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Dubai’s low cost carrier flydubai has expanded its Africa operations, adding a second Africa destination on Tuesday - flight FZ601 touched down at Dijbouti Ambouli International Airport. CEO of flydubai Ghaith Al Ghaith said second tier cities are underserved by carriers flying out of Dubai. He said there is not enough traffic for bigger airlines but “there is a significant amount of traffic from these markets…
Emirates Airline CEO said the rise in global stock markets and returning consumer confidence indicates global air travel demand may increase by mid 2010. Tim Clark, who has been president of Emirates Airline since 2003, said if there is no evidence of a deepening recession or another stock market crash, consumer spending will probably pick up next year. He said “On the basis of what we see looking ahead, I…
Thousands of new hotel rooms will open in Dubai over the next few months, giving travelers more options but putting more pressure on the hotel industry. These new rooms were planned when the Dubai hospitality industry was booming and a room shortage caused room rates to go up. The economic downturn has since caused revenues and rates to drop sharply as demand declined and hotels compete for guests. The…
Prince Naif urged countries that send Umrah and Haj pilgrims to adopt precautionary measures against the disease and to provde required vaccinations to meet recommended health conditions. The Prince presided over a meeting held by the Supreme Haj Committee on Sunday to review precautionary measures needed to prevent an outbreak of swine flu. Prince Naif, who is Second Deputy Prime Minister of Interior, said…
Kerzner International is considering launching a second luxury product in Dubai – The Cove Atlantis. Last September the resort developed the $1.5 billion (Dh5.5bn) Atlantis The Palm. The Cove Atlantis would be located at the Atlantis site in Dubai and replicate the Cove in Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas. President and Managing Director of Kerzner International said they did a lot of planning on…
Hotels in Abu Dhabi will be able to receive entertainment licenses online within 24 hours, starting next week, after the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) introduces its online program. The switch to an online license application system will lessen reliance on the prior manual system, which required the involvement of various authorities. The move to the online system will take between two and six weeks to…
SITA, a specialist in air transport and communications and IT solutions, is installing self service kiosks at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. The five year, $2.2 million deal with SITA is aimed at simplifying the check-in procedures by installing SITA’s (common use self-service) kiosks. Twenty four kiosks will be installed throughout Abu Dhabi International Airport’s three terminals. They will be…
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) will probably achieve its 2009 tourism goals despite the economic downturn, according to tourism chiefs. The ADTA is aiming for about 1.5 million hotel guests this year. ADTA director of strategy and policy said “The targets we have in place are based on a solid understanding of demand and supply fundamentals.” Laurence Franklin said the launch of Air Asia flights…
The Supreme Haj Committee issued a report announcing the monorail project linking the holy sites of Arafat, Mina, and Muzdalifah will be finished for Haj next year. The report said “Work on the project began in Muharram (soon after the last Haj season) and will be ready for use to 35 percent of its capacity during the Haj season of 1431.” The multibillion-riyal project was approved by King Abdullah in order…
Atlantis The Palm Hotel announced Serge Zaalof, a French national, as the new Chief Operating Officer . He replaces General Manager Amadeo Zarzosa who last week resigned suddenly to the surprise of many. The hotel did not offer a reason for his resignation. . Serge Zaalof has ten y ears experience with Jumeirah Group and will now be the Chief Operating Officer for Kerzner International, which Atlantis…
The Sofitel Dubai Jumeriah Beach hotel is set to shake up the hotel sector with its unique brand of French hospitality. The hotel’s general manager believes the Gallic approach to life and entertaining will set his 438 room property apart from the rest. Gilles Longuet said “It’s the only luxury hotel with the French art de vivre, art de recevoir”. He said over time they want to be the leader among hotels in…
Noor Islamic Bank launched a foreign currency exchange service at its Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 branch, located in the departure area of Terminal 3 (T3-08). It will operate 24/7 Buy and sell services will be provided at market rates for all GCC and international currencies including the Kuwaiti dinar, UAE dirham, Saudi riyal, US dollar, British Pound, and Japanese Yen. Travelers' checks may be…
Infrastructure work on Yas Island is nearly complete and will be ready for the inaugural 2009 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix motor race on 1 November 2009. Yas Island is located about 30 minutes from the Abu Dhabi mainland and will host many attractions including world class racing circuits, signature hotels, theme parks, marinas, and golf courses. Aldar Properties is the developer of the…
Luxury brand dealers in the Dubai Airport Freezone are attempting to increase sales among oil rich Gulf states to lessen the impact of the global financial crisis. The Middle East is less affected by the credit crunch than other states, and luxury brand dealers are optimistic about increasing demand for high end brands in the Gulf market. A study released by the global consulting firm Bain & Company said…
Travco Group bought a 99.6% share of the European hotel chain ,Steigenberger Hotels AG. Travcor Group is a hotel and tour operator based in Egypt that owns 50% of TUI Group, the biggest and most experienced tour operator in Europe. Travcor Group has assets of more than 1.25 billion euros and posted posted consolidated revenues of 600 millon euros in 2009. The company employs 18,000 people. Steigenberger was…
Etihad Airways introduced its new first class suite on the Abu Dhabi to London route last week, on an Airbus A340-600 aircraft. This is the first Etihad aircraft to feature the suite. Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan called it a major milestone that demonstrates “our continued commitment to providing a world class experience for our premium passengers.” Each state of the art suite features an extra…
Jumeirah Group is considering adding a lifestyle hotel brand to bring further depth to their current traditional luxury hotel offering. Executive Chairman Gerald Lawless said they are considering developing another hotel brand but if they did “we would still do it in the luxury, five star segment but more on the lifestyle, contemporary styled brand.” Jumeirah Group’s overall revenues have dropped between 25%…
Media One Hotel, a mixed use development consisting of offices along with 216 hotel rooms, will open in October. The recently appointed General Manager of the new four star hotel, De Conceicao-Stuart said “Since it is a new property with all the facilities, the revenue per available room, an industry benchmark, would be comparable to the industry standards.” The hotel occupies the first 23 floors of the mixed…
