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  • Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai to host World Travel Awards

    Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai was confirmed because the host for the sector Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony on May 5th.

    The event opens the area Travel Awards 2013 Grand Tour, heralding the beginning of a lookup the perfect travel, tourism and hospitality organisations all over.

    World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony would be held in Dubai for the sixth year in succession, affirming the emirate’s impressive growing importance in travel, not only inside the region but during the world.

    WTA president Graham Cooke believes the choice of hosts is an essential component of the success of the world’s most influential travel awards programme.

    He explained: “I am delighted that we return to Dubai for what promises to be an exhilarating and competitive Middle East Ceremony.

    “The emirate continues to respire innovation and direction into the travel industry landscape, and our host exemplifies this.”

    Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa is still a market leader despite fierce competition in Dubai.

    Set in acres of lush, landscaped gardens with a personal beach, Le Royal Meridien is a tri-building property designed for both leisure and business travellers.

    The resort provides 500 plush rooms and suites moreover 13 restaurants and bars.

    Inspired by the rituals of ancient Rome, Caracalla Spa offers a variety of beauty treatments with Hammam pools, a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and 3 temperature-controlled pools.

    “We are extremely proud to host this year’s prestigious WTA Middle East Gala Ceremony at Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort, one of many region’s premier resorts,” commented Pam Wilby, complex general manager of Grosvenor House Dubai and Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort.

    “Having won numerous accolades on the World Travel Awards for the past six years ourselves, we have now the honor and privilege to welcome one of the most leading players within the industry for what’s certain to be among the biggest nights of the year within the social calendar of Dubai.”

    WTA Middle East Gala Ceremony 2013 will attract greater than 600 of the major decision-makers within the region’s travel and tourism sector, in addition a number of international media.

    There is additional info here.

  • News: Travelport and American Airlines announce distribution agreement

    Travelport, a number one provider of critical transaction processing solutions and information to companies operating within the global travel industry, and American Airlines, a unconditionally owned subsidiary of AMR Corporation, today announce a brand new long-term, global distribution agreement. As well as enabling continued access to buy and book the total content of flights marketed by American Airlines, the recent agreement positions Travelport to become the primary global distribution system to supply access to American’s other services and products.

    Following a period of technical integration, Travelport and American plan to apply their industry-leading technology, including both Travelport’s Universal API technology and American’s XML-based direct connect interface, to deliver additional capabilities to all Travelport subscribers, including the power to sell American’s newly introduced Main Cabin Extra seating product.

    Main Cabin Extra makes travel more well-off by providing four to 6 inches of extra legroom and Group 1 boarding. And because Main Cabin Extra seating is on the brink of front of the plane, customers can get off and on the plane much faster. By making Main Cabin Extra available through global distribution systems for the 1st time, American is delivering on its commitment to make the travel experience more connected and comfy from begin to finish.

    “Travelport deserves praise for working with American to create an answer which can display all of our product options to travel agents in a clear, customer-friendly way that still clearly differentiates American’s products from other airlines,” said Derek DeCross, vp of world sales for American Airlines.

    Dan Westbrook, vice chairman and general manager of world Distribution Sales and repair, Travelport, said, “American is an industry leader, and the suitable partner with which to construct upon Travelport’s airline partnership strategy to merchandising, optional ancillary sales and product differentiation. All of our subscribers will continue to access American’s full content, while American can merchandise its full line of goods through Travelport, providing consumers and travelers a clear marketplace and the power to buy and book all services at their channel of choice.”

    American and Travelport also resolved all litigation between themselves. The terms of the settlement agreement require review and approval by the court presiding over AMR Corporation’s restructuring.

  • MENA to have 50 New Starwood Hotels in next five years

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc is strengthening its position because the leading hotel operator around the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region with an existing portfolio of 82 hotels, representing nearly 22,000 guest rooms, the vast majority of which can be operated under Starwood’s world-renowned Sheraton and Le Méridien brands. The corporate announced today that it’s going to increase its MEA portfolio by greater than 60% with nearly 50 new hotels set to open over a higher five years, adding greater than 14,000 guest rooms to the region while creating thousands of local employment opportunities. With over 20 hotels expected to open by the top of 2015, Starwood is on target to arrive a milestone 100 hotels across MEA. Further underscoring the significance of the region as one in every of Starwood’s fastest growing hotel and travel markets, earlier this month the corporate relocated its global headquarters from Stamford, Connecticut to Dubai for a month-long immersion.

    “Dubai epitomises the changing face of travel, and we think this relocation will deepen our relations with partners, associates and customers. The insights that come from experiences like this move make us more agile in today’s rapidly changing world.”

    “Starwood continues to work out demand for growth of all of our brands around the Middle East and Africa despite economic and political uncertainty in some parts of this incredibly diverse region,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “Rapid economic growth, rising personal incomes, a growing middle class and ever greater global connectivity are driving new travel patterns and insist for travel, and this region is on the center of those trends and a key focus of our growth strategy.”

    With greater than 70% of the world’s economic growth coming from fast-growing markets over the following couple of years, Starwood is concentrated on expansion in developing MEA markets corresponding to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa and Nigeria. The corporate could also be concerned with growth opportunities in key emerging markets including Iraq, Pakistan, Angola, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and East Africa.

    By 2017, Starwood will operate greater than 130 hotels in MEA, marking some key milestones, including:

    *  Portfolio growth of over 60% within the UAE with 12 new hotels, including six in Dubai, bringing Starwood’s portfolio to greater than 30 hotels around the country. Starwood’s growth plans within the UAE also include expansion into Sharjah and Ajman.
    *  Rapid expansion across Saudi Arabia with six new hotels slated to open by 2015 bringing Starwood’s portfolio to fifteen hotels on this key developing market.
    *  The re-entry of Starwood into Iraq with the milestone signings of 3 hotels across three brands within the city of Erbil, located within the re-emerging Kurdistan area of the rustic.
    *  Momentum in Nigeria with two new Starwood hotels, under the company’s Four Points by Sheraton brand.
    *  Addition of 2 new hotels in Algeria with a brand new Sheraton hotel in Annaba and 4 Points by Sheraton in Oran.
    *  The launch of Starwood’s Aloft Hotels brand in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aloft may also open its second property inside the UAE inside the emirate of Sharjah.
    Starwood Strengthens Luxury Portfolio

    In 2011, Starwood introduced its ultra-luxury St. Regis Hotels & Resorts brand within the region with the outlet of The St. Regis Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. This was followed by last year’s debuts of The St. Regis Doha and The St. Regis Mauritius, marking the entry of the emblem into Qatar and Africa. This year, Starwood will unveil a second St. Regis hotel on Abu Dhabi’s vibrant Corniche, making it the sole city on earth to boast two St. Regis hotels. The emblem will soon enter the Egyptian market with the hole of The St. Regis Cairo.

    Starwood can also be seeing rapid growth of its contemporary, design-led W Hotels brand. Following the successful launch of the logo within the region with the hole of W Doha in 2009, Starwood has plans to open six more W Hotels across MEA in key markets, including three in Dubai and one each in Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Amman by 2017.

    “Our long-established presence, local teams, and robust relationships within the region remain a competitive advantage, and position us well to exploit the numerous opportunities for future growth,” said Simon Turner, President of world Development & Acquisition, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “We have a healthy pipeline of recent hotels under development within the Middle East and Africa, and expect our growth to continue in 2013 as we glance to expand in markets including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

    Conversion Opportunities in MEA

    In addition to new hotel openings, Starwood is seeing increasing opportunities for hotel conversions in MEA. Previously ten months, Starwood has signed three conversion deals within the region, including Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates, which opened last month.

    “Thanks to Starwood’s nearly 50 year history inside the MEA region and the proven strength of our brands, the corporate is definitely positioned to take full benefit of growth,” said Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle East. “We are seeing a big landscape of independent hotels ripe for flags inside the region and we predict to capture greater than our justifiable share of conversion opportunities across all of our brands. The new conversion of the Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates is a testament of this strategy.”

    As Starwood continues its extensive expansion across MEA, the corporate can be serious about upgrading its existing portfolio of hotels within the region, primarily under the Sheraton and Le Méridien brands.

    Starwood Relocates Global Headquarters to Dubai

    Earlier this month, Starwood President & CEO Frits van Paasschen and the company’s top executives relocated to Dubai where they’ve been conducting day-to-day business from this increasingly important global destination and travel hub. Following the company’s successful relocation to China in June 2011, this second leadership move reflects Starwood’s innovative management method to cultivating a more global culture by understanding, appreciating and leveraging different societal perspectives and approaches to business and hospitality.

    “With 80% of Starwood’s pipeline coming from rapidly growing markets, this is simply impossible to guide a very global business from a boardroom in Connecticut,” said van Paasschen. “Dubai epitomises the changing face of travel, and we predict this relocation will deepen our relations with partners, associates and customers. The insights that come from experiences like this move make us more agile in today’s rapidly changing world.”

  • News: South Wales rail upgrade nears completion

    Network Rail is on the brink of completing work on a £48m project to switch the Loughor Viaduct near Swansea and redouble a 5.25-mile stretch of line running through Gowerton.

    The Gowerton redoubling project, funded by the Welsh Government in partnership with the South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH), will remove the present bottleneck created by the stretch of single line and supply capacity to run more trains at some point.

    The new deck has now been launched around the Loughor estuary and secured in its temporary alignment. The present deck would be removed at Easter and the recent deck slid into place.

    Mark Langman, route managing director, Wales, said: “This project joins plenty of other rail improvement projects in South and West Wales so that they can help deliver better journeys and boost economic growth inside the area.

    “The new viaduct at Loughor and the redoubling, in addition the recent station platform and footbridge at Gowerton, are portion of a package of station and infrastructure improvements as we try to make rail travel more well-off and engaging to the general public.

    “As well as making it easier to travel to and from West Wales, they’ll help to enhance local employment and we might want to thank people for his or her patience while we improve the viaduct and lay a second track.”

    Transport Minister Carl Sargeant said: “These improvements are good news for the population of West Wales as they are going to provide the capacity for a more frequent and reliable service.

    “Better links between communities mean better access to employment, education training and leisure opportunities that is a key aspect of tackling economic and social deprivation, so i’m delighted that the Welsh Government has contributed £25 million to those improvement works. I wish Network Rail well with the completion of the project and thank rail users and the local people for his or her patience through the works.”

    From 24 March to eight April, there’ll be a 16-day closure of the road between Swansea and Llanelli. This can enable engineers to finalise the works to redouble the track, provide a brand new platform and footbridge, and upgrade Duffryn level crossing and associated signalling and telecoms works.

    Mr Langman added: “The nature of the work we’re doing to enhance the railway means we will only complete the project by closing the road. We understand this has an impact on people’s journeys however the changes will give us a railway with greater capacity, meaning more trains in future and less delays.

    “Passengers wishing to travel in this period should confer with their train operator, as a mix of buses and trains will run between Carmarthen and Port Talbot Parkway, counting on the time and destination of journey.”

  • Luxury Travel Vietnam introduces its tours in Latin America

    Vietnam is a brand new holiday destination for Latin America holidaymakers. Now, Asia’s most innovative luxury travel and tour company brings Vietnam high-end tourism products toward travel agents in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

    Hanoi-based Luxury Travel Ltd. www.luxurytravelvietnam.com ] has announced joint efforts with a Uruguayan premium tour operator, Lameco Viajes, in an effort to promote luxury travel products at WTM Latin America www.wtmlatinamerica.com in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from April 23 to twenty-five, 2013. The luxurious Travel Ltd. and Lameco Viajes booth can be located at stand M13.

    World Travel Market Latin America, the leading global event for the Latin American travel industry, is a three-day, must-attend business-to-business (B2B) event which brings the arena to Latin America and promotes Latin America to the realm.

    To be staged annually within the economic powerhouse of Sao Paulo, World Travel Market Latin America is the development where Latin American travel companies will negotiate and conclude major deals, highlighting the area’s importance within the global travel and tourism industry.

    Vietnam has launched a brand new campaign to draw tourists from everywhere under the slogan of “Timeless charm.” Tourists want to experience Vietnam’s defining characteristics: thrills, nature, heritage, festivals, pristine beauty, enjoyment, scenery, and essence.

    Vietnam now has world-class hotels and resorts, beaches, and cuisine, as well as its natural beauty, rich history, and conventional culture. Travelers from Latin America traveling to Vietnam seek a more authentic experience and seek to have a deeper understanding of the country’s culture, food, history, and way of life. The rustic receives 6.8 million international arrivals in 2012, and the variety of travelers from Latin American has increased annually over the past 3 years.

    While India and Thailand are geared more toward mass market tourism, Vietnam is a destination it really is attractive to a more selective class of travelers. Vietnam is becoming an increasing number of recognized as a secure and favored destination for top-end tourists from long-haul destinations.

    Latin America is in a powerful financial position at the present and Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Ltd., stressed the significance of diversifying markets by participating within the Spanish and Portuguese speaking markets, which supply a perfect platform for the newest contemporary trends and the facility to speak and establish business partnerships with experts and tourism companies.

    “With our marketing efforts and commitments with our local representative and tour operator, Lameco, in Uruguay [ www.lameco.com.uy/ ], we are going to attract more long-haul travelers who would like to experience Vietnam standard and comfort. We’re amongst the pioneers in Latin America. We select our top ten once-in-a-life-time trips in Vietnam and Indochina, highlighting 4- and 5-star hotels to sell wholesale to travel agents across Latin America,” said Pham Ha.