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Occupancy rates are surging in hotels and furnished apartments in the central area of Haram Mosque in Makkah, and the Mosque of the Profit Mohammad in Madinah. The occupancy rates are nearly 95% which is similar to the rates seen during the peak Umrah season in the holy months of Ramadan or Haj days. The sudden increase in occupancy rates is attributed to the short mid year academic school vacation which…
Middle East airlines passenger growth increased a combined 4.7 per cent in March according to a report by the Geneva based International Air Transport Association (IATA). The IATA reported that globally, passenger demand fell 11.1 per cent in March compared to the same period last year. Airlines reduced their seating capacity by 4.4 per cent. Average worldwide load factors for March were 72.1 per cent, 5.4…
The three day Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) that starts in Dubai on Saturday will focus on financing trends for hotel projects and developments in the Middle East. Jonathon Worsley, the conference organizer said the abundance of local funding has been instrumental in the surge of hotel development over the past few years. Worsley said continued liquidity in order to finance investment is essential…
Emirates Airlines tourist branch, Emirates Holidays, officially launches its 2009 destinations brochure on Friday. Previously there were separate brochures for different destinations. Emirates Holidays has created a new brochure with similar destinations and more elements of these destinations. Emirates Holidays senior vice president John Felix said the current economic environment is more favorable to the…
Australian immigration reports the number of visitors from the Middle East has jumped 21% to nearly 63,000 in 2008. The report follows a significant increase in the number of flights from the region. Tourism Australia distribution manager attributed the rise to a “stunning increase in capacity”, which makes Australia easier to get to. Emirates Airlines has 63 weekly direct flights from Dubai to Melbourne…
The Foreign Ministry is considering opening centers to issue visas in parts of the country that send many pilgrims for Haj and Umrah. Director General of the ministry’s office, Muhammad bin Ahmed Tayeb, said the goal of the new centers would be to reduce crowding at Saudi embassies and consulates. Tayeb said the ministry is also considering expanding its visa service abroad, noting that it is their policy…
Executive Vice Chairman of Emirates Groups, Maurice Flanagan said here has been a slight increase in the number of bookings prior to the Australian-Pakistan Series, and he expects more bookings as the cricket matches take place at the new Dubai Sports City venue. International cricket matches have been hosted in the UAE for years including the 200 One Day Matches in Sharjah and 17 international matches in…
International hotel chains are using social networking sites, blogs, and twitter to market themselves as a cheaper alternative to traditional more expensive methods. Managing Director of Premier Inn, Darroch Crawford, said the use of hotel blogs is growing and so are the number of hotel bookings. Mr. Crawford said more than 50 per cent of hotel bookings are automated and in the GCC the number is 15 per cent…
Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority said yesterday Sharjah and Greece are exploring ways for the two countries to co-operate in the tourism and hospitality sectors and new investment opportunities. Shiekh Sultan bin Al Qassimi visited Athens on Tuesday for the launch of Air Arabia’s non-stop service to Athens. He said such visits allow them to explore areas of bi-lateral…
His Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, ruler of Fujairah, declared Wadi Wurayah Fujairah (WWF) a protected mountain. It is the UAE’s first protected mountain. The Emirates Wildlife Society and the Fujairah Municipality worked together with the support of the HSBC Bank Middle East ltd to assess the importance of WWF and establish it as a protected area. WWF occupies 129 square kilometers in the…
Chief Operating Officer for Al Jabber Engineering and Contracting said yesterday they won a Dh3.4 billion contract to build Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport. Fatima Obaid Al Jaber said they signed the contract on Monday and the execution period is 2 ½ years. Concourse 3 is scheduled to open in 2011, boosting the airports passenger capacity from the initially planned 70 million per year to 80 million…
The Abu Dhabi Department of Transportation (DoT) will send out a tender for the 340km tram system with the next few months. Then, in August, a consultant will be chosen for the 130 km metro in the capital city. The emirate is preparing for a projected five fold increase in daily trips by 2030 with this multi billion dollar transport upgrade. A transport planning consultant for the DoT said at the moment they…
Hospitality and property consultancy firm Viability reports the Middle East has record number of upcoming hotel projects planned, despite the global economic downturn. Viability released its annual GCC future hotel survey showing 325 projects equating to 92,036 rooms are in the pipeline. However the survey showed that 42 projects, equating to 10,000 more rooms, are on hold with no timetable for…
Jeddah is bustling with vacationers during the weeklong school vacation. Visitors and tourists in large numbers are coming to enjoy Jeddah’s urban attractions, beaches and malls. One hotelier said hotels, rest houses, and apartments are full of guests. The owner of beach cabins in Obhur said housing unit prices have increased more than 20% compared to the usual price. Malls are working especially hard to…
Gerry Robinson of the Amusement Industry Council of Europe said the leisure industry has a shortage of qualified local staff. Speaking at the Dubai Entertainment, Amusement, and Leisure (DEAL) exhibition on Sunday, Robinson said most of the personnel currently working in the leisure industry came from outside the region, and stay an average of four or five years. Robinson said “We want to find an educational…
More than 100 travel and tourism brands from across the Middle East will be recognized at the World Travel Awards being held in Dubai on 5 May 2009. The event was established more than 16 years ago and recognizes best practices of the hospitality industry. Winners are determined by a vote by agents and travel professional from around the globe. Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing acting…
Air Traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport increased 7.9% in March compared to the same month last year according to a report by Abu Dhabi International Airports Company Saturday. The number of passengers using the airport last month averaged 24, 833 per day and aircraft movements also increased by 4.5%. London was for the first time the airports busiest destination, followed by Doha, Bangkok, and…
Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport will be finished by 2011. A top official said the new airport will help boost the airlines passenger capacity from the originally planned 70 million to 80 million. The world’s largest airport is in Atlanta and has a passenger capacity of 80 million. CEO of Dubai Airports company said that phase one of the Dubai International and Dubai World Central Al-Maktoum…
