New connections. Fresh perspectives. The travel developments to know.
5,425 reports
Coral Hotels & Resorts, which currently has properties only in the Middle East, plans to expand into new markets worldwide and have 100 hotels by 2012. They currently have 15 hotels, are expanding aggressively, and will have 15 more by the end of 2009 . Chairman and CEO of Coral’s parent Company Manafa said their vision is to “go global in this sector”. He said they are planning further expansion in the Middle…
Major international hoteliers are focusing on Abu Dhabi as the capital invests billions of dollars into the tourism industry in order to ensure it plays a significant role in economic growth. Chief executive for the consultancy organization Fast Future says Abu Dhabi is becoming an important focal point for major hotel brands because of the expected long term growth. Dubai’s Jumeirah Group, Hilton Hotel, Ritz…
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Monday that tourism growth in the Middle East will probably slow to 4%, down from 11% last year. Interim Secretary General for UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, spoke about the tourism industry in the Middle East during the first day of the UNWTO tourism summit in Qatar. Rifai said that internationally tourism is set to decrease to between 0% and minus 2%. The Middle East is…
Amadeus announced yesterday they partnered with Syrian Arab Airlines to launch their operations in Syria. Amadeus is the global leader for technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry. Amadeus has been active in Syria over the past five years with partners. Amadeus market share of Syrian travel agency reservation distribution increased 25% to 73% this year. The general manager…
Emirates Airlines increased its Far East flights, introducing three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta and announcing double daily flights from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur from 1 May. The World Bank recently forecast a 5.3 per cent increase in the gross domestic product for the Far East this year. Emirates Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations Worldwide explained the Middle East and Far…
Ireland based Grand Midwest Group opened its third apartment hotel in Dubai yesterday and is planning to launch two more properties in the UAE. Group Chairman for Grand Midwest said the company had planned more properties but because of the economic downturn they will focus on launching the two additional planned properties in the UAE by 2010. He said Dubai is not immune from the global economic downturn but…
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Department will take part in the Kazakhstan International Tourism and Travel Fair in Atakent Exhibition Center in Almaty on 23 April. Sharjah is looking forward to increasing the tourist and capital inflow into the emirate.
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) released revised figures showing that compared to 2007, hotel revenue in Dubai increased 15.1% and the number of guests rose by more than 8%. Hotel revenues last year were Dh15.27 billion and the number of hotel rooms increased 17.9% to 50,457 in 2008. DTCM released preliminary figures in March showing hotel revenue last year was Dh15.25 bn and the…
Emirates Airline is ready for heavy criticism again at the annual International Air Transport Association Meeting for the airline industry in June. In the past there has been very critical comments aimed at the airline during panel discussions. Two years ago Lufthansa had complaints and last year Air France-KLM and Singapore questioned whether Emirates record Dh5.02 billion profits for 2007-2008 were achieved…
A new report by Caterglobal.com showed that 75% of the twenty one per cent of Middle Eastern and North African hotel staff find work within the same industry. Caterglobal.com is one of the worlds leading hospitality recruitment websites. Caterglobal’s report was presented at the four day Arabian Travel Mart event being held in Dubai between May 5th and May 8th. The report surveyed over 3,500 hospitality…
Hotel operators say the number of budget hotels in Abu Dhabi is increasing as the market reaches maturity. Director of Development for the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) Rani Gharbie said the hotel market in Abu Dhabi consisted of about 2/3rds luxury and one third budget accommodations. In developed markets the ratio is the opposite. Mr. Gharbie said projections of development plans show the market…
Accor said on Sunday it plans to increase the number of hotels in the Middle East from 19 at present to 24 in 2011, then 65 by 2013. The French hospitality group said it will focus on the budget and middle income sector. Business conditions have worsened, dampening demand for its top end and mid range hotels and Accor’s first quarter sales dropped 9.6 per cent. Accor’s Director for the Middle East…
Visitors to Petra fell 30% in the first three months of 2009 compared to the same period last year according to official figures. Between January and March 2009 about 140,000 tourists visited Petra compared to 200,000 visitors for the same period last year. Petra reserve figures show entry fees generated JD2.7 million during this period. A Petra Hotels representative, Hussein Hilalat, attributed the…
Bahrain authorities target sleaze in a shutdown of bars, discos and two star hotels. The clampdown comes shortly following a report on askmen.com that a survey ranked Manama as the eighth sin capital of the world and said that Bahrain is a Middle Eastern party oasis. Lawmakers were reportedly furious. The new rules also come at the end of a drive last year by Tourism Affairs to clean up the hotel and restaurant…
The Tourism and Development Investment Company (TDIC) of Abu Dhabi presented a detailed update of 12 key projects. The projects include City Center, island retreats, luxury waterfront resorts, and downtown business tourist centers. The project update comes shortly after TDIC received a AA rating form Standard & Poors, Moody’s and Fitch rating, and demonstrates their commitment to keeping their announced…
Sudanese operated Sun Air began flight operations between Abu Dhabi and Khartoum on Saturday. This is the 43rd airline to operate from the Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Abu Dhabi is the second UAE destination for Sun Air. Sun Air will operate the flight on a Boeing 737 with capacity for 168 economy class passengers from terminal 2 in the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Sun Air is full service…
Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport reached 9.5 million during the first quarter of 2009. This is a 2% increase compared to the same period last year and makes it one of the ten busiest airports in the world in terms of its growth during this period. CEO of Dubai Airports said given the global economic situation and the double digit drop in passenger traffic these results are very positive. He…
Middle East Business Aviation Authority (MEBAA) is negotiating an insurance plan for its members that may reduce costs up to 20%. Dubai based MEBAA is also considering pooling fuel purchases. President and Chief Executive of MEBAA explained one of their objectives is to reduce costs for members. Abu Dhabi companies are also working together to share costs. Royal Jet, the charter jet operator in Abu Dhabi…
