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Bahrani and Qatar governments discussed buying a stake in Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s space tourism company. A private group from Abu Dhabi and a Saudi Arabian party also considered buying a stake in the company. Virgin Galactic president said “We had discussions with lots of people, but we are not commenting on who we had discussions with.” An industry source said at one point there were four…
Syria’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said the country’s tourism and real estate sector remain strong and have not been affected by the economic crisis. Abdullah Al-Dardari spoke about the tourism sector in advance of an investment conference scheduled for tonight. The Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Construction and Housing are coordinating the event. Areas of discussion are to include Islamic…
Hotels and major companies are seeing a big fall in demand for Ramadan tents and due to the economic slowdown. Many companies that previously sponsored large tents for community use are spending loss and others have reduced provision of Iftar for their staff. Some hotels are setting up tents indoors to eliminate the cost of an air condition plant for outdoor tents. The holy month is expected to begin on 22…
Jumeirah Group, the luxury hospitality company, yesterday appointed Clive Doble as London Sales Director. Mr. Doble will have an important role in increasing room revenues, occupancy, and market share for both the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel and Jumeirah Carlton Hotel. Previously he worked for as a sales manager in London. He also has worked in the travel industry in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.
TNT Express, based in the Netherlands, said the UAE continues to be the only bright spot among global logistic hubs. TNT Express is a global logistics and freight forwarder. The emirates were the only country for which the company recorded an increase in growth so far this year – 2% compared to the same period last year. Manager of TNT Express Bryan Moulds said “The region is reasonably buoyant. We’re…
Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) operating profits plummeted 38% to US$179 million during the first half of this year from US$291 million for the same period last year. IHG is best known for its Crown Plaza and Holiday Inn brand and has the biggest presence in the Middle East of any hotel company. They describe the Middle East and the UK as their strongest markets. During the first half of the year…
Dubai’s new low cost carrier gave all passengers a refund after they were forced to postpone plans to begin new flights to India. The airline had previously requested permission to fly to Coimbatore, Chandigarh, and Lucknow beginning in mid-July, but this has been delayed for operational reasons. A flydubai spokesman said “We have refunded all passengers who had booked flights to India with us and we sent…
Great Britain’s second biggest long haul carrier, Virgin Atlantic, has appointed Fursan Travel its General Sales Agent in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Fursan Travel is based in Riyadh. Virgin Atlantic’s regional manager for the Middle East said he is very happy about the appointment and it will allow them to promote their services to the Kingdom’s consumers. Andrew Fyfe said “Since launching our daily services…
Occupancy rates at Dubai’s Atlantis Hotel nearly reached 100% even with many hotels experiencing big drops in revenues and tourist numbers. Atlantis Hotel General Manager said they are extremely happy with their outstanding business results. Amadeo Zarzosa said “For the first six-seven days of this month we’ve nearly been at 100 percent”. He said their share of the market has been in the 90’s and for a 1,539…
Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) officials said the number of tourists visiting Dubai increased 5% to 3.85 million in the first half of 2009. Business Monitor International (BMI) published a report last week projecting the number of tourists visiting the UAE were predicted to drop by 3% compared to 2008. DTCM figures showed that during July the 64,102 GCC guests staying at three,…
A new survey says Abu Dhabi is the second most expensive city in the world for business travelers and will soon take the number one spot. Data provided by the Hogg Robinson Group, an international corporate travel firm, showed that hotel prices in Abu Dhabi rose five per cent. Hotel prices in most of the world’s most popular business tourism destinations fell by up to 25%. Moscow is still the most expensive…
Horizon International Flight Academy in Al Ain will offer undergraduate degrees and become a full fledged university. Horizon’s general manager Mohammed al Zaabi said “By 2016, we expect Horizon will be an aviation university.” The flight academy is now planning to offer a new “higher diploma” in aviation business this fall. Governments and militaries in the UAE and region sponsor many students attending the…
Saudi airlines and hotels are preparing for a steep fall in tourism revenues. The number of pilgrims travelling to Makkah is expected to fall because of swine flu fears. There will probably be 25% less travel on the kingdom’s airlines for the Umrah and Haj pilgrimage this year. In order to reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus, health officials from the UAE and other Arab countries have decided to ban the Haj…
State owned carrier Iran Air will begin a ban on flights to Saudi Arabia in order to prevent the spread of swine flu. The ban will start on Monday. Last month the Iranian government banned all pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia during the month of Ramadan – between 22 August and 19 September. The countries Health Minister said “We will have no pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during the month of Ramadan.” The…
Gulf Air online tickets sales were up 160% between January and July of 2009, with 140% more 140% more bookings in July than in January. They launched their online booking website www.gulfair.com in January 2008. Bahrain’s national carrier attributes the increase in online sales to its ease and convenience and expect the growth trend to continue. Gulf Air Director of Distribution and E-Commerce said “The…
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) announced the new Aloft Hotel will open in Abu Dhabi. It will be the second largest hotel in Abu Dhabi, providing 408 additional hotel rooms. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide will operate the new Aloft Hotel which will be linked directly to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre near the Capital Centre district. Adnec Group CEO said an exhibition…
IFA Hotels and Resorts (IFA HR), based in Kuwait, yesterday announced their year end profits were $108 million or 77.75 fils per share (27cents per share). Total revenues were $184.67 million. The company’s chairman, Ebrahim S. Al Therban expressed satisfaction with the results. He noted this year has been very challenging but “we believe there are still many opportunities for us as a company to explore in…
The global aviation industry continues to face challenges with the outbreak of swine flu increasing its difficulties. However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said most Gulf Airlines are still experiencing solid traffic, despite rising oil prices and a potential $9 billion loss this year. Air Arabia chief executive explained the current economic crisis is difficult to assess and…
