World Travel Awards (WTA), "the Oscars of the travel industry", will host its Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Doha, Qatar, in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) on 11 January 2012. The most important decision-makers in global travel and tourism are set to attend the glittering ceremony, which will be staged at Katara Cultural Village, Qatar's ground-breaking new arts and exhibitions complex.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today announced that it will hold its 13th Global Summit in Abu Dhabi in April/May 2013. Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Etihad Airways will be official hosts of the biggest annual gathering of Travel & Tourism leaders.
World Travel Awards (WTA), the "Oscars of the travel industry", has announced it will host its 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Doha, Qatar on 11th December 2011. The glittering ceremony will be staged at W Doha Hotel & Residences and will attract the most important decision-makers in global travel and tourism.
The resilience of Egypt's travel and tourism industry has been acknowledged at a VIP gala ceremony hosted by World Travel Awards at the SOHO Square, Sharm el Sheikh, the Red Sea's premier dining, shopping and entertainment complex.
The 60-second video invites luxury-lovers to "leave the ordinary behind" by indulging in a stay at the luxurious hotel. Following a diver as he moves from the hotel's rooftop to the Arabian Gulf below, the advert encourages holidaymakers to immerse themselves in unparalleled luxury.
The outlook for Dubai's hotel sector remains bright, especially in light of the large number of potential visitors that are located nearby in China and India, according to hotel executives who spoke at the Hotel Show in Dubai. However, they also warn that an influx of new supply will pose challenges for the hospitality sector in the emirate.
The Middle Eastern hospitality industry, conventionally more focused on the physical product is waking up to a consumer who is demanding consistent delivery of the brand promise.We were able to see consumer demand stabilizing by the end of 2009 and occupancy rates were once again growing during 2010 in the Middle East catering to the tourism sector across various segments.With 2011 already showing signs of sustained and stronger recovery, marketing strategies need to be developed for the US$ 16 Billion worth of business that the GCC region generates for the hotel industry on an annual basis.Leading up to year 2015, the Middle Eastern hospitality landscape is expected to herald the era of a consumer-led brand focus.With consumer trends changing faster than ever in both attitude and behavior, adopting the correct marketing strategy presents this region with an opportunity to be a game changer in the global tourism sector.Faced with new patterns of consumer behavior, the most successful brands in 2015 shall be those who can most efficiently engage with consumers and clearly differentiate their offering from that of competitors. Brands need to focus on implementing consistently simpler but more compelling promises communicated in the most efficient manner to combine value with experience in order to entice customers.The Middle East Hotel Marketing Conference, due to held on 17-18 October 2011 in Dubai, UAE is the region's largest industry specific gathering of hotel marketing experts. It offers hotel marketers the opportunity to meet with like-minded people, brainstorm with the best in business and learn how to make the most of the 120 million nights of hotel stay the Middle Eastern region has to offer every year.The conference is an ideal platform to examine challenges and discover new trends in hotel marketing. Hotel marketing experts along with government and senior industry professionals will present an exiciting array of topics including case studies, panel discussions and workshops.For more details on the conference, visit http://www.hotelmarketingconference-me.com.
I have something to confess. Despite our industry’s invariable and commendable efforts to prevent travelers from lumping all countries of a particular region under the same umbrella, violence in parts of the Middle East had a small part of me nervous traveling to Dubai for the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference this week.
At the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC 2011) today, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum was presented with the 'Outstanding Achievement Award', and Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group, received the 'Leadership Award'.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 2011 (AHIC 2011) opens on Saturday 30 April with a reception and awards ceremony at Dubai’s newly opened Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel, ahead of the two-day conference at the Madinat Jumeirah which runs until Monday 2 May.
In this article we take a brief look at the investment potential of the Syrian tourism market with special emphasis on Damascus as hoteliers and investors gear up to enter Damascus and other Syrian cities in search of new opportunities. For decades, ‘Promise’ and ‘Potential’ have been bywords for the tourism investment market in Syria; however, the political circumstances and strong government regulations kept investors at bay. Finally, a strong urge from the government to diversify the economy (moving away from its reliance on the depleting oil reserves), provide employment to the growing population, and build public infrastructure resulted in reforms in the key economic sectors.
Qatar's extensive hotel development plans in preparation for the World Cup 2022 are raising questions about whether the country will be left struggling to fill empty rooms after the event. Qatar has about 100 properties that can serve as accommodation, totalling some 44,000 rooms, with plans to add 140 more properties, or an additional 55,000 rooms, according to FIFA's bid evaluation report. These include a cruise ship project in Al Wakrah, adding 6,000 rooms. Existing rooms include "villages and compounds". But information from the Qatar Tourism Authority shows there are only about 10,000 rooms in classified hotels. The consensus is that the event will generally be a boon for the country and its tourism industry. But there are concerns.
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai will join Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT) as the latest addition to its Luxury Collection portfolio, effective today. The resort will be renamed ‘Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai’, with Emirates retaining ownership of the resort and Starwood Hotels & Resorts overseeing the management of the property.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC 2011) Advisory Board, comprised of over 40 of the most influential names in the Middle East hospitality industry, gathered today at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Dubai to discuss the future of the hotel sector in the Middle East and North Africa ahead of the 2011 conference.
The hospitality and tourism sectors will fuel sustained growth and investment in Dubai over the next decade, said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Supreme Fiscal Committee and Chairman of Emirates Group. Speaking at the Menasa Forum in Dubai last night, Sheikh Ahmed said: "Dubai is leading a strong tourism rebound in the Middle East. Tourism growth will continue to generate a powerful multiplier effect on the economy due to its strong indirect effect on various other key sectors."
AHIC 2010 is being attended this year by over 600 industry professionals from 42 countries, and has enjoyed a significant increase in participants from the hotel investment sector. One of the highlights of the day was the Leaders’ Panel, which look at how industry CEO’s are protecting and growing their businesses, and where and how they are unlocking investment opportunities in the region.
Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration (SHA) is pleased to announce its participation in and sponsorship of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), which will be held May 1 through 3, 2010, at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE.
Experiology LLC will spearhead an innovative brand identity initiative for hotel properties being led by The Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH), a subsidiary company of The Holding Company for Tourism, Hotels and Cinema (HOTAC) one of the largest holding companies in the Middle East / North Africa region.
Jeffrey Ornstein, CEO of J/Brice Design International recently told Middle Eastern hotel developers, owners and managers, "Fashion now drives hotel concepts and design and the memorable hotels of the 20-10 decade will be regarded for sexy sophistication, daring interiors and mood-evoking colors."
As part of the focus on ‘Unlocking Investment Opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa’ at AHIC 2010, the Country Panel will look at the direction of tourism and hotel investment in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as featuring government representatives from Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Morocco.