Recently, Shanghai Zhongzhou International and NAKHEEL Company of Dubai signed an agreement in which the former company will buy “Shanghai Island” in Dubai’s world map islands at a price of US$28 million.
The project became the fourth large-scale China investment in Dubai and the second largest acquisition following the acquisition of a television station in Dubai by a Chinese company.
The opening ceremony of the “Shanghai Island” will be held in Dubai on the 16th of this month. Preparatory
work is expected to complete at the end of this year and construction work will formally commence in the first half of next year. The whole project is scheduled for two years construction.
Sources said that Shanghai Zhongzhou International will be building three river-crossing bridges in the island, which will imitate the style of famous bridges at Shanghai Huangpu River. For the future traffic of “Shanghai Island”, waterways and helicopters will be arranged to carry out transportation services. The company also plans to build a scenic belt representing Shanghai’s local folk culture and commercial buildings on the island.
It is estimated that Shanghai Zhongzhou International will continue to invest a total of more than RMB 100 million to complete the project.
Industry Pioneer, Orient Tours, Attends World Travel Market 2007
More Than 45,000 Global Industry Experts To Gather In London; Orient Tours To Attend With Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) And Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCDTA)
UAE-based Orient Tours has confirmed participation at World Travel Market (WTM) 2007, alongside Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) from November 12–15 at ExCel London.
Orient Tours was founded a quarter century ago by H.E. Shaikh Faisal Al Qassemi with the vision to open the tourism gateway to the Arabian Gulf and to encourage its embrace as a leisure destination by international travelers, as well as to help open doors for cultural exchange.
Commenting on WTM, Shaikh Faisal said: “WTM is one of the leading travel trade shows in the world, with research indicating that 87% of visitors label WTM as the ‘must attend travel trade event of the year’.”
This year more than 45,000 travel trade exhibitors and visitors are expected to attend.
“With inbound tourism to the region growing at a staggering 8% during the first quarter of 2007, the Middle East is confirmed as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and Orient Tours, wants to continue to play an important role in this growth.”
Shaikh Faisal said that quality and innovation have been the two main driving forces behind Orient Tours: “New ideas in product and excellence in delivery are the drivers that will continue to see us through this current growth cycle,” he said.
According to Shaikh Faisal, Orient Tours has handled more than one million in-bound tourists to date, and is now gearing for the next wave of demand.
He suggested that today’s leisure traveller wants a new experience, honest value and personalisation of service: “We aim to give all three, plus continue our insistence on quality because this is the way we will continue to grow our business and consequently the market in the years to come!”
He confirmed that this has spurred his team to drive growth through constant product innovation particularly in this silver anniversary year which His Excellency has dubbed ‘Orient Tours – Celebrating the Sands of Time’.
He continued: “We are now poised for another 25 years of innovation, delivering new tours and activities, while ensuring that we practice eco-responsible tourism. We have empowered our team, and will encourage the market to push the boundaries of hospitality even further.”
Shaikh Faisal concluded: “The reality is that the authentic Arabian experience belongs to us, so it’s up to us to be creative at all times and thus ensure sustainable product that has a global appeal.”
Established in 1982, Orient Tours now employs more than 150 professionals and has numerous strategic partners across a variety of markets and services.
Orient has introduced a series of industry-shaping tours including tailor-made alternative vacation destinations, overland tours between Dubai and Muscat, sea-safaris and the ground-breaking individual fly & drive programs. Today, Orient is a market leader in both United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman.
src: http://www.middleeastevents.com/site/pres_dtls.asp?pid=2038
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), the leading carrier in Scandinavia and the fourth largest airline group in Europe, has launched www.sassalesinfo.com - a dedicated UAE travel trade website which provides round-the-clock information on the airline’s fares, products and services.
The move comes as SAS prepares to commence its thrice-weekly, non-stop flight from Dubai to the Danish capital Copenhagen from 1 November - the first to directly link the UAE with Scandinavia.
The online tool includes news and information on SAS’ Internet check-in facility, details on EuroBonus - the airline’s customer loyalty programme, latest updates on tariffs as well as special deals on the new route.
‘This dedicated website is a powerful portal which will help our travel partners serve their customers better as it provides real-time support throughout the booking process,’ said Magnus Engstrom, General Manager UAE, SAS.
‘The user-friendly site also provides latest details on SAS’ global travel products and helps UAE agents manage passenger requests instantly at the click of a mouse.’
Registered agents will also have access to a range of additional benefits including cross marketing opportunities, competitions and promotions.
SAS’ new Dubai-Copenhagen service will operate every Monday, Thursday and Sunday on a widebodied, 245-seater Airbus A340 with a three-class configuration - SAS Business, Economy Extra and Economy Class.
Lufthansa has introduced its online travel portal. www.lufthansaexperts.com, in the UAE. It is designed especially to meet agents’ need for specialised product and booking information to advise and serve their customers better.
It is a free service that provides many professional and personal benefits for the user.
The portal features the experts’ homepage that gives the most important information, offers and news at a glance. In the Product & Information section, agents can find everything about Lufthansa’s products and services that might be interesting and helpful when booking flights. In addition, the website holds a Booking support section with an FAQ tool to corroborate one’s daily work as well as a search and download function for brochures.
Peter Pollak, general manager passenger sales UAE and director Gulf and Pakistan, said: “We are happy to introduce this service for the travel advisers in the region to be able to access expert and specialized information about Lufthansa anytime and anywhere in the world. We would like to encourage travel managers, agents, advisors and staff to enjoy the benefits of this new service.”
The Business Travel Show Dubai will launch in Dubai this month and is being held on October 29 and 30 at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena.
It is the first focused event in the Middle East for those who buy and book business travel and meetings.
The show offers practical and independent advice, up to date information, and is a forum for learning and visitors have the opportunity to discover what’s new in the industry, to meet with travel suppliers, as well as obtain independent professional advice and discover cost and time saving methods of managing and purchasing business travel for their organisation.
With business trips comprising 80 per cent of travel in the Gulf region, the show is a timely addition to Dubai’s annual event’s calendar.
TTN talked to Sally Maltby, event director of the show based in London, to find out more. Excerpts:
What can we expect to see at the Business Travel Show 2007?
Airlines, hotels and hotel groups, travel management companies, serviced apartments, corporate credit cards, private jet hire, chauffeur drive hire and other ancillary business travel services, plus a two day education programme run in association with ACTE (association of Corporate Travel Executives) including free daily keynotes on the future of business travel in the Middle East.
What can exhibitors and visitors look forward to?
The only event focused on business travel in the Middle East with a comprehensive exhibitor list; a two day education programme to help visitors answer questions about how they can save time and money, forge better relationships with suppliers and ensure the safety and security of their business travellers; a networking drinks reception for VIP visitors and exhibitors, a VIP and business lounge for doing business and arranging meetings; a meetings facility on the show website that enables visitors to arrange meetings with exhibitors at the show before they arrive.
What are your estimates, in terms of business generated from the show?
We expect approximately 2,000 attendees to the show over the two days and obviously there will be many opportunities for them to buy business travel products and services and form relationships with business travel suppliers during the show.
How much has the Dubai as a destination helped the show in terms of exhibitors?
The Gulf region is one of the fastest growing economic regions in the world and Dubai is the most popular spot in the Gulf for doing business, so it is well placed to take advantage of impending changes in the corporate travel sector and helps draw exhibitors to the show.
Can you identify some future trends you expect to see in business travel?
Some of the biggest global trends are now beginning to affect the region include the emergence of budget hotels and low-cost airlines, how the travel agent is paid with some airlines cutting commission altogether in favour of booking / transaction fees, and the advent of online booking and sourcing the right information form the internet. I also think one of the biggest trends is the growth of business aviation (private jets) and the serviced apartment sector.
But with the launch of services like the business jets, do you foresee more such exclusive products? How important have they become?
As the market continues to grow, private jets provide a viable alternative to business and first class travel as demand is very high on commercial airlines and seats are not always available on demand. They will continue to grow in importance as business travel keeps growing in the Middle East.
What selling tips would you give to agents selling business packages to the well-heeled traveller?
They need to tailor packages to the specific needs of their customers, ensuring cost and time efficiency and ultimately ensuring that travellers are best placed to do business in the location and at time that they need to.
Finally, what are your expectations of this year’s event?
We expect to establish the show as the premier annual event for suppliers of business travel products and services and buyers and arrangers of business travel trips and meetings in the region.
Dubai, Oct 12: Expats are hit by the rising rupee and cost of living in the Gulf but UAE is facing a tourist boom with hotels full booked ahead of Eid festival.
The moon-sighting committee has announced today as the first day of Eid here. The committee, headed by Justice Minister Mohammed bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri, said in a statement in Abu Dhabi yesterday that ‘after a number of legitimate measures, as well as several contacts made with neighbouring countries, it was established that Friday, October 12 will be the first day of Shawwal (the first day of Eid Al Fitr) in the UAE.
Though the rising cost of living has been a dampener for expatriates in the Gulf, tourism in UAE and particularly in Dubai is seeing a boom. The season has attracted a lot of Europeans and Australians according to travel officials.
We are almost fully booked. Europeans and Australians are coming. We do have GCC families but not like in the previous years, Subodh Mathur of Hawthorne Hotel was quoted by the Khaleej Times as saying.
The rising value of rupee has drastically reduced the remittances from the Gulf to India. High rents and inflation and traffic woes may also dent the Eid celebrations of expats here this time.