CITY CENTRE AJMAN DEBUTS BRAND INVESTMENT

ETIHAD AIRWAYS EXECUTIVE BREAKS WORLD RECORD 07 11

3 FEBRUARY 2018 ISSUE 430

ACCOMMODATION05

Minor Hotels Announces Oaks Beirut

3 FEBRUARY 20182

www.traveltradeweekly.travelMARKET UPDATE

TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS

MANAGING EDITOR

Mary Kammitsi mary@traveltradeweekly.travel

EDITOR

Mario Hajiloizis

PRESS Efi Rousi Maria Angelica Constantinou Athena Karsera Yiazou

CONTRIBUTORDominique Christou

DESIGN & LAYOUTElena Stylianou

WEB & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Savvas Kammitsis

DIRECTORS Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi

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INTERNATIONAL TOURISM RESULTS IN 2017

International tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable seven percent in 2017 to reach a total of 1.3 million, according to the latest World Tourism Organization’s Barometer.

This strong momentum is expected to continue this year at a rate of four to five percent.

The seven percent increase, based on data reported by destinations around the world, is well above the sustained and consistent trend of four percent, or higher growth since 2010, and represents the strongest results in seven years.

Led by Mediterranean destinations, Europe recorded extraordinary results for such a large and rather mature region, with eight percent more international arrivals than in 2016. Africa consolidated its 2016 rebound with an eight percent increase.

CHANGING MIDDLE EAST AIRPORT SECURITY

Security is continuing to play an increasingly important role as air-ports remain keen to accelerate their outputs, minimise disruption and ensure a better customer experience.

Airports in the Middle East, especially the UAE, have been at the forefront when it comes to adopting the latest security technologies.

More than USD100 billion worth of airport-relat-ed projects are planned and underway across the Middle East and North Africa region, as governments look to update and expand their infrastructure. The global airport security market is projected to grow seven percent a year CAGR until 2024, reaching a value of USD16 billion, according to a report by Global Market Insights.

The most future proof airport security products and ser-vices from around the world will be on display at an exhibition in Dubai being organised as part of Airport Show in May.

3 FEBRUARY 2018 3

www.traveltradeweekly.travel AGENTS

On January 01, Carnival Cruise Line began pay-ing travel agents a commission on wedding package sales. Commission tiers for wedding

packages are based on wedding package sales made until March 31. Additionally, travel agents will earn accelerated commissions on wedding packages dur-ing this Wave Season booking period.

"While onboard wedding celebrations offer travel

agents an excellent opportunity to build multigenera-tional group business, they also take an extra effort to organise," said Adolfo Perez, vice president, Carnival Cruise Line. "We wanted to be sure that agents know we value the added work that goes into these sales by offering commission on them moving forward."

Carnival Cruise Line has also recently introduced new wedding package options.

Carnival Cruise to Pay Commission on Wedding Packages

HalalBooking.com Increase Customer Offerings

The booking engine has developed new technology allowing hotels to add their information and rates to the site automatically. T

he company’s plan is to rapidly increase the number of its accommodation options, with the aim of listing 10,000 properties by the end of this year. Much of this will be in major European cities such as Paris, Rome and London.

Additionally, the company also announced the launch of its loyalty programme, HB Loyalty Club, which has three status tiers, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

Gold members will earn discounts of up to 10 percent on many hotels around the world. Customers move up status tiers by making more bookings. As they increase their status, the available discounts will increase, with Plati-num and Diamond members earning higher discounts of up to 20 percent.

Expedia Affiliate Network and ANIXE Join Forces

Travel providers in Central and Eastern Europe will be able to access Expedia Affiliate Network’s (EAN) full suite of hotel accommodations, competitive rates and availabilities following an agreement with ANIXE.

The new venture will broaden ANIXE’s hotel inventory offering, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, where many travel providers were previously un-able to access EAN’s rates and availability due to differences in data management methods.

Alfonso Paredes, vice president, sales, EMEA and LATAM, EAN, said, “We are constantly evolving our product offering in line with our partner’s feedback and the needs of the global travel market. [...].”

Paredes

3 FEBRUARY 20184

www.traveltradeweekly.travelTECHNOLOGY

As part of the global reseller agreement, it will migrate 85 custom-ers from its existing solution as a first phase, as well as implement-ing new customers globally.

Viajes El Corte Inglés and its corporate customers will be able to filter travel options, while the solution also helps travellers stay

compliant as the vast majority of expenses will be pre-approved and claimed before the trip.

Travellers also benefit from the option to scan and upload receipts directly to the cytric Mobile Companion application, while corporate customers will maintain a direct line of communication with their travellers.

Emirates Upgrades IT Deal with IBMBatelco and AFS Launch bWallet

Batelco and Arab Financial Services (AFS) have launched bWallet, a new digital mobile

wallet and payment solution.The launching event took

place on January 09 at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay with in-vited VIPs, guests, Batelco and AFS board members and management present at the occasion.

bWallet enhances customer’s experience through innovative ways to pay and transfer money. All mobile users, regardless of which operator they use, can benefit from this financial technology, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. A simple registration process allows users to enjoy a fast, contactless and secure payment experience.

Over 40 leading brands, with 300 retail outlets, have already signed up to make the service available for their customers with many more set to be soon on-board.

IBM and Emirates have signed a 10 year, USD85 million contract for the management of the air-line’s information technology (IT).

This will include the implementation of data cen-tre services and a private cloud allowing employees to have remote access to company applications.

The agreement, which was signed in the third quarter of 2017, expands the USD300 million agree-ment signed in 2016.

Amr Refaat, general manager, Middle East and Pakistan, IBM, commented, “Under the new agree-ment, Emirates will benefit from a resilient, scalable and agile service, as well as operational savings. With its expanding global footprint, it is imperative that Emirates’ IT operations are streamlined and accessi-ble to its employees anywhere and anytime, and this is where our expertise comes into play to achieve this.”

Viajes El Corte Inglés Offering Amadeus’ cytric T&E

Viajes El Corte Inglés has become Spain’s first travel management company to offer its corporate customers Amadeus’ corporate online booking and expense management tool, cytric Travel & Expense (T&E).

Golden Sands Anticipates Growth

Golden Sands Hotel Apart-ments, part of A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises, has witnessed an

increase of 10 percent in visitor arriv-als from India in 2017, and is expect-ing to double its growth this year.

Golden Sands hopes to con-tinue to attract a bigger share of this market through an aggressive marketing campaign and partici-pation in trade shows, including SATTE in New Delhi from January 31 to February 02.

Presently, India is the number one source market for Dubai’s in-bound tourism, with a 20 percent increase between January and September 2017, over the same period in 2016.

Minor Hotels Announces Oaks Beirut

MINOR HOTELS WILL DEBUT ITS OAKS BRAND IN LEBANON AFTER SIGNING A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH ALLIED INVESTMENT GROUP TO OPERATE OAKS BEIRUT.

S cheduled to launch in the middle of this year, the 110-key property will be located in Sodeco, a commercial area of Beirut, approximately a five minutes’ drive from the vibrant central downtown area and 15 minutes from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.

The property will provide a selection of guest rooms and suites, with facilities, including an all-day dining restaurant, a lounge bar and café, a rooftop pool and bar, plus dedicated conference facilities.

Previously operating as Hotel de Ville Beirut, the hotel is currently undergoing a full refurbishment to relaunch as Oaks.

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor Hotels, said, “[…] Adding Lebanon to our footprint has considerable strategic value […].”

3 FEBRUARY 2018 5

www.traveltradeweekly.travel ACCOMMODATION

Oaks Beirut

3 FEBRUARY 20186

www.traveltradeweekly.travelAIRPORTS

Duty Free at Sharjah Airport Re-opens

Hamad International Airport Among Most Punctual Airports

Hamad International Airport welcomed 120 million passengers since the beginning of its operations on May 27, 2014.

In 2017, cargo observed an increase of 14.52 percent, with total of 1.9 million tonnes in handling. The airport successfully recovered its passenger numbers with an aver-age monthly increase of 3.75 percent in the second half of 2017, after an initial drop in volume in June 2017, due to regional political restrictions imposed on Qatar.

The airport has been recognised for its punctuality, ranking among the most punctual major airports scoring 85.41 percent on-time performance, as demonstrated in aviation analysts OAG’s 2017 Punctuality Report.

New Terminal Building Highlighted at BAC Workshop

Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) held a workshop for the airport’s stakehold-ers to discuss the National Operations

Readiness and Airport Transfer platform, which aims to ensure a smooth transition to Bahrain International Airport’s new passen-ger terminal building. In attendance were senior officials from Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority, other government authorities, and other representatives of key organisations

operating at the airport. The first in a series of workshops that will

take place prior to the opening of the new passenger terminal building, this effort aims to inform stakeholders of the facilities, sys-tems, processes, and procedures that are part of the Airport Modernisation Programme cur-rently underway. Overall, stakeholders were invited to discuss methods of elevating the current passenger experience.

Sharjah International Airport re-opened its Duty Free shopping area on January 16 following an extensive renovation. Its re-oppening event attracted internation-

ally-recognised brands, in addition to its original nine stores, extending the total Duty Free area to 1,800 m2.

The renovation project is part of Sharjah International Air-port’s efforts to provide passengers and customers with a di-verse range of luxury products, souvenirs and services of the highest possible standard, tax-free and customs fees free.

H.E. Ali Salim Al Midfa, chairman, Sharjah Airport Author-ity, commented, "The renewal of our Duty Free market facilities and units is part of our ongoing commitment to innovation and exclusivity through unique partnerships with the world's largest brands."

From left: Al Midfa, H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Saoud Al Qassimi, director, Sharjah Airport Authority; Donald De Souza, director commercial,

Sharjah Airport Authority

Airport Stakeholders at the BAC Workshop

Hamad International Airport

3 FEBRUARY 2018 7

www.traveltradeweekly.travel WEEKLY NEWS

H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, ruler, Sharjah, unveiled three real estate projects to be de-

veloped in the emirate.Worth a total of AED2.7 billion (USD735

million), the trio of projects are the result of a joint venture between Sharjah Investment and Development Authority and Eagle Hills.

The three projects include, Maryam Is-land, Kalba Waterfront, and Palace Al Khan.

Maryam Island will be a waterside de-velopment and will spread across 460,000 m2, with a built-up area of 310,000 m2.

Kalba Waterfront is a retail develop-ment that is set to become one of the most prominent such projects in the region. The mall will house 86 retail outlets.

Finally, Palace Al Khan, is the first luxury waterfront resort in the heart of Sharjah city. The five-star hotel will extend over 66,300 m2.

Sultan Al Qasimi Launches Trio of Real Estate Projects

City Centre Ajman Debuts Brand Investment

Majid Al Futtaim announced the opening of 50 international brands and dining concepts as part of its ongoing enhancement project at City Centre Ajman.

City Centre Ajman is transforming into a regional mall following a AED643 million (USD175 million) investment, which is a part of Majid Al Futtaim’s previously announced intention, in June 2016, to increase its total UAE investment by AED30 bil-

lion (USD8 billion) by 2026. This will take its total investment in the country to AED48 billion (USD13 billion).

As City Centre Ajman transforms into a regional shop-ping mall, directors at Majid Al Futtaim Properties are ex-pected to focus on a contemporary design with convenience and accessibility at the centre of their services. This is in ad-dition to a tailored retail mix with dynamic new brands and unique dining and entertainment concepts that will contin-ue to make it a destination of choice for both residents and tourists.

#BeMyGuest Campaign Recreated

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing re-vealed its #BeMyGuest cam-

paign video, featuring famous Bolly-wood actor Shah Rukh Khan.

While the first video, which took YouTube by storm in 2017, featured Khan surprising residents and visitors around Dubai, this year the actor ex-plores what he considers to be his sec-ond home and takes viewers on a fasci-nating, multi-faceted journey through the city of endless possibilities.

The newly launched 2.0 #BeM-yGuest portrays Khan’s journey across a series of short films that see him taking visitors through a multifaceted destina-tion that holds a global brand appeal in much the same way he does as an actor.

Maryam Island project

City Centre Ajman

Shah Rukh Khan

3 FEBRUARY 20188

www.traveltradeweekly.travelWEEKLY NEWS

DMCA Secures ISO Recognition

In its efforts to boost Dubai’s global mar-itime leadership, Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has received the In-

ternational Organization for Standardiza-tion (ISO) 31000:2009 for implementing its Risk Management Framework that meets the highest international standards.

The international recognition high-lighted DMCA’s leadership in applying best risk management practices to build a secure and sustainable maritime sector that supports the country’s economic di-versification policy, and preparations for a post-oil economy and to perform well in an environment full of uncertainty.

Amer Ali, executive director, DMCA, said that receiving ISO 31000:2009 is an important step towards building a resil-ient maritime community.

Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve Dubai Launches

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mak-toum, ruler, Dubai, has launched the Mar-moom Reserve project, the UAE's first un-

fenced desert conservation reserve. The reserve is also set to be the largest sustainable environment, tourism and recreational project in the country.

Enjoying over 40 ha of fertile area, the reserve is home to over 204 species of native birds, 158 species of migratory birds, and over 10 km of lakes, encom-passing the Al Qudra Lakes.

The new project is being designed to include 10 animal and bird observation platforms, star and sun-set observation decks, areas for yoga, and an outdoor theatre that can host 350 spectators. By 2030, it is ex-pected to host more than 20 annual sporting events, which will attract an estimated 20,000 participants. Its cycling tracks are also set to be the longest in any desert anywhere in the world.

Dubai Maritime City

Infrastructure Network Contract Signed for Jeddah Tower and Jeddah Economic City

Eng Talal Almaiman, CEO, Kingdom Hold-ing Company (KHC) signed a SR620 million (USD165 million) agreement to commence

work on its infrastructure networks for Jeddah Eco-nomic City and Jeddah Tower, hailed as the world’s tallest tower. The work is expected to be completed within the next 12 months by Al-Fouzan Trading & General Construction Company.

The signing ceremony took place on January 17 at KHC’s headquarters in Riyadh, in the pres-ence of Saleh Al Henaki, CEO, Alinma Investment Company (AIC); Sultan AlKusayer, fund manager, AIC; Mohammed Al Eisa, assistant fund manager, AIC; Tarik Al Fouzan, CEO, Al Fouzan Trading & Gen-eral Construction Company; and Mounib Ham-moud, CEO, JEC.

Jeddah Tower plan

H.H. Al Maktoum (Centre) and Associates, Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve

3 FEBRUARY 2018 9

www.traveltradeweekly.travel AIR

Mövenpick to Open Basra Property Qatar Airways Brings Airbus A350 to Greece for the First Time

Qatar Airways has announced that it is the first airline to ever fly the state-of-the-art Airbus A350 to Greece. T

he airline temporarily upgraded its current triple-daily service to Athens to an ultra-modern Airbus A350, with the arrival of the flight greeted by a traditional water canon salute at Ath-ens International Airport, on January 15.

The Airbus A350 aircraft features an extra-wide cabin design, and passengers on board are offered high-definition touch screens with dual-screen function that allows for simultane-

ous viewing. Passengers can also enjoy a variety of entertainment options through the Oryx One enter-tainment system, as well as connect to the Internet through the carrier's on board Wi-Fi service.

Additionally, in March the airline is set to launch non-stop flights to Thessaloniki, its second destina-tion in Greece. The four-times weekly new service between Doha and Thessaloniki is expected to be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Turkish Airlines Reaches High-est Load Factor

Turkish Airlines has an-nounced the number of passengers it carried in

2017 compared to 2016 increased by 9.3 percent. Turkey's flag car-rier carried a total of 68.6 million passengers in 2017. Compared to 2016, the airline's load factor reached 79.1 percent, increasing by 4.7 percent. Turkish Airlines added that it reached the highest December load factor rate in its history with 79.5 percent.

Mehmet İlker Aycı, chairman, executive committee, Turkish Air-lines, had given the first signal of the carrier’s proven success at the end of 2017, stating, ‘‘We believe that 2017 will be a much bet-ter year than 2016. We made our plans and savings accordingly. We are analysing the conditions of our home country, our region, our industry, the developments and trends in the aviation and tourism sectors.”

Royal Jordani-an’s Punctual-ity Success

Royal Jordanian has ranked second in punctuality among Middle East and Af-

rican airlines with an 80.67 per-cent on-time performance (OTP) rate in 2017, according to OAG's Punctuality League study, re-leased earlier this year.

The study on 57 million flight records, used full-year data from 2017 to rank the world’s airlines and airports best OTP, which characterises flights that occur within 15 minutes of their sched-uled arrival or departure times.

To qualify for inclusion in the Punctuality League , flight status data for at least 80 percent of all scheduled flights operated by the airline or for the airport must be provided.

Stefan Pichler, CEO, Royal Jor-danian, commented, “Punctuality is a must for any world-class air-line.”

Emirates to Resume Flights to Sabiha Gökçen Airport

Emirates announced the resumption of flights between Dubai and Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, starting June 08. The re-

sumption of services on the route will allow custom-ers two destination options when travelling with the airline to Istanbul.

The flight is scheduled to operate five times a week by a Boeing B777-300ER in a three class cabin

configuration. Together with Emirates’ other service to Istanbul, the airline will offer 16 flights and over 6,500 seats per week.

The aircraft allows for an increase in cargo ca-pacity to Istanbul, with a weekly total of 100 tonnes and makes Emirates the only airline operating a scheduled service with a wide-body aircraft at Sa-biha Gökçen International Airport.

3 FEBRUARY 201810

www.traveltradeweekly.travelAIR

Jazeera Begins Ahmedabad Services

Jazeera Airways recently inaugu-rated flights to Sardar Vallabhb-hai Patel International Airport,

Ahmedabad. Flights are initially due to operate

three times a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Rohit Ramachandran, CEO, Ja-zeera Airways, commented, “We are delighted to continue our expansion in India with flights into Ahmedabad, an important economic and industrial hub, bringing more choice to Indian travellers, connecting them to Kuwait and across the Middle East – to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar”.

Adressing increased travel de-mands, Ahmedabad is the second of three new Jazeera Airways routes to India, following Hyderabad in Novem-ber 2017 and Kochi on January 21.

3 FEBRUARY 2018 11

www.traveltradeweekly.travel AIR

flynas to Expand Pakistan Operations

Etihad Airways Executive Breaks World Record

Andrew Fisher, vice president, fleet planning, Etihad Airways, embarked on a journey of a life-time on January 21 in an attempt to break the

world record of flying around the globe in the shortest time frame only on scheduled flights, and with the few-est number of sectors.

Fisher shaved three hours off the current record of over 55 hours by completing the journey in only four sectors.

His flight path began in Shanghai, taking him to Auckland, Buenos Aires and Amsterdam before return-ing to the Chinese city in the early hours on January 23.

“It’s about time the job was done,” said Fisher. “The planning has taken a long time, essentially to ensure the flight timings, routings and transits were kept as tight as possible as there was only a short window of opportunity for this to happen.”

flynas is set to expand its network to Pakistan with the launch of Islama-bad and Lahore services in February.The airline will operate a Dammam-

Lahore route five times per week, start-ing February 01, and three times per week from Riyadh to both Lahore and Islamabad starting on February 15.

Hailed as Saudi Arabia’s leading low-cost carrier, flynas and has a fleet of 30 aircraft, operating over 1,000 scheduled flights every week.

Since its launch in 2007, flynas had successfully carried more than 32 mil-lion passengers from its bases of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Abha.

Qatar Airways Displays at Kuwait Aviation Show

Qatar Airways participated in the inaugural Kuwait Aviation Show, where it displayed a Boeing B777 fitted with the new business class seat, Qsuite.

The show, which took place from January 17 – 20, at Kuwait International Airport, also showcased Qatar Airways’ extra-wide body Airbus A350-900.

The event hosted thousands of industry representatives and international media. Qatar Air-ways’ participation began this year on a high, after capping a success-filled 2017 of 11 new route launches and more than 50 award wins, as well as host of exciting new destinations planned for the upcoming year, including Pattaya, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia and Canberra, Australia, to name just a few.

Fisher

Qsuite

Lahore

www.traveltradeweekly.travelINTERNATIONAL AFRICA

Kenya Airways Announce First Ever Direct Flight From Nairobi to New York

Kenya Airways unveiled its first ever non-stop direct flight from Nai-robi to New York, becoming what is hailed to be the first airline company to operate such a service between East Africa and the US.

Kenya Airways’ entry into the US marks a milestone develop-ment in the East African tourist portfolio, with expectations to at-

tract more US tourists to the region, best known for its rich wildlife resources.Meeting the requirements of today’s challenging market, the airline prides

itself on featuring the latest advanced aircraft design. Along with facilitating an improved passenger experience, the airline’s expansion in the US through direct flights aims to elevate the quality of services across Kenya Airways’ expanding network.

African Parks Manage Mozambique Sanctuary

New York

Ethiopian Airlines Comes to Geneva

Genève Aéroport has announced the launch of a new longhaul connec-tion to Addis Ababa, hailed as the first regular sub-Saharan Africa des-tination from Geneva.

The flights will be operated by Ethiopian Air-lines from June 03, with three rotations per week departing from Geneva, and three times weekly from Addis Ababa.

The flight, operated by the all-new Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner, will make a short stop at Milano Malpensa airport in both directions.

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is the airline’s hub, facilitating Ethiopian Airlines con-nections to more than 50 African destinations.

The arrival of Ethiopian Airlines is the culmi-nation of Genève Aéroport’s efforts to develop an intercontinental quality service.

IHG Debuts in Algeria

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the opening of Holiday Inn Algiers, Cheraga Tower, marking the company’s debut in the country.

Featuring 242 well-equipped rooms, the hotel offers a range of ameni-ties with dining options coming from two restaurants.

Additionally, guests can also enjoy beverages and snacks at two other outlets.

Guests will also have access to a well-ness floor consisting of a fitness centre, an indoor and outdoor pool, Hammam, sauna and a treatment and massage centre.

The property also has four meeting rooms, a large banquet hall and an ex-pansive indoor parking on three levels.

South African Airways Partners with TAAG

South African Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with TAAG Angolan Airlines.

As part of the extended agreement, South African Air-

ways will codeshare with TAAG on its di-rect services between Johannesburg and Luanda, and Cape Town and Luanda, ef-fective January 15. In the future, TAAG will also codeshare with South African Airways on its flights from Johannesburg to Harare, Lusaka and Hong Kong.

Under the codeshare agreement, South African Airways is able to offer flights with the South African code on flights operated by TAAG, and TAAG is able to offer flights with its code on flights operated by South African Airways.

Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

3 FEBRUARY 201812

The National Administration of Conserva-tion Areas of Mozambique has enlisted non-governmental organisation (NGO) African Parks to run Bazaruto Archipela-go National Park for the next 25 years.

The South Africa-based NGO said recent illegal fishing and unregulated tourism had threatened the Park's ecosystem and its economic value. Park revenues have taken a hit, adding to the burden of local communities already struggling with poverty.

Bazaruto is hailed as a sanctuary for numerous marine life species.

Peter Fearnhead, CEO, African Parks, said, “Bazaruto has the tremendous opportunity to show how a national park can create a conservation-led economy.”

3 FEBRUARY 2018 13

AMERICASwww.traveltradeweekly.travel INTERNATIONAL

United Unveils Superheroes Olympic Campaign

Dominican Republic Focuses on Aviation

WestJet Reveals Record Results

Icelandair to Serve Kansas City

In celebration of the US team’s participation in the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, United Airlines is shin-ing a spotlight on the 38-year relationship between the airline and the US Olympic Committee.

Titled Superheroes, a new advertising campaign demonstrates the unique powers necessary to get to the games. The campaign will appear on television, online, in print and outdoor, in airports and on board United Airlines aircraft throughout the games, and can also be viewed on the airline’s website.

Superheroes celebrates the six US Olympic and Paralympic athletes sponsored by United Airlines and their skills on the slopes and ice, as well as six airline employees selected to represent the 90,000 team members who go above and beyond to get customers to their destinations safely and comfortably on time.

WestJet announced December 2017 traffic results with a load factor of 83.6 percent, an increase of 2.8 percentage points year-on-year.

Revenue passenger miles, or traffic, increased 9.8 per-cent year-on-year, and capacity measured in available seat

miles, grew six percent over the same period. The airline flew a record 2.1 mil-lion guests in the month under review, a year-over-year increase of 10 percent or approximately 190,000 additional guests.

"We are very pleased with our significant growth in traffic, as we reported a record December load factor and flew a record number of guests in Decem-ber 2017," said Gregg Saretsky, president, WestJet. “I want to thank our more than 13,000 WestJetters for their efforts."

Icelandair announced a seasonal service to Kansas City International Airport, due to commence on May 25.

The new service will offer three non-stop flights a week from Ice-land with easy connections between Europe and North America.

Kansas City offers visitors upmarket shopping, a thriving art scene, and plenty of fine dining. Meanwhile, Iceland has become one of the most sought after destinations in Europe. Only a seven-hour flight time from Kansas City International Airport, Iceland is described as a natural wonder-land filled with geysers, glaciers and waterfalls.

“In addition to non-stop access to one of the fastest growing tourism destinations, passengers will also appreciate the ease of transiting through Iceland on their way to Europe,” said Pat Klein, director, aviation, Kansas City International Airport.

Delta’s Growth in Seattle Continues

Delta is kicking off the year with a 10 percent increase in peak-day seats at its Seattle hub for summer, driven by the addition of three new destinations, as well as more flights and larger aircraft operating be-tween existing routes.

The new destinations include Washington-Dulles and Kan-sas City, which are scheduled to launch June 08, and Indianapo-lis, which is expected to commence June 18. Washington-Dulles service will be operated using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the Kan-sas City route will be operated using E-175 aircraft, and Indian-apolis will be operated using Airbus A319 aircraft.

Due to an increased demand from Seattle customers, Delta announced it will launch additional flights to Las Vegas, New York, Orlando and Medford during spring/summer and will ex-pand its seasonal summer service to Cincinnati year-round.

Seattle

On January 09, a bilateral meeting was held with Miguel Octavio Vargas Maldonado, chancellor, Dominican Republic, and Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president, International Civil Aviation Organization Council, who encouraged the Dominican Repub-

lic to pursue its strategic and exemplary focus on aviation as a lever for national socio-economic growth, and to enhance its contributions to global momentum on sustainable aviation development.

In his meeting with Maldonado, Aliu underscored that these achievements were made possible by support from the highest levels of the Dominican government to the efforts un-dertaken by the country's Institute of Civil Aviation.

www.traveltradeweekly.travelINTERNATIONAL AMERICAS

3 FEBRUARY 201814

New Hotel and Attractions at Panama City Beach

Arizona Launches Visitor Mobile App

Visit Florida Hosts Succesful Trade Show

Ctrip and OpenTable From Partnership

Visit Panama City Beach highlighted new plans for develop-ments that will continue to enhance the destination.

Opening this year, a 200-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott will include a lazy river and more family-friendly amenities. The St. Joe Company and InterMountain Management jointly an-

nounced a venture to develop a hotel in the Pier Park shopping and enter-tainment district. Spring will see the grand opening of an observation wheel that will rise more than 60.9 m above the Gulf of Mexico. A sports park has also been given final approval and is expected to open in early 2019.

The 152-room beachfront Chateau Motel is developing a family resort.

A new Visit Arizona mobile applica-tion has been developed which uses location technology and be-havioural-data collection to deliv-er customised recommendations

to travellers. The app was developed by Ari-zona Office of Tourism, in conjunction with the Arizona-based tech firm Lighthouse PE.

Debbie Johnson, director, Arizona Office of Tourism, commented, “The app helps us get wiser, too. We are able to see where visi-tors spend their time and what their interests are. In a way, the app is the logical endpoint of the connections we make between mar-keting and research, always with the double-barrel goal of creating a more personalised consumer experience, while also gaining a better understanding of our target audience.”

Visit Florida recently concluded another successful Florida Hud-dle trade show in Fort Lauderdale.

As one of Visit Florida’s signature events, Florida Huddle brings together domestic and international tour operators and wholesaler buyers with the state's destinations, attractions,

properties and service companies selling their products all under one roof. The event welcomed 603 attendees and 224 buyers from 14 countries,

in addition to representatives from 34 media outlets.

Ctrip announced that Ctrip Gour-met List has formed a partner-ship with OpenTable, allowing Ctrip mobile app users to book thousands of restaurants across

North America. Ctrip is also the first partner in the main-

land China market, while north America is an increasingly popular destination for Chinese travellers. According to Ctrip's data, Chinese visitors to North America in 2017 spent on average USD2,458 per person.

"Ctrip's partnership with OpenTable is more about just food, the table brings to-gether local culture, communities, lifestyle and travel," said Kimi Liu, CEO, Ctrip Gourmet List.

Carnival Triumph's 2019-20 Schedule Released

Carnival Triumph will operate a diverse itinerary sched-ule in 2019-2020, with a wide variety of four- to 14-day departures from New York, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Norfolk, Virginia, to over 20 destinations through-out the Caribbean, Bahamas, Canada, New England,

Bermuda and Panama Canal.Prior to the launch of this programme, Carnival Triumph is

due to undergo an extensive multi-million-dollar refurbishment that will add a variety of food and beverage, and entertainment innovations.

Carnival Triumph

15

ASIA PACIFICwww.traveltradeweekly.travel INTERNATIONAL

3 FEBRUARY 2018

Chinese Premier Aussie Specialists Appointed

Tourism Australia recently held an awards ceremony to wel-come and congratulate 89 new Premier Aussie Specialists from across China.

The top tier agents are hailed as having an in depth understanding of Australia's tourism product and as being amongst the top travel sellers in the country.

Aussie Specialists is Tourism Australia’s global training programme. It is shared by all eight states and territory tourism part-ners, and is designed to provide frontline travel sellers from around the globe with the knowledge and skills to best sell the country.

Tourism Australia recently revamped

Tourism Australia Spon-sors Youth Conference

WYSE Travel Confederation has an-nounced Tourism Australia as the sponsor of the this year’s WYSE Ex-change Australia Youth Tourism Confer-ence taking place in Sydney on May 09.

The full-day, national educational conference will showcase a range of speakers, leaders and innova-tors who will come together and share insights, and identify opportunities to grow the country's inbound youth travel industry.

Kristy Carstairs, industry relations manager for youth, Tourism Australia, commented, “We look for-ward to using this forum with the industry to find inspiring ways to encourage more young travellers [...] to visit Australia.”

The Conference is part of a three-day trade event that will include business-to-business appointments.

Asia’s Mountain Tourism to Attract Millennials

Thailand Showcases Local Culinary Experiences at ATF

Travel Trade Event for Tasmania

Mountaineering creates opportunities for the development of the tourism industry in Asia’s mountainous regions, es-pecially among younger visitors, according to GlobalData.

Transformative travel grew rapidly in 2017, as a result of increased awareness about the negative impact of hu-

man activities on the environment. GlobalData’s consumer survey from the last quarter 2017 showed

that 20 percent globally are interested in adventure/sports tourism, with 34 percent of millennials being likely to book such a holiday.

Tourism Tasmania is holding its new two-day trade event, TasT-alk, in Hobart in late June, combining the previous Tasbound and Tassie Specialist Conference events to create a broader and more dynamic travel trade gathering.

It will see around 120 travel sellers travelling to Hobart to learn more about what are hailed as the best Tasmanian tourism products and experiences on offer.

Tourism Tasmania and Australia Tourism Export Council will host up to 40 inbound tour operators on the first day, June 28, while on the following day, around 80 Tassie specialist travel sellers from around the country and New Zealand are anticipated to attend.

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Chiang Mai from January 22 – 26 saw Thailand welcome participants under the theme of Sustainable Connectivity, Boundless Prosperity.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said TAT would have a dedicated area

called Thailand Prestige highlighting local experiences through the country’s rich culinary tradition, in line with its marketing focus on the gastronomy tourism sector.

Highlights included an interactive cooking demonstration by celebrity chefs from Chiang Mai.

“Thai food continues to gain worldwide acclaim and is a major attraction for the millions of tourists who visit Thailand every year,” said Supasorn.

Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen

the programme in all key markets across 11 languages, including a new digital platform.

3 FEBRUARY 201816

www.traveltradeweekly.travelRENDEZVOUS

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How was 2017 in terms of business, and how does this compare to pre-vious years? Who is your main source market?

KEMAL BAYIK: Despite certain regional challeng-es, we consider 2017 as a year of success for Four Seasons Doha. Weak oil prices and the political differences between GCC countries were the two highlights of the year for the market. For us the main accomplishments were the overwhelming demand from the local market and new emerging markets by the help of visa-free access.

Compared to previous years, there was a dose of uncertainty that lead to further price sensitivity. However, in terms of volume, the uplift in domes-tic market and emergence of new markets miti-gated the loss coming from reduced price points.

Tourism authorities continue to focus on diver-sifying the tourism influx, with the latest and most significant action being flexing the visa process and waving visa requirements for over 80 nation-alities, converting Qatar into the most open coun-try in the GCC.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: How important is the MICE sector to your business and to the ongo-ing success and ambitious targets of Qatar’s tourism industry?

KEMAL BAYIK: MICE business is extremely im-portant for all hotels in Doha. For our hotel, the MICE segment represents a significant portion of our top-line performance; almost 20 percent of our rooms and 15 percent of our banqueting revenues.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL DOHA

Q&A with Kemal Bayik

KEMAL BAYIK, DIRECTOR,MARKETING,FOUR SEASONS HOTEL DOHA, EXPRESSES THE HOTEL’S EXPANSION PLANS TO SUIT THE NEW WAVE OF CORPORATE TRAVELLERS SEEKING EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: Qatar Tourism Author-ity aims to triple the number of business event tourists by 2030, contributing at least half of the country’s revenue from tourism spending. In your opinion what is it that makes Qatar stand out as a MICE destination?

KEMAL BAYIK: Doha is dynamic and purpose built

to become an international metropolitan. The flights, airport, hotels, convention space choices, shopping and dining districts, recreational activity zones and entertainment options are all world-class and magnetic.

Doha also has great weather for over 200 days a year. The city offers everything a remarkable city and charming resort destination can offer.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What kind of facilities and services do you offer to cater for MICE clients?

KEMAL BAYIK: We are very versatile and flexible in terms of our offerings in the upscale and luxury segment. Features wise, Four Seasons is an ideal MICE hotel with 232 rooms and suites, a world-class ballroom, with a second one being built to better answer demand. We also have five meeting rooms, 10 food and beverage venues, a great spa, outdoor swimming pool, private beach and private marina. Services wise, imagination is our limits.

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY: What are your future plans which aim to further boost the MICE sector in the country, and attract more corporate trav-ellers from regional and international markets?

KEMAL BAYIK: Our job, as Four Seasons, is always to become the ambassadors of our destinations. We will continue to invest in direct sales, consumer marketing and PR efforts, to drive more interest for MICE business from emerging and key feeder mar-kets. We know that for almost every decision maker that visited us thus far, we have had the privilege of hosting one of their programmes.

Four Seasons Hotel Doha

ASIA PACIFICwww.traveltradeweekly.travel INTERNATIONAL

3 FEBRUARY 2018 17

Curio Collection Enters Australia

W Hotels Enters Japan

Australia’s first Curio Col-lection by Hilton, West Hotel Sydney has de-buted in the city's central business district next to

Barangaroo precinct.The hotel will be managed by

Hilton, under a management agree-ment with M&L Hospitality.

The botanical-themed property features 182 guest rooms, including four spacious suites. The hotel also features a fully equipped gym, pri-vate meeting and dining room. Con-tributing to Sydney’s dining scene is the on-property restaurant Solander Dining and Bar, offering a modern Australian all-day dining experience, with a focus on seasonal and botani-cal produce.

W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott Inter-national, announced the signing of W Osaka, slated to open

in 2021. Owned by Sekisui House, a long-standing partner of Marriott In-ternational, this opening will be the first-ever W property in Japan.

The 27-floor, newly-built hotel will boast the renowned bold W de-sign in each of its 337 guest rooms and suites, restaurants and cocktail-centric bars.

W Osaka will feature multiple dining and craft cocktail concepts including the WOO Bar and a second bar located on the WET Deck swim-ming pool.

The hotel will also showcase a state-of-the-art fitness centre, FIT, an AWAY Spa, as well as event facilities such as the 400 m2 Great Room and three meeting rooms.

Taipei Sky Tower to Encompass Park Hyatt and Andaz Hotel

ONYX to Introduce Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok

Best Western to Land at New Chitose Airport

Taipei Sky Tower is to house two hotels and an experiential retail podium once complete in 2020. Both hotels will be a collaboration with Hyatt In-

ternational luxury brands, Park Hyatt and Andaz.

It will be the first time a Park Hyatt and Andaz will be developed within one tower.

At a press conference on January 23, David Udell, president, Asia Pacific, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, shared the concept of integrating two distinctively different ho-tel brands into the same building.

Symbolising a bamboo shoot and Ro-man column, the 54-level building com-bines Eastern and Western elements with a pleated façade that will be accentuated in green.

ONYX Hospitality Group and JR Kyushu Business Development, Thailand, an affiliate of Kyushu railway company, JR Kyushu, have entered a partner-ship for Shama Lakeview Asoke, a

429-key serviced apartments complex in Asoke. Following JR Kyushu’s purchase of the exist-

ing serviced apartment property in December

2017, the company appointed ONYX as the ho-tel management service provider. The launch is scheduled for April 01, and it will offer a wide range of accommodation options from studio suites to three-bedroom apartments, an all-day dining restaurant, pool deck, golf practice range, fitness centre, children’s playroom and a meeting room.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts will arrive at one of Japan’s busiest airports this year, with the launch of a brand new upper-midscale hotel.

Scheduled to welcome its first guests in May, Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose is situated just 3.2 km from New Chitose Airport, the main domestic and international gateway to the island of Hokkaido.

Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose will feature a total of 154 guest rooms, including a selec-tion of Japanese-style family rooms for up to four guests. All rooms come equipped with modern facilities including flat-screen TVs, kettles and complimentary Wi-Fi. The hotel will also feature a 24-hour front desk and daily housekeeping and laundry.

An artist’s impression of Taipei Sky Tower

3 FEBRUARY 201818

www.traveltradeweekly.travelTRAVEL CHANNELS

Representatives of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and Information recently met in Ri-yadh to explore ways to enhance cultural co-operation and intellectual exchange towards enriching their publishing movements.

Charting the growth of the local publish-ing sector over the past two years, the EPA delegation explained that Emirati publishing houses have increased their production and outreach significantly in both regional and global markets, in particular, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Latin America.

The need to launch joint cultural pro-grammes highlighting the rich cultural fabric and heritage of the UAE and Saudi Arabia was discussed, along with strengthening bonds of friendship though events celebrating each other’s traditions.

The EPA also shared their preparations for the March 14 – 24 Riyadh International Book Fair.

Sharjah-based cultural initiatives Knowledge without Borders (KwB) recently organised a fundraising event for The Big Heart Foundation, a Sharjah-based global humanitar-ian charity.

The Coffee and Book event fea-tured a coffee booth and a selec-tion of reading materials provided by KwB, catering to people of all ages and sectors of the community. Visitors were encouraged to support humanitarian activities and show their commitment to contributing to those less fortunate.

In addition to emphasising the importance of social responsibility, KwB also made efforts to promote reading.

This was KwB’s first activity in UAE’s Year of Zayed, and the initia-tive said there will be a series of oth-er cultural and humanitarian events underscoring the values reinforced by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder, UAE.

Linking Saudi and Emirati Publishing

KwB Raises Funds for TBHF

Qasr Al Muwaiji, the birthplace of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president, UAE, played host to a series of cultural experiences in celebration of Emirati heritage and Al Ain's contemporary landscape. The monthly Royal Bisht workshops and renowned poetry eve-nings returned on January 18, as part of Abu Dhabi’s annual Al Ain Cultural Programme.

Providing insight, the Royal Bisht work-shop explored bishts specifically hand-tai-lored for Emirati rulers and adorned with various patterns of gold or silver thread. Par-ticipants also had the opportunity to try their hand at sewing while taking inspiration from the Al Nahyan family’s bishts currently on dis-play at Qasr Al Muwaiji. In celebration of Naba-ti poetry, visitors also took part in educational sessions celebrating the nation’s poets, writers and traditional skills.

Emirati Heritage Celebrated at Qasr Al Muwaiji

From left: Rashid Al Kous, executive director, EPA handing and Abdul Rahman Bin Nasser Al Assem, general manager,

cultural affairs, Saudi Arabia

Royal Bisht workshop

Coffee and Book

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Dubai Outlet Mall created a visual feast for visitors with Kite Fiesta 2018 on February 02, including displays by flying teams from India and a kids' kite making workshop

Qatar Airways extended its partnership with the ABB Formula E Championship

H.E. Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, CEO, BTEA, inaugurated Bahrains 29th edition of the Autumn Fair, bringing together numerous

suppliers, retailers and consumers

Park Inn by Radisson Muscat has named Omani nationals Majid Al Balush and Hassan Al Wahaibi Employees of the Year

Emirates and Dubai Miracle Garden have created the world's largest floral installation in the shape of an Emirates Airbus A380

3 FEBRUARY 2018 19

3 FEBRUARY 201820

www.traveltradeweekly.travelNEWS & EVENTS

EVENTS

IMEX

Frankfurt, GermanyMay 15 –17 www.imex-frankfurt.comIMEX opens its doors to 5,200 global decision makers with qualified buying power, including the valuable German outbound market.

ILTM- ASIA SPECEFIC

SingaporeMay 21 – 24www.iltm.com/asiapacificTargeting the Asia outbound market, ILTM Asia Pacific will bring international suppliers face-to-face with the very best regional buyers and key international agents.

ATM

Dubai, UAEApril 22 – 25arabiantravelmarket.wtm.comB2B exhibition showcasing over 2,800 products and destinations from around the world to over 28,000 travel trade visitors.

ITB-BERLIN

Berlin, GermanyMarch 07 – 11www.itb-berlin.de/enHailed as a leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin is the foremost business platform for global touristic offers.

Desert Drivers and Dune Dashers at SSDF

SCTH to Open Roads of Arabia Exhibition in Tokyo

Al Badayer Desert hosted the second edition of Sharjah Sports Desert Festival (SSDF), on January 12 under the theme, Become a De-

sert Hero. The event was hailed to be the emirate’s most popular off-road competition, held under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, deputy ruler, Sharjah.

Prior to the competitions, visitors had a chance to enjoy a taste of what’s to come as the riders and

drivers took part in 30-minute warm-up sessions to get their engines up to speed. Other events in-cluded buggy races, followed by the MX1 and MX2 and all-terrain vehicle races.

Among the big international names that participated at SSDF were Michael Docherty, Aar-on Mare, Ryan Blair, Brit Daniel Hutchinson, Mo-hammed Jaffar, Abdullah Al Shatti and Sultan Al Balooshi.

Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) launched the Roads of Arabia exhibi-tion, which opened on January 29, at the National Museum in Tokyo, Japan.

H.R.H. Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, president, SCTH, followed up on the prepara-tions for the event, which is one of the most important activities organised by Saudi Arabia in Japan in cooperation with the country’s Embassy in Tokyo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and Saudi Aramco as the exhibition's sponsor.

In this important international exhibition, a collection of rare artifacts representing the cultural di-mension of Saudi Arabia were on display. They demonstrated the cultural and historical heritage and the civilisational exchange witnessed by its land through different historical periods.

Global Futurist Leads Agenda for IBTM Arabia

IBTM has unveiled the final itinerary for IBTM Arabia this year, which will take place on February 05 – 07 at Jumei-rah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.

Leading the agenda as keynote speaker is Rohit Tal-war, global futurist, Fast Future, who will deliver a session on how the meetings industry can anticipate, respond to and benefit from an emerging future in a world of constant change.

During the event, suppliers and hosted buyers can ex-pect to enjoy a full programme of 2,700 pre-planned busi-ness meetings, an insightful series of Knowledge Programme sessions and 12 networking events.

The format of IBTM Arabia has been designed purpose-fully to embrace the importance in the region of relation-ship building ahead of doing business, with 12 networking events held over the three-day-long show.

Etihad Towers

SSDF