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Airlines hope that as Gulf families take holidays in Europe and Asia this summer there will be a new wave of ticket bookings. The first quarter travel season was very slow due to the global slowdown. Airlines have been offering bargain deals for months, and may not be able to raise prices. Regional manager for Austrian Airlines said based on the preliminary data for the initial travel bookings for the summer…
A senior executive with Hilton Hotels said they may expand in Abu Dhabi and are considering opportunities on Saadiyat Island. Vice President of development in the Middle East for Hilton Hotels Elliot Younes said Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are the main focus for expansion and development this year. Mr. Younes said Hilton Hotel is at various stages of discussion on different locations and they will definitely…
Uzbek Tourism Chairman Zahid Khakimov said Uzbekistan wants more tourists from the Middle East to visit. He said currently they receive one million tourists each year but that isn’t enough. Khakimov said the government is currently developing a master tourism development plan for 2015, and a focus of the plan will be to provide favorable conditions for tourism, particularly tourists from the Middle…
Sri Lankan Airlines helped the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board (SLTPB) organize Middle East road shows promoting Sri Lanka tourism. The roads shows were held between 28 March and 5 April in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. A team including SLTB officials, Sri Lankan Airlines Company Managers, Sri Lankan ambassadors from respective countries, and member companies from the Sri…
Etihad Airways issued a press statement on Friday announcing the appointment of Amer Khan as the Pakistan country manger. Khan is based in Karachi and will be responsible for managing all of Etihad Airway’s operations in Pakistan. Previously Khan worked eight years for American Airlines as Regional Manager for the Middle East and Pakistan. Prior to that, he was employed by South African Airways as Business…
Palm Aviation executive vice president said he expects Dubai’s private charter airline to sustain its revenue growth of 35% this year. Mohammed Saideh said the company’s performance last year was exceptional and its fourth quarter performance was supported by long term contracts with its partners. He said private charter flight services remain an attractive option as rates soften and fuel prices come…
Advanced booking by passengers travelling on airlines has declined 50% due to a big increase in bargains and competitive prices. A senior airline executive said while airlines have reduced their economy fares in most sectors, passengers are still looking for more bargains before booking their summer travel plans. Most airlines have implemented a dynamic pricing policy giving passengers a lower fare on…
Dubai World has put forward a plan to save the financially troubled City Center project. The proposal requires that the billions of dollars necessary to complete the project be pledged. Dubai World is Dubai’s government owned investment agency. They partnered with MGM Mirage to develop the City Center Project, and recently sued MGM Mirage in order to protect its $4.3 billion investment if MGM Mirage goes into…
Pope Benedict’s XVI first stop on his religious pilgrimage is Jordan, where he will stay between May 8-11. The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Managing Director Nayef Fayez said 600 journalists from news agencies, satellite channels, magazines, radio, and other media outlets will cover the papal visit. It is expected more tourists visiting religious sites will be attracted during the visit and this will boost tourism…
CBRE Hotels recently signed an agreement to become the preferred provider of services for World Hotels according to a CBRE executive. CBRE Managing Director Derek Gammage said they respect hard brands but World Hotel’s positioning, global network, service range, and resources are rapidly making it a credible alternative. CBRE will provide World Hotels with real estate services including valuations, asset…
More than 700 travel and media personnel have visited Dubai since the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) launched its “Keep Discovering Dubai Campaign” last month. The campaign was initiated to counter negative perceptions that developed in part due to reports of illegal sewage dumping on Dubai’s beaches. There was also a report of an outbreak of legionnaire’s disease at a local hotel but…
The United Arab Emirates UAE) may amend the air and space laws enacted in 1991. Civil aviation administrators say European and US standards are under consideration. Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said they are in the final stages of deciding whether to go with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or European Aviation Administration (EAA) standards. Next week the GCAA is hosting…
A Dubai based consortium has bid for British Airway’s seventh and last remaining fastest jet, the Concorde. BA’s seven concordes were grounded seven years ago and six were given to museums. The seventh, named Alpha Bravo was kept. Sources say that of the seven, Alpha Bravo would not ever have returned to service because it lacked safety modification needed after the 2000 Paris Crash. The Dubai based business…
Amman and Beirut are the first destination for Dubai’s new budget carrier flydubai, which begins operating on 1 June. They are offering introductory fares of Dh 250 (US$68) each way, including taxes. Flydubai has included Levant destinations in order to test demand for another low cost airline in the Dubai/Sharjah metropolitan region. Last March the Dubai government launched the new flydubai airline using…
Emirates Airlines is among the small minority of airlines expecting to post a profit for last year, one of the most difficult periods for the industry. Emirates Airline and Group said they expected a small profit, and that any profit at all is an achievement given the billions of losses in the industry. The International Air Transport Association said worldwide losses will be in excess of $4.7bn and the Middle…
The Jumeirah Group has plans to manage 60 hotels by 2012 and expand into the India market. Executive Chairman Gerald Lawless told Reuters they are having a number of discussions within the subcontinent. Dubai based Jumeirah Group is owned by Dubai’s Ruler His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The hotelier is moving away from its home market and into the United Arab Emirates in order to rival…
Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCC) gave preliminary approval for development of a new railway system linking GCC states Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said the final approval will depend upon on its feasibility. After announcing plans for the new railway system, Minister Al-Assaf signed contracts worth SR 2.39…
Royal Jet has again been honoured by the World Travel Awards, being named the World’s Leading Private Jet Charter, for the second year running. The award was presented to H.E. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Royal Jet’s Chairman, by WTA President and Founder, Graham Cooke. The World Travel Awards (WTA) are regarded as the travel industry's equivalent of the 'Oscars'; and the…
