Middle East and North Africa Edition

april 23, 2011 issue 76 www.traveltradeweekly.travel

April 23, Issue 76

Market Update 2Weekly News 3Accommodation News 5Air Travel News 7International News 10Who’s Moved 11Travel Talk 12Agents’ Corner 13Travel Channels 14Rendezvous 15Events 16

22

In This Issue

Milestone achieved Forrosewood abu dhabi hotel Mubadala real estate and hospitality(Mreh) announced that rosewoodabu dhabi has reached its final height of143 metres and is structurally complete.

77

55Flydubai expanding its presence in saudi arabiaflydubai announced the addition ofriyadh and Jeddah to its network,expanding its presence in saudi arabiafrom three to five key destinations.

Passenger Traffic Up 9.4 Percent in Abu DhabiPassenger Traffic Up 9.4 Percent in Abu Dhabi

Traffic has continued to increase at Abu DhabiInternational Airport (ADAC) with over 2.8 million

passengers passing through its terminals in the firstquarter of the year.

during the first quarter a totalof 167,221 air movementswere recorded in theemirates, compared to153,387 during the same

period in 2010. March brought significantgrowth in all air related activities andoperations, including air safety, security andinfrastructure, as well as air transport, licensingand aeromedical. air traffic movements totalled to 58,553,representing an increase of almost 14 percentover February 2010, while average daily trafficrose 8.9 percent, accounting to 1899.with 26,276 movements, dubai ranked firstamong the emirates representing nearly 44.9percent of the uae’s total figures, followed by the

over flights at 21.4 percent, while abu dhabilined up third at 14.2 percent. The striking figures underpin the emiratesinitiatives, commented h.e. saif Mohammedal suwaidi, director general, gcaa.“air operations in the uae saw significantgrowth in the first quarter of 2011. in spite ofthe current conflicts in the region, the uaeachieved a growth of nine percent in the firstthree months of the year. This highlights thesuccess of the uae in maintaining high level ofstability amid the current conditions andchallenges. air traffic is a strong indicator of theuae’s ability to maintain its advantages at alllevels, which forms a strong ground for startingthe development of policies that encouragemanufacturing in civil aviation in the uae.”

april 23, 20112

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY

Managing EditorMary Kammitsi

mary@traveltradeweekly.travelJournalistsrita Kasziba

duncan MacraeMarianna Keen

Design & Layoutelina pericleous

Sales & Marketingdimitris Thomaidis

Directorsandreas constantinides

Mary Kammitsi

Headquartersp.o. box 25255

nicosia 1308 cyprustel: +35722820888Fax: +35722318958

Websitewww.traveltradeweekly.travel

Emailsinfo@traveltradeweekly.travel

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COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD=uae (aed) dirham 3.67egypt (egp) pound 5.95saudi arabia (sar) riyal 3.75lebanon (lbp) pound 1,502.52bahrain (bhd) dinar 0.37Jordan ( Jod) dinar 0.71syria (syp) pound 47.45Kuwait (Kwd) dinar 0.28Qatar (Qar) riyal 3.64oman (oMr) rial 0.38tunisia (tnd) dinar 1.37Morocco (Mad) dirham 7.87iran (irr) riyal 10,47yemen (yer) rial 215.25algeria (dZd) dinar 71.56libya (lyd) dinar 1.21

MENA Exchange RatesAccurate as of 20/4/2011currencies shown in red are fixed against the us dollar

Air Traffic Up Nine Percent in the UAETotal air movements have increased by nearly nine percent in the UAE airspaceduring the first three months of the year, according to the latest report of the UAEGeneral Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Traffic has continued to increase at abu dhabi international airport (adac) withover 2.8 million passengers passing through its terminals in the first quarter of the year.according to the adac, the airport handled 28,724 flights with 2,820,045passengers on board; achieving a 9.4 percent year-on-year growth, while cargotraffic showed a significant increase of 9 percent between January and March. March proved to be a particularly successful month; the airport recorded double-digit increase with passenger numbers totaling in 983,000, 13 percent up comparedto the same period of 2010. another striking detail of the report is the airports sixpercent growth in aircraft movements, while transported cargo rose by 16 percent. ahmed al haddabi, senior vice president, airport organisations, adac,elaborated on the successful months. “The first quarter of this year has been yetanother display of the positive progress adac has been making. The continuousflow of passengers through the emirate remains strong and we expect momentumto remain as we draw closer to the busier summer season. preparations for thisseason have commenced with the recent addition of direct flights to hong Kong ,via cathay pacific starting in June, to the list of destinations served by the airportand the completion of the terminal 1 refurbishments later this quarter.”accounting for 21 percent of the total traffic, london, bangkok, doha, Manilaand Jeddah rank among the top five destinations and, furthermore, services toJeddah experienced a compelling increase of 48 percent over the same quarter of2010. in terms of top regions, the majority of flights depart to the Far east, Middleeast and europe, which generate the most traffic from adac. new routes, destinations and increased frequencies which have played a vital role in thesubstantial traffic growth include v australia’s debut to sydney, etihad’s new service tobangalore and air india express’ additional flights to amritsar and Mangalore.

Passenger Traffic Up 9.4 Percent in Abu Dhabi

3april 23, 2011

iRiS launches in the Middle East Software creator iRiS has announced the launch of aninnovative in-room guest services application in the uae,following extensive on-property trials.The iris personal valet is a real time communications hubwhich interfaces all major back of house and guest roomsystems. it uses the ipad, offering the user convenience andfamiliarity with the product and its operation. a wide range offunctions are possible from alarm calls to room service, lightingand air-conditioning control, all at the touch of a screen.The core of the system delivers content to each in-room irisipad and allows the guest to access all the hotel’s facilities,offerings and information as well as live news, and detailedinformation including maps and local attractions, giving theguest a greatly enhanced service experience. chris atkin, founding partner, iris software systems, spokeof his excitement at launching the product in the uae beforeit goes global. “The software is not limited to the hotelindustry, but has enormous potential across a wide range ofindustries. we have chosen to launch the hospitalityapplication first as this is a dynamic industry willing toembrace technological advancements to create and improveguest experience – particularly here in the Middle east.”

Accor’s Roadshow

a ccor has hosted its ninth annual Middle eastroadshow to strengthen relationships with itspartners in the region and the tour included accorrepresentatives from europe, asia and all Middleeast countries. The company also held a special

dinner event to award top key clients in each destination for theirgreat performance in 2010.christophe landais, managing director, accor Me, declared 2011 as asuccess for the company in the region. “2011 proves to be an optimisticyear for accor here in the Middle east. we started the year by announcingour development plan of opening 19 new hotels by 2014 in the region.The recently held accor Middle east roadshow is an importantundertaking for us at accor as it enables us to strengthen our relationshipswith our valued partners and travel companies across the region.it is a great opportunity to network and share with our customers theprogress made by accor over the past year, as well as discussing newstakes and opportunities of the travel industry in the region,” he added.philippe seguin, vice president sales and marketing, accor Me,noted that the Middle east is a vital outbound market for the regionas well as for international destinations. “during our road show across the gcc cities, accor delegatespresented their hotels and destinations and their 2011 offers to morethan 820 leading travel agencies, tour operators and experts.”

Mreh commemo-rated the completionof the luxurywaterfront hotel onsowwah island by

holding a ceremony on its 32nd floor. John scott, president and ceo,rosewood hotels and resorts,commented on the scale of theachievement. “rosewood abudhabi will redefine the luxuryexperience in abu dhabi and we

are pleased that the significant topping outmilestone for the hotel structure has beenachieved.”rosewood abu dhabi is scheduled toopen in 2012. The hotel marks the firstventure in the emirate by rosewood

hotels and resorts and will be fullyequipped not just for leisure stays but alsocorporate meetings, offering facilities andservices to meet the needs of its guestsand neighbouring offices in abu dhabi'snew central business district.

5april 23, 2011

- Accommodation

NOBU Hotel in Abu DhabiReem Investments has signeda non-binding letter of intentwith nobu hospitality tooperate and manage theplanned nobu hotel atnajmat, reem island, abudhabi. The developer’sinvestment demonstratesconfidence in the success of theusd8 billion development,which will be situated onnajmat Marina and canal.bambang sugeng bin Kajairi,ceo, reem investmentssuggests the partnership willhelp to create a new focal pointfor luxury lifestyle in abudhabi. “our partnershipreflects our completeconfidence in najmat whichwill deliver so much in terms ofbenefits for investors, for all thepeople who will live and workthere, and for abu dhabi whichjoins an elite selection of nobudestinations.”The completion of thetransaction is subject toconditions.

Milestone Achieved for Rosewood in Abu Dhabi Mubadala Real Estate and Hospitality (MREH) announced that Rosewood Abu Dhabi has reached its finalheight of 143 m and is structurally complete.

7april 23, 2011

- Air News

flydubai Expanding its Presence in Saudi Arabiaflydubai announced the addition of riyadh andJeddah to its network, expanding its presence insaudi arabia from three to five key destinations.The new routes to the twin centres of saudiarabia’s administrative, financial and commercialactivities, will commence operation on May 1.services to Jeddah will run four times weeklywhile flights to riyadh will be available daily.ghaith al ghaith, ceo, flydubai, remarked on theimportance of the move and what it signifies forboth the uae and saudi arabia. “we look forwardto playing our part in strengthening an alreadystrong relationship between the uae and of saudiarabia with these new flights and we hope tocontinue to offer travellers between our twonations a quality, affordable travel option for manyyears to come."flydubai’s existing flight destinations in saudiarabia include abha, gassim and yanbu.

Gulf Air Expands

gulf air is set to addtwo new destinations,copenhagen andnairobi to its networkas well as increase the

flight frequency to Milan.The national carrier of bahrain willcommence services to the danishcapital from July 1, and will fly to its firstscandinavian destination four times aweek. The capital city of Kenya, thethird african city of the airline’s routemap, will welcome gulf air’s inauguralflight on July 5, followed by fourscheduled services a week.The new routes underpin the carrier’slong term strategy, reinforced samerMajali, ceo, gulf air. “The addition of copenhagen andnairobi along with Kabul, which weannounced a few weeks ago,

demonstrates the airline’s strategy ofexpanding its operations to diverseand underserved cities, connectingthe Kingdom of bahrain with keycities beyond the Middle east.”The ceo elaborates on the danishcapital’s great importance. “scandinavians are keen travellers to theasian and the indian sub-continentregions and copenhagen in as aviationhub for the scandinavian and balticregions. The city also enjoys good surfaceconnections with southern sweden. inaddition, copenhagen is home to manyinternational corporations andorganisations, and we see a strongpotential for business traffic to and fromthe region. by connecting copenhagenwith bahrain we are opening up newdoors of opportunity for trade andtourism for both countries.”

april 23, 20118

- Air News

Oman Air Training CentreAwarded by IATAThe International Air Transport association (iata)has honoured oman air training centre on its Middleeast 2011 top ten authorised training centre listing.The centre, which provides a wide range of trainingcourses to both the airline’s staff and to the public,achieved the award in recognition of an outstandingcontribution by the atc (authorised training centre)in developing human capital for tomorrow’s airtransport industry.oman air is poised to further strengthen its position asa prime training provider, explains abdulaziz alraisi,chief officer management affairs, oman air. “we are delighted that oman air has been recognisedby iata in this way, which confirms the high standardsof our training and staff development. we look forwardto consolidating our role as a global leader in aviationtraining and to promoting business excellence, not justwithin oman but in the entire region.”

Emirates Ramps up SouthAmerican Expansion

e mirates is poised to expand its operation in southamerica with the commencement of its daily non-stopflight to rio de Janeiro and extension to buenos airesfrom January 3, 2012.h.h. ahmed bin saeed al-Maktoum, chairman and

ceo, emirates airline and group, comments on the airline’s increasedcapacity in the continent. “both buenos aires and rio de Janeiro arerightly renowned as world-class leisure destinations as well asimportant business and trading centres. our research has shown thatthere is a high demand for these cities from across our network. brazilhas been part of the emirates network since 2007 when we beganflights from dubai to sao paulo. with the country playing host to boththe 2014 FiFa world cup and 2016 olympics, brazil will be furthercatapulted into the world’s spotlight, and we will be in a prime positionto transport sports enthusiasts to these renowned events. Meanwhile,out first service to argentina is a much-anticipated addition to ournetwork which will open important new markets for us.”

april 23, 201110

First W Hotel in India

starwood hotels & resorts worldwide has revealed plans toopen the first w hotels worldwide in india. under amanagement contract with Jaguar buildcon private limited,w Mumbai will be built on three acres of land in southcentral Mumbai, and is expected to open in 2015.

The property will overlook the Mahalaxmi racecourse, and will form partof the namaste tower, a 55-storey mixed-use building, designed by wsatkins to look like clasped hands. The hotel will consist of more than 350guestrooms, including two wow suites and one extreme wow suite.Frits van paasschen, president and ceo, starwood hotels & resortsworldwide, commented that the company was excited about bringing thew lifestyle to Mumbai. “it’s another step in w's global expansion into theworld's most exciting and vibrant destinations. w Mumbai will offer acontemporary take on design, fashion and music in the heart of one ofthe city's most vibrant districts, bringing an innovative and distinctiveexperience to Mumbai. when w Mumbai opens, starwood will haveseven of its nine brands present in india.”gurinderjit singh, managing director, Jaguar buildcon, spoke of hisdelight at partnering with starwood. “it is the perfect time for w hotelsto enter india, specifically Mumbai. luxury in india has existed in itstraditional form, but with the entry of w, there is an opportunity tointroduce luxury in its modern and trend-setting sense.”

St. Regis Bangkok’s DebutStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.announced the debut of its first st. regis hotel inThailand. The st. regis bangkok, developed byrajadamri lodging limited, claims to set a newstandard of service for the region. The hotel features227 guestrooms and will be the first in bangkok to offerbutler service to all its guests. it also offers the firstelemis spa and ZuMa restaurant in the country.The 47 storey building, designed by world-renownedbrennan beer gorman architects, is situated onrajadamri road in the heart of the city. starwoodanticipates that it will become a defining silhouette onbangkok’s skyline.andreas oberoi, general manager, st. regis bangkok,remarked on the significance of the new opening. "weare thrilled with the landmark entry of the st. regisbrand into Thailand. The st. regis bangkok will beideally positioned to cater to both influential businesstravellers and discerning leisure travellers to bangkok,arguably one of the world's best cities and the tourismcapital of asia."

11april 23, 2011

Zee BassilaZee bassila has been promoted to regional director ofmarketing, Middle east, at banyan tree. bassila, who has 15years of sales and marketing experience in the hotel industry,joined the group in 2009. he will move from his currentposition as director of pre-opening operations, based at thecorporate headquarters in singapore, to dubai to support thesales and marketing activitiesof banyan tree in the region.he began his career at ritz-carlton in Quebec beforemoving to the Middle east,and serving intercontinentalhotels group for 12 years. healso worked as director of salesand marketing in bahrain,beirut, dubai and Kiev.

Ruth Masonruth Mason has been appointed as director of conferenceand events at park rotana abu dhabi. Mason has heldvarious conferences and convention services positionsthroughout her career at several establishments, including

sheraton noosa resort andspa, sheraton Mirage portdouglas, business andtourism solutions and othersin australia. in her new role shewill oversee the operation ofthe conference and eventsdepartment of the propertyand guide it towards theleading position of the market.

Hasib Kayali hasib Kayali has been appointed as general manager of Merwebhotelcentral doha. Kayali, who has had a long and successful career ofover three decades in the industry, brings extensive expertise inmaximising market penetration, revenue enhancement and guestsatisfaction. apart from leading the team,he will be in charge forrevenue maximising throughintensive sales and marketingactivities as well as to reachnew heights in terms ofproduct quality andconsistent service.

Georg Weinlaendergeorg weinlaender has been appointed as area generalmanager for phoenicia and le vendôme hotels by societedes grands hotels du liban (sghl) and intercontinentalhotels group (ihg). weinlaender brings vast internationalexperience that spans over 35 years across five continents.having worked invienna, london, paris,Kuwait, düsseldorf, westand east africa,Madagascar, Montreal aswell as the caribbean anddubrovnik, he joinedihg two years ago asgeneral manager ofphoenicia hotel, beirutbefore taking on his newposition following theunion of phoenicia andle vendôme under thesame leadership.

Georg Weinlaender

Hasib Kayali

Ruth Mason

Zee Bassila

april 23, 201112

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

Ayman NasrChairman and CEO, Egyptair “The Middle east is one of the world's fastest growingaviation markets and egyptair is well positioned to takeadvantage of this growth with its plans for fleet expansionand modernisation."

Paul JamesGlobal brand leader, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and TheLuxury Collection

"This is an extraordinary time forst. regis as we open ten newhotels and resorts, making it themost important year in thebrand's history since John Jacobastor first opened the st. regishotel in new york city over acentury ago - a legacy we arecommitted to honouring withour brand's signature hallmarksin the world's most exciting anddiverse global destinations."

The MiddleEast is one

of the world'sfastest

growingaviationmarkets

This is an extraordinary time for St. Regis as we open ten new hotels and resorts

Paul James

Ayman Nasr

Who are you?The core of the eternal yemen is myhusband waleed Mugalli, a yemeni fromsana’a and myself, coming from slovenia.we established the company at the end of2006 and since then our business hasgrown constantly despite the difficulttimes for tourism. What is your favorite thing aboutworking in the travel industry?i was always a passionate traveller andloved to work with people. working in thetravel industry gives me the opportunityto constantly be in touch with peoplefrom different countries with different

background and culture and to practice allseven languages that i am fluent in. When is the best time to visit Yemen?one can visit yemen at any time of theyear. however, the tourism seasons forvisiting all yemeni regions starts in themiddle of september and lasts over theholidays of May 1. Where would you like to travel to foryour next holiday?i was always a passionate backpacker andi also loved some less conventional waysof travelling, like travelling by bike ortravelling with a friend’s home-madetruck. as the establishing of our travel

agency coincided with the births of ourtwo babies, we were not travelling muchoutside of yemen in the last few years.but in the near future we would like togo to the Far east and would like to visitaustralia, namibia, Zimbabwe as well asiceland. Why should people come to you fortravel advice?we ensure our clients with high qualityand carefully prepared programs.providing our clients with understanding,a personal approach, responsibility,honest work with no hidden fees or tricks,and sustainability. in addition, last yearour clients have voted me in acompetition in which i was shortlistedamong the eight best guides in the world.we believe that in the long term, our wayof work brings consistent results and thatwas already proven with our satisfiedclients and growing business.

13april 23, 2011

Name: Tina ZormanPosition: Eternal YemenCompany: DirectorLocation: Yemen

Agent’s Insight

Tina Zorman

april 23, 201114

Solutions by IATA to Get You RecognisedThe importance of travel agents ensuring that they are part of a coherent global network that makes themrecognisable in the industry can not be overstated.

this is one of the messages,that iata aims to promoteat the upcoming atM indubai, on May 2-5.according to iata,

global data products can help. it is a suiteof solutions from a contact database ofmore than 125,000 iata travel agenciesidentified by their unique universal iatanumeric code. These codes are uniquebecause there is no duplication and itfollows a defined standard enablingindustry suppliers to identify travelagencies and process their bookingsworldwide. This database allows suppliers to build,manage and maintain professionaldistribution networks worldwide. airlines,

hotel chains, car rental companies, cruise lines,tour operators and local tourism authoritiescan use the solutions to cost effectivelysupport their business in distribution. Through the global data products,suppliers can see who is selling theirproduct and the industry supply chain canuse this information for a number ofactivities, from fraud prevention to e-marketing campaigns to facilitating criticalfunctions like revenue accounting. iatamaintenance of this information is subjectto stringent qualification and retentioncriteria, which ensures worldwiderecognition throughout the industry. The global iata agency program formallyrecognises travel agencies who are authorisedto sell and issue international/domestic

tickets on behalf of airlines, through a uniqueiata numeric code. The essence of iata’s agency programs canbe brought to travel agent through theiata/iatan id card, which is therecognised industry credential for identifyingiata/tids travel professionals worldwide. iata indicates that travel and tourismsuppliers recognise the id card, relying onit to effectively manage and distributetheir exclusive industry concessions to apreferred audience. The program’s objective is to bring togethersales and suppliers by providing an onlineplatform called agentexperience.com on. The program is exclusive to iata accreditedagencies as well as those holding an iatatids-code for the non-air program.

Travel Trade Weekly: The newcampaign slogan of Shangri-LaHotel: “There’s no greater act ofhospitality than to embrace a strangeras one’s own,” is iconic. Has Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai experienced anychange in clientele (i.e. of differentnationalities, religions etc.) since thecampaign was launched?Bernhard Haechler: in dubai, ourguest nationality mix has remained ratherconsistent over the past two years. Therehas been no significant shift since thelaunch of the campaign, however, we haveseen an increase in our brand awarenessin the region and i believe the newcampaign has been a contributing factor.

Travel Trade Weekly:Shangri-La Hotel,Dubai claims to have set new standardsin service, hospitality and value formoney since its opening in July 2003.What do you feel is the most importantcontribution the hotel has provided to thehospitality industry in Dubai? Bernhard Haechler: we strive tocontinually improve our guest experienceand we take our quality standards veryseriously. our most important asset is ourpeople and the new campaign tag line ‘it's inour nature,’ encompasses what our peoplestand for. it's in our nature to nurture, behelpful, friendly and caring, which falls inline with our mission ‘to delight our guestsevery time by creating engaging experiencesstraight from the heart’.

Travel Trade Weekly: Why didShangri-La Hotel, Dubai, choose tohelp in the establishment of AlMurjan Reef Rehabilitation Project? Bernhard Haechler: The al Murjanreef project is an ambitious project thatwas set up by shangri-la hotel, dubai;

traders hotel, dubai and dubai ladiesclub, in association with emirates Marineenvironmental group (eMeg). alMurjan (which means coral) project wasborne out of the concern for the rapidlydiminishing marine life sanctuary in theuae. we chose to form this partnershipbecause of shangri-la's commitment tooperating in an economically, socially andenvironmentally responsible manner. weare focusing our efforts on this project toensure it is a success.

Travel Trade Weekly: Does Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai have any other plansin motion that portray the hotel’scorporate social responsibility (CSR)?Bernhard Haechler: locally, we supportchildren's charities. shangri-la’s socialresponsibility programme consists of thetwo elements of embrace and sanctuary.embrace focuses on shangri-la’s caringpeople project, which aims to promote thehighest level of education and healthsupport in underprivileged communities.  insanctuary, the programme concentrates onshangri-la’s care for nature project, whichpromotes the conservation and restorationof biodiversity.

Travel Trade Weekly: Shangri-LaHotel, Dubai has been the venue for anumber of high profile eventsincluding the Global Gas & LNGSummit 2011, March 8-9, and in May2-4 it will hold the second Middle EastBitumen Event. Why do you think thatShangri-La Hotel, Dubai was chosenas the venue for these events? Bernhard Haechler: shangri-la hotel,dubai offers five star, luxury facilities andservice in addition to a sought-afterlocation in the heart of the city on sheikhZayed road, overlooking burj Khalifa.  all

of our meeting rooms and ballrooms arecontemporary in design and featurenatural light, state-of-the-art audio-visualequipment and wireless internet access.The main ballroom and the juniorballroom can accommodate up to 500people for a reception and the hotel alsooffers three additional function rooms andtwo boardrooms on level three for smallerevents. The meeting space offering,coupled with shangri-la service, makesshangri-la hotel, dubai the ideal venuefor corporate meetings and conventions.

Travel Trade Weekly: What premierevents does the hotel expect to hold inthe future? Bernhard Haechler: we will continueto work with our existing clients on theirevent requirements as well as source newbusiness in the city. we also have idealfacilities for weddings and expect businessfrom this segment to grow.

Travel Trade Weekly:What ratio ofbusiness and leisure clients does thehotel attract? Bernhard Haechler: approximately 60percent business and 40 percent leisure.

15april 23, 2011

Q & A with Bernhard HaechlerSince the hotel opening in 2003, the award-winning Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai, has set new standards inluxurious accommodation and service. Bernhard Haechler, vice president and general manager, talks aboutthe hotel’s latest slogan and social and environmental responsibility.

Bernhard Haechler

april 23, 201116

EventsArabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC)Dubai, UAE, April 30 - May 2, 2011 (www.arabianconference.com)industry’s investors, owners and operators discuss and explorethe investment opportunities in the region.

Arabian Travel MarketDubai, UAE, May 2-5, 2011 (www.arabiantravelmarket.com)The Middle east’s largest travel and tourism exhibition.

IndabaDurban, South Africa, May 7-10, 2011(www.indaba-southafrica.co.za)showcases the widest variety of southern africa's best tourismproducts.

The Hotel ShowDubai, UAE, May 17-19, 2011(www.thehotelshow.com)hospitality event for the Mena, gcc and emerging markets.

International Pow Wow 2011San Francisco, USA, May 21-25, 2011(www.ustravel.org/events/international-pow-wow)an international marketplace and the largest generator ofvisit usa.

IMEXFrankfurt, Germany, May 24-26, 2011(www.imex-frankfurt.com)worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events.

CITY FAIR The European Cities Travel Workshop London, UK, 20 June, 2011(www.cityfair.travel)a one day event of pre-scheduled appointments dedicated to thesector of city tourism.

AIBTMBaltimore, USA, June 21-23, 2011(www.aibtm.com)us event for the business travel and meetings industry.

AIBTM Focuses on TechnologyThe impact that technology is having on the meetings industry will be amajor focus at this year’s americas Meetings & events exhibition (aibtM).at the June 21-23 event in baltimore, us, industry experts will discussthe most effective ways to utilise new and existing solutions withinevents. This includes hands-on tools needed to maximise a company’spresence using apps and social media and provide practical advice oneffectively implementing innovative technologies to maintain acompetitive edge.steve Knight, project director, aibtM, commented that the challengingeconomic conditions in recent years, along with the demands forefficiency, have driven meeting professionals to increasingly look totechnology to help them achieve their event goals.“The technology available to the industry, from pre-planning, pricing andpromotion to post-event evaluation is phenomenal, as is the rate at whichinnovative solutions are beginning to flood the market. our sessions will assist delegates in navigating their way through thetechnology maze to understand the real benefits that technology canprovide, helping them maintain their competitive edge and drive newbusiness.”

ADNEC Buys Ticketing WebsiteAbu Dhabi national exhibitions company(adnec) has purchased boxofficeme.com fromarab Media group in a bid to strengthen its positionas one of the capital’s leading drivers of the liveevents industry.The website, founded in 2004, sold more than100,000 tickets for 162 events in 2010 and hashandled ticket sales for some of the world’s biggestmusic acts.humaid al dhaheri, chief sales and marketingofficer, adnec, noted that the purchase providesadnec with an established regional brand in theonline ticketing business as well as access to what iswidely believed to be the largest event-relatedconsumer database in the uae.“as such, this is a step forward in adnec’s strategyto set up a world class ticketing operation in supportof abu dhabi’s ambitious plans for the live eventssector.