Market Update 2Accommodation News 4Air Travel News 6International News 8Agents’ Corner 10Travel Tips 11Travel Talk 12Who’s Moved 14Rendezvous 15Events 16

Middle East and North Africa Edition

AUGUST 28, 2010 ISSUE 42 www.traveltradeweekly.travel

66

33EGYPT TO AFRICAEgyptAir is expanding its presence inAfrica, starting with the launch of flightsto the city of Juba in southern Sudan.

In This Issue

RESPONSIBLE OMANOman is all set to host the fourth annualInternational Conference on ResponsibleTourism, to be held from October 10 to12. The conference has been organised byOman’s ministry of tourism, incollaboration with UNWTO andInternational Centre for ResponsibleTourism, Leeds Metropolitan University.

SPA SurprisesSPA Surprises

Dubai’s hotel spas saw rapidly increasing revenues in thefirst quarter of 2010, according to Ernst and Young’s Spa

Benchmark Survey Report. Total revenues for Q1increased by 45.5 percent, compared to 2009 figures. In

further good news, 61 percent of spa treatments werebooked by hotel guests, showing a significant increase in

guest spending and confidence.

55

R AK FTZ has reported 875new businesses in the firsthalf of 2010 and anticipatesfurther growth.According to market analysis

and consultancy firm, Oxford Business Group(OBG), the success of the zone has been drivenby regulatory factors advantageous to manybusinesses.These include no corporate tax, no foreignexchange controls and an allowance for 100

percent foreign ownership“These offers were partlyresponsible for the licensingsuccesses in the first half of 2010,which saw 75 percent growthover the same period of 2009,”OBG reported.Oussama El Omari, CEO of RAKFTZ, said a focus on the needs ofpotential clients accounted forinterest in his operation.“Our customers are the majorstakeholders in our success, and weconstantly strive to provide themwith better business solutions,infrastructure, technology andsupport,” he said.“We have a customer-centredapproach and a can do attitude:as much as it is possible, we try toreach out to current and potentialclients to make their experiencewith us convenient andrewarding and let them know thatour door is always open to assistthem in any way we can.”El Omari added that the zonewould continue to revise itsapproach as needed.

“Change is what allows us to grow and evolve,”he said.“By adopting innovative business methods, weremain competitive and continue to provide thebest enabling business environment to theinvestment community.”According to OBG, the free zone model hasbeen broadly successful in RAK, with majordevelopments evident for other zones withinthe emirate.These include an overhaul of port facilities at AlHamra, and a contract with SeAH SteelCorporation of South Korea for a 250,000m²construction plant in RAKIA Industrial Park.Several other free zones are also underdevelopment in the emirate, including TheRAK Free Media and Film Zone and RAKIndustrial and Technology Park.The success of the free zones has beenaccompanied by interest from the hospitalitysector, with the growth of business orientedhotels established to serve the emerging market.

AUGUST 28, 20102

COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=UAE (AED) Dirham 3.69Egypt (EGP) Pound 5.69Saudi Arabia (SAR) Riyal 3.75Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1501Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37Jordan ( JOD) Dinar 0.70Syria (SYP) Pound 46.9Kuwait (KWD) Dinar 0.29Qatar (QAR) Riyal 3.64Oman (OMR) Rial 0.38Tunisia (TND) Dinar 1.49Morocco (MAD) Dirham 8.70Iran (IRR) Riyal 10,003Yemen (YER) Rial 238Algeria (DZD) Dinar 75.18Libya (LYD) Dinar 1.28

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 20/8/2010Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLYDeputy EditorLaura Warne

JournalistLouis Dillon Savage

Design & LayoutElina Pericleous

Sales & MarketingMarianna TsiamasEvelina Hadjigeorgiou

DirectorsAndreas ConstantinidesMary Kammitsi

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Free Zone Model Boosts Ras AlKhaimah as Business DestinationRas Al Khaimah’s drive to become a business destination is bearing fruit, withincreased interest evident in Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone (RAK FTZ) andother similar zones.

Change is what allows usto grow and evolve

RAK Free Trade Zone Office Tower

A ccording to Al QasbaDevelopment Authority, thedestination is not onlyattracting its regular clienteleof UAE residents, but is also

proving popular with tourists. Al Qasba features a combination of businessand leisure facilities and is located in the centreof the new Sharjah region, according to HazemSawaf, sales and marketing director at Al QasbaDevelopment Authority."As Sharjah's popularity increases, we haveworked diligently to offer leisure and businesscustomers not only excellent amenities, but acombination of attractions unlike any otheravailable in the emirate,” said Sawaf.Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development

Authority (SCTDA) confirmed that theSharjah tourism industry had maintainedsteady growth, with tourist arrivals and hoteloccupancy rates rising in the first half of 2010.Sawaf added that Al Qasba planned to capitaliseon the emirate’s popularity during Ramadan toensure continued visitors throughout thesecond half of the year.“This is typically one of our busiest times of theyear as people across the region seek to capturea glimpse of the past while exploring the manywonders of contemporary Islamic society,” saidSawaf.Notable attractions at Al Qasba include EtisalatEye of the Emirates – the largest Ferris wheel inthe Middle East, which drew nearly 40,000visitors alone in the first half of 2010.

3AUGUST 28, 2010

Al Qasba Capitalises on Sharjah Tourism BoostAl Qasba, one of Sharjah’s key entertainment destinations, has reported strong attendance figures in 2010,with nearly one quarter of a million visitors arriving in the first half of the year.

Etisalat Eye

Oman is all set to host the fourth annual InternationalConference on Responsible Tourism, to be held from October10 to 12. The conference has been organised by Oman’s ministry oftourism, in collaboration with UNWTO and InternationalCentre for Responsible Tourism, Leeds Metropolitan University. Dr Rajiha Abdul Amir Ali, Oman’s Minister of Tourism, willhost the conference, which is designed to reflect Oman’scommitment to sustainable tourism development. Discussion topics will be broken up into four sections:tourism, livelihoods, local economic development andhuman resources; responsible tourism in a world of finiteresources; the responsible tourist, tangible and intangibleheritage; and responsible destinations and marketing.In addition to scheduled discussions, the conference will alsofeature an exhibition of technologies and services formanaging tourism. Pre and post conference tours have been designed to boostawareness of Oman as a destination. Objectives of the conference include preparing a generalframework for responsible tourism, reviewing the nationalresponsible tourism strategy and enhancing the internationalstatus of Oman.

Oman to Host Conference on Responsible Tourism

Sharm El Sheikh

AUGUST 28, 20104

- Accommodation

Hotel guests’ propensity to spend

on spa services appears to be returning

Hotel Spa Revenue up by 45.5 Percent in DubaiDubai’s hotel spas saw rapidly increasing revenues in the first quarter of 2010, according to Ernst and Young’sSpa Benchmark Survey Report.

Sol Y Mar Riva Club

Paul Arnold, principal of realestate, hospitality and leisureservices at Ernst and Young,said that total revenues roseby 45.5 percent in early 2010.

“Dubai hotel spa operators are beginning toincorporate formal reporting techniquesand use standardised metrics towardsevaluating their spa performance,” he said. “Increased attention to operatingdiagnostics and business improvementstrategies are important factors underlyingthe positive trends in spa performance.”During the first quarter of the year, 61percent of spa treatments were booked byhotel guests, with non-hotel guests or dayspa visitors accounting for the remaining 39percent of bookings. Nikita Sarkar, spa industry specialist at Ernstand Young MENA, said Dubai hotel spaoperators may now have the opportunity tocreate more effective marketing andpromotional programmes, moving awayfrom the price-based discounting of 2009. “The increasing share of hotel guest visitorsto spas, combined with the increase inaggregate spa revenues, is a positive trend asit points towards the fact that hotel guests’propensity to spend on spa services appears

to be returning,” said Sarkar. According to Arnold, retail sales remain anunder-exploited component of spaoperations, contributing just 10.6 percent tooverall Dubai hotel spa revenues in Q12010. However, he added that several highperforming spas achieved up to 25 percentrevenue contribution from retail sales. “In 2010, the focus will need to be onmaximising revenue generation potentialfrom each of the revenue streams,” saidArnold.

Effectively integrating a hotel’s spa andfitness offerings was a key factor to success,according to the report. Sarkar concluded that expanding day usageor rental fees via membership and loyaltyprogrammes was another way to maximiserevenue and encourage repeat visitation.

Jaz Hotels, Resorts and Cruises is setto open the doors to its Sol Y Mar RivaClub in Sharm El Sheikh in April 2011. The five star hotel will market thecompany’s twelfth property in the area,featuring 287 guest rooms and accessto a private sandy beach in Nabq Bay. The hotel will also offer five restaurantsand bars, water sports activities and aspa with Thalassotherapy treatments.

Assawan Spa, Burj Al Arab

After a period of delay, SaudiCommission for Tourism andAntiquities (SCTA) has begunapplying its new accommodationclassification system in Makkah.Work is also underway to introduce thesystem in Madinah.The two cities, considered the holiestin Islam, were excluded from the earlierroll out of the system in other Saudicities.According to SCTA, the system is nowbeing put in place in the holy cities inresponse to massive growth in thehospitality construction sector.The commission is now conducting aseries of workshops and meetingsdesigned to familiarise local operatorswith the requirements of the newsystem, which is based on a pricingscale.So far, 37 hotels in Makkah have beenclassified as five star, while 36 pricingresolutions have been come to forhotels that formerly fell into thecategory.In the four star category, 14classifications and eight resolutionswere handed down, while the three starcategory saw 45 classifications and 43resolutions.

5AUGUST 28, 2010

- Accommodation

New Hospitality Classification System Rolled Out in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

The reformed classification system comesas part of SCTA’s master plan for tourismdevelopment, which has been praised asunprecedented in the country.Sheikh Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Al Sabin,Undersecretary of Ministry of IslamicAffairs, Endowments, Da‘wah and Call andGuidance for Planning and DevelopmentAffairs in Saudi Arabia, said a reformedtourism sector would pay dividends forSaudi Arabia.“I haven’t seen a such strategic plan made

by any other public authorities,” he said.“We are now in the early stages of reapingits rewards as planned by Prince Sultan[head of SCTA], and the coming years willbe the years of harvest which will have greatimpact on the citizens and the countryunder the wise leadership of the country.”

The coming years will be the years

of harvest

Madinah

AUGUST 28, 20106

- Air Travel

UAE Government Bodies Establish One-Stop-Shop Aviation Database

EgyptAir Announces Strategic Focus on AfricaEgyptAir is expanding its presence in Africa, starting with the launch of flights to the city of Juba in southernSudan. Flights are operating twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The UAE’s General Civil AviationAuthority (GCAA) has embarked on ajoint project with that country’s Bureauof Statistics (NBS) to create a jointdatabase of civil aviation statistics.The organisations have signed amemorandum of understanding (MoU)that will see them increase co-operationin the areas of data gathering, analysisand administration.Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, directorgeneral of GCAA, said the collaborationwould ultimately benefit all civil aviation

interests in the UAE.“The MoU, which is valid for five years,will help the GCAA to establish anaccurate national database in the civilaviation sector which can help decisionmaking, in line with the strategic plan ofthe authority and can serve our partnersand stakeholders to achieve excellence,”he said.Rashed Khamis Al Suwaidi, directorgeneral of NBS, said his organisation’slong experience with datamanagement would give an advantage

to the aviation sector.“Co-operation with the NationalBureau of Statistics is very importantfor its long experience, mechanismsand methodologies of high efficiencyon the state level,” he said.

The MoU... will help the GCAA to establishan accurate national

database

A ccording to AlaarAshour, CEO ofEgyptAir, the newflights reflect the airline’sstrategy of growing its

presence on the African continent.“We have set an ambitious plan forexpanding and developing the network,and we will proceed adding newdestinations inside Africa, as well asincreasing the number of flights,” he said.“By operating flights to Juba, we will have26 flights per week heading to Sudan, as

there are already three to four flights dailyto Al Khartoum.”Hussein Masoud, CEO of EgyptAirHolding Company, said the expansionwould extend to aviation services otherthan flights.“The network’s expansion in Africacomes in line with the general strategyadopted by the company to expand itsinvestments, and provide more servicesincluding training, maintenance, airand land services in this continent,which is considered to be among the

fastest growing regions in the world,”he said.“EgyptAir is capable now of encompassingthe network expansion plan with itsmodern, developed fleet that hasexperienced a huge leap forward recently”.

[Africa] is considered to be among the

fastest growing regions in the world

mailto:sales@traveltradeweekly.travel

AUGUST 28, 20108

- International

New Orleans Reports Strong RecoveryFive years after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the US city of New Orleans in thestate of Louisiana has reported a dramatic recovery in the tourism sector.

UK Budget travel firm Kiss Flights has ceased trading,leaving thousands of travellers stranded worldwide.According to reports in the UK media, 13,000 travellers arecurrently overseas on Kiss packages, and a further 60,000have forward bookings.The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced thatit will seek to protect the holiday plans of all Kiss customerscovered by appropriate regulations.According to CAA, as the majority of flights sold by Kiss weredone so on a charter basis, most but not all customers will beable to complete their holidays and flights as planned.Customers who have not yet departed have been advised notto undertake their holidays, and instead seek a refund viaCAA.Kiss dealt primarily in holidays to Greece, Egypt, Turkey andthe Canary Islands.

UK Travellers Kiss Holidays Goodbye

A ccording to a studyreleased by the localtourism authority, NewOrleans MetropolitanConvention and

Visitor’s Bureau (CVB), the city has notonly re-established itself, but exceededpre-Katrina levels of development.According to CVB, many local hotels tookthe disaster as a catalyst for renovations,spending more than USD400 million onimprovements in the past five years.The city has also increased its number ofrestaurants by 300 compared to 2005, andinvested nearly USD100 million in itsevents facilities.However, despite certain positiveindicators, many measures are yet toreturn to the levels experienced before thehurricane.The number of hotel rooms and airconnectivity have not yet fully recovered,while the MICE sector has also failed toattract attendee volumes comparable tothose experienced in 2005 and prior.

Tourism jobs have also lagged behind, withthe industry employing approximately70,000 people in 2010, compared with80,000 in 2005.Despite these setbacks, tourism revenuesfor New Orleans have improved.In 2005 tourism generated USD185-221million in tax revenues (a measure ofoverall performance) compared toUSD250-300 million in the same period

of 2010.According to CVB, tourism is the numberone job provider, and leading revenuesource for the state of Louisiana,employing one of every 12 people there.Louisiana is currently facing a furthercrisis for its tourism sector, with the longterm impacts of the recent DeepwaterHorizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico stilluncertain.

New Orleans

AUGUST 28, 201010

Agent’s InsightName: Ramzi FuadPosition: Sales ManagerCompany: Arabian Peninsula Travel and TourismLocation: Yemen

Travel keeps the world moving and progressing

Who are your best customers?We have lots of different customers, but we have a lot of corporateand most of them are westerners. Most of our clients arewesterners.

What advice would you give to a young travel agent?I’m not sure what to say, but I think they should look to findcorporate clients, companies they can deal with.

Where is your biggest selling destination?Around Europe; destinations like France and Great Britain arevery popular.

When is the best time to visit your destination?The best timing is the months between summer and winter; fromAugust to November is the best time.

Why is travel important?Travel keeps the world moving and progressing. It helps connectpeople, industries and cultures.

Sabre and Cisco Collaborate on Meetings Technology

Sabre Travel Network will work with Cisco to develop atelepresence distribution and reservation platform,enabling travel agents to book services from anytelepresence provider. Telepresence providers use high definition audio andvideo to arrange meetings that give participants the feelingof being in the same room as each other. Using this new distribution platform, users will be able toview telepresence room availability and rates in real time,as well as booking meetings.According to Greg Webb, president of Sabre TravelNetwork, the new technology will be a first for theindustry. “For years, corporations and agencies have been usingSabre and GetThere technology to effectively managetheir business travel and today it remains one of theprimary tools used to collaborate,” said Webb.“Over the past few years, we’ve seen the demand fortelepresence grow and become an important collaborationtechnology that, like travel, drives business and economicgrowth for our customers.“We believe our long history of technology anddistribution leadership uniquely positions us to deliver theindustry’s first platform for virtual meetings.”

France

Over the past few years, we’ve seen the demand for telepresence grow

and become an importantcollaboration technology

Oasis Travels GSA for Air BerlinAir Berlin Group has named Oasis Travels, a subsidiaryof Sharaf Group, as its passenger general sales agent(GSA) for the UAE and Oman. Air Berlin will begin a non-stop connection betweenDubai and Berlin in November, in line with its winter2010/2011 schedule. Flights to Berlin will operate three times weekly.

Private Jet Travellers Mixing it UpAccording to Air Charter Service (ACS), there is a growingtrend emerging in the private jet sector – passengers areincreasingly mixing commercial and private charter travel tomaximise value for money.According to Tony Bauckham, managing director of ACS,many private jet users are shying away from long haul travel onexecutive jets, instead choosing first class scheduled flights toget to a local hub, then chartering smaller aircraft for the finalleg of their journey. “Customers are becoming more sensible in the way they plantheir trip, always looking for not simply cost reductions, butalso value for money,” said Bauckham.“The concept is not a new one, but there has been a markedincrease over the past 12 months or so.”He added that there had been no detrimental effect onbusiness, with customers still recognising the benefits inchartering private jets to reach their final destination – avoidingtime-consuming scheduled connections in the process.

“With chartering there’s no hanging around waiting in airports,knock-on delays or being restricted by scheduled carriers’ times– you are able to create your own timetable and optimise yourtime in the region, and we are finding more and morecustomers who realise this,” he said.“Companies are looking at cost savings, whilst maximising theirexecutives’ time spent away from the office at the same time.”

11AUGUST 28, 2010

Iftar Innovation: Ramadan Tips While Iftar promotions have been omnipresentthroughout the Middle East over the past few weeks,several members of the tourism industry have lookedbeyond the obvious events when organisingRamadan policies.

A bu Dhabi Airport Company installed threeRamadan tents in the emirates’ internationalairports, welcoming not only Islamicpassengers for the evening Iftar feasts, but alsoencouraging foreign tourists who were

interested in learning more about Islam and the holy month ofRamadan. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Middle East celebrated Ramadanwith its Iftar for Cabs initiative.More than 30 of the group’s properties in the region joined theinitiative, distributing fast-breaking packs of food and drinks tocab drivers as they drove through the main entrances of eachhotel. Hotels involved in included: Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel andResort; Le Royal Méridien Hotel Abu Dhabi; Le Méridien AbuDhabi; Sheraton Khalidiya Hotel; Aloft Hotel Abu Dhabi; FourPoints by Sheraton Downtown Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Road;and Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers.

The concept is not a new one, but there has been a marked increase

over the past 12 months or so

Starwood’s Iftar for Cabs initiative

AUGUST 28, 201012

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

Dubai in particular is becoming a food and

beverage focal point

We have a significant number of passengers thattravel to Dubai from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain

The industry is in an optimistic and

upbeat frame of mind

Mark Napier Director, Dubai World Trade Centre“The UAE is still investing heavily intourism and hospitality and an essentialpart of that is food and beverage. [We] arelooking to keep the future alive and wellfor the hospitality sector. Dubai inparticular is becoming a food andbeverage focal point for everything frommanufacturing and packaging to finedining and healthy eating.”

Khalid bel JaflahVice President Commercial Operations UAE, Emirates“We have a significant number of passengers that travel to Dubai from Abu Dhabiand Al Ain to avail of Emirates’ world class services. As an airline we are all aboutconnecting people and [our] value added bus service is just another aspect of ourdedication to get passengers to their destination, with minimum hassle andmaximum comfort.”

Graeme BarnettEvent Director, EIBTM “With 95 percent of space alreadytaken for this year’s show (as atAugust 2010), it is clear that theindustry is in an optimistic andupbeat frame of mind as meetingsprofessionals around the worldrecognise the importance ofattending EIBTM to create newbusiness opportunities. As theflagship event of Reed TravelExhibitions portfolio of globalmeetings events, the EIBTM team istotally committed to delivering aworld-class event that meets theneeds of the industry it serves.”

Dubai World Trade Centre

Emirates bus service

Graeme Barnett

AUGUST 28, 201014

Herve HumlerThe Ritz-Carlton, a division of MarriottInternational, has appointed HerveHumler as president and chief operationsofficer. Humler was one of the originalfounders of The Ritz-Carlton in 1983 andhas more than 35 years of experience inthe hotel industry. In his new role, he willalso oversee Bulgary Hotels and Resorts.Humler will replace Simon F Cooper,who has been named MarriottInternational’s new president andmanaging director for Asia Pacific. Beforejoining The Ritz-Carlton, Humler heldsenior management positions with HyattHotels , InterContinental Hotels and ThePrincess Hotel in Bermuda. He holds adegree in hotel management.

Laura PerezMövenpick Hotels has appointedLaura Perez as area director ofcommunications for the Middle East.Perez previously spent two years asdirector of public relations at TheAddress Hotels and Resorts, whereshe oversaw the brand’s growth fromone to five hotels in Dubai.Yasser Moussa

Al Bustan Centre andResidence in Dubai haspromoted Yasser Moussa tothe position of director ofbusiness development.Moussa has more than 12years of experience in thehospitality sector and hasworked across the GCC, FarEast, India and Europe. In hisnew role, he will beresponsible for formulatingand leading the property’smarketing strategy andexpanding business inpotential markets.

Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel has appointed Khaled Nabil asdirector of sales and marketing. Nabil has more than 22 years of experience withinthe hospitality industry, most recently working at Sheraton Dammam in SaudiArabia. Before joining Sheraton in 2005, he also worked with Le Méridien andInterContinental Hotels Group in various sales and marketing roles. Nabil holds abachelor’s degree in hotel management.

Jason GeidemanDollar Rent A Car has appointed Jason Geideman as branch manager of Dollar RentA Car in Abu Dhabi. Geideman has more than 10 years of business managementexperience, including seven years within the car rental industry in the UAE and US.His focus is on competitive market expansion and customer relationshipdevelopment. Geideman will oversee all of the marketing and sales activities in theDollar Abu Dhabi branch.

Yasser Moussa

Herve Humler

Khaled Nabil

Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel

15AUGUST 28, 2010

Q&A with Tony PotterCorinthia Hotels International is a Malta based luxury hotel chain with properties around the world. They arewell established in North Africa and are pushing into the Middle East, with hotels underway in Dubai, Egypt andAbu Dhabi. Travel Trade Weekly quizzed Tony Potter, CEO of Corinthia, on the company’s strategy for the area.

You can expect every big name in the world to

be in Libya within thenext 14 months

Travel Trade Weekly: Can you tell mea little about Corinthia’s activities inthe Middle East and North Africa?Tony Potter: Well, in Africa we areextremely well known, particularly inNorth Africa and especially in Libya, withthe Corinthia Hotel Tripoli, which is quitefamous in Africa and the Arabic speakingworld.It was quite a foresight for our director togo in there, which we did very early at atime when there were no otherinternational players in the country,making ours the only high quality five starhotel in Tripoli.We no longer have the market toourselves, and you can expect every bigname in the world to be in Libya withinthe next 14 months, but we are very wellestablished there.The market is very business oriented, butthere is massive potential as a leisuredestination. The beaches are the best in theworld: totally unspoiled, totally unused.We have also just opened a spectacularhotel in Khartoum in Sudan, and we usedto operate a hotel in Gambia, but when wemoved our offering up-market to focus onfive star it didn’t quite make the cut.We are also in Tunis, with a Ramada Plazaproperty that was refurbished when wetook it over.

Travel Trade Weekly: What aboutcloser to the Gulf?Tony Potter: We have a fantasticdevelopment programme in the area.Corinthia Hotels International, or CHI,has the exclusive rights to the Wyndhamand Ramada Plaza brands in the area.We are opening a Ramada Hotel andSuites in Sharjah this October and haveanother planned in Dubai in June of 2011.

We are also very keen on taking theCorinthia brand itself into the MiddleEast: our development guys are looking atQatar and in Bahrain and at otheropportunities in Africa.These mid market brands are doing verywell at the moment.But even though there has been a surge indemand for them, in places like Dubai,you have a bit of an overbuild situation, soyou have to be careful.The emerging Arabic mid spend market iswhy we chose the Ramada Hotels andSuites concept, because it allows us tocater to the regional, family travel marketthat is emerging in the area.We are also developing a fantastic 1,000room resort in Sharm in Egypt.That one is being developed in phases,with the first already operating and thelast due to open in 2012.

Travel Trade Weekly: What are yourlong term plans in the Middle East?Tony Potter: We would ultimately like tosee Corinthia branded hotels in all of themain gateways. I think we are well recognised in the area;I think we have good relationships and Ithink we have a good programme fordevelopment.We would definitely like to go into placeslike Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but we have tobe a little cautious because, as mentioned,I am worried about there being anoverbuild situation in those cities.We have a history of being adventurous,of going into difficult destinations like

Libya and Khartoum, or perhaps placesthat are not actually difficult but are offthe map for other operators, that havebeen deemed too risky.So we are good at tackling challenges anddefinitely plan to grow in the Middle East.I would like to see six to seven Corinthiahotels in the region the next seven to eightyears.In the wider Islamic world, beyond the MiddleEast and North Africa, we are also looking atTurkey and have a very exciting five starCorinthia property in the works there.Turkey is exciting because it is movingaway from its perception as a low costdestination, towards a fully rounded placethat can cater fully to budget, mid andhigh end customers.

Tony Potter

Mid market brands are doing very well

at the moment

AUGUST 28, 201016

Events

EIBTM Announces New Exhibitors in Lead-Up to 2010 EventMore than 20 new exhibitors havesigned on of the 2010 edition of EIBTM,to be held in Barcelona betweenNovember 30 and December 2. New faces at the exhibition include:Marriott International; Politours; IlangaTravel; Cruise and Business Events; DivanHotels; L’AND; African Conferences;KeyDM; Meeting Point International;Rwanda; Uganda; Nigeria; Seychelles;Epoque Hotels; Japan National Tourist

Organisation; Lithuanian Exhibition andConvention Centre (LITEXPO); andIncent Tours, of India. Additionally, more than 40 major standholders have increased their space toinclude more exhibiting partners. From the Middle East and Africa, AbuDhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) hasexpanded its space by 29 percent, whileTunisia and Tanzania Tourist Board haveboosted their stands by 100 percent and

36 percent respectively.Last year’s EIBTM event attracted 8,170attendees, marking a 0.5 percent increaseon 2008 figures; there was a threepercent increase in hosted buyersbetween 2008 and 2009, bringing thetotal to 3,827. The event’s professional educationprogramme was a standout success, witha 15 percent increase in attendance to4,000.

Business Travel Show – DubaiDubai, UAE, October 25-26 (www.businesstravelshowdubai.com)Dedicated event for buyers and bookers of corporate travel in the MiddleEast, focusing on small and medium sized organisations that book businesstravel.

World Travel MarketLondon, UK, November 8-11 (www.wtmlondon.com)Global event for the travel industry – four day business to business eventpromoting a range of destinations and industry sectors to internationaltravel professionals.

World Green Tourism Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi, UAE, November 22-24 (www.worldgreentourism.ae)Inaugural eco-tourism exhibition, featuring tourism authorities, urban cityplanners, hotels and resorts, property developers, airlines, tour operators,green product suppliers, universities, museums and heritage siteorganisations.

EIBTMBarcelona, Spain, November 30 – December 2 (www.eibtm.com)Global event for meetings and events industry, including networkingopportunities, professional education seminars and a trade show platformfor exhibitors, hosted buyers and trade visitors.

Blossom JapanTokyo, Japan, January 18-21,2011 (www.blossomjapan.com)A new invitation-only luxury travel exhibition focusing on theJapanese market.

India International Travel Mart Mumbai, India, September 3-5 (www.iitmindia.com )Travel and tourism exhibition to market products from Indiaand abroad to the travel trade, corporate decision makers andend users.

Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare CongressLos Angeles, US, September 22-24 (www.medicaltourismcongress.com)Forum for the global medical and wellbeing tourism industry.

International Conference on Responsible Tourism in DestinationsMuscat, Oman, October 10-12 (www.rtd4.om)Organised by Oman Ministry of Tourism, UNWTO andInternational Centre for Responsible Tourism, LeedsMetropolitan University. Conference for government, privatesector, academic institutions and decision makers to discussnew directions for the principles and practice of responsibletourism in global destinations.

Arab Tourism Bourse Travel and Tourism FairDamascus, Syria, October 19-22 (www.abtfair.com)Aimed at promoting the Syrian tourism industry, attracting newvisitors and developing tourism in the region.

Hotex Fair SyriaDamascus, Syria, October 19-22 (www.hotexfair.com)Fair for Arabic and foreign companies in tourism and travel,including hotels, restaurants and equipment suppliers.