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March 18- Union Properties is holding talks with regard to the provision of funds for the Dh1.68 billion ($460 million) F1-X Theme Park in MotorCity, Dubai, said the Chairman, Khalid bin Kalban. "Ernst & Young (E&Y) is on the job and talks are ongoing. However, we have not concluded any deal," he added. Kalban said that E&Y had been appointed in November 2009 to secure funding for the theme park. About $950…
March 18- Bahrain-based Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME) has signed a three-year exclusive agreement with Amwaj Travel, a travel agency in Bahrain. As per the agreement, Amwaj will use Sabre's online booking portal, MySabre, giving the former access to fares, airlines, hotels and cars and cruises around the world. "We are pleased to welcome Amwaj Travel to the Sabre family," said Daniel Naoumovitch,…
March 18- UK-based celebrity chef Gary Rhodes will open yet another restaurant in Dubai called Rhodes Twenty10 at the Taste of Dubai Festival that opened on Wednesday, making it his second restaurant in the region. Earlier, Rhodes opened the Rhodes Mezzanine in Dubai. This one, however, will be a steakhouse “with a twist,” he said, adding that it will be opened at the Le Royal Meridien. “I never imagined that…
March 17- A two week cultural extravaganza at Janadriya village was inaugurated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Tuesday. Janadriya village is 45 km north-east of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A variety of cultural dances, a huge open-air operetta entitled “The Unity of a Nation” and a spectacular camel race are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Saudi and expatriate visitors. About 1,000…
March 17-As economies around the world slowly recover from the global recession, UAE’s tourism sector appears to be improving slowly from last year’s financial setbacks. Experts predict that the hospitality industry in UAE is expected to bounce back and will probably even achieve the boom it experienced back in 2007. “Though the global economic crisis had affected the tourist inflow in late 2008 and early 2009,…
The Lebanese Tourism Ministry is going to launch its ‘Promoting Lebanon Board’ soon, said Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud earlier this week. This committee will comprise private sector figures under the chairmanship of the tourism minister. Speaking at a lunch debate organised by the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) held in his honour, Abboud said that the primary goal of the board “is to devise a…
March 17- Jordan’s tourism revenues have increased by 34.7 per cent in the first two months of 2010, hitting 311 million (Jordanian dinar) as opposed to 231 million (Jordanian dinar) last year in the same time period, it was learnt through figures released by the Central Bank of Jordan. Meanwhile, the number of visitors to Jordan rose by 20.4 per cent to 946,147 in the first two months of 2010, compared to…
A huge ancient statue of the monkey god of wisdom, Thoth, has been discovered in Egypt, said the council of antiquities in Egypt on Tuesday. The statue is four metres (13 feet) tall and was found in four different pieces along with two others when workers were pushing the groundwater beneath Luxor to preserve the city’s pharaoh temples. The statues were discovered near the temple of Amenhotep III and dates back…
March 16- The Volvo Ocean Race, one of the world’s most difficult around the world yachting competitions, is expected to bring substantial benefits to Abu Dhabi, which will host the event in January 2012. The capital will be the first Middle East port to host the racers, and is spending billions of dirhams on its marinas and other leisure boating operations. The Volvo Ocean Race, which was formerly known as…
March 16- New reports by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and World Travel Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) say the total number of tourists around the globe could hit 1 billion in 2010 A decline in the number of crisis in the world over the past two years may cause tourist numbers to reach this level. If the forecast comes true this would be a 3 to 4 percent increase in tourist traffic in 2010 compared…
In a report titled ‘Tourism Investment in Syria’, the Syrian Ministry of Tourism has said that new investments in the tourism sector will create 96,000 jobs in tourist restaurants and hotels by 2012. The current number of tourism related construction jobs is 35,151 which will increase to 250,000 by 2012. To keep up with the growth, around 10,000 workers must be trained annually. Eight new buildings and…
March 16- Maraya Art Centre was inaugurated yesterday by Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, at Al Qasba. Spread over a space of 1,500 square metres and three storeys high, the art centre will play host to exhibitions, cultural events and educational activities. "This collaboration involved people from a number of different social and academic…
Amadeus just launched a new SMS solution that will become the industry’s first web based tool allowing travel agents to provide their customers with an update of their travel details via SMS. Amadeus provides technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry. The new web based tool will allow travel agents to alert travelers about important travel details including travel itineraries,…
General Manager of Alireza Travel Tours said a large tourism group is expected to visit Jeddah on March 23rd on the international tourist cruiser, Crystal Serenity. Khatar Chaaya said the group is comprised of 1,080 men and women from 18 countries. “This is the largest tourist group to visit the Kingdom so far,” he added. The Al-Jazirah Company will transport them to various destinations in the kingdom…
Officers and privates of Saudi Arabia’s passport offices will be sent abroad to receive intensive English language courses and etiquette training. A spokesperson for the passport department told newspapers that “Some of our staff lack diplomacy in dealing with passengers and many of them cannot communicate in English.” Lt. Col Talal Al-Malik said a group of 60 immigration officials will be sent to Australia,…
The Bahrain Grand Prix, the first round of the 60th anniversary year of the Formula One World Championship, kicked off at the Sakhir circuit on Sunday. While seven-time champion Michael Schumacher was the main attraction given that he came back after three years, there was also a lot of hype regarding team tactics in the first race of the new no-refueling era. This has been the first time that Formula One racers…
March 14-The Sharjah Heritage show at the ITB in Berlin, which opened on Wednesday, is attracting thousands of visitors, officials, and German media representatives. This is the 13th time Sharjah has participated in the ITB. The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is holding various activities reflecting the heritage and history of Sharjah, and showcasing the traditions and folklore of the…
March 13- The contractor for MGM Mirage and Dubai World will file mechanics’ liens worth $492 million for the Las Vegas venture, it was learnt on Friday. “CityCenter believes that its actual obligation to the general contractor is substantially less than the amount claimed and that it is also entitled to significant offsets against the claimed amount,” said MGM Mirage in a statement on Friday. City Centre,…
