minimally affected airline servicethroughout the social disturbance. “Asfar as Gulf Air is concerned, our flightsto and from Bahrain airport were notaffected at all. None of our flights werecancelled during the period except tothree countries, being Iran, Iraq andLebanon, which have been suspendedtemporarily due to security reasons. Wehave seen a drop in passenger numbersduring this period, mostly traffic withinthe Middle East region. We areconfident that passenger numbers willbe back to normal very soon.”Richard Nuttall, director of commercialoperations, Bahrain Air, suggested thatbusiness is recovering.

MAY 201116

- Bahrain

MAY 201118

- Bahrain

“The airport has functioned normally throughout.There has been a reduction in traffic in and out ofBahrain and we have reduced some of ourschedules due to lack of demand - Bahrain isslowly returning to business as usual.”The Ministry of Works in Bahrain plans to expandBahrain International Airport (BAH) to increasethe airport's capacity from 5 million passengers to15 million passengers per year. The development,which expected to be completed in 2020, includesthe expansion of the existing terminal building andthe construction of two new terminal buildings. Further enhancing the airport, Bahrain AirportCompany (BAC) announced on January 18, that ithas signed a unique and key agreement with MENAAerospace to build and operate a large private andgeneral aviation hangar complex at BAH .Development of the complex, which will providecomprehensive maintenance and support servicesto private and corporate aircraft, has already begunand is located at the north west end of the airport.

Looking ForwardThe effect that disturbances have had onBahrain’s travel and tourism economy isunavoidable, with customer numbers and profitsseverely affected; however businesses appear to

have remained optimistic. Despite futuredevelopments of sectarian unrest beingunpredictable, businesses across the board areconfident in the attraction of Bahrain, and thatfears of violence will dissipate. Internationalmedia portrayal will remain an important factorin perceptions and a definer of when tourismreturns to normality. “Considering the domesticmarket, we already feel a strong will from all ourpartners and local economic actors towards thefeeling of a normal life,” added Gaudou.Many are doing what they can to regainconfidence from potential customers and themedia. With Saudi Arabia a key market toBahrain, the hope is that high oil prices will notsignificantly affect visitor numbers, and may evenencourage more people in the region to lookcloser to home when booking their travel. The WTTC’s March update of the industryhighlights the impact conflicts across the Arabworld, and hiked up oil prices, has had oninternational travel. According to the report,Bahrain took a 6.7 percent share of totalinternational overnight visitors in the Middle Eastand North Africa by destination country, thisyear. It states that air passenger growth reboundedin January in all markets except for the Middle

East. The hope is that this will improve. Industry players anticipate a rescheduled BahrainGrand Prix, which could improve the image ofBahrain’s tourism industry. The WorldMotorsport Council (WMC) has givenorganisers until May 1, to prove the postponedBahrain Grand Prix can go ahead this season; butwith the King of Bahrain’s announcement of athree month state of emergency overtaking thisdeadline, a 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix looksincreasingly unlikely.Meanwhile, ambitious developments in Bahrainhave done well in promoting the country as aluxurious getaway, although promoting it as atourism destination for culture, heritage andenvironment, in line with the Bahrain 2030Economic Vision, appears to be a workingprogress. Kotilaine reported that it will take untilat least the second half of 2011 for the kingdom torestore its reputation as a business friendly hub.The country’s tourism industry looks well on theway to aiding recovery and the Ministry of Culturehas made moves to further develop and lift the barsof the tourism industry in the Kingdom of Bahrainthrough building bridges with internationalorganisations. “We believe that Bahrain will comeout stronger from this situation,” added Ortega. n

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with an array of redemption opportunities.

Club members, who earn points for every

stay at more than 1,000 Rezidor and

Carlson hotels worldwide, can enjoy a

number of privileges and benefits.

Radisson BluHotels that love to say yes

Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts are first class, full service hotels thatcombine a stylish and contemporary approach to design, with aculture of innovative thinking designed to meet the very specificneeds of its guests. These innovations include Radisson Blu’s 'Yes I Can!'spirit of hospitality, a great choice of concept rooms with Nespresso®coffee machines in Business Class, a 100 percent Guest SatisfactionGuarantee programme, an Easy Connect approach to IT with freehigh-speed internet access for all guests and meeting delegates, anda fantastic range of bars, restaurants, leisure facilities such as spa andwellness centres and meetings and events venues.

Portfolio of Hotels

Hotel Missoni Kuwait, part of the

Symphony Centre, is located on

Arabian Gulf Street and is nestled

between the entertainment and

shopping hub of the capital. It

represents a unique blend of the Arabian Gulf

and the Kuwaiti culture in combination with

Rosita Missoni, creative director’s signature

touch, using vibrant patterns and bold

colours. “Hotel Missoni offers a surprising

experience of style, glamour and hospitality.

The interiors are intended to make our guests

feel welcome and comfortable. The brilliant

golds, turquoises and sand colours take their

inspiration from the land and sea of Kuwait. I

am especially pleased with the creation of a

palm and cacti terrace garden reflecting the

precious local nature,” said Missoni.

The new luxury hotel brings a peerless design

and atmosphere to Kuwait, states Kurt Ritter,

president and CEO, Rezidor Hotel Group.

“Hotel Missoni Kuwait is a fantastic addition to

the Rezidor’s growing portfolio across the

Middle East. Opening a Hotel Missoni here is

a true celebration for our company, as it was

in Kuwait where we once opened our first

international hotel outside Scandinavia. Hotel

Missoni Kuwait will further strengthen our

presence in the region and reinforce our

position as one of the leading international

hotel operators. A combination of design,

lifestyle and technology will bring a unique

lifestyle experience - as soon as you walk

through the doors, you’ll know its Missoni.”

The latest property of the luxury brand,

featuring 169 sea-facing rooms including 63

suites, offers guests breakfast, high-speed

wireless internet, free local calls, movies on

demand and a minibar, inclusive in the cost

of the room. The property caters to both leisure

MAY 201120 - design & copyright by T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD

Hotel Missoni KuwaitRezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companiesworldwide, has in collaboration with the iconic Italian fashion house Missoni,opened its first Hotel Missoni property in the Middle East in Kuwait.

and business travellers by comprising of

extensive meeting space, a gym, steam

room, sauna and a pool deck overlooking the

city. The hotel features several dining options.

Cucina, the Italian restaurant is situated in the

heart of the property and serves authentic

Italian cuisine. Luna Restaurant, situated on the

18th floor, provides magnificent views of the

Arabian Gulf and Kuwait City skyline. Guests

can sit back and relax whilst enjoying a fusion

of Arabic-oriental and Mediterranean

specialties. Choco Café embraces the Italian

passion for great coffee as well as offering a

range of indulgent chocolates, pastries and

light snacks.

The other amenities include the 1,500 m2

luxury Six Senses Spa. The spa will offer a wide

range of beauty treatments including various

signature Six Senses therapies across 10

treatment room. As well as manicure and

pedicure stations, two yoga studios, relaxation

areas and a juice bar, separate gyms,

hammams and changing areas with a sauna

and steam room. The hotel pool, entices with

its signature Missoni stripe tiles and sweeping

views of the Arabian Sea.

New luxury comes at affordable prices, as

rooms start from EUR280 (USD395) per night

including à la carte breakfast, Maserati

limousine airport transfer, mini-bar, laundry

and wifi.

Future Missoni Hotels will open in Jebel Sifah

in Oman, de Cajiba in Brazil and Antalya,

Turkey. The new luxury brand’s portfolio is set

to total at least 10 hotels within the next 10

years, with openings primarily in Europe,

across the Middle East and reaching out to

other markets such as North, and South

America and Asia.

design & copyright by T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD - 21MAY 2011

Hotel Missoni

Kuwait offers

a surprising

experience of

style, glamour

and hospitality

MAY 201122 - design & copyright by T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD

Radisson Blu PalaisHotel, Vienna

Radisson Blu Style Hotel, Vienna

Radisson Blu Hotel, Nice, in the capital of the French Riviera, represents a unique

blend of luxury and elegance. Located on the famous Promenade des Anglais,

this urban resort is surrounded by exceptional weather, an unparalleled view, a

private beach and easy access to the renowned city centre. The hotel has 331

rooms and suites, featuring three different styles, namely urban, chill and ocean.

It offers 11 exceptional meeting rooms and an exhibition centre which caters to

business travellers and groups. Dining facilities include La Terrasse, welcoming

guests with its panoramic rooftop terrace, Restaurant Bleu Citron which offers the

taste of both regional products and international flavours, and lastly the

Promenade Café and Absolut Bar. Holidaymakers enjoy the panoramic rooftop

terrace, outdoor heated pool, private beach, fitness centre, gym, as well as the

sauna and hammam.

The 134-room Radisson Blu 1835 Hotel and Thalasso,

formerly known as 1835 White Palm Hotel, is set in a

prime location in the picturesque old part of Cannes.

The hotel overlooks the renowned harbour and is

within walking distance of the famous avenue of La

Croisette. The hotel was rebranded after an intensive

renovation, led by French interior designers, in 2009.

It features six meeting rooms, a unique spa and

several restaurants, including Le Bio, which specialises

in healthy dishes. Furthermore, the rooftop Le 360

restaurant offers a 360 degree view of Cannes and

hosts some of the most exclusive events.

Situated in the centre of one of the most

charming capital cities of Europe, Radisson

Blu Style Hotel, Vienna is situated in the

renowned inner city, close to the retail and

fashion quarter as well as popular tourist

sites. With contemporary style and unique

design, the five-star hotel features 78

rooms and suites, an award-winning

restaurant, bar, lounge, two elegant

boardrooms, fitness and spa area.

Originally built in 1872, as two separate palaces,

Radisson Blu Palais Hotel, situated in the heart of

Vienna, retains the lavish splendour of the original

property. Besides 247 elegant rooms, suites and

apartments, the five-star hotel comprises of a

gourmet restaurant, Le Siecle, which offers

various international and regional cuisines. The

separate lounge is an ideal venue for

professional or private gatherings, while the John

Harris Fitness Centre and the Vendome Spa

invites guests to unwind.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Nice

Radisson Blu 1835 Hotel Thalasso, Cannes


Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, London

Radisson Blu Hotel in Disneyland Resort Paris

In the heart of London’s renowned West End, a stone’s

throw away from Oxford Street, this four-star property is

close to the capital city’s major landmarks. The hotel’s

Portman Corner Restaurant, is popular due to its

prominent location, and superb specialties. Guests can

also unwind in the gym or work hard in the business

centre. This stylish hotel includes a conference floor with

11 fully equipped conference suites and a ballroom

which can accommodate up to 600 people as part of

the Radisson Blu Portman’s wide variety of guest facilities

and services.

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

The first property of the luxury lifestyle brand opened in 2009.

Recently voted one of the world’s most fashionable hotels, the

property features 136 rooms and suites and is perfectly

located between the old and new town of Edinburgh, in the

very heart of this historic city. Its signature Cucina Restaurant

offers authentic Italian cuisine while the Bar Missoni is the place

to be seen. Other amenities include a fitness area, a boutique

spa, where you can relax, unwind and revive, as well as

spacious meetings and events facilities. The five-star hotel has

been honoured with a string of awards since it opened,

including being named as Europe’s Leading New Hotel in

2010, at the World Travel Awards.

Located in the centre of Disneyland’s golf course the property offers easy access

to the renowned Disneyland attractions and the capital city. Besides the wide

range of leisure activities and wellness facilities, the hotel also caters to business

travellers. While one wing of the property is dedicated to holidaymakers, the

second wing offers business guests a perfect location to hold seminars,

conferences and various events.

Additionally, the hotel features a wellness centre with a sauna, a pool and two

restaurants: Pamplemousse, which offers French and exotic cuisines as well as

Rotisserie Briarde Birdie Brasserie.

MAY 201124- design & copyright by T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD

Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel, Istanbul

Radisson Blu MartinezHotel, BeirutLocated in the historical Ain El Mreisseh area in

the centre of Beirut, within walking distance to the

Mediterranean Sea, Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel

provides an ideal stay for both leisure and

business travellers. The property features 185

guest rooms which comprise of business class

rooms and suites. The Olivos Restaurant offers a

wide range of local and international cuisines,

while the non-stop lobby lounge serves a range

of refreshments. Guests can experience the

traditional Lebanese culture at Angham Night

Club and Restaurant, where they can sample

authentic Lebanese cuisine, whilst live singers

and belly dancers provide entertainment. Four

fully-equipped meeting rooms cater up to 450

delegates and the business centre provides full

secretarial support. The fitness club offers the

complete wellness experience with a dedicated

experienced team on hand for all guests.

Located between Asia and Europe, Radisson Blu Hotel, Bosphorus Istanbul, is a chic and

stylish hotel by the shores of the strait. The property offers 120 rooms and suites designed

by the renowned interiors guru, Sinan Kafadar of the Metex Design Group. This high-end

hotel offers some of the finest conference and meeting facilities in the bustling city of

Istanbul, including eight exceptional meeting rooms. The facilities are perfect for large

banquets and conferences for small, intimate meetings. StarBoard Restaurant serves a

range of savoury dishes and has an unparalleled view, while the stylish Cruise Lounge and

Bar provide a relaxing atmosphere where guests can enjoy a beverage as the sun goes

down across the ocean.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Cairo Heliopolis

Radisson Blu Hotel, Cairo, located in Heliopolis, just 3 km from Cairo International

Airport, offers 427 stylish rooms and suites and numerous services for both business

travellers and tourists. Eight day-lit, flexible meeting rooms in addition to three breakout

rooms and a spacious ballroom, make the hotel an ideal venue for corporate and

private events. Filini Restaurant offers Italian specialties, while MIX serves a wide range

of international and oriental selections throughout the day. Terrace on 9, is the hotel’s

pool bar and 1122 is a buzzing lobby bar. Guests have access to the health club,

including the gym and luxurious spa.


Dubai

Moscow

Madinah

Rezidor Hotel Group currently operates three Radisson Blu

Hotels in Dubai. A fourth property in the popular Downtown

area will open beginning of May, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai

Downtown which is in a prime destination for business

travellers and holiday makers. The hotel, situated on the

upper floors of a mixed-use building, comprises of 198

rooms and 22 suites. It features an all day dining restaurant,

a pub, two bars, a business class lounge, gym and a pool.

The six conference rooms, two board rooms and the

business centre fully cater to business travellers, whilst key

attractions including the world’s biggest mall, Dubai Mall,

and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, are a 10 minute

walk away. Rezidor’s Dubai portfolio already includes the

five-star luxury Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek,

situated in the bustling business centre, close to historic

landmarks and offers 276 rooms and suites. Located near

the beachfront, Radisson Blu Residence, Dubai Marina

features renowned Italian design in its fully-serviced

apartments and studios, while Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai

Media City, brings a unique blend of cutting-edge style

and sophistication.

Madinah Al Muna Kareem Radisson Blu Hotel

is located in the heart of the city’s northern

quarter just 15 minutes from the international

airport and within easy to reach of major

sacred sites. The hotel features 307 guest

rooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant

that has a varied à la carte menu with both

local dishes and international cuisine. With

the rapid growth of religious tourism, Saudi

Arabia is fast turning into the most popular

destination in the region, Al Muna Kareen

Radisson Blu Hotel, has become a ‘must stay’

for a record number of pilgrims each year.

Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow is one of the newest flagship properties in

Rezidor’s global portfolio. A group of the best architects, designers and

technicians have restored one of Stalin’s famed ‘Seven Sisters’ skyscrapers.

The impressive building, towering at 206m, merges the Russian capital’s

legendary atmosphere and the Radisson Blu brand’s service values. Set in

the centre of the Russian capital and in proximity to governmental buildings

and illustrious tourist attractions, Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow features 505

rooms and suites as well as 38 serviced apartments covering an area of

100,000m2. It offers guests a range of food and beverage concepts with the

main restaurant, Veranda, serving both Mediterranean cuisines and favoured

international dishes. Tatler Club offers an innovative fusion menu, Bono

delivers Italian with breathtaking views over the city’s skyline, Farsi serves up

traditional Iranian specialties and Takasa is an interactive Japanese

restaurant. Other facilities and amenities include the Royal Wellness Club with

a health and fitness centre including an Olympic sized pool, meeting rooms,

two conference and banquet halls.


Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town

Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar

This tranquil haven, fringed by sandy beaches

and picturesque scenes, is a veritable palace

out of the Thousand and One Nights. The

property caters for the high-class tourism

market and offers 276 rooms and 20 suites.

It features a massive spa with pool, a fitness

centre, a library, kid’s club and a selection of

exciting food and beverage outlets. Business

travellers can benefit from the fully-equipped

meeting rooms and business centre, while leisure

travellers enjoy a wide range of nautical sports.

Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town, is superbly located on the edge of the Atlantic

Ocean overlooking its own private marina, alongside the renowned V&A Waterfront. The

hotel delivers a complete five -star experience with breathtaking views and outstanding

service. Guests can enjoy the choice of 177 luxurious rooms, the acclaimed Tobago’s

Restaurant, bar & terrace and the award-winning ONEwellness spa. The hotel is an ideal

venue for events with three banquet and meeting rooms, including one of the few rooms

to pride itself on an exclusive seaside boardwalk.

As part of an impressive development, including retail stores, apartments and wellness

facilities, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar, boasts an ideal location in the heart of the Fann

Corniche area on the magnificent waterfront. The hotel combines a unique blend of

contemporary style and African elegance with 180 exclusively designed rooms. The

hotel has two restaurants, L'Avenue and the Pool Side Restaurant. Guests can savour

an authentic Mediterranean meal in L'Avenue's warm, inviting atmosphere or indulge

in a variety of game dishes grilled to perfection at the exquisite Pool Side Restaurant. In

the warmer months, guests can bask in the African sun, with a refreshing drink at the

hotel's pool. Other amenities include an Olympic-size pool with bar and a state-of-art

spa centre for relaxation. A meeting and events space of 500m2 makes the hotel one

of the premier venues of Dakar.

Radisson Blu Resort

and Thalasso, Djerba


Radisson Blu Hotel

and Conference

Centre, Saltzburg

The XXL branded hotel, formerly known as

Renaissance Salzburg Congress Centre,

welcomed its first guests in the third quarter

of 2010. The 257-room property

complements the 62-room Radisson Blu

Hotel Altstadt, Salzburg, and further

strengthens Rezidor’s position in Austria.

In addition to the properties two restaurants

and a bar, the hotel features an indoor pool,

health club, sauna and hair salon. The

meeting and event facilities comprise of a

1,750 m2 conference space, including a

sub-dividable ballroom and several well-

equipped meeting rooms.

Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Stockholm

As Rezidor’s flagship Swedish property, the hotel has direct access to the Stockholm

Waterfront Congress Centre, one of Scandinavia’s largest event venues. The XXL-branded

hotel, boasts a prime location in Stockholm’s business district and shopping areas has

close proximity to the Royal Palace. The property plans to strengthen its position as one

of the leading international hotel groups for business and leisure in the Nordics.

The 44-room contemporary design hotel features a fully-equipped gym, RBG Bar and

Grill which can cater up to 230 guests, and a lobby bar. The 14,000 m2 congress centre

comprises of an auditorium for 3,000 delegates and a banqueting hall which caters for

a 2,000 capacity.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Berlin

With the world’s largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium, Radisson Blu Berlin, is situated in

the heart of the German capital city, facing the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) and the

Museum Island. The 25 m high AquaDom aquarium, centrally located in the lobby area,

is filled with one million liters of seawater and represents some of the most exotic fish. The

property features 427 rooms, 102 of which offer a spectacular view to the atrium and the

fascinating AquaDom. Meeting facilities include 10 conference and functions rooms (that

can be joined together) and a 530m2 conference foyer ideal for meetings or presentations.

An event location at the top of the hotel, with a scenic panoramic view, is the two-level

DomLounge which adds another 1,400 m2 flexible space to the property’s venue facilities.

The hotel also features the restaurant Heat, serving Asian and European cuisines, as well as

a wellness centre with a fitness room, swimming pool, sauna and steam bath.


Park Inn, Cape Town Foreshore

Rezidor Hotel Group will strengthen its presence in Africa with a new mid market hotel in

Cape Town’s business district. Park Inn Cape Town Foreshore, scheduled to open in the

last quarter of the year, will bring the young and dynamic Park Inn style to the South African

city. The new hotel, converted from an office building in the Foreshore precinct of Cape

Town’s business district, will offer an ideal base for business travellers and those wanting to

explore the city. Guests of the 250-room property can enjoy the signature RBG restaurant

and bar, a gym, a rooftop terrace, the swimming pool, plus two rooftop conference

rooms and four breakaway rooms.

Park Inn Prague

An outstanding testament to Art

Deco design, the Park Inn Hotel,

Prague, is housed in a restored

building, originally built in 1907.

Nestled among historical sites

and ancient courtyards, the hotel

demonstrates a unique blend of

elegance and dynamic design.

Besides the 210 well-equipped

rooms, it features an RBG bar and

grill, serving international and

local cuisines, an on-site fitness

centre and extended meeting

facilities, including five meeting

rooms and a business centre.

Park Inn, Heathrow

With over 2,000 m2 of flexible space and

a capacity for 700 delegates, Park Inn

Heathrow, can cater for ll events large or

small. Conveniently situated at London’s

Heathrow Airport near Stockley Business

Park, the property offers 895 well

equipped rooms, 41 meeting areas and

modern and alternative dining outlets,

including Bravo! Bravo!, the stylish multi-

cuisine restaurant and Pulse Café Deli Bar.

The fitness and leisure centre with indoor

swimming pool and sauna, makes Park

Inn not only a cost-effective and first class

meeting and event venue, but also an

ideal base for tourists.


Park Inn, Yas Island

Park Inn Al Khobar

Park Inn Al Khobar, situated on the main

causeway linking three commercial hubs,

Damman, Jubail and Hofuf, boasts an

excellent base for business travellers. The 148

rooms, including suites and business friendly

rooms and various connecting spaces to

families, reflect the bright and contemporary

style of the brand. In addition to the Palms

Restaurant, a lobby lounge and a fitness

centre, the hotel houses three flexible

meeting rooms and a multi-purpose hall. The

Park Inn Al Khobar was recently voted ‘Best

Mid-Market Hotel 2011’ at the Saudi

Excellence in Tourism Awards.

Park Inn Muscat

Situated on the main highway linking Muscat International Airport and Ruwi Muscat business

district, Park Inn Muscat stands out due to its superb location and outstanding amenities,

including the first rooftop swimming pool and poolside restaurant in the city. The four-star

hotel, which represents a modern and sophisticated décor, features 175 colourful rooms,

including seven executive suites, a gym with state-of-the-art fitness equipment, an all-day

restaurant with live cooking stations and the brand’s signature Red Bar Grill (RBG) steakhouse.

Business travellers can stay in touch with the hotel’s business centre, which comprises of

four meeting rooms and an executive boardroom.

Strategically located 10 minutes from Abu Dhabi

International Airport and the Abu Dhabi National

Exhibition Centre, Park Inn Hotel Abu Dhabi, on

Yas Island, offers a base for both business and

leisure travellers. The 204 roomed property

boasts premier amenities and a spectacular

view of the Arabian Gulf, Yas Links Golf Club and

Yas Marina Circuit. Guests can unwind at a world-

class spa, located at the adjoining Radisson Blu

Hotel. Amerigos restaurant specialises in

Mexican food while Mint restaurant serves a wide

range of international dishes.

W hile demand forcommercial flights in theMiddle East and NorthAfrica may have wanedin the past few months,

private charter aviation firms are being pushed tothe limit. Violence and uncertainty in the likes ofBahrain, Egypt, Libya and Syria, have persuadedinternational companies to evacuate their staffuntil their safety in the countries can be ensured.Magnus Henriksson, manager, Avinode BusinessIntelligence, highlights just how drastic thechanges in demand have been. “What we haveseen is remarkable. Demand for flights departingfrom these countries increased heavily after thefirst full day of turmoil and then dropped offsignificantly as soon as leadership changes hadbeen achieved.”There has been great diversity in requests forprivate flights too, for example, in Egypt, most ofthe flights out of Cairo during the unrest were forEuropean and Middle Eastern business peopleand their families looking to get out of harm’sway. Libyan departure requests, in contrast, camefrom oil and gas companies, governments,corporations and private individuals.

TensionEliteJet Global Aviation was one of many privatefirms to be called into action during the Libyaprotests. Chris Martin, managing director,EliteJet Global Aviation, notes that within onehour of receiving the calls, his team sourced threejets with a combined total of 38 seats that wereable to fly in. “As the tension in the region grew,the threat level increased and the go-ahead wasgiven to send the jets in to pick up the passengers.With our security partner, a team of ex-SpecialForces close protection personnel, helped to

organise the mobilisation of the passengers toTripoli airport where a secure boarding area wasset up away from the main airport terminal.” The company has handled similar disasterresponse scenarios in Tunisia, Morocco, Egyptand Bahrain.While the type of requests private aviation firmshave been receiving may have changeddrastically, the overall demand for their serviceshas not been impacted in the same waycommercial airlines have been, according to AliAl Naqbi, chairman, Middle East BusinessAviation Association (MEBAA).“Private aviation caters to a different marketsegment in the region and is less dependent ontourism traffic. Business traffic has to go ondespite the unrest as the businessmen need totravel to keep, monitor and protect their businessinterest all the time, hoping this unrest situation

is temporary.” Al Naqbi adds that private aviationfirms always need to be prepared for any suddenchanges in demand and be ready to adapt asrequired.“Private aviation firms have a contingency planin their business plan to cope with such suddenincrease in demand even in normal times. Theyought to have put this plan into operation”.

31MAY 2011

- Private Aviation

Private Aviation Takes OffThe political unrest in a handful of countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa has caused a decrease in air trafficbut also put intense pressure on private charter aviation, as companies desperately try to fly their employees out of danger zonesat short notice. Travel Trade Monthly examines how the private aviation sector is adapting to meet customers’ needs.

Duncan MacRae writes

What wehave seen isremarkable.

Demand for flightsdeparting from thesecountriesincreased

heavily afterthe first full

day of turmoiland then

dropped offsignificantly as soon asleadership

changes hadbeen

achieved

Execujet

Elitejet

MAY 201132

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- Private AviationStrong DemandExecuJet’s Middle Eastern charter departmenthas increased its charter team and merged withthe charter department in Europe to provide itscustomers with a larger and more flexible fleetand around the clock charter service. Mike Berry,Middle East managing director, ExecuJet,comments that the firm has staff on-call 24 hoursa day to cater for all requests, and has increasedits maintenance capability recently by taking ona new hangar and additional 30 staff. “Charter isstill busy and the fixed-base operator (FBO) isstill receiving a high volume of clients. In theMiddle East there is a strong demand for privatejets at all times, regardless of political unrest.”Privet Jet by Cham Wings, Syria’s first privateaviation company, has also been kept busy andhas remained flexible due to being able to runboth private and commercial flights.Osama Satea, HR and business developmentdirector, Cham Wings, comments that the airlineis licensed to operate both scheduled and charterflights, with its fleet consisting of two 150-seataircrafts. “This provides the airline with theflexibility to meet customer requirements, evenif these requirements change quickly. Cham

Wings and Private Jet are accustomed tooperating in a dynamic marketplace.”Once the political situation in the Middle Eastand North Africa becomes more stable, privateaviation firms believe the industry will continueto go from strength to strength in the region.

ExecuJet has already begun to plan for futuregrowth, according to Berry. “In December lastyear, we signed a partnership with Al FaisalHolding in Doha for ExecuJet Qatar,” he explains.“Private aviation is definitely growing in the regionand I believe this will continue for the foreseeablefuture”. As far as MEBAA is concerned, privateaviation in the Middle East and North Africa ismerely in its infancy and Al Naqbi believes the

sector has a very positive future ahead of it.“Business Aviation in MENA region has juststarted. It is my personal belief that privateaviation will grow rapidly in the region from itspresent level. In the future, the first classpassengers in commercial airlines will move tobusiness aviation whilst the economy classpassengers may prefer Low Cost Carriers. We seethis trend already commencing from thediminishing number of first class seats put in themarket by commercial airlines in the region.”

Cham Wings

In the future, the first classpassengers in commercial

airlines will move to businessaviation whilst the economyclass passengers may prefer

Low Cost Carriers

n

MAY 201134

- Thailand

The country’s relatively stablepolitical situation, following theprevious years’ political juncture,resulted in positive figures in termsof tourist arrivals and revenue.

Prakit Piriyakiet, deputy governor, marketingcommunications, Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT), comments on the country’s tourism growth. “In 2010, international visitor arrivals toThailand totalled 15.9 million, a good growth of12.63 percent over 2009. We consider this to bea phenomenal turnaround success story,especially in the light of the political unrest thatwe faced in April-May 2010 and the disruptionsit caused in the flow of visitor arrivals. South Asiashowed the highest growth of 24.98 percentfollowed by the Middle East at 23 percent.”Despite the increasing figures in 2010, Thaitourism is likely to face further challenges

following the recent flash floods and landslidesin the southern provinces that have already takena toll on the industry. According to the TourismCouncil of Thailand, the natural catastropheresulted in an estimated revenue loss of THB2.5billion (USD83.2 million) while tourist arrivaldropped by 30 percent as both air and roadtransportation were disrupted for two weeks. Meanwhile, Thailand was also obligated to assessthe weight of the recent natural and nuclearcatastrophe of Japan, where the Japanese being oneof the major generating markets of Thai tourism. “According to some preliminarily evaluation ofimpact on Thai tourism, the Thai-Japanese TravelAssociation has reported a 5-10 percentcancellation rate in the number of Japanesevisitors with trips booked to Thailand, with thehighest rate of cancellations coming from thedisaster hit areas,” added Piriyakiet.

Amid the challenging times, the authority strivesto promote Thailand in enormously importantmarkets. “We will maintain our strategy to seekout new sources of business from markets; suchas Eastern Europe, the Central Asian Republicsand of course our most promising markets,namely, India, China and Russia.” Bangkok has long been regarded as aninternational hub for business and leisuretravellers alike. According to the Abu DhabiAirports Company’s recently issued statistics,Bangkok ranks as the top internationaldestination at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Strong Rebound, Further Challenges AheadFollowing a natural disaster as well as a political crisis, the year 2010 proved to be the year of rebound for Thai tourism.Succeeding the recent flash floods and landslides, optimism was slightly toned down, however Thailand is poised to secure itsposition as a prime destination of Asia.

Rita Kasziba writes

Thailand in BriefCapital: BangkokCurrency: Baht (THB)Language: Thai

MAY 201136

- ThailandHotelsAnantara, which has recently added a newproperty to its Thai pipeline, welcomes a notablenumber of guests from the MENA region.Marion Walsh-Hédouin, group director of publicrelations, Anantara Bangkok, Stathorn,comments on this market. “All of the Anantara resorts offer a range ofdifferent activities and facilities that cater toaudiences from the Middle East and North Africa.Many of our resorts in Thailand have exclusivevillas that offer a very private setting for Arabfamilies who prefer to spend time with theirfamilies and respect cultural sensitivities”. Accor has recently added two properties, VerandaHigh Resort Chiang Mai and Veranda Resort andSpa Hua Hin-Cha Am to its boutique MGalleryCollection. Oswald Pichlet, vice president,Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, Accor, highlightedon the new properties. "We are delighted to addthese two properties to the MGallery Collection.The two Veranda resorts will accommodateguests seeking unique and personalisedexperiences in Thailand's most well-knownretreat destinations.”Intercontinental Bangkok, which was recognised

as Thailand’s Leading Hotel by the World TravelAwards in 2010, has high popularity among Arabtravellers. Markus Platzer, general manager,Intercontinental, Bangkok, elaborates on theproperty. “The hotel received more than 120,000 guests in2010. It has a fairly good market mix, with morethan 25 percent of guests from the Middle East,followed by Europe and then Singapore andJapan.”Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok has experienced asignifigant increase in the number of MiddleEastern guests and Georges Akar, director ofMiddle East sales, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok,comments on the Middle East market. “Trends are encouraging for Bangkok. Our biggestincrease came from regional short-haul marketssuch as Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore howeverwe also saw a healthy increase from Middle Easternmarkets.”Crowne Plaza Lumpini Park Bangkok, has justresumed its operation some months ago andMark Winterton, general manager, points out themain market inflow for the property.“The hotel was only recently reopened as aCrowne Plaza, at the end of 2010. Based on

previous data, the hotel received about 68,000guests in 2010. The major generating market wasJapan, followed by other Southeast Asian sourcemarkets and then Australia. We have just over350 guests from the Middle East.” Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa, positioned asa city resort received the majority of its guestfrom Europe, commented Francis Zimmerman,general manager. “In 2010 the hotel welcomed approximately151,000 guests, the majority of them arriving fromEurope, the UK and Japan, while about threepercent of our guests came from the Middle East.” Starwood has just announced the debut of its St.Regis brand in Thailand with the opening of St.Regis Bangkok. Andreas Oberoi, general manager, St. RegisBangkok, comments on the property. “We arethrilled with the landmark entry of the St. Regisbrand into Thailand. St. Regis Bangkok will beideally positioned to cater to both influentialbusiness travellers and discerning leisuretravellers to Bangkok.” In addition, Starwood is also set to launch Aloftand Four Points by Sheraton properties inPhuket, both scheduled to open in 2014. n

37MAY 2011

- Budget Travel

T he Middle East, and especiallythe UAE, has started todiversify its tourism industryand accommodation offeringsto attract a wider scope of

travellers. Long eclipsed budget lodgings,providing decent accommodation without frills,reach out to price-conscious travellers who focuson what will bring the utmost for their money andwho are keen on avoiding miscellaneous expenses. Holiday Inn Dubai, Al Barsha, has been fast gainingpopularity as a value for money accommodationoption. Reda Moukhtar, general manager, HolidayInn Dubai, Al Barsha, comments on this growingmarket. “Budget travel represents about 30 percentof our overall figures. Dubai nowadays has the‘category based inventory’ to cater to all type ofclientele, which was not the case decades back.”Holiday Inn Express focuses on reasonable prices

along with standard amenities and services. JanSiddiqi, cluster director of sales and marketing,Holiday Inn Express, Dubai Internet City,elaborates on what this type of client can expect. “There is an increasing demand on budgetaccommodations. Dubai has been a happeningdestination and people from all over the worldcome to share and live the Dubai experience. Weon the other hand, offer more or less the sameexperience as most of the four and five star hotels.However, the only difference is the limited serviceoffering which maintains a quality product.”The low fares appeal not only to tourists travellingon a tight budget but also to professionals, willingto take advantage of the bargain rates.“85 to 95 percent of our guests are business orbudgeted travellers, practically from all regionsof the world. A simple sentence that woulddescribe our Express Hotels is ‘a fresh, clean,

uncomplicated lodging at an affordable price andfriendly services’,” added Siddiqi.The opening of easyHotel Jebel Ali marked thebrand’s entry into the Middle Eastern market. Itsconcept drew upon offering the best value at thelowest price. Arun Denis Mudhartha, manager ofeasyHotel, elaborated on the property and thehotels concept. “easyHotel Jebel Ali, within the Jebel Ali FreeZone, is a very secure part of Dubai with agrowing commercial infrastructure. In addition,the close by metro station is convenient to budgettravellers and the price and ease of booking roomsare the biggest influences. We receive the majorityof our guests from the Asian continent, mostlyfrom India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Korea, as wellas many from the UK.”Mudhartha believes that travellers are keen onscoring great deals even in Dubai.

Better Deals - More Value for MoneyAmid the faltering economy, everyone wants to get more value out of their budget and seek alternative ways to cut costs withoutcutting corners. At the same time, due to the soaring fuel prices and a struggling economy, the low-fare airlines and budgetaccommodations face big challenges to keep their costs and fares down and adapt to the shifting circumstances.

Rita Kasziba writes

38 MAY 2011

- Budget Travel

Despite Qatar being positioned as a lavishdestination, a wide range of low costaccommodations have emerged across thecountry, including a hostel. Qatar Youth Hostelreceives travellers from all around the world. Thehostel provides low fares with free wirelessinternet and most guests are from the Gulf andArabian countries.

Low Cost Carriers The rise of low-cost carriers (LCC) in the regioncater for the ‘budget-conscious’ travellers andprovide convenient connectivity to and from theMiddle East. However, due to the currentfinancial situation and the soaring oil prices,these airlines face huge challenges. Housam Raydan, corporate communicationsmanager, Air Arabia, elaborates on this categoryof traveller. “Passengers on LCC vary greatly and are notnecessarily those of a lower income bracket, butthose who want to make the most of their money.Everyone wants a good deal, and most prefer tospend extra money on a better hotel or moreactivities during their trip than on a four-hour

flight. Lately, more and more passengers, includingbusiness travellers, are choosing low cost travelsolutions and the concept is gaining recognition asa viable alternative to traditional airlines.”The carrier has anticipated the increasingcompetition in the region.

“Air Arabia introduced the concept of budgettravelling into this region seven years ago and weare glad to see more and more low costcompanies joining and spreading this concept,”added Raydan.Rafik Boghdady, vice president sales, JazeeraAirways, Kuwait, also observes the plight closely.“Cost control is a daily task. Its part of our daily

routine to make sure our efficiency and aircraftutilisation is always high and in-line with bestpractices globally on the one hand, and on theother hand we work to attracting more and morecustomers in order to have scale.”The airline’s clientele emanates from a widescope of travellers. “Jazeera Airways operates a two class cabincomprising of a business class and economyclass, so we cater for all kind of travellers. Ournetwork includes holiday destinations, majorregional cities, and home destinations. Therefore,we have a mix of business travellers, holidaymakers, labour traffic, students and people whowant to visit their friends and relatives,” addedBoghdady. According to Boghdady, budget travel is anupward spiral. “Travelling on short haul flightswithin a two-three hour network, will become acommodity in this part of the world as well. That’swhy more and more people would look at farelevels and value propositions of different airlines.We are the airline of choice for these people. Thistrend will continue and help us grow our businessin a profitable way.”

There is an increasing demand on budget accommodations.Dubai has been a happening

destination and people from allover the world come to share and

live the Dubai experience

n

MAY 201140

MENA Competes For Wedding Tourism BusinessDetails of exactly how much the global wedding and honeymoon industry is currently worth remains uncertain, however itcould easily be estimated at tens of billions of US dollars annually.

From some research that has beenconducted in recent years, it isthought that the wedding industryin the UK alone, is worth more thanGBP5.5billion (USD8.95billion),

while the Indian wedding industry in 2010 wasINR1trillion (USD22.65billion) and growing byup to 30 percent each year.One of the reasons that more specific figuresremain unavailable to date, is that there are somany businesses that directly, or indirectly,benefit from this tourism.Across the MENA region, the wedding industryis one of the fastest growing areas within theleisure and tourism sector although it faces steepcompetition. Thailand is one of many countriesthat are currently being extremely proactive inluring newlyweds and brides- and grooms-to-be.The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) iskeen to invest in the newlywed market as it

believes that this niche market spends 20 percentmore than the average tourist.Having spent a considerable amount of time andmoney in recent years in order to attracthoneymooners from India, Japan and SouthKorea, TAT has now turned its attention to theMiddle East and the US.It has launched a number of special honeymoonpackages that include a range of luxury productsand services, along with value-added benefitssuch as transfers, spa treatments, and romanticdinners. The authority feels that Indonesia will be its maincompetition in attracting wedding andhoneymoon tourism, as the country is marketingitself as a luxury and low-budget destination.With the Middle East and North Africa stillbeing thought of a luxury, exotic destination, thenumber of marriages involving locals hasremained fairly stable in recent years and the

number of weddings involving couples fromabroad, is expected to increase dramatically. The popularity of the Perfect Wedding Show inSharjah, UAE, which took place in March,indicates that one of the main reasons foroptimism is that more than 60 percent of theMiddle East’s population is under the age of 30,while a survey conducted during the event alsorevealed that both Emiratis and expatriatesexpect to spend more money on their weddingsin the region. Heba Rumhein, events director at Atlantis, ThePalm Dubai, indicates that couples are increasinglyspending more money on weddings in a bid tomake them more memorable. “Each couple wantstheir event to be unique and stand out from otherweddings they have attended. Each year, I meetwith more and more couples that are willing to paya bit extra or to use a little more creativity to createa bigger bang on their special day.” n

41MAY 2011

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 fromyou, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to [email protected]

Michel NobletPresident and CEO, Hospitality Management Holdings

“We continue to see exciting developmentopportunities and believe the time is right forconsolidation, growth and expansion. Wehave confidence that the economy and hotelsector is on a strong rebound track. I am gladto see the diversification we have now interms of hotel categories. Before, we only sawthe deluxe five-star segment in the market.Today we have a mid-market and budgetsegment coming, so it makes the destinationsmore appealing and affordable.The Middle East has an incredible ability to bounce back. Travellershave an enduring love affair with countries such as Egypt, Syria,Jordan, Lebanon and we hope things will get back to normal soon inorder for business to continue as usual.”

Samer MajaliCEO, Gulf Air

"The Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO)approval not only recognises Gulf Air’s compliance with highest standards ofairworthiness and safety regulations but also its in-house capability to achieveand maintain such high standards of our fleet. After many years of outsourcing our fleet management and airworthinesscontrol to outside agencies, we are now able to insource such key technicalfunctions to be taken care of by our own technical team. This will enable usto further improve the quality and airworthiness control of our aircraft,significantly enhancing aircraft safety level while reducing maintenance cost.I would like to extend my special appreciation to the team that has beenworking tirelessly for the last several months in thepreparation of necessary systems, processes anddocumentation in a very challenging and limitedtime and accomplishing the task successfully.”

We are now able to insource such key technical functions

to be taken care of by our own technical team

We continue to see exciting developmentopportunities and believe the time is rightfor consolidation, growth and expansion

Samer Majali

Michel Noblet

For decades now, Spain has officiallybeen the world’s third mostpopular tourist destinationfollowing the US and France, yet,figures revealed by the UNTWO

show that the country has been overtaken inpopularity by China in 2010. While Chinaenjoyed a 9.4 percent increase in arrivals to 55.7million, Spain experienced just one percentincrease to 52.2 million.

The Spanish Tourist Board is delighted that thisrecovery has taken place due to the fact thatduring the first quarter of 2009, the number offoreign tourists that have visited Spain fell by 16.3percent. This indicated that the number of British

tourists had dropped by 23.3 percent,and the decrease in the number ofGerman and French tourists reached15.7 and 9.8 percent respectively. Atleast this negative trend is now beingreversed.Spain’s Tourism Plan Horizon 2020,which was formulated by thegovernment in 2007, has played a majorpart in helping to stop the financial crisisinfluence. Seven areas were identified withinthe plan including human resourcesand training, commercialisation andpromotion, sustainability, statistics andmarket analysis, strategic marketingand tourism products, competitiveness,and innovation. Seven groups ofexperts were then formed in order toestablish concrete plans to makesubstantial improvements in each areaby 2020.Elena Valdes, managing director,Spanish Tourist Board, comments.“The Spanish Government wants toconsolidate our world-wide leadershipin tourism, being a model ofcompetitiveness and environmental,social and economic sustainability.Tourism is one of the most importantsectors for the economic growth and forthe social development of our country. Although we are one of the mostvisited countries in the world, webelieve we must work hard to improveand consolidate our position.”

New growthValdes concedes that the economiccrisis has hindered the country’s workon the Tourism Plan Horizon 2020.“The tourism sector has fewer budgetsto make investments but we have triedto make up for this by utilising newtechnologies to communicate and

MAY 201142

- Spain

Spain’s Economic Pain Will Not RemainSpain has long been one of the world’s most popular destinations, however, as the country struggles to recover from the globalrecession, its tourism sector has faltered. Travel Trade Monthly examines how a plan for sustainable tourism could encouragethe nation’s tourism to flourish again.


43MAY 2011

- Spain

promote the country. We have also intensified ouragreements and alliances with the likes of touroperators, airlines and hotel networks.”For Epoque Hotels, a collection of more than 340luxury boutique hotels, the importance of Spain’stourism industry can not be overstated. JuanPalmada, vice president, Epoque Hotels, agreesthat new alliances will only strengthen the industry.“Spain is one of our most important countries,and with the current economic environment weforesee plenty of opportunities.”Hilton Worldwide is another hotel group thatbelieves Spain still has a lot to offer. Its WaldorfAstoria brand, will make its debut in Spain whenthe company rebrands Hacienda La BoticariaHotel near Seville, under its luxury WaldorfAstoria offering this summer.Primo Munoz, country general manager, Spain,Hilton Worldwide, notes that a signature propertyin Spain was the next natural step.“The plan reflects the need for change in Spain. The

tourism industry has to take a new direction, morefocused on quality than on quantity. These futurechanges will be clearly influenced by the growth inpresence of the large international hotel companies.”

Significant Potential“Tourism from North Africa and the Middle Eastis relatively low at present, and due to the limitednumber of flights between these regions andSpain, we don’t expect it to increase dramaticallyin the near future. However, we firmly believethere is significant potential in these sourcemarkets for Spanish hotels and we often visit theMiddle East, attending various events, to promotethe destination to this market,” adds Munoz.The Rezidor Hotel Group, which opened itsfirst hotel in Madrid in 2010, concurs andexpects Radisson Blu Hotel Madrid Prado, toquickly increase in popularity with MiddleEastern tourists.Ferran Brufau, general manager, Radisson BluHotel Madrid Prado, explains that five percent ofthe hotel’s customers currently come fromMiddle East and North Africa, particularly SaudiArabia and the UAE.“In these countries our hotel brand is wellestablished and we also have a network of local

sales representatives there promoting our hotels.The Middle East and North Africa havetraditionally been tourism receiving countries,but this trend has started to change in bothleisure and business travel. More and moretravellers from these regions are coming toEurope for holidays or to do business”.Business from the Middle East and North Africais helping transform the fortunes of Iberia. Forthe first time in 13 years, the airline posted anegative financial result in 2009 due to the globalfinancial crisis. In 2010 though, its net profit wasEUR85 million (USD121.6 million), withoperating revenues up 8.2 percent to EUR4,770million(USD6,825.8 million).The company is looking to create new flightroutes to the region and already flies betweenMadrid and Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangiers,Cairo, Algiers and Oran.Consuelo Arias, press officer, Iberia, notes thatthe airline’s traffic to Africa and the Middle Eastgrew by 6.3 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. “Our flights to these areas have a good load factor,as countries such as Morocco and Egypt are populartourist destinations for Spanish travellers.

Spain in BriefCapital: MadridCurrency: Euro (EUR)Language: Spanish

n

A wealth of investment is expectedto be made in Kenya’s tourismindustry following the countriesmost successful tourism yearever. In December, 2010, Kenya

Tourist Board revealed that the country welcomed1,095,945 tourists for that year, an increase of 15percent from 2009. The tourism sector generatedKES73.68 billion (USD876.6 million) in 2010and Kenya hopes that this year it will take a closerstep to attract two million international tourists in2012. In an effort to achieve the target, thegovernment has been working hard to put intoeffect a new tourism bill. The bill has undergone a second reading inparliament and is yet to be debated and enactedinto law. It is proof that the government recognisestourism as a major income earner.Kimutai Ngeno, PR manager, Kenya TouristBoard, comments on the bill. “Some of the mostimportant aspects of the bill include giving priority

and prominence to the sustainable management oftourism in waste management, promotion ofrenewable energy, environment conservation andreduction of human wildlife conflicts.”However, not all stakeholders have been entirelyhappy with the bill. Prior to its second reading,Antony Njaramba, vice chairman, KenyanAssociation of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC),comments on the association. “The private sectorwas not involved at any stage and such a matterrequires total participation of all stakeholders,regardless of their status in the industry.”Ngeno denies that stakeholders have not beenconsulted but admits that KAHC was notentirely happy with the initial draft and says thatthe issue has been resolved.

Common InterestHilton Worldwide is one stakeholder that iswelcoming the new legislation. Derrek Anderson,VP development, East, South and North Africa,

Hilton Worldwide, feels that the bill will supporttravel and tourism.“We hope the bill will do just that – bringtogether groups that have a common interest inthe ongoing development of this crucial industry,and giving all elements of the industry a voiceand a chance to bring their expertise to bear.” Rezidor is planning to take its first step into Kenya,with a hotel under development in the Upper Hillprecinct of Nairobi under the Radisson Blu brand.Andrew McLachlan, vice president of businessdevelopment for Africa and Indian Ocean Islands,Rezidor, comments that the company is interestedin developing more hotels within the country.“We believe there is more opportunity withinKenya, and in particular Nairobi, to operate inthe mid market segment, so we are working hardto bring Park Inn by Radisson to Nairobi.” Kenya Airways, the national flag carrier, has helpedto make the nation more accessible. Now a fullmember of the Skyteam alliance, the airline flies toand from 53 destinations. Titus Naikuni, CEO,Kenya Airways, comments that the air carrier hasmade great strides in developing its route network.“In addition to growing the size of our fleet to matchthe expanding network and increased destinationfrequencies, we have endeavoured to maintain agood fleet of aircraft with world-class service.”

Emerging MarketIn 2010, the Middle East contributed about ninepercent of the airline’s customers, Naikunipoints out. “Kenya Airways has identified theMiddle East as an emerging market and we aresteadily including new destinations beginningwith Muscat, which we started in 2009, and weare set to open up flights to Jeddah later this year”. According to McLachlan at Rezidor, it is Kenya’speople, wildlife and beaches that will be the bigdraw for leisure tourists. “For the business touristit is the geographic location, people, airlift andtelecommunications.”Hilton Worldwide’s Anderson concurs, “Kenya hasa great deal to offer – natural beauty, world heritagesites and Nairobi is now a major air hub for Africa,which makes getting there relatively easy too.”

MAY 201144

- Kenya

n

Kenya’s New Tourism BillKenya’s tourism industry had its most successful year in 2010, although tourism stakeholders have voiced concerns over a new tourism billdrafted by the government. Travel Trade Monthly examines the decisions and actions being taken to build on last year’s achievements.


Kenya in BriefCapital: NairobiCurrency: Kenyan ShillingLanguage: Swahili

Making the process

for investors

andcompanies

to dobusiness

moreefficiently

andeffectively in Kenya

will be a big boost

MAY 201146

Georges FarhatGeorges Farhat has been promotedto resident manager at CrownePlaza Dubai. Farhat joined the teamin 1994, shortly after the property’sopening and has since achievedpromotions starting from amanagement trainee to his mostrecent role as executive assistantmanager. His passion forhospitality orignate from familytrips in Lebanon during hischildhood, which led him tospecialise in front office at college.

Sarfaraz NawazSarfaraz Nawaz has been appointed as cluster sales manager for the two CitySeasons properties in Dubai. In his new role, Nawaz will oversee the salesactivities of both City Seasons Suites Dubai and City Seasons Hotel Dubai.He has been tasked to improve partnerships with existing contacts in thecorporate and government sector as well as to identify and attract newaccounts while working closely with the travel trade to promote the hotelsacross the GCC and Asia. Prior to taking on his current position, Nawazworked as cluster assistant sales manager in charge of corporate accounts atFlora Creek and Flora Park Deluxe Hotel Apartments in Dubai. Previously hewas with Hilton Corniche in Abu Dhabi as guest service executive.

Christian PertlChristian Pertl has been appointed as vice president of sales andmarketing for Jumeirah Group, Dubai. Pertl has vast experience incommercial management and strategic direction. In his new role he willoversee the sales and marketing activities of Jumeirah’s Dubai-basedproperties. His responsibilities also include room revenue, occupancyand market share maximising. Most recently he held the commercialdirector position for InterContinental Hotels Group Dubai Festival City(IHG DFC), where he was responsible for all commercial operations.Prior to that, he worked for IHG in Vienna as area director of sales andmarketing, in Loipersdorf, Austria and in Crowne Plaza Bucharest asdirector of sales and marketing positions.

GeorgesFarhat

Christian Pertl

Sarfaraz Nawaz

Travel Trade Monthly: Jordan is goingthrough a significant amount of change and isattracting a lot of interest from hotel groups.Have the three Marriott hotels in Jordanwitnessed any change in demand recently, andif so, from which markets have youexperienced increased or decreased interest?Meg E. Evans: Unfortunately the entirecountry has seen a decrease in demand due to thesituation in the Middle East that has had anegative impact on our top source markets fromthe US and Europe.

Travel Trade Monthly: What are the mainvisitor markets for each of the hotels withregard to nationality?Meg E. Evans: For most of the year, the hotelsshare very similar source markets which include theUS, UK, Italy, Spain and France and at the same timethe Jordan Valley Marriott has large clientele fromthe local market and Russia. During the summermonths the GCC travellers are the top markets forthe Amman and Jordan Valley Marriott's.

Travel Trade Monthly: What ratio ofbusiness and leisure visitors do each of thethree hotels attract?Meg E. Evans: The Petra Marriottwelcomes 100 percent leisure guests, wherethe Amman Marriott has about 65 percentcorporate and 35 percent leisure, and theJordan Valley Marriott runs with 60 percentcorporate and 40 percent leisure guests.

Travel Trade Monthly: Are Marriott'splans to open a hotel and resort inAqaba in 2013 going according toschedule? Meg E. Evans: Yes, JW Marriott Aqabahas broken ground and we anticipate it tobe on schedule at this time.

Travel Trade Monthly: With easyJetrecently inaugurating a new routebetween London and Jordan, have youalready noticed any increase in visitorsfrom the UK?Meg E. Evans: It is too early to evaluatebecause on March 27, the Amman Marriott

Hotel joined Jordan Tourism Board ( JTB) towelcome the inaugural flight of easyJet to itsnewest route to Amman. This new service wasinitiated with a very high profile familiarisationand press trip to Jordan. Many prominentjournalists, easyJet management and the CEOstayed at the Amman Marriott Hotel. They alsoenjoyed a welcome dinner hosted by the hoteland attended by H.E. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh,minister of tourism. Marriott Hotels in Jordan arethrilled to be part of this inauguration and we arevery optimistic as it will open the doors to thisbeautiful destination and allow for many morevisitors to come and discover this unique andincredible country.

Travel Trade Monthly: Based on yourexperience, what are the major draws of thecountry? Meg E. Evans: Jordan remains to be an extremelysecure country and a wonderful destination withtremendously hospitable people and many hiddenundiscovered treasures. Jordan is a fascinatingdestination which benefits from an incrediblydiverse landscape and is filled with attractions, bothnatural and manmade. It is a place of many Biblicaland romantic associations. From the eternal beauty

and amazing desert scenery of Wadi Rum thatmesmerised Lawrence of Arabia, to the bustling citylife of Amman; and from the world’s mostatmospheric ruins of past civilizations in Petra andJerash to the healing powers of the Dead Sea. Jordan is a unique destination offering breathtakingsights and experiences. It is a safe and peacefulcountry despite its geographic location. It is a greatdestination for adventure tourism where visitorsfrom all around the world will definitely experiencea memorable stay in a country that has so much tooffer. History, culture, religion, nature reserves,beaches, desert and adventure, health resorts,Jordan has something for everyone. A traveldestination where all your needs whether businessor pleasure can be met.

47MAY 2011

Q & A with Meg E. EvansDespite the current political situation in the Middle East, Jordan remains a secure country, which continuously attracts bothvisitors and investors. Meg E. Evans, country director of marketing, Jordan, Marriott International, talks about the hotel group’soperational hotels recent developments as well as latest challenges.

Meg E. Evans

n

MAY 201148

n

IMEXFrankfurt, Germany, May 24-26, 2011(www.imex-frankfurt.com)Worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events.

Asia Luxury Travel MarketShanghai, China, June 13-16, 2011(www.altm.com.cn)Showcases the world's most sought after destinations and ultra-uniquetravel experiences to travel buyers from across the Asia Pacific.

CITY FAIR The European Cities Travel Workshop London, UK, 20 June, 2011(www.cityfair.travel)A one day event of pre-scheduled appointments dedicated to the sector ofcity tourism.

AIBTMBaltimore, USA, June 21-23, 2011(www.aibtm.com)US event for the business travel and meetings industry.

IndabaDurban, South Africa, May 7-10, 2011(www.indaba-southafrica.co.za)Showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa's best tourismproducts.

German Travel MarketCologne/Bonn, Germany, May 8-10, 2011(www.germany-travel-market.de)An event and workshop for incoming tourism to Germany.

The Hotel ShowDubai, UAE, May 17-19, 2011(www.thehotelshow.com)Hospitality event for the MENA, GCC and emerging markets.

International Pow Wow San Francisco, USA, May 21-25, 2011(www.ustravel.org/events/international-pow-wow)An international marketplace and the largest generator of VisitUSA.

Travel Fairs Mature in Eastern Europe and Central AsiaAccording to the International Tourism TradeFairs Association (ITTFA), travel trade shows inEastern Europe and Central Asia, despite theglobal economic recession, are evolving year byyear. Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair(AITF), the largest exhibition of the easternEuropean country, which celebrates its 10thanniversary this year, has particularly showngrowth. In response to the increasing interest,AITF in Baku increased by 20 percent in spacein 2010 and received over 7,600 professionals,making up 72 percent of the total visitornumbers. Although, the tourism industry hasonly begun to rebound in the last decade, thebiggest country of the Caucasus region has sincethen merited a significant relevance in theinternational tourism industry. The organiser of AITF, ITE Group, operate twofairs in Kazakhstan. The larger show, KazakhstanInternational Tourism Fair (KITF), held inAlmaty, took place for the 11th time in April with

8000 m2 space and over 500 exhibitors. The showis coordinated jointly with the Ministry ofTourism and Sports and has reported asignificant increase of 23 percent in outboundtourism for 2009. The companies andorganisations enjoy another show taking place inautumn, titled Astana Leisure. The capital city’sevent covers 700m2 and attracts over 2,700visitors as recorded in 2010. For over 20 years, TourSib has focused on theSiberian region of Russia, where inhabitantsshow a notable interest in outbound tourism, dueto the vast area’s extreme climate. Held inNovosibirsk, the fair that hosts approximately240 exhibitors from 21 destinations, covers closeto 5000m2 in exhibition space. ITE Group, which currently operates seven travelfairs, witnessed an increased interest toward itsshows in the region. Maria Badakh, head of salesand president of ITTFA, elaborates on the areasof interest. “All of these markets offer high spending tourists,

and have a lot of interest from many luxurydestinations and properties around the world. Wehave noticed that in the past few years we have aconsiderable number of new exhibitors fromexotic destinations such as South America, Asiaand Africa. A very important factor is that manycountries have cancelled visas for Russians andthis has definitely improved the tourism flow.”

Kazakhstan InternationalTourism Fair (KITF) 2010

Travel Trade Monthly, May 2011

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