arabian travel news

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An ITP Business PublicationSeptember 2010 Issue 9 Vol. 5

LUXURY TRAVEL IS HEATING UP IN AFRICA

Licensed by Dubai Media City

Tourism board launches free training scheme

VISIT BRITAIN ROLLS OUT ‘BRITAGENTS’

THE

ISSUE

TOP SELLING TIPS

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

ROUNDTABLE

Holidays cut short for the Holy month

RAMADAN SEES BOOKINGS SLUMP

01 September 2010 – Arabian Travel Newswww.hoteliermiddleeast.com

ContentsNews

05 NewsRamadan sees bookings slump; Orient Travels bucks trend with four new shop openings; Agents pass with fl ying colours; Air Ber-lin appoints Oasis Travels as local GSA; Emirati tour guide gets accredited; Kuwait tourism lacks promotion; Royal Caribbean sees surge in Middle East guests; Sabre wins GDS race into Iraq.

10 Tourism BoardsVisit Britain launches agent train-ing scheme.

11 AccommodationRaffl es opens in Makkah; First fi ve-star for Iraqi city; GCC sees highest hotel rate falls.

12 AirlinesSama grounded due to losses; BA to increase Gulf winter capacity; Oman Air starts Kathmandu ser-vice; Gulf Air adds three new des-tinations; Etihad launches all-economy fl ights; Emirates adds extra US fl ights.

14 BTSMEBusiness travel restoring confi -dence; BTS ties up with ACTE for show seminar programme.

Comment

16 Industry InsiderContent fragmentation means fi nding the best fares costs time and money says Tim Waddell.

How to sell

18 Upmarket Africa South Africa and Kenya are emerg-ing as the hottest new luxury travel destinations.

26 The Luxury Line-up We asked the experts in the lux-ury travel sector for their advice on luxury travel trends, how to sell and where to book your VIP cli-ents next.

Q&A

25 Cecily Mbarire Kenya’s Assistant Minister for Tourism says it’s time the UAE market discovered Kenya.

38 Patrick Antaki The general manager of Le Meri-dien Al Aqah talks about the new Fujairah Tourism Authority.

Interview

30 Campbell’s collectionJacqueline Campbell, managing director of the Travel Collection.

Roundtable debate

33 Leaders in Luxury We gathered the experts in luxury travel at Raffes Dubai.

Technology

40 GDS Update The latest in the airline / GDS bat-tle, plus GDS providers update us on their new products.

Agent Action

47 Fam: LaDolce Vita Agents report back from Florence.

48 An Iftar ExtravaganzaTravelport hosts agents at Atlantis.

33

30

18

40

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02 Arabian Travel News – September 2010 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

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A message on Sun4U’s website said the Birmingham-based company had ceased trading and advised passengers to contact the ABTA Travel Association.Around 1,200 Sun4U customers are currently abroad, mainly in Spain.

Brit holidaymakers left stranded after tour operator collapse

Most-read stories on

EDITOR’S PICK

LATEST FEATURES

IN PICTURES

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ATN News

Ramadan sees bookings slump Demand peaks in July but travellers cut short holidays for start of the holy month

BOOKINGS

The summer holiday season has felt the impact from an early Ramadan which caused August bookings to slump.

Travel agents canvassed by ATN reported that while business in July was up on last year, many travellers chose to cut short summer breaks and return home in time for the start of Ramadan in August.

Eid holiday traffi c has also been impacted by the fact that it will take place in mid-September, when many expats are due to return from leave in time for the start of the school year.

“Ramadan starting early this summer defi nitely impacted on the volume of sales,” said Mansoor Pasha, manager retail and leisure, Al Futtaim Travel.

“We have lost one full month in the summer period. UAE nationals have returned earlier than expected as they

Travel agents pegged Malaysia as the clear winner this summer in terms of holiday destinations.

Asim Arshad, CEO, Orient Travels

prefer spending Ramadan at home and expats visit-ing their home countries are not due back until mid-Sep-tember, which has impacted the Eid holiday traffi c. So far August sales are very low compared to last year, but hopefully the last 10 days of Ramadan should pick up as this is a last-minute market.”

Mohamed Al Rais, deputy

managing director, Al Rais Travel said that while he had seen a major slump in leisure bookings in August, he was able to offset this by cater-ing to the pilgrimage mar-ket with Umrah packages to Mecca. “All travellers booked early and came back early, so demand was very high for July and most seats were sold out for the main destinations,”

said Al Rais. “In Ramadan it is slow, but on the other hand a lot of people have travelled to Saudi for Umrah, which meant we were less affected.”

Emirates Holidays reported a “very good” season this year for the high-end market, with business levels “much bet-ter than last year”. Davinder Kaur, destination develop-ment manager, Emirates Hol-

September 2010

idays said the trend had been for travellers to leave much earlier than usual to be back in time for Ramadan.

Kaur agreed that while the Eid break was expected to be quieter than usual due to the timing, this year’s second Eid is expected to see high demand. “We are still moni-toring the fi gures for Eid but they are suggesting so far that this Eid will not be that pop-ular. This year we expect the second Eid [in November] which is normally the quieter one to be very busy.”

Travel agents surveyed pegged Malaysia as the stand-out favourite this summer, which Kaur attributed partly to the destination’s ‘Rama-dan-friendly appeal’. “This year Malaysia is the clear winner in terms of destina-tions,” said Kaur. “This year we did a special brochure just for Malaysia, separate to our normal brochure, which was very successful.”

Orient Travels bucks trend with four new shop openings EXPANSION

Orient Travel Services is expanding its network of retail travel shops with a fl urry of new openings across the UAE.

One of the largest travel companies in the UAE, Ori-ent Travels has 400 staff members and 28 offi ces across the emirates. The company has opened four new retail travel shops in Al Quoz, Dubai; Madam in Hatta; Sajaa Oil Field in Shar-

jah and in a prime spot on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.

Asim Arshad, chief exec-utive offi cer, Orient Travel Service said he was confi -dent there were still oppor-tunities for growth despite the impact of the recession on the travel industry.

“People are talking about cutting costs but I’m open-ing four offi ces. I feel that we can increase our mar-ket share because there are certain areas that we haven’t taken full advantage of yet.”

He added: “You can look at it in two ways – one is that you can shrink your busi-ness or you can start look-ing at opportunities that are there and take them. I don’t see a reason to get pessimis-tic. There is a recession but we will survive through.”

Arshad added that while online penetration was not as prevalent as in the West, travel companies had to be “realistic” when it came to the impact of the internet. The company is also making

“substantial investments” into online solutions. “In the West it is alarming because retail business has virtu-ally wiped been off in favour online. But it’s not fair to say we are not under threat from online. What we are doing is putting in place our own online solution because we don’t want to lose out on that market segment.

We have invested a great deal in technology, if you want to have a good solution that’s important.”


News

Agents pass with fl ying coloursFirst Middle East CTA graduates say investment in training is seriously lacking

TRAINING

The fi rst group of Middle East students has successfully passed an internationally rec-ognised travel industry quali-fi cation – the Certifi ed Travel Associate (CTA).

Most of the graduates were current travel indus-try employees who took the course as a way of developing their careers in the industry.

Jane Kamani from World Wide Resorts said the course had been an “eye-opener” in terms of customer service skills. “I realised there was much that I was not aware of despite the fact that I have been working in the industry for the past three years. Rela-tionships with my clients have to change completely. We have to let them know that

The CTA graduates with course director Sundar Vasudaven (right)

The tour guides on the WFTGA programme in Cyprus

even though it is a business relationship, their welfare should be our fi rst priority. It is time for travel industry staff to make sure they are always one step ahead with sound guidance for clients who are ready to pay for our services.”

Kamani added that the current level of investment in training and development

of travel agency staff falls well below par. “Most of the staff have just the basic informa-tion, not the accurate knowl-edge they need as quali-fi ed professionals. With the changes in the industry, staff members need to step up. Our customers are taking to the internet, cutting out the middle-man, and in order for

travel agents to remain effec-tive major changes must take place. Companies should invest in themselves as well as their staff to provide bet-ter services to their custom-ers and maintain their mar-ket position,” she said.

Course graduate Yulia Hor-vath, senior travel consul-tant, Kanoo Travel added that while the airline and hospi-tality sectors had made great strides in staff training, travel agencies were still seriously lagging behind. “While travel agencies in the region have recognised the need for their staff to be competent in ‘tech-

nical’ skills, such as compe-tence with Sabre or Galileo I think it is fair to say that it is only more recently that agen-cies have been making train-ing investments in the type of skills covered by the CTA course – such as customer service, cross-selling, up-sell-ing and the like,” she said.

The American CTA qual-ifi cation is run by TRS Con-sulting in Dubai Knowledge Village and covers eight core subjects including: Under-standing customer needs; Customer-focused selling; Professionalism at work and computer technology.

Emirati tour guide gets accreditedTOUR GUIDE

A UAE national from Shar-jah has become the fi rst Emi-rati tour guide to take part in an international programme run by the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA).

Majid A. Al Qassimi, who is responsible for overseeing the newly implemented Sharjah Tourist Guide Training and Licensing Programme intro-duced in May 2009, took part in the two-week long ‘Train the Trainer’ course at WFT-GA’s regional training centre in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Mohamed A. Al Noman, director general, Shar-

jah Commerce and Tour-ism Development Authority (SCTDA) commented: “The SCTDA is always looking to promote the goals of Emirat-isation, as laid out by the UAE government, and to advance the prospects of our Emirati

employees. “WFTGA accreditation is

an important step for many trainers and we are delighted that Majid A. Al Qassimi has become one of the few Emira-tis to be recognised as a WFT-GA-accredited trainer.”

Air Berlin appoints Oasis Travels as local GSA GSA

Air Berlin has appointed Oasis Travels, a company fully owned by the Sharaf Group, as the passenger general sales agent for the UAE and Oman.

Air Berlin is due to launch the fi rst non-stop connection between Dubai and Berlin with the start of the winter schedule in November.

The carrier will operate three times weekly fl ights to Berlin with an Airbus A330 aircraft. The fl ights

will be integrated into the Air Berlin hub in Berlin-Te-gel, allowing convenient connections to further des-tinations in Germany and the rest of Europe.

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Air Berlin is launching Dubai fl ights

Registration for the next CTA course is currently open and the course will begin after Eid. Contact www.trsplus.com / +971 4 390 2256


Advertorial

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Austria’s diverse tourism off ers enables visitors to combine a stay in the historic romantic cities such as Vienna, Salzburg or Innsbruck with a visit to a picturesque mountain resort in the alpine region of Aus-tria without travelling for more than one to three hours. In the last fi ve years, arrivals from the region have

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News

Kuwait tourism lacks promotion Action Hotels head says tourism sector in Kuwait needs more push from government

KUWAIT

A lack of infrastructure, pro-motion and motivation by the government are the main reasons why Kuwait’s tourism sector has not seen the level of investment and growth wit-nessed in other Gulf countries such as the UAE, one of the country’s top tourism execu-tives told Arabian Business.

“There is limited tourism in Kuwait,” said HE Sheikh Mubarak AM Al Sabah, chair-man of Kuwait-based hotelier Action Hotels.

“It is a very friendly coun-try and it is very different from the other states in the GCC but it has not moved towards HE Sheikh Mubarak AM Al Sabah, chairman, Action Hotels

developing [its tourism sec-tor].”

He added that Kuwait was “well placed” to take advan-tage of the three large grow-ing markets of Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran but the tourism sector in Kuwait was not given enough support or backed up with adequate infrastructure.

Sheikh Mubarak said he believes the lack of incen-tives is a political problem and when asked if it was down to a lack of motivation by the government to develop the tourism sector he answered that “unfortunately that is the case.”

“We are a very liberal coun-try and no different from any

other GCC state but we are not promoted. The lack of infra-structure is not there to attract tourists to be a hub,” he said.

In May, Dubai-based research company Proleads reported there are currently more than 470 active hotel projects in the Gulf. How-ever, only 27, or 5.7 percent, of these were planned in Kuwait, compared to 258 in the UAE, 83 in Saudi Arabia and 35 in Bahrain.

Action Hotels specialises in the midscale hotel mar-ket and has a portfolio of fourteen hotels in the Gulf and Australia. It is on track to open 2,600 hotel rooms in the region by 2012.

Daniel Naoumovitch and Mubarak Kanoo

Sabre wins GDS race into IraqTECHNOLOGY

Sabre Travel Network Middle East has tied-up with Kanoo Travel to become the fi rst GDS supplier to operate in Iraq.

Kanoo Travel will distribute Sabre’s travel technology solu-tions in Iraq through a Gen-eral Sales Agent (GSA) struc-ture. The new partnership will give agencies in Iraq access to all of Sabre’s solutions includ-ing global content from hun-dreds of airlines, thousands of hotels, as well as car rental companies, tour operators and cruise liners.

Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO, Sabre Travel Network Middle East said, “Iraq is experienc-ing signifi cant growth daily and establishing a presence in this market reinforces our commitment to support the

travel industry by providing agencies there with solutions and the expertise to expand their business, and travel sup-pliers with additional distri-bution opportunities.”

Mubarak Kanoo, dep-uty group chairman, Kanoo Travel said, “Kanoo Travel

and Sabre have had a long standing partnership based on mutual trust and progres-sive business focus. This is yet another feather in our caps refl ecting our commitment to growth and development of new regions within the Mid-dle East.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Royal Caribbean sees surge in Middle East guestsCRUISE

Royal Caribbean Cruises has seen a major increase in bookings from the Mid-dle East for its three brands, Royal Caribbean Interna-tional, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.

From January through July 2010 the guest volume increased 63 percent com-

pared to the same period last year. The average dura-tion of cruises is nine nights, and the most popular desti-nations are the Mediterra-nean and Caribbean.

Lakshmi Durai, executive director, Royal Caribbean, Middle East said: “With the support of our travel agent partners and targeted mar-keting initiatives for the introduction of our fi rst ship Brilliance of the Seas in January, we‘ve put a spot-light on the joy of cruising. All Middle East markets performed well, with UAE and Lebanon doubling their guest bookings and new ships like Oasis of the Seas proving to be very popular.”Lakshmi Durai

Tourism Boards


Agents who successfully become a BritAgent to qualify for Fam trips and events

programme was to increase knowl-edge among agents about areas of Britain outside London.

“This market thinks Britain is Lon-don,” said Maddison. “Agencies pro-moting Britain don’t know the rest of the UK so it’s part of our remit to get more information to them about Eng-land, Scotland and Wales.

“The Arab traveller – which is our main target audience because they are high-spenders – is still very much interactive with the travel trade. We want when people say to agent “I’m interested in Britain” that they don’t just hear “Go to London, stay in Mar-ble Arch and go to Oxford Street.” This programme is about ensuring agents’ product knowledge is better.”

The three-month programme is free

Visit Britain, the UK’s national tourism board is to launch its fi rst travel agent training programme in the Middle East to boost knowledge of the desti-nation among the travel trade.

The ‘BritAgent’ programme – a free, e-learning course –– will be launched in the UAE at the end of September at a cost of AED 56,562 (£10,000 ). Visit Brit-ain aims to get at least 30 UAE Britain specialists trained up before rolling out the programme across the GCC.

Carol Maddison, manager, UAE, Visit Britain said the idea behind the

Visit Britain launches training scheme of charge and agents that complete the course will have the chance to qual-ify for fam trips and trade events. Any agency with two qualifi ed ‘BritAgents’ will be awarded ‘specialist status’ from Visit Britain.

“We will include agents in a draw to come on our UK travel trade events,” said Maddison. “For example DEBI (Destination Britain and Ireland), which was in Dubai this year but will either be in India or South Africa next year, the Visit Scotland Expo, Discov-ery, which is a MICE event, and Best of Britain and Ireland, which will be held in Birmingham next year.”

“There will also be other goodies and giveaways to incentivise them along the way,” added Maddison. “But we’re hoping that the agents will want

Agents interested in fi nding out more about BritAgents should contact: Prasad Shirke, Visit Britain +971 4 396 5678 / [email protected]

Carol Maddison, manager, UAE, Visit Britain

to know more about a country they’re promoting as part of their own career progression and interest in selling the destination. It’s so much easier to have an interactive conversation with someone if you know what you are talking about.”

Maddison added that in today’s zero commission environment it was vital that travel agents ensured their product knowledge was as up to date as possible.

“Commissions that you used to get on selling tickets used to keep the agency going but they have fallen by the wayside now. And it’s such a com-petitive market that to make your agency stand out you want to give your customer that value-added experi-ence, so having the right information so you can suggest to your client where to go and what to do is a good thing.”

BritAgents will be launched in Dubai on the 29 September at the Brit-ish Ambassador’s residence followed by an Abu Dhabi launch in the fi rst week of October with a presentation to general managers of the region’s top travel agencies.

Each agency will be asked to nomi-nate two counter staff to sign up for the course. Visit Britain is targeting March 2011 for its fi rst graduation ceremony of successful BritAgents.

TRAINING

• Agents who successfully complete the BritAgents programme will be invited to a special graduation ceremony hosted by Visit Britain and will receive a BritAgent certifi cate. • Offi cial BritAgent ‘specialist status’ will be

awarded to any Travel Agency with two or more

qualifi ed BritAgents. • All BritAgent specialists will be listed on www.visitbritain.com• All BritAgents get a Britain marketing toolkit• All BritAgents get the chance to qualify for fam trips and B2B Trade Events

The BritAgent programme is broken up into three core modules:

Module 1: Destination BritainThis involves learning about the history and culture of Britain; as well as impor-tant information about visa and customs, weather, transport, accommodation

and travel trade contacts such as ground handlers and guides.

Module 2: Explore BritainThis involves learning what there is to see and do in all regions of Britain including London, England, Scotland and Wales.

Module 3: Experience BritainActivities and attractions in Britain to help you build itinerar-ies for your clients: including heritage and culture; museums and galleries; shopping; outdoor activities and sports.

Why become a Brit Agent?

BritAgents programme details:


Accomodation

Raffles opens in MakkahNEW LAUNCH

Mohammed ArkobI, VP, Raffl es, Makkah

First fi ve-star for Iraqi cityINVESTMENT

Range Hospitality is to develop the fi rst fi ve-star hotel in Karbala – Iraq’s pilgrimage centre.

Around 18 million pilgrims visit Karbala every year and Al Rawdatain Gardens will cater to the signifi cant shortage of hotel accomodation in the area.

The fi rst modern development to be built in Karbala, Al Rawdatain Gardens will feature an elegant 12-storey residence structure at its core comprising a mix of fully fur-nished and serviced studios, one-

bedroom and two-bedroom suites. Spread over 55,000 square metres, the development is designed and furnished in accordance with inter-national standards, with full air con-ditioning and heating, including internet access and safety deposit boxes. The entire development will include a total of 624 suites, exten-sive public areas, four restaurants, landscaped gardens, health facil-ities, 24-hour security, child care facilities, business centre, and addi-tional guest services.

As yet, no operator has been selected to manage the hotel. “We are receiving independent approaches from some of the world’s leading hotel operators to manage Al Rawdatain Gardens,” said Moham-med Asaria, vice chairman, Range Hospitality. “We are in the process of operator selection and the calibre of the companies approaching us is clear evidence of the importance of Karbala within ‘New Iraq’ and the wider MENA region.”Al Rawdatain Gardens in Karbala

Raffl es Makkah Palace hailed as ‘new step’ for Saudi hotel sector

Raffl es Hotels & Resorts has opened its fi rst hotel in Saudi Arabia in the holy city of Makkah.

Raffl es Makkah Palace is located in the Abraj Al Bait complex, a seven-tower community directly adjoin-ing the Masjid Al Haram (Grand Mosque) and the Kaaba.

Mohammed Arkobi, vice presi-dent and managing director of Fair-mont Raffl es Hotels International Makkah, said the location gave Raf-fl es “the opportunity to cater to guests of the Holy City, making it a unique and one-of-a-kind experience”.

The 213-suite property is designed

open at the Abraj Al Bait complex.Also underway are the Makkah

Clock Royal Tower, a Fairmont Hotel — a 76 storey hotel with 858 rooms — and Swissotel Makkah, due to open in 2011.

to offer “an extremely discrete yet highly refi ned residential sanctu-ary” with personal butlers on hand to anticipate guests’ needs.

The hotel is designed to cater for both religious and business tourism, with a business centre and business rooms also available.

Khaled Yamak, director of com-munications and business devel-opment said: “Raffl es Makkah Pal-ace is considered a new step in the hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia. With its unique heartfelt service and enchanting accommodation, resi-dents will feel the difference.”

Raffl es Makkah Palace is the fi rst of three hotels operated by FRHI to

26%Drop in Abu Dhabi

hotel rates

ROOM RATES

GCC hotels see highest rate fallsThe highest regional hotel rate decreases worldwide were witnessed in the Middle East region during the fi rst half of this year, according to a hotel survey carried out by Hogg Rob-inson Group. While the region dipped by fi fteen percent, the Gulf countries were particularly badly affected, with Dubai (-12 percent), Bahrain (-14 per-cent), Qatar (-22 percent) and Oman (-24 percent) also suffering major drops. Abu Dhabi was the worst per-former with a 26 percent drop.


Airlines

Sama grounded due to lossesBudget Saudi carrier has suspended operations due to $266 million loss

Willie Walsh, CEO, BA Oman Air will fl y four times per week to Nepal starting in September

BA plans to increase Gulf winter capacity

Oman Air starts Kathmanduservice from September

BRIEFS

BA STILL MULLING IRAQI MARKETBritish Airways has no plans as yet to launch services to Iraq, ac-cording to the carrier’s CEO Willie Walsh: “[Iraq] is clearly a market we are watching with great interest. A number of carriers are starting to fl y to Iraq and clearly it is an area we have served in the past and we would look to serve again in the fu-ture but there are no plans at this stage.”

A380 HEADS TO HONG KONG Emirates has con-fi rmed Hong Kong as the newest destina-tion for its Airbus A380. Hong Kong will become the carrier’s 11th A380 destina-tion. Starting on 1 October, Emirates’ A380 will operate daily from Dubai as EK384 via Bangkok with the return fl ight operating as EK385.

STRONG DEMAND FOR SAUDIEtihad Airways is providing additional fl ights between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah during Ramadan. The extra services to Jed-dah will operate until 12 September and add to the 28 return fl ights Etihad currently operates every week to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

Prince Bandar Bin Khaled Bin Faisal

Saudi Arabian budget carrier Sama has suspended its oper-ations after recording a loss of US$266 million.

The airline, one of two low cost carriers in Saudi Ara-bia, had received a loan of $53 million from the government to cover fuel costs, in addition to $133 from shareholders.

But it needed an extra $80 million to keep its opera-tions on track, an anony-mous board member told Bloomberg.

Sama launched in 2007 and served 10 destinations in Saudi Arabia and neighbour-

BA’s Gulf bookings going for-ward have not been affected by cabin crew strike action-this year and the carrier plans to increase capacity in the region by three percent reported Arabian Business. “Looking forward our book-ings have not been affected by the experience that our cus-

Oman Air will start a service between Muscat and Kath-mandu from September 2.

Kathmandu is the 40th destination in the Oman Air network and will be oper-ated with a B737-700.

Peter Hill, CEO, Oman Air said: “Kathmandu is a much awaited destina-tion. In addition to the strong demand for fl ights from Nepalese nationals who work in Oman and fur-

ernment support and subsi-dised fuel, and Riyadh-based National Air Services (NAS), Saudi’s fi rst budget carrier.

Bruce Ashby, Sama CEO explained: “The decision to stop fl ying was not taken lightly, but we have spent many months seeking alter-natives, and now this is the only option remaining to us.”

“We had been awaiting a signifi cant aviation relief package with respect to fuel subsidies, subsidies for PSO routes, a gradual lifting of domestic fare caps, and addi-tional funds to support the past losses and growth of our business. In addition,

ing countries. The airline is chaired by Prince Bandar Bin Khaled Bin Faisal. It com-peted with Saudi Arabian Airlines, which receives gov-

we sought for, and found, more than one potential new equity investor willing to inject cash into the business. Unfortunately, none of these alternatives came together in the required timeframe.”

“Sama, and all other air-lines throughout the region, experienced very low fares and somewhat slow demand for regional travel during the winter season (October 2009 through March 2010). Although revenues were up sharply during the summer peak season, it has not been enough to offset the heavy losses we suffered during the winter,” added Ashby.

COLLAPSE

CAPACITY NEW ROUTEtomers have seen during the industrial action,” said Willie Walsh, BA’s CEO.

This is despite the fact that in July BA reported a 13.5 per-cent drop in passenger traffi c in the Middle East and Africa between April and June due to the ash cloud and strikes.

Walsh said: “We believe there is some scope for capac-ity and we will be increasing slightly our fl ying there next winter. We are looking to put larger aircraft, the [Boeing] 777-300, which we have taken delivery of.

“That will allow for some increase in capacity, and that aircraft will enter into service at the beginning of Septem-ber.” said Walsh.

“Overall we are looking at a three percent increase in capacity in winter 2010 ver-sus 2009,” he confi rmed.

ther afi eld, we expect to see a signifi cant corporate and leisure traffi c, which is important to the economic development of Nepal.”

Oman Air will operate the Kathmandu service four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Oman Air also said it would increase the num-ber of fl ights to Salalah to meet increased passenger demand during the summer months.


Gulf Air adds three destinations Carrier announces new services to Addis Ababa, Basra and Isfahan

Houston has seen strong demand

Etihad is aiming to compete with budget carriers on short haul routes.

Emirates adds extra fl ights to US cities

Etihad launches all-economy fl ights for shorthaul market

BRIEFS

FLYDUBAI LAUNCHES RUSSIAN ROUTEFlydubai, is expanding its network into the foothills of the Ural Mountains on October 16, when it begins fl ights to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.One of Russia’s largest cities, Yekaterinburg is a hub for heavy industry, as well as a key centre for busi-ness and fi nance.The fl ydubai service to Yekaterinburg will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

EMIRATES TO DAKAREmirates has launched its new direct service to Dakar in Senegal, West Africa. Dakar is the airline’s 105th destination and the only non-stop, sched-uled passenger link between Dubai and Senegal. The new route will cut current journey times to Dakar by the equivalent of an eight hour day.

EMIRATES INCREASES SAUDI SERVICESEmirates will increase fl ights to Al Medinah al Munawarah to seven per week from 31October. The new services will bring the total number of fl ights to Saudi Arabia to 28 per week through its four gateways, increasing capacity to the Kingdom by 15 percent.

Gulf Air execs announce the new destinations at a press conference

Bahraini airline Gulf Air is launching new services to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Basra in Iraq and Isfahan in Iran. The carrier also recently announced new services to Aden and Colombo.

Gulf Air will begin ser-vices to Isfahan from 30 Octo-ber with three weekly ser-vices while services to Aden via Sana’a and Colombo will begin on 31 October with fi ve weekly services. The Basra route will be launched on 31 October with three weekly services. Addis Ababa will be served from 6 December with

Emirates has announced the launch of second daily fl ights to Los Angeles and Houston.

The Dubai-based airline, which recorded a signifi -cant increase in revenue for the Americas in 2009-10, will soon offer over 15,000 seats on 98 return fl ights per week to the United States.

Starting 31 October for Los Angeles and 1 November for Houston, Emirates will fl y non-stop to both cities twice a day on Boeing 777 aircraft.

“Emirates has experi-enced very strong demand across all of its US gateways this year, including very healthy premium and busi-ness traffi c,” said Tim Clark, president of Emirates Air-line. “We are delighted to meet this increased demand

Etihad Airways is to launch its fi rst ‘all economy’ fl ights in October. Two Airbus A320s will be confi gured to carry 162 economy class passengers – an increase of 42 from the cur-rent economy capacity.

The all economy aircraft will operate to short-haul des-tinations. Initially these will be Alexandria, Calicut, Colombo, Damascus, Doha and Thiru-

direct services to Bahrain and beyond. None of the Gulf car-riers are serving Aden and Basra at present, and cities like Addis Ababa and Isfahan are unexplored markets. We believe there is a strong com-mercial potential in all these cities,” he added.

fi ve weekly services. Samer Majali, CEO, Gulf Air

said: “The launching of these fi ve new destinations dem-onstrates our new strategy to identify and serve niche and under-served markets and create potentially high yield city-pairs by providing

Majali highlighted some key features of Gulf Air’s win-ter schedule:

“The new winter sched-ule refl ects one of the main objectives of our new strat-egy – to serve every regional capital with at least a double-daily service and generate a new market of travellers, who wish to conduct business in the region and return home the same day.”

The schedule brings the number of Gulf Air fl ights in the region per week to 644. In the last 13 months Gulf Air has launched 11 new routes while suspending four that were not commercially viable.

NEW ROUTES

CAPACITYBUDGET

with the start of second daily services to both Houston and Los Angeles.”

“The additional services will provide customers in the Middle East and Asia with even easier access to the larg-est cities in Texas and Cali-fornia, supporting the bur-geoning business and leisure traffi c between these mar-kets and the United States,” he added.

vananthapuram. Plans are in place to expand the all econ-omy fl eet to 10 aircraft.

James Hogan, CEO, Eti-had Airways’ said: “Our all economy aircraft will allow us to offer a more compet-itive product in key point-to-point markets in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, while maintaining the high standards of service we have become known for.”


Business travel newsBTSME

Business travel “restoring in confi dence” Industry will not see a full return to “the halcyon days gone by” but it will get close

ANALYSIS

Business travel may not see a full recovery to pre-reces-sion levels any time soon – but it will get “close” – that is the cautiously optimis-tic prediction from Mike Sherrard, managing direc-tor, Centaur Travel Group, organisers of the Business Travel Show Middle East, which is set to take place in Dubai next month.

“From my perspective, it’s diffi cult to see a full return to the halcyon days gone by where First/Business Class travel seats were always full,” said Sherrard. “Indeed airlines have recognised this by reconfi guring their aircrafts’ layouts. However, I am a born optimist, and I believe we will get close.”

While companies slashed Sherrard believes the business travel industry is restoring confidence.

to see steady growth back to, or at least, close to pre-recession levels.”

According to Sherrard the general trend is of an “industry restoring confi -dence”. There was graphic evidence of this follow-ing the Business Travel and Meetings Show held in Lon-don in February, he said.

“There were many more exhibitors at the event than in 2009, and audience fi g-ures showed a healthy increase. Most importantly, exhibitors reported that visitors to the show had increased budgets and were more ready to spend – a sig-nifi cant difference to post-show reports in 2009 when confi dence - and travel bud-gets – was a scarcity.”

However, Sherrard warned that it was still too early to measure the true pace of recovery of the busi-ness travel market following the recession.

“The speed of this recov-ery can only be judged on an individual basis, and there is no defi nitive trend data available at present to back up the anecdotal impres-sions given by the travel management buyers.”

BTS ties up with ACTE for show seminar programmeEDUCATION

BTSME has announced that ACTE (Association of Cor-porate Travel Executives) has been appointed ‘Exclu-sive Education Partner’ to the event.

ACTE will present a series of keynote sessions,

seminars and roundta-bles designed to refl ect the needs of the corporate and travel buying community within the Middle East.

Paul Grinnall, events director, BTSME said: ‘When we set about the task of selecting our educational providers, one name was at

the top of our list by some margin. ACTE is recognised as the worldwide authority in education provision for the business travel sector – and that’s who we wanted. Obviously we are delighted that they are now working so closely with the event”.

Monique Swart, project

manager for ACTE added: “Whilst ACTE is active in more than 80 countries world-wide, the Middle East is recognised as a strong and growing force for the Busi-ness Travel community, and we are pleased to be asso-ciated with the event dedi-cated to this market”.

She added: “Our objective has been to produce an edu-cational programme that matches the needs of busi-ness travel buyers, bookers and managers throughout the GCC. We’ll be releas-ing the programme details shortly, and are confi dent that we have hit this brief.”

BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW MIDDLE EASTThe Business Travel Show Middle East (BTSME) brings together the leading suppliers of business travel solutions and the high-spending buyers of the Middle East. Airlines, travel management companies, hotels and accommodation groups, ground transportation and technology suppliers will fi nd a platform to meet professionals who buy and arrange business travel and meetings - including PAs, managers and company

directors from SMEs and larger corporations from across the trade and industry spectrum. Alongside the show is a two-day seminar programme, offering practical solutions for all levels of travel bookers and buyers from leading industry experts. What: Business Travel Show Middle EastWhen: 25-26 October 2010Where: Madinat Arena, DubaiContact: www.businesstravelshowmiddleeast.com

their business travel bud-gets by up to 40 percent in 2009, this year has seen a slight loosening of the purse strings – a trend which is set to continue as corporates emerge from the grips of recession.

He added that business travel was returning to growth as corporates rec-ognised the value of face to face meetings.

“In my view business is always better conducted face-to-face as human inter-action produces stronger commercial bonds and last-ing business transactions. Trust and belief is much enhanced, and products better illustrated, injecting customer confi dence and hence enhanced retention - old school beliefs perhaps, but in this light I do expect

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REGIONAL NEWSQ&A CELEBRITY CRUISESComment

Content fragmentation means fi nding the best fares costs time and money. It’s time customers realised they must pay the price.

A fragmented issue

Corporate companies are not unaware of the ‘fragmentation’ issue and therefore must understand the time it takes for TMCs to combat it. And yet they continue to demand that their travel management provider offers a ‘best fare guarantee’ while at the same time making the incongruous demand for lower service fees”

s a Travel Management Company (TMC), finding the best fares within

the scope of a client’s travel pol-icy, has always been the best way to

present the client with savings. But in today’s changing landscape of

travel content, actually finding those sav-ings is an ever increasing challenge.

In May 2006, when Air Canada removed its low, Tango Class fares from the GDS (Global Distribution Systems) and made them available only via its own website, the reaction from the corporate travel industry was fast and furious.

Corporations, GDS providers and travel management all weighed in. But, despite the outpouring of concern, in the months that followed one thing quickly became clear – a new age of content fragmentation had begun.

For travel management companies, (and GDS providers), the concern was obvious: if airlines and hotels were going to reserve their best prices for their own websites, then continuing to offer clients full access to content and savings was not only going to be difficult but time consuming.

Five years on and the furore directed at Air Canada now appears to be a thing of the past – at least from the corporate clients’ point of view.

Today, dealing with the fragmented world of travel content is an everyday occurrence for us as travel management providers and, while GDS companies attempt to evolve into ‘technology part-ners’ to help us deal with the continuing challenge of finding and displaying ‘best content’, the reality is that it is about more than just the content.

Any content booked outside the GDS requires either credit terms with that sup-plier or direct payment with a credit card. However, simple cost issues aside, there is

another issue here too – the cost of time. It is not just the time associated with

searching multiple platforms to find the best fares (including careful checking of online fare rules to ensure policy compli-ance). It is the additional time required to ensure that booking data from third party sites is captured into our back office and security tracking systems to ensure we can offer consistent, accurate and detailed reporting to clients.

Corporate companies are certainly not unaware of the ‘fragmentation’ issue and therefore, they must understand the time it takes for TMCs to combat it. And yet, while corporates are no longer raising their con-cerns directly with suppliers – as they did in 2006 with the Air Canada situation – they still continue to demand that their travel management provider offers a ‘best fare guarantee’, while at the same time making the somewhat incongruous demand for lower service fees.

Smart travel management companies

are able to overcome the challenge of con-tent fragmentation through effective tech-nology, training and skilled staff – granted a costly investment in terms of time and resources.

But in doing so, these TMCs are able to continue delivering measurable savings to their clients on their travel cost. The wisest companies have realised this and, focused on further optimising their travel programme, have started to offer TMCs savings-linked incentives or higher base service fees in exchange for delivering a successful best fare guarantee. After all, time is money – whatever business you are in.

Tim Waddell is director of marketing at Alshamel Travel. What’s your view on the issue? Email: [email protected]


REGIONAL NEWSComment

Speaking to travel agents this month it seems that this year’s summer holiday season has offered up some-thing of a mixed bag of challenges. While most agents reported that they were rushed off their feet in early summer, with business well up on last year and plane seats selling out to the most popular destinations throughout July; come August and the onset of Rama-dan, and travel demand somewhat predictably took a nose dive. One agent said he had effectively “lost one full month of summer bookings” due to Arab nation-als cutting short their holidays and returning home in time for the start of the holy month.

Ramadan is of course a time traditionally spent at home with the fam-

ily – bad news for travel agents as for at least

the next three years it is set to edge ever fur-ther and further into the peak summer holiday season. Next

year, it will begin around August 1, the year after

on July 20 and in 2013, on July 9 – signalling

potentially millions in lost revenue for

travel agents if big-spending Arab clients choose not to pack their bags and escape the Gulf heat as usual, but to remain at home instead.

Clearly it’s time for travel agents to get innovative. There are plenty of Muslim destinations around the world where agents could devise special packages offering up a different kind of Ramadan experience to their clients – Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia and Jordan all spring to mind as places that would offer a welcoming religious experience, plus the ideal climate to escape the heat of the Gulf while fasting.

But it’s not just Muslim countries that have latched on to the potential to woo Muslim guests over the holy month. Popular destinations in Europe and Austra-lia have been bending over backwards to accomo-date the Middle East market, with hotels laying on iftars and suhours, as well as buses to ferry tourists to nearby mosques, shops and swimming pools opening later, and even special night-time prayers – all with the added attraction of being far from the sweltering heat.

If you pitch it to them right, maybe your big-spend-ing clients will still decide to combine the holy month with a holiday next year after all.

. In its capacity as mouthpiece of the Middle East travel trade, ATN is eager to hear your news and views. Email [email protected]

News and analysis for Middle East travel agents and tour operators

Arabian Travel NEWS

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Time to pitch the ‘halal holiday’Agents must fi nd a way to tackle the Ramadan conundrum

Monika Grzesik, Editor, Arabian Travel News

RE: DON’T GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT’S NOT DUE Monika, you have hit the nail on the head. There are more skeletons in each of our TMC’s cupboards that would rattle the bones of the busi-ness community and the general public at large. It is a fact that quite a few well known MNC’s fl y and either don’t pay or delay payment. Keep in mind when a credit card holder defaults for a paltry sum the bank goes berserk with their collection gangs resembling the chain-saw massacre ghouls crawling all over the place. Not forgetting you may get on Interpol’s who’s who list. But

when a large MNC delays payment after fl ying fi rst class, dining (the whole nine yards) the travel agent can only whimper and scamper. I think it’s time the Travel Agents As-sociation gets together and names to shame these crooked companies who masquerade as savants to the community at large. CJ

Well done Monika for highlighting this issue in the travel industry that is becoming a major problem. Travel Companies should consolidate and agree on new terms and conditions for the market in order to re-gain the power of dictating conditions

to their customers, and to airlines. They should not use this factor as a marketing tool to compete with each other. Raed Mohtar

It is the unhealthy practices and competition of TMCs which has made the situation into such bad shape. Whether we are getting commission or not us TMCs do not need to give credit to our custom-ers. A corporate with expenses of US$10,0000 will have a business turnover of 100 times more. For him the TMC invoice is peanuts and he can easily pay it. So why should we be extending credit? Sebastian

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


REGIONAL NEWSQ&A CELEBRITY CRUISESHow to sell

South Africa and Kenya are emerging as the hottest new luxury holiday destinations knocking spots off others for a truly exclusive break

Upmarket

Africa


Luxury Africa

Kenya’s tropical coastline 1 Take a hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara followed by a silver service champagne breakfast2 Soak up the serenity of the African bush whilst relaxing on the terrace of your luxury lodge and enjoying an outdoor spa treatment. 3 Rent a private yacht to explore the

Kenya coast and rich coral reefs and their teaming marine life, including a scuba dive with whale sharks4 Stay at a boutique luxury villa on the island of Lamu, off the coast of Kenya – a top getaway for Hollywood’s A-list5 Check into a top resort in Sun City, South Africa’s Kingdom of Pleasure

5 LUXURY AFRICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCES:

or years Africa has been over-looked by the travel trade when it comes to luxury holiday des-

tinations in favour of time-hon-oured favourites such as shop-

ping breaks to Paris and London or Indian Ocean Island escapes. But

as our luxury travel experts point out (see p.26-37) affl uent travellers are now demand-ing more ‘experiences’ for their money and where better to fi nd those than in this incred-ible continent?

In Africa ‘luxury travel’ takes on a whole new meaning to anywhere else in the world – it’s not about designer shopping trips, mar-ble bathrooms and exclusive restaurants. And however much your clients pay for the trip they are bound to come across a creepy crawly or two. Far from materialistic plea-sures, luxury in Africa is about sweeping vis-tas, wide open plains, rolling mists on moun-

tain peaks, and getting up close and personal with nature and animals. Add all that to some top-class accommodation options and fi ve-star safaris where your clients will be treated like royalty and they are in for an experience they won’t forget.

INCREASING AWARENESS Excellent fl ight links from the Middle East make Kenya and South Africa the top two African destinations for GCC travellers. Interest has been growing in both destina-tions of late, mainly thanks to the huge boost given to South Africa following its successful hosting of the 2010 World Cup this summer, and also thanks to the efforts of the newly established Kenyan Tourism Board Mid-dle East offi ce, which has been working hard to educate the trade about Kenya since its launch in Dubai in December.

However, there is a still an unfortunate

lack of awareness about what both destina-tions can offer as a luxury travel product.

According to Bruno Hivon, regional man-ager, destination development, Africa and Indian Ocean, Emirates Destination & Lei-sure Management Division, African safari holidays are often viewed by both travel agents and consumers in the Middle East region as an ‘adventurous’ product, too risky for many clients to tackle – when the reality could not be further from the truth.

“A lot of people think a safari is diffi cult and only for sporty or outdoor types,” says Hivon, but that’s a total misconception. You don’t need to be an ‘Indiana Jones’ type character to go. What people don’t realise is that there are all types of safaris, luxury as well as rug-ged, and it’s the perfect family product.”

Mary Stephania Paul, chief executive of Dubai-based Africa marketing company African Odyssey agrees that agents don’t rea-lise the full potential of what Africa can offer.

“There is defi nitely an interest as a holiday destination as far as Africa is concerned,” she says. “But in terms of its popularity as a lux-ury destination, I think the mindset has to change fi rst. I tell agents that when it comes to selling Africa, don’t tell your clients you are going on just another holiday. Selling Africa as a destination is about selling the experi-ence. No two visits to Africa can be the same.”


REGIONAL NEWSLuxury Africa

SOUTH AFRICA After its successful hosting of the World Cup, interest has surged in South Africa. “The wildlife and spectacular, breathtaking scenic beauty are very appealing to travellers from this part of the world,” says Paul.

South Africa’s game reserves are amongst the best on the continent, such as the world famous Kruger National Park – the mother of all safari parks, home to 147 species of ani-mals, 507 species of bird and more than 1,950 plant species. At Kruger you can spot the big fi ve, plus cheetah, wild dog, hippo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest – and the list goes on.

For the Arab market, Hivon recommends Johannesburg as a starting point to explore South Africa. “As well as being the gateway to Kruger, Johannesburg is a great place to go shopping, plus you can drive to Sun City [one of the world’s biggest resorts featuring hotels, attractions and casinos] two hours away, where there are a lot of activities to do.”

Hivon is eager to dispel the myth that heading off on a safari adventure means roughing it in a rustic campsite with no facil-ities in the middle of the African bush. While Kruger does offer basic rest camps for the budget traveller, other lodges present an out-of-this-world level of luxury on a par with the top hotels in the world. In fact Hivon compares the accommodation offering with what’s on offer in the Maldives.

“You have some lodges that are as luxuri-

How to get there: Emirates fl ies three times daily to Jo-hannesburg, daily once to Cape Town and Durban. South African Airways fl ies from Dubai to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

When to go: The seasons are the reverse of those in the northern hemisphere. Winter (June to September) is cooler, drier and the best time for wildlife watch-ing because vegetation is less dense and thirsty animals congregate around water sources.

Visas: All GCC nationals require a visa for South Africa which can be obtained from the South African consulates in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Visitors from most Commonwealth and Western European countries do not require one.

Sample package: Springbok Flying Safaris is a special-ised tour operator offering high-end, luxury tours for travellers that want to experience ‘authentic’ Africa. Spring-bok has a six-day ‘African Adventure Tour’ through Southern Africa, starting at Johannesburg International Airport and taking in the Tuli Block, Chobe Na-tional Park, Victoria Falls and Sun City. A tailored itinerary starts at around US$ 10,000 per person including ac-commodation, transfers and guides. Contact: African Odyssey 050 910 6745 / [email protected]

HOW TO SELL SOUTH AFRICA

ous as any resort in the Maldives,” he says. “Exactly the same level of luxury is there and there’s a lot of similarity in terms of the offer-ing. I make the comparison because a lot of people from this region will go to the Mal-dives to relax and get away from it all, but I always personally fi nd that in the Maldives you can run out of things to do. Whereas in Africa you can fi nd the same level of relax-ation, but you have the added bonus of doing game drives. Plus all the luxury touches are there – such as a pampered champagne breakfast brought to your door before head-ing off on a game drive in the morning.”

Close to Kruger are private game reserves such as Sabi Sands and Singita which are syn-onymous with luxury. Lodges such as Ebony Lodge and Le Bombo Lodge offer private plunge pools, spas and massages on the deck of your suite or spa. Dinner is served in an

open air ‘Boma’ (a reed enclosure) next to a crackling log fi re, looking out over the peace-ful stillness of the African bush.

“My biggest worry is that the tourism board does not utilise the World Cup excite-ment enough to promote South Africa,” comments Hivon. “They have not been very active in the Middle East so far but now they have started to communicate to us that they will begin to promote the destination in this part of the world. I’m sure the day that Mid-dle East travellers discover what South Africa has to offer they will love it.”

At Kruger you can spot lions and other wildlife

South Africa is a haven for wildlife spotting

Luxury Africa



TOP LUXURY STAYS: Twelve Apostles Hotel, Cape Town

Named one of the “Best places to stay in the world,” in the 2010 Conde Nast Gold List, this stunningly located hotel has in-credible views over mountains and sea and one of the rarest private wine collections in Africa. The hotel also features The Sanctu-ary – an award-wining cave-like spa offer-ing mountain side treatments. The hotel

is offering a ‘Stay four, Pay three’ package until 30 September 2010. Rates start at AED 2,870 per person, based on double occupancy in-cluding breakfast, airport transfers, taxes and service charge. Contact: [email protected] / www.12apostleshotel.com

Royal Madikwe, South Africa For guests seeking the ultimate sense of exclusivity in the African bush – the Royal Madikwe luxury safari residence is a private safari villa in the heart of South Africa’s game-rich Madikwe Game Reserve. The villa can accommodate just ten guests on an exclusive-basis, where they will experi-ence the luxury of an infi nity pool, outdoor

showers, hot tubs on elevated game viewing decks, private plunge pools - as well as the beauty of the African bush all to themselves. Contact: www.royalmadikwe.com

Fairmont Zimbali Resort The newly-opened Fairmont Zimbali Resort on South Africa’s east coast near Durban is nestled between a forest reserve and the Indian Ocean. The resort is a gateway to nature, offering game viewing and safari opportunities. Its 154 rooms offer spec-tacular views from the oversized verandas, as well as an elegant decor of stone, wood

and earth tones inspired by its breathtaking natural surroundings.Contact: www.fairmont.com/zimbaliresort

One and Only, Cape TownWith its spectacular location in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and its stunning views of Table Mountain, the One and Only Cape Town is the fi rst luxury hotel to open in the city in nearly a decade. The trendy destina-tion resort features the fi rst Nobu restaurant in Africa, and Cape Town’s most expansive

spa. The One and Only Cape Town has a ‘stay three pay two’ offer until 30 September 2010, the offer includes breakfast at Maze by Gordon Ramsey, tax and service charges. Contact: [email protected]

When it comes to selling Africa,don’t tell your clients they are going on just another holiday. Selling Africa as a destination is about selling the experience. No two visits to Africa can ever be the same.”



KENYA Kenya Tourism Board launched its fi rst ded-icated Middle East offi ce in December, and thanks to a dedicated travel agent educa-tion programme has seen a thirty percent increase in visitors from the region com-pared to the same period last year.

Emirates Holiday reports a major increase in demand for Kenya. “This year demand has increased dramatically for us and we are nearly tripling our product to Kenya,” says Hivon. “But we still think there is a lot of scope.”

John Chirchir, regional marketing man-ager, Emerging Markets Kenya Tourist Board,agrees that there is still a great deal of potential for the local market to experi-ence Kenya, particularly considering that it is a short haul destination – only four hours fl ight from the Middle East.

“Our greatest challenge has been getting the word out about Kenya and the once-in a-life-time experiences that can be carried out with style and fl air – and in safety,” says Chirchir. “These messages have been quite limited in the past as there were not many consumers, travel agents or indeed package planners that had acquainted themselves

How to get there: Kenya is well connected with direct fl ights from the GCC by a number of major airlines to Nairobi Airport. Kenya Airways has 10 fl ights a week from Dubai and three fl ights a week from Muscat. Emirates Airlines offers 12 fl ights weekly from Dubai, Qatar Airlines provides daily fl ights from Doha, and Air Arabia fl ies thrice weekly from Sharjah.

When to go: The main tourist season is in January and February, when the weather is hottest and driest. At this time, the animals in the wildlife parks tend to congregate more around the watercourses, making them easier to spot. However, the parks can get crowded and rates for accommodation soar. From June to October, the annual wildebeest migration takes place, with thousands of animals streaming into the Masai Mara National Reserve from the Serengeti.

Visas: Most nationalities can be issued visa on arrival at the airport. Should you require a visa prior to departure, Kenyan Embassy offi cials are available every Wednesday at the Kenya Airways offi ce in Deira, Dubai to process visas. The visa cost is AED 100. Children under 16 are issued a free visa.

Top Tip: Kenya is only a four hour fl ight from the Middle East so an ideal sell for clients seeking a short-haul luxury mini-break

Sample packages: Emirates Holidays has a ‘Taste of Kenya’ package. The four-day / three-night overland minibus safari starts in Nairobi and takes in Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara National Reserve with overnight stays in lodges in Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara. The tour can be tailor made as a fi ve-star luxury experience with fi ve-star accommodation and private, chauffeur driven 4x4 or light aircraft.

Emirates Holidays also offers the fi ve-day ‘Big Cat Special’ package. Guests are fl own from Nairobi to the Masai Mara where they will enjoy game drives over two days and the chance to see big cats. For a special experience guests can opt for an aerial view from a hot-air balloon. Guided big game walking safaris as well as fl ying safaris to Lake Victoria for fi shing and bird watching at Mfangano Island Camp can also be arranged. Contact: www.emirates-holidays.com

Useful contact: Kenya Tourist Board GCC Offi ce: Tel: +971 4 375 [email protected] / www.magicalkenya.com

HOW TO SELL KENYA

well with the destination and its variety of offerings. We are steadily looking to improve this situation.”

With the new trend in luxury travel being for ‘experiential’ travel, Kenya offers such out-of-this-world experiences in droves: “Kenya has much to offer in what we like to term ‘new luxury’,” explains Chirchir.

“Whether it be high-altitude training with Kenya’s long distance Olympic runners, on-foot personal safaris with professional hunters, diving from a privately rented and serviced yacht surrounded by whale sharks, arriving by hot air balloon to a silver service breakfast in the middle of the Masai Mara, or lying in the lap of luxury soaking up the

A Masai looks out onto a stunning vista

Luxury Africa



Serena Hotels, Resorts & Safari Lodges With 23 stunning properties around Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique, several of which are members of ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ or ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’, Serena Hotels are the top pick for premium African getaways. Each property is utterly unique mixing indigenous design and materials with exceptional service and modern amenities. For an amazing wildlife experience, recommend the Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. Set against the backdrop of Mount

Kilimanjaro in the heart of Amboseli Safari Park, the lodge has a unique position in this world famous wildlife park - one of the best places to view elephants. The lodge is inspired by local Masai architecture and is furnished with authentic African murals painted by a local artist. Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge offers a ‘Plains and Migration Safari package’ from US$1,950 per person including two nights accomodation, game drives and a bush barbeque. Contact: www.serenahotels.com

The Majlis Lamu, Kenya The Majlis is a small luxury beach hotel on the island of Lamu, Kenya. The privately-owned hotel, only accessible by boat, offers 25 superbly-appointed suites in understated elegance refl ecting Lamu’s local tradition and style. The Majlis is the perfect getaway for someone looking for a relaxing holiday, facing the spectacular twelve kilometre Shela Beach on the Indian Ocean. The hotel has free night promotiions until 10 December 2010.

Contact: www.themajlisresorts.com

Larsens Camp, Kenya A luxury boutique hotel located in the famous Samburu National Reserve, the resort comprises just 20 ultra-plush tents featuring king-sized beds dressed with Egyptian cotton linen, mahogany and teak wood furniture and en-suite bathrooms fi lled with Molton Brown toiletries. The lodge also features The Eseriani Spa with stunning views of the game reserve. All the tents have perfect views of the Ewaso Nyiro River where wildlife can be spotted from the luxury of your tent verandah. Larsens Camp has a ‘Gourmet package’ including two nights full-board accommodation starting from US$1450. Contact: www.wildernesslodges.co.ke

Serengeti Bushtops Camp, KenyaThe brand new Serengeti Bushtops Camp opened in June in the Serengeti plains, directly in the path of the annual wildebeest migration. Each of the twelve, luxurious tents faces the sunset and is open on two sides giving guests an extraordinary, panoramic view of the surrounding vista. Lavish facilities include beautiful wooden fl ooring, an en-suite shower area, large private terrace, a hot tub, writing desk, 24-hour butler service, and on-demand in-tent massages. Contact: www.orion-hotels.net

TOP LUXURY STAYS: history and beauty at a historic residence in the heart of UNESCO World Heritage Lamu city – the options are endless and each one is unique.”

Kenya’s wilderness areas are famous worldwide. The Masai Mara National Reserve is known for the spectacular annual sight of millions of migrating wildebeest, while Amboseli National Park, noted for its elephant and buffalo is renowned for superb views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The national parks all offer high-end lodges with private pools, exquisite vistas, and per-sonalised safari tours.

For a different type of luxury escape you could also suggest that your clients pay a visit to the island of Lamu, off the coast of Kenya. Traditionally an Arab trading island hub, many of the grand old rich merchant’s houses have now been restored into pri-vately-run luxury boutique hotels – such as Baytil Ajaib, Lamu House and The Majlis - some with just three or four suites per prop-erty. The guest lists at these hotels provide a who’s who of Hollywood A-list celebrities, who fl ock there for the bespoke service and tranquil settings.

“Kenya is the perfect destination choice for clients that have been everywhere and are looking for an experience with “wow-factor” that is not easily forgotten,” says Chirchir. “The majority of visitors to Kenya describe their experiences as “magical”. The level of luxury offered is comparable to any major destination in the world but with the added excitement of being amongst land-scapes of such natural beauty that makes it completely unique and special.”

A hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara

25 Septmber 2010 – Arabian Travel Newswww.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

REGIONAL NEWSQ&A CELEBRITY CRUISESQ&A

Kenya’s assistant minister for Tourism, Cecily Mbarire says Kenya makes the ideal short-haul getaway for the Middle East market – if only everyone knew about it.

It’s time to discover Kenya

Kenya is a short-haul destination from here. You’d be surprised to know that people leave here on a Thursday evening, they are in Kenya on Friday and Saturday and back on Sunday.”

ATN: What does Kenya have to offer visitors from the Middle East? I think Kenya offers a very unique and diverse product in that we have a lot of things hap-pening within the same country. We have the beach and safaris and we are able to give the necessary luxury that tourists in the UAE love to enjoy. We also have golf tourism which is developing very well, as well as cultural and eco-tourism. There’s so much to do in one destination, which is what makes Kenya a very unique and attractive destination.

ATN: How important is the Middle East mar-ket to your tourism strategy?The UAE is a very important market. It’s among what we are calling the emerging mar-kets of the world. These are the markets that we haven’t put a lot of effort into reaching out to the consumers yet. But as a result we rea-lised there was potential because even with-out doing much there were still very many people coming to the country.

ATN: What is Kenya Tourism Board doing to attract visitors from the UAE? In December we established a Kenya Tour-ism Board offi ce here in the UAE that is now permanently going to engage the consumer and, as a result, we are expecting an increased number of tourists from UAE. It’s a very recent offi ce but we feel that in a short time we have been able to do so much. We have trained well over 500 travel agents in partnership with Emirates Holidays. After the training we did a fam trip to Kenya with some of the agents so that they could gain fi rst-hand experience of Kenya and what it has to offer. Before nobody was trained, and nobody knew much about the destination, so we really hope to see a great deal of improve-ment by the end of the year. Kenya Tourism even won an award from Emirates Holidays for being ‘the most supportive national tour-ist organisation’.

ATN: What are your targets for increasing visitor numbers from this region? Last year we received around 12,000 tourists from this region. And our target is that by the end of the year we want to get at least between 20 to 25,000, which we think would be a great thing. Then of course it will grow over the years. There’s a lot of potential in this market.

ATN: What kind of tourists do you want to attract? Honeymooners, family, people who want to come for luxury and relaxation. We are not particularly targeting any specifi c type of tourist, we want to open it up so that different people can have dif-ferent experiences and from that they can give their feedback on what they felt about Kenya.

ATN: Kenya is famous for its safaris but are there any new tourism products being developed in Kenya? Sports tourism, and espe-cifi cally golf tourism. We already have 40 golf courses in Kenya and we are developing an 18-hole golf course in Vipingo in coast prov-

ince which is going to be one of the best golf courses in the world – it’s really state of the art.

ATN: What are the key USPs about Kenya for this market? Kenya is a short-haul distance destination from here – it’s just four and a half hours fl ight. You’d be surprised to know that there are peo-ple who leave here on a Thursday evening, they are in Kenya on a Friday and Saturday and they are back on Sunday. Especially in the summer it’s a great place to escape the heat for

a few days and relax. We want to really tell the UAE nationals that Kenya is a safe place to come to, they will be well taken care of, we treat our visitors very well and they have no reason to think or feel other-

wise. For those that have been there they will have a lot of good

stories to tell about the destination.


REGIONAL NEWSHow to sell: Luxury

REGIONAL NEWSNews analysisHow to sell

TOP LUXURY DESTINATIONS: Western Europe is still number one for luxury travellers across the world – GCC included. Countries such as France, Spain, Switzerland and the UK offer clients discretion, security, a cooler but nevertheless good climate in the summer months, as well as exclusive shop-ping and cultural experiences, and are also culturally sensitive.

London and Paris are time-less classic destinations. The

Maybourne Group’s hotels in London: Claridges;

The Connaught and The Berkley are excel-lent choices offering a variety of cultural and

gastronomic experi-ences from Michelin-

starred chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus

Wareing, as well as close proximity to West End the-

atres and Knightsbridge’s exclusive department stores.

In Paris, the Dorchester Collec-tion’s Hotel Plaza Athenee and Le

Meurice are ranked amongst the most elegant in the world.

For a totally differ-ent experience,

Asia is num-ber one for the high levels of service which GCC travellers

It may be something of a cliché but the concept of ‘luxury’ means something different to everyone. So for travel agents specialising in selling luxury travel it can be something of a minefi eld. On one end of the scale you have Burj-al Arab style opulence – helicopter transfers and personal butlers to run your bath for you, while on the other you’ve got the luxury of paying top dollar for an out-of-this-world experience – such as an isolated island or amazing adventure. But wherever your VIP client’s perfect holiday lies, the luxury travel market signals big-value bookings and some incredible products to sell. We picked the brains of the specialists to fi nd out more about the latest trends in luxury travel.

are accustomed to. Legendary hotels Raffl es, Singapore; The Peninsula Hong Kong and Mandarin Oriental Bangkok are all renowned for fi rst class levels of service.

TOP SPENDING CONSUMERS: What is clear is that luxury travel consumers are not homogenous – each consumer is dif-ferent – requiring bespoke tailor-made lux-ury travel experiences. In terms of markets there is huge growth emerging from coun-tries such as China and Brazil although high-end travellers from the US, UK, Germany and Japan are still some of the largest consumers of luxury travel products.

Where will your affl uent clients choose to holiday next? We asked the experts in luxury travel for their advice on hot destinations and top selling tips.

Simon Mayle, marketing manager, International Luxury Travel Market

The Luxury Line-up

IMPACT OF THE RECESSION: This very interesting debate has undoubt-edly focused on the question of values: both in terms of value for money and an individ-ual elite traveller’s personal values. Luxury travellers certainly expect value for money – whilst they don’t mind paying a high price. Aspirations are also changing; people are less in the mindset of ‘self-indulgence’ but more ‘self-discovery’.

TOP LUXURY TRENDS: Whilst the traditional ‘fl y and fl op’ beach holiday is still popular there is a major trend towards exclusive experiences. Within the

Chiva Som in Thailand has pioneered the trend for ‘holistic tourism’



Luxury

adventure theme for example, ILTM exhibi-tor Yak & Yeti introduces clientele to helisking, trekking and luxury yachting. Pure Escapes, the Indian Ocean’s luxury inbound tour oper-ator offers bespoke yet traditional experi-ences with an untraditional twist. Recently hiring the whole of Round Island for Rus-sian oligarchs, guest experiences included learning the traditional ‘Sega’ dance; learn-ing from local fi shermen how to catch octopi with traditional spears and being taught how to navigate by the stars on an organised night boating trip.

FAVOURITE LUXURY EXPERIENCE: It was in August 2002, travelling on BA001 Concorde, London Heathrow to New York and staying at the elegant St Regis Hotel just off 5th Avenue. The trip included a private recital at the Lincoln Centre as well as wining and dining at some of New York’s fi nest and hippest restaurants such as 60 Thompson, Balthazar and St Regis’ Old King Cole bar.

DREAM DESTINATION: My ideal holiday is a couple of days in a vibrant city followed by a week on the beach. For me Thailand offers exactly that: a couple of nights at the legendary Mandarin Oriental Bangkok followed by a week in Ritz Carlton

Reserve: Phulay Bay – travelling on the upper deck of the Emirates A380

of course.HOW TO SELL

Selling ‘luxury travel’ is about offering a truly personal service

with one dedicated point of contact for your client supported by knowledgeable staff fully immersed in the products they

sell, and utterly confident that these products meet the premium five-star

standards each client expects. An understanding of and excellent

relationship with your customers is paramount.

Holistic as well as medical tourism is a hot trend. More than just spas, luxury travellers are looking for a total wellbeing package. Hotels such as Chiva Som in Thailand and La Prairie Spas across the world have pioneered this.”

WHAT’S ON AT ILTM: ILTM is the leading ‘by invitation only’ event for the global luxury travel indus-try where the most exclusive travel indus-try buyers will see the world’s top luxury properties, new boutique hotels, private island getaways, relaxing spa and well-ness retreats and out of this world adven-ture experiences. Newcomers at ILTM 2010 this year include Le Royal Mansour Resort in Marrakech, consisting of 53 beautiful-ly-appointed individual riads with inte-rior gardens; Croatia’s first luxury hotel – The Monte Mulini Hotel; The Ràcz Hotel & Thermal Spa in Budapest and the brand new Indigo Pearl Spa, Phuket – both open-ing in November. ILTM takes place in Cannes 6-9 December Visit: www.iltm.net/cannes

Luxury Indian Ocean operator Pure Escapes hired the whole of Round Island in Mauritius for Russian oligarchs and arranged traditional fi shing trips.

Mayle picks the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok as his top luxury stay.



Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara is one of the region’s most luxurious properties.

FAVOURITE LUXURY GETAWAY: La Residencia, Deia, Mallorca in Spain. It’s a unique location with fantastic staff.

TOP LUXURY TRAVEL TRENDS: Travellers are expecting to plan luxury vaca-tions that maximise unforgettable moments and detailed experiences while minimising spending on extraneous amenities that they will not use.

TOP SPENDING CONSUMERS: UAE residents with disposable income who are looking for a getaway but don’t have the time to travel out from the UAE.

IMPACT OF RECESSION: Refl ecting the current economic environ-ment, it’s more about great value for money.

MOST MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: Taking the Orient Express train from Cusco to Machu Pichu.

Sample package: Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island has a Spa Essence package. The package includes buffet breakfast and two island activities per person per day (including nature and wildlife drives, kayaking, snorkelling, trekking, hiking, archery and guided game walks) plus a one-hour spa treatment daily per person. Valid until October 31 2010. Rates start from AED 2,600 per night. Tel: +971 2 801 5400 / www.anantara.com

John Rogers, general manager, Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara

HOW TO SELL

An agent must get to know their clients and be able to show why it’s worth paying a bit more to get something

extraordinary. It pays dividends to get to know travel

suppliers personally in order to meet great

expectations.

Travellers are expecting to plan luxury vacations that maximise unforgettable moments while minimising spending on extraneous amenities that they will not use.”


La Residencia Deia, Mallorca is Rogers’ top luxury stay



REGIONAL NEWSNews analysisHow to sell

TOP LUXURY DESTINATIONS: Western Europe is still number one for luxury travellers across the world – GCC included. Countries such as France, Spain, Switzerland and the UK offer clients discretion, security, a cooler but nevertheless good climate in the summer months, as well as exclusive shop-ping and cultural experiences, and are also culturally sensitive.

London and Paris are time-less classic destinations. The

Maybourne Group’s hotels in London: Claridges;

The Connaught and The Berkley are excel-lent choices offering a variety of cultural and

gastronomic experi-ences from Michelin-

starred chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus

Wareing, as well as close proximity to West End the-

atres and Knightsbridge’s exclusive department stores.

In Paris, the Dorchester Collec-tion’s Hotel Plaza Athenee and Le

Meurice are ranked amongst the most elegant in the world.

For a totally differ-ent experience,

Asia is num-ber one for the high levels of service which GCC travellers

It may be something of a cliché but the concept of ‘luxury’ means something different to everyone. So for travel agents specialising in selling luxury travel it can be something of a minefi eld. On one end of the scale you have Burj-al Arab style opulence – helicopter transfers and personal butlers to run your bath for you, while on the other you’ve got the luxury of paying top dollar for an out-of-this-world experience – such as an isolated island or amazing adventure. But wherever your VIP client’s perfect holiday lies, the luxury travel market signals big-value bookings and some incredible products to sell. We picked the brains of the specialists to fi nd out more about the latest trends in luxury travel.

are accustomed to. Legendary hotels Raffl es, Singapore; The Peninsula Hong Kong and Mandarin Oriental Bangkok are all renowned for fi rst class levels of service.

TOP SPENDING CONSUMERS: What is clear is that luxury travel consumers are not homogenous – each consumer is dif-ferent – requiring bespoke tailor-made lux-ury travel experiences. In terms of markets there is huge growth emerging from coun-tries such as China and Brazil although high-end travellers from the US, UK, Germany and Japan are still some of the largest consumers of luxury travel products.

Where will your affl uent clients choose to holiday next? We asked the experts in luxury travel for their advice on hot destinations and top selling tips.

Simon Mayle, marketing manager, International Luxury Travel Market

The Luxury Line-up

IMPACT OF THE RECESSION: This very interesting debate has undoubt-edly focused on the question of values: both in terms of value for money and an individ-ual elite traveller’s personal values. Luxury travellers certainly expect value for money – whilst they don’t mind paying a high price. Aspirations are also changing; people are less in the mindset of ‘self-indulgence’ but more ‘self-discovery’.

TOP LUXURY TRENDS: Whilst the traditional ‘fl y and fl op’ beach holiday is still popular there is a major trend towards exclusive experiences. Within the

Chiva Som in Thailand has pioneered the trend for ‘holistic tourism’



Luxury

adventure theme for example, ILTM exhibi-tor Yak & Yeti introduces clientele to helisking, trekking and luxury yachting. Pure Escapes, the Indian Ocean’s luxury inbound tour oper-ator offers bespoke yet traditional experi-ences with an untraditional twist. Recently hiring the whole of Round Island for Rus-sian oligarchs, guest experiences included learning the traditional ‘Sega’ dance; learn-ing from local fi shermen how to catch octopi with traditional spears and being taught how to navigate by the stars on an organised night boating trip.

FAVOURITE LUXURY EXPERIENCE: It was in August 2002, travelling on BA001 Concorde, London Heathrow to New York and staying at the elegant St Regis Hotel just off 5th Avenue. The trip included a private recital at the Lincoln Centre as well as wining and dining at some of New York’s fi nest and hippest restaurants such as 60 Thompson, Balthazar and St Regis’ Old King Cole bar.

DREAM DESTINATION: My ideal holiday is a couple of days in a vibrant city followed by a week on the beach. For me Thailand offers exactly that: a couple of nights at the legendary Mandarin Oriental Bangkok followed by a week in Ritz Carlton

Reserve: Phulay Bay – travelling on the upper deck of the Emirates A380

of course.HOW TO SELL

Selling ‘luxury travel’ is about offering a truly personal service

with one dedicated point of contact for your client supported by knowledgeable staff fully immersed in the products they

sell, and utterly confident that these products meet the premium five-star

standards each client expects. An understanding of and excellent

relationship with your customers is paramount.

Holistic as well as medical tourism is a hot trend. More than just spas, luxury travellers are looking for a total wellbeing package. Hotels such as Chiva Som in Thailand and La Prairie Spas across the world have pioneered this.”

WHAT’S ON AT ILTM: ILTM is the leading ‘by invitation only’ event for the global luxury travel indus-try where the most exclusive travel indus-try buyers will see the world’s top luxury properties, new boutique hotels, private island getaways, relaxing spa and well-ness retreats and out of this world adven-ture experiences. Newcomers at ILTM 2010 this year include Le Royal Mansour Resort in Marrakech, consisting of 53 beautiful-ly-appointed individual riads with inte-rior gardens; Croatia’s first luxury hotel – The Monte Mulini Hotel; The Ràcz Hotel & Thermal Spa in Budapest and the brand new Indigo Pearl Spa, Phuket – both open-ing in November. ILTM takes place in Cannes 6-9 December Visit: www.iltm.net/cannes

Luxury Indian Ocean operator Pure Escapes hired the whole of Round Island in Mauritius for Russian oligarchs and arranged traditional fi shing trips.

Mayle picks the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok as his top luxury stay.



Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara is one of the region’s most luxurious properties.

FAVOURITE LUXURY GETAWAY: La Residencia, Deia, Mallorca in Spain. It’s a unique location with fantastic staff.

TOP LUXURY TRAVEL TRENDS: Travellers are expecting to plan luxury vaca-tions that maximise unforgettable moments and detailed experiences while minimising spending on extraneous amenities that they will not use.

TOP SPENDING CONSUMERS: UAE residents with disposable income who are looking for a getaway but don’t have the time to travel out from the UAE.

IMPACT OF RECESSION: Refl ecting the current economic environ-ment, it’s more about great value for money.

MOST MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: Taking the Orient Express train from Cusco to Machu Pichu.

Sample package: Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island has a Spa Essence package. The package includes buffet breakfast and two island activities per person per day (including nature and wildlife drives, kayaking, snorkelling, trekking, hiking, archery and guided game walks) plus a one-hour spa treatment daily per person. Valid until October 31 2010. Rates start from AED 2,600 per night. Tel: +971 2 801 5400 / www.anantara.com

John Rogers, general manager, Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara

HOW TO SELL

An agent must get to know their clients and be able to show why it’s worth paying a bit more to get something

extraordinary. It pays dividends to get to know travel

suppliers personally in order to meet great

expectations.

Travellers are expecting to plan luxury vacations that maximise unforgettable moments while minimising spending on extraneous amenities that they will not use.”


La Residencia Deia, Mallorca is Rogers’ top luxury stay



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TOP LUXURY DESTINATIONS: It depends on the purpose of travel and what the client wants; each has its uniqueness – Seychelles, Mauritius and Maldives for beach; and Paris and London for shopping.

TOP LUXURY TRAVEL TRENDS: This year’s travel pattern has been to Europe. Luxury travellers usually demand high ser-vice levels, opulent décor, spa and dining options and a satisfaction of indulgences away from everyday life.

TOP SPENDING CONSUMERS: Mainly locals: couples and small families.

IMPACT OF RECESSION: Less travel spend, while still trying to main-tain the same requirements.

TOP SELLING TIP: I try to cater to the client’s needs, listening to what he wants and providing alternates

as well, with justifi cation. This way he knows he

is talking to some-one who knows his needs and has handled such requests before. Above all, I treat

every client like a friend.

MOST LUXURIOUS PACKAGE: The rental of a private island, aircraft and yacht charter for 14 nights in the Maldives.

DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION: A luxury tented safari in Kenya.

TOP VIP DEMANDS: First class/Charter travel, Meet & Greet at the aircraft, assistance through customs, immigration and baggage control, Limou-sine transfer, refreshments on arrival, pre-checked in to the suite (or in the suite itself,

Shibly Jowhershah, head of leisure and marketing, Al Naboodah Travel & Tourism Agencies

not the lobby). Manager to greet client at hotel, extra amenities provided, compli-mentary spa, shopping assistance (if avail-able), private concierge, private butler ser-vice, private dining.

These are some of the elements of a lux-ury holiday, but every package is unique and different, and is made to suit individ-ual tastes. It’s like an expensive suit – you cannot buy it off the shelf, it needs to be tailored to fi t you.

CONTACT: Al Naboodah Travel & Tourism Agencies LLC, Deira, 04-294 0099 or [email protected]

Every package is unique and different, and is made to suit individual

tastes. It’s like an expensive suit – you cannot buy it off the shelf, it needs to

be tailored to fi t you.”


The Seychelles is one of the top luxury destinations fror GCC

travellers

HOW TO SELL

Know what you are trying to sell and know what

your client wants. A person spending 100k+ is worth the maximum time and effort you can give. And trust me, the

person will return to you again.

Jowhershah says Mauritius is one of the top luxury destinations for the local market


REGIONAL NEWSQ&A CELEBRITY CRUISESInterview

Jacqueline Campbell, managing director of The Travel Collection tells ATN about the unique style of luxury found at her individual properties.

Campbell’s collection

f there’s one person who has her fi nger on the pulse when

it comes to the luxury travel industry, it’s Jacqueline Camp-

bell. A Dubai veteran, 10 years ago Campbell, who was cor-

porate director of sales and mar-keting for Jebel Ali Hotels and Golf resorts at the time, realised there was a gap in the market for some-one offering sales and marketing support to individual luxury hotel properties around the world. Approaching her 40th birth-day, she decided to take the leap and set up The Travel Collection, which 10 years on now represents over 40 premium properties to the Middle East market.

“Next year is a big year for me,” states Campbell. “I’m 50 years of age; it’s

been 10 years of running the Travel Collection and 15 years in Dubai.”

Her energy and enthusiasm for the business are completely

unrelenting, which is clearly what has made The Travel Col-

lection such a success.Each property in the port-

folio has been carefully hand-picked for its indi-viduality, levels of ser-

vice and style, as well as for the ‘experiences’ afforded to each guest.

“When we travel we are looking for a spe-cial experience,” says Campbell. “I went to one of our properties Shanti Ananda Mau-rice in Mauritius and if you asked me what I remember most, it was swim-

ming with the dolphins. The

property is amazing, but the special experi-ence was the dolphins.”

While chain brands provide a certain level of comfort and security, Campbell believes it is the individual nature of each property she represents that makes them appeal to the affl uent traveller.

“When people want to travel somewhere different and unique and not your interna-tional hotel groups, they look at properties like ours. Look at the luxury institutional properties like the Savoy in London and the Maybourne that have been going for years and years. They’ve got an individuality to them and are very unique in their style.”

The recession has undoubtedly been a dif-fi cult time for the travel industry, but Camp-bell says that far from witnessing any major drop in demand, the trend at the high-end of the market has been a focus on ‘value’.

“In the past it was “I’ll pay whatever but I want to go there”. Now people are asking, where is a destination that’s good value for money? Send me your special offers for all your hotels, and where people have seen the most attractive is where they’ve gone.”

“It doesn’t necessarily mean cheap,” she clarifi es. “The upper-end market wants to look after their money too. They still want to stay somewhere nice but they think – we may not go for two weeks, we may only go for 10 days. So we have seen a shortening of stays

Jacqueline Camp-bell, managing director, The Travel Collection

30 Arabian Travel News – September 2010

The Viceroy Anguilla


What we have seen is people looking for value for money. In the past it was “I’ll pay whatever but I want to go there”. Now people say send me all your special offers.”

person,” explains Campbell. “I believe in relationships and I believe in pounding the streets. I have a passion for sales and that’s what’s kept me going all these years.”

Her motto is to ‘drip feed’ crucial informa-tion to agents:“What I fi nd is that so often people go in and throw spaghetti at travel agents – by that I mean they throw all the information –– 50 bedrooms, 16 restaurants and then they leave. We always try to leave three main messages. One could be the loca-tion of the property, two could be something that’s unique about the property: it could be that the Viceroy in Miami is right next door to Nobu; it could be that at Hotel Sacher in Salz-burg guests can experience the famous Café Sacher.”

Ultimately people buy into Campbell’s collection because they trust her judgment.

“Buying anything is a matter of trust and the longer I’ve lived here I’ve taken on more of the Arab ways,” says Campbell. “When I fi rst started in Dubai I was taught that peo-ple will work with you if they trust you. It’s only by building a relationship that people become more open and honest. That’s when it becomes a friendship,” she says.

and taking advantage of the special offers.” In terms of hot spot destinations, Camp-

bell says Europe has been the stand-out favourite from the Middle East this year.

“London has been phenomenal this year. GCC travellers love it.

“We have also seen huge increases to Aus-tria, Switzerland and Germany. However, I understand talking to the industry that Paris is down slightly, and that’s to do with the new law being introduced banning burquas.”

Campbell pegs Bali and South Africa as emerging destinations, as well as the US as a new up-and-coming favourite.

“We have certainly seen a bit more inter-est in America. Miami is very popular with cruising – a lot of companies such as Silver-sea and Royal Caribbean stop there. Florida is big with DisneyLand, and Los Angeles is the home of shopping and very popular for studying in this part of the world.”

For Campbell, the key to establishing The Travel Collection has been developing suc-cessful relationships with the region’s travel trade – relationships that she has built up through years of dedicated sales calls. “At the end of the day I am a very old fashioned sales

CAMPBELL TALKS LUXURY:• TOP PICK DESTINATION: From this region, there are destinations that will always be popular, such as London, Vienna and Zurich as well as the Maldives, Thailand and Malaysia. How-ever “hot destinations” such as Mauritius, South Africa and Los Angeles are emerging as easy direct air links are now available.

• THE LATEST TREND IN LUXURY TRAVEL: We have seen a move towards ‘experi-ential holidays’ where guests no longer want to lie on a beach for two weeks but want to experience culture, adventure and educational activities such as cook-ing classes or crafting. They want a new and exceptional experience over and above high-quality accommodation.

• THE IMPACT OF THE RECESSION: The main impact that we have noticed is that people will opt to stay for shorter periods in fi ve-star hotels as opposed to staying for longer in a four-star property.

• TOP TIPS FOR TRAVEL AGENTS: The agent should know as much as pos-sible about the property and the region so as to be in a position to make suggestions and recommendations to the client. This means going beyond what info is available in a fact sheet. Tip: Build up a personal relationship with the hotel and its management. They are the people on the ground that can make miracles happen when you need them.

• TOP TREND TO LOOK OUT FOR:Cruising. With some cruise operators, such as Silversea, moving away from large and imposing vessels to smaller, bespoke, luxurious ships, you can experi-ence the very best accommodation and multiple international destinations in one holiday.

• DREAM DESTINATION: Viceroy Anguilla, Caribbean. Think pri-vate beaches, amazing cuisine, stunning views and glorious weather.

The Viceroy Anguilla in the Caribbean is Campbell’s dream luxury escape

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REGIONAL NEWSRoundtable debate


Leadersin Luxury

Experts in the luxury travel sector met at the ultra-plush Fire Presidential Suite in Raffl es Dubai to talk luxury travel trends, the secrets to dealing with VIP travellers and how securing high-end

clients means big value bookings for travel agents.

Meet the Arabian Travel News panel of experts (l-r):Firas Rashid, director of sales, leisure & Middle East, Raffl es Dubai

John Flower, product development manager, Destinations of the World

Lisa Balsom, manager, Luxury Hotels by Dnata

Adnan Aridi, general manager, Alpha Tours

Peter French, general manager, Raffl es Dubai



ATN: How has the luxury travel market been impacted by the recession? Are high-end cli-ents still spending money on travel? John: The biggest trend is value. It’s not nec-essarily a price driven market but it is a value driven one. It comes down to the old adage – what’s in it for me? People will look at what it costs per night here and what it costs per night there, and what added extras are actually included in that package.

Peter: Everyone is very savvy now. They all have access to the internet so they tend to know prices. The mood we fi nd is that it’s reached a point where if you pay retail you’re an idiot – nobody wants to pay full price, so it’s really a question of how you can get that price by building in all these add-ons and lit-tle extras.

Lisa: We still get travellers who decide today that they want to go to London tomorrow and they want a particular suite and price will not come into it. But the majority of travellers now do wait to see what’s out there. I think it’s more

about value-add than real price reduction – it’s about the extra things that go into it.

Adnan: Our experience with the recession is that high-end clients and the luxury market is doing much better because these people have the money and they will go on vacation and spend it. We were worried that the demand for private jet fl ights would disappear but we have actually had our busiest period over the last year and a half for private jets.

ATN: What trends are you seeing at the moment in the luxury sector? Peter: I think people today are looking for more of an ‘experience’. There was a time years ago when it was more about being acquisitive. You wanted watches and things around you. Whereas today a lot of people, particularly the older generation in the 50 to 60 year old age group are really out there to have experiences.

A hotel room is a commodity, so you can compare your bedroom price with Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons, whoever. Whereas if you’ve got a destination that’s unique, with a very limited inventory, you’ve created some-thing that you can’t put a price on. At that point in time with that level of luxury, price becomes slightly irrelevant. A good example is these high-end safari lodges. In many ways they can command a price that is way beyond anything that’s in the market.

Lisa: There are two different sides to luxury – there are luxury hotels, luxury cars etc. And then there’s aspirational luxury and I think that’s what people will pay money for – they will pay for an aspirational experience.

Peter: The problem with luxury hotels is that the star system has become so confused that the general public doesn’t really understand what the stars mean anymore – it’s really lost its relevance. Today it’s all about branding. People buy into Four Seasons, Mandarin Ori-ental, Raffl es, Ritz-Carlton, because the brand stands for a standard and I think that’s the rec-ognition today. You know what you’re going to get with those hotels. You know the quality, you know the service you’re going to get.

ATN: What type of experiences are high-end travellers looking for today? Adnan: I don’t see people travelling anymore for museums and cultural aspects. They can see these things on the internet. I would not pay 60 Euros to see a museum in Paris but I will go and have a luxury massage. Who’s going to travel somewhere just to place his hand on a

The star system has become so confused that the gen-eral public doesn’t really understand what the stars mean any-more – it’s really lost its relevance. Today it’s all about branding.”

Peter French joined Raffl es Dubai as general manager in July. He has over 40

years of experience in the international luxury hospitality industry and has worked as GM in prestigious properties around the world including the Sukothai in Bangkok, the Carlyle in New York, Grosvenor House in London and Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.

Peter French



17th century stone? In Lebanon, would you drive an hour and a half from Beirut to Baal-bek to see some columns? Would you go to Egypt just to see the pyramids? Why are there 600 spas in Dubai? Because people want the full luxury experience when they travel, they want to have dinner in nice restaurants, they want to go to the spa and relax.

John: I think that’s where we come from differ-ent backgrounds in that Australians will travel to do that.

Lisa: I disagree in that I think there is a huge market of ‘empty nesters’ that are looking to go and experience culture.

Peter: Did you know that one million Ameri-cans bend over backwards and kiss the blar-ney stone every year in the south of Ireland? It’s a cultural thing, it’s a heritage thing.

ATN: Which consumers are spending the most money on travel? John: The number of luxury and affl uent trav-ellers is generally increasing. An interesting trend that we’ve noticed is what we call ‘com-bination travellers’ from China and India.

The fi rst thing an agent should look at is having a good relationship with his suppliers. This will help to deliver cus-tomers’ needs.”

The biggest trend is value. It’s not neces-sarily a price driven market but it is a value driven one. It comes down to the old adage – what’s in it for me? ”John Flower

They will stay in a four-star hotel but they will always tack on one night in the Burj Al Arab. In some ways luxury travel is about ticking boxes. It’s the ‘thousand things you do before you die’.

Adnan: The Chinese market will always come for four nights, with one night in the Burj Al Arab, the second at Mina Al Salam and then they end up in a three star hotel.

Peter: It’s a very Asian thing – there was a Chi-nese group I saw staying in a three-star hotel but they were having tea in the Armani. They wanted to tick that box.

Firas Rashid is director of sales, leisure & Middle East, Raffl es

Dubai. He joined Raffl es in July 2008 from Grosvenor House, and has since utilised his extensive relationships with VIP clients to manage the leisure segment at the hotel.

John Flower has 18 years experience in the travel industry.

His most luxury booking ever? “It was in Australia. What started out as a simple AED 45,000 booking turned into AED300,000 and included a cruise on the QE2, luxury Nile cruise with private sightseeing and transfers, round-the-world First Class ticket, Orient Express train trip, and London to New York on Concorde. The client even came back and thanked us for making him spend the extra money – that was how he put it!”

Firas Rashid



It’s about antici-pating your customers’ needs. If you’re an af-fl uent traveller it means you’re used to business

being taken care of. That’s the

luxury experience. ”Lisa Balsom

John: This is a trend that’s going to pay divi-dends later. Both India and China are becom-ing more affl uent, so that one night luxury stay this trip - fi ve years from now will be a fi ve night or 10 night stay.

Peter: China is a good example because they are a very unsophisticated traveller in the main. But in a few years time they will have done a few trips and stayed in a few hotels and I think you’ll fi nd that they will then move into the sort of levels we are talking about. And there are more middle class Indians in India than in the whole of Europe – so these are the markets to look out for in the future.

Adnan: We have a lot of high-end business from the Russian market. We personally go to Moscow and fl y with our clients here in their private jets and we stay with them from day one until they leave. These kind of clients won’t travel everywhere – fi rst for security

reasons and second because they have tried everything so you have to give them some-thing new, which they can fi nd in Dubai.

ATN: What kind of service standards are your high-end clients demanding? Is there a trend towards a more personalised service style today? Peter: I used to have a guest that would check into the Mandarin Hong Kong and 45 things would have to be done in their room prior to their arrival at the hotel. It wasn’t a question of them coming and it could all be shuffl ed around – it was the anticipation that we knew what they wanted and everything had to be done. The one thing I always remember was that she didn’t want to get up in the middle of the night to open the TV cabinet doors so we had to take those off the hinges. For a hote-lier it becomes quite interesting – it becomes a challenge to ensure you are not outwitted.

Adnan: In Dubai the service is always number one. Here you arrive at the airport, you have a VIP lounge for the client to go straight from the aircraft so they do not have to wait around, somebody will take their passport and their luggage. They will get taken to a hotel suite which is amazing. The service you have in the hotels here, despite all the cutbacks and the recession, is of a very high level.

Lisa: I have to beg to differ in the sense that in Dubai you have one of the highest ratios of staff to guests but I think it’s a very different standard of service than if you go to a hotel in London. We look after a small boutique hotel in London where the staff know their guests inside out, they know their requirements and can confi dently recommend to their guests whatever they are looking for – whether it’s a restaurant, or anything they might need – it’s a totally different style of service.

Peter: In Europe and America they have been doing that for a while but in parts of the Mid-dle East and Asia, particularly where you’ve got a fairly young up-and-coming workforce who may have a language barrier, and who don’t have the confi dence of dealing with high-end clients you’ve got a training issue. Professionalism probably still needs to be improved upon here.

ATN: What advice can you give to a travel agent looking to specialise in the luxury travel market – what are the best ways to secure high-end bookings? Lisa: It’s about recognition and anticipating

Roundtable points raised: • Since the recession, seeking ‘value for money’ has become a priority for high-end travellers. • ‘Experiential travel’ is a top trend – travellers are willing to pay more for unique experi-ences such as luxury safaris. • China and India are the mar-kets to watch in terms of high-spending travellers. • Affl uent travellers are de-manding a more personalised, one-on-one style of service. • Agents selling luxury travel should aim to become special-ists and deliver as hands on service to the client as possible.

Lisa Balsom is manager of Luxury Hotels by Dnata, representing some of

the fi nest hotels in the world to the GCC market. She has 20 years experience in the travel industry and has worked for Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts as well as for British Airways, handling the entertainment industry, which involved booking VIP clients into Premium Class and Concorde.



I don’t see peo-ple travelling anymore for cultural aspects. Why are there 600 spas in Dubai? Be-cause people want the full luxury experi-ence when they travel” ATN’s roundtable debate was held in

the luxurious Fire Presidential Suite at Raffl es Dubai.

your customers’ needs. It’s also making sure that if you’re being asked something you fully research your answer – you don’t try to sell something that’s not going to fi t the custom-er’s needs. That’s how you keep these clients. I visited eight or nine different travel agents in Riyadh last week and over half of those had a VIP section which literally hand held their cli-ents bookings. There was also one that had a ‘concierge service’ to take care of every last thing for the client. If you’re an affl uent traveller it probably means you’re quite used to business being taken care of, and that’s the luxury experience. It’s also about having that trust with your cli-ent and being available to them. If somebody makes a decision late at night you need to ensure you can actually secure that booking.

Peter: Today with a customer it’s about get-ting as close to them as you can. The more you know about them the more you can provide them with a good service. You’ve got high-end travel agents in LA and New York that only have 10 clients, maybe even less than that.

John: In Australia we used to call them ‘rent a desks’. You’d have an established travel agent with a license and these guys would just look after 10 or 15 clients max. The yield retention on those sorts of clients is usually massive.

Lisa: Exactly, if someone is taking a three week vacation and they are staying in x number of fi ve-star hotels it’s certainly going to pay off.

Peter: It’s a big responsibility because if you are booking a $100,000 yacht per week and you get it wrong, you have lost that client, so the level of expertise, knowledge and the work

that has to go into it is huge.

Firas: The trend of booking in this region is through a travel agent especially for the lux-ury sector. The fi rst thing a travel agent should look at is what relationship he has with his suppliers. Having a good relationship with a hotel for example will help to enhance his cus-tomers’ needs and deliver requirements. So he has to have a point of contact. We as hote-liers also have to establish loyalty with these valued travel agents who have valued clients at the end of the day.

ATN: Where do you see the future trends for the luxury travel industry? John: One of the trends that we’re seeing is for luxury yachts and there is a trend towards lux-ury motor yachts here. Seabourne Cruises are a great example.

French: Security is a big issue today. I was operating The Carlyle Hotel in New York where 45 percent of the arrivals were coming in on private jet. One reason is that to travel today on regular airlines through airports can be a hassle, whereas with a private jet it takes off when you want it to and it’s got all the service. The other aspect at this top-end of the market is that people are worried about security and to fl y in a private jet, and stay in a more secure, remote location, is defi nitely something that is very sought after.

Lisa: I think its about maximising time for people – so no restricted check in or check out times, not having to worry about getting down to breakfast at a certain time. We have two hotels that now offer a 24-hour check in, and ‘service ambassadors’, who are basically there to do anything for you. They check you in, which they can do in the room, if you want to go to the market and buy some local pro-duce they will go with you as a personal shop-per, if you want to do a tour of the area, they will go with you. What is key to making that successful is being able to read your customer and knowing do they want to be bothered? Do they want to have their hand held or not? It’s a one-on-one relationship which is really about understanding your guests.

Adnan Aridi has over 22 years experience in the travel industry. The

list of VIP clients he has handled through Alpha Tours stretches from company CEOs to presidents and ministers, and he regularly arranges luxury experiences such as helicopter trips, private jet and yacht charters and cruises. His highest revenue booking ever was for Johnson & Johnson, Russia who spent AED 7.5 million on a luxury six-day incentive trip in Dubai last year.

Adnan Aridi


REGIONAL NEWSQ&A CELEBRITY CRUISESQ&A

Patrick Antaki, general manager of Le Meridien Al Aqah explains how the newly established Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority (FTAA) will make the emirate a tourism force to be reckoned with.

Fujairah goes forth

ATN: What drove the formation of the new Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority?His Highness the Ruler of Fujairah saw that tourism was here to stay and that Fujairah is going to be a major player in the tourism mar-ket so he decided it was time to make it offi -cial. The objective of the authority is to grow the infrastructure and to grow the invest-ment as well. We have to make it attractive for investors to come into Fujairah, and put their money into it.

ATN: What will the FTAA be responsible for? The authority’s job is to put the tourism house in order and to utilise the assets of Fujairah. I don’t know if you know but Fujairah has the largest number of antiquities in the coun-try. I mean forts, old houses, old mosques and nobody knows about them – it’s the UAE’s best kept secret. It’s up to the authority to make a big noise and to make everybody know Fujairah, whereas in previous years it was very much the individual hotels’ responsibilities.

ATN: What are the selling points of Fujairah as a destination?People who want beach holidays have a much better product on the east coast and the value for money is a lot higher than on the west coast. The options available are not as big but you can have a beach holiday with diving, fi shing and specialised fi shing. If you want to do fl y fi shing Fujairah is the one place that offers it and Al Aqah is the only hotel. We bring in an angler from the UK and we do a two-day academy. There are also areas of natural beauty like Wadi Wurayah, which recently received a US$1 million protection grant because it’s the only waterfall area in the UAE. It’s a very wild place of natural beauty, and it was totally unprotected. So the FTAA now needs to start protecting it with a ranger and proper security and start looking after the entire area.

ATN: So is it about fi nding niche ways to dif-ferentiate Fujairah as a destination? Absolutely. Dubai has spent millions and mil-lions on promoting itself and it has done a fan-tastic job. If it wasn’t for Dubai and for Emirates Airline Al Aqah probably wouldn’t even exist. But we don’t have the resources of DTCM or Emirates Airline. And we are not trying to be at the same level as them. We have to appear differ-ent and use niche markets so what better than to use the nature and the history? Under the water it’s beautiful – I was diving with some guests last week to Dibba Rock and we saw sharks, tur-tles and all sorts of colours of fi sh. There are not many places around the world where you can get this type of diving. The other part is the antiq-uities, which the FTAA will now start to promote. But fi rst you need guide books, an infrastruc-ture, facilities for the guests, maps etc.

ATN: What are your strategies for increasing visitors to Fujairah – do you have any targets? At this stage we are preparing the back bone so we don’t have any plans ready to fi re up in the next few days. The work at the beginning might appear to be slow but that’s how you get estab-lished. You set up, you prepare a strategy, and the next fi ve to ten years you start really making some noise. We are not trying to compete with any other emirate; we are trying to make the emirate complement the rest of the country. There are bigger plans to do direct marketing with the bigger tour operators, doing ‘Fujairah weeks’ or ‘Fujairah months’, but fi rst we have to educate people where Fujairah is. A lot of peo-ple still don’t know. You are talking to me at a very fragile moment because we are still very, very new, so there are a lot of thoughts banging around and I don’t want to give any false hopes.

ATN: How has tourism development in Fujairah been impacted by the recession? It has slowed things down. There were three active projects. One of them, the company that was building it has gone bankrupt – that

38

As general mananger of Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort since it opened in 2002, Pat-rick Antaki has been an enthusiastic pro-moter of tourism to Fujairah, with a mission to put the UAE’s East Coast on the map.


The biggest challenge for Fujairah is to be heard above all that noise. There are people with more money that can shout louder. Otherwise it’s a beautiful destination and a very sellable destination.”

was Damas Hotels. Another is InterConti-nental management group, but the owners have slowed down the process in order to save money. So they are still building it but it’s taking its time. And the third one – Mina Al Fajer [a Fair-mont resort] is still going ahead so that should be ready by the end of 2010.

ATN: Are there any other tourism develop-ments in Fujairah? Fujairah has a lot of hotels coming up in the town itself. On the main street there is a Rotana opening, there is a Concord opened, there is a Coral residence, there are another two under construction – Premier Inn has signed on some land there. Don’t forget Fujairah town is grow-ing through a lot of commercial investments. The port is doubling in size, there are a number of industries as the oil pipeline so we are looking at between 20 and 30,000 new residents coming to Fujairah.

ATN: How has business at Le Meridien Al Aqah been impacted by the recession? It’s had less of an impact for people who were thinking outside of the box, who still put invest-ment and development of the product as a major objective, who still made sure that qual-ity and service delivery is the number one. You can do two things in bad times, you can start cutting costs or you can make sure that your services are top notch to make sure the people who are still travelling will come to you, not your neighbour. So that’s what Al Aqah is doing. We are just about to go into a room refurbishment; we are refurbishing our main restaurant. Peo-ple ask me: why are you investing in the middle of a recession? But it’s so that I’m ready for the upswing so that when business starts pulling back, we are there and we’re fresh.

ATN: Have you had to drop room rates to entice guests in the current market? Yes thirty to forty percent. You have to work with a formula called the ‘elasticity of pricing’. It’s about supply and demand. So when I see it’s not selling, you have to reduce your prices. That’s

the way the cookie crumbles. We are compet-ing today against different countries, not just within the UAE. We need to attract customers going to Egypt and Turkey too.

ATN: What are the major challenges ahead in promoting Fujairah as a tourist destination? To be heard above all that noise, and the other destinations coming up against us. There are people with more money that can shout louder, so this will defi nitely be a challenge. Otherwise it’s a beautiful destination and a very sellable destination.

Nestled between the Hajar Mountains and the Indian Ocean, just 90 minutes drive from Dubai Airport, the fi ve-star Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort features 218 sea-view rooms, nine F&B outlets, a dive centre, and luxurious spa. The resort is offering one lucky travel agent the chance to win a two night’s stay for two in a superior sea view room with private balcony including breakfast by answering the following question:

How far is Le Meridien Al Aqah from Dubai Airport?Email [email protected] with your answer to win!

Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort


REGIONAL NEWSTechnology

With airlines looking to cut distribution costs, what’s the future for the GDS?

merican Airlines has rocked the travel distri-bution world in the US by announcing its intention to distribute ‘ancillary services’ –

as in all the airline extras – from additional luggage, extra leg-room, on-board meals,

and entertainment to wireless con-nectivity – exclusively through Fare-

logix and not through the GDS. According to American Airlines, the GDSs will have to con-nect to Farelogix in order to access the content. Ailing airlines looking to cut costs have made no secret of the fact that the GDSs are a target. In his ‘State of the Air Transport Indus-try’ address earlier this year, IATA director general, Giovanni Bisignani said western

GDS systems deserved “a special place” on IATA’s “wall of shame” because of the high fees they charge airlines for each booking. “They are leeches, charging at least $4 per transac-tion, when China’s TravelSky does it for just $1.20,” he said.

Unsurprisingly, the move by American Air-lines has caused uproar among travel agents, TMCs and GDSs. Business Travel Coalition (BTC) chair Kevin Mitchell, who is leading a campaign against the move explains that it will effectively “fl ip the distribution system economic model from one where the air-line funds its unbundling, merchandising and selling activities - to a ‘user-pays’ model

where virtually all merchandising and distri-bution costs would be shifted to TMCs, and ultimately onto the backs of the airline’s best customers.”

Mitchell said: “At the airline fi rm level, this probably seems very rational. It generates more revenue while lowering and shifting costs. But it also throws so much complexity and burdens the industry with so many new costs; it is irrational. The airlines just don’t get it. They want to eliminate the middle-man, but corporations have a very effi cient and time-tested way of doing business and this will undermine that.” Sabre’s CEO Sam Gilliland has even called on the US Transportation Department to “to advocate and even mandate” that air-line ancillary services be available in all dis-tribution channels – including GDSs. He said Sabre has teamed up with other major GDSs and TMCs to develop new standards for ancil-lary services distribution. “But in order for this whole process to remain transparent, you need to be very clear with your suppliers about making these services available through your preferred channels, which in the vast majority of cases are the GDS and travel management companies.”

THE COST OF DISTRIBUTION So what is the future for the GDS? Will other airlines around the world start to follow suit

AIRLINES CHARGING FOR EXTRAS Airlines looking for new income streams are fi nding creative ways to ‘unbun-

dle’ their services and charge for extras, including everything from extra luggage to onboard entertainment. According to a recent report by IATA, the airline industry will take in US$58 billion in ancillary fees in 2010. Low Cost Carriers are the masters of this - Ryan Air even proposed the introduction of a £1toilet charge on its flights.

GDSs are rolling out new product developments to keep pace with this unbun-dling by providing technology for agents to book ancillary fees. - The new Sabre Red system makes it possible for agents to fi lter searches by airline extras such as baggage fees with its ‘Shop by Total Price’ facility. - Amadeus is developing its Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services. The solution will enable the sale of products such as excess baggage, lounge access, seat selection or in-fl ight entertainment. This new product is coming soon to the Middle East.


Fee Fight: AIRLINES vs GDS


Naz Nizari, seniot vice president,

Emquest

distribution. If the airline wanted to do that themselves in an international market they would have to put their own people every-where, and start an education programme on how agents can book alternatively.”

“There are still hidden and indirect costs, so it doesn’t work out that much cheaper. You still need someone to look after that technol-ogy, you still need to have a service centre.” “And if you are looking at providing these services internationally as an alternative to

GDS then you’re basically looking at the same sort of

cost,” she adds.

The airlines feel that GDSs do charge too much and they may have a point. The ‘wast-age’ here is substantial. By the time you add all the extra charges your booking has already cost the airline $20-25 extra because of agency and passenger behaviour.”

According to Nizari the American Airlines deal with Farelogix is simply a ‘negotiating ploy’ to come to a better commercial agree-ment with the GDSs. “It’s basically strong-arm tactics towards the GDSs. What the air-line is saying is: if you want all of my content, my web fares etc. I need you to offer me a dis-count. They are saying: we have got alterna-tives – if you don’t give us what we want we don’t have to go with you. But if you give us a discount then we will use the GDS.”

PRESENTING A UNITED FRONTBut as airlines continue to look for ways to cut costs, it seems that cutting out the middle-man, including GDSs and TMCs will be part of that strategy, says Benjo van Laarhoven, exec-utive vice president, Al Shamel International. “It’s a deliberate strategy by the airlines and we will not stop them,” says Laarhoven. “It’s up to us to re-invent ourselves. We all have to invest in technology to keep up with what the airlines are doing.”

Laarhoven adds that it’s vital for TMCs to maintain a united front to ensure that, at the end of the day, it’s the customer who doesn’t lose out. “Everybody who works with the GDS knows that it is the most effi cient way of book-ing travel. Now the airlines want it differently so it’s really up to us to put pressure on the air-lines – together with our customers – to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“The airlines won’t listen to us but they might listen to large corporates. In the US when American Airlines decided to take its content out of Sabre, the TMCs called the big corporations together and they went to the airline and said: we believe in the GDS, we believe in our TMCs and if you are going to do this we will shift market share to another air-line. We need to come together and have a united voice towards the airlines. If we don’t do this we are on our own.”

REGIONAL NEWS

Technology

and increasingly look for ways to by-pass the GDS with their own distribution chan-nels? And if they do, will TMCs be forced to bear the brunt of the costs to access that content?

Naz Nizari, senior vice president, EmQuest – the travel distribution arm of Emirates Airline – says that GDS costs in

the Middle East market are “substan-tial” for airlines.

A major problem is the vast amount of “wastage” that occurs

in this region. Just like air-lines, GDS systems have bro-ken down their costs too, so for every single transaction –

including cancelled bookings – the GDS charges the airline a fee.

“The airlines feel that GDSs do charge too much and they may have a point,” says Nizari. “I’ll give you an example: if you go to a travel agent and book two tickets for different dates, then cancel one, the GDS charges for both. Or supposing someone makes a booking and doesn’t show up at the airport, the GDS still charges – this is what they call ‘wastage’. The GSD charges because it’s a transaction that has happened.”

“There are certain markets where this is minimal,” she adds. “Disciplined mar-kets where people book, they turn up and they fl y. But in this market, its not. The wastage here is substantial. By the time you add all the extra charges, your book-ing has already cost the airline $20 – 25 extra, because of agency behaviour and passenger behaviour. So that’s when air-lines here start saying you know what? I’ve got too many bills from you, I can no longer sustain this.”

“Airlines are saying to the GDSs – we don’t mind paying your fees, we’ll hap-pily take your tool, providing you bring the price down to a reasonable level.”

AIRLINES BY-PASSING GDS? Nizari insists that despite the costs, Emirates has no plans to launch its own direct tool in this market. “If Emirates did it in this market, yes we would have some savings, but because we are the distributors of Sabre we get those sav-ings anyway through commissions, so it’s not in our interest to go and put out a direct tool in this market.” She adds that it would not be a via-ble commercial solution for any airline to pull its content out of the GDS com-pletely. “GDSs are global and offer a very wide



GDS providers explain how they’re keeping up with changing times

Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO, Sabre Travel Network Middle East

Wanna be in my gang?

ATN: What is the latest product develop-ment from Sabre? Sabre Red is an innovative total travel solu-tion designed to help travel agencies drive customer loyalty and power business per-formance, resulting in increased revenues, improved effi ciency and reduced costs. Sabre Red features a portfolio of new capa-bilities that span the entire spectrum of an agency’s business, from shopping and book-ing travel, to serving customers throughout their trip, to using business intelligence for insight and continuous improvement. It’s unlike anything on the market today.

Using Sabre Red, agencies will be able to respond nimbly to the emergence of air-line ancillary fees and other merchandis-ing initiatives, the growth in demand for

SABRE

mobile services, changes in preferred sup-plier agreements, the challenge of fi nding agents with GDS format knowledge, and ulti-mately to meet the needs of more informed and demanding travellers.

A key capability of the product is that a travel agency can save their customers an average of 20 percent or more per ticket with the best low fare search capabilities. Sabre outperforms all GDS competitors globally in fi nding the low-est available fares.

ATN: What’s the best feature of Sabre Red? The Red Workspace is built on a future-ready, open platform – the same used by NASA to command its Mars Rover mission. The new platform provides faster start up times, greater stability, and high-performance worldwide – including in low bandwidth areas like the Middle East, superior application integra-tion capability, and administrative controls to manage user level confi guration and updates.

ATN: What has been the feedback from agents so far?Extremely positive. We’ve spent the past six months pilot testing with more than 250

FAST FACTSWhat: Sabre Travel Network Middle East is headquartered in BahrainMiddle East market share: We do not disclose regional market share. We can say that we are the world’s leading GDS with 39 percent global air marketshare. Useful tool: Sabre Red is designed to improve agency performance. The tool has a fully graphical workfl ow to manage customer profi les, shop and book air and hotel and handle ticket exchanges, helping to reduce agent training time and keystrokes by up to 50 percent. Plus it’s multi-GDS capable enabling agencies who serve clients on more than one GDS to simplify operations with a standardised workfl ow across their customer base. Contact: www.sabretravelnetwork.com

customers around the world and plan to upgrade all our customers onto the new Red Workspace in the coming months.

ATN: Have you signed any new content agreements recently?In the past few months alone we have announced new agreements with BA, Swiss, SAS, Aerofl ot, Accor Hotels and Carlson Hotels. We have also brought in new LCCS such as easyJet and Sky Express in Russia.

ATN: Have you partnered with any new travel agencies recently? We’ve signed with Meezon Travel, Sameal Travel and Falcon Gulf Travel in Oman; Con-tinental Travel and Dolphin Travel in Qatar; Eternity Travel in Jordan; Caesars Travel, Sanam Travel and Dahab Tours & Travel in Kuwait; World Dream Travel, EGY Travel, A Travel and Dream Egypt Travel in Egypt; Safi r Travel in Syria; and Hilton Travel in Bahrain.

ATN: What’s in the pipeline from Sabre?Our priority is now on upgrading all our 57,000 agency customers around the world onto our Sabre Red Workspace.

Sabre Red is designed to increase effi ciency



Rabih Saab, vice president Middle East, Travelport

ATN: What is the latest product develop-ment from Travelport?Our latest product roll-out is Travelport Lei-sure, a new, one-stop leisure portal for travel agents that includes extensive new hotel, hostel, B&B and car options. This includes specially sourced and negotiated rates from a range of well-known, market leading lei-sure suppliers; on top of the existing content available through our sister company GTA. ATN: When was this launched?The previous version, Galileo Leisure, was launched in 2005 and the upgraded version was made available in June 2010 across the globe, including the Middle East.

ATN: How does it benefi t travel agents?It makes booking leisure content and earn-ing revenues on it easier than ever. The level of commission varies, however our launch partners (GTA/ Kuoni Connect/ Cars by TUI/ HotelClub by Orbitz) pay an average of 10 percent commission. This allows agents to increase their earning potential through the lucrative non-air market, which according to Travelport research, accounts for nearly 70 percent of all consumer travel spend.

ATN: What has been the feedback from agents so far?The customer feedback on Galileo Lei-sure has been very positive worldwide and it’s been a very successful product for us in several markets, which is why we have now made it available to agents in the Mid-dle East. Since going live, we can see that the UAE is already in the top 10 list of countries worldwide visiting the site, which is an indi-cation of how well it has been received.

ATN: Have you signed any new content agreements recently?In addition to the full content agreements we signed earlier this year with Etihad and Emir-ates, we’ve upgraded Jazeera Airways to full content participation and signed on Gulf Air for our ViewTrip online check-in facility. In terms of hotel deals, we’ve just reached a major, fi ve-year global agreement with Mar-riott International which secures access to

Marriott International’s wide variety of con-tent, inventory, and brands for all Travelport-connected users worldwide.

ATN: Have you partnered with any new travel agencies recently? We’ve made signifi cant inroads in Abu Dhabi, where we’ve recently signed up major accounts including Omeir Travel. We are also increasing our level of business with sev-eral key customers as we continue to solid-

TRAVELPORT

ify relationships with our loyal travel agency partners across the region.

ATN: What’s in the pipeline from Travel-port, are you working on any new and excit-ing developments?We will soon be unveiling a revolutionary new platform called Travelport Universal Desktop (TUD), an integrated booking solu-tion that seamlessly unifi es selling and mer-chandising programmes, improves work-fl ow and accesses a world of multi-source content. TUD will be launched with several travel agency partners in Q4 2010, followed by a wider roll-out in 2011.

ATN: What’s the future for GDS? The new generation GDS is expanding into further levels of customisation, moving from being primarily a distribution vehicle into a merchandising platform for airlines, hotels, car rental companies and other travel pro-viders. We see the GDS of the future provid-ing more integrated and targeted opportuni-ties at the point of sale for these suppliers as travel agents search for product information.

We will soon be unveiling a revolutionary new platform called Travelport Universal Desktop, an integrated booking so-lution that seamlessly unifi es selling and mer-chandising programmes.”

FAST FACTSWhat: Travelport GDS comprises the Galileo and Worldspan software platforms.Middle East market share: According to Travelport the company is the leading GDS provider in the Middle East with more than a third of GDS share in the region. Travel agencies signed up with Travelport: Al Rais, Al Futtaim, Al Ghaith, Al Moosa, Alpha Holidays, Deira Travel, SNTTA, Al Tayaar, Al Hind, ITL, Al Misr, Uranus Travel, Al Naboodah, Nakheel Travel. Useful tool: ViewTrip White Label allows agencies to access a version of the ViewTrip product which can be customised to their own requirements. Agents can view, print and email itineraries and expense receipts via a website.Contact: www.travelport.com

Travelport Leisure includes extensive hotel content

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel


line from Amadeus, are you working on any exciting developments? We are working on the Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services solution to deliver a com-prehensive, multi-channel ancillary ser-vices solution to enable airlines in the region to maximise revenue profi tably and deliver unmatched levels of customer service. The solution will enable unbundling of the fare and the sale of additional products such as excess baggage, lounge access, seat selec-tion or in-fl ight entertainment across multi-ple channels. When introduced in the region the Ancillary service solutions will be fully integrated within the travel agent workfl ow, removing the need for consultants to book ancillary services across multiple interfaces.

ATN: What is the future for the GDS? Technology is key to maintaining the com-petitive edge in the travel sector. The tradi-tional travel agency will have to re-invent

itself and propose a richer experience to the travel-ler with the offer of value-added services together with the biggest content and consulting approach to the customer require-ments.

Internet penetration and its usage are growing exponentially. The travel industry – including tra-ditional travel agents – has recognised this and are steadily adapting to this reality. We believe there will be a role for travel agents to better under-stand and address the travellers’ diverse pref-erences and needs. This requires multiple/ differ-ent channels from which to purchase travel.

Amadeus continues to invest in innovative busi-ness solutions to allow travel agents in the region to improve their customer

Antoine Medawar, vice president, Amadeus ME

ATN: What’s the latest product develop-ment from Amadeus? Amadeus SMS solution is an industry-fi rst web-based tool that allows travel agencies to update their customers with their lat-est travel itinerary via SMS. Agents can alert travellers on important travel details, includ-ing itineraries, e-tickets, fl ight informa-tion, and any changes to the Ticketing Time Limit through their mobile phones. The SMS solution is designed to give travel agencies more fl exibility and convenience in ensur-ing important data reaches their customers immediately. It can operate with multiple itineraries and multiple mobile phone num-bers and covers 700 networks in more than 200 countries.

ATN: Have you signed any new content agreements recently? Amadeus has entered in an agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines where we will pro-vide the carrier with Ama-deus Altéa customer man-agement solution and Amadeus e-commerce solutions as part of our long-term IT partnership. The airline has also imple-mented Amadeus’ port-folio of e-commerce solu-tions, used by more than 100 airlines, to manage its global online presence.

ATN: Have you partnered with any new travel agen-cies recently? Yes, Amadeus has just announced a three-year partnership agreement with Kanoo Travel. Kanoo has chosen Amadeus’ e-Travel Management, the widely deployed online booking solution for man-aged travel, for its corpo-rate travel services in the Middle East.

ATN: What’s in the pipe-

experience and services. We are committed to help the travel agent community to suc-cessfully compete and increase profi tability and results.

Amadeus defi ned a clear and unique strat-egy based not only in GDS services but also as an IT provider to the travel industry which has been crystallised in its leadership in the Middle East from January 2009 in both are-nas. The combination of GDS and IT provider allows Amadeus’s partners, travel agencies and airlines the edge to maximise business.

The growth of the Middle East will not come from the “GDS realigning”, but rather from local trends and global economic devel-opment. Amadeus will help its partners, travel agencies and airlines, increase their share of business; be more effi cient through technology and maximise their market reach through our unique presence (in more than 217 countries globally).

AMADEUS

FAST FACTSWhat: Amadeus is present in more than 217 countries worldwide. Middle East market share: According to Amadeus, the company is the fastest growing GDS provider in the region. While bookings in the region fell by 0.34 percent in 2009, Amadeus increased its volume of bookings by more than 30 percent. In 2009 Amadeus grew its market share to an estimated 43 percent increasing its market share by more than 10 percentage points compared to the previous year - consolidating its leadership in the region. Travel agent partners: In the MENA region more than 8,850 travel agencies use Amadeus through 22,560 travel agency terminals. Useful tool: Amadeus e-Support Centre, a 24/7 online support solution developed specifi cally for travel agencies in the region. Contact: www.amadeus.com.

EEEEE

July 21, 2010 2:24:31 PM

Dear Customer, your

fl ight EK078 from Dubai

(DXB) is scheduled on

14 AUG 2010 at 09:30.

Your travel agency

wishes you a pleasant

fl ight.

44 Arabian Travel News – September 201044

27th September 2010Park Hyatt, Dubai

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Agent action

Mario Segovia Sman talks about his brand new role at Amadeus MENA as regional head for Airline Business Group

ATN: What is your career background? Prior to my new role in Dubai, I worked at Amadeus in Europe in various depart-ments related to the airline industry, holding sales and account management roles.

ATN: What are your main responsibilities? I am responsible for the man-agement of the Amadeus air-line account and sales team for the MENA region - one of the fastest growing regions in terms of importance to Ama-deus due to the success with the Arab Air Carriers Organ-isation (AACO) distribution agreement. This position is to be maintained and grown out in the years ahead by effi -ciently managing the com-mercial and day-to-day rela-tionship with the airlines in the region.

ATN: What do you think will be your biggest challenges? To ensure consistent growth in the MENA region as the precedence set is enormous, both on a distribution level and IT level; and increas-ing focus to act as cost-con-sciously, innovatively and effi ciently as possible in order to pass on benefi ts to our air-line customers where possi-ble and further broaden the gap with our competitors.

ATN: What are you most excited about? I am excited about the pos-sibility to further foster rela-tionships and business opportunities in one of the most dynamic and compet-itive market places in the world; the MENA region

ATN: What do you love most about the travel industry?

Although one of the hardest hit in any economic down-turn and volatile to many other external circumstances, travel remains one of the most dynamic areas to work in. Innovation, differentia-tion and the drive to outper-form are just some key attri-butes that make working in the travel industry enjoyable, challenging and interesting.

ATN: What are the hardest parts of your job? The constant changes to

ATN: What are you most proud in your career? I am proud to have been given the opportunity to be a part of the success of Amadeus in the region. It has been an enrich-ing experience growing a small local offi ce to a mini-hub that in future will be able to work semi-autonomously. The Middle East hub empha-sises Amadeus’ intention to locally serve our customers with products designed for the global travel industry, but with its distinct local fl avours.

New recruit

Checkin’ in/checkin’ out

Innovation, differentiation and the drive to outperform are just some key attributes that make working in the travel industry enjoyable, challenging and interesting.”

which we are being exposed (competition, new airline business models, innovative products and services, regu-latory changes and increas-ing customer requirements) make it necessary for us to be constantly out in the fi eld, understand and anticipate customer requirements and competition’s strategy in order to grow our competi-tive advantage. Adaptation and anticipation of change is absolutely fundamental in this rapidly changing industry.

SIMONE BROEKHAAR The Chedi Muscat has appointed Simone Broekhaar as director of sales and marketing. Broekhaar was formerly director of marketing for Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts and worked with the brand in Am-sterdam, London, Ankara and Tallinn. A Dutch national Broekhaar brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in sales, marketing, PR, com-munications and branding related to the luxury hospitality segment. She is responsible for the overall sales, marketing and PR strategies including business relationships with all travel and trade partners locally and internationally.

JASON GEIDEMANJason Geideman is the new branch manager of Dol-lar Rent A Car in Abu Dhabi. Geideman’s immediate focus is to realign Dollar’s strategic approach to the increasing customer demand in the Abu Dhabi. Geide-man brings more than 10 years of successful business management to the branch, seven of which are in the car rental industry in the UAE and USA. His core strengths remain in competitive market expansion and customer relationship development. Geideman will oversee all of the marketing and sales activities in the Dollar Abu Dhabi branch.

HAREB AL MUHAIRIHareb Al Muhairi has joined Etihad Airways as vice president of UAE sales. A UAE national, Al Muhairi is responsible for developing the airline’s sales strategy in the UAE. Al Muhairi joined Etihad after studying political science and management at UAE University, Al Ain. He

has held various positions in marketing and product development, as well

being posted to London as busi-ness development manager. In his most recent role, as vice president of corporate com-

munications, Al Muhairi was responsible for implement-ing the airline’s media strategy.

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47 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel

Sample package: Il Salviatino has a Suites Promotion for Eid. The hotel is offering an upgrade to a Dome View Junior Suite (65 square meters) when a Junior Suite is booked. Starting from AED 5,100 per person for three nights, valid until 30 September. Breakfast, taxes and service charge are included. Contact: [email protected].

The agents report back:

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/travel 47 September 2010 – Arabian Travel News

Fam Report: Living ‘La Dolce Vita’ A group of Dnata travel agents are whisked off on a fabulous fi ve-star fam to Florence

ELENA GIRLEA, travel consultant, Dnata World Travel On Florence: As my fi rst time visiting Florence, I found it very beautiful. Its surrounded by moun-tains and green trees. The fresh weather makes you feel so relaxed and you can visit a lot of nice places like the Saint Trinity Cathedral, the Old Bridge, Duomo of Flor-ence, and the shopping boutiques. On Il Salviatino: Il Salviatino was amazing. Situated on top of a mountain it features luxurious 18th century design and unique views over the city of Florence. I will highly recommend it to all my clients, and would personally like to return there again. On how to sell: Florence is a very romantic city, so I will be recommending it to couples and honeymooners.

A four-strong group of Dnata agents were Italy-bound last month to check out the newly opened Il Salviatino, an ultra-luxury villa property nestled in the rolling Tus-can countryside in the village of Fiesole just outside Florence. The stunning 58-room 15th Century Floren-tine villa is the latest addition to the Luxury Hotels by Dnata portfolio. Surrounded by 11 acres of parkland, it features original frescos, marble fi replaces, and a spa with heated pool.

The agents fl ew to Rome with Emirates and after a two hour drive to Florence were welcomed at Il Salvia-tino by the villa’s ‘Personal Service Ambassadors’, who are there to cater to guests’ every whim.

The fi ve-star itinerary included spa treatments (ther-apists are trained at the Devarana Spa in Thailand), and a cooking class where agents tried their hand at mak-ing gnocchi, as well as tours of the surrounding Tuscan countryside, and a city tour of Florence including a spot of shopping at famous designer outlet The Mall.

CHIRAG CHUGH, senior business travel executive – Operations, HRGOn Florence: Florence is an excellent city with a blend of romance, youth and cultural activities. I would recommend a minimum three-night stay due to the long distance from Rome to Florence (approx 275 kms by road) after a six-hour fl ight from Dubai.On Il Salviatino:A USP of the hotel is it has no reception. Each guest has a personal service ambas-sador to guide them right through until check-out. The warm and personalised service is defi nitely a strong plus. On how to sell: :Florence can be classifi ed as ‘a must visit excursion’ on trips to Rome or Milan. It would be popular for honeymooners and large local families looking for a ‘home away from home’.

MARWA EL PRINCE, senior leisure travel consultant, The Holiday LoungeOn Florence: Florence is a fascinating city and a very interesting destination. Everything around the area is very natural. It’s a small city, but amazing as well.On Il Salviatino: Il Salviatino is a beautiful hotel and I felt like I was at home there. There is no recep-tion desk, but the hotel’s Service Ambas-sadors check you in and take care of all of your needs. People working there are so friendly and very helpful and we got a very good service. On how to sell: :I will recommend the destination, especial-ly to those who want to discover cities in Europe. It is a very good place for couples and honeymooners.

NICOLA DIABIRA, senior sales execu-tive, Luxury Hotels by DnataOn Florence: When I think of Tuscany, I think of green rolling hills, vineyards and isolated villas dotted across the landscape. The reality was just as good as I had imagined.On how to sell:There are a variety of activities available within a short drive of Il Salviatino. There is a Pinocchio theme park for children, wine tasting in nearby Chianti and the opportu-nity to visit cities such as Siena and Pisa only 50 minutes drive away. On Il Salviatino: Il Salviatino caters for guests of all ages, offering cooking classes for children and adults, spa treatments in Devarana Spa and the chance to sketch the local archi-tecture with a local artist. Honeymooners and couples will fi nd the location amazing.


REGIONAL NEWSAgent action

Travelport hosts an Iftar extravaganzaTravel agents enjoyed Iftar at the dazzling Asateer Ramadan Tent at Atlantis Dubai

1 Melanie King and Janine Trotter

2 Regina Lombard and Hazel Standen

3 The delicious feast

4 Narendra Bhatia, Ghulam al Balooshi,Nasir Jamal Khan

5 Roshan Devkota, Kiran Kunwar, Namraj, Som Tamanji

6 George Joseph, Mohammed Ashraf, Alka Mangiani, Farheen Fatima, Ralph Pinto, Abib Syed

7 Alana Ngoh, PR Manager, Middle East, Travelport

8 Issam El Rhezzali, Mohammed Rafi q, Pratima Komli Bisht, Dayana Persan

9 Catriona McCarthy

10 June Bahatan, Minu Pereira, Noor Nahar

1

2

3 4

5

6 7

8 9

10

Ethiopian now flys three times a week to Pointe Noire

VISIT US AT WWW.ETHIOPIANAIRLINES.COM FOR CONVENIENT BOOKINGS. CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL AGENT, THE NEAREST ETHIOPIAN OFFICE OR THE ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES GENERAL SALES AGENT, KALES AIRLINES SERVICES AT TRIPORT BUILDING 1-6th FLOOR EVERT VAN DE BEEKSTRAAT 46 1118CL SCHIPHOL THE NETHERLANDSTEL: 04 2284338 FAX : 04 2273306 EMAIL: [email protected]

arabian travel news - sept 2010

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