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V Five Continents Hospitality Group is to strengthen its presence in the UAE with the launch
of V Continents Executive Suites in Abu Dhabi.
23 JUNE 2012 ISSUE 137
06
10
Frasers Hospitality Expands
Qatar Airways to Increase Flights to Tokyo
Frasers Hospitality has announced the open-ing of its third property in the region, Fraser Suites Doha, Qatar.
Qatar Airways is to boost flights to Tokyo, Japan, to twice-daily, effective October 28.
IN THIS ISSUEMARKET UPDATE
WEEKLY NEWS
ACCOMMODATION
AIR NEWS
WHO'S MOVED
TRAVEL TALK
AGENT'S CORNER
TRAVEL CHANNELS
RENDEZVOUS
NEWS & EVENTS
02
04
06
08
11
12
13
14
15
16
Block this Space
Contact us at [email protected]
V Five Continents to Open Third UAE Hotel
2 MARKET UPDATE
23 JUNE 2012
UAE (AED)
Egypt (EGP)
Saudi Arabia (SAR)
Lebanon (LBP)
Bahrain (BHD)
Jordan (JOD)
Syria (SYP)
Kuwait (KWD)
Qatar (QAR)
Oman (OMR)
Tunisia (TND)
Morocco (MAD)
Iran (IRR)
Yemen (YER)
Algeria (DZD)
Libya (LYD)
Dirham
Pound
Riyal
Pound
Dinar
Dinar
Pound
Dinar
Riyal
Rial
Dinar
Dirham
Riyal
Rial
Dinar
Dinar
3.67
6.05
3.75
1,505.50
0.37
0.71
63.81
0.28
3.64
0.38
1.60
8.81
12,283.00
214.01
77.95
1.27
Accurate as of
22/06/2012Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar
MENA EXCHANGE RATES
Shurooq Invites French Investors
IATA Expresses Effect of the European Crisis The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its re-vised aviation outlook for the year, as global industry profits are expected to reach some USD3 billion, unchanged from the last update in March.
A fall in oil prices, stronger-than-expected growth in passenger traf-fic, and a bottoming out of the freight market, are driving some improve-ments in the profitability outlook.
Compared with the previous forecast three months ago, North American and Latin American carriers are expected to see improved prospects, while the outlook for African carriers remains the same.
“The USD3 billion industry profit forecast has not changed. But al-most everything in the equation has. Demand has been better than ex-pected, so far this year. And fuel prices are now lower than previously anticipated, but that’s on the expectation of economic weakness ahead. The Eurozone crisis is standing in the way of improved profitability and we continue to face the prospect of a net profit margin of just 0.5 per-cent,” said Tony Tyler, CEO, IATA.
Meanwhile in Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, carriers have been downgraded, with European losses now expected to be USD1.1 bil-lion. “Although airlines face the common challenges of high fuel prices and economic uncertainty, the regional picture is diverse,” Tyler continued.
H eld by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in collaboration with the French Business Council of Dubai and Northern Emirates, the meeting
was organsied to discuss investment opportu-nities existing in economic, tourism and cultur-al sectors in Sharjah and France, which already established strong bonds, as H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO, Shurooq, pointed out. "Dynamism and diversity are the two key words which describe the economic rela-tions between the UAE and France, especially after the UAE became France’s leading trade partner in the GCC in 2011; with the value of French exports to the UAE rising to more than EUR3.5 billion (USD4.4 billion) in 2011,”
More than 20 leading French companies and 20 representatives from the Sharjah government and various businesses gathered together at the first ever Sharjah-French Round-Table.
TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY
MANAGING EDITOR
Mary Kammitsi [email protected]
JOURNALISTS
Stefanie Saghbini Rita Kasziba
Dominique Christou
SALES & MARKETING
Maria Demetriadou Brighite Ess
Katerina Dalal
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Elena Stylianou
DIRECTORS
Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi
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Al Sarkal clarified.Besides travel and tourism, which was de-
scribed by participants as a ‘booming sector’ of Sharjah, other topics discussed included logis-tics, renewable energy sources, and environ-mental issues, as well as the healthcare sector.
H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO, Shurooq
4 WEEKLY NEWS
23 JUNE 2012
V Five Continents to Open Third UAE Hotel Eurostar Offers Quiet Coach Facility
Russian Cultural Complex to Open in the UAE
V Five Continents Hospitality Group is to strengthen its presence in the UAE after entering into a man-agement contract with Sultan International Holding to launch V Continents Executive Suites in Abu Dhabi.
Located in one of the busiest areas of the capital, the group’s third property in the UAE and sec-ond in Abu Dhabi is slated to open mid-July, and will feature 120 studios and suites specially de-signed for natural living and aimed at breaking down the barriers between business and leisure.
“We are fortunate to count one of the most luxurious hotels in Abu Dhabi and we take our role as cus-todians of this great property,” commented Bader Jeiroudi, managing director, Sultan International Holding.
As of September, passengers travelling with Eurostar, the high-speed passenger service linking London and mainland Europe, will be able to book their seat at no extra cost in dedicated quiet coaches.
The introduction of the new facilities, which will enable busi-ness and standard premium ticket holders to work or wind down in a peaceful atmosphere, comes in line with the company’s initia-tive to provide business travellers with an ideal environment from departure straight through to arrival.
The Moscow-based Olympic City Group, in cooperation with the UAE Ibiza Company, is to set up the first ever Russian Cultural Complex in the UAE, comprising an opera and ballet theatre, mu-seum, hotel, and apartments.
Over the past few years, the relation between the UAE and Russia has progressed greatly in various fields such as economic and cultural, and the project is expected to receive positive response not only from within the UAE, but from the whole region as well, explained Alek-sey Semanyachenko, chairman, Olympic City Group.
6 WEEKLY NEWS
23 JUNE 2012
Accommodation
Courtyard by Marriott Debuts in Saudi Arabia
The Monarch Hotel Dubai Becomes The H Hotel Dubai
Frasers Hospitality Expands
Courtyard Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter has opened its premises, marking the hotel brand’s entry into Saudi Arabia.
Strategically located in the heart of the capital city’s Diplomatic Quarter, the 286-room hotel boasts a business centre, meet-ing rooms, a restaurant, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and a fitness centre.
Commenting on the debut, Janis Mil-ham, vice president, Courtyard by Marriott, said, “Courtyard Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter will be our fourth hotel in the region and will bring an unparalleled level of flexibil-ity and service to business travellers in the Kingdom.”
The Monarch Hotel Dubai has been rebranded The H Hotel Dubai, as part of a tran-sitional period.
Anchored at the prestig-ious address on Sheikh Zayed road, the property has long been a gateway to the com-mercial and social heart of Dubai, and is now set to be-come an independent luxury hotel, following an extensive refurbishment and re-launch.
Leading its expansion in the Middle East, Frasers Hospitality has announced the opening of its third property in the region, Fraser Suites Doha, Qatar.
Located on the Doha Corniche wa-terfront, the establishment is conveni-ently situated, offering 138 serviced apartments. Since its soft opening in November 2011, the property has been enjoying occupancy rates of some 90 percent.
“With arrivals expecting to hit 149 million in the region by 2030, accord-ing to the UN World Tourism Organiza-tion, the Middle East will continue to be a key growth area for Frasers,” com-mented Choe Peng Sum, CEO, Frasers Hospitatlity.
8 WEEKLY NEWS
23 JUNE 2012
Air News
Etihad Airways to Serve Brazil Qatar Airways Increases Flights to Iraq
Rotana Jet Strengthens Commitment within the UAE
EGYPTAIR Resumes Flights to Tripoli
Etihad Airways recently an-nounced plans to commence flights to São Paulo, Brazil, as of June 1, 2013. The daily services, which will become the airline’s first South Ameri-can destination, and the first direct air link between Abu Dhabi and the continent, will mean that Etihad Airways will
be serving all of the BRIC nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
“Brazil is a logical step for us and marks the sixth continent we serve and our coming of age as a truly global airline. Business and tourism flows between the UAE and Brazil have been growing and will be strengthened by our daily direct flights between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo,” commented James Ho-gan, president, Etihad Airways.
Qatar Airways has expanded passenger services to Iraq with the launch of its second destination in the country, Baghdad, operating four non-stop flights a week.
Commenting on the new service, Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways, said, “During Iraq’s current period of reform and development, with industries resurging and many new companies expanding operations to Iraq, we felt this was the time to move into the country. With our new passenger flights to both Baghdad and Erbil, together with our new dedicated freighter service to Erbil starting next month, Qatar Airways is offering excellent capacity to and from the country.”
Rotana Jet has launched new scheduled air services to Sir Bani Yas Island and Dalma Island, operating three days a week from Al Bateen Executive Airport, Abu Dhabi, which is centrally situated and easily reachable from most of the capital’s major locations.
Guests will be flown to Sir Bani Yas Island in approxi-mately 25 minutes on a 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145. Chartered flights will also be available upon request from Rotana Jet, Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
According to Philip Markham, CEO, Rotana Jet, these ad-ditional services mark a critical milestone for the private jets company, as well as Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole.
EGYPTAIR has resumed flights to Tripoli as of June 6, after the temporary closure of Tripoli International Airport.
In this regard, Ayman Nasr, CEO, EGYPTAIR, commented, “EGYPTAIR will operate the evening flight MS831 at 18:20 from Cairo to Tripoli after receiving the notification of airport reopening.”
EGYPTAIR currently offers 21 weekly flights to two Libyan cities with 14 weekly services to Tripoli and seven to Benghazi.
São Paulo
10 WEEKLY NEWS
23 JUNE 2012
Air News
Air Arabia Expands Saudi Network IndiGo Steps up Dubai Operations
Qatar Airways to Increase Flights to Tokyo
Safi Airways Launches Domestic Routes
Air Arabia now offers three weekly services between Sharjah and Taif, bringing the total number of Saudi Arabian destina-tions served by the low-cost airline to seven.
The new flights to Taif make travel between the UAE and the Kingdom more convenient, offering passengers a unique option for affordable air travel and great connectivity to the wider region, noted Adel Ali, group CEO, Air Arabia.
IndiGo is to introduce new flights between India and Dubai, as of August.The airline will commence new daily non-stop services between
Dubai and Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi, while flights between the emirate and Delhi will be operated twice a day.
According to Aditya Ghosh, president, IndiGo, Dubai is a key market for the airline and is part of its growth strategy outlined for the Middle Eastern skies.
Qatar Airways is set to boost flights to Tokyo, Japan, to twice-daily non-stop operations, effective October 28.
The airline is working closely with the local authorities to ensure that suitable slots are secured at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport just in time for the commencement of the carrier's Northern Winter fly-ing programme, indicated Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways.
Safi Airways has introduced two new internal flights within Af-ghanistan; a move set to further strengthen the airline’s position as the country’s leading international carrier, this according to Lloyd Carswell, chief commercial officer, Safi Airways.
The domestic services oper-ate from Kabul to Herat on a daily basis, and from Kabul to Kandahar three times weekly.
11WHO'S MOVED
23 JUNE 2012
Rami Al-Jabari
Georges Karam
Abid Butt
Rami Al-Jabari has taken on the position of regional di-rector of sales for the Middle East and Africa for The Oet-ker Collection. Boasting 17 years experi-ence, Al-Jabari has held vari-ous senior sales roles in ho-tels across the Middle East. Most recently, he worked as general manager of Marriott
Global Sales Organisation for the GCC and Jordan. In his new role, his respon-sibilities include negotiat-ing alliances and driving sales, as well as overseeing the sales of Palais Namaskar in Morocco, and the pre-opening sales roadmap for the upcoming Le Bristol Abu Dhabi.
Georges Karam has been named director of sales and marketing at Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand and Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace in Lebanon. Karam brings 12 years of hos-pitality experience and com-prehensive knowledge of the Lebanese capital city to his new position at the sister hotels.
As director of sales and market-ing, Karam works with a team of 20 members and is respon-sible for all commercial activi-ties at the properties, including sales, groups, conferences, and events, as well as marketing and communications activities.
Abid Butt has been appoint-ed CEO of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts (BTHR), the whol-ly-owned hotel management and development subsidiary of Banyan Tree Holdings.Butt, who has invaluable knowledge in hotel opera-tions and infrastructure, has a legacy of experience with the company having previously served as area general man-ager of Banyan Tree Phuket, over 10 years ago. Later, he worked as vice president of operations before joining
Host Hotels & Resorts in the US as vice president of asset management. In his new role, he will focus on strategic initiatives for the existing 30 properties in the hotel group’s current port-folio along with the success-ful launch of future projects across the world.
He is responsible for all commercial activities
He will focus on stra-tegic initiatives for the
existing 30 properties in the hotel group’s current
portfolio
12 TRAVEL TALK
23 JUNE 2012
Amr Hamed
“This [tough year in terms of increasing competition] makes it more gratifying that our hotel has passed its first year [of operation] in such good shape. I would like to mention the Al Mansoori Group of Compa-nies, Al Nasser Group of Companies, Total, AMEC, Abu Dhabi Grammar School, Union National Bank, Siemens, Cegelec and ADMA OPCO, in particular. In addition, I should also like to thank our regular guests who have contributed positive reviews online for the Liwa Executive Suites.”
Hotel manager, Liwa Executive Suites by Coral Hotels & Resorts.
CEO, Gulf Air.
“Business travel is integral due to Bahrain’s posi-tioning as a business-friendly destination. With longstanding efforts towards transparent business dealings and coordinated ease for international businesses to relocate here, we see many business travellers flying in and out on short, medium, and long visits to the Kingdom. This includes travellers predominantly from the GCC and MENA regions followed by European markets due to the country’s unique position as a services and financial hub.”
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alk
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Samar Majali
Wayne Pearce
CEO, Oman Air.
“We are delighted that Oman Air [Training Centre has been awarded a much-coveted place in the International Air Transport Association’s Middle East 2012 Top Ten Authorized Training Centre list-ing] for the second consecutive year, which con-firms the high standards of our training and staff development. We look forward to consolidating our role as a global leader in aviation training and to promoting business excellence, not just within Oman but in the entire region.”
TRAVEL TALK is your space – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and
share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, and observations to
13AGENT'S CORNER
23 JUNE 2012
Acquisition Galileo Southern AfricaTravelport has announced that it has concluded an agreement with South African Airways (SAA) to ac-quire Galileo Southern Africa, the global distribution system (GDS) arm which the airline has been op-erating in the region for the past 20 years.
In 2010, Travelport set up a direct Worldspan operation for travel agents in South Africa and the acquisition of the Galileo GDS business marks the continuation of its investment in the region and plans to extend the products and services provided to local travel agents. The new, combined entity will be known as Travelport South-ern Africa.
“This change to our business model will enable us to work di-rectly with all our local customers
in the region to roll out relevant new GDS services and technology. This is also a long-term investment decision and builds on the recent-ly expanded distributor network we have established across much of Africa with Johannesburg as a key regional hub,” commented Mark Meehan, managing director, Travelport Africa.
AGENT'S INSIGHT
NAME: Kunal Shah
POSITION: Business development
manager, Middle East
COMPANY: Globus Family of Brands
LOCATION: India
WEB: www.globusfamily.com/india
Who are you? I am Kunal Shah, the business development manager for the Middle East region. Globus Family of Brands is the world’s largest escort touring company and we offer over 400 vaca-tions to 65 countries across the world.
We are headquartered in Switzerland and for more than 80 years we have been offering our tours that address the diverse needs of travellers with a focus on world-class cus-tomer service. We have our regional office located in Ban-galore, India, which is responsible for the South Asian and Middle East market.
We operate under four distinct brands: Globus, premium coach touring; Cosmos, budget coach touring; Avalon Wa-terways, river cruising mainly in European rivers; and Mono-grams, independent travel.
What are the travel company’s upcoming business plans?We are currently looking at increasing our presence and awareness in the Middle East. This year we are launching a training programme for the travel agents in the Middle East called I KNOW EUROPE. This is a certificate programme where experts from Europe would come to Dubai and train travel professionals.
What is your favourite thing about working in the travel industry? Getting to travel a lot and see new destinations.
When is the best time to visit India? The best time to travel to this country is from October to January.
Where would you like to travel to for your next holiday? I would love to visit Scotland for my next leisure trip.
Samar Majali
Wayne Pearce
This change to our business model will enable us to work directly with all our local custom-ers in the region to roll out relevant new GDS services and technology
14 TRAVEL CHANNELS
23 JUNE 2012
DTCM Promotes Green Tourism
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has launched a new initiative entitled
‘Together for a Green Environment’.
T he project forms part of its Green Tourism Award pro-gramme, aimed at improving service standards and excellence in the industry while supporting and en-hancing the concept of sustainable tourism and social responsibility.
The programme, which was launched on June 5, has been de-signed to shed light on the importance of green economy through a series of seminars and workshops for industry professionals to create awareness of the importance of sustainable tourism, provide the best solutions and technologies, discuss environmental policies, and study the best environmental practices.
IATA Introduces New Initiatives
Azerbaijan to Promote its Attractions
Tony Tyler, CEO, International Air Transport Association (IATA), recently announced three major achievements in three key initiatives, at the 68th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit, Beijing.
As an evolution of the Passenger Intelligence Services product, IATA introduced the Direct Data Service, an even more powerful business intelligence tool, which offers direct sales data for airlines.
In addition, Tyler also revealed that the new foundation standard for a New Distribution Capability, that will address the airline requirements for innovation in global distribution, will be proposed during the World Passenger Symposium, Abu Dhabi, in October. “I am confident that the new platform will unleash innovation and new entrants that will revolu-tionise airline relationships with their customers,” he said. Moreover, the recently established IATA innovation and Part-nership Awards, which replaces the Eagle Awards, will be first presented in June 2013 and will recognise partnerships that are delivering innovation and value to the industry.
As the convention and culture partner of ITB Berlin 2013, Azerbaijan will be providing a link between Asia and Eu-rope with a varied programme at the event’s next edition, as it gears up to introduce its natural attractions and rich culture, and showcase itself as a vacation as well as a MICE destination.
“For us, this partnership with ITB Berlin is a very impor-tant instrument for effectively promoting the tourism po-tential of Azerbaijan. By acting as the convention and cul-tural partner of the world’s largest travel trade show, we aim to strengthen this image even further,” commented Abulfas Garayev, minister of culture and tourism, Azerbaijan.
After declaring 2011 as the year of tourism, the coun-try is working on advancing tourism infrastructure with new hotels being constructed and special laws having al-ready been proposed.
This year is expected to see the completion of the Shahdag ski region.
15RENDEZVOUS
23 JUNE 2012
Q & A with Vincent Wee With over 22,000 operating serviced residences units, The Ascott Limited is considered the world’s largest in-ternational serviced residence owner and operator. Vincent Wee, managing director, India and GCC, The Ascott Limited, and deputy CEO, Ascott Residence Trust Management Limited, talks about the stiffening competition.
Travel Trade Weekly: What factors make the GCC a key market for The Ascott Limited?
Vincent Wee: In the GCC, there are many op-portunities for serviced residences as infra-structure investments continue to build up, es-pecially in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. With a high level of tourist arrivals and expatriates entering the GCC countries, our serviced residences continue to see healthy levels of occupancy, especially in cities such as Dubai and Doha.
The hospitality sector in the UAE has been witnessing robust growth despite a global eco-nomic slowdown. There is still room for expan-sion. In Qatar, we are readying ourselves for our first Ascott branded property, Ascott Doha, in the country and we are actively on the lookout for new properties to manage in the region.
Travel Trade Weekly: How do you think the de-mand and future prospects of the hospitality sectors in the Middle East and India differ? Vincent Wee: The Middle Eastern market is more mature and being one of the ‘hottest’ markets for hospitality developments, we can-not simply focus on the product; we also have to focus on the ‘software’. We need to ensure that the service delivered to our guests will make their stay an even more memorable one.
The serviced residence industry is still in its infancy stage in India and there are a lot of opportunities available. India has a grow-ing affluent middle class that is increasingly looking for quality apartments for their intra-regional travel. Though India is sorting out some short term issues, foreign direct invest-ment into India over a medium term period is still expected to more than double from
expand our footprint to other high growth cities including Mumbai and New Delhi. In to-tal, Ascott's seven properties in India will cost more than USD250 million when fully devel-oped.
Travel Trade Weekly: How will you ensure high occupancy levels in the Middle East?
Vincent Wee: What truly differentiates us is our strong customer-centric approach and our focus in providing our residents with a truly unique and memorable home-away-from-home experience.
In the competitive landscape, over and above observing the market and keeping an eye on developing trends, there is a need for us to react accordingly and continuously im-prove our processes and staff.
In the Middle East, service excellence re-mains paramount and our customer-centric approach has enabled Ascott to serve our guests well. At Ascott, our guests’ privacy and safety are of extreme importance to us.
Travel Trade Weekly: What other develop-ment plans has the company outlined?
Vincent Wee: Besides seeking new invest-ments with a focus on Singapore, China, India, Vietnam, and other capital cities of Southeast Asia, as well as in London, Paris, and key cities in Germany, we will grow our fee-based income through securing more management contracts. We will also continue with asset enhancement initiatives to improve asset returns, strengthen our brand, and improve our customer experi-ence. Ascott is on track to achieve our target of 40,000 apartment units globally by 2015.
Vincent Wee Managing director, India and GCC, The Ascott Limited, and deputy CEO, Ascott Residence Trust Management Limited
USD25 billion in 2011 to USD55 billion in 2015, and international tourists and corpo-rate visitor will increase on the back of the increased investment. The demand-supply gap for quality accommodation is estimat-ed to be at 150,000 rooms. We believe that there is strong growth potential for the ser-viced residence industry.
Travel Trade Weekly: What are the main components of the company’s Indian de-velopment and expansion strategy?
Vincent Wee: We plan to open five more ser-viced residences with over 1,100 apartment units. By 2015, we target to grow from our current estimate of 1,400 apartment units to 4,000 apartment units. Two more properties are currently under development in Banga-lore and one each in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. We are well underway to
16 NEWS & EVENTS
23 JUNE 2012
EVENTSChina Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM)Beijing, China, September 12 – 14, 2012 (www.cibtm.com)A leading meetings, incentives, and business travel show providing the ultimate platform for suppliers to the MICE industry.
International French Travel Market (IFTM Top Resa)Paris, France, September 18 – 21, 2012(www.iftm.fr)An international fair for networking, doing business, innovating, and keeping abreast of market developments, offering a 360° panorama of the travel industry. Africa Hotel Investment ForumNairobi, Kenya, September 25 – 26, 2012(www.africa-conference.com)An event showcasing the potential Kenya and other high-growth destinations across the continent have to offer.
PATA Travel Mart Manila, Philippines, September 25 – 28, 2012(www.pata.org/events/pata-travel-mart-2012)Asia Pacific’s premier travel trade show offering networking and con-tracting opportunities for hundreds of international buyers and sellers.
The 18th World Route Development ForumAbu Dhabi, UAE, September 29 – October 2, 2012www.routesonline.com/eventsThe largest global event of its kind, attracting over 2,750 delegates from more than 80 countries, and determining the future of air services.
ITB ASIASingapore, October 3 - 5, 2012(www.itb-asia.com)Where exhibitors of all sectors of the travel-value chain, meet with top international buyers from the MICE, leisure, and corporate travel markets.
Asia Pacific Tourism Destination Investment ConferenceSingapore, October 15 – 17 , 2012(www.tdiasia.questexevents.net)Consisting of an array of networking opportunities, business meetings, and a conference programme, the event will focus on hotel investments and tourism infrastructure developments.
Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (RHIC)Moscow, Russia, October 15 – 17, 2012(www.russia-cisconference.com)Addressing the key opportunities and challenges across the region and offering a platform to exchange ideas with fellow industry experts.
Business Travel Forums: Positive Results
SCTDA Trains Tourist Guides
Business Travel Forums recently held a successful event at Hotel Hesperia Madrid, which achieved an average of 15 en-quiries placed by each buyer to suppliers present at the event.
Some 85 percent of buyers were direct corporates with the remaining number coming from travel management compa-nies. The largest groups of buyer participants originated from the UK, Spain, and Russia.
The feedback from the event was positive with some two-thirds of participants, 63 percent, opting to confirm their at-tendance for another forum, and a further 37 percent claiming they will probably attend a future event.
Following the success of this years edition, the next Busi-ness Travel Forum will take place from September 16 – 18 at Hotel Metropole, Brussels.
The event will include 25 pre-scheduled one-to-one busi-ness meetings, an interactive educational workshop led by industry experts, and numerous networking opportunities during social gatherings such as a welcome reception, gala dinner, and gourmet lunches.
The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has launched its latest profes-sional training programme for tourist guides as part of the authority’s strategy to achieve and main-tain highest standards in the tourism sector of the emirate.
Organised in association with the University of Sharjah, the training programme includes theory lec-tures and practical workshops, as well as field visits to a number of attractions. So far, some 70 professionals have participated in the programme, which is being conducted for the third consecutive year, explained H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Noman, chairman, SCTDA. “Our aim is to boost and enrich the tourism sector with professional expertise by organising such courses.”
Tourist guides are crucial in promoting tourism, he added. “He is the first point of contact with tour-ists and offers the visitors the first and lasting impres-sion of a place. This will help boost tourism products and services in the emirate and promote the tourism development process.”
