Market Update 2Accommodation News 4Air Travel News 6International News 8Agents’ Corner 10Travel Tips 11Travel Talk 12Who’s Moved 14Rendezvous 15Events 16

Middle East and North Africa Edition

JULY 10, 2010 ISSUE 35 www.traveltradeweekly.travel

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4FLYDUBAI TO ERBILFlydubai has become the latest Gulfcarrier to announce services to Iraq, withflights to Erbil, capital of the Kurdistanregion, set to commence on July 16.

In This Issue

Egypt’s ITBPARTNERSHIP 3

EXPANSION DELAYED

Originally slated to begin in April, TheRitz-Carlton Dubai’s planned two-yearexpansion project is now expected tobegin in October this year.

The Egyptian Tourist Authority plans to push Egypt as ayear-round destination on the world stage, partnering with

Germany’s leading travel trade fair, ITB Berlin, in 2012.

A SCG has a portfolio of majorhotel industry clients thatinclude Nakheel, Emaar, IFAHotels and Resorts and Aldar.“There is little stimulus to real

estate development in Dubai, while the AbuDhabi market remains slow, although work isavailable there,” Azmy said.“Egypt continues to exhibit potential given thelack of competition, but every market remainsprice sensitive.”Amzy said cash flow remained a key issue, asregional markets continued to experiencedifficulties.

“Luxury real estate development will remaindepressed and where we see real opportunitiesis in the shift to government investment in socialinfrastructure,” he said.According to market research, Amzy added thatAbu Dhabi, Egypt and Saudi Arabia wouldremain the primary markets for ASGC.However, he said opportunities would arise innew areas such as Libya, and flagged aresurgence in Dubai development in the future.

Luxury Real Estate Market Depressed,Egypt Maintains PotentialEmad Azmy, president of Al Shafar General Contracting (ASGC) highlighted arange of challenges for the Middle Eastern real estate market at the company’srecent general assembly meeting.

JULY 10, 20102

COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=UAE (AED) Dirham 3.67Egypt (EGP) Pound 5.69Saudi Arabia (SAR) Riyal 3.75Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1501Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37Jordan ( JOD) Dinar 0.70Syria (SYP) Pound 46.85Kuwait (KWD) Dinar 0.29Qatar (QAR) Riyal 3.64Oman (OMR) Rial 0.38Tunisia (TND) Dinar 1.49Morocco (MAD) Dirham 8.81Iran (IRR) Riyal 10,003Yemen (YER) Rial 226.3Algeria (DZD) Dinar 74.17Libya (LYD) Dinar 1.31

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 7/7/2010Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY

Deputy EditorLaura Warne

JournalistLouis Dillon Savage

Design & LayoutElina Pericleous

Sales & MarketingMarianna TsiamasEvelina Hadjigeorgiou

DirectorsAndreas ConstantinidesMary Kammitsi

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Websitewww.traveltradeweekly.travel

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Accor Demerger Approved By Shareholders: Division of Company Made OfficialFollowing a vote by shareholders, Accor has overcome the final hurdle for itsplan to demerge the service and hospitality arms of the company.The vote was undertaken by shareholders representing 76 percent of voting rightsin the company, and all submitted resolutions were approved.The hospitality arm will keep the Accor name, while the services division willcontinue under the name of Edenred.Shares in both companies will be divided between holders of shares in thepreviously united Accor business.Shareholders approved a dividend payment of EUR1.05 (USD1.32) per share.

Egypt continues to exhibit potential giventhe lack of competition

(L-R) Abdal Aziz bin Al Shafar, vice president of ASGC with Emad Azmy, president of ASGC

A s the event’s countrypartner, Egypt willorganise the openingceremonies of ITBBerlin 2012 and will

present various cultural and culinaryevents during the fair. In preparation for the 2012 event,Egypt will triple its floor space at ITBBerlin 2011, making the country one ofITB’s largest exhibitors.Tamer Marzouk, managing director ofEgyptian Tourist Authority, said theincreased exposure would cementEgypt’s place in the global tourismmarket.

“ITB Berlin provides the ideal platformfor presenting Egypt to the German andinternational markets as a holidaydestination with a wide choice oftourism attractions,” he said.“Egypt is also becoming more firmlyestablished as a MICE destination,another sector in which ITB Berlinprovides the ideal setting in which tostrengthen contacts with representativesof the international meetings and eventsindustry.”David Ruetz, senior manager of ITBBerlin, said Egypt was among thecountries reporting the highest growthrates among German travellers.

“Egypt is one of the world’s oldest traveldestinations and nowadays it combinesmodernity and tradition,” said Ruetz.“Its diversity of tourism attractionsranges from high quality hotels in everyprice range to excellent value for moneyoffers in areas such as golf, diving,desert tours, health tourism andwellness, as well as cultural trips andcity tours.”

3JULY 10, 2010

Egypt is becoming more firmly established as a MICE destination

Egypt Signs on as Partner Country for ITB Berlin 2012The Egyptian Tourist Authority plans to push Egypt as a year-round destination on the world stage, partneringwith Germany’s leading travel trade fair, ITB Berlin, in 2012.

The project, scheduled forcompletion in 2012, willincrease the hotel’s 163guestrooms to 301 and willintroduce a range of new

restaurant concepts and MICE facilities. Representatives have not commented onthe reason for the delay.During the expansion, guestroom technologywill be updated to include wireless internetaccess, iPod docking stations, flat screentelevisions and DVD players. A new club lounge will offer complimentaryfood and beverage, as well as a dedicatedmulti-lingual concierge service. Andrew Nasskau, general manager of TheRitz-Carlton Dubai, said the expansionwould position the hotel to meet future

guest requirements over the coming years. “Since the resort’s opening 11 years ago,our number of guests have increasedannually and with the development ofThe Walk and Dubai Marina, we arepredicting even higher visitors’ interest inThe Ritz-Carlton at the completion of this

expansion programme,” said Nasskau.Nassakau added that the project’s impacton guests would be minimal, as the newhotel wing is located away from current

guestrooms and recreational facilities. “We are mindful of the effect that theexpansion programme will have on ourguests and we will make every effort toensure that their comfort and enjoymentwill not be compromised,” he said.“All our rooms and suites will still beoccupied for the next two years, and the onlyareas that will be closed are La Baie, the spapool and garden in front of the new wing.”

JULY 10, 20104

- Accommodation

UAE based Wafi Group is set tomanage its second hotel property, takingover the management of SomersetResidences in Jadaf, Dubai.Wafi will rebrand the property as ParkHotel Apartments; the property islocated adjacent to Wafi’s existing hotel,

Arabian Park Hotel.Mark Lee, general manager of ArabianPark Hotel and the new Park HotelApartments, said the fully servicedapartments would cater to the mid-rangeand high-end markets. “We feel that the new property will allow

us to tap into a higher-end market thatwe were not able to cater to in the past,and our aim will be to operate the newapartments like a five star hotel,” he said.Park Hotel Apartments features studiosas well as one and two bedroomapartments, with 84 apartments in total.

Tourist flow in Sharjah increased by sevenpercent during the first five months of 2010,with Sharjah Commerce and TourismDevelopment Authority (SCTDA)reporting 70 percent hotel occupancy rates. A total of 637,390 guests stayed in theemirate’s hotels and hotel apartmentsduring the period, compared to 594,105during the same five months of 2009. The total number of room nights alsoincreased significantly compared to last year. European visitors accounted for 46 percentof total arrivals. GCC tourists followed at 25

percent of arrivals, while Asian touristsmade up 14 percent and tourists from otherArab countries made up 10 percent. The remaining five percent of touristsarrived from the Commonwealth, US,Africa and Pacific region. Mohamed A Al Noman, director generalof SCTDA, said the boost in numberswas a direct result of new tourist offeringsand promotions."The SCTDA is focusing on a clear strategybased on targeting leading markets that areimportant for parties concerned with the

tourism industry, as well as on organisingactivities and events that would contributedirectly to the promotion of tourism bytaking part in the world's largest tourismand trade exhibitions and organisingpromotional tours all over the world," AlNoman said.

The Ritz-Carlton Dubai’s Expansion Plan DelayedOriginally slated to begin in April, The Ritz-Carlton Dubai’s planned two-year expansion project is nowexpected to begin in October this year.

Sharjah Hotel Occupancy Boost Shows Emirate on the Recovery Path

Wafi Group Takes Over Second Hotel, Targeting High-End Guests

We are mindful of the effect that the

expansion programmewill have on our guests

The SCTDA is focusing on a clear

strategy based on targeting leading markets

The Ritz-Carlton Dubai

JULY 10, 20106

- Air Travel

Flydubai Targets Leisure Tourists with Erbil FlightsFlydubai has become the latest Gulf carrier to announce services to Iraq, with flights to Erbil, capital of theKurdistan region, set to commence on July 16.

Air Arabia has launched the fifth flightfrom its Alexandria hub, strengtheningits short-haul network with a connectionto Abu Dhabi.The UAE’s national airline, Etihad hasalso declared plans to service the route,but is awaiting approval fromgovernment regulators.If approved, Etihad flights will operatefour times weekly on Monday,

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.Air Arabia flights will operate four timesper week on Tuesdays, Thursdays,Saturdays and Sundays.Adel Ali, CEO of Air Arabia, said theroute had been chosen according tomarket forces.“We have received incredible demandfrom both our Abu Dhabi and Alexandriaresidents for low-cost travel solutions

between the two countries,” he said.“In line with the increasing demand, weare pleased to announce that our fifthdestination from Alexandria will connectNorth Africa to the UAE.”James Hogan, CEO of Etihad, saidadding Alexandria to the carrier’snetwork was a strategic move and wouldstrengthen the airline’s other routes fromits Abu Dhabi hub.

Air Arabia, Etihad Compete on Abu Dhabi-Alexandria Route

However, where mostoperations to Iraqhave focused onindustrial andgovernment visitors to

the country, flydubai is promoting Erbil asa leisure destination.Ghaith al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, saidErbil was undergoing a period of rapidgrowth, particularly in the tourism sector.“Erbil is reinventing itself and undergoing

an economic boom with new hotels, leisureand healthcare facilities, commercialtowers and trade centres,” he said.“The city’s rapid development has beencompared with that of Dubai and it is abeacon of progress for the rest of thecountry.”According to the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment, Kurdistan has remainedrelatively untouched by the ongoinginstability in Iraq, and has attracted

investment from a range of foreigncompanies in recent times.Flydubai will operate flights to Erbil fromDubai twice per week, on Fridays andMondays.

[Erbil’s] rapiddevelopment has beencompared with that

of Dubai

Air ArabiaEtihad Airways

Erbil’s CitadelThe roof of the Grand Mosque in Erbil

We have receivedincredible demand...

for low-cost travelsolutions between the two countries

7JULY 10, 2010

- Air Travel

Gulf Air Extends Call Centre Operations to 24 Hour ServiceEmirates Reports Unexpectedly Strong Demand for TemporaryMadinah LinkEmirates launched its first flights to theholy city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia onJuly 3, and has already reported strongdemand for the services.The flights were initially scheduled to runtwice per week, until September 24, butstrong forward demand has alreadyprompted Emirates to double itsfrequency on the route.According to Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’senior vice president of commercialoperations for the Gulf, Middle East andIran, the carrier is considering making theflights to Madinah permanent.“Forward bookings over summer forMedinah Al Munawarah are extremelystrong, particularly from key marketsincluding the UAE, the Indiansubcontinent, Far East and parts ofAfrica,” he said.“We are extremely pleased with how thisshort term destination looks set toperform and all going well we may lookto make this a more permanent route.”Emirates’ currently operates threepermanent flights to Saudi Arabia,including Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

Gulf Air has launched a 24 hour call centre,in a move that its sales executives say willstrengthen the carrier’s customer relations.Although Gulf Air has operated a call centresince 2003, the service will now be openaround the clock, every day of the year.Services offered include bookings, loyaltymile redemption, flight status tracking andgeneral information.Lars Denlew, director of sales anddistribution for the airline, said the movewould strengthen the carrier’s direct saleschannel.

“This is just one more step to getting closerto our customers," he said. "At Gulf Air's worldwide contact centre ourtrained and knowledgeable staff arededicated to make the whole process oftravel a seamless experience and, shouldproblems arise, they are just a telephone callaway to solve them. “

All going well we maylook to make this a

more permanent route

Ahmed Khoory

This is just one more step to getting closer

to our customers

A er Lingus, also based inIreland, is already 29.8percent owned byRyanair and hasrepeatedly attempted to

force Ryanair to sell its stake in thecompany.The court ruled that although Ryanairwould be blocked from acquiring acontrolling stake in Aer Lingus, it wouldnot be forced to divest its holdings in thecarrier.Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, said hewelcomed the ruling that the companywould not have to sell its shares.“This will not prevent Ryanair making afuture offer for Aer Lingus, but obviouslyany such offer will have to take account of

the court’s detailed ruling,” he said.“Ryanair has no immediate plans to makea third offer for Aer Lingus, which in anyevent would be unlikely to succeed unlessthe Irish government decides to sell its 25percent stake.”

Colm Barrington, chairman of AerLingus, said the decision was to thebenefit of consumers.

“Today’s rejection by the European Courtof Ryanair’s appeal confirms that atakeover of Aer Lingus by Ryanair wouldharm consumers and lead to higher priceson Irish routes,” he said.“It is regrettable that the court has nottaken this opportunity to take the furtherstep necessary to address the anti-competitive effects of Ryanair’s minorityshareholding in Aer Lingus which iscontrary to the interests of the majority ofour shareholders.”The European Commission found thatthe amalgamation of the two carrierswould establish a dominant position onmore than 50 routes and that no newcompetitors were likely to alleviate thesituation by entering the market

JULY 10, 20108

- International

The Greek government has issuedassurances that the government will paycompensation to any passengersstranded in the country.Pavlos Yeroulanos, minister for tourismand culture, unveiled the policy in aspeech to the media at the Christian andByzantine Museum in Athens.He noted the negative publicity Greece

had received in the media and imploredforeign correspondents to help rebuildthe country’s image as a tourismdestination.He said that his ministry had collaboratedwith the Ministry of the Economy toinsure visitors against extra costs.“We have worked … to guarantee anyextra cost any visitor incurs in Greece

whether because of a strike or a naturaldisaster,” he said.The minister named the Eyjafjallajökullash cloud as an example of an event thatwould be covered by the new scheme. A representative of the ministryconfirmed that the promise to insuretravellers had been adopted as officialpolicy.

Iran Air faces greater restrictions inEuropean Union (EU) airspace, followingthe European Commission’s latest updateof its airline blacklist.Following a visit to the country to inspectfacilities and practices, the European AirSafety Committee voted unanimously totighten the operational regulations faced bythe airline.Iran Air was banned from operating itsAirbus A320 and Boeing B727 and B747

aircraft in EU airspace.Iran Air operates 48 aircraft, including eight747, four 727 and three A320 aircraft.Siim Kallas, vice president of the EuropeanCommission, said assessment criteria wereuncompromising, but that Iran would beassisted in raising its standards to thenecessary level.“Where we have evidence that air carriersare not performing safe operations orwhere regulators fail in their obligation to

enforce safety standards, we must act toguarantee safe skies for our citizens whenthey travel,” he said.“We are ready to support those countrieswhich need and want to build up theirtechnical and administrative capacity toguarantee the highest standards of safety ofcivil aviation.”The EU currently maintains outright banson 282 carriers, including all airlines froma group of 17, mostly African, nations.

Ryanair’s Bid for Aer Lingus Blocked in EU CourtIreland based low cost carrier Ryanair’s buyout bid for Aer Lingus has been blocked by the EuropeanCommission’s General Court.

Greek Government Promises to Insure Travellers Against Strikes, Volcanoes

European Commission Further Restricts Iran Air’s Fleet in EU Airspace

A takeover of Aer Lingus by Ryanair

would harm consumersand lead to higher prices

on Irish routes

JULY 10, 201010

Agent’s InsightMohammad HamzehProduct and Contracting Manager, Althuraya Travel and Tours, Jordan

In 2008, we had only 16,000 customers and then in 2009

we had around 62,000.According to my statistics so far we have had another 27 percent

increase in customers to date,compared to 2009

SkyTeam Alliance Celebrates UAE AgentsThe SkyTeam global airline alliance recently held a travel agencyawards evening at Raffles Dubai to celebrate 10 years ofoperation. Leading travel agents from Dubai, Sharjah and the northernemirates joined sales managers and alliance members fromairlines that included Aeroflot, Air France-KLM, Alitalia, ChinaSouthern, Delta and Korean Air. The alliance’s latest partner, Vietnam Airlines, was alsohighlighted at the event. Awards were given to a range of local agencies with high yieldsales, including Dnata, Airlink International, OTTA, KanooTravel, Al Rais Travel, SNTTA, Al Shamel Travel, Al Tayer TravelAgency, Al Rostamani Travel, Sharaf Travel, Al Naboodah Travel,Satguru Travel, Uranus Travel, Al Faisal Travel andITS/Continental Travel.

Kanoo Travel Partners with Amadeus

Sky Team award winners

Kanoo Travel has announced athree year partnership withtravel technology providerAmadeus. Under the agreement, Kanoowill use Amadeus’ e-TravelManagement tool for itscorporate travel services in theMiddle East. Abdulla Abo Khamseen,executive general manager ofKanoo Travel, said thepartnership would boost thecompany’s online travel services

for customers. “The solution integrates with ourexisting applications, allowingour clients to enjoy the benefitsof working with a harmonisedglobal infrastructure,” he said. Antoine Medawar, vice presidentof Amadeus for the Middle Eastand North Africa, added thatKanoo had been an early adopterof online booking technologyand that Amadeus wascommitted to supporting thecompany’s growth in the region.

Who is travelling to the Middle East right now?At this time of year, it is the GCC market coming toJordan. Because it is school holidays in the GCC and weshare a border with Saudi Arabia, so many people do noteven need to fly.The European market comes from mid March to midJune, and from mid September to December, but inbetween it is the GCC market.What makes a good travel agent?Providing the best services, having a good marketingstrategy, providing competitive rates and qualified staff.When do you think business will return to pre-downturn levels?Here, we have not been affected at all. In 2008, we hadonly 16,000 customers and then in 2009 we had around62,000.According to my statistics so far we have had another 27percent increase in customers to date, compared to 2009.Two years ago, we had half the number of staff and wenow have 62 because we have been growing the businessand things are going very well.Where do you take your own holidays?Around the Middle East area and in EuropeWhy did you get involved in the travel industry?I am originally Palestinian and my father was a refugeehere in Jordan. The only investment he could make was inme and my brothers, so he did his level best to educate us.So I went to Italy when I was 17 to study the Italianlanguage and then to Spain where my brother was and Istudied this [travel and tourism] business.This is life. You do not know where God is sending you,or what country you will drink your water from.

11JULY 10, 2010

A Little Help from Your Friends: The Business Side of the Social Web Part 3Social media provides access to customers rivalled only by the face-to-face contact of actually providing your service.

Playing it Safe During the Summer Season: Beat the Heat

A ccording to DouglasQuinby, of PhoCusWrightConnect, there is noreason that the serviceelement and personal

touches need to be absent from your onlineselling platform.He identified customer service and brandidentity as two ways the social web couldbe used to generate customer interest,loyalty and ultimately sales.As consumers increasingly research theirtravel choices online, offering them theopportunity to engage without shiftingcommunication methods is a valuablestrategy.The more steps a potential customer hasto take in order to buy, the less likely theyare to do so.So, Quinby said allowing your website,Facebook page or Twitter account to serve

as a customer service point, as well as aninformation source, can boost yourrelationship with your clients.For example, Quinby said businesses hadachieved success by using Facebook as a

forum for product queries and bookinginquiries.Quinby also suggested that the concept ofthe virtual concierge was particularlyrelevant to the travel industry.“Say I am staying at the MGM Grand andI feel like a burger, I could tweet that tothe virtual concierge and get an

immediate answer,” he said.“This creates a connection and can be agreat way of generating incrementalrevenue; if you have a burger joint onproperty, the customer can be directedthere instead of taking his moneyelsewhere.”For more social media tips, read nextweek’s issue of Travel Trade Weekly.

It’s one of the busiest holiday periodsof the year, but summer is also adangerous time for outdoor workers,including airport staff, tour operatorsand hotel employees. First time visitors to the Middle East canalso be caught off guard by the hightemperatures, so it is important fortourism providers to take care of boththeir staff and guests. Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)has launched a series of heat awarenessseminars to advise all personnel onhealth and safety during the summerseason. Captain Salem Mohammad Al Khazraji,head of learning and development atADAC, pointed out that heatexhaustion is a serious issue both for

tourism employees and travellers to theMiddle East. “While the summer season meanssoaring temperatures and intensesunshine, it is also a busy time for theairport as passenger traffic increasesaround the holidays,” he said.“We are committed to safe operations atthe airport and to the safety of our staff,and these seminars highlight the healthrisks of being out in the summer heat,whether for work or leisure, and themeasures to take to reduce it.”As part of the awareness campaign,ADAC will provide refillable waterbottles, extra water coolers outdoors andcooling neck bandanas, as well asdistributing heat safety advice postersthroughout the airport.

Say I am staying at theMGM Grand and I feel likea burger, I could tweet thatto the virtual concierge and

get an immediate answer

JULY 10, 201012

Travel Talk is your space – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel

Over the years,Emirates has evolved

to become acompany that is

global in itsoperations but firmly

connected with theIndian mindset

Michel NobletCEO, HMH International“As the gateway city to Makkah, Jeddahbenefits from pilgrims whose numbers areexpected to reach eight million by nextyear. A 20-year redevelopment programmeis underway that aims to revitalise the oldcity centre as well as take in mega projectssuch as the King Abdullah Economic Cityand Jeddah Hills and the expansion ofJeddah International Airport to handle 30million passengers annually. All of thismeans there will be a sustainedrequirement for all levels of hotelaccommodation from the deluxe to thevalue brands.”

As the gateway city to Makkah, Jeddah

benefits from pilgrimswhose numbers are

expected to reach eightmillion by next year

Majid Al MuallaSenior Vice President, West Asia and Indian Ocean, Emirates Airline“Emirates has been flying to Delhi since our first day of operations in 1985. Twentyfive years on, 10 destinations and 184 weekly flights certainly represent the effortsand investment that have gone into building a strong relationship with India. Thefact that we are bringing the A380 here is a reiteration of the potential that we seein the Indian market and our intent to partner with the nation in its growth. Overthe years, Emirates has evolved to become a company that is global in its operationsbut firmly connected with the Indian mindset and the consumer.”

Pavlos Yeroulanos Minister of Culture and Tourism, Greece“The social unrest came to paint us not only as lazy but also dangerous. Newschannels and newspapers ran the fire on Marfin and the ‘attack’ on theparliament for days. The harm done to Greece in the past few months seemsirreparable, since no advertising budget can reverse the value of news. We feelthat Greece has turned a page and what would seem discouraging a fewmonths ago, today is a new beginning. Actually, we are not trying to turn apage. We hope to change books.”

We are nottrying to turna page. We

hope to changebooks

Athens, Greece

Majid Al Mualla

Michel Noblet

JULY 10, 201014

Fuat KorogluKempinski Nile Hotel in Cairo hasappointed Fuat Koroglu as generalmanager. Koroglu moves from hisprevious position as executive assistantmanager at Kempinski Hotel Mall of theEmirates in Dubai. He has a master’sdegree in business administration andqualifications in tourism management.Koroglu began his career at Swissotel TheBosphorus in Turkey as a managementtrainee, before joining the pre-openingteam at Ciragan Palace, Istanbul, in 1992.He moved through various positions,including convention services manager,director of banquet operations anddirector of food and beverage, beforemoving to Dubai in 2009.

Christopher McFallAccor’s Novotel and Ibis World TradeCentre hotels have appointedChristopher McFall as director of salesand marketing. McFall will be in chargeof sales, marketing, public relations andreservation functions for both hotels,leading a team of 20 employees. Heholds a bachelor’s degree ininternational hospitality managementand most recently worked for GuomanHotels in the UK. He also hasexperience with InterContinentalHotels Group, Hilton and Le Méridien,in hotels across South Africa, Thailandand the US.

Ulrike AdroffOne to One Hotel - The Village in Abu Dhabi has appointed Ulrike Androff ashotel manager. Androff has more than 26 years of experience in the hospitalityindustry and has held senior positions with Hilton, Kempinski, Omni andConstance hotels across the UK, Switzerland, Germany, China, Vietnam,Cambodia and Mauritius. In the Middle East, Androff has worked as complexdirector of rooms at Le Méridien Mina Seyahi and The Westin Dubai. Her mostrecent position was general manager at Hospitality Management Holdings(HMH), the Dubai based holding company for Coral Hotels and Resorts.

Rezidor Hotel GroupRezidor has reshuffled the sales team at its global sales office in Dubai – ErsinManaz has been promoted to director of sales for leisure and crew, while GuruPrashanth joins the company as regional sales manager. Manaz has 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He began his careerat Hilton ParkSA in Turkey, where he spent nine years, before joining Rezidor in2005 as night manager for Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel Residence and Spa,Manama. He later moved to Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek in 2007 asgroup sales manager, followed by a move to the Rezidor global sales office in 2009as regional sales manager. Guru Prashanth began his hospitality career in 2004 at Mövenpick Hotel ZurichAirport, before moving to Ye Olde Bell Hotel in the UK and later Danat Resort inthe UAE. He joined Rezidor in 2007 as a conference and banquet sales co-ordinator for Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek and was promoted to salesexecutive, corporate, in 2009. In his new role, Prashanth will work closely withthe director of sales for MICE, as well as driving cross sales within the region.

Fuat Koroglu

Guru PrashanthErsin Manaz

Travel Trade Weekly: What attractedyou to the role of general manager at OBeach?Nabil Barakat: It is the aspiration of everygeneral manager in the hospitality industryto lead the flagship project of a new chain. This is considered to be the culmination ofsatisfaction where the manager congregateshis previous experience into steering theproject to success and set the pathway for theprojects to follow. For over 15 years I have held the position ofgeneral manager and other senior executivepositions in the hospitality industry invarious countries and I believe that O Beachis the flagship that I have been looking for.

Travel Trade Weekly: How much pre-opening activity have you been involvedin? What has the pre-opening focus beenfor the property?Nabil Barakat: For a property the size ofO Beach and with the number of servicesthat we provide, we have had a very shortpre-opening period that concentrated mainlyon logistical preparations along with a fewmedia activities. During this period, we were able to fine tunethe customisation of our services accordingto the market and our staff was able to[adjust] their service skills accordingly.

Travel Trade Weekly: Were there anychallenges to be overcome during thepre-opening period?Nabil Barakat: When developing asubstantial project with the magnitude of OBeach, challenges are inevitable. However, a well planned and executedproject usually has fewer obstacles, and thisis the case of O Beach. From conceptualisation to completion, wehave made sure to pay a lot of attention to the

details to avoid untimely obstacles. We were eventually faced with certainchallenges that were mainly human resourcesand post construction related. We have handled most challenges throughdedicated management strategies.

Travel Trade Weekly: Will O Beachfocus more on individual travellers orprivate events and the MICE industry?Nabil Barakat: O Beach targets a variety ofmarket segments subdivided mainly into thelocal market (about 80 percent) and theinbound tourists market (about 20 percent). Without fail, individual travellers are ourprimary targets. However, we will target certain touristgroups to cover the lean days of business. O Beach is not equipped with MICEbusiness services, nevertheless, we have andwe will entertain the incentives parts ofMICE functions.

Travel Trade Weekly: Will grouptourism packages be encouraged, or isthis a market you would rather avoid inorder to maintain the exclusive, privateatmosphere of O Beach?Nabil Barakat: It is not necessary to avoidthe group tourism packages in order tomaintain the exclusivity of O Beach. There exist many international touroperators nowadays that developsophisticated and elaborate packages forupmarket tourists. We believe that with our exclusive indulgingpackages including cabanas, spa treatments

and a wide variety of international menus wecould definitely cater those posh touristswithout jeopardising our individuality.

Travel Trade Weekly: What relationship,if any, do you expect O Beach to have withother tourism attractions in the area? Doyou anticipate cross-over business fromother establishments?

Nabil Barakat: Being a part of a cluster ofhotels and resorts and having services thatcomplement theirs in an area beingdeveloped to become a touristic destination,it is only normal to engage in cross-overbusiness with them. We have already made many deals withdifferent properties in the area and inAmman to entertain groups of their guestson regular basis. We also seek the services of neighbouringhotels and resorts to lodge our clientswho hold their banquets and events at OBeach and require rooms to stay in theDead Sea area.

15JULY 10, 2010

Q&A with Nabil BarakatThe new O Beach Dead Sea development in Jordan is a luxury day beach concept – offering private beachcabanas, restaurants, bars and day spa facilities. General manager Nabil Barakat talks to Travel TradeWeekly about pre-opening challenges, group tourism and partnerships with the region’s hotels and resorts.

Nabil Barakat

It is not necessary to avoid group tourism

packages in order tomaintain exclusivity

The founder of Gap Adventures, Bruce PoonTip, has signed on as a keynote speaker at theupcoming World Green Tourism Abu Dhabiconference.The inaugural conference will take place inNovember at Abu Dhabi NationalExhibition Centre (ADNEC).Gap Adventures, founded in 1990, now hasmore than 850 employees and offers morethan 1,000 small group experiences across allseven continents, catering to more than100,000 travellers per year. "I launched Gap Adventures with the beliefthat other travellers would share my desire toexperience authentic adventures in aresponsible and sustainable manner and I

hope that by learning about our journey andsuccess at the Abu Dhabi congress, otherindustry leaders will also recognise whyputting in place measures to make tourismmore environmentally and culturally awarecan also create growth opportunities,” saidPoon Tip.“I am looking forward to engaging with theaudience in Abu Dhabi given the investmentbeing made in the region's tourism sector andthe particular challenges the industry faces inthe Middle East and North Africa.”Ahmed Hussein, deputy director generalof Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, saidsecuring Poon Tip as a speaker was a coupfor the event.

He will join other high profile speakers,including: Gopinath Parayil, CEO of Indianresponsible travel company Blue Yonder;Arnfinn Oines, social and environmentalconscience officer at Six Senses Resorts and Spas;and Faith Taylor, vice president for sustainabilityand innovation for Wyndham World.

JULY 10, 201016

EventsSummer in Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi and Al Ain, UAE, June 24 – August 4(www.summerinabudhabi.com)Festival of family entertainment events covering eight venuesacross Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, featuring performers from morethan 15 countries.

India International Travel Market Bengaluru, India, July 10-12 (www.iitmindia.com)A showcase for tourism, leisure, hospitality and relatedindustries.

Outdoor Adventure DubaiDubai, UAE, October 8-10 (www.outdooradventuredubai.com)Adventure sports, outdoor clubs, equipment specialists andholiday destinations.

GITEX Technology WeekDubai, UAE, October 17-21 (www.gitex.com)Technology solutions for hotels, businesses and consumers.

Hotex Fair SyriaDamascus, Syria, October 19-22 (www.hotexfair.com)Fair for Arabic and foreign companies in tourism and travel,including hotels, restaurants and equipment suppliers.

World Travel MarketLondon, UK, November 8-11 (www.wtmlondon.com)Global event for the travel industry – four day business tobusiness event promoting a range of destinations and industrysectors to international travel professionals.

World Green Tourism Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi, UAE, November 22-24 (www.worldgreentourism.ae)Inaugural eco-tourism exhibition, featuring tourismauthorities, urban city planners, hotels and resorts, propertydevelopers, airlines, tour operators, green product suppliers,universities, museums and heritage site organisations.

Blossom JapanTokyo, Japan, January 18-21,2011 (www.blossomjapan.com)A new invitation-only luxury travel exhibition focusing on theJapanese market.

Abu Dhabi Conference Snags Founder of World’s Largest Adventure Travel Company

Putting in place measures to make tourism

more environmentally and culturally aware

can also create growthopportunities