news to use TOP STORIES ROTANA Peru targets big spenders
BY ANDY HOSKINS PROMPERU is highlighting the country’s luxury tourism product in its latest advertising campaign in a bid to attract big-spending tourists to the country. The UK is one of 15 markets in which the £5million campaign features in 2012- 13 – in print, online, at cinemas and on the London Underground – with the tourist board targeting a nine per cent rise in visitor numbers by the end of 2014. “This international campaign reinforces the message that our country has an excellent hotel infrastructure with luxury resorts whilst still maintaining our captivating historic legacy,” says Jose Luis Silva Martinot, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru. “The campaign also reinforces our commitment to demonstrate that Peru still has a lot to offer tourism, investment and export.”
The iconic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu
will feature strongly and will be joined by lesser-known destinations such as Puno, Kuelap, Trujillo, Loreta and Ica. Capital city Lima will also be showcased, with PromPeru also reporting a trend for longer stays in the often overlooked city. “UK tour operators are telling us that
visitors are now staying longer in Lima,” says Andrea Martinez, incoming tourism deputy director at PromPeru. “We have new museums and boutique hotels, and the city’s culinary offering is becoming well-known. Even in London there are now two or three Peruvian restaurants.” Elsewhere, tourism authorities are
expecting growth in visitors to the southern region of Ica following the launch of the Ruta del Pisco. The route brings together the vineyards, bodegas and producers of the grape brandy that is
Peru’s national drink. Work has started on a new airport in the city of Pisco – expected to be open by 2015 – and plans have also been revealed for a new airport in Cusco, gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Over US$460million will be spent on the new facility whose location north of Cusco will open up the region to a greater number of flights and destinations.
www.peru.info
SELIM EL ZYR President & CEO of Rotana
What is Rotana's latest venture? We can reveal the signing of the first Rotana-managed property in Turkey . We will manage a 300-room city resort in Iskenderun called Rhossos Rotana Resort, as well as serviced apartments.
Tell us about the hotel It is expected to open in 2014 and will feature a 200-metre private beach front, a Turkish spa and health club, a business centre, large wedding and banqueting facilities, swimming pool and a variety of food and beverage outlets. The property will include a high-end retail destination, complementing the needs of the local community as well as visitors.
Saint Lucia has the X Factor!
New looks and additions for Sandals
BY LAURA GELDER SAINT Lucia has seen a spike in bookings to the island since it appeared on X Factor as Judge Tulisa’s ‘boot camp’ location and has pledged to increase marketing spend in 2013. Louis Lewis, Director of the Saint
Lucia Tourism Board, said that the island’s tour operator partners had noticed double and even treble bookings around the time the destination aired on the ITV show. He commented: “We have seen a
7.5% increase in arrivals to Saint Lucia as of September. We currently have adequate air lift and we are now concentrating on filling it. We will look at re-branding Saint Lucia for the UK market in 2013.” The branding will focus on some of
the experiences and themes explored at the Showcase trade event earlier this year – such as luxury, nature and culture.
www.stlucianow.co.uk
BY JULIE BAXTER SANDALS has unveiled a series of renovations and new additions. It has reopened the Beaches Ocho Rios property following a $30-million refurbishment and extension. Every room has been renovated, a new TexMex BBQ has been added, the waterpark has been expanded to become the largest in Jamaica, and a new teen hangout added. At the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort
$17 million has been spent upgrading facilities including renovation to the original Balmoral colonial building, which was once regularly visited by Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. The company has also purchased
LaSource Resort in Grenada, the brand’s first property in the country.
Alabama’s long river course
A new white water rafting route will open in Alabama’s Phenix City next August – the longest urban white water course in the world. Dams on the The Chatahoochee River have been removed and the flow has been engineered to a world-class standard, running between Phenix City, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia.
www.alabama.travel
Turkey to target trade. Turkey will target the UK trade in 2013 with road-shows and an online training programme. Turkish Tourism and Culture Minister Ozgur Ozaslan said the country wants to “educate the trade further about the country’s great value and diversity”. UK arrivals in the year to September exceeded two million.
www.gototurkey.co.uk
Sandals secures some 15 per cent of its business from the UK market and reports sales 20 per cent up on last year. The Bahamas is showing greatest growth with sales up 30 per cent and average length of stay extended from 10 to 11 days. Sandals director Stephen Hector said:
“We rely heavily on our trade partners for our success and will be running more fam trips in the coming year. It is so important that agents see the product and its quality for themselves.”
www.sandals.co.uk
What does Iskendurun offer international visitors? As a commercial and industrial key port city, Iskendurun attracts high numbers of visitors and overseas business travellers, particularly those from the industrial sectors. Tourist numbers in the Hatay region are also rising, with travellers seeking out the region's natural and cultural attractions, including the Mediterranean seaside, mountainous landscape, and significant historical and religious landmark heritage such as the rock- carved Church of St. Peter, known as the first church in the world.
Does Rotana plan to expand operations in Turkey? According to the trivago Hotel Destination Trends 2011 survey, Turkey was consecutively ranked amongst the top 10 most popular places to visit for European travellers in summer 2010 and 2011, and continued to rate well in 2012. Turkey has always been a very important market for Rotana and we aim to manage hotels in key locations within the country, marking our entry with the landmark Rhossos Rotana Iskenderun property. We are proud to have been chosen to manage this jewel and our team is very excited about the opportunity. We are confident that we will introduce a new dimension of hospitality to the country .
www.sellinglonghaul.com • Month 2012 013
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