Middle East and North Africa Edition

SepteMber 10, 2011 iSSue 96 www.traveltradeweekly.travel

September 10, Issue 96

Market Update 2Weekly News 3Accommodation News 6Air Travel News 7International 10Travel Talk 11Who’s Moved 12Agents’ Corner 13Travel Channels 14Rendezvous 15Events 16

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MurjAn SplASH pArk openS in Abu DHAbiThe Municipality of Abu Dhabi haslaunched Murjan Splash park at khalifapark. The diversified environmentcomprises of a range of recreationalfacilities and educational tools.

In This Issue

44Hilton to Debut inSierra leoneHilton Worldwide is to cement itspresence in the African continent aftersigning a management agreement withCape Sierra Hotel Company, to developthe first Hilton Hotels & resortsproperty in Sierra leone.

1010

Mahan Air will commence flights between Tehranand Shanghai Pudong Airport from September 2.

Mahan AirStrengthens NetworkBetween China and Iran

Mahan AirStrengthens NetworkBetween China and Iran

Accor Reports Strong H1 Revenue Performance,with Faster Growth in Q2

in the period up to june 30, globalrevenue per available room (revpAr)grew by 6.7 percent, rising 5.3 percentin the eMeA region, excluding in egypt(10 hotels) and in bahrain (2 hotels)

where the political unrest resulted in significantdeclines. revpAr growth in other Middle eastmarkets includes a 10.2 percent rise in SaudiArabia and a 3.4 percent increase in the uAe.First half of year revpAr growth for GreaterChina was up 12.7 percent, while in the uS,where the Holiday inn re-launch is deliveringsustained performance, it was up 8.2 percent.Second quarter global revpAr growth was at6.5 percent, or 7.4 percent excluding egypt,bahrain and japan. Global rate increase was 2.4

percent. eMeA revpAr growthfor the three month period was at4.8 percent, with rate increase of2.1 percent.Global revenue increased by 10percent (8 percent at Cer) touSD850 million, up fromuSD772 million in 2010.

revenue in eMeA increased by 17 percent (10percent at Cer) to uSD224 million, whileoperating profit increased by 22 percent (12percent at Cer) to uSD71 million. This wasreportedly driven by 14.4 percent ownedrevpAr growth and a uSD6 million increase infranchise royalties as a result of 5.3 percentrevpAr growth and a two percent increase inyear on year room count. Managed operatingprofit declined by uSD1 million to uSD31million as underlying growth across continentaleurope was offset by a uSD4 million impact fromthe unrest in the Middle east.richard Solomons, Ceo, iHG, commented ondevelopments. “our industry leading developments in mobilebooking sites and apps are now generating overuSD10 million of revenue a month and weexpect this to grow quickly as consumer bookingpreferences evolve. We have realised overuSD140 million in the year to date from the saleof our interests in four hotels and havecommitted to invest over uSD70 million ofcapital behind our brands.”

SepteMber 10, 20112

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLYManaging Editor

Mary kammitsimary@traveltradeweekly.travel

Journalistsrita kasziba

Duncan MacraeMarianna keen

Design & Layoutelina pericleous

Sales & MarketingMaria Demetriadou

brighite essDominique tennant

DirectorsAndreas Constantinides

Mary kammitsi

Headquarterst.t.W. travel trade Weekly ltd.

p.o. box 25255nicosia 1308 Cyprustel: +35722820888Fax: +35722318958

Websitewww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Emailsinfo@traveltradeweekly.travel

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COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=uAe (AeD) Dirham 3.67egypt (eGp) pound 5.98Saudi Arabia (SAr) riyal 3.75lebanon (lbp) pound 1,507.5bahrain (bHD) Dinar 0.37jordan ( joD) Dinar 0.71Syria (SYp) pound 47.35kuwait (kWD) Dinar 0.27Qatar (QAr) riyal 3.64oman (oMr) rial 0.38tunisia (tnD) Dinar 1.40Morocco (MAD) Dirham 8.02iran (irr) riyal 10,603Yemen (Yer) rial 214.25Algeria (DZD) Dinar 73.27libya (lYD) Dinar 1.22

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 08/9/2011Currencies shown in red are fixed against the uS Dollar

IHG Delivers Strong Profit in FirstHalf of YearInterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) released its financial results for the first half ofthe year, revealing strong performance across all regions, driven by increased occupancyfrom business and leisure travellers, as well as progressive rate improvement.

Accor has recorded strong half-year(H1) revenue performance for thisyear, with faster growth in the secondquarter (Q2), indicating a strongmomentum in the global hotel sector.revenue is reported to have risen by 4.4percent, to uSD2,973 million, in H1, inwhich sales for upscale, midscale, andeconomy hotels saw an increase inrevenue of 5.2 percent and 5.8 percentrespectively. The fastest growth was recorded in Q2,with revenue amounting to uSD1,619

million. The strength was partly led byexpansion, which increased revenue byuSD28 million, and a gradual recoveryin average room rates.Accor opened 13,700 rooms (108 hotels)in H1 of the year, with a confirmedannual target of 30,000 new rooms. The hotel company is confident thatthis favourable momentum will carryon through the rest of the year, withpositive signs already visible concerningactivity in the summer season and theearly autumn, according to the report.

passengers are now able tomanage their trips betweenthe uk and paris, lille andbrussels, using the eurostarApp via their iphone or

Android device. once the booking iscompleted, it is verified by an electronicbarcode, which can be easily scanned atcheck-in.The launch of the new application is inline with eurostar’s initiative to keepabreast of the shifting demands oftravellers, noted nick Marcer, commercialdirector, eurostar. “our aim is to make theuse of services as easy and seamless aspossible. now, with the majority of ourcustomers owning a smartphone, we are

really pleased that we are able to providea new suite of services that make bookingand checking in even easier for them. Thenew eurostar App and mobile websiterepresent the start of many excitingmobile developments for eurostar, whichwill help ensure we become the firstchoice operator of short haul travel fromthe uk to europe.”

The free eurostar App also enablestravellers to review their booking and

journey details and offers live serviceupdates. Members of the loyaltyprogrammes will earn points whilebusiness premier travellers will have theflexibility to alter their journey details tofit around their busy schedules. to best serve its hi-tech user passengers,eurostar has also launched a mobileversion of its website.

3SepteMber 10, 2011

Eurostar Launches Ticketing AppEurostar, the high-speed passenger service linking the UK and mainland Europe has introduced an innovativefree mobile application, which allows travellers to book journeys on-the-go and receive tickets on their phones.

Legoland Hotel to Open Legoland California is to build a three-storey lego-themedhotel. With construction set to begin in october, the nation’sfirst legoland Hotel is expected to open in 2013.Created to bring children’s imagination to life, the 250-roomhotel will look like it is made out of colourful plastic bricks,and will feature brightly coloured lego decor, a pool area anda restaurant. peter ronchetti, general manager, legolandCalifornia resort, commented on the announcement.“in the summer of 2013, we are opening a legoland Hotel.We are ready to move forward in our development and icannot wait to bring the legoland experience to the next levelfor our guests.” upon completion in 2013,legoland Hotel will joinSheraton Carlsbad resort andSpa and Grand pacific palisades,which already operate on theresort property. it will be the firstlegoland Hotel in the uS, butthe third globally, following the176-room legoland billundHotel, opened in 1991, andlegoland Windsor Hotel, set todebut in 2012.

Eurostar

Our aim is to make theuse of services as easy and

seamless as possible

SepteMber 10, 20114

Dubai Airport to Become the Second Busiest Dubai International Airport (DIA) is expected to take the spot of the world’s second busiest internationalairport from November, according to analysis from Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi haslaunched Murjan Splash park at khalifapark. The diversified entertainmentcomplex, primarily targeting children andfamilies, comprises of a range ofrecreational facilities and educational tools. the pioneering project, composing partof the Municipality of Abu Dhabi,endeavours to ensure superior livingand a sustainable environment forresidents, emphasised Abdullah AlShamsi, acting executive director forinfrastructure and municipal assets,Municipality of Abu Dhabi. “Murjan depicts the keen attention of the

Municipality to provide recreationalavenues and diverse alternatives to theinhabitants of the metropolitan area andencourage them to avail these facilitieswhich are being constantly upgraded by theMunicipality to bring them in line withworld-class standards in terms of healthyenvironment, modern services and securityfor all family and community members.” The Splash park comprises of anadventure land fitted with water fixtures,convenient areas for play and fun, as wellas outlets for selling foods and otherproducts. exciting underwater events arein place, featuring jellyfish, multi-

coloured umbrellas and aquaticcreatures, as well as staggering theatricallighting and a sound system that createsan interactive multi-fun environment forall family members.

Major attractions of the Splash parkinclude the children’s play structure witha number of waterslides, a lazy river anda radio controlled dhow derby.

Murjan Splash Park Opens in Abu Dhabi

DiA, currently theworld’s fourth busiestinternational airport interms of monthlypassenger traffic, has

recently overtaken Frankfurtinternational Airport, and is expected toexperience further growth over theupcoming months.in july, the airport handled 4.7 million

passengers, recording a significantincrease of 9.7 percent year-on-year, whileyear to date traffic rose nine percent to29.3 million. The airport aims to top 50million passengers per annum this year,and take over the number three positionfrom Hong kong international Airport(HkiA) by year end. CApA’s analysis of a forward schedulepredicts that DiA will outperform not

only HkiA but also paris-Charles deGaulle Airport (CDG), to become thesecond busiest airport.With more than 1.3 million seats perweek, as a result of the seasonal upswingin capacity offered by the airlines in theGulf, as well as an increase in trafficconnecting europe and Asia pacific viaDubai, DiA is anticipated to hold itsposition through to December and intothe new year. The early winter period ineurope will also aid Dubai Airport’s leapand push CDG to the fourth spot. DiA, in the long term, hopes to outstriplondon Heathrow (lHr) and becomethe world’s busiest airport by 2015, witharound 98 million passengers per annum.CApA’s forecast, however, points out thatwhile lHr has little spare capacity forfurther expansion, DiA has the runwayand terminal capacity to handle a 50percent increase over the anticipated 50million passengers for this year. Therefore,DiA is expected to maintain its secondposition through 2012 and overtake lHrbefore 2015.

Dubai International Airport

Murja depicts the keenattention of the Municipality

to provide recreational avenuesand diverse alternatives

5SepteMber 10, 2011

MENA: Diverse Hotel PerformancesWhile in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa key hotelperformance indicators have been heavily impacted by politicalturmoil, several markets of the region show solid signs of growth,revealed the latest study of MKG Hospitality, the European expert inthe hotel, tourism and restaurant industry.

D espite the harsh aftermath throughout the hospitality sector dueto the unstable circumstances, the MenA region began to postpromising signs of improvement, noted Vanguelis panayotis,director of development, MkG Hospitality. “The good news isthat the tide seems to be changing for the MenA region as a

whole. Although some countries are still experiencing internal issues, the rest are nolonger feeling the brunt.”GCC countries, except bahrain, experienced strong growth just before ramadan, asleisure tourism intensified and last minute business travel got underway. kuwait, inparticular, recorded exceptional revenue per available room (revpAr) increase atalmost 23 percent over the corresponding period in 2010. The country also remainsone of the strongest GCC markets year to date, with more than seven percentrevpAr growth. in like manner, the uAe continues to post positive figures, with a revpAr increaseof more than 20 percent in july, driven by a notable rise in occupancy rate (or),added panayotis. “The uAe records the largest or increase in all of MenA, for thesecond consecutive month. indeed, this is a firm sign of market consolidation,perhaps gradually reliving to its former glory. Dubai is heading this momentum,especially leisure-resort orientated locations such as jumeirah beach.”The best performing market of the GCC year-to-date, however, remains Saudi Arabia.The kingdom is expected to retain its leading position in the coming months. WithQatar and oman recording revpAr increases of 7.5 percent, these GCC marketsare the only ones achieving growth-on-growth. Although several north African countries, namely egypt, tunisia and Morocco,recorded massive drops in key hotel performance indicators, the decline is mainlyattributed to rather high results in 2010. Meanwhile, bahrain remains the only trulyunstable country of the region, with a remarkable drop in both demand and prices.

TravelSheikh.com: One million clicksTravelSheikh.com, the first online traveland tourism service provider of its kindin the Middle east, has recorded onemillion hits in just a month. The one-stop-shop online travel bookingwebsite, launched at the beginning ofAugust, has fast gained notoriety andacknowledgement among travellers dueto its extensive content and featuredprizes and competitions on offer. Hani Dahlan, general manager andfounder, travelSheikh.com, commentedon the site’s success. “We are proud to announce thismilestone, and would like to thank ourcustomers and the public for their supportand interest in our services, which we willcontinually be upgrading to ensure asuperior online booking experience allyear round. travelSheikh.com’s intentfrom the start was to bring somethingfresh and original to the regional travelindustry, so to receive one millionimpressions in one month is veryrewarding indeed.”

With its constantly updated content, widerange of travel offers and servicesworldwide, travelSheikh.com, affiliatedwith Dahlan tours, attracts thousands ofvisitors every day, providing them withthe opportunity to manage their wholetrip on one platform, from flights andhotels to tours, car rental and otheradditional services.

We are proud toannounce this milestone,and would like to thank

our customers and the public for their

support and interest in our services

t he group’s results haveexceeded all priorexpectations, notedDylan Aniff, generalmanager, City Seasons

Hotel Dubai. “initially business in thebooks did not show a positive trend, itwas slow, and we did not expect it togrow as rapidly as it did, particularly inthe month of july.”George Demitry, general manager, CitySeasons Suites Dubai, added: “We havehad fairly stable demand for the first halfof this year but the summer was certainlyhigher than expected, especially july.”City Seasons Hotel Dubai’s average roomrate increased by 13 percent, while CitySeasons Suites Dubai recorded seven

percent growth in occupancy, due the anotable surge in GCC family market. “As a dry hotel group we always attracta large number of families from SaudiArabia, kuwait and iran each year.they seek accommodation that canoffer good sized rooms and suites toallow the families to all stay together,”added Aniff. City Seasons Hotel Al Ain has alsosurpassed prior predictions, commentedraad tayeh, hotel manager. “Summer isusually a lean season for the hospitalityindustry in the region, consideringweather conditions. However, for us,business was good during the first phase ofsummer.”City Seasons Group, which currently

operates five hotels in Dubai, Al Ain, AbuDhabi and Muscat, is now to focus ongrowing the conference and exhibitionsector.

“The higher yield business travel,conferences and exhibitions sectors arelikely to be strong enough to surpass 2010with both demand and rates on anupswing. However, it is highly probablethat booking lead time will remain shortas it has done all year,” added Demitry.

SepteMber 10, 20116

- Accommodation

City Seasons UAE Surpass ExpectationsDespite the challenging environment in the Middle East, City Seasons Group of Hotels has weathered thechallenges and recorded positive performance, with better than expected levels of business.

Kempinski Opens in Palm JumeirahKempinksi has revealed its first beachfront hotel in Dubaiand its fourth property in the uAe. kempinski Hotel & residences palm jumeirah, located on thewest end of the crescent of palm jumeirah, caters to high-endtravellers and residents for both short and long-term stays,with 244 exquisite suites, penthouses and villas.With its elegant european-inspired interior design andexclusive custom-made furniture, the hotel presents a trulyunique accommodation, noted burkhard Wolter, generalmanager. “kempinski was one of the first hotel groups toannounce a property on palm jumeirah. We have built animpressive portfolio in the region over the past 14 years andwe’re proud that kempinski Hotel & residences palmjumeirah will offer something disticnt in Dubai’s luxury traveland residential market- unmatched space and privacy in aniconic location, complemented by kempinski’s five-starservice and signature eurpoean style.”besides a picturesque view over the palm jumeirah, theproperty boasts more than 20,000m2 of landscaped gardens,white-sand beaches, an outdoor swimming pool, a gym and spa,a kids’ club, a playground and a selection of restaurant and bars.

As a dry hotel group wealways attract large number

of families from SaudiArabia, Kuwait and Iran

Kempinski was one of the first hotel groups to announce

a property on Palm Jumeirah

7SepteMber 10, 2011

- Air Travel

Gulf Air Launches Three New RoutesGulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, is to add three new destinations, Rome, Entebbe and Juba, to itsexpanding route map.

flydubai Steps Up Indian Expansionflydubai has increased its commitment to india with the launchof scheduled services to Ahmedabad, the carrier’s third majordestination in the south Asian country. The new route, operated on Saturdays to Sardar Vallabhbhaipatel international Airport, expands the airline’s network to 39destinations across the Middle east, Asia, Africa and the fringesof europe. Flights to Ahmadabad, the world’s third fastestgrowing city according to Forbes, also marks the carrier’s entryinto Gujarat, which, as one of india’s most prosperous states,holds enormous opportunities for the airline, noted Ghaith AlGhaith, Ceo, flydubai.“i would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude tothe indian authorities. Thanks to their strong support, the uAeis now connected to a city that is witnessing incredibleinfrastructure growth which in turn has led to a populationincrease. As a rising centre of education, information technologyand scientific industries, Ahmadabad remains the cultural andcommercial heart of Gujarat and much of western india and asa result we expect this route to prove very popular.”

The UAE is now connected to a city that is witnessing incredible

infrastructure growth

effective from november30, the airline will resumeservices to rome and willoperate four flights perweek to the historical

capital city of italy. The carrier will alsoreturn to uganda and will, fromDecember 5, offer four weekly flights tothe African destination. upon commencing thrice-weeklyservices to juba from February 7, 2012,the South Sudani city will mark Gulf Air’sfourth destination in the Africancontinent.The new destinations underscore thecarrier’s commitment to offering flightsto niche and underserved markets, noted

Samer Majali, Ceo, Gulf Air. “The launch of services to these newdestinations demonstrates once againGulf Air’s long-term strategy to connectbahrain and the region with new andunexplored markets having soundbusiness potential. it is one more exampleof our pioneering tradition, establishingour leadership position to gaincommercial advantage in new markets.The commencement of our services toentebbe and juba firmly establishes ourrenewed focus in the emerging markets ofthe African continent, where we see ahuge potential. it also opens up newbusiness opportunities between bahrainand these fast-developing countries.”

The launch of services to these new destinationsdemonstrates once again

Gulf Air’s long-termstrategy to connect Bahrain

and the region

Gulf Air

SepteMber 10, 20118

- Air Travel

Mahan Air Strengthens Network Between China and IranMahan Air will commence flights between Tehran and Shanghai Pudong Airport from September 2.

ANA to Launch First Routes for Boeing787 DreamlinerAll Nippon Airways (ANA), the launch customer for the boeing787 Dreamliner, will initiate the aircraft’s first flights, with theHaneda–Frankfurt route, to be launched in january 2012, markingits first long-haul service.The first Dreamliner is scheduled to be received in late Septemberand will also be used on the Haneda–beijing route from December,marking the aircraft’s first regular international service. in addition,the Dreamliner will be deployed on the Haneda–okayama andHaneda-Hiroshima domestic routes from november 1.prior to its regular services, AnA will operate a special charter flightbetween narita and Hong kong on october 26 and 27, which willbe the world’s first flight with passengers onboard the Dreamliner.excursion flights will depart from and land in narita on october 28and 29 to allow more customers to experience the comfort of theDreamliner.by the end of thisfiscal year, the aircraftwill be used on regularservices connectingHaneda with itami,Yamaguchi–ube andMatsuyama.

EgyptAir Returns to IraqAfter a suspension of more than two decades, nationalcarrier egyptAir has resumed direct flights to iraq. The airline ceased its operation to baghdad followingiraq’s invasion of kuwait in 1990, but has now re-launched flights to the capital as well as erbil. The resumed service demonstrates the confidence thecarrier has in its development plans, noted Ayman nasr,Ceo, egyptAir. “egyptAir took the decision to operatethis route in the light of the company’s regionalexpansion strategy and to restore the investments andtourism traffic between the two countries to the normallevels through Cairo Hub. egyptAir is confident of theability to carry on the network expansion plans and theoperation of new routes.”egyptAir operates a total of seven weekly flights to iraq,including four services to baghdad, on Mondays,Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and three flights toerbil, on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

All Nippon Airways

the new route representsthe 18th internationaldestination served byMahan Air, since beingestablished as the first

iranian private airline in 1992.Hossein Hosseini, director of marketing,Mahan Air, expressed his pleasure in theexpansion. “We are delighted to announce Shanghaias our third new route this year, afterkuala lumpur to Mashad as well as flightsto istanbul Sabiha Airport, turkey. Wehave seen a significant increase in demandfor Shanghai, a focal point of trade andtourism for a iranian travellers.Additionally, the strong demand shownby the Chinese businessmen for travel to

iran, and the continued growth of tradevolume between iran and China, hascreated the right opportunities forintroducing direct flights between the twogreat cities of Shanghai and tehran.”

in conjunction with the launch of thisnew destination, the airline is offeringpromotional airfares and double mileagefor its Mahan & Miles members untilDecember 31.

EgyptAir is confident of the ability to carry on the network

expansion plans and the operationof new routes

Mahan Air

SepteMber 10, 201110

- International

Hilton to Debut in Sierra LeoneHilton Worldwide is to cement its presence in Africa after signing amanagement agreement with Cape Sierra Hotel Company, to developthe first Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in Sierra Leone.

patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president development for europe andAfrica, Hilton Worldwide, elaborated on Sierra leone’s first Hiltonhotel, scheduled to open in 2014. “Hilton Worldwide has enjoyed apresence in Africa for more than 50 years and our commitment to thecontinent remains as solid as ever. We have opened five hotels in

Africa already this year and we are confident Hilton Freetown Cape Sierra will proveto be an important addition to our growing portfolio.”located in Aberdeen, Freetown, the 200-room hotel, will feature a business centre,health club, outdoor pool, five restaurants and bars. Hilton’s foray into Sierra leone reaffirms the company’s confidence in emergingcountries, noted Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & resorts. “Forgenerations Hilton has led the way into emerging markets. our brand enjoys apioneering reputation for successfully establishing hotels in new and diversemarkets. today’s signing is a true reflection of this spirit and we look forward tobringing our first class facilities and service to Sierra leone.”The fast improving business environment makes Sierre leone an ideal place forinvestments, said keith Aki-Sawyerr, managing director, Cape Sierra Hotel Co. “Ascommercial interests in the country grow, there is a requirement for more top qualityhotels to meet the needs of the growing numbers of overseas visitors. Hilton Hotels& resorts is the ideal partner to provide the standards and strong brand needed toensure we develop the leading hotel in the city.”

Rezidor Hotel Group is to open a parkinn by radisson hotel in the Hungariancapital in the fourth quarter of 2012. kurt ritter, Ceo, rezidor, commentedon the new addition to the brand’sportfolio.“park inn by radisson budapest willperfectly complement our existingradisson blu béke Hotel, budapest. Weare delighted to be present with our two

core brands in Hungary’s capital city. Atthe same time i am proud that thisagreement took our total number ofsignings in 2011 (year to date) to 21hotels and more than 5,000 rooms.”The new mid-market property, alreadyunder construction, will be situatedwithin an office park in the northern partof budapest. its ideal location willprovide easy access to the city’s historic

centre, shopping malls and the airport.besides 136 rooms, the hotel will featurea restaurant, bar, fitness centre and400m2 meeting space. Central eastern europe has long been animportant market for rezidor’s businessdevelopment, with the group nowoperating in most of the primarymarkets, including Warsaw, prague,bucharest, bratislava and Sofia.

Rezidor Expands in Hungary

DoubleTree Debuts in RomaniaThe first, Doubletree by Hilton brandedproperty, has opened its doors in romania. The opening of the 88-room, Doubletreeby Hilton bucharest-unirii Square, marksanother milestone in the brand’s europeanexpansion, noted rob ralleschi, globalhead, Doubletree by Hilton.“With this fantastic new addition forDoubletree by Hilton in europe, we areproud that our brand is now open inromania, where guests can enjoy worldrenowned Doubletree by Hilton hospitality.in the coming months we look forward toadditional romanian Doubletree by Hiltonopenings in the cities of ploiesti andoradea.”A 24-hour business centre and 200m2 offlexible meeting and conference spacemakes the hotel an ideal place for businessmeetings, conferences and any kind ofsocial event. it also features a fitness centre,sauna, spa, restaurant, bar and coffee shop. Saleem Sarieddine, managing partner,Doubletree by Hilton bucharest-uniriiSquare, elaborated on the opening. “We areproud to represent the first Doubletree byHilton in romania and look forward tosharing the brand’s worldwide commitmentour local community and offering first classhospitality to the world’s travellers.”romania’s first Doubletree by Hilton hotelis operated under a franchise licenseagreement by ViS 7 import export Srlwith a subsidiary of Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Sierra Leone

11SepteMber 10, 2011

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

Hal PhilpDeputy general manager, St. Regis, Doha.

“We are incredibly focused upon offering the level ofservice that our international guests expect, and so weare investing in the preparation necessary to ensurethat everything within the hotel is up to St. regisstandards. every guest is an individual with specifictastes and different ideas about what they want fromtheir time in Doha, and our aim is to ensure that we aretotally prepared to make their time an enjoyable one.”

Jean Pierre SimonRegional general manager, NorthernEmirates and Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah.

“While the russian market dropped slightly in2010 with the impact of the global recession,we anticipate it will rebound strongly in 2012and the otDYkH leisure show is an idealopportunity to present the emirate and ourhotel to a vast potential audience. As the largest country in the world,where just 15 percent of the population has travelled overseas, russiarepresents a huge market that is growing by an annual rate of around 14percent. it is close enough to Sharjah for the emirate to be considered ashort-haul destination that is ideal for competitively priced familysunshine holidays.”

We are incrediblyfocused upon

offering the level ofservice that ourinternationalguests expect

The OTDYKH Leisure show is an idealopportunity to present the emirate and our hotel

to a vast potential audience

Jean PierreSimon

Hal Philp

SepteMber 10, 201112

Dieter O. FrankeDieter o. Franke has been named asgeneral manager of interContinental AbuDhabi, the capital’s first internationallybranded hotel. Franke, who brings withhim more than 24 years experience in thehospitality industry, will be in charge ofoverall commercial operations as well asmaintaining the hotel’s leading positionand reputation. He joinedinterContinental Hotels Group (iHG) in1987, and has since held a number ofmanagerial roles across all key hotelfunctions in europe, America, theMediterranean and the Middle east. Hismost recent positions include hotelmanager at interContinental DubaiFestival City from 2007, and generalmanager of Crowne plaza Abu Dhabi, Yasisland and Staybridge Suites Abu Dhabi,Yas island from 2009.

Eddy Nohraeddy nohra has beenappointed as general managerof Coral beach Hotel &resort, beirut. Following hisstudies in hotel managementat ecole Hoteliere deMontreux in Switzerland, heembarked on his career atlausanne palace Montreux.After gaining experience atnouveau palace Hotel,belgium, he returned tolebanon to join Al bustanHotel. He then spent 10 yearsat phoenicia interContinentaland edde Sands Hotel beforetaking on his current position.

Kinan Al Ghraouikinan Al Ghraoui has been appointed as cluster general manager ofVilla rotana, rimal rotana and rihab rotana in Dubai. The seasonedhotelier joined rotana back in 1996 as rooms division manager ofrimal rotana. His commitment to the property’s success earned hima promotion to general manager of both rihab rotana and rimalrotana in 2001, before moving to Afamia rotana Hotel and resort inSyria. in his new position he aims to further intensify the properties’market reach, in both regional and international markets.

Menno de BoerMenno de boer has been appointed by easterninvestment Group Holding as general managerof the soon-to-open five-star Millennium HotelAmman in jordan. Having previously worked inMalaysia, japan, indonesia, China, Vietnam, Srilanka, jordan and egypt, de boer brings wideexperience and extensive knowledge to his newposition. He is an alumnus of The Hague HotelManagement School in the netherlands and hasmastered in a number of core disciplines atHilton university.

Kinan Al Ghraoui

Dieter O.Franke

Mennode Boer

13SepteMber 10, 2011

Name: Seif SaudiPosition: General managerCompany: Jordan Select ToursLocation: Jordan

Agent’s Insight

Who are you? My name is Seif Saudi and i am the general manager of jordanSelect tours. i launched the agency in 1994, while, at the sametime, i was studying in the uk. Since its establishment, thecompany has grown from strength to strength, to become oneof jordan’s most respected inbound tour operators. in 2005,we decided to re-brand it from jordan eco-tours to jordanSelect tours to better coordinate our core products, which areincentives and high end tours for groups and free andindependent travellers (Fits). We currently consist of adevoted team of 22 staff members, offering professional,multilingual and high quality services within the frameworkof responsible tourism. jordan Select tours is affiliated to anumber of associations, including jordan tourism board,jordan inbound tour operators Association, The GlobalCompact, The international ecotourism Society and others.

What do you like the most about working in theindustry?it is an interesting profession, although admittedly not alwaysfor good reasons. What i really like is that every day is differentand offers something new to discover. You learn a lot aboutculture, nature, and even about your own country. it requirescreativity and allows you to realise your own ideas.

When is the best time to visit Jordan?jordan is truly an all-year-round destination. Winter is not thatcold and summer is not too hot. An incentive trip, however,is best scheduled between March and December, as januaryand February might feel cold for some visitors.

Where would you like to travel to for your next holiday?Anywhere that i can ski. besides travelling, skiing is mypassion, and i cannot wait for the winter season.

Why should people come to you for travel advice?because we do our best to meet our clients’ requirements. Wereally try to understand what each of our clients wants and goto all lengths to fulfil their requests and provide them with theexperience of a lifetime.

New e2e-Travel Package for SmallTour OperatorsISO Travel Solutions, the consultancy service provider for thetourism industry, and HitchHiker, an it specialist for flight tariffmanagement and online flight queries, have launched theend2end (e2e) travel package for small and medium-sized touroperators.The new e2e-travel package allows small companies to profitfrom a well-approved system of their bigger counterparts bycombining the strength of iSo’s tour operator system pacificand Hitchhiker’s flight management solution teMyra.net. Asthe name end to end travel package clarifies, the systemensures the smooth workflow from purchase of flights up to thepoint of service. As a Software as a Service (SaaS) tool it provides tour operatorswith a convenient and cost efficient solution, noted Markuskretschmer, sales director, iSo travel Solutions. “iSo and HitchHiker have been partners for many years now.in the past we were often recognised as the it providers for largecompanies. With our new model for smaller tour operatorsbased on a SaaS approach, we want to show that our solutionscan be used in an efficient way by all market participants. ourpartnership now gives all tour operators the chance to profitfrom our in-depth expertise in tour operating and flight itsolutions. We are certain that no other it company can offerthe same quality.”Thomas boffo, managing director, HitchHiker, added: “Thepartnership with iSo builds on the growth and success ofhosted HitchHiker online query solutions that provide accurateand comprehensive flight information. extending our relationto key players like iSo is important for the future of teMyra.netas the tour operator sector has become a key customer segmentfor us. We are proud to provide a compelling new option fortour operators looking for a professional, cost effective andflexible selling and management platform.”

SepteMber 10, 201114

China’s Online Travel Traffic to RiseDespite the fact that China’s travel market is evolving at a rapid pace, online penetration remainsrelatively low. This, however, could potentially rise, revealed a report by travel industry researchauthority, PhoCusWright.

The World Tourism organisation(unWto) and its partners havelaunched an online tool to help hotelsanalyse their energy consumption andimprove technologies, while cuttingcosts. The Hotel energy Solutions (HeS) e-toolkit provides hoteliers with acomprehensive evaluation on theproperties’ current energy use andrecommends alternative solutions.Through an investment calculator it alsocalculates the expected savings onoperational expenses via renewableenergy and energy efficiency technologiesand actions.Following years of research and testing thetoolkit was finally put to the test in August,

in more than 100 european properties,and received positive feedback. tourism, one of the major drivers ofemployment and development, is todayresponsible for around five percent of theworld’s Co2 emissions, out of whichhotels and other types of accommodationsaccount for two percent. unWto has resolutely been working toraise awareness of the tourism industry’saccountability over climate change, andaims with the HeS project to increaseenergy efficiency (ee) in european smalland medium hotels by 20 percent andtheir use of renewable energies (re) by 10percent. to further support energy and costsavings, unWto is to launch a web based

energy School and a series of reports foraccommodation establishments registeredwith the project. The organisation’s HeS project isexpected to be rolled out globally overthe coming years.

the China online traveltraffic report, createdin partnership withglobal digital intelligenceprovider, comScore,

examined traffic volume and visitorbehavior across key online travel categoriesin China, and found that travel-related sitesattract only 14 percent of the Asiancountry’s internet users.

The release analyses how traffic to bothonline agencies and other travel relatedcategories are beginning to drive thegrowth of the country’s travel market,explained Douglas Quinby, seniordirector, research, phuCusWright.“China is home to the largest internetpopulation and the second largest travelmarket in Asia-pacific (ApAC), yet it hasrelatively low online travel penetration.This is a provocative mix of dynamics thathas the makings for a really interestingfuture. We have partnered with comScoreto unravel how some key trends in traveland online behavior are taking shapeacross a wide range of online travelcategories, including supplier websites,online travel agencies, traveller reviewsites and metasearch.”The report examines traffic volume, uniquevisitors, cross-visitation and source/losspatterns across key travel subcategories,

including online travel agencies, airlines,metasearch and travellers review websites,among others.

based on the results, phocusWrightpredicts that China, along with theincrease in traffic volume to travelwebsites, is likely to experience a steepsurge in online bookings over the comingyears, and the country’s online travelpenetration rate will climb accordingly.

UNWTO Debuts Hotel Energy Solutions

China is home to the largest internet

population and the secondlargest travel market in APAC, yet it hasrelatively low online travel penetration

Travel Trade Weekly: Do you haveany recent or upcoming developmentsto share?Safak Guvenc: in the region from aStarwood perspective, we will be opening aSt. regis hotel in the fourth quarter of thisyear. Therefore, representing Starwood wewill have the Sheraton, the W Doha and theSt. regis in the region. regarding the W, theonly thing we have added is the loungedownstairs. That’s an area for ourcorporate guests to meet.

Travel Trade Weekly: How has WDoha Hotel performed so far thisyear, compared with the same periodin 2010?Safak Guvenc: our occupancy is higherthan in 2010 because in january we hadthe Asian Games, giving us a muchstronger month than january 2010. Thegrowth continued in February, and Marchwas the same as in 2010. Going into April,May, june and july there was continuedgrowth in occupancies for us at W Doha.Year after year, considering that this is oursecond year of operation, the property ismaturing, and W Doha is growing inmarket share. We are probably growingabout eight to nine percent per year.

Travel Trade Weekly: Do you thinkthis increase is due to a number ofevents being held in the country aswell as the announcement of the 2022FIFA World Cup in Qatar?Safak Guvenc: of course, there are a lotof indications. The government is veryactive in booking conferences; then youhave the Asian Games in january, whichreally picked up the city. Another factorincludes the projects that are starting for2022, which are at the consultancy stage.

i foresee the same things happening inSeptember, all the way to December. Wewill have the World petroleum conferencewhich is going to be really big, then theArab Games.

Travel Trade Weekly: Has turmoilacross the Arab world affected thenumber of GCC travellers visiting WDoha Hotel?Safak Guvenc: Yes, especially withegypt being close; however, we don’t havetoo much leisure business in Qatar so ithink that it has mostly, positively affectedDubai and Abu Dhabi. if you compare themarket, GCC has been positively affected,but not in Qatar. Although i’m sure theremust be a couple of percentage effectsover the weekends, from leisure businesscoming from Saudi Arabia.

Travel Trade Weekly: Has anychange in the number of businesstravel guests been noted?Safak Guvenc: Yes, plenty. ourcorporate bookings are continuouslygrowing year on year. They increase byabout 15 percent year on year and i thinkthis will continue.

Travel Trade Weekly: The hotel has avivid party scene at night. Do youthink that further associating thehotel with the music industryincreases interest in the hotel?Safak Guvenc: Yes definitely, its goingforward. We are completely revamping

Crystal lounge. There will be at leastthree different celebrity Djs coming everymonth, for the next eight months. We arecontacting international Djs and Djs thatare performing in other W hotels, whowill perform at least twice a month. Also,we’re introducing a piano player into ourChampagne lounge. We are reallyfocusing very much on Crystal lounge,and to use, it we are going to divide it intoVip areas. There will be exclusivemembership only, then Crystal lounge,which will continue as a club, andChampagne lounge for entertainmentand corporate guests.We believe in supporting upcomingcelebrities more than established ones.That has been our strategy since day one.

Travel Trade Weekly: What are yourpredictions for the coming years?Safak Guvenc: Qatar tourismAuthority has been very active inpromoting Qatar, and also we shouldmention the positive influence of QatarAirways, promoting Qatar and openingextra destinations. i believe that Qatartourism Authority and Qatar Airways, aswell as the upcoming competition, willassist in the growth of Qatar.

15SepteMber 10, 2011

Q & A with Safak GuvencThe travel and tourism industry in Qatar has remained strong despite struggles across the Middle East. SafakGuvenc, general manager, W Doha Hotel and area manager, Qatar, Starwood Hotels, talks to travel tradeWeekly about how the new hotel has survived and what threats and opportunities are being faced in the industry.

Safak Guvenc

We will have the WorldPetroleum conference which

is going to be really big,then the Arab Games

SepteMber 10, 201116

EventsTop Resa, International French Travel MarketParis, France, September 20-23, 2011 (www.iftm.fr)An international travel and tourism trade fair for networking,doing business, innovating and keeping abreast of marketdevelopments.

Cityscape DubaiDubai, UAE, September 26-29, 2011 (www.cityscape.ae)A b2b networking exhibition and conference for emerging realestate markets globally.

Kazakhstan International Tourism ExhibitionAstana, Kazakhstan, September 27-29, 2011(www.leisure.kz)The eighth kazakhstan international tourism exhibition inAstana, which caters for both the b2b and b2C markets andfeatures a vibrant mix of inbound and outbound destinations.

CIS Travel MarketSt. Petersburg, Russia, October 12-14, 2011(www.restec.ru)An event focusing on CiS countries, attended by airlines, tour operators,travel agencies, accommodation providers and tourist associations.

ITB AsiaSuntec, Singapore, October 19-21, 2011(www.itb-asia.com)An event where international exhibitors, Asia pacific’s leadingcompanies and emerging enterprises meet top buyers.

World Travel MarketExCel London, UK, November 7-10, 2011(www.wtmlondon.com)leading global event for the travel industry, presenting adiverse range of destination and industry sectors andproviding an opportunity to meet, network, negotiate andconduct business.

Chinese Outbound BoomingFollowing a slight dip, the volume offoreign travel from Asia’s three main travelnations has picked up again, with Chinaleading the growth, according to anevaluation by ipk international – Worldtravel Monitor Company, commissionedby itb berlin. After a nine percent decline in 2009, foreigntravel from Asia has made up for lost timewith a notable 17 percent increase recordedin 2010. With this representing a totalvolume of 128 million individual journeys,Asia’s share of foreign travel globally nowaccounts for 18 percent, making thecontinent the second largest outboundmarket after europe (56 percent). The Asian outbound travel market has longbeen dominated by China, japan and Southkorea with more than one-third (a total of46.5 million) of all Asians who travel abroad

coming from one of these countries. According to the analysis, while journeysto other Asian destinations remainpopular, overseas trips have lost ground, asthree out of every four international tripsby Asians takes place within the continent. However, individual markets vary greatly.Whereas some 39 percent of japanesetravel outside Asia, only 33 percent ofChinese and 20 percent of koreans takeoverseas trips. Martin buck, director, CompetenceCentre travel and logistics at Messeberlin, elaborated on the altering travelbehavior. “The decline in overseas travel from Asia isattributable firstly to the world economiccrisis and secondly to the rapiddevelopment of destinations within Asia.As a result, Asians are finding that journeys

within their own continent are not onlymore favourably priced but also attractive.”over a period of five years China hasexperienced the largest growth in foreigntravel, followed by South korea and japan.With a 15 percent increase, China alsooccupies first place with regard to travel toeurope. As opposed to other markets, Southkorea has witnessed a slight decline inoverseas travel, suggesting that thecountry has not yet fully recovered fromthe economic crisis. The report also reveals that most of theforeign journeys originating from thesetop three countries are in the form ofholidays or other private trips. in China inparticular, vacations have emerged asimportant in motivating people to travel,with round trips steadily gaining ground.