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Middle East and North Africa Edition

JAnuAry 1, 2011 issue 60

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44tHe ADDress mOrOCCOProperty services company HamptonsmenA has signed on to work with TheAddress Jnan Amar marrakech, a luxury poloretreat developed by siAmA in morocco.

In This Issue

emirates in turkeyThe tour-operating arm of emiratesGroup, emirates Holidays, is set to targetthe growing turkish market. emiratesHolidays has appointed Airep Havacilikve turizm as its representative in turkey;through this partnership emirates plansto offer tailor-made holiday experiencesto turkish travellers.

www.traveltradeweekly.travel

The Jordanian government has signed a USD10 million dealwith Google, covering communications development for 10

government entities. The bodies are mostly tourism ordevelopment orientated, including the country’s airline Royal

Jordanian; Jordan Tourism Board (JTB); Petra RegionalAuthority; and Greater Amman Municipality.

Google DealJORDAN’SGoogle Deal

JORDAN’S

Based in Dubai, the new companywill also focus on attractingbusiness from tourism destinationsaround the world. in his most recent position with

tourism malaysia Dubai, masri was responsiblefor marketing in the Gulf and iran. He has spent a total of 15 years in the travelindustry, beginning his career as a travelconsultant and later moving on to salespositions with singapore Airlines and a publicrelations career.

masri will now serve as thedirector of BizGate.“BizGate offers businessconsulting services to airlines,hotel chains, destinations andattractions, thus helping them tocommunicate better with traveltrade industry players, betterunderstand consumer needs andrequirements, as well as identifyopportunities that guarantee

them a competitive edge,” he said.masri added that one of the company’s keyobjectives was to assist the marketing andbusiness development teams of internationaltourism service providers in repositioningthemselves to capture additional market sharein existing markets, as well as targetingemerging markets.BizGate will also assist countries that areinterested in promoting themselves to the Gulfregion and wider middle east.“Above all, we are committed to buildingproductive relationships anchored in trust,”said masri.“This will be accomplished based on ourunderstanding of the needs and objectives ofour clients.”

JAnuAry 1, 20112

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY

EditorLaura Warne

Deputy EditorLouis Dillon savage

Design & Layoutelina Pericleous

Sales & Marketingmarianna tsiamasDimitris Thomaidis

DirectorsAndreas Constantinidesmary kammitsi

HeadquartersP.O. Box 25255 nicosia 1308 Cyprustel: +35722820888Fax: +35722318958

Websitewww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Emailsinfo@traveltradeweekly.traveleditorial@traveltradeweekly.travelsales@traveltradeweekly.travel

COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=uAe (AeD) Dirham 3.69egypt (eGP) Pound 5.81saudi Arabia (sAr) riyal 3.75Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1501Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37Jordan ( JOD) Dinar 0.70syria (syP) Pound 47.36kuwait (kWD) Dinar 0.28Qatar (QAr) riyal 3.64Oman (Omr) rial 0.38tunisia (tnD) Dinar 1.45morocco (mAD) Dirham 8.49iran (irr) riyal 10,480yemen (yer) rial 214.01Algeria (DZD) Dinar 74.99Libya (LyD) Dinar 1.27

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 28/12/2010Currencies shown in red are fixed against the us Dollar

Low Cost Carrier Trend Grows for UAE Short HaulAccording to new data from market research company youGov siraj, 2011 willsee a continued rise in the popularity of low cost carriers (LCCs) in the uAe. in a survey conducted during October and november, 67 percent of leisuretravellers and 58 percent of business travellers said they expected to travel moreon LCCs during the next year.in contrast, only 13 percent of leisure and 19 percent of business travellers saidthey expected to use LCCs less in 2011. short haul trips were common, with india remaining the most popular businessdestination in 2010; however, the country lost ground to saudi Arabia, Qatarand Jordan over the past year. youGov siraj’s research also showed an increase in online bookings, with 44 percentof business travellers expecting to use online booking more in the coming year. scott Booth, research manager for travel and tourism at youGov siraj, said whileonline booking was often underestimated in the middle east, the results showthat it is a key channel for travel booking in the uAe.

Industry Veteran Launches TourismMarketing Firm in DubaiMohamad Masri, former Tourism Malaysia Dubai marketing manager, haslaunched BizGate Marketing and Consultancy LLC – a firm aimed at tourismcompanies and travel service providers.

Above all, we are committed to building

productive relationshipsanchored in trust

3JAnuAry 1, 2011

the bodies are mostlytourism or developmentorientated, includingthe country’s airlineroyal Jordanian; Jordan

tourism Board ( JtB); Petra regionalAuthority; and Greater Ammanmunicipality. Google will help develop the organisations’information and communicationtechnologies (iCt), with the aim ofimproving promotion of the kingdom’sassets overseas.marwan Juma, minister of iCt in Jordan,said the deal would inject valuable expertiseinto Jordan’s communications sector.

“This agreement will go a long way inbuilding capacity as it relates to strategicdigital marketing through know-howtransfer from Google to localorganisations ... a crucial knowledge tohave in this day and age."

Carlo D’asaro Biondo, vice president forGoogle in the region concurred.“This strategic agreement will pave the

way for Jordanian entities to have morelocal and global exposure in the digitalworld as well as aim at modernising inJordan's it ecosystem,” he said.As part of the arrangement, Google hasagreed to re-invest one quarter of theusD10 million to help stimulate theiCt sector in Jordan.The money will be distributed as venturecapital in various forms to stimulate start-ups, entrepreneurship and training withinthe country.Ari kesisoglu, regional manager in themiddle east for Google, said the companywould seek to replicate the deal in othercountries within the region.

Jordan Signs USD10 Million Deal with Google The Jordanian government has signed a USD10 million deal with Google, covering communicationsdevelopment for 10 government entities.

This agreement will pave the way for

Jordanian entities to havemore global exposure

JAnuAry 1, 20114

Kuwait Tourism Growth Prompts Hertz Fleet Upgrade

Emirates Holidays Looks to Turkish MarketThe tour-operating arm of Emirates Group, Emirates Holidays, is set to target the growing Turkish market.

emirates Holidays hasappointed Airep Havacilikve turizm as itsrepresentative in turkey;through this partnership

emirates plans to offer tailor-madeholiday experiences to turkish travellers. The company’s entire 120 destinations in32 countries will be available to turkishcustomers and local travel agents viaAirep.Frederic Bardin, senior vice president ofemirates Holidays, said Airep was one ofturkey’s leading airline, cruise and themepark representation companies.“There is excellent potential for the sale of

emirates Holidays packages in this marketand we are confident that Airep willrepresent us and present our products andservices to turkish travellers in the bestway possible,” said Bardin.“We are entering a dynamic market and wesee a huge demand for travel to destinationssuch as Dubai and the uAe in general …”

A growing number of travellers tokuwait has prompted car rental companyHertz kuwait to expand, with newvehicles on the way. Cristiana stefan, rent-A-Car manager ofHertz kuwait, said business travellersresponded well to a wider variety ofsedans and suVs.“We have a diverse customer base, whichcontinues to expand as visitors to theregion increase in number,” said stefan.

“As such, we have widened our fleet ofrental vehicles so that we can meet thedemand and needs of our customers.”stefan pointed out that travel to kuwaithad grown consistently in recent years,

with more than usD400 million spent inthe country by visitors in 2009. most arrivals are business travellers, buttourism specialists within the countrybelieve that improved infrastructure, ahealthy economy and a rise in luxuryresorts are also stimulating the industry.

There is excellent potential for

the sale of EmiratesHolidays packages

in this market

We have a diversecustomer base, whichcontinues to expand

as visitors to the regionincrease in number

Frederic Bardin

the government of egyptand unWtO havesigned an agreementcovering co-operationin areas including

accommodation auditing and thedevelopment of rural tourism.The organisation hasestablished a tourism satelliteAccount with the aim ofimproving the quality of thestatistics produced by egypt.unWtO identified tourism asegypt’s fastest growing sourceof foreign income, with thesector bringing in more thanusD11.5 billion dollars in2010.However, with much of thistourism focused on establishedattractions, egypt is nowseeking to distribute tourismmore evenly across the country.With the support of theGovernment of spain and fiveun agencies (includingunWtO) egypt’s owngovernment has established theDashour project for developingsustainable rural tourism.

According to unWtO, goals and futuredevelopments include a project topreserve all religious buildings; thedevelopment of ecotourism in siwa Oasisand the Western Desert; and theadvancement of new destinations such asmarsa Alam and the north coast.

5JAnuAry 1, 2011

Egypt and UNWTO Establish New PartnershipEgypt has turned to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for help on a variety of projects.

Siwa Oasis

Western Desert

JAnuAry 1, 20116

- Accommodation

Hamptons MENA Signs on to The Address in MarrakechProperty services company Hamptons MENA has signed on to work with The Address Jnan Amar Marrakech,a luxury polo retreat developed by SIAMA in Morocco.

the project includes a fivestar hotel, to be managedby The Address Hotelsand resorts, along with92 branded villas.

Hamptons menA has taken on themarketing of the villas in what will be thefirst polo facility in morocco.A spokesperson for Hamptons menAsaid the company would target local andinternational buyers. “morocco is one of the world’s populartourist destinations and the moroccanproperty market has been identified asone to watch,” said the spokesperson.“The Addresss Jnan Amar marrakech is a

perfect fit for connoisseurs seeking aluxury holiday home in the kingdom.”The development is scheduled to open in2012, featuring two polo fields, equestrianclub facilities and horse stabling.

Ammar Abdelhadi, general manager ofdeveloper siAmA, said the facility wasexpected to increase tourism in the country.“The Address Jnan Amar marrakech is anunparalleled resort destination in

morocco offering a distinct locationadvantage,” said Abdelhadi.“it will boost high quality tourism to theregion by catering to five key areas –cultural tourism, business visitors,meetings and incentives market, health andwell being and polo sports and recreation.”

The Address Jnan Amar Marrakech

The Moroccan propertymarket has been identified

as one to watch

Private Jet Charter (formerlyinternational Air Charter),has released data showingespecial resilience in themiddle east.

elie Abdo, managing partner in themiddle east for the company,explained why the middle easthad remained strong. “The middle east marketoffers great long-termpotential,” he said.“Our client base of royalfamilies, CeOs and othermembers of the region'saffluent segment has beensteadily increasing as clientsrecognise the strategic benefitsof charter jet services,particularly in terms ofconvenience and time savings.”

He said charter services were becomingincreasingly popular as the countries ofthe middle east become moreinterconnected. “Charter jet services are now consideredas a convenient means of transport in the

Gulf region,” he said.According to Private Jet Charter, demandfor charter services remains concentrated,with the uAe alone accounting for 25percent of demand within the middleeast.

7JAnuAry 1, 2011

- Air Travel

Air Charter Remains Strong in Middle EastThe global recession has had little impact on private air charter business, one of the sector’s largest operatorshas revealed.

Clients recognisethe strategic

benefits of charterjet services

JAnuAry 1, 20118

- International

Silhouette Island Resort Partners with Hilton in SeychellesA new Hilton property is scheduled to open in Seychelles in early 2011, following Hilton Worldwide’s recentsigning of a management agreement with Silhouette Island Resort Limited.

London Mayor Announces USD21 Million for Promotion Agency

the new property, Hiltonseychelles LaBriz resortand spa, will feature 111villas and is expected tolaunch in march.

it will mark Hilton’s second seychellesproperty.Hilton seychelles LaBriz resort and spawill be located on silhouette, the third-largest island in seychelles; the island is a30-minute boat transfer or 15-minutehelicopter transfer away from seychellesinternational Airport. essam Abouda, vice president of operations,Arabian Peninsula and indian Ocean forHilton, said the new property would providean important addition to the existing Hiltonseychelles northolme resort and spa.“seychelles is a very important leisuredestination and an emerging market forHilton Worldwide and the Hilton brandin the indian Ocean,” said Abouda.As part of the new managementagreement, the new property will undergoan upgrade over the coming months toconvert it to the Hilton brand.

mohamad umar maniku, chairman ofsilhouette island resort Limited, saidthere was solid interest in the island,which offers a range of natural touristattractions.

“We are delighted to have signed thismanagement agreement with HiltonWorldwide, the leaders in hospitality, thatwill help us manage the demand and meettravellers’ high expectations for this newconversion,” he said.Hilton Worldwide currently has 44 hotelsacross 14 countries in the middle eastand Africa, with another 30 properties inthe pipeline.

Seychelles is a very important

leisure destination

Boris Johnson, mayor of London, hasannounced a four-year funding deal thatwill funnel more than usD21 millioninto a new promotion agency for the city. The new body will bring together thework of existing agencies for tourism,inward investment and internationalstudents. its aim is to promote London as one ofthe world’s best major cities. From April, 2011, three existing entities(Think London, Visit London and studyLondon) will be brought together underthe new agency. The agency’s working title is Promote

London; its current mandate is to marketthe city in the lead-up to the 2012Olympic Games. tom Jenkins, executive director of theeuropean tour Operators Association,welcomed the move, but pointed out animportant downside to the new agency.“This joint body now serves threefunctions, with barely the budget of one,”said Jenkins.“it is thus a severe cut in funding fortourism promotion for the capital.“yet any funding is welcome, and in thisclimate it is to be regarded as a reprieve:for a while we thought we may have no

body representing the interests of thetourism industry.”

He added that regardless of individualopinions on the new agency, the factremained that a body was necessary toco-ordinate information and act as abroker in the busy 18 months leading upto the Olympic Games.

For a while we thought we may have no body

representing the interests of the tourism industry

Hilton Seychelles LaBrizResort and Spa

JAnuAry 1, 201110

Agent’s InsightName: Sandra VenessPosition: Owner and OperatorCompany: Middle East ToursLocation: Australia

Who is travelling to the Middle East from Australia?Well, it is varied but usually, upmarket – people who are notshort of a dollar.i’m upmarket too, though: my tours are upmarket. i havebeen doing this for 20 years and i am also the vice chair ofthe Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce.But in terms of clients, business is mostly generated by wordof mouth and they are usually a bit older. not backpackers,in other words.

Where are people going to within the region?Things are a bit quiet at the moment, but i do the off thebeaten track kinds of destinations. sudan, Algeria, yemen,for instance.

When is the busiest time?it’s 12 months! normally, i try to steer clear of their summers– they have very hot summers, as you might know.But to be frank, it is very, very quiet at the moment. Thereare very few people travelling into the middle east.

What do you think could be done to improve traffic?i’ve tried everything! i’ve been trying to educate people, butit is very difficult.you only have to read the DeFAt (travel advisory)warnings. Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go.it is unfortunate.

Abu Dhabi Targets RussianTravel ProfessionalsAbu Dhabi has hosted representatives of 11 of russia’s largesttravel agencies, in a bid to raise the emirate’s profile in that country.mubarak Al muhairi, director general of Abu Dhabi tourismAuthority (ADtA), explained the importance of the russianmarket.“russia has become an increasingly important market for us withetihad bringing russian tourists within just five hours flight timeof Abu Dhabi,” he said.“russia is showing great promise for us, with hotels in Abu Dhabirecording a 23 percent increase in guests from the country in thefirst 10 months of this year.”He said the recent familiarisation trip was the beginning of astrategy aimed at changing perceptions of Abu Dhabi in russia. “We are now looking to capitalise on these green shoots ofgrowth and will be mounting an intensive programme ofinbound familiarisation trips for russian travel trade and media,”he said.“We are also embracing the russian language across all of ourmarketing material and spearheading the recruitment andtraining of russian-speaking tour guides to work in the emirate.”According to ADtA, the recent trip was a success, with severalparticipants reporting that they gained a new understanding ofAbu Dhabi and the middle east.

[ADTA] will be mounting an intensive programme of inbound

familiarisation trips

Abu Dhabi

Madagh Beach, Algeria

11JAnuAry 1, 2011

Luxury Travel Trends Here to StayGood news comes in all shapes and sizes, but for the Middle East, the latest comes from an unexpecteddirection. A study undertaken by the UK’s tourism marketing body (VisitBritain) has found resilience indemand for luxury travel – the forte of many Middle Eastern operators. However, despite the region’sreputation for delivering opulence, high-spend travellers can remain elusive.

A s part of its study,VisitBritain identifiedthree tiers of luxuryspenders, and the latesttrends that are attracting

them.Gold, platinum and black are the categoriesthat divide the segment, according toVisitBritain, with each exhibiting its ownflavour and patterns of consumption.Gold is all about bling luxury and visibleexpense, ccontrasting with the old-moneyedblack category of travellers who seek privacyand exclusivity.Platinum sits between the two, representing

restraint and comfort.With this diversity apparent at the top ofthe market, it is no wonder that a widerange of new approaches are emerging tocater to various needs.

However, the thread that ran through thetrends was the desire for seamlessexperiences that establish social distance

from other kinds of traveller. A wish for curated experiences was identifiedby VisitBritain’s report as one of the mostimportant factors: choosing the latest, bestand most exclusive experiences is key.storytelling and fairy-tale holidays arealso coming into their own, as travellerslook for a narrative to lift them out of theworld of the camera toting masses.“Luxury travellers often want theirholidays to establish their social status orkudos by giving them the chance to tellthe story of how they did something newand unique or use an experience in theirdaily lives,” the report stated.

Luxury travellers often want their holidays

to establish their social status

JAnuAry 1, 201112

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

Scott BoothResearch Manager for Travel and Tourism, YouGov Siraj"While budgets are likely to increase in thenear future, travellers have had enough ofcutting back and are turning to LCCs [LowCost Carriers] as a way to get more out ofthe budget they have now. most travellersare flying economy regardless of the carrier,and the LCC trends signal a diminisheddistinction between an economy seat on alegacy carrier and what is essentially thesame seat on an LCC."

Hwang Seung HyunRegional Director, Korea Tourism Organisation Dubai“tourism arrivals into korea from GCC and other middle eastern countrieshave had a robust growth during the last two years. The arrivals are no moreconfined to summer months and instead spread throughout the year includingsummer months, spring and eid holidays. tourism to korea from the GCCregion has come to a stage where consumers have better knowledge than thetravel agent due to a huge fan following of the korean dramas among the younggeneration. The number of visitors and the calls to our office has alsosubstantially increased. We, therefore, realised the urgent need for a specialisttraining programme that could be done from the comfort of your office or home.korea specialist Program was carefully designed to incorporate the necessitiesof local tourists while travelling on a holiday. The programme consists of fivemodules covering various aspects of the tourism industry with a multi choicequestionnaire. since korea is positioned as a new destination, the focus of theprogramme was centred on major cities. Therefore, the course has been madevery simple to ensure basic product knowledge and maximum participation fromthe travel trade and thus narrow the trade - consumer relationship."

Most travellers are flying economy regardless of the carrier

Pavel KorotkovManager of SODIS Travel Agency (Russia)"Before coming to Abu Dhabi, my knowledgeabout it was not that positive. i thought it hadlimited tourism attractions, entertainment, orhotels.  now i see it is a progressive emiratewith big potential for luxury and businesstravel. i  now have a clearer perspective onwhat Abu Dhabi has to offer and look forwardto promoting it as a luxury travel destination.i have had the chance to learn about AbuDhabi and change my opinion."

Before coming to AbuDhabi, my knowledge about

it was not that positive

Abu Dhabi

Tourism to Koreafrom the GCC

region has come to astage where

consumers havebetter knowledge

than the travel agent

Korea

JAnuAry 1, 201114

Elie Sassinesharq Village and spa in Doha, Qatar, hasappointed elie sassine as director of sales andmarketing. sassine will oversee all corporate,group and leisure sales for the resort, along withcatering and conference sales and marketingefforts. He first joined the resort after a stint asassistant director of events at marriott HotelDoha; in 2009 he was appointed director ofconference and catering services at sharqVillage and spa.

Michel Pierre Sursocksalalah marriott resort in Oman has appointed michel Pierre sursock asgeneral manager. sursock has more than 30 years of experience in theindustry; he began his career in 1977 in the rooms division beforefocusing on sales and marketing. sursock has worked with novotel,Holiday inn, royal tulip and the Leylaty Ballroom and ConferenceCentre. He has a wealth of experience from across the middle easternregion.

Emirates Country Rotationsemirates has announced several of moves within itsteam, set to take effect on January 1, 2011. saeed Al Janahi has been appointed the newcountry manager for tehran. Al Janahi joinedemirates in 2002 as part of the uAe nationaltrainee management Programme and has spent thepast two years as country manager for syria.Bader Hassan, a six year emirates veteran, has beenappointed country manager for kuwait. Hassan wasalso a graduate of the management programme andwas most recently country manager for tanzania.nadim Lahad is the new station manager for AbuDhabi; he has been with emirates for 16 years andwas most recently country manager for kuwait.mustafa Al Jabri, another national managementprogramme graduate, will take on the role ofcountry manager for syria. Al Jabri joined emiratesin 2005 and has spent the past two and a half yearsmanaging operations in Oman.

Luc DelcomminetteArabian Adventures has appointed Luc Delcomminette as vice president.in his new role, Delcomminette will be responsible for running ArabianAdventures’ business operations, specifically leading five specialist units:frequent individual travellers, including hotel contracting andreservations; a dedicated leisure groups section; meetings, incentives andevents; cruise services; and the operations department, including all front-line staff, tours and safari operations. Delcomminette has more than 20years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. Prior to thispromotion, he managed the operations department of ArabianAdventures.

Luc Delcomminette

Saeed Al Janah

15JAnuAry 1, 2011

Travel Trade Weekly: How does Aloftcompete in the busy market of AbuDhabi and how important is yourlocation?Marcus Osborne: Being attached toADneC is a huge advantage for us. not only that, but the fact that we’re 10minutes from the airport and 10 minutesfrom the city centre gives us a primelocation. As we’ve seen from Dubai, Abu Dhabi isdeveloping and spreading further out ofthe city centre. i can see Abu Dhabi going that way evenmore. Capital Gate’s development acrossthe way from us is going to bring moreand more interest out to this area and theinvestments that ADneC is putting intosome of the international exhibitions andconferences again puts us more in acentral light.

Travel Trade Weekly: Howdependent is Aloft on ADNEC to fuelvisitors to the hotel?Marcus Osborne: ADneC isobviously a huge benefit to us, as are theexhibitions themselves, but theexhibitions don’t run throughout thewhole year, so we have to be self-sufficient. We have our base business, but then whenADneC has big events it means that wealmost have a surplus. it’s just good common sense to be onlocation at a rate that you’re happy with. We have to be a self-sufficient entity,because through the summer for instance,there are very few exhibitions that happenand we have to make sure that we’re stillrunning as best we can through that lowperiod. you have your corporate demographicduring the high season, but as you head

into the low season you have to establisha base business to carry you through thatperiod. There are people that come out during thesummer and they come out in groups, soideally in the middle of summer we try toget groups in. Over the past few years it has seemed thatif you have groups, you have far bettercommand of the market positioning,quite simply because you can yieldmanage from there on inwards, or at leastget the occupancy in there.

That’s what it comes down to – if someproperties are running at 30 percentoccupancy and you have a group in there torun at 60 percent, you know where you are. no one has the ability to manage theirADrs, so you go with occupancy and ifyou’re 20 or 30 percent higher than therest of the market, you are the winner –simple as that. That’s what it comes downto – we want to be first in our marketposition. Aloft is also a new concept. i think a lot ofpeople, the first time they come here it’snot what they expected, but they realisethat it’s a brand new hotel; location-wiseit’s very good; room sizes are good; it’shigh tech with wifi throughout the lobbyand hotel. nowadays a lot of travellers are looking atcost and we can end up going into a pricewar, but at the end of the day that’s nothelping anybody.

Travel Trade Weekly: You will also beintroducing the environmentally-friendly Element brand to Abu Dhabiin the near future – can you tell us howyou expect that to be received by thismarket?Marcus Osborne: it’s a concept thatworks well with the younger audience,which is becoming more conscientiousabout its carbon footprint. if you can go to a hotel that is costeffective but also makes you feel a little bitproud to be doing something – it’s aboutselecting carefully, getting what you needto get and not damaging the world asmuch as you may have by choosinganother hotel. i think it’s quite a good concept. youcould argue that Abu Dhabi’s not the bestplace to do that, because we’re notparticularly conscious about things likethat in the uAe, but again i think it’s theideal place to launch it – in anenvironment that’s sustained by the oilindustry.

Q&A with Marcus OsborneAs the sales and marketing director for Aloft Abu Dhabi, Marcus Osborne spoke with travel trade Weeklyabout the local market, the importance of ADNEC and the upcoming introduction of the Element brand.

Marcus Osborne

As you head into the low season you have

to establish a basebusiness to carry youthrough that period

Dubai entertainment Amusement andLeisure exhibition (DeAL) has reportedearly success in garnering exhibitorsupport for its 2011 event.The event’s organisers, internationalexpo-Consults (ieC), sent a delegationto the recent international Association ofAmusement Parks and Attractions(iAAPA) expo 2010.ieC reported a strong response to theirdemonstration and announced 30 newexhibitor commitments.Among those who have already signed upto the event are Amusement servicesinternational (Asi), Falgas industries,rainbow Productions, Zamperla middleeast and Warehouse of Games.Brands that booked space for DeAL atiAAPA included Westech, 3D BrandedAttractions, maurer rides, innovative

Concepts in entertainment (iCe), eltonGames and Lagotronics.Abdul rahman Falaknaz, chairman ofieC, said high profile developments in themiddle east helped stimulate interest.“We've been delighted with the responseto DeAL 2011,” he said. “With the opening of such prestigious

developments as Ferrari World in Abu Dhabithe middle east's amusements industry isshowing positive signs of future growth andDeAL will play an important role in this.”Falaknaz said ieC was following up onfurther enquiries generated at iAAPA.DeAL 2011 will be held between April 4and 6 at the Dubai World trade Centre.

JAnuAry 1, 201116

EventsMoroccan Travel MarketMarrakech, Morocco, January 12-15, 2011 (en.mtm.ma)exhibition for international travel professionals.

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

Fitur International Tourism Trade FairMadrid, Spain, January 19-23, 2011 (www.fitur.es)Fitur is a meeting point for tourism professionals to establishlines of action, strategies and business alliances.

HobexTripoli, Libya, January 25-27, 2011 (www.wahaexpo.com/hobex)international hotel business exhibition.

India Travel Market - MumbaiMumbai, India, February 4-6, 2011 (www.indiatravelmart.com)travel trade show for inbound, outbound and domestic tourism.

Emitt IstanbulIstanbul, Turkey, February 10-13, 2011 (www.emittistanbul.com)istanbul’s only international trade fair: focused on tourism inthe eastern mediterranean.

IEC Has a Great DEAL to Look Forward to in 2011The Middle

East'samusementsindustry is

showingpositive signs

of futuregrowth

Dubai Entertainment Amusementand Leisure exhibition