A DDP PUBLICATION Pages: 16Vol. VIII No. 2; February 2012

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In Oman, the MinaQaboos port has posteda record of 2,31,000 pas-

sengers for the 2010-2011winter season, up by 72 percent over 2009. The OmanTourism Ministry anticipatespassenger arrivals to Muscatto exceed 3,00,000 by 2015,while Mina Zayed in AbuDhabi expects about1,45,000 cruise visitors.Dubai expects annual cruisepassenger numbers toincrease 50,000 year-on-year till 2015. To boost theCruise Tourism facilities,Qatar has plans to build acruise ship terminal atDoha’s new US$ 5.5 billiondeepwater seaport with thecapacity of two to threecruise ships.

As an attempt to growits Cruise Tourism sector to 300 calls and 6,00,000passengers by 2030, ADTA also have plans toconstruct permanent, cruiseterminal at Mina Zayed.“Cruise shipping has enjoyedstrong recession-proofgrowth for many years,” said HE Mubarak Al Muhairi,

Director General, ADTA.“The market ranges between low-cost cruisebusiness and very high-endexclusive cruises whereasAbu Dhabi targets at thehigher-end segment.”

Cruise Tourism gainingmomentum in the UAE as Abu Dhabi has raised a new tented cruise terminalat Mina Zayed, Dubai has reshaped Port Rashidand Sharjah has focussed on Khorfakkan to attractaround 7,00,000 cruise visitors during this season.The Dubai Department ofTourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM) has fore-casted a steady growth of6,25,000 passengers by2015, a 38 per cent increaseover 2010 figures.

“Despite the slump in the global tourism industry, Cruise Tourism inthe Gulf has been growing steadily, thanks tothe efforts of DTCM and the cruise operators. The flexibility of Dubai’seconomy and the trust put init by the global cruise oper-ators is hence revealed

hence,” said Hamad M BinMejren, Director BusinessTourism, DTCM.

Sharjah makes for anideal destination for luxurycruise liners as it overlooksboth the Gulf of Oman andArabian Gulf Coast.

The first Costa Classicaship arrived at theKhorfakkan port with 1,700passengers on-board, indi-cating the arrival of new sea-son of luxury cruise linersand thousands of interna-tional tourists to Sharjah.

According to SharjahCommerce and TourismDevelopment Authority(SCTDA) between Novemberand May 2012, Costa Cruises and Seabourn, two majorcruiseline operators willbring around 67,000 inter-national cruise passengers to Sharjah.

However, the prospectsfor the industry are strong,it also faces a number ofchallenges that could ham-per its growth.

The cruise tourism sector in the Middle East is seeing a steady increase in passengers as the sector gains footing in the region where the governments are investing in new facilities to support it. The Gulf is also witnessing a rise in cruise ships and also plans to expand their operations in the days to come. The UAE with increased investment in cruise terminals expects to attract big players of the industry.

ME Cruise Tourism sails ahead

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Despite theslump in theglobal tourismindustry, CruiseTourism in theGulf has beengrowingsteadily, thanksto the efforts ofDTCM and thecruiseoperators

The growth in Cruise Tourism helpedtourism throughthe economicdownturn. Theincreasing number of cruise travellersprovided a lift tothe hospitalitysector

The marketranges between low-cost cruisebusiness andvery high-endexclusivecruises whereasAbu Dhabitargets at thehigher-end

HE Mubarak Al MuhairiDirector GeneralADTA

Hamad M Bin MejrenDirector Business TourismDTCM

Chris HaymanChairman - Seatrade, Organiser -Middle East Cruise Convention

Contd. on page 2

COVER STORY

With the Middle EastCruise Tourism growthexceeding the global average, Dubai had been selected as the venue forthe Seatrade Middle EastCruise Convention, held inOctober 2011 an eventfocussing on the MiddleEast’s rapidly expandingcruise sector.

“The growth in Cruise Tourism helped theregion’s tourism sectorthrough the difficult periodof the economic downturn.The increasing number of cruise travellers provided amuch-needed lift to the hos-pitality sector as well,” saidChris Hayman, Chairman -Seatrade, Organiser - MiddleEast Cruise Convention.

“One of the challengesfor the cruise industryworldwide is seasonality. In Northern Europe andAlaska there are opportuni-ties for itineraries that areseasonally confined to thesummer months in thenorthern hemisphere, thesearch is always on for newdeployment opportunitiesand Dubai and the Gulf

region present exactly that,”added Hayman.

Comprising of a combi-nation of bespoke trainingand presentations fromcruise line representatives,the travel agents were ben-efitted by a free training dayincorporated with the MiddleEast Cruise Convention. A specialised insight in the cruise product alongwith a wider knowledge oftourism in the region wasthus provided.

The United ArabEmirates’ cruise sector wasset for further growth by2011-end with MSC Cruisesplanned to base its MSCLirica vessel in Abu Dhabi’sMina Zayed Port sinceOctober 2011. Other inter-national cruise brands likeCosta Cruises, RoyalCaribbean International andAIDA Cruises continue tooperate and expand in theregion. In addition, TUICruises’ Mein Schiff 2 makesits Middle East debut in win-ter 2012-13, with weeklyround-trip cruises fromDubai to Oman, Abu Dhabiand Bahrain.

Cruising steadily despite downturns Contd. from page 1

Cruise Tourismbrings in a lot of revenue to the Dubaitourism for the landauthority as thecruisepassengersspend thewhole day in thedestinationexploring malls

The guestvolume from the Middle Easthas increasedaround morethan 30 per centcompared to the sameperiod in 20l0.The UAE alsosaw the samegrowth levelduring the period

Helen BeckRegional Director - Europe, Middle Eastand Africa, Royal Caribbean Cruises

Alok DeyHolidays Manager, Sharaf Travel &GSA - MSC Cruise, GCC region

Contd. on page 6

FOREIGN EXCHANGEDIRHAM VALUE

(Subject to variation) (As on 20-01-2012)

Country Currency CN Buy CN Sell

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

UK ............................GBP ..............5.5781............5.7942

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

Euro ..........................EUR ..............4.6399............4.8305

Canada......................CAD ..............3.5838............3.7087

Bahrain ....................BHD ..............9.5738............9.9137

Oman ........................OMR..............9.4077............9.6512

Kuwait ......................KWD............12.9635..............13.43

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

Qatar ........................QAR ..............0.9947............1.0209

Australia ..................AUD ..............3.7540............3.8677

Japan ........................JPY................0.0469............0.0492

Philippines ................PHP ..............0.0833............0.0863

Singapore..................SGD ..............2.8240............2.9474

India ........................INR................0.0713............0.0747

Pakistan ....................PKR ..............0.0399............0.0418

Bangladesh ..............BDT ..............0.0429............0.0445

Sri Lanka ..................LKR ..............0.0316............0.0328

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

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

Switzerland ..............CHF ..............3.8386............4.0042

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

With sustained initia-tives and commitment

in driving ‘BestEnvironmental Practices’ tosave the environment,Towers Rotana had acquired2

ndposition in 2009 Dubai

Green Tourism Award FourStar Hotel category. Rotanaas a Group supports all itsproperties under its bannerto maintain a green, healthyenvironment and by recy-cling paper and plastic.

I am personally verykeen to create Towers Rotana as carbon positive orzero emission hotel whichinstead of leaving a carbonfootprint contributes to the Eco-system.

For further improvingupon eco-management, wehave plans of tree plantationand working on a solar proj-ect to lessen energy con-sumption. Towers Rotana,Dubai is an active member ofthe Emirates EnvironmentalGroup, since 2001.

Friendly staff and qual-ity services are the keyaspects of the hotel’sendeavour. Decorated with

comfort and elegance inmind, we try to make ourguests at home and meettheir every expectation.Towers Rotana Hotel featuresfour awarding restaurants,each offering a distinctive

dining experience - Flavorson Two on Global DiningExperience Teatro features afusion of Indo-Asian-Latinocuisine. Long’s Bar is theplace to be with its authentic‘Raffles’ look, the informaldining experience andWraps, the typical European-style cafe, specialises in largeCalifornian-style flour tor-tillas wrapped around a vari-ety of fillings, grilled freshand fast.

We host familiarisationtrips for the travel trade from various other countries

and arrange training schedules for them to get a‘touch-and-feel’ experienceof the product.

As we have fared well in previous years,

worked under high occupan-cy at this tough time, hencewe look ahead to be one of the main players and get acknowledgements.

Towers Rotana comesup with many CSR activitieslike Blood Donation Drive2011, recycling for charity,humanitarian campaign, participate in introductoryprogrammes like START(Skills, Tasks And ResultsTraining), that gives UAENational job-seekers aninsight into what the hospi-tality industry is all about.

Located in Dubai, thesafest destination, TowersRotana has a positive influ-ence in every way. DTCM isvery comprehensive, activeand supportive.

Emirates Airlines playthe major role and the way they place Dubai in themap is incredible. TowersRotana is a member of theDTCM Emiratisation TaskForce for Tourism.

Mrad El KhouryGeneral Manager Towers Rotana

I am personally very keen to createTowers Rotana as carbon positive orzero emission hotel which instead ofleaving a carbon footprintcontributes to the Eco-system

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TRAVTALK is a publication of Durga Das Publications Private Limited. All information in TRAVTALK is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regret that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publica-tion, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by thirdparties in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared by TRAVTALK. However, we wish to advice our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific

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EDITORIALME Cruise sectorspeeding ahead

The Cruise industry in the UAE andthe Middle East on the whole has

successfully resisted the ‘doublewhammy’ of global recession and ArabSpring and the best indication, is asignificant increase in guest volumes.

In Oman, the Mina Qaboos portposted a record 2,31,000 passengers forthe 2010-2011 winter season, up by 72%over the previous year. Mina Zayed inAbu Dhabi expects about 1,45,000 cruisevisitors this winter while Qatar plans tobuild a cruise ship terminal at Doha’snew US$ 5.5 billion deepwater seaportwith a capacity for 2-3 cruise ships.

The ME is witnessing an increase incruise ships. Costa Cruises increased itscapacity by 16% this winter season. RoyalCaribbean is upgrading operation withthe introduction of Serenade of the Seasfrom 2012. MSC is arriving with a seriesof winter itineraries out of Abu Dhabi.As per Dubai Department of Tourism andCommerce Marketing records, CruiseTourism saw an annual income of AED338 million in 2010, a total of 135 cruiseships with 3,75,000 tourists werereceived in 2011, which is estimated togrow to AED 837 million in 2015.

There is good news on the hospitalityfront too. With 8 new hotel openingslined up across the ME, the Rotana Groupis upbeat about 2012. As visitors toDubai continue to grow beyond 8 millionby the end of 2011, hotels are expectedto see revenue per available room, surgeby 8% - 9% in 2011, according to STRGlobal. Abu Dhabi also expects anincrease of 15.5% in international visitorswith the total tourist spend surging21.8% to US$ 2 billion this year,according to Abu Dhabi TourismAuthority. However, the Cruise Tourismindustry also faces challenges. Any steepfall in Indian rupee or euro can prove atest as India and eurozone countries aretraditionally vibrant markets. The sectorhas to adopt itineraries intelligently totackle seasonal challenges.

TALKING PEOPLE

Towers Rotana Hotel, the newly renovated property, boasts of its spectacularviews of the Arabian Sea and easy access to all the major destinations of Dubai.The hotel is an active member of the Emirates Environmental Group, since 2001.

Towers Rotana maintains green,clean and healthy environment

Mrad El KhouryGeneral Manager Towers Rotana

Bahrain International Airshow 2012 was held during January 19 – 21. The participating companies showcased products and services to potential buyers, visiting delegations, media, trade and public visitors and participated in a full programme of daily flying displays.

Bahrain International Airshow 2012

NEWS F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 5

Etihad Airways enhancedthe tourism bond by

introducing roots betweenChengdu and Abu DhabiInternational Airport and aplanned non-stop, daily serv-ice to Shanghai. China, anadvancing market for AbuDhabi, is now ranking amongthe destination’s Top 25 hotelguest source markets.

At Abu Dhabi stop-overof the 2011-2012 VolvoOcean Race, Team Sanya, theChinese entry in the round-the-world sailing event, hosted a delegation of seniorofficials from the Sanya Government andADTA, with the aim of forg-ing stronger tourism tiesbetween Sanya and the UAE’scapital. ADTA also had a sig-

nificant presence at theSanya stop-over where itmounted an Abu Dhabi pavil-ion with a number of heritage activities including falconry,henna displays and Arabiccalligraphy. ADTA also havestaged a reception in Sanyafor the teams and other par-ticipating personnel.

“The UAE and Chinaalready enjoy a strong trading partnership support-ed by widening business relationships across a numberof fields. The recent code-share agreement betweenEtihad Airways and HainanAirlines is just one exampleof growing strategic co-oper-ation between the two. Ourcollaboration with Sanyacompliments the UAE gov-ernment’s broader aim ofenhancing tourism co-opera-

tion with China,” said HEMubarak Al Muhairi,Director General, ADTA.

“It is a great way tointroduce Sanya in the VolvoOcean Race, to a new audi-ence and showcase theprovince’s rich heritage andculture. China and UAE have

enjoyed a friendly partner-ship for many years and thisis creating new opportunitiesto advance the relationshipinto sectors like tourism. Weenvisage this area being asignificant growth driver forboth Sanya and Abu Dhabi,”said Huang Shaowen, Vice-Mayor, Sanya.

Endowed with warmtropical sunshine and a rich cultural heritage, Sanya has become an impor-tant tourist destination inChina. It attracted over 5.12 million tourist arrivalsin the first half of 2011 with over 2,50,000 visitorsfrom abroad, an 18.5 per centincrease year-on-year.Showcasing the region’soffering in Abu Dhabi is part of Sanya’s ambitiousgrowth plans.

With Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) recently opening a dedicatedoffice and a visitor centre in Beijing, the emirate is gaining increasing tractionwith the Chinese travel and tourism market, supported by a recently openedEtihad Airways’ route between Chengdu and Abu Dhabi International Airport.

TT BU R E AU

China eyes closer tourism tieswith the United Arab Emirates

HE Mubarak Al MuhairiDirector GeneralADTA

ADTA brings Volvo Ocean Race inDestination Village in Abu Dhabi

Commissioned by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA),the Destination Village has opened to the general public free-of-charge, the two-week historic hosting of Volvo Ocean Race fleet.The Village, at the Abu Dhabi Corniche Breakwater became activewith a raft of entertainment designed to engage visitors connectwith the emirate’s maritime past and future ambitions.

“The activity-filled entertainment programme are educationaland entertaining, which will leave knowing far more about AbuDhabi’s maritime and water sports credentials than they didbefore,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, ADTA. “Whenwe began our Volvo Ocean Race hosting campaign we hadpromised a stand-out stopover and believe that we have fulfilledthat commitment. It was not just for sailors or would-be sailorsbut for families who had wanted to get into the fresh air. However,there are opportunities for all to try sailing and find out moreabout the sport. The atmosphere will be electric and the bestpart - all the entertainment is free!” added Al Sheikh.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet included the UAE’s Abu DhabiOcean Racing team who will be in action over the fortnight. Thefleet competed the in-port race on January 13, the first pointsscoring competition in Abu Dhabi and the leg three started onJanuary 14. Those who achieved the ‘ace’ shot during thefortnight-long hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race, won a weeklydraw to win a holiday to join the race fleet in either Sanya, Chinaor Galway, Ireland – which will welcome the ‘Everest of Sailing’in February and July 2012 respectively. A weekend of traditionaldhow racing also took place with more than 1 foot, 30 foot, 22foot and 60 foot dhows competing off the coast for top honours.Apart from all this, ADTA and its stakeholders staged a number ofentertainment and interactive activities like traditional music anddance performances, Falconry displays, henna tattoo artists,calligraphy demos and many such among others.

Agents exploring Brunei andSingapore during a fam trip

Empire Hotel and Country Club, Brunei Tourism, Singapore Airlines and Mandarin Oriental Hotel jointly organised a familiarisation Trip to Brunei and Singapore from December 9 – 14, 2011 for 10 travelrepresentatives from the UAE. Travel agents spent first 3 nights in the 5-star Empire Hotel and Country Club in Brunei. While in Brunei the UAE trademission were taken to various interesting places in the country. LegendaryMandarin Oriental Singapore hosted the team for two nights in Singapore.

‘Desert Adventures’ partners with ‘Expedia Local Expert’

Desert Adventures, Kuoni’s unit specialised in the MiddleEast partners with Expedia Local Expert, the destinationmanagement services provider of Expedia. The partnershipenables extending Desert Adventures destination activities andpersonalised services to all Expedia clients travelling to the UAE,Oman, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. Amongst Desert Adventures’destination activities offered by Expedia Local Expert are tourssuch as Dubai’s Top 5, Desert Safari, Ski Dubai, Ferrari Worldand Modern Dubai.

Expedia Local Expert clients will benefit from the availabilityof Desert Adventures' services. Expedia Local Expert will co-brand and co-operate the 12 existing Desert Adventures conciergedesks throughout the UAE and assist guests with destinationinformation, tours, safaris, restaurant reservations, etc.

AGENTS6 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2

As part of Lama Group,LAMA Tours is diversified

into various business sectors.Around 60 to 70 per cent of itsbusiness constitutes inboundtourism, which is more onMICE groups, ground handling, Visas and hotelsbooking about 20 per cent on holidays or outbound while the remaining 20 percent includes excursions likedesert safari, cruises and city tours.

Driven by the growth oftourism industry, LAMA Tourswent online to ensure thefastest service in the shortesttimeframe possible. ‘LamaConnect’, Lama Tours latestinvent, is a global reservationnetwork, which connects1,70,000 hotels across theworld, 50,000 tours and excur-sions and 15,000 tickets from

various events exclusive toursall over.

“We have launched thissystem in 2011 and starteddistributing to 25,000 to30,000 B2B travel agentsacross the world. We havestarted recruiting exclusiverepresentatives for the smallercities like Ahmedabad, Pune,Chandigarh and Riyadh,Jeddah and Damman, Kuwait,Muscat, Bahrain. We also havepeople in Russia, Moscow andLondon. This particular systemis connected with high-endchains of luxury hotels like theHyatts’, Marriotts’, Movenpick,provided they supply to all ourB2B partners,” explainedKulwant Singh, ManagingDirector, Lama Group LLC.

Lama Tours has alwaysembarked on, ‘Change todayfor a brighter tomorrow’. Lamabelieves that logos and

taglines say a lot more thanwords. Having decided that, itre-launched the corporateidentity of the company andshowcased their new corpo-rate logo on December 26,2011. The red backgroundsymbolises positivity, the globeembodies the worldwide net-work of Lama and the goldband represents the rich her-itage, culture and tourism

dynamism of the region, espe-cially Dubai where Lama hasits headquarters. LamaTourshas made its foray intothe farthest corners of theworld, from Europe to the CIScountries stretching across toRussia, China, India,Philippines and even withinthe GCC – Oman, Kuwait andSaudi Arabia.

Always craving for more,the Lama Group expanded intothe hospitality business byventuring into HotelApartment services. Havingset up the Seven Sands HotelApartments, Lama Groupoffers 96 apartments. Withtheir on-going effort to pro-mote their high-end services,Lama Tours is promoting newproducts like a Luxury YachtCruise, Dhow Cruises,Hummer Safaris and ExploreArabia – a day long encounterin true Arabian style.

Inaccurately conceived as only desert safari tour operator or an excursioncompany, LAMA Tours is rightly known as Global DestinationManagement Company (GDMC), a total holiday solutions unit - a onestop shop from events to conventions, safaris to exciting holiday stays.

Lama Tours marks itspresence in the industry

SU S M I TA GH O S H

With proficient trackrecord, Dreamdays

Tourism, the leisure and out-door activity servicesprovider, is the pioneer in‘leisure experience’ businessin the UAE.

“With the support of an encouraging inboundtourism industry in the UAE along with the competitive and successfulbusiness model of Dreamdaysleisure experiences, thelaunch of ‘DreamdaysHolidays’ is made on firm ground. Our businessescomplement each other for mutual growth and progression with the evergrowing demand in the market for inbound travel to the UAE, especially Dubai, either for business or leisure,” expressed Farshid Rahimkhani,Managing Director,Dreamdays Tourism.

Equipped with its ownOnline Reservation System,the Company attends everyneed of the client. The avail-able products and servicescover different segments ofthe market categorised bybudgets, tastes and demand.

“No matter how many timesone travels to UAEfor leisure or business,DreamdaysHolidays’ clientsand their customers canexpect more and feel the difference,”

said Rahimkhani whileadding, “Dreamdays Holidayswill prominently participateand partner with productsand agencies at roadshowsand travel Expos.”

Dreamdays Holidaysaspires to be among the topDMC’s locally with its expert-ise of organising new outdoorand indoor activities combin-ing with a wide range of accommodation, transfers,tours & attractions and visa assistance, set & custommade packages. Dreamdayscaters to Incentive andCorporate Hospitality and can take care of any special requests.

The company alreadypossesses a steady and grow-ing client base from India andIran and started its approachin the GCC markets and isworking towards enteringother prospective regionsacross the world.

Dreamdays is now all geared up to take on the baton in the inbound tourism industry by launching ‘Dreamdays Holidays’, its inbound department to create a niche for itself initially in the Middle East & Subcontinent and then progressively, mark a strong presence globally.

Dreamdays Tourism to launch‘Dreamdays Holidays’ in the ME

TT BU R E AU

Farshid RahimkhaniManaging DirectorDreamdays Tourism

Kulwant SinghManaging DirectorLama Group LLC

“The Royal CaribbeanCruises Middle East has wit-nessed an increase in book-ings from the region for itsglobal brands. From Januarythrough October 2011, theguest volume from theMiddle East has increasedaround more than 30 percent compared to the sameperiod in 20l0. The UAE alsosaw the same growth levelduring the period,” saysHelen Beck, RegionalDirector - Europe, MiddleEast and Africa, RoyalCaribbean Cruises. “We havebeen successful once againby achieving overall growthof 56 per cent of guest vol-ume compared to 2010. Thisgrowth was achieved by allthe nine countries in theMiddle East that we repre-sent,” she pointed out.

Cruise Tourism is a key growth segment, whichwill bring great economicbenefits to the region,increasing overall expendi-ture in the tourism sector,boosting the economy.

“Cruise Tourism bringsin a lot of revenue to theDubai tourism for the landauthority as the cruise pas-sengers spend the whole dayin the destination exploringmalls for shopping, food,transportation and they alsovisit tourist attractions.Embarkation and disem-barkation points they earnmore for the hotels,”expressed Alok Dey,Holidays Manager, SharafTravel, the GSA responsiblefor marketing MSC Cruise inthe GCC region.

“We have huge plansfor 2012 as now MSC Cruisedivision has been separated.We have more people working while hiring is going on a large scale,” concluded Dey.

Every week MSCCruises have promotions,hence helping them expandtheir marketing channels inregards of appointing PSAsin larger scale all over GCC including UAE, Oman,Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain andSaudi Arabia.

Cruise Tourismbringing economicbenefits to the regionContd. from page 2

Dreamdays Tourism, theleisure and outdoor activityservices provider, is thepioneer in ‘leisure experience’business in the UAE

Dreamdays caters toIncentive and CorporateHospitality and can take careof any special requests

The company alreadypossesses a steady andgrowing client base fromIndia and Iran and started itsapproach in the GCC marketsand is working towardsentering other prospectiveregions across the world

Dreamdays Tourism

RAK Airways hosts Kuwaittravel agents to a Fam trip

RAK Airways hosted a group of travel agents representing 15 travel agenciesfrom across Kuwait as part of an initiative to generate awareness about theairline’s new daily service from Kuwait to Ras Al Khaimah. The Fam triphighlighted Ras Al Khaimah’s value offering for Kuwaiti families and tourists.

Middle East online travelbookings grow unabated

The region’s travel agents are diversifying their traditionalbooking channels in the face of increasing competition fromtechnology as business and leisure travellers make the movefrom offline to online bookings.

According to Reed Travel Exhibitions, Organiser of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), travel agencies are not onlyconfronted to the online booking capabilities of major regionalairlines, but also face the growing number of Online TravelAgencies (OTAs), who are promoting one-stop online bookingportals. This prompted REED to develop a dedicated technologyseminar series to be launched at ATM 2012, where a host ofleading digital exper ts specialising in the travel sector willaddress delegates regarding the latest in technologicaladvances and online consumer behaviour.

AVIATION8 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2

The Airline introduces astraight forward trans-

parent rewards programmewhere frequent flyers cansimply submit their boardingcard stubs in return for complimentary tickets. The planning of the interna-tional launch of this pro-gramme was going on forsome time and the beginningof 2012 seemed appropriateto show the customers thattheir patronage and trust isgreatly appreciated.

Naeem Mahamoor,Manager Marketing, BahrainAir stated, “Our main focus isto deliver a simple and effec-tive rewards programme forloyal patrons of Bahrain Air.We activated this programmein August 2011 for the trav-elling public in Bahrain as apilot project and are now con-fident to launch the rewardsprogramme for valued fre-

quent flyers throughout ourentire route network.”

To earn complimentarytickets, passengers flyingBahrain Air need to collect 7Bahrain Air boarding passstubs that they have pur-chased and flown in theirown name, which will entitlethem to a one-way compli-mentary ticket. 11 boardingpass stubs will earn frequentflyers a return ticket to any

Bahrain Air destination. Allcomplimentary ticketsexclude relevant taxes. Theclass of travel, whether it isPremium class or Economyclass for the complimentaryair tickets will be determinedas per the boarding stubclasses of travel redeemed.Passengers can redeem theirtickets by submitting theirboarding stubs at any BahrainAir office.

Bahrain Air launched a new rewards programme - ‘Loyalty Rewards Programme’. The initiative cameinto effect from January 1, 2012 and is offered to the airline’s frequent flyers on its route network.

Bahrain Air launches anew rewards programme

As a part of the New Yearpromotion, the Chinese

travellers enjoyed an excitingarray of offers on products,chances to win gift vouchers,

availed scratch and win offersand many other exciting gifts.

Akbar Al Baker, ChiefExecutive Officer, QatarAirways hailed the efforts of

Qatar Duty Free for coming up with such a pio-neering promotion and pro-viding the Chinese travellerswith a memorable shoppingexperience at DohaInternational Airport. “Chinais a huge market for QatarAirways and on behalf of ourairline in celebration ofChinese New Year, we offerour best wishes for a veryhappy and prosperous NewYear,” he said.

Traditional red colourwhich signifies good fortune and joy had beenused to design the promo-

tional area and every trav-eller making a purchase was given a ‘red envelope’with a discount coupon as atoken of appreciation.

To compliment the festive spirit of the ChineseNew Year celebrations, thepromotional area of theDepartures Terminal wasbeautifully decorated withoriental designs offering anarray of popular products forChinese consumers acrossvarious categories includingfrgrances, cosmetics, skin-care, luxury watches, gifts and souvenirs.

A steady growth of Chinese travellers was observedthrough Doha International Airport (DIA) in the last fewyears. Qatar Duty Free celebrated Chinese New Year inJanuary at the Airport as a part of New Year promotion.

Qatar Duty Free celebratedChinese New Year at DIA

TT BU R E AU

Naeem MahamoorManager MarketingBahrain Air

Akbar Al BakerChief Executive OfficerQatar Airways

TT BU R E AU

Started on November 3,2010, Dubai was the first

international destination of RwandAir, set to fly con-necting Mombasa the coastalcity in Kenya to Dubai thrice

a week operating on a Boeing737-500. This is the firstAfrican airline to take deliv-ery of Boeing 737 with Skyinterior. Around one year of

operation, the number offlights increased to six every week, looking ahead fordaily flight tentatively bysummer schedule.

“The Airline is looking at a fleetexpansion in 2012 and the plan of expansionto India is in the pipeline. More as trade or business traveller, popularly known as Small MediumEnterprises (SME) is a distinctive trafficfound in thisroute,”

asserted Hassan Barey,Country Manager, RwandAir.

Prevailing more thanusual baggage allowance, thecarrier also offers specialextra baggage rate.

Business traffic consti-tutes 50 per cent includingtrader traffic, VFRs as 30 per cent and the remainingcomprises of leisure while the accessibility of diplomatictraffic differs from time to time.

“We have introducednew destinations as we are still growing around the region. We have added four new routes,amongst which three beingin West Africa and Librevillein Gabon and Brazzaville in Congo and Gisenyi, domestic station in Rwandaand Lagos in Nigeria,”explained Barey.

In 2012, RwandAir will be more aggressive inthe Dubai market providing

detailed information, arrang-ing focussed group work-shops, roadshows, familiari-sation trips for the traveltrade to give a feel and touchof the product.

The year 2011 witnessed an immense growth network and fleet the expansion of RwandAir, affirming the airlines commitment to become the African Airline of choice. The Airline is commited to be more aggressive in 2012 with a host of activities lined up for the travel trade.

RwandAir expands with leaps &bounds with increased flights

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Hassan BareyCountry ManagerRwandAir

Star ted on November 3,2010, Dubai was the firstinternational destinationof RwandAir

Around one year ofoperation, the number offlights increased to sixevery week

Prevailing more thanusual baggageallowance, the carrieralso offers special extrabaggage rate

This is the first Africanairline to take delivery of Boeing 737 with Sky interior

Fast Facts

To earn complimentary tickets,passengers flying Bahrain Airneed to collect 7 Bahrain Airboarding pass stubs that theyhave purchased and flown intheir own name, which willentitle them to a one-waycomplimentary ticket.

11 boarding pass stubs will earn frequent flyers a return ticket to any BahrainAir destination

Fly More 2 Get More

NTO

Being the member of World Tourism

Organisation (WTO) since2001, the tourism sector of Azerbaijan has greatpotential for developmentwith its stable socio-economic conditions.

Eager to position itselfas a short-haul destination,the CIS republic has AZALand flydubai flying to Baku, its capital and sinceFebruary 1, 2012, QatarAirways will have dailyflights from Doha to Baku.

Dayana Persan,Consultant, Azerbaijan Boardof Tourism, GCC spells out, “Catering holidays,Medical Tourism, MICE andsoft adventure sectors toArab Nationals and expats,couples and families, thecountry termed 2011 as the ‘Year of Tourism’ in

Azerbaijan. With the con-struction of a new ski resortin mid 2012, Azerbaijan willsoon appeal to a new groupof tourists.”

“We have observed anoverall increase of 27 percent in 2011 over 2010 andexpect 30 per cent trafficgrowth from Middle East in2012. Besides plans for famil-iarisation trips for the traveltrade in 2012, offering them

a first-hand experience ofAzerbaijan, the Ministry iseager to promote the destina-tion with various other train-ing sessions, workshops,seminars and roadshows dur-ing the year,” added Persan.

Assertively developinginfrastructure, Azerbaijantargets to bring in vast traffic within a short periodof time establishing plannedand strong relationships inthe region.

Room for more than 50 hotels in the capital, the city offers a great choice ranging from top-ratedHyatt and Rezidor hotels through to boutiqueproperties and independenthotels like Four Seasons,Fairmont, JW Marriott and Hilton, Starwood,Radisson, Kempinski,Intercontinental, CrownePlaza among others. Openedin Q4 2011 are Jumeirah andFairmont respectively.

Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism officiallyassigned Atlantis Holidays, Dubai, as their represen-tatve office in the GCC in 2011 to represent and promote its tourism sector throughout the region.

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Azerbaijan targets vasttourist traffic to the region

Dayana PersanConsultantAzerbaijan Board of Tourism, GCC

Being the centre for cross-cultural fertilisation over

the millennia, ‘Heritage,Hospitality, Diversity’ are thethree principal core values ofthe destination ‘Malta’.

The Malta TourismAuthority has organised sev-eral familiarisation tripsrecently with the tour opera-tors, travel agents from theregion to Malta and to theUAE as well. With the repre-sentation office in Dubai, a number of informative seminars and roadshowswere held.

The Tourism Authorityalso participates in exhibi-tions in the Emirate alongwith a number of joint initia-tives with Emirates Airlines.

“With unprecedentedtotal of 73,000 delegates reg-istered, 2010 was a promis-ing year for MICE visitors to

the Islands. Around 5.5 percent of inbound travel toMalta stood to 1,332,086 vis-itors in 2010. For the firsttime ever, more than 1.4 mil-lion tourists have visited

Malta in 2011 surpassing2010 figures by about 7 percent. An expenditure ofapproximately over Euro 1.2billion was generated by thecountry’s tourism industry in2011,” expounded Josef

Formosa Gauci, CEO, MaltaTourism Authority.

“We can boast on a significant number of fourand five star hotels on theIslands. We have hotelsbelonging to internationalchains and also locally-ownedchain, Corinthia, which hasbecome international now,”he added. Discussing on thechallenges faced and theways adopted to overcomethem, the Tourism Authoritybelieves to have strength-ened by three main pillars ofthe industry - flight accessi-bility, marketing and promo-tion, the ‘Product’ – infra-structure and service.

“The standards that we have reached vis-à-vis our tourism offer and thevalue for money that the destination Malta providesare strong enough ‘pull’ to successfully see us throughthe challenging times,” Gauci concluded.

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) reckons on the uniqueheritage and hospitality. With attractions, museums, relax-ation, exhibitions, sports events, wellness, climbing ortrekking, Malta proves itself to be a all-in-one destination.

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MTA thrusts on ‘Heritage,Hospitality & Diversity’

Josef Formosa GauciCEOMalta Tourism Authority

FAMILY ALBUM1 0 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2

The 10-day exhibition at the Doha Exhibitions Center attracted over 2,50,000 visitors recorded with an increase of around 15 percent from last year’s fair. The Exhibition wasinaugurated by Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Tawar Al Kuwari, Vice Chairman, Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Doha Trade Fair 2012 endswith record attendance

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has organised Training Session and Roadshow throughout the GCC countries. It took place on January 23 in Dubai, January24 and January 25 in Doha, Qatar and on January 26 in Muscat, Oman. Around 100 travel agents and tour operators were present there from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Tour operators, accommodation providers, destination operators and agents poured in from Kenya to showcase their product.

Kenya Tourism Board organised Roadshows in the GCC

CRUISES F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 1

Q. How many cruises does MSC operate from theUAE and within the Gulf?

A. The itinerary of MSC Lirica’s maiden sailing inthe Middle East includes a full schedule ofnineteen 8 day-7 night cruises from Abu Dhabievery Sunday to Muscat, Fujairah, Khasab,Dubai and then returns to Abu Dhabi. Startedfrom October 30, 2011 the sailing will end onMarch 4, 2012.

Q. Is halal food available on any cruise as this is a requirement for certain travellers in the region?

A. MSC Cruise off late has come up with halalfood, appropriate services and proper facilitiesfor prayers and ablutions, even special check-in arrangements for women to combinerespectful observance with full security. Indianvegetarian and non-vegetarian foods in all MSCships with prior intimation are served.

Q. Other than MICE and FIT is there any othersegment that MSC Cruises can cater to?

A. Other than MICE and FIT, we have facilities tohave luxurious weddings and complement withsuites for the honeymooners besides birthdayparties and wedding anniversaries.

Q. Is it possible for the passengers to embark anddisembark from different destinations?

A. Depending on the port facilities andimmigration procedure, the passengers canembark and disembark on prior intimation tothe cruise company and the information rotateseverywhere to take proper care of the traveller.

Q. What’s exceptional about MSC Cruises?

A. Children under 18 years can travel free only bypaying the tax and is applicable exceptionallyfor all 365 days.

The queries are answered by Alok Dey, Holidays manager,Sharaf Travel, GSA – Marketing for MSC Cruise, GCC region

The ‘Cruise with Nakheel', anentirely new concept, for

Marine Tourism, has beenlaunched by the property devel-oper, Nakheel that has set its sailon January 17, 2012.

“The Palm, being one of Dubai’s biggest attractions,we look ahead to bring more visitors to this world renowned landmark through our newcruise service. The tour operators are excited at this new opportunity as they canoffer something unique to their customers,” explained Saeed Hareb, ManagingDirector, Nakheel Marine and Leisure.

The trips will cater togroups of 12, 15 or 30 people onvessels of 38, 52 and 80 feet

from 9-5pm every day to last from one to three hours.Cruise prices will start from AED1,000 per boat hiring for an hourand will vary through medium-sized to the large double-deckerhouseboat depending on howmany people are aboard.

“We expect to operate between two and three trips a day,” added Hareb.

Covering 931 hectares, theWorld project encompasses 300islands ranging from 1,50,000to 4,50,000 square feet. Plansfor separate cruises to the Worldislands are also in pipeline.

To encourage marine life and aid the local fishingindustry Nakheel plans to create

500 artificial reefs around The World islands as part oftourism initiative.

However, only two private-ly owned islands have begunconstruction — the six-islandHeart of Europe Project devel-oped by the Kleindienst Group

and the Lebanon Island devel-oped by Wakil Admed Azmi.

The ‘Cruise with Nakheel’, an entirely new concept, for Marine Tourism, is aimedas a tourist attraction to boost revenue for the development. The new cruiseservice will provide tours off the coast of Dubai, beginning with the Palm Jumeirahoffering views of the island’s resorts, villas, apartment complexes and marina.

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Travel in & around Palm Jumeirahonboard ‘Cruise with Nakheel’

Saeed HarebManaging DirectorNakheel Marine and Leisure

With the addition of theMSC Divina, to be

christened on May 26, 2012in Marseille, France, the sizeof the existing modern fleetof MSC Cruises of elevenships will increase.

“Among all the cruisecompanies here we are thefirst one who has taken theinitiative and implementedsuccessfully visiting eachagency personally and givinginteractive presentations and

the sessions to the front lin-ers including the SeniorManagers of the agencies,wherein some places we met them separately. Wehave spent immense timewith the front liners as theyare the objective for us,”explained Alok Dey, HolidaysManager, Sharaf Travel, the GSA responsible for mar-keting MSC Cruise in theGCC region.

“We have interactivepresentations, regular pro-motions/offers and cus-tomised promotional materi-als. The presentations show-case the product, sellingtechniques, increase produc-tivity and earn large revenuesfor their company,” he added.

Response for 2011,grown very big, thanks to thewonderful travel trade andmedia partners who has sup-ported. Visibility has grownvery widely and the customerfeedback received a 99.9 percent satisfaction.

The rewarding com-ments poured in regarding

the quality of the ship and theexperience, which lead to agroup of 100 local people onJanuary 29, 2012, movingwith 7 day sailings.

While discussingregarding the marketingstrategies to generate sale, Dey pointed out, “Every week we have promo-tions, we have expanded ourmarketing channels byappointing PSAs in a largerscale all over the GCC and now we will be repre-senting in UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi.”

MSC Cruise off late has come up with halal food, appropriate servicesand proper facilities forprayers and ablutions, even special check-in arrange-ments for women to combinerespectful observance withfull security. Continental buffet is there and an ethnic corner located in MSC Splendida and MSCFantasia where every Indianfood is served.

Among all the cruise companies in the UAE, MSC Cruisesis the first one to take upon the initiative to visit eachagency personally and give interactive presentations andsessions to the front liners including the Senior Managers.

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MSC Cruises: Going aheadwith the travel trade sector

Alok DeyHolidays Manager, Sharaf Travel & GSA –Marketing for MSC Cruise, GCC region

The ‘Cruise with Nakheel', an entirely new concept, forMarine Tourism, has beenlaunched by the proper tydeveloper, Nakheel that has setits sail on January 17, 2012

The trips will cater to groups of 12, 15 or 30 people onvessels of 38, 52 and 80 feetfrom 9-5pm every day to lastfrom one to three hours

Cruise prices will star t from AED 1,000 per boat hiring foran hour and will vary throughmedium-sized to the largedouble-decker houseboatdepending on how many peopleare aboard

Cruise with Nakheel

Scheduled to open onFebruary 28, 2012, The

St. Regis Doha is nowaccepting reservations, be itfor a relaxing weekend, abusiness meeting or an ele-gant wedding.

“We have been buildingup for this moment for threeyears,” said Tareq Derbas,General Manager, The St. Regis Doha. “We look forward to welcome our firstguests and to start building the reputation ofthe hotel as the finestaddress in Doha.”

The St. Regis Doha willoffer 336 luxurious guestrooms including 70 Suites,all offer sea views. The Hotelis geared to set new stan-dards in service and luxuryin Qatar with the legendarySt. Regis butler service forall guests.

The Hotel features 10restaurants and lounges

from international diningvenues to Jazz at LincolnCentre Doha, the first jazzclub in Doha to offer dailylive jazz music.

People in Qatar andluxury enthusiasts fromacross the region can nowreserve the first taste of TheSt. Regis Doha lifestyle.

Set to become the premier businessand leisure hotel in Qatar, the St. Regis Doha, marks the debut of the St. Regis brand in the country.

The St. Regis Dohamarks its debut

To position the property asa true Middle East hospi-

tality and further enhance itsinternational quality stan-dards, maintaining its com-petitive edge Frank Owens,Group General Manager,Emirates Grand Hotel discussed about its futureplans, “To be pro-active inthe local and overseas market, to participate withDTCM for roadshows andcontribute towards thegrowth of UAE and makeEmirates Grand visible in theworld market and be a part ofCSR programmes and createapt awareness.”

To lead the hotel in itsexpansion plans the propertyis planning to open severaldining outlets like Tal AlAmar Lebanese Restaurant,The Grand Steak House andEmperor Asian Cuisine - anAsian restaurant that will

serve Chinese, Thai, Korean& Japanese cuisine.

The Hotel Group hasmade an official opening of itsLebanese restaurant,Fakhreldine Restaurant &Café, on December 22, 2011,which is operational for 24hours since January 2, 2012.It did not invent the Lebaneseor Mediterranean cuisine, itsimply perfected it!

The ‘Go Green’ concepthas been taken on very seri-ously among the hoteliers inDubai. Change is happeningin an accelerating rate.Emirates Grand Hotel hastaken some of the measureslike purchasing bleach-freetoilet paper to replace paper napkins, focussing on recycling, promotinggreater awareness throughsign boards reading,‘REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE’and wherever possiblereplacing disposable productsand using paper bags.

“The travel trade hasbeen very supportivethroughout. Around 55 percent of business was receivedin 2011 from the local and

overseas travel agents aswell,” stated Owens. “Nospecial orientation pro-gramme runs till date.However this plan is in theagenda of year 2012. Ourwebsite is the only offering toour travel trade partners. We

have ‘Incentive Plans’ for theTop 10 travel agents atEmirates Grand Hotel, whichhas been introduced in 2011and it was a success.”

While discussing politi-cal unrest, a mixed responsethough, regarding Dubai andUAE at large, the tourist perceive it as secured, disci-plined and essentially peace-ful destination. Consequently,loads of tourist from neigh-boring GCC countries, pouredin to comfort themselves and this influx of touristenabled Dubai to achieve thehighest Average Room Rate(ARR) recently.

Accommodating touristsand offering them comfortand convenience is a way of life for hoteliers. However,challenges like, over bookingsituations which attract some discomfort, neverthe-less it was been overcomevery gracefully.

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HOTELS1 2 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2

Located in the heart of Dubai’s business and commercial district, Emirates Grand Hotel, a 50-storey tall tower, with 420 roomsis an iconic building, designed to cater business and leisure travellers.

Frank OwensGroup General ManagerEmirates Grand Hotel

Emirates Grand Hotel maintainsits competitive frame in the ME

Additionally, the CoralBeach Resort was

acknowledged for its excel-lence in standards by govern-ment authorities with aRecognition Award from theMinistry of Justice and a further Recognition Awardpresented by the Ministry of Labour on UAE’s 40th National Day inDecember 2011.

“Ending 2011 on a highnote, the Coral Beach Resort reported an averageoccupancy of 85 per centthroughout the year,”informed Jean-Pierre Simon,Regional General Manager,Northern Emirates, CoralHotels & Resorts. “Most ofmy clientele pours in fromRussia, Ukraine, Kazakhstanand Germany, hence neighbouring political unrestcouldn’t affect Coral Beach, Sharjah, instead the

property expects atleast 4 to6 per cent surge in 2012,” hefurther added.

The hotel also recordedan AED 3 million increase inrevenue in rooms comparedto 2010, while the averageroom rate rose 10 per centover 2009.

Coral Beach Resort,Sharjah continuously partic-ipates in GIBTM and ITB

Berlin and in London,Moscow, Barcelona, Madrid and in the hotel’sclients’ roadshows inFebruary 2012 to Ukraineand Kazakhstan. Coral Beachclosely works with SharjahCommerce TourismDevelopment Authority(SCTDA) and also host groupevents sent by them.

More than 90 per centbusiness comes in from the travel trade. “We receivetravel trade’s fam trips every week, treat them spe-cially providing the proper-ty’s services, facilities among others to give them afeel of the product,” Simon concluded.

The Palace, Ajman is going to launch a soft opening on July 2012, division of HMH while opening of 2 more hotels are in the pipeline for theyear 2012.

Competitive rates, quality product and services are alwaysa winning and unique combination for the Resort. Locatedon one of the emirate’s principal sand beaches, the property features a range of leisure activities for all ages.

Coral Beach witnessesoccupancy of 85% in 2011

SU S M I TA GH O S H

Jean-Pierre SimonRegional General Manager, NorthernEmirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts

Expected to open by thebeginning of 2014, the

DoubleTree Resort by HiltonMarjan Island will enjoy aprime location of MarjanIsland, a cluster of five man-made islands in the trendyarea of Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah. Covering over2.7 million square metre of premium offshore tourismdevelopment land, the newlybuilt DoubleTree by HiltonResort will be one of the first hotels to open on MarjanIsland. Once completed, it will feature luxury waterfronthomes, floating villas, resorts, sporting facilities andmany beaches.

“With three HiltonWorldwide hotels alreadyopen and three in thepipeline, we are happy to playa major role in firmly puttingthe emirate on the destinationmap as tourism being the

vital sector of Ras AlKhaimah’s economy. Theannouncement of first resort

development in the UAE rep-resents another importantstep in our ongoing commit-ment to the region and con-tinued expansion across theMiddle East & Africa,” saidRudi Jagersbacher, President,Hilton Worldwide, MiddleEast & Africa. Aimed prima-rily at the leisure traveller, the309-key DoubleTree Resortby Hilton Marjan Island willfeature 11 Suites in the mainbuilding and 45 luxurychalets located directly on theresort’s private beach.

This latest Marjan Islandproperty presents anotheroutstanding DoubleTree byHilton destination in the UAEand is destined to become akey resort for the world’stravellers. The 2010 openingof DoubleTree by Hilton RasAl Khaimah and the upcom-ing opening in Dubai AlBarsha in 2011 have givenhuge brand awareness acrossthe region.

Hilton Worldwide and Mohamed Ruqait Real Estatesigned a management agreement on January 15, 2012for the second DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Ras AlKhaimah and the first resort development in the UAE.

DoubleTree Resort by HiltonMarjan island in the UAE

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Tareq DerbasGeneral ManagerThe St. Regis Doha

Covering over 2.7 millionsquare metre of premiumoffshore tourismdevelopment land, thenewly built DoubleTree byHilton Resort will be one ofthe first hotels to open onMarjan Island

Aimed primarily at theleisure traveller, the 309-keyDoubleTree Resort byHilton Marjan Island willfeature 11 Suites in themain building and 45 luxurychalets located directly onthe resort’s private beach

This latest Marjan Islandproperty presents anotheroutstanding DoubleTree byHilton destination in theUAE and is destined tobecome a key resort for theworld’s travellers

Property Facts

NEWS F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2 TRAVTALK 1 3

In the process of becoming ‘Global Health

Destination’, India outshinesin providing quality health care services to theoverseas tourists.

Moreover, language,being the major comfort factor for the internationaltourists to visit India and every treatment andinvestigation are made by the latest, technologicallyadvanced diagnostic equipments.

Besides medical treat-ments, Ayurvedic treat-ments and rejuvenationtherapies like spas are alsoavailable, making India adestination of all budgets,tailor-made itineraries withstrong connectivity andwithout a waitlist. Today,large number of technicallytrained workforce in India isone of the major players ofthe Medical Tourism.Organised by the India

Tourism office, Dubai, theMinistry of Tourism,Government of India, heldroadshows covering threecities of Saudi Arabia.

The roadshows tookplace on January 7 inDammam, January 9 inRiyadh and on January 11,2012 in Jeddah to promote‘Medical’, ‘Wellness’ and‘Luxury’ travel to India.

The Roadshow inDammam had over 154 par-ticipants representing mem-bers of the travel trade,

media and opinion makers.In Riyadh, around 172 mem-bers of the travel industryhad participated and thefinal leg in Jeddah, wit-nessed a participation ofover 180 members of thetravel and media industrywho experienced the culture, adventure, luxuryand other incredible travel experiences that Indiahas to offer. The Roadshowwas led by RH Khwaja,Secretary, Ministry ofTourism, Government ofIndia and saw the participa-tion of the State TourismDepartments from the StateGovernments ofMaharashtra and Jammu &Kashmir, a strong 10-mem-ber tour operators groupfrom the Indian Associationof Tour Operators (IATO), AirIndia, Jet Airways and TajGroup of Hotels.

The presentations werefollowed by B2B interactivesessions with the membersof the Indian Tourism indus-try, building awareness on

the ‘Incredible India’tourism product. A special4-member team includingtwo Indian Chefs of IndiaTourism DevelopmentCorporation (ITDC) werespecially flown from Indiaand they were involved in allthe three events which por-trayed a strong image ofIndian tradition, decoration,culture and the country’straditional Indian food.

The travel agencies ofthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabiaduring the year 2010 have

recorded an increase in theoutbound tourists travellingfor health related travel andthus emphasising on thegrowth of medical tourists.Various educational semi-nars, special tours, familiari-sation trips are arranged forthe travel trade from theregion to India to give themfirst hand feel of the multi-faceted sub continent.

“Foreign touristarrivals to India had anincrease of almost 5.78 mil-lion in 2010, an increase of11 per cent over 2009. Thetourist from the Kingdom toIndia itself is observed to bea rise of 38 per cent in 2010,witnessing around 22,500tourists to India from KSA”explained Vikas Rustagi,Regional Director, IndiaTourism, Dubai.

“As Oman and Kuwait,are both very potential mar-kets in the Middle East forIndia, we have taken part in‘Medical and Wellness Expo’in Muscat on September 27–

29, 2011 and ‘India MedicalTourism Destination Expo’in Kuwait on November 2-3,2011. We have also organ-ised roadshows in Tehran,Mashhad and Isfahan thethree cities of Iran inOctober 2011 and manymore such promotionalevents are in the pipelinethroughout the year,” he fur-ther said.

UAE, Oman, Kuwait,Bahrain, in the Middle Eastbesides Saudi Arabia andsome countries in Africa arethe most potential markets,hence plans for organisingpromotional events androadshows in these areas arealso being planned.

During the year, promotional events are alsobeing proposed to be conducted in Dubai, AbuDhabi, Kuwait and Muscat.“We are planning to partici-pate in the Medical Expo tobe held in Nairobi, Kenyaand also in South Africasoon,” added Rustagi.

SU S M I TA GH O S H

India is a perfect destination for Medical Tourism that combines health treatment with visits to some inspiringplaces in the country. The cost of medical services in India is almost 30 % lower to that in the western countries.

Vikas RustagiRegional DirectorIndia Tourism, Dubai

‘India is one country and several destinations’

RH KhwajaSecretary, MOTGovernment of India

GIBTM, a REED TravelExhibitions event, is an

ideal event for the travelagents to gain knowledge

about the meetings profession,inspired by new destinations,hotels, venues and suppliers.The event provides an educa-tional and professional busi-ness environment and aftereach day of the show, GIBTMprovides a forum for industrynetworking. The event alsoeducates international andregional industry decision

makers and influencers onwhat the ME, as a convention,meetings and incentive desti-nation, has to offer.

“The business and cor-porate travel community is anintrinsic part of the meetingsindustry and has been expand-ing steadily in 2012. We aremaking business travel a keyfocus at GIBTM. With the UAEwitnessing a 5 per centincrease in the air traffic of2012, recording the largestnumber of hotel rooms under way in the Middle Eastand Africa region, we expectto see even greater growth in the business travel sector,” said Lois Jane Hall,REED Travel ExhibitionsManager GIBTM.

Pre-qualified buyers ofbusiness travel from theregion will be selected andinvited to take part in the wellestablished Hosted Buyer pro-gramme, a platform providingexclusive business meetingopportunities for regional andinternational senior level buy-ers and decision makers.

ADTA, GIBTM’s partnerand supporter, is placingincreased emphasis on attract-ing business tourism and overthe past few years has signifi-cantly upgraded its meetingsand conference facilities, pro-viding businesses with world-class facilities. ADTA expectsan increase of 20,000 businesstourists this year.Approximately 1.3 million ofthe 1.8 million guests across115 hotels and hotel apart-ments in the Emirate are busi-ness travellers, out of which2,15,000 guests arrive specifically for MICE relatedactivities. Oman Ministry of Tourism and MövenpickHotels & Resorts were alsoamong the first exhibitorssigning up for GIBTM 2012and are both keen to engagewith business travellers.

“GIBTM attracts supportfrom a wide range of local,regional and internationalorganisations, indicating itsimportance as the only provenplatform in the Middle East toaccess the growing Meetingsindustry,” concludes Hall.

GIBTM, (Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings)Exhibition, is now in its 6th year to focus on opportunitiesin the growing business travel sector. The Exhibition willtake place in Abu Dhabi, UAE from March 26-28, 2012.

GIBTM 2012 to focus ongrowing business travel

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Lois Jane HallREED Travel Exhibitions ManagerGIBTM

MOVEMENTS1 4 TRAVTALK F E B R U A R Y, 2 0 1 2

Coral Beach Resort – Sharjah hosts Philippine Cultural Night on January 27, 2012Offering an oppor tunity to explore a new culture, the Coral Beach Resor t – Sharjah hosted a Philippine Cultural Night in the hotel on Friday, January 27, offering a menu of authentic cuisine and enter tainment for guests to enjoy. The highlight of the evening was the folk dance performance from around more than 7,100 islands of the Asian country, showcased by the students of The Philippine School in Dubai dressed in colourful national costumes.

Radisson Blu Hotel Bahrain BahrainMichael Kuhn has joined the Radisson Blu Hotel, Bahrain asthe new Director of Sales & Marketing for the hotel. He is a Germannational and has an extensive experience in the hospitality industrysince starting his career nearly 12 yearsago. Prior to this, he was in Oman asDirector of Sales and Marketing at theRadisson Blu Hotel, Muscat. Kuhnstudied Business and Economics inGermany and speaks German, English,French & Arabic fluently.

Four Seasons Resort Sharm El SheikhCairoFouad Shafik is appointed as the New Director of Sales &Marketing at Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh. Shafik joinsFour Seasons Planning Committee and formally takes over thesales & marketing responsibilities for theRed Sea resor t, after a past year ofexceptional contributions to the division.His career with Four Seasons began 11 years ago in March 2000 at the front desk of Four Seasons Hotel Cairo atthe First Residence.

Amadeus Gulf Abu DhabiArman Sarang has recently taken the position as the Head ofProducts & Business Solutions in Amadeus Gulf. Coming fromAmadeus Saudi Arabia, after a successful implementation ofProducts & eCommerce department, his rolein the Gulf is to promote the company’sproducts and IT solutions to increase travelagencies efficiencies, profits and decreasecost. He has more than 17 years ofexperience in the Airline & GDS industry.Sarang has worked with major Airlines, GDS,OTA and LCCs.

Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel Dubai Angelina Ermita Rivera has joined the Park Regis Kris Kin HotelDubai as Business Development Manager for corporate accounts.She comes from Dusit Princess City Centre where she held theposition of Sales Manager. Educated in Manila toBSc level, Rivera had her first experience of thehospitality sector at the Mandarin Oriental inthe Philippine capital and was recruited by theHyatt Regency Dubai and Galleria to move tothe ME. In her role at the Dusit Princess CityCenter, Angelina was in charge ofcorporate sales, driving business fromall areas of that sector includingmeeting, events and conferences.

Kingsgate Hotel Abu Dhabi Abu DhabiMashhour Al Refai has been appointed as the new GeneralManager of Kingsgate Hotel Abu Dhabi. He brings with him apassion for hospitality and more than 19 years of experience inthe industry. Al Refai is of Jordanian originand knows the region, its travellers andtheir requirements very well. In his newposition, he will be leading the businessstrategy of the hotel, as well as look afterall the operations of the hotel.

Leslie Garcia-Moica is appointed as the new Director ofPublic Relations for the St. Regis Doha. She was previouslythe Director of Communications at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resortand Spa, Maldives. As part of the pre-opening team, she playeda key role in positioning the resor t as an exclusive luxury retreat for well-travelled holidaymakers. Prior to that, Moicaworked for top luxury proper ties in Paris,France and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Herknowledge of high-end luxuryhospitality in different markets willprove to contribute to her success.

St. Regis DohaDohaAndré Jacques joins as the new Director of Sales andMarketing at the St. Regis Doha. He brings over 15 years ofinternational hotel sales experience and mostrecently served as Director of Sales andMarketing at The St. Regis Washington,D.C. As par t of his achievements,Jacques led the repositioning of theproper ty as Washington’s leading luxury hotel following an 18-monthmultimillion renovation.

Mohammed Qazi joins the RAK International Airport as thenew Commercial Director. He has previously worked acrossmore than 13 UK airpor ts including hub airpor ts such asHeathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and major regional airportssuch as Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow andCardiff. In his most recent assignment, Qazi was responsiblefor the turnaround of the world’slargest ground handling business,Swissport, for Stansted Airport. Hewas the key driver behind thecommercial strategies of a numberof regional airpor ts and played asignificant role in growing revenuesand improving profitability.

RAK International Airport Ras Al KhaimahAndrew Gower joins the RAK International Airport as thenew Airport Director. He joins the team from Liverpool’s JohnLennon Airpor t in the UK. Over an 11 year period at JohnLennon Airport he held a number ofroles including Terminal ServicesDirector, Director of Operations andAirport Director. He was responsiblefor the day to day running of theairpor t, ensuring it operated safelyand securely whilst delivering acustomer focussed service.