The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has been one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, with Ho Chi Minh City, home to over seven million people, recognised as its commercial capital.

Emirates will use an Airbus A330-200 in a two class configuration on the route to Ho Chi Minh City, which is set to become the airline’s 124th destination.

From 28th October 2012 this service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300 ER in a two class configuration.

Operating as EK 390 the daily non-stop flight, with 27 Business Class seats and 251 Economy Class seats, will depart Dubai International Airport at 0925hrs arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 1920hrs.

The return flight EK 391 will depart at 2050hrs arriving in Dubai at 0045hrs the following day.

“Following the signing of the Air Services Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates in April 2011, we have been busy planning this route and it comes at a very exciting time for the airline, as our global network continues to expand,” said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.

“Emirates will offer tourists and business travellers, particularly from the Middle East, Africa and Europe, a convenient option to access Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is one of the most vibrant places in South East Asia and we are convinced that this will prove to be a highly popular route. We look forward to growing our partnership with Vietnam and would like to thank the Government and Airport Authorities for their support in the planning of our launch,” Mr Clark added.

Ho Chi Minh City offers tourists the ideal gateway to explore the wonders of Vietnam, be it the shopping options in the city, the various UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Hoi An, the islands of Halong Bay, the beaches of Nha Trang or the floating markets and restaurants of the Mekong River Delta.

Trade between the UAE and Vietnam exceeded US$24 million in 2010 and Emirates, through its cargo arm SkyCargo, has had an active presence in the market for a number of years. Vietnamese exports – which range the full value chain from high-end tablet PCs, smartphones and printers to garments, sportswear and shoes – have been shipped through other Emirates’ Asian gateways including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong on to European, American, Middle Eastern and African markets.

Ho Chi Minh City will be the Emirates’ eighth route launch in 2012, following on from Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro on 3rd January; Dublin on 9th January; Lusaka and Harare on 1st February; Dallas on 2nd February and Seattle on 1st March.

Emirates’ Airbus A330-200 offers its customers in both cabins meals prepared by gourmet chefs, award-winning service from the airline’s international cabin crew recruited from over 120 countries, as well as hundreds of channels of entertainment and the facility to send and receive emails and text messages.

With a fleet of 168 aircraft and already the largest A380 operator in the world, with 20 in service, Emirates currently flies to 117 destinations in 69 countries.

Originally published by http://www.emirates.com

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Emirates’ inaugural Flight 247 made its first landing at Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, where it was initiated by a traditional water cannon salute.

The flight, operated by Argentine Captain Marcos Medina, then departed for its first onwards connection to Buenos Aires, where government and airport officials led by Enrique Meyer, the Argentinean Minister of Tourism, welcomed the Emirates VIP delegation headed by Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President – Passenger Sales Worldwide.

Other members of the VIP delegation aboard the flight included the Argentinean Ambassador to the UAE, Ruben E. Caro; UAE Ambassador Mohammed Eissa Al Zaabi; Mr Abdulla Ali Al Saboosi, Director, Department of American and Pacific Affairs, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Adnan Kazim, Divisional Senior Vice President, Planning and Research and Nigel Page, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, the Americas.

This new linked service to two of the most economically vibrant cities in South America will not only boost trade ties with the UAE, but will also introduce travellers to Emirates’ route network spanning points across the globe,” said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President – Passenger Sales Worldwide.

“Emirates will offer customers in Brazil and Argentina the most efficient and comfortable route to the Middle and Far East, including the airline’s four destinations in China and two gateways in Japan, which are key trading partners for both countries,” added Mr. Antinori.

The Dubai-Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires flight is operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering eight First Class Private Suites, 42 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 304 seats in Economy Class.

EK 247 leaves Dubai daily at 0710hrs and arrives at Rios Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport at 1537hrs. It departs Rio at 1723hrs, arriving at Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini International Airport (Ezeiza) at 1930hrs. From Buenos Aires, EK 248 departs at 2130hrs, arriving in Rio at 0123hrs the following day. The aircraft will depart Rio at 0310hours, arriving in Dubai at 2250hrs.

Emirates has a fleet of 168 aircraft and is the world’s largest Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 operator. With an order for 50 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft placed at the Dubai Airshow in November, Emirates now has 237 aircraft on order, worth over US$84 billion at list prices.

Emirates now flies to 118 destinations in 69 countries. Over the next two months, the airline will launch a further five destinations: Dublin, Lusaka, Harare, Seattle and Dallas.

Originally published by http://www.emirates.com

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Eastern Express was expected to have its first flight this month, but owing to a “glitch” in the paperwork submitted to the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) that could be a while longer, said Alex de Vos, the chief executive.

“We are still going ahead for a first quarter launch,” he said. “We were intending for an earlier start, but that’s not going to happen now.”

The privately owned airline was planning to launch a twice-daily service between the two emirates, a 200km journey. A one-way ticket would have cost Dh645.

Mr de Vos said the problem was over the leasing of a propeller aircraft. “That’s not something the GCAA is fond of us doing as long as we don’t hold national carrier status, which we don’t,” said Mr de Vos.

“We’re looking at different options right now. Buying an aircraft would turn around our business plan completely.

“It’s a two-way thing and hopefully it will be resolved in the next few weeks. The moment the GCA approves our paperwork, two weeks later we’ll be ready to fly.”

Originally published by http://www.thenational.ae

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All three emirates have been making significant investments in infrastructure to support cruise tourism facilities and services in the country. Abu Dhabi has erected a new tented cruise terminal at Mina Zayed, Dubai is reshaping Port Rashid and Sharjah is focusing on Khorfakkan to attract around 700,000 cruise visitors during this season.

Dubai will take the lead in total cruise visitors as it is expected to welcome 475,000 passengers at Port Rashid during this season. The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, or DTCM, forecasts a steady growth for the next four years with 625,000 passengers by 2015, a 38 per cent increase over 2010 figures.

Realising the potential in cruise tourism, DP World is expanding Port Rashid cruise terminal facilities to continue its leading position as the largest cruise centre in the Middle East. It will expand the current facilities by the end of 2012 to cater for as many as five cruise ships at one time, against its current capacity of accommodating only two ships.

“Development of the cruise terminal facilities at Port Rashid supports Dubai’s long-term strategy to stimulate growth and development in the traditionally strong tourism sector,” DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem recently said in an e-mailed statement to ?Khaleej Times. He said the new facility will help Dubai tap into the rapidly-growing cruise sector and will continue to be a major destination for the finest cruise ships in the world.

Cruise tourism is a key growth segment which will bring great economic benefits to the region, increasing overall expenditure in the tourism sector and boosting the economy. According to DTCM, cruise tourism saw an annual income of Dh338 million in 2010 and is estimated to grow to Dh837 million in 2015. This will see a yield of Dh3.5 billion into Dubai’s economy over those years.

Abu Dhabi acting fast
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, or ADTA, in collaboration with industry stakeholders Abu Dhabi Ports Company, or ADPC, and Abu Dhabi Terminals, is also increasing investing in cruise terminal facilities. The ADTA has prioritised cruise tourism as one of its five 2011-2012 strategy pillars and likely to receive around 170,000 tourists before the season ends in April next year. In line with its long-term cruise ambitions, the ADTA is planning to replace the tented terminal with a purpose-built cruise terminala at Mina Zayed as the emirate realises its aim to become a regional cruise hub.

“Cruise shipping has enjoyed strong recession-proof growth for many years,” ADTA director-general Mubarak Al Muhairi told Khaleej Times at the launch ceremony of new cruise terminal at Mina Zayed in October.

Capt Mohamed Al Shamisi, ADPC’s vice-president (operations) of ports unit, hoped the cruise business will continue to grow to 300 calls and 600,000 passengers by 2030.

“Ultimately, our capacity to build the cruise tourism business will rely on a combination of good planning, good infrastructure, strong marketing and industry co-operation,” Al Muhairi said.

Sharjah an ideal destination
Sharjah makes for an ideal destination for luxury cruise liners due to its strategic location, overlooking both the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf Coast, as well as the natural splendour of the East Coast. The emirate’s picturesque East Coast is getting ready to welcome thousands of cruise passengers aboard some of the biggest and celebrated luxury cruise liners in the next few months. The third-largest emirate is expected to receive 67,000 cruise passengers during this season.

Sharjah, which has been attracting an extraordinary number of European tourists in recent years, is looking forward to receiving more international visitors as major cruise liners target the region. The first Costa Classica ship arrived at the Khorfakkan port last week with 1,700 passengers onboard, heralding the arrival of new season of luxury cruise liners and thousands of international tourists to Sharjah’s East Coast. Another large vessel, the Costa Favalosa, will make its maiden call at the Khorfakkan port on December 19 with 3,800 passengers.

“Between November and May 2012, two major cruise liner operators, Costa Cruises and Seabourn, will bring an estimate volume of nearly 67,000 international cruise passengers to Sharjah’s golden beaches, blue waters and breathtaking landscape,” according to a statement by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority.
Gulf stays steady

The cruise tourism sector in the Middle East is seeing a steady increase in passengers as the sector gains traction in the region. Countries in the region are increasingly investing to support cruise tourism facilities and services. The Gulf is also witnessing a rise in cruise ships, with Costa Cruises, the first major line to introduce Gulf itineraries, upping capacity by 16 per cent this winter season. Other major cruise lines such as Costa, Royal Caribbean and MSC also plan to expand thier operations in the days to come.

Worldwide, the cruise industry has had an annual passenger compound annual growth rate of 7.67 per cent from 1990-2011, according to Cruise Market Watch. Last year cruise industry recorded 15 million guests and this year it is expected to achieve 19 million cruise guests. The UAE, with increased investment in cruise terminals, is expected to grab a major slice of this market by attracting big players of the industry.

Originally published by http://www.khaleejtimes.com

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Economy Class passengers departing Abu Dhabi airport will have the use of a dedicated Air Astana coach transfer from central Dubai to Abu Dhabi Airport. This service will depart from the Emirates and DNATA Building near the Clock Tower in central Dubai as per the schedule below.

Bus departures from Dubai for flights Abu Dhabi – Almaty (01 Dec 10 until further notice)
- Flights operating on Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat: 07:00
- Flights operating on Tue, Fri, Sun: 19.00

Bus departures from Dubai for flights Abu Dhabi – Astana (01 Dec 10 until further notice)
- Flights operating on Mon, Wed, Sat, Sun: 20.00 (note these flight services depart at 00:15 on the days mentioned above so departure from Dubai will be at 20.00 on the proceeding day)

Business Class passengers are entitled to a private car transfer to and from Abu Dhabi Airport. This service must be pre-booked 72 hours ahead of travel. Please contact your travel agent or directly Air Astana 24 hour ?all ?entre on +7 (727) 244 44 77 to arrange private transfer.

Originally published by http://www.airastana.com

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More than 1,100 industry professionals and hundreds of international journalists, photographers, television crews and presenters will be fighting for spots on the busiest red carpet Diff has ever experienced tonight when Tom Cruise and his fellow cast members Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Anil Kapoor, along with director Brad Bird and producer Bryan Burk, launch Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. A large proportion of the film was shot in Dubai, and more specifically at the Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building.

All praise
And while fan screenings, red carpets and promotional pictures have been captured over the past week in Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Mumbai on the film’s international publicity tour, the official world premiere of the movie takes place in Dubai tonight. Cruise will be on the red carpet from 5pm — an hour ahead of the other stars — just to spend time with fans.

Gulf News caught up with the stars when they landed in the UAE yesterday. Although Cruise was unavailable until a press conference which takes place this morning, his fellow cast members had only good things to say about Hollywood’s leading man.

Raising the bar
“He’s an inspiration,” said a bubbly Patton. “He is the most hard-working man I’ve ever met. Just when you think you are tired, there’s Tom,” she added throwing her hands in the air. “Working out. There’s a reason he’s one of the greatest actors of all time.”

On his death-defying stunts hanging from the Burj Khalifa, actor Simon Pegg — who is returning for a second stint with Cruise in the franchise — said it was something Cruise had been building up to.

“He keeps raising the bar and then leaping over it,” said Pegg from under a green cap. “He has high standards and it raises everyone’s game. These were stunts he has been building up to. I don’t know how you can top it, but he’ll find a way.”

Indian actor Anil Kapoor, of Slumdog Millionaire fame, was grateful to Cruise for reasons other than the fourth instalment in the MI franchise.

A-list celebrities
“Tom has restored a colour in India since his visit last week,” he said.

“He brought excitement, energy and reminded us all the Taj Mahal is there,” he said.

“You can become complacent when things are on your doorstep and seeing someone like Tom Cruise in utter awe of such a place jogs your memory about how lucky you are.”

Other films using the festival as a launch pad in the region include The Muppets, The Descendants and My Week With Marilyn, all of which have gala screenings.

A total of 171 films from 56 nations, as well as a host of A-list celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Owen Wilson and regional stars Yousra and Lebleba, will attend.

Originally published by http://www.gulfnews.com

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A commercial ban on flights has not been confirmed and there is little clarity over whether such a measure could even be enforced, industry insiders say.

Saj Ahmad, an analyst at FBE Aerospace, said many airlines were against such a move.

“I can see vocal opposition to a ban and maybe even defiance,” Mr Ahmad said. “In many ways, the Arab League is toothless. They can ‘impose’ it, but whether individual airlines adhere to it is another matter entirely.” The Arab League sanctions committee said flights to Syria would be halved, Reuters reported.

Etihad Airways said it had no further update on the situation following its announcement last week that it was “closely monitoring the situation in Syria and will continue to fly to Damascus for as long as we are permitted to”.

Emirates Airline is also continuing to fly to Syria.

The General Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday said “UAE airlines have no intention of suspending flights to Syria”.

Meanwhile, a number of hotel projects in Syria are on hold, and the sector has already been affected by US sanctions.

“Syria was subject to some US export trade sanctions, which represented some constraints on the entrance of new US hotel operators,” said Chiheb ben Mahmoud, the senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, Middle East and Africa. Abu Dhabi‘s Rotana has two hotels open in Syria and a further three properties that were under development. “We have several projects there that are on hold,” said Omer Kaddouri, the chief operating officer at Rotana Hotels.

“The investments that we have in Syria are with various entities that cannot be named. I think that the situation in Syria today is something that we are all hoping will improve because Syria needs a lot of hotels,” he said.

“We’re just looking forward for things to get better so we can start getting back on track with our properties.”

There has also been a sharp drop in the number of Syrians travelling within the country.

Dubai‘s Jumeirah Group also had a project under development. “It is not appropriate for us to comment on the political situation in Syria,” it said. “We continue to monitor events.”

Originally published by http://www.thenational.ae

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That is changing fast as the emirate once famed for proposing underwater hotels and air-conditioned beaches approaches its target of reducing the carbon footprint of its top hotels by almost a fifth.

These days the emirate is taking a far more measured approach to hotel development and some operators are even managing to boost their bottom line by reducing their environmental impact.

Raki Phillips, the area director of sales and marketing at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, said it had managed to reduce costs by Dh3.5 million (US$952,769) last year by introducing eco-friendly measures.

These included changing the lighting on the outside of the building. This cost Dh1.5m, but the hotel got a return on its investment after one year, Mr Phillips said.

“One thing that is missing is an international ratings system on what’s required,” he said.

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) two years ago set a target of reducing the carbon emissions of participating hotels in the emirate by 20 per cent by this year. To date, it says there has been a reduction of 17 per cent.

Hoteliers said changes they had made, partly because of the demands of their own company aims and the targets set by the DTCM, had helped to improve profitability.

Abu Dhabi is also trying to reduce the carbon footprint of its tourism industry as the sector grows.

The emirate last year announced new-build hotels would be awarded a rating for their environmental friendliness.

Industry experts speaking in Abu Dhabi yesterday were also calling for mass tourism to be made sustainable, rather than focusing on a niche “eco-tourism” market.

“Sustainable tourism doesn’t have to be niche,” said Ruth Holroyd, the group head of sustainability at the Thomas Cook Group. She said the tour operator was working with governments and hotels to try to make mass tourism more sustainable.

There is much debate, however, over who should take responsibility for making the industry more environmentally friendly – whether it should ultimately lie with the Government or tour operators and travel companies.

“What really matters is that people in the travel and tourism industry take responsibility for making the change,” said Harold Goodwin, the director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism.

Ms Holroyd said the Government had to play the main role in leading the charge for sustainable tourism.

“I believe that we have been seen in many international news and media that we are the most constructive destination,” said Shaikha Ebrahim Al Mutawa, the director of business development at DTCM, speaking at the Word Green Tourism conference, which began in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

“We have a lot construction for hotels. But … if a visitor steps into Dubai today, they will feel that there are some changes in the hotel [sector].”

Originally published by http://www.thenational.ae

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26 % increase in guest nights and 19% increase revenues in Jan-Sep 2001

Hotel establishments played host to 6.64 million guests in Jan-Sep period

Bin Sulayem says achievement due to aggressive promotion and marketing

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) announced the emirate’s tourism industry’s impressive performance in the first three quarters of 2011, thereby consolidating the position of Dubai on the world tourism map.

Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, DTCM Director General, said: “The stellar performance of Dubai’s tourism industry is a testimony to the aggressive promotional and marketing drive that the department has been pursuing to enhance the number of tourists to the destination by tapping established and emerging markets across the world. The impressive gains made during the January-September period this year also reflect the inspiring public-private sector partnership to tap the tourism potential of Dubai.”

January-September 2011 Performance
Dubai hotels played host 6.64 million guests in the first three quarters of 2011, up by 11% compared with the corresponding period last year. The guest nights rose by 26% to reach 23.68 million, while the average length of stay increased by 14% during the same period.

Revenues of hotels and hotel apartments increased by 19% to cross the AED10.96 billion, with the share the revenues of hotels increasing by 20% and that of hotel apartments by 13%.

The number of hotel establishments increased by 1% to 573 while the total hotel rooms and flats jumped up by 7% to reach 73,522. The average occupancy levels of hotel room and flat increased by five and 7%, respectively, and stood at 72% and 74%, respectively.

He announced the results of Dubai’s hotel establishments during the three quarters of 2011 on the sidelines of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London where DTCM, along with its 132 co-participants, have put up a strong presence.

Mr. Bin Sulayem listed out various initiatives that DTCM launched this year including its strong participation in the ITB show in Berlin and Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in addition to the exclusive Dubai Road shows in different parts of the world. Kids Go Free promotion and Definitely Dubai programme have also helped in raising awareness about Dubai and in increasing the number of visitors to Dubai, he added.

First Quarter 2011 Performance
Dubai’s hotel establishments recorded 14% growth during the first quarter of 2011, reaching 2.38 million up from 2.09 million recorded in the first quarter of 2010. Of this, 1.84 million guests stayed in hotels and 533,190 people stayed in hotel apartments. Guest nights that measure the average length of stay rose 35% rising to 8.46 million in the first quarter of this year, up from 6.24 million recorded during the corresponding period last year. This reflects a strong growth in average length of stay in Dubai’s hotels to nearly four days. Hotel establishment revenues recorded a 16% during the same period to AED4.36 billion, rising from Dh3.75 billion. Of this, hotels generated AED3.73 billion and hotel apartments generated AED623.87 million. The total number of rooms available in Dubai rose to 72,419 at the end of the first quarter of 2011, compared to 64,143 recorded at the end of the first quarter of 2010. Despite this, hotel occupancy rose by three percentage points to 79%, up from 76%. However, hotel apartment occupancy rose by six percentage points to 79% up from 73%. Dubai has 573 hotels and hotel apartments including 385 hotels and 188 hotel apartments in the first quarter 2011.

First Half 2011 performance
In the first half of 2011, Dubai hotel establishments showed a remarkable increase in the guest occupancy levels, guest nights and revenues, compared with corresponding period last year.

The number of guests in Dubai hotel establishments in the period from January to June this year was 4,585,019, an increase of 10% compared with the corresponding period last year. Hotels took 3,626,960 guests, an increase of 9% over last year’s figures, while 958,059 guests stayed with the hotel apartments, recording 11% increase over the last year period.

DTCM data also revealed the total guest nights increasing by 31% to reach the 16.26 million mark. Out of this, 11.53 million guest nights were notched up by hotels, posting a 29% increase over the 2010 first half. For the hotel apartments, it was 4.73 million guest nights, an increase of 34%. The average room occupancy level for hotel rooms was 76%, up by 4% compared with the previous year.

Similarly, the hotel apartments recorded the average flat occupancy level of 76% with a 7% increase over the last year period.

The average length of stay of guests at hotels was 3.2 days during this period, an increase of 18%, while the average stay in hotel apartments stood at 4.9 days compared to 4.1 days during the same period last year, an increase of 21%.

The total revenues of hotels and hotel apartments during the first half of 2011 was over AED8.05 billion, an increase of 18% over the corresponding period last year. Of this, about AED7 billion came from the hotels and AED1.1 billion from the hotel apartments. The number of hotels and hotel apartments also recorded a modest increase of one per cent to reach the number of 573.

The number of rooms and flats went up by 9% to 73,254. There was an increase of 4% in the number of operating hotels which stood at 386, while the number of hotel apartments went down by 4% to 187.

Originally published by http://www.dubaitourism.ae

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“Therefore we have no choice but to demolish it and rebuild a new project. The flexibility in that hotel is not there.”

Options for what could take its place included another hotel or even an attraction.

“Something else … we are studying is whether we do a museum, theatre, mall, arcade, because it’s a big site. Still we haven’t made a decision yet. Maybe the beginning of January we will announce it,” he said.

According to Al Habtoor, the hotel had 90% occupancy. It is also is home to popular venues Rattle Snake and The Red Lion.

Originally published by http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

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