Best Holiday Lettings

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  • News: Dubai welcomes record 10 million visitors

    Visitor numbers to Dubai increased by 9.3% in 2012, with the town welcoming greater than 10 million visitors over a 12 months period for the 1st time in its history.

    The results were announced by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

    Increases in key indicators including hotel guest numbers, nights, average length of stay and hotel revenues, demonstrate Dubai’s strengthening position as among the world’s most suitable destinations.

    H.E. Helal Almarri, Director General of DTCM, said: “For the 1st time in our city’s history we’ve crossed the 10 million threshold in visitor numbers. This continual year-on-year growth is because of loads of factors including the coordinated city-wide destination management strategy; our world-class infrastructure; our location on the crossroads of East and West; and our unrelenting efforts to augment our already diverse and compelling tourism offer.”

    Key indicators of Dubai’s success in attracting visitors in 2012 include:

    • Figures for Hotel Guests and Cruise Passengers rising to approximately 10.16 million – a rise of 9.3% on 2011 figures
    • Hotel Guests numbering 9.96 million – up 9.5% compared with 9.1 million in 2011
    • Guest Nights increasing by 14%, numbering 37,445,453 in 2012, in comparison with 32,848,190 in 2011
    • Hotel Revenues increasing by 17.9% at Dhs18.82bn.

    The status of Dubai as a location of choice for hotel operators is demonstrated by an influx of latest hotel openings during 2012, with the choice of hotel establishments increasing from 575 to 599.

    Openings in 2012 included five-star properties inclusive of Jumeirah Creekside, Fairmont The Palm and the JW Marriott Marquis, and various new Hotel Apartments with rooms within the latter category increasing by 10% to greater than 23,000. But the additional supply has not had an adverse effect on room rates.

    Combined with the pointy increase in hotel revenues and a growth within the Average Length of Stay, it’s more likely to see more hotel operators decide to build in Dubai and a whole lot of new properties are slated to open during 2013 including Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa and The Oberoi Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road.

    On the figures, H.E. Helal Almarri commented: “The growth across each indicator is a welcome confirmation of Dubai’s ever-increasing appeal and a testament to the aggressive marketing and promotional agenda of DTCM in positioning Dubai because the major tourist hub of the region and a world destination of choice. The increasing average length of stay and the rising collection of hotel apartments is evidence of a growing trend in people and families visiting Dubai for longer periods – historically town was seen by some markets as a stopover destination but lately it has become the destination.”

    Arab markets continue to supply an important percentage of Dubai’s overall visitor numbers and 2012 saw 30% more visitors from Saudi Arabia, that’s the city’s primary source market. Europe contributes over 1 / 4 of the city’s hotel guests and the past year saw a considerable 54% rise within the collection of Russians coming to Dubai. an important increase in Chinese visitors coming to town has also been seen, with a 28% rise within the period demonstrating the appeal that town has to the burgeoning middle class of China. The Chinese market will stay a key focus of Dubai’s marketing efforts because the city looks to capitalise at the circa Dhs202bn that Chinese travellers spend per year worldwide.

    H.E. Helal Almarri continued: “The growth in visitors is partly associated with the increasing cross-border trade and investment ties that the town is making with growing economies akin to China. As these links continue to develop, visitors from these nations will continue to rise.

    “It’s encouraging to peer that visitor numbers from the entire markets through which DTCM has a representative office continue to swell, demonstrating the role that our overseas offices play in helping to drive growth in both intra-regional traffic and in arrivals from other key source markets reminiscent of India, the united kingdom, the usa, Russia, Germany and China.”

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  • Twice Michelin starred chef Vineet Bhatia introduces menu to Ziya on the Oberoi, Mumbai

    Chef Vineet Bhatia returns to The Oberoi, Mumbai’s Ziya fine dining restaurant from Wednesday 6th to Monday 11th March 2013 to personally introduce a brand new “Spring Fling” menu.  Guests can savour vegetarian and non-vegetarian options all prepared in Chef Vineet’s innovative style of‘evolved India cuisine’, that will be available for the Spring season until end of of May 2013.

    The non-vegetarian menu will include multiple courses with dishes including baked Sesame-coriander fish tikka accompanied with beetroot-channa dal upma (semolina), asparagus korma and roti strands; Spring chicken-achar (pickle) roast and lemon-pudina khichdi (mint rice) with Braised chicken jus, preserved lemons, spinach and spring onion Chenna chutney and Coconut crusted lamb chop with apple gojju, Pulled Raan Bakharkhani (roti) calzone and Malabari lamb sauce.

    The vegetarian tasting menu includes Sesame-coriander cauliflower tikka with beetroot-channa dal upma (semolina), asparagus korma and roti strands; Achari bharwan aloo (pickled potatoes) and lemon-pudina khichdi (mint rice), with Moong dal lentils and preserved lemons, spinach and spring onion and Chenna chutney; Coconut-cheese artichoke bake with saunf-aubergine tadka garnish and paneer-sundried tomato Bakharkhani (roti) calzone.

    The meal will end with Strawberry phirni (rice pudding) topped with a white chocolate-pink peppercorn disc, Kiwi-pineapple cubes, caramelised popcorn rabdi (cream) and Toasted almond dust.

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  • Tourism Council of Bhutan launches new website

    The Tourism Council of Bhutan has launched a brand new website, offering travel information and advice to all visitors to the rustic.

    The website includes an interactive map, which breaks the rustic down into Eastern, Central and Western regions, providing information and locations of all available trekking routes, Dzongs, monasteries, hotels and attractions in each.

    It also will give visitors an overall impression of what to anticipate in Bhutan, from trekking inside the Himalayas, to festivals, bird watching, meditation, cycling, rocking climbing and fishing.

    Practical travel advice from the tourism council, comparable to visa applications, money, customs and languages is out there and all visitors are encouraged to ascertain the web site before travelling.

    Tourism is one in all Bhutan’s largest economies and a concern for the Bhutanese government.

    Founded at the principle of sustainability, tourism in the country is environmentally and ecologically friendly, socially and culturally acceptable and economically viable.

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  • News: Marriott International rolls out free WIFI in middle east hotels

    JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels and Resorts and Renaissance properties at the moment are offering free WIFI in public areas of its full service hotels.

    Rolling out around the Middle East and Africa from February 2013 onwards, the extended WIFI service will allow people to get connected in Marriott lobbies, food and beverage outlets and the other public areas. As well as the free WIFI offering, Marriott will continue to provide paid access to high-speed bandwidth both wired and wireless in guestrooms, in addition to bespoke connectivity progammes for conference spaces.

    Jeff Strachan, Vice chairman Sales and Marketing, Marriott International Middle East and Africa, commented: “Our hotel lobbies are a hive of activity, as people meet, greet and plan their day ahead; therefore it will be important for Marriott to enable guests to be connected across all areas of the hotel. It’s also important for us to provide our guests practical services which make staying with Marriott a calming, efficient and value effective experience.”

    Launching this month in accordance with customer feedback, this extended WIFI platform is absolute to make Marriott guests more connected.

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  • Travelodge rolls out apprenticeship programme

    Hotel chain Travelodge has announced 51 new positions on its junior management apprenticeship programme (JuMP). The 1st phase of recruitment will begin at the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week and supports Travelodge’s growth strategy, that will see it open 14 hotels (1,742 rooms) this year at an investment of £141.5m. 

    JuMP – the UK’s first budget hotel management apprenticeship programme was launched in 2011 and this year the 1st 16 a degree students and college leavers might be graduating from the programme.

    The programme has taken on 65 apprentices since launching two years ago, meaning this year’s intake is a record amount for the hotel group. So popular is the JuMP scheme that Travelodge received over 4,000 applications for 45 apprenticeship placements in 2012 – which equates to 100 school leavers fighting for one prized position. This year the corporate expects greater than 6,000 applications.

    Jon Hendry Pickup, Chief Operating Officer at Travelodge said: “National Apprenticeship Week is a superb channel to focus on how an apprenticeship programme can open up a wealth of career opportunities.

    “Our nationwide JuMP programme was developed to support our growth strategy and is absolutely helping us create future business leaders. The programme offers school leavers a proven alternative to school because it provides a genuine job and coaching in all areas of the business, whilst permitting them to gain valuable, nationally-recognised qualifications and earn a salary.

    “We expect demand for our apprenticeship positions to be at an all time high this year, as there’s a huge pool of talent accessible in search of a chance to begin a career. i might urge more businesses to take a position in an apprenticeship programme, because it is a brilliant platform to upskill young Britons and create a generation of future leaders.”

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