TRAVEL DAILY ASIA TRAVEL DAILY INDIA TRAVEL DAILY UK CRUISE NEWS UK www.traveldailymedia.com/me Wednesday 3rd July 2013 ▶ P1 ≪ REGIONAL VIEW ≪ GREEN ≪ EYE ON LATIN AMERICA Dubai Duty Free notes $874 Million turnover in H1...READ MORE Six Senses protects Vietnam coral...READ MORE Guatemala tourism climbs...READ MORE Dubai Duty Free notes $874 Million turnover in H1 Airline complaint letter goes viral Richard Branson uses case to give lesson via blog... A passenger of Carribbean airline LIAT (Leeward Islands Air Transport) has written a complaint letter about his terrible flight that has gone viral thanks to a posting by Richard Branson. Arthur Hicks wrote an open letter to LIAT about his journey that involved six flights and endless delays, resulting in him missing his connecting ferry. The complaint letter was originally published in British Virgin Islands newspaper BVI Beacon in April, but has gone viral since Richard Branson used the letter as a warning to staff via his blog about taking on customer feedback to improve. In his blog he joked that LIAT is “reputed to stand for Languishing In Airport Terminals”. The letter in full: Dear LIAT, May I say how considerate it is of you to enable your passengers such an in-depth and thorough tour of the Caribbean. Most other airlines I have travelled on would simply wish to take me from point A to B in rather a hurry. I was intrigued that we were allowed to stop at not a lowly one or two but a magnificent six airports yesterday. And as for being patted down by a variety of islanders, well, I feel as if I’ve been hugged by most of the Caribbean already. I also found it unique that this was all done on 'island time', because I do like to have time to absorb the atmosphere of the various departure lounges. As for our arrival, well, who wants to have to take a ferry at the end of all that flying anyway? And who wants to fly on the same airplane the entire time? We got to change and refuel every step of the way! I’m glad the boat was long gone by the time we arrived into Tortola last night — and that all those noisy bars and restaurants were closed. I particularly enjoyed sampling the security scanners at each and every airport. I find it preposterous that people imagine them all to be the same. P.S. Keep the bag. I never liked it anyway. So thank you, LIAT. I now truly understand why you are 'The Caribbean Airline'. Egypt tourism minister quits ubai Duty Free has announced a 13% increase in sales with turnover reaching US $874 million for the first six months of the year. The figures signal an excellent prospect for the retailer’s 30th year of business, with an anticipated turnover of $1.8 billion this year, the company said. Perfumes, liquor and gold retained the top three category positions with perfumes in particular showing strong growth with a sales increase of 18% to$136 million year to date, while gold retained its third position showing an increase of 13% to $88 million. Sales of tobacco were up by 13% while confectionery was up by 15%. Click here for full story. Bookings to Lebanon, Syria and Turkey down by 50% T ravel warnings have led to a significant drop oﬀ in bookings for Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, according to tour operators. Kulwant Singh, managing director of Lama Tours, told Gulf News that travel warnings put out by GCC governments had added to the drop oﬀ in bookings. "We have seen cancellations of bookings from the UAE to Lebanon, Syria and Turkey between 40 to 50% for June," he said. H isham Zaazou, the tourism minister of Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood government, is one of five ministers who have reportedly quit amid widespread antigovernment protests. Middle East news agency Al Jazeera, who cited a senior oﬃcials as the source, said the ministers had resigned in sympathy with the protests, which are calling for president Morsi’s resignation. Zaazou has resigned along with communication & IT minister Atef Helmi; legal & parliamentary aﬀairs minister Hatem Bagato; water minister Abdel Qawy Khalifa; and environment minister Khaled Abdel-Aal. The demonstrations mark D Amadeus signs cruise agency deal A the one year anniversary of Morsi’s reign, which has left many Egyptian’s disenfranchised after the Arab Spring as Travel Daily reported last month. Click here for full story. madeus has signed a new agreement with Griﬃn Global Group, a global travel agency specialised in the marine and cruise industries. The agreement marks an extension of the companies' 10-year relationship, which has seen Griﬃn adopt the Amadeus Selling Platform, Amadeus Web Services and Amadeus Agency Manager solutions in 20 markets across the world. Avista Hideaway A Hidden Treasure in Phuket Book Now and Enjoy up to 20% Off Opening mid-December 2012 follow us on Advertise with TDME today! Email us at [email protected] Editor: Charmaine Fernz Regional Director: Paul Adams Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott TRAVEL DAILY ASIA TRAVEL DAILY INDIA TRAVEL DAILY UK www.traveldailymedia.com/me CRUISE NEWS UK Wednesday 3rd July 2013 IATA laments low airline profits Claims other industries getting rich at airlines' expense... ▶ P2 GREEN Six Senses protects Vietnam coral A luxury resort near the Vietnamese resort town of Nha Trang, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, has launched a new programme to protect the area's coral reef. T he world's airlines are not reaping the financial rewards they deserve, considering the amount they contribute to the global economy, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. Lamenting the industry's thin margins and low profits, IATA, which represents 240 airlines worldwide, said other industries such as fuel companies and electronic distributors have been getting rich at airlines' expense, and that "new thinking" was needed on the relationships between the aviation industry and its partners, in an eﬀort to attract new investment. “The airline industry has created tremendous value for its customers and the wider economies we serve,” said IATA's Director-General & CEO, Tony Tyler. “But in the 2004-2011 period, investors would have earned US$17 billion more annually by taking their capital and investing it in bonds and equities of similar risk. Unless we find ways to improve returns for our investors it may prove diﬃcult to attract the US$4-5 trillion of capital we need to serve the expansion in connectivity over the next two decades, the vast majority of which will support the growth of developing economies.” IATA stated that airlines are the "least profitable segment of the air transport value chain", largely due to their fuel costs. In contrast to airlines' combined annual net profits of US$7.6bn in 2012, fuel companies "benefited from an estimated US$16-48bn of their annual net profits generated by air transport", according to the association. It also claimed that distribution is the "most profitable part of the rest of the value chain", with the computer reservation systems units of the three main GDS companies generating an average return on invested capital (ROIC) of 20%. IATA added however, that much of the problem for airlines lies in the industry’s "highly fragmented and unconsolidated structure and the nature of competition, rather than in the supply chain", although it added that distribution is "a key part of the puzzle". Click here for full story. Royal Jordanian opens new routes to Lagos and Accra The company has entered into a partnership with two marine biologists from the Netherlands to create a new five-year plan to conserve the marine ecosystem. Thomas Swierts and Selma Ubels from the University of Utrecht have established a project that will lead to the creation of a new swimming and snorkelling pathway through the reef. They will also take a regular inventory of the area's marine life - both fish and coral. The marine biologists are also training the resort team on identifying the aquatic flora and fauna, enabling staﬀ to take guests on snorkelling trips. The resort is also developing an environmental awareness campaign among guests, in an eﬀort to preserve the natural surroundings. Eventually guests will be able to adopt their own coral patch, where they re-attach broken shards of living coral similar to hotel tree-planting schemes. Click here for full story. Centara Bangkok launches own green policy Centara's flagship hotel in Bangkok has launched its own in-house environmental programme, designed to measure its carbon footprint. The CEPPER scheme (standing for 'Community, Eco-technology, Partnerships, Products & materials, Education and Recycle') is now in force at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, as the property targets EarthCheck's silver certification. It achieved bronze level in 2010. “CEPPER allows us to focus, and to set and achieve objectives that individually and cumulatively have far-reaching eﬀects,” said the hotel’s GM, Robert Maurer-Loeﬄer. "The programme also aﬀects the way in which we as individuals view the environment, and how we can each play a part in making this a better world." To achieve EarthCheck's Silver level, a hotel is required to monitor and measure its greenhouse gas emissions, energy eﬃciency, water use, wastewater management and other areas. Centara is now using the CEPPER initiative to ensure it achieves these measurements in all areas of its operations. Marina Bay Sands achieves green meeting standards Marina Bay Sands has become the first conference venue outside the US to be certified under new international sustainability standards for the MICE industry. The Singapore integrated resort has achieved 'Level One' certification in the ASTM Standards - the first of nine standards introduced by the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) in 2012 to make the industry more sustainable. "Marina Bay Sands is proud to be the first Asian venue to attain the ASTM Venue certification," said Mike Lee, Vice President of Sales of Marina Bay Sands. R oyal Jordanian has launched a regular service between Amman and Lagos and Accra. The new additions will raise the number of the RJ destinations to 61 spanned over four continents. follow us on Advertise with TDME today! Email us at The company will operate the route (Amman-Lagos-Accra-LagosAmman) twice weekly with its widebodied, 280-seat Airbus A330s, on Wednesdays and Fridays. "This is a significant achievement that recognises our extensive and ongoing commitment towards sustainable practices in our daily operations. With this global accolade, we aspire to lead by example and further cement our position as Asia's leading MICE provider." The ASTM standard evaluates venues in several areas, including waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement and community engagement. Click here for full story. [email protected] Editor: Charmaine Fernz Regional Director: Paul Adams Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott TRAVEL DAILY ASIA TRAVEL DAILY INDIA TRAVEL DAILY UK www.traveldailymedia.com/me CRUISE NEWS UK Wednesday 3rd July 2013 Lebanese air traﬃc controllers to go on strike ▶ P3 EYEON LATIN AMERICA Holiday Inn expands in Ecuador ‫٭‬IHG has opened a new Holiday Inn hotel in Ecuador. The 122-room Holiday Inn Hotel Guayaquil Airport is a new-build property located adjacent to José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Ecuador's second biggest city. Facilities include a swimming pool, business centre, fitness centre, lobby bar and eight meeting rooms. It becomes the second IHG-branded hotel for Ecuador, following the Holiday Inn Express Quito, and the company also has plans to launch a new Holiday Inn at Quito Airport in 2016. A ir traﬃc controllers at Lebanon’s Rafic Hariri International Airport are to stage a two-hour strike on Thursday. The group added it would take further action if the country’s parliament failed to include them in public sector pay increases, according to a report in The Daily Star. All services will be put on hold between 7am and 9am delaying at the least inbound and outbound flights by two hours. "This time we will not back away before our demands are met, whatever the consequences may be," a committee representing the controllers said. Intercontinental Abu Dhabi forges ahead with renovation I ntercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi is pushing ahead with major expansions to become “more attractive for tourists”, the hotel has said. The Hotel's general managerDieter Franke, said the Dhs 35m expansion, which includes a new health spa, was approved by the National Corporation for Tourism and Hotels (NCTH) within ongoing plans to develop its hotels and resorts in the country. "Those projects would turn Intercontinental into a major tourism destination, adding that they have been part of the vision of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific research, Chairman of NCTH,” he said. Meliá to launch Tryp Hotels in Peru ‫٭‬Meliá Hotels International has announced plans to launch a new Tryp hotel in Peru. Due to open in Peru's capital Lima in 2016, the Tryp Lima Miraflores will feature 140 rooms plus a restaurant, fitness room and meeting rooms. Located in the Miraflores area, which is popular with tourists, the new hotel will target both leisure and business travellers. It will become Meliá Hotels' second property in the city, following the Meliá Lima Hotel. The company is also planning to bring its Innside brand to Peru. Aeromexico adds US services ‫٭‬Aeromexico has added several new services from Mexico City to destinations in the US this summer. Eﬀective 1 July 2013, the carrier has add a second daily flight on its Mexico City-Orlando route, and a fourth daily service between the Mexican capital and Miami. In addition, Aeromexico has started operating six more weekly flights between Mexico City and Los Angeles. In a separate move, the Mexican airline has leased three Embraer E170 regional aircraft from Finnair for a period of six years. "The expansions will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2013." Unique self-serve Costa Coﬀee for Dubai International ( L- R) Paul Gr iffiths , CEO of D u bai A irpor t s and Gary Chapman, pres ident of group s erv ices & Dnata, Emirates Group. Guatemala tourism climbs ‫٭‬Visitor arrivals to the Central American nation of Guatemala have increased in 2013. According to the latest data from the country's Ministry of Economy, international arrivals climbed 8.8% in the first quarter of 2013. And Guatemalan specialist Martsam Travel said 85% of visitors to the country visit one or more of its three UNESCO World Heritage sites Antigua, Tikal and Quirigua - which form the backbone of a new 10year sustainable tourism development plan implemented in 2012. JetBlue launches Costa Rica flights ‫٭‬JetBlue Airways has D ubai International is hosting Costa Coﬀee’s worldwide launch of its 5-sense self-serve coﬀee experience by Costa Express. The one-of-a-kind self-serve machine made its debut at Terminal 3, follow us on Advertise with TDME today! Email us at Concourse A, Dubai International. Each unit recreates the sound of a bustling café and the smell of a coffee shop is recreated to greet customers as they approach the machine. [email protected] launched a new route to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Eﬀective today, the US carrier will serve the Central American country with daily direct flights from Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport in Florida, using its 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean now make up almost a third of JetBlue's entire route network. The carrier previously launched flights between Orlando and San Jose in 2009. Editor: Charmaine Fernz Regional Director: Paul Adams Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott TRAVEL DAILY ASIA TRAVEL DAILY INDIA TRAVEL DAILY UK CRUISE NEWS UK www.traveldailymedia.com/me Wednesday 3rd July 2013 ▶ P4 Read TDME with Adobe Reader 10.1.3 Having trouble downloading TDME? Read our daily e-news magazine with the latest version of Adobe Reader – CLICK HERE to downloaded Adobe Reader 10.1.3 for free. Abu Dhabi boasts new link to Kenya A bu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) welcomed the inaugural flight of Kenya Airways, the national carrier of Kenya into Abu Dhabi International Airport. Kenya Airways will now oﬀer three flights a week between AUH and Nairobi, Kenya. The three flights a week planned on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will depart from NBO at 19:25 and arrive in AUH at 01:05 the following day, whilst flights leaving AUH at 02:05 will arrive in NOB at Luxury online resource launches A 05:55 on the same day. The new route will use a B737800 aircraft containing 145 seats divided between business and economy classes. new online resource has been launched to showcase the “best in luxury travel”. The Luxury Travel Intelligence (LTI) has been devised by Michael and Jan Crompton after finding reviews sites too polarised and becoming fed up with “too flimsy and out-of-date information” on websites. Its exclusive list is made of hotels, restaurants, spas and clubs picked by an advisory board of 20 members of the luxury travel industry. In addition it will oﬀer regular reports and news into the luxury sector and will list events with direct contacts to arrange bespoke visits. Emirates Skywards' Future Artists competition launched T he fourth instalment of Emirates Skywards' Future Artists Competition has been launched with the aim of connecting emerging artists with Emirates’ frequent flyer programme. Open to all artists worldwide, the competition is designed to give undiscovered talent the chance to be seen by millions. It is open to artwork across three broad media categories: photography/digital media, painting/ illustration, and 3D (sculpture, ceramic and glass). Four winning entries will be chosen, one for each tier of Emirates Skywards membership. Winners of the competition will have their artwork featured QUOTE OF THE DAY “P.S. Keep the bag. I never liked it anyway” Disgruntled passenger who flew LIAT Hertz partners with Kuwait Airways T on the Emirates Skywards 2014 membership cards. In addition, the creators of the winning artworks will receive a commission of $5000 and their selected artwork will be featured in supporting promotional material. he Hertz Corporation has partnered with Kuwait Airways to provide special rewards to members of the airline's frequent flyer program, Oasis Club. As a result of the agreement, Oasis Club members can take advantage of best available rates on car rentals at Hertz locations across the airline's international network of 34 destinations, and beyond at any of the 8,800 Hertz locations worldwide, while earning 500 Oasis Club Miles for each rental. This doubles up to 1,000 Oasis Club Miles for those booking cars from the Hertz Prestige Collection which includes luxury brands such as Mercedes, BMW and Porsche. Qatar Airways to fly FC Barcelona to Asia Q atar Airways will fly FC Barcelona to Asia next month, to take part in its summer tour. As the official title sponsor of the follow us on Advertise with TDME today! Email us at 'FC Barcelona Asia Tour 2013', the Doha-based airline will transport the Spanish football giants to Thailand and Malaysia, where they [email protected] will play matches in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur on 7 and 10 August respectively. Qatar Airways will make history next year when it becomes the first commercial company to sponsor FC Barcelona's shirts. Editor: Charmaine Fernz Regional Director: Paul Adams Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott TRAVEL DAILY ASIA TRAVEL DAILY INDIA TRAVEL DAILY UK CRUISE NEWS UK www.traveldailymedia.com/me Wednesday 3rd July 2013 ▶ P5 Read TDME with Adobe Reader 10.1.3 Having trouble downloading TDME? Read our daily e-news magazine with the latest version of Adobe Reader – CLICK HERE to downloaded Adobe Reader 10.1.3 for free. Shangri-La Dubai celebrates decade with AED10 rate IN NUMBERS 240 Number of airlines represented by Contact us today IATA Advertise $874 Editorial Subscribe Turnover of Dubai Duty Free for H1. Travel Daily Media Group Managing Director: Gary Marshall [email protected] Editor in Chief: Mark Elliott [email protected] 2 hours Length of strike by Travel Daily Asia Editorial: Mark Elliott [email protected] Sales: Paul Adams [email protected] Sales: Ian Matthews [email protected] Lebanese traffic controllers on Travel Daily UK Editorial: Amanda Greenwood [email protected] Sales: Peter Mason [email protected] Sales: Issy Anderson [email protected] Thursday. Wyndham opens new Turkey hotel Travel Daily Middle East Editorial: Charmaine Fernz [email protected] Sales: Peter Mason [email protected] Sales: Issy Anderson [email protected] Travel Daily India W yndham Hotel Group has opened its second upscale hotel in Turkey. The 307-room Wyndham Istanbul Petek is operated under the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts name and is the 20th property in the country under the entire group. “We are thrilled to welcome yet another stunning Wyndham Hotels and Resorts property in Turkey, a country that is integral to our growth strategy in the region,” said Rui Barros, Wyndham Hotel Group’s senior vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Click here for full story. Hyatt selects SiteMinder H yatt has selected SiteMinder as a channel manager. The company has chosen SiteMinder's technology in an eﬀort to more eﬀectively manage the online distribution of its entire portfolio. David Williams, SiteMinder's Executive Director of Global Sales & Marketing, called the Hyatt contract a "milestone achievement" and a "vote of confidence in SiteMinder’s ability to bolster the group’s online visibility". follow us on Advertise with TDME today! Email us at S hangri-La Hotel, Dubai is celebrating 10 years in operation with an AED 10 room rate, valid for bookings on 10 July only. The rate is limited to the first ten bookings madevia the Editorial: Krupa Vora [email protected] Sales: Jay Shah [email protected] website booking engine at Cruise News UK www.shangri-la.com/dubai. Editorial: Sam Ballard [email protected] Sales: Peter Mason [email protected] Sales: Issy Anderson [email protected] Guests may start bookings on 8 July at 9am. using the special rate code SLDB10ANN. Minor acquires Per AQUUM stake T hailand's Minor Hotel Group has continued to recent expansion with the acquisition of a 50% stake in luxury resort operator, Per AQUUM. The US$4 million deal will see Minor join forces with Per AQUUM's current owner, Universal Enterprises Pty Ltd, to jointly develop and expand the brand across Asia and the Indian Ocean. Per AQUUM currently operates a portfolio of three luxury properties – Huvafen Fushi and Niyama in the Maldives and the Desert Palm in Dubai. But following the new investment, Minor and Universal plan to expand the brand to at least eight properties. Minor said the expansion plan would mirror that of its existing brands, covering Asia Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and Africa. Per AQUUM will join Minor's portfolio alongside the luxury Anantara, upscale Avani and Oaks serviced residence labels, [email protected] Per AQU U M ’s M aldive s re s o r t , H u av e n Fu s h i and the three new properties take Minor’s total portfolio to 91 properties in 12 countries. “We are delighted to announce the latest strategic addition to Minor Hotel Group’s ever expanding portfolio of brands," said Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of the Minor Hotel Group. "Per AQUUM is already a very well respected and exclusive brand and we look forward to having the opportunity to develop it further working in partnership with Universal Enterprises.” The deal marks the third recent acquisition for Minor. In 2011 the company purchased a 54.3% controlling stake in Australia's Oaks Hotels & Resorts, and earlier this year it secured the purchase of Vietnambased Life Resorts. Click here for full story. Editor: Charmaine Fernz Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott Regional Director: Paul Adams Travel Daily ME is a publication of Travel Daily Media Limited (UK). All content is fully protected by copyright law. Written permission from the Editor-in-Chief Mark Elliott ([email protected]) is required to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation of Travel Daily Asia no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Content is published in good faith. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Charmaine Fernz.