Emirates scoops four awards at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018
Airline recognised as the Middle East’s 2018 Leading Airline, Airline Brand, Business Class Airport Lounge and Cabin Crew
Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has been recognised at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018 with four awards – Middle East’s Leading Airline, Middle East’s Leading Airline Brand, Middle East’s Leading Business Class Airport Lounge and Middle East’s Leading Cabin Crew.
The red carpet ceremony was attended by more than 500 industry leading figures and professionals from across the Middle East. Khalid Al Serkal, Emirates’ District Manager Sharjah received the awards on behalf of the airline. Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre said: “It is an honour to be recognised by the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018 for our ongoing efforts to continually enhance the customer experience both onboard and on the ground. Taking the top spot in multiple categories is a reflection of the airline’s commitment to operational excellence, outstanding customer service and a focused approach on building the brand.” Last year, the airline launched product enhancements on its Boeing 777 and A380 aircraft – unveiling its enhanced A380 Onboard Lounge, game-changing Boeing 777-300ER First Class private suites and new Business Class cabin and configuration on its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. Passengers on Emirates across all cabins can enjoy its award winning in-flight entertainment system ice, with up to 3,500 channels and 20MB complimentary on-board Wi-Fi, as well as regionally inspired meals prepared by award-winning chefs. Emirates’ state-of-the-art, seven Business Class Lounges at Dubai International Airport Concourses A, B and C – boast a total seat capacity of over 4,500. Concourse B lounges recently completed a US$ 11 million makeover, offering Business Class customers, as well as Platinum and Gold Skywards members the highest standards of comfort before their flight. The airline also expanded its global network of lounges to 41 dedicated Emirates Lounges in 2017. The airline’s international team of over 23,000 cabin crew come from over 135 countries, and speak more than 60 languages. Crew members are trained to provide the very best inflight service and Emirates on-board experience. Emirates operates a modern fleet of 269 all wide-body aircraft, and is the first and only airline in the world to operate a fleet of all Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft for its passenger flights. The airline’s extensive network offers customers travel choices to over 159 destinations, in 85 countries, across six continents.Arabian Travel Market celebrates 25th year with largest ever hotel exhibition space
Middle East’s largest travel trade event will celebrate its 25th year, with over 2,500 exhibiting companies and an expected 40,000 visitors, showcasing the largest ever hotel exhibition space in the show’s history
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018, the region’s leading travel industry showcase, opens its doors on Sunday 22nd April for four days of business networking opportunities and insightful seminar sessions, where deals worth over US$2.5 billion will be agreed.
Now in its 25th year, the 2018 edition will welcome over 2,500 exhibiting companies and an expected 40,000 visitors, with over 150 countries represented, 65 national pavilions, and more than 100 new exhibitors set to make their ATM debut.
Building on the success of last year, ATM 2018, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, will showcase the largest exhibition of regional and global hotel brands in the history of ATM, with hotels comprising 20% of the total show area.
Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM said: “Arabian Travel Market continues to be the preferred route to market for many international and regional hospitality brands and the increase in hotel exhibition space in 2018 reflects the hundreds of new property and brand launches we have seen during the last 12 months.
“Over the coming years, we will see these new properties prosper as millions more tourists visit the region for the first time. The last 12 months brought unprecedented developments in major markets and the region is poised for further great developments in 2018.”
Celebrating its 25th year, ATM 2018 will adopt Responsible Tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its official show theme, integrating it across all show verticals and activities, including advice clinics and focused seminar sessions, featuring dedicated exhibitor participation.
Press added: “The tourism industry in the GCC has grown ten-fold and more since we first opened our show doors 25 years ago. With a host of top speakers lined up and panel sessions for ATM 2018, we will be looking back on the tourism revolution in the Middle East over the last quarter of a century and also forecasting what lies ahead for the industry, with continuing geopolitical tensions across the globe, economic uncertainties, huge technological advances and, of course, the increasing trend of responsible tourism.”
Hyperloop and future travel experiences will kick off proceedings on ATM’s Global Stage on Sunday 22nd April between 13.30 and 14.30. Moderating the session, Richard Dean, a UAE-based business broadcaster and presenter will be joined by a host of high-profile panellists including Christoph Mueller, Chief Digital and Innovation officer, Emirates Airline and Harj Dhaliwal, Managing Director Middle East and India Operations, Hyperloop One.
This year, ATM has partnered with International Hotel Investment Conference (IHIF) organisers to present the inaugural Destination Investment panel. Taking place on the ATM Global Stage, the session will discuss what drives investment in travel destinations across the Middle East and neighbouring regions.
Also debuting this year will be the ATM Student Conference – ‘Career in Travel’ – a programme aimed at students and graduates who are looking to pursue a career in the travel and tourism industry. Taking place on the final day of ATM, this programme will allow ‘tomorrow’s’ travel professionals and hoteliers, to listen to guest speakers and travel industry leaders.
Perennial calendar favourites at ATM 2018 include the ultra-innovative Travel Tech Show, ILTM Arabia and the Travel Agent Academy as well as the Buyers’ Club and the Wellness and Spa Lounge, both of which offer excellent opportunities to meet and network with likeminded individuals and organisations.
Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai’s Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “This year marks the 25th edition of Arabian Travel Market and we are extremely pleased to be able to extend our support once more. In 2017, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, launched Dubai Government’s 10X Initiative and as a result our projects and initiatives reflect this vision, designed to leverage new technologies and build on our ‘digital, mobile and social first’ agenda. Along with our partners on the Dubai stand we look forward to presenting just some of these immersive experiences – from witnessing Dubai in virtual reality, to our partners from Expo providing insights into the masterplan and much more.”
Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “As we celebrate 25 years of partnership and commitment to ATM, it’s remarkable to think how far this event has come in the region, as well as on the global stage, and as an airline we are proud of the role we have played in its growth. International air connectivity is a key driver in tourism, and for the hosting of regional industry events like ATM. With 159 destinations across six continents in our growing network, we will continue to bring travellers to and through Dubai, by innovating and providing the best customer experiences to earn their loyalty to make Emirates their first choice whenever they think of travel.”
Olivier Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “Now in its 25th year, the Arabian Travel Market has played a transformational role in shaping the tourism and hospitality sector of the region. As one of the leading global platforms that present the newest trends in the industry, the event presents diverse opportunities for all stakeholders to strengthen their business. As the Official Hotel Partner of the event, Emaar Hospitality Group will present its three hotel brands – the premium lifestyle Address Hotels + Resorts, the upscale lifestyle Vida Hotels and Resorts and contemporary midscale Rove Hotels – and their growing footprint. In addition to presenting our digital transformation strategy, we will highlight our focus on innovation to enhancing customer service standards.”
Anwar A.Z Abu Monassar, Destination Director, Strategy & Operation, The Vision, said: “With ATM coming back again as a great show to connect and share, we at The Vision Destination Management are proud of another successful season where we witnessed growth in strong partnerships, both in leisure and events. The Vision’s commitment and recognition, not only as event planner in showcasing the destination, but also as reality that involves and promotes segments of the society is a never-ending focus that we pursue. During the present year we involved reputed and experienced figures that do not only guide travelers, but literally bring them into the local reality in all its different segments. We developed skills of Life Coaching within our team to allow our clients to deeply understand our context, from the past to the future.”
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Photo caption:
From left to right:
Anwar A.Z Abu Monassar, Destination Director, Strategy & Operation, The Vision
Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline
Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market and World Travel Market
Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing
Olivier Harnisch, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group
About Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2017 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, agreeing deals worth US$2.5bn over the four days. The 24th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its 24-year history. www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com Next event 22-25 April 2018 – Dubai.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants.
About Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.
Media contact
NATHALIE VISELE
Director
Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525
E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com
Office 106, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City
PO Box 502701 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Website: www.shamalcomms.com
UKinbound releases GCC market Business Barometer Results
In association with Qa Research and in light of its inaugural exhibition at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) next week, UKinbound has released its latest Business Barometer results with a focus on the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) market.
To encourage visitors from GCC countries to explore more of the UK, 75% of respondents stated that increased marketing in these countries is key. 62% of respondents also said that increasing the number of direct flights to UK regional airports from destinations across the GCC would boost visitor numbers. Additionally, the creation of culturally sensitive itineraries, improved UK train links and better signage were cited as important factors that could encourage more GCC visitors to come to the UK.
UKinbound’s chief executive officer, Deirdre Wells OBE said: “Visitors from the GCC countries to the UK in 2016 ranked 15th in terms of numbers (777,000) but 3rd in terms of overall spending (£1.4 billion)*. This is clearly a valuable market with lots of potential that our members are keen to tap into.
“Exhibiting at ATM is therefore an important strategic step for UKinbound and will help our members and other stand sharers to showcase their businesses and secure new opportunities in a growing and emerging market.
“We will also continue to lobby Government on issues such as increasing marketing spend, visas and APD, to ensure that the UK remains a first choice for our international tourists and an attractive business and leisure destination.”
The Business Barometer results also reported that 56% of respondents have seen an increase in overall bookings/visitor numbers/customer orders in January and February 2018 compared to 2017. Similarly, yield was the same or higher for 73% of members during the same period. However, confidence levels experienced a slight dip with 52% of members stating their 12-month business outlook was positive, down from 54%.
UKinbound will be exhibiting at the Arabian Travel Market in the European Hall (stand EU6830) in Dubai from Sunday 22nd April to Wednesday 25th April 2018.
* Source: Visit Britain
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For further information, contact Lauren Broughton
lauren@diligentcomms.com | + 44 (0) 7725 865 063
About UKinbound
UKinbound is a leading travel trade association and the only one which focuses solely on the interests of the UK’s inbound tourism sector. UKinbound addresses and engages with Government, the media, travel trade and the general public to raise awareness of the importance of inbound tourism to the UK economy.
BuzzFeed and The Dodo Help Make Every Day Epic in Super Slow-mo with the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
This highly shareable campaign will showcase how easy and entertaining it is for users to capture content in slow motion
Samsung Electronics today announced partnerships with BuzzFeed and The Dodo to make everyday moments epic with the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+’s Super Slow-mo camera. Starting today, BuzzFeed − the world’s leading tech-powered media company, with a cross-platform news and entertainment network that reaches hundreds of millions of people globally − and The Dodo − the no. 1 digital media brand for animal people1and no. 1 most-loved publisher on Facebook2− will publish fun, entertaining and highly-shareable super slow-motion videos across social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The videos, including the hashtags #withGalaxy and #SuperSlowMo, will show consumers just how easy it is to create and share amazing Super Slow-mo content using the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. These partnerships will result in more than 30 unique pieces of must-see content that will reach BuzzFeed and The Dodo’s massive audiences over the next two months. Fueling the current trend for creating and sharing slow motion content with the Galaxy S9 and S9+, the posts will capture and replay unique moments in everyday life − from compelling short-form content, to entertaining how-to video. BuzzFeed will showcase relatable everyday moments, taking the unique smiles, laughter and grimaces and turning them into epic, shareable moments. The Dodo will feature funny, emotive videos and stories of animals caught in the act – all shot on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in The Dodo’s authentic style. “Partnering with BuzzFeed and The Dodo is a natural fit and a great way to showcase how consumers can make everyday moments epic by using the Galaxy S9 and S9+’s Super Slow-mo camera,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics. “Capturing a moment within a moment has never been easier, and we want these partnerships to inspire more creative Super Slow-mo content.” The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+’s Super Slow-mo camera captures slow motion video at 960 frames per second, revealing a whole new way to relive and share remarkable moments in the everyday. With automatic Motion Detection, users can simply set up the shot and press play. Users can set their video to music by selecting background music from 35 different pre-set options, or by picking a favorite tune from their personal playlist, before instantly sharing with three creative options – video on loop, reverse or swing mode. “At BuzzFeed we place an emphasis on world class production that gives our content creators the flexibility to shoot content on the go in different locations,” said Ze Frank, Chief Research and Development Officer at BuzzFeed. “With the Galaxy S9 and S9+, we are able to utilize amazing features like slow motion in our production, and at the same time show our audience they no longer need expensive equipment or software to capture their favorite moments in the highest quality and share them with friends.” Izzie Lerer, founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Dodo added, “We’ve built our audience on the back of our uniquely emotional approach to storytelling − putting animals front and center, and showcasing the delightful, inspiring things they do every day. We’re excited to partner with Samsung to continue to capture animal expression and joy in an exciting new way with Super Slow-mo.”Complying With New Privacy Laws and Offering New Privacy Protections to Everyone, No Matter Where You Live
In recent weeks we’ve announced several steps to give people more control over their privacy and explain how we use data. Today we’re introducing new privacy experiences for everyone on Facebook as part of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including updates to our terms and data policy. Everyone – no matter where they live – will be asked to review important information about how Facebook uses data and make choices about their privacy on Facebook. We’ll begin by rolling these choices out in Europe this week.
Asking People to Review How We Use Data
As soon as GDPR was finalized, we realized it was an opportunity to invest even more heavily in privacy. We not only want to comply with the law, but also go beyond our obligations to build new and improved privacy experiences for everyone on Facebook. We’ve brought together hundreds of employees across product, engineering, legal, policy, design and research teams. We’ve also sought input from people outside Facebook with different perspectives on privacy, including people who use our services, regulators and government officials, privacy experts, and designers.
We’ll ask everyone on Facebook to make choices about:
We will also ask people to agree to our updated terms of service and data policy, which include more detail in response to questions about how our services work. We’re not asking for new rights to collect, use or share your data on Facebook, and we continue to commit that we do not sell information about you to advertisers or other partners. While the substance of our data policy is the same globally, people in the EU will see specific details relevant only to people who live there, like how to contact our Data Protection Officer under GDPR. We want to be clear that there is nothing different about the controls and protections we offer around the world.
People in the EU will start seeing these requests this week to ensure they have made their choices ahead of GDPR coming into effect on May 25. As part of our phased approach, people in the rest of the world will be asked to make their choices on a slightly later schedule, and we’ll present the information in the ways that make the most sense for other regions.
Introducing Better Tools to Access, Delete and Download Information
The new Settings and Privacy Shortcuts features we announced last month were built with GDPR in mind, and people will start seeing them this week. Our recently-expanded tools for accessing your information will allow people to see their data, delete it, and easily download and export it. These tools are available globally, although we designed them to comply with GDPR too. We’ve also updated our Activity Log on mobile to make it easier for people to see the information they’ve shared with Facebook from their mobile device.
Providing Special Features for Young People
GDPR recognizes the importance of providing special protections and experiences for teens. We’ve built many special protections into Facebook for all teens, regardless of location. For example, advertising categories for teens are more limited, and their default audience options for posts do not include “public.” We also keep face recognition off for anyone under age 18 and limit who can see or search specific information teens have shared, like hometown or birthday. Later this year we’ll introduce a new global online resource center specifically for teens, and more education about their most common privacy questions.
Under GDPR, people between the ages of 13 and 15 in some EU countries need permission from a parent or guardian to allow some features on Facebook — seeing ads based on data from partners and including religious and political views or “interested in” on your profile. These teens will see a less personalized version of Facebook with restricted sharing and less relevant ads until they get permission from a parent or guardian to use all aspects of Facebook. Even where the law doesn’t require this, we’ll ask every teen if they want to see ads based on data from partners and whether they want to include personal information in their profiles.
Beyond today’s announcements, we’ll keep improving. We’re committed to making sure people understand how we use their information and how they can control it.
- Ads based on data from partners. Ads on Facebook are more relevant when we use data from partners, like websites and apps that use business tools such as our Like button. We’ll ask people to review information about this type of advertising, and to choose whether or not they want us to use data from partners to show them ads.
- Information in their profile. If you’ve chosen to share political, religious, and relationship information on your profile, we’ll ask you to choose whether to continue sharing and letting us use this information. As always, including this information on your profile is completely optional. We’re making it easier for people to delete it if they no longer want to share it.
- Allowing face recognition technology. Our face recognition features help protect your privacy and improve your experiences, like detecting when others might be attempting to use your image as their profile picture and allowing us to suggest friends you may want to tag in photos or videos. We’ve offered products using face recognition in most of the world for more than six years. As part of this update, we’re now giving people in the EU and Canada the choice to turn on face recognition. Using face recognition is entirely optional for anyone on Facebook.
We will also ask people to agree to our updated terms of service and data policy, which include more detail in response to questions about how our services work. We’re not asking for new rights to collect, use or share your data on Facebook, and we continue to commit that we do not sell information about you to advertisers or other partners. While the substance of our data policy is the same globally, people in the EU will see specific details relevant only to people who live there, like how to contact our Data Protection Officer under GDPR. We want to be clear that there is nothing different about the controls and protections we offer around the world.
People in the EU will start seeing these requests this week to ensure they have made their choices ahead of GDPR coming into effect on May 25. As part of our phased approach, people in the rest of the world will be asked to make their choices on a slightly later schedule, and we’ll present the information in the ways that make the most sense for other regions.
Introducing Better Tools to Access, Delete and Download Information
The new Settings and Privacy Shortcuts features we announced last month were built with GDPR in mind, and people will start seeing them this week. Our recently-expanded tools for accessing your information will allow people to see their data, delete it, and easily download and export it. These tools are available globally, although we designed them to comply with GDPR too. We’ve also updated our Activity Log on mobile to make it easier for people to see the information they’ve shared with Facebook from their mobile device.
Providing Special Features for Young People
GDPR recognizes the importance of providing special protections and experiences for teens. We’ve built many special protections into Facebook for all teens, regardless of location. For example, advertising categories for teens are more limited, and their default audience options for posts do not include “public.” We also keep face recognition off for anyone under age 18 and limit who can see or search specific information teens have shared, like hometown or birthday. Later this year we’ll introduce a new global online resource center specifically for teens, and more education about their most common privacy questions.
Under GDPR, people between the ages of 13 and 15 in some EU countries need permission from a parent or guardian to allow some features on Facebook — seeing ads based on data from partners and including religious and political views or “interested in” on your profile. These teens will see a less personalized version of Facebook with restricted sharing and less relevant ads until they get permission from a parent or guardian to use all aspects of Facebook. Even where the law doesn’t require this, we’ll ask every teen if they want to see ads based on data from partners and whether they want to include personal information in their profiles.
Beyond today’s announcements, we’ll keep improving. We’re committed to making sure people understand how we use their information and how they can control it. Amazon and Best Buy Announce Exclusive Multi-Year Partnership to Offer New Fire TV Edition Smart TVs
“Amazon and Best Buy have a long history of working together, and today we take our partnership to a new level,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “These Fire Edition smart TVs by Insignia and Toshiba deliver beautiful visuals and all the movies and TV shows you love, with an experience that gets better every day with Alexa. We could not have a better partner in this endeavor.”
“Our goal is to enrich the lives of our customers by offering them the very best products and services, whether they come to us online, visit our stores, or invite us into their home,” said Hubert Joly, Best Buy chairman and CEO. “Our partnership with Amazon is exciting because we believe Fire TV Edition delivers an incredible user experience and further strengthens the growing connection between home theater, home automation and voice control.”
The newly designed smart TVs come with the Fire TV experience built-in, uniquely bringing together live over-the-air TV and all your streaming content into one easy-to-view location. Connect any HD antenna and instantly use Alexa to search for and watch broadcast TV, or choose from a vast catalog of streaming TV episodes and movies from Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, PlayStation Vue, Hulu, and many more. Fire TV Edition includes a Voice Remote with Alexa, making it easy to launch apps, search for TV shows, play music, switch inputs, control smart home devices, and more. It can also be paired with any Echo device allowing you to easily use your voice to control your TV experience hands-free with Alexa.
Fire TV Edition continues to improve even after your purchase, with more new Alexa skills, software features, and applications added regularly. Tens of thousands of Alexa skills are already accessible today, allowing you to have amazing entertainment experiences, view and control your smart home connected cameras, lighting, security systems, and more.
The partnership with Amazon is an example of Best Buy’s unique role in working with the world’s foremost technology companies, helping to commercialize their innovations and bring them to life for the consumer. The company accomplishes this through customer-focused curation of the technology it sells online and in-store; in-store demonstrations offering hands-on experiences for customers; needs-based selling expertise designed to solve problems and address lifestyle needs; and, services that support customers in installing, setting up and operating their technology. Best Buy has played this role in a number of areas, including, most recently, 4K televisions, premium computing and the smart home.
Availability
Customers in the United States will have the ability to purchase the first Fire TV Edition smart TV from Toshiba beginning this summer, with additional models to be released in 2018. Fire TV Edition smart TVs will be available exclusively in Best Buy stores, on BestBuy.com, and for the first time, from Best Buy as a third-party seller on Amazon.com. The new Fire TV Edition smart TVs will be available for purchase in Canada later this year. Customers can learn more at www.bestbuy.com/FireTVEdition or www.amazon.com/FireTVEdition.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
About Best Buy
We at Best Buy work hard every day to enrich the lives of consumers through technology, whether they come to us online, visit our stores or invite us into their home. We do this by solving technology problems and addressing key human needs across a range of areas, including entertainment, productivity, communication, food, security and health. Please visit us at bestbuy.com and follow @BestBuy.
Al Hokair Group Appoints Omar Sami Samara as CEO
Al Hokair Group has announced the appointment of Mr. Omar Sami Samara as its Chief Executive Officer for Tourism and Development. Founded in 1975, under the leadership of Sheikh Abdulmohsin Al Hokair, the group has an outstanding portfolio of 40+ hotels comprising more than 5500 rooms across the Middle East. Mr. Samara’s appointment is testament to Al Hokair’s commitment to ensuring the highest level of professional excellence to its associates and partners.
Making the announcement, Mr. Sami Al Hokair, Managing Director of Al Hokair Group, stated, “Our continued growth has necessitated the expansion of our management team. We are delighted to welcome Mr. Samara to our group and confident his strong experience and market knowledge will prove to be extremely valuable in this exciting phase of our expansion.”
Mr. Samara has a proven track record in the industry and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Decision Science and Management Information Systems from George Mason University, Virginia, USA. During his exceptional career he has held senior executive roles in finance, investment and leadership with some leading companies in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Samara, said, “I am very honoured and grateful to the board of directors of Al Hokair Group for having given me this opportunity. It is an exciting challenge and I look forward to building on the great heritage of Al Hokair Group that has been at the forefront of the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia and now expanding rapidly in other parts of the region.”
Al Hokair Group will be present at Arabian Travel Market from 22 to 25 April on stand ‘HC 0570’ in Sheikh Saeed Hall in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
About Al Hokair Group
Founded in 1975, under the leadership of Sheikh Abdulmohsin Al Hokair, Al Hokair Group boasts a portfolio of 90+ entertainment centres and 40+ hotels comprising more than 5500 rooms spread across KSA, UAE and JORDAN. Occupying over 882,226 sqm of space and employing over 4100 experienced professionals, the group serves over 12 million people annually.
For more information about Al Hokair Group visit www.alhokair.com
For media contact:
Hina Bakht
Managing Director
EVOPS Marketing & PR
Mob: 00971 50 6975146
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com
www.evops-pr.com
Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai Announces its Participation in ATM 2018
The Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai has confirmed its presence at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) taking place in Dubai from 22 to 25 April 2018. The hotel has established itself as a prestigious address for events and will be showcasing it world-class business and leisure facilities at the exhibition.
Mr. Simon Moore, General Manager of Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, said, “It is extremely important for us to be present at the ATM which is the largest gathering of inbound and outbound tourism professionals in the Middle East. Hence it gives us an excellent opportunity to leverage awareness about our fabulous facilities – ideal for the MICE segment that is now a strategic focus for us. ATM also offers us the perfect platform to strengthen our wide network of travel trade professionals by reinforcing our valuable partnerships with key players and opening new business opportunities. In addition, we are eager to see the new tourism attractions and the latest developments in travel technology that are transforming our industry.”
Giving details of the latest business developments and initiative at the Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, Mr. Moore said, “We are now increasingly focusing on enhancing our facilities while maintaining the highest quality and standards. The areas of growth that we are looking at is not by simply driving existing business but rather by diversifying our revenue streams. We have recently added fabulous new dining outlets and meeting facilities that are doing extremely well.”
Celebrating 25 years as the Middle East’s most successful travel trade show, ATM will showcase over 2,800 products and destinations while bringing together over 28,000 buyers and 39,000 travel professionals from around the world.
Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai will be present at Arabian Travel Market from 22 to 25 April on stand ‘HC 0650’ in Sheikh Saeed Hall in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa
Millennium Hotels and Resorts is a dynamic, global hotel company, which owns, asset manages and operates over 130 hotels worldwide. With almost 40,000 rooms and a portfolio of brands; including The Biltmore, Grand Millennium, Millennium, Millennium Place, M Hotel, Copthorne, Agarwood, Kingsgate, Millennium Executive Apartments and Studio M, that serve different market segments, representing quality and value in every class.
Currently operating 32 hotels in the Middle East and Africa, the Group has an extensive expansion strategy in place, with 40 hotels in the pipeline. Each property in the region is unique, catering to the varying tastes and needs of the international business and leisure traveller but with a consistent promise to provide a first class service and a rewarding experience for guests. Millennium Hotels and Resorts is committed to differentiating itself by embracing the true spirit of diverse traditions, with a sincere respect to historical heritage and local culture.
With the motto “More than Meets the Eye”, Millennium Hotels and Resorts is committed to a customer-centric philosophy and complete guest satisfaction.
For more information, please visit www.millenniumhotels.com
For media contact:
Hina Bakht
Managing Director
EVOPS Marketing & PR
Mob: 00971 50 6975146
Tel: 00971 4 566 7355
Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com
www.evops-pr.com
Marriott International Expands Current Middle East & Africa Portfolio With Signing Of Over 30 Projects In Last 12 Months
arriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced ambitious growth plans for its Middle East and Africa region following signings for more than 30 properties and over 5,000 rooms in the last 12 months. The signings put Marriott on track to increase its portfolio in the region to nearly 370 hotels – an increase of more than 50% over the next five years. This will amount to more than 80,000 rooms across 21 brands, including the introduction in the region of brands such as EDITION, Element and AC Hotels by Marriott. Also in line with its development plans, the company and its property owners expect to add 30,000 new jobs across the region in the next five years.
Marriott International’s planned growth over the next five years underscores the substantial emphasis that regional governments are placing on growth and investment in the travel and tourism sector. The company estimates that the 30 projects signed in the last 12 months will drive investment of about $1.8 billion by the property owners.
“It is a really exciting time for the Middle East and Africa region’s travel and tourism sector. With clear and ambitious visions set out by regional governments to grow and invest in the sector, the industry is thriving more than ever,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “At Marriott International, we are proud that we and our owners are opening a huge range of jobs, as well as contributing to the ongoing growth and diversification of the region’s economy.”
Marriott International’s announcement of its growth plans in the region comes ahead of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, which has centered its 2018 theme on “Focus on the Future.” The conference is taking place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah; and founding patron His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group.
During the annual event, Kyriakidis will join the “Regional Leaders in the Hot Seat” panel session to discuss how hotel operators are supporting owners and adjusting to a maturing and shifting regional market.
“Marriott International’s growth in the region is a result of consistently delivering value to our owners. Our long-established presence in the region, global footprint, compelling portfolio of diverse brands, award-winning loyalty programs and strength of our distribution platforms continue to position us at the forefront, enabling us to leverage trends to benefit our stakeholders in the region,” added Kyriakidis.
“We remain focused on working with our owners to identify synergies and increase efficiencies across hotels by implementing shared services, remote solutions, complexing of hotels where relevant and possible and by bringing state-of-the-art technology to leverage scale, ultimately improving profitability.”
Strong Growth Momentum for Luxury and Upscale Brands
“This dynamic region continues to present immense development opportunities for the company to strengthen its competitive position across established and fast-growing markets,” commented Samir Baidas, Chief Development Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “Our growth plans across the Middle East and Africa not only reflect the high demand for our brands, but also the trust ownership groups have in Marriott International.”
Historically featuring a portfolio of hotels primarily in the upper-upscale segment, Marriott International’s robust development pipeline in the region also highlights strong growth opportunities for its luxury and upscale brands:
- Across its seven luxury brands, Marriott International operates over 30 hotels with more than 10,000 rooms across the Middle East and Africa and plans to nearly double the number of hotels in the next five years. That growth will begin with the launch of its EDITION brand in Abu Dhabi later this year.
- The company is also expanding its portfolio of upscale brands across the region where there is strong demand for stylish, smart and affordable hospitality. The company’s upscale brands – such as Courtyard by Marriott, Aloft, Element and Residence Inn by Marriott – represent over 40% of the properties expected to open in the next five years across the Middle East and Africa.
- The growth of Marriott International’s upper-upscale brands, spearheaded by Marriot Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments and Sheraton, remains steady – accounting for 30% of its hotels expected to open in the next five years.