According to Tony Homsi, General Manager at the Coral Oriental Dubai hotel, expectations are that the bullish results for 2011 will be maintained well in to the future as new markets open up and airline expansion feeds more traffic through Dubai.

“While the 10 per cent growth in visitor numbers in to the city last year was largely attributed to the fall-out from the Arab Spring, diverting both business and holidaymakers to Dubai, this level of growth has now consolidated in 2012,” he said.

“Emirates alone is launching services to eight new destinations this year,including cities in North and South America, as well as routes to Dublin, Barcelona and Lisbon, while adding capacity to markets such as India, Germany and Italy – while flydubaihas announced its 50th destination, offering budget fares for visitors from the Middle East, India sub-continent, Asia and central and eastern Europe.”

With the Arabian Travel Market focusing attention on the regional travel market this May – and organisers already predicting a record show – Mr Homsi is confident that business is here to stay.

“While the recession did introduce a dose of reality in to the hospitality sector in the emirate, the bounce back has been strong and sustained, with the realignment of hotel pricing opening up Dubai to a wider audience – to the benefit of all involved in the tourism sector,” he said.

Located in Deira just 10 minutes’ from Dubai International Airport, the Coral Oriental offers 95 rooms and suites, Mediterranean restaurant and café, business centre and boutique conference room, valet parking and wi-fi, plus a free shuttle to nearby beach facilities.

Originally published by http://www.coral-international.com

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Just in January alone, occupancies reached nearly 90 per cent across all hotels in Dubai, with major exhibitions, the Dubai Shopping Festival, Chinese New Year and other events all contributing to the positive results for the hospitality sector. “This positive start to 2012 is an encouraging sign that Dubai is moving ahead on all fronts,” said Tony Homsi, General Manager of the Coral Oriental. “We have been busy throughout January and February, and are now looking forward to welcoming Iranian groups to top off an extremely busy first quarter.”

The Coral Oriental has enjoyed strong business from regional markets, where Saudi Arabia has become the number one source market for the city, and also tapped in to new markets including Iran, China and India.

With both occupancies and average rates at the hotel increasing substantially over 2011, it was indicative of how Dubai has been positioning itself as a global hub.

“While once Dubai was seen as a premium beach destination, it has now developed to pull in a wide range of sectors including short-break visitors who are making use of the massive growth in low-cost airline services around the Middle East,” added Mr Homsi.

“The announcement that the Dubai Mall was the world’s most visited shopping and leisure destination with more than 54 million visitors last year underlines the pulling power of Dubai for visitors.

“The emirate proved itself as a safe oasis during 2011 and hotels have capitalised on that reputation with a 20 per cent increase in revenues last year, complemented by a 10 per cent growth in overall visitor numbers to reach 9.3 million, according to figures released by the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing”, stressed Mr Homsi.

Located in Deira just 10 minutes’ from Dubai International Airport, the Coral Oriental offers 95 rooms and suites, Mediterranean restaurant and café, business centre and boutique conference room, valet parking and wi-fi, plus a free shuttle to nearby beach facilities.

Originally published by http://www.coral-international.com

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The Jumeirah Group Arts and Culture Award celebrates leading international enterprises that are supporting artists and advancing artistic practice through innovative creative collaborations in the business arena. The second instalment of the award went to Montblanc and its Young Artist World Patronage.

This unique project, created by Montblanc in 2004, gives young and up-and-coming artists a platform to present their name and talent to a broader public and the international art scene in particular. The concept is to have more than 330 Montblanc boutiques worldwide act as a gallery and exhibit simultaneously for a single artist with one particular artwork for a period of almost 6 weeks. Since 2004, Montblanc presented 18 young artists from all over the world.

Derek Picot, VP Europe for Jumeirah Group and Katie Gass, Art Curator for Jumeirah Group, presented the award to Montblanc Director for PR & International Cultural Affairs, Ingrid Roosen-Trinks.

The Luxury Briefing Awards also saw awards sponsored by leading luxury brands including Loewe, Swarovski, Escada, Barclays Wealth and Pernod Ricard.

Jumeirah Group has a strong dedication to the arts that is demonstrated through its global arts and culture platform. This platform includes ‘Artist in Residence’ programmes, international art fairs sponsorships as well as exhibitions and cultural initiatives in the Group’s hotels, resorts and residences in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New York, Frankfurt, London, Shanghai and the Maldives.

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

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In its 12th year, the annual AIA workshop presents awards to airlines that have demonstrated rapid and successful development over the past 12 months.

More than 150 travel managers, human resource directors, facility managers, and travel buyers of medium and large companies involved in the Greek travel management field voted for the award, which was presented at a gala event held in the Athens Music Hall.

The workshop has become an important point of reference for all the sectors of the Greek transport and travel industry, including airlines, hotel chains, car rental companies and global distribution systems.

The main topics of this year’s workshop were the challenging 2011 market conditions and the positioning of Athens and Greece given the country’s recent economic difficulties.

Accepting the award on behalf of the airline, Etihad Airways Country Manager for Greece, Dimitris Karagkioules, said: “Etihad Airways is just eight years old and in that short timeframe, our airline has established itself as one of the world’s leading airlines.

“The airline is growing rapidly, and we are delighted to see our major investment in Greece paying off, as we link this historic and ancient city with the rest of our global network.

“In the months and years ahead we will continue to set new benchmarks as we inaugurate routes and roll out more and more innovative ways to further improve our offering in Greece and elsewhere on our network.”

The award comes on top of other accolades recently bestowed on the airline, including: World’s Best First Class, as judged by over 18 million air travellers worldwide in the annual Skytrax survey, and World’s Leading Airline for the third consecutive year at the World Travel Awards.

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

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Jumeirah Group sponsored a writer in residence for a month by inviting a member of the Beirut39 cultural initiative that brings together 39 of the most promising Arab writers under the age of 39. Sudanese writer Mansour Al Suwaim was hosted in The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management from 25 February to 25 March and participated in a lecture during the Emirates Airline of Festival of Literature. The writer has already published two novels and two books of short stories and recently received a grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture for his current project, a historical novel titled The Last Sultan.

Jumeirah’s ‘Artist in Residence’ programme was initially launched in New York in 2006 in Jumeirah Essex House. It grants artists the chance to create a platform where they can share and exchange ideas regard the art world and allow the general public to be exposed to notable art pieces during their stay in Jumeirah hotels.

Madinat Jumeirah – The Arabian Resort was also the proud host of Art Dubai 2012 which attracted thousands of visitors during its 6th edition, taking place between March 21 and 24. The largest and most established contemporary art fair in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, Art Dubai featured over 75 galleries from 32 countries, showing work by over 500 artists.

And on March 14, Jumeirah announced the winner of its second Arts and Culture Award winner, presented at the 16th Annual Luxury Briefing Awards, celebrating the best in the luxury industry and taking place in London. The Jumeirah Group Arts and Culture Award celebrates leading international enterprises that are supporting artists and advancing artistic practice through innovative creative collaborations in the business arena. The second instalment of the award went to Montblanc and its Young Artist World Patronage.

Jumeirah’s STAY DIFFERENT™ promise delivers imaginative and exhilarating experiences in culturally connected environments offering thoughtful and generous service. Through its global Culturally Connected arts and culture platform, Jumeirah support creative communities in ways that offer guests exciting new experiences, while fostering new opportunities for artists and providing a bridge for ideas and people within a hotel environment. Jumeirah’s Arts and Culture platform also offers international art fairs sponsorships as well as exhibitions and cultural initiatives in the Group’s hotels, resorts and residences in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New York, Frankfurt, London, Shanghai and the Maldives.

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

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The five-star Jumeirah Emirates Towers has been consistently developing its green policies in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and is the first of the Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts to be accredited with Green Globe Certification.

GGC is the premier worldwide sustainability stamp for the tourism industry and more than 800 businesses in 50 countries have so far met the 349 exacting standards. Under the supervision of Farnek Avireal, which currently has the exclusive rights to utilize the Green Globe bran covering hotels in 20 different countries throughout the Middle East, Jumeirah Emirates Towers achieved a compliance score of 85 percent against the Green Globe Standard for Sustainable Travel & Tourism. Actions taken to improve sustainability performance already resulted in substantial cost savings for the hotel. The hotel now has an ambitious goal for 2012: to reduce energy use by 5 percent through initiatives such as LED light implementation and energy-efficient coolers.

In addition to the recent GGC certification, Jumeirah Emirates Towers is also recognised for its broad CSR programme which includes an extensive list of green initiatives, such as energy and water reductions throughout the hotel, a Sustainability Management Plan, an integrated room automation system and a Building Management System which monitors and controls the air conditioning and electrical devices when guests enter or leave their room.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers also launched a ‘Daily Environmental Package’ for meetings, offering customers the opportunity to choose a greener and more affordable option than a regular ‘Daily Delegate Package’; it includes, for example, filtered water placed in carafes on the tables throughout a meeting instead of offering individual 300 ml plastic bottles to each participant.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers even encourages tenants of its Office Tower to go green. Earlier this month, the hotel supported the ‘Green Vision’ launched by the Prime Minister’s Office which ensures all employees will adopt best practices for conservation of the environment. And once again this year, Jumeirah Emirates Towers will dim down the lights during Earth Hour, taking place on Saturday 31st March from 8.30pm to 9:30pm.

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

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Designed for the age of consumer engagement and empowerment, “Hello Tomorrow” is about inspiring people to greet tomorrow’s unlimited potential, now. “Hello” is a greeting, an invitation to a person, a place or an experience. “Tomorrow” is a time, a place, a state of mind – the unlimited possibility of the future. Emirates is extending an invitation to try the unfamiliar, create new ideas, and form new visions. The theme encapsulates life’s potential and embracing the future with all the possibilities it holds.

“Our new corporate image and global marketing campaign both underline the confidence we have in our existing products and services, and the vision we have for the future growth of the airline,” said Sir Maurice Flanagan, Vice Chairman of Emirates Airline & Group. “Emirates is not just offering a way to connect people from point A to point B but is the catalyst to connect people’s hopes, dreams and aspirations.” “Emirates is connecting people and cultures creating relevant and meaningful experiences that are shaping the world,” he added.

Emirates airline has grown from its early days in 1985, when it launched with just two aircraft, to its current status as one of the world’s fastest growing airlines with 171 wide-body aircraft including the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s and A380s. A brand synonymous with luxury and innovation, Emirates was the first to offer inflight telephony across all classes, individual TV screens on every seat, First Class suites and an onboard Shower Spa on its A380 aircraft. From its home base in Dubai, Emirates is geographically located within an eight hour direct flight of 75 per cent of the world’s population – more distant routes like the Americas are connected to the Dubai hub with long range aircraft that fly the distance direct.

As the world becomes more interconnected, borders are being blurred and people are more mobile and globally focused than ever before; they are connecting, creating and sharing ideas that are propelling the world forward. Emirates, slated to become the world’s largest airline by 2015 , represents these global individuals who we call ‘globalistas’ – they are our customers and also our multi-cultural work force which is made up of more than 45,000 people from over 165 different nations.
Globalistas represent individuals who are looking and living for new experiences. They are well travelled, or have aspirations to join the ranks of the well-travelled. The ‘globalista’ is not defined by typical demographic statistics but by the places they have visited and the experiences they have shared. They embrace the unlimited possibility of the future and are open to an invitation to try the unfamiliar – Emirates is the brand that is enabling this global lifestyle.

The campaign was created with Emirates lead communications partner Strawberry Frog, the world’s first Cultural Movement agency. “We’re building on decades of innovation in Emirates marketing to launch this new and innovative movement for the world’s most thoughtful and incredible brand,” said Scott Goodson, Chairman of Strawberry Frog. “This bold next step for the brand will offer people who love the brand or want to experience the brand, inspiration to participate in this brave new world and spark new connections and experiences achieved through travel.”

“The “Hello Tomorrow” campaign is at the vanguard of the trend for global brands to spark movements not simply do advertising, connecting people, communities and encouraging them to join together to make a positive impact on society,” added Goodson.

The campaign launch, which begins today, features print, TV, digital advertising including some iconic billboards in New York’s Times Square and Milan’s central train station. A series of vibrant messages that represent the spirit of Tomorrow – Tomorrow Brings Us Closer to; New People, New Experiences, New Styles, New Friends, will bring Emirates’ new vision to the marketplace. Emirates website has also been refreshed to reflect the “Hello Tomorrow” messaging.

Beyond a look, the spirit of the brand and its evolution is being embedded internally as well focused on driving increased consumer engagement in what is new, fresh and innovative in the world – empowering people to explore, engage and live.

Reflecting an effort to target a younger audience, the “Hello Tomorrow” campaign is currently debuting with vignettes of the TV spots on Emirates newly launched Facebook channel. The TV commercials, outdoor and print ads will break today around the world. The new TV ads can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/emirates

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

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The evening will mark the opening leg of WTA’s 2012 Grand Tour, a global search for the very best travel and tourism organisations in the world, covering five continents with nominees drawn from 162 countries.

WTA’s Middle East Ceremony will be held in Dubai for the fifth year in succession, underscoring how the emirate is driving travel trends not just in the region but throughout the world.

Located close to Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa is home to a breathtaking range of attractions, including an 800-metre palm-lined private beach, championship golf course, horse-riding stables and diving centre.

The five-star beach resort is also renowned for its unrivalled range of family facilities.

Graham E Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, believes that the selection of hosts is fundamental to the success of the world’s most influential travel awards programme.

He says: “I am delighted that we will be returning to Dubai for what promises to be the most exciting and competitive Middle East Ceremony yet. The emirate is a hotbed of fresh ideas being put into practice, as exemplified by our host, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa.””

“The resort has remained the market leader for families throughout its illustrious 30-year history by continually reinventing itself and staying ahead of the curve,” he adds.

Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa is the flagship resort of Jebel Ali International Hotels, and consists of two five-star properties, Palm Tree Court & Spa, which has recently undergone a full refurbishment, and Jebel Ali Hotel, which offers views over the Arabian Gulf and a championship-standard nine-hole golf course.

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

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She was chosen from the list of 14 finalists who represented countries like the UK, Switzerland, New Zealand, Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore and Spain. The winners for the second and third positions were from Singapore and Indonesia, respectively.

Ms. Olga was selected in the two phased competition which included a 30-minute interview with a panel of judges from the global hospitality industry including AICR International President dealing with professionalism and other technical issues related to Hotel Front Office management. A number of factors like professional qualifications, work aptitude, personal appearance and confidence are taken into consideration in the selection process.

Started in 1995, the Receptionist of the Year competition trophy was named in memory of David Campbell who served as the Chef de Reception at The Ritz Hotel in Paris in recognition of his dedication and passion to the profession and hotel industry.

Ms. Olga had won the AICR Receptionist of the Year Contest for the year 2010 organised jointly by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and AICR Dubai Chapter and was sponsored by the DTCM to represent Dubai-UAE in the international competition.

She received the award at the gala ceremony in Prague which was attended among others by the DTCM Executive Director for Corporate Support, Mr. Ibrahim Yaqoot. The annual rotating event in Prague was attended by 160 members of AICR chapters from different parts of the world.

In October 2011, Ms. Olga was chosen as the Receptionist of the Year by the DTCM and AICR Dubai Chapter from a total of 13 candidates from Dubai’s four and five-star hotels and received a cash prize of AED 10000 and a trophy sponsored by the DTCM.

The AICR, founded on the Cote d’Azur in France in 1964, has over the past four decades has developed into an international organization with chapters in 18 countries and 800 members worldwide. The aims of the AICR are to facilitate and strengthen the professional relationships between members, and to promote and publicise the importance of their profession, developing the profile of the industry through training and development.

Dubai opened the AICR chapter under the aegis of DTCM in 2005 to nurture the entrepreneurial skills of front office and rooms’ managers of hotels in the emirate which is now globally recognized as the Middle East’s hospitality hub boasting over 570 hotel establishments with over 70,000 rooms and flats. The AICR Dubai Chapter aims to groom young talent and create a pool of young receptionists who will raise the standard of custom services at Dubai’s rapidly-increasing top-end properties. Since then, it has been participating in the AICR Congress for the David Campbell Trophy, according to
Mr. Steven Mueller, President AICR Dubai Chapter.

Mr. Ibrahim congratulated the winner and expressed the hope that the latest recognition for Dubai’s hospitality industry would encourage the hotels employees to spare no efforts in providing visitors and tourists in Dubai with the best hospitality services. He said the AICR competition has been growing in significance year after year, as evidenced by the increase in the number of contestants every year and the interest it has been generating among the top-end hotels.

He said that this also underlines the importance of the role of a hotel receptionist as they are often the first point of contact for the guests and can play a major role in creating a favorable impression about Dubai among visitors. The competition encourages employees to develop their skills, performance and professionalism when dealing with tourists, which will enhance the overall service levels and quality of hospitality industry in the emirate, he added.

Dubai had selected by the AICR to host the International Presidium in 2008, outbidding strong contenders like France and New Zealand. More than 350 hotel professionals attended the annual gathering.

Mr. Ibrahim Yaqoot said the department has taken several initiatives to upgrade and hone the professional skills of the hotel industry employees in various domains in order to raise the quality and service standards of Dubai’s hospitality industry.

Through the Training Solutions division of DTCM, the tourism industry professionals like the Tour Guides, Concierge and Receptionists are trained annually through different programmes.

The department has tied up with several prestigious international institutions for the programmes, including the Cambridge University for international tourism diplomas.

DTCM conducts annual competitions to select the best Concierge and Receptionist and it plans to add more initiatives to cover other areas of hotel operations.

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

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The award was received by Mr. Saleh Al Geziry, Director of Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions at the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Makreting (DTCM) from famous Chinese TV star, Mr. Hong Jianhong, at a gala ceremony held in Beijing on January 8 and attended among others by actress Kong Lin, Annie Wu, Che Yongli and Wang Liyun.

Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, Director General of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), expressed happiness at the latest recognition for Dubai in the tourism domain and hoped that it will facilitate in brining more Chinese tourists to the emirate in the coming months.
He said DTCM operates three representative offices in China and there has been a significant increase in the number of Chinese tourists to Dubai since the signing of the Approved Destination Status (ADS) between the UAE and China a few years ago.
In the year 2010, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of Chinese guests in Dubai hotel establishments compared with the previous year. The number of tourism companies in China promoting tourism to Dubai went up by 33 per cent in 2010 compared with 78 companies in the year 2009.
The Travel Channel Vision Award was instituted by the Travel Channel in association with the China National Tourism Administration.

There were five categories for the award programme, including two for the most beautiful travel destination and the most beautiful foreign country.Foreign destination which have high awareness and good reputation in the China market were eligible to apply for the award.

All qualified nominations were reviewed by a team consisting of 100 China key media professionals over a month’s period and the winners were decided by voting. The destinations competing for the awards were Singapore, New Zealand,England, USA,Thailand, Germany, France and Australia.

The award ceremony was broadcast live through the Travel Channel and many other popular online media in China.

China Travel Channel is the only satellite travel and lifestyle TV channel in China with over 350 million viewers in major cities in the People’s Republic. Especially in the National Tourism Administration named National Excellent Tourism Cities, they covered up to 60.3 per cent. The Travel Channel is the favorite Fashion leisure channel among the high end customers in China. The audience of younger, highly educated and high income population size has increased by 57.66 per cent compare to the same period last year. The Travel Channel has the highest proportion of international brands.

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

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