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NEWS


LAGOON LOCATION FOR THE ROYAL AMWAJ RESORT & SPA


Reservations are now being taken for The Royal Amwaj Resort & Spa on The Palm Jumeirah. The new hotel, which is being developed by Seven Tides and will be managed by Swiss brand Movenpick, is expected to have its soft opening by the end of the year and be fully operational in early 2012.


NEWLY LAUNCHED MEYDAN HOTELS SHOWCASES PROPERTIES


The well-established Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa is being shown alongside sister property The Meydan under new management at this year's Arabian Travel Market. Meydan Hotels & Hospital- ity assumed management of the two hotels in January. Both were previously managed by Jumeirah Group.


Meydan Grandstand, in the heart of Meydan City, is also being promoted as a venue not only for watching horse races, but also for hosting corporate events and private entertain-


ment. Its Sky Bubble offers 360-degree views of Dubai, while the Imax theatre seats more than 500 people. The Gallery can host awards cere- monies while The Apron is ideal for large concerts and festivals. Leisure facilities at The Meydan include a rooftop infin- ity pool, a tennis academy with nine floodlit courts and facilities for basketball, volleyball, hand- ball and badminton. A nine-hole, floodlit golf cou-


rse designed by the renowned Peter Harradine is scheduled to open in October this year.


Visit stand UAE2300


Meydan Hotels & Hospitality vice president Abdin Nasralla said he wanted the property to be the "ultimate hotel for sport". "We have the horse racing, we will have golf and our tennis academy is the first in the region to offer dedicated courts sized specifically for chil- dren. "In addition, there are jogging and cycle tracks, the very best game and target shooting simulator, plus a blow karting arena, a rooftop infinity pool and a spa."


Meydan Hotels has special summer rates for GCC residents and group bookings at both The Meydan hotel and Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa.


FIVE-STAR HOTEL TO OPEN IN RECORD-BREAKING CAPITAL GATE


Adrian Hearn


One of Abu Dhabi's most iconic buildings, Capital Gate, will soon be home to a 189-room, five- star Hyatt hotel.


The Hyatt Capital Gate, which will open in the last quarter of


2011, is exhibiting at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) stand and the Hyatt stand. General manager Ashwini Kumar said Arabian Travel Market was the premier travel exhibition


Visit stand UAE1900


in the Middle East. "It's the ITB of the Middle East," he said. "The exposure we get here to both the local and international markets is tremendous. It's an opportunity that we can't miss." Kumar said the ADTA had put a lot of effort towards promoting the UAE capital as a destination for both business and leisure travel. Hyatt Capital Gate is the brand's first hotel in Abu Dhabi and part of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company's Capital Centre complex. The iconic Capital Gate building has a world record for having the steepest incline at 18 degrees, more than four times that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. "A building like this has never been done before, so we are part of history," Kumar said. Hyatt Capital Gate director of sales and marketing Adrian Hearn said the new property would provide guests with an authentic luxury hotel experience in a build- ing that was truly magnificent. "This will be one of the most exclusive hotels in the world."


The Royal Amwaj offers 293 hotel rooms, 18 stilted villas, a 460-metre beach, a tropical stand-alone spa island and a fully inclusive leisure option for those who prefer to pay upfront for food and beverages. Seven Tides managing director Mike Scully said the lagoon location on The Palm, the Thai theme and the resort facilities had been designed to appeal to markets from both east and west, as well as from the region. "As tourists become more sophisticated, they do not want products that are the same all over the world and the themed development is proving a huge success," Scully said.


One key element for that success, he said, is good rela- tionships with the travel trade, both regionally and internationally, particularly in the current economic climate. "It is easy to establish if agents like the product and the people, as you cannot get away from the fact that you have to buy market share in current conditions, and incentives have to be on the table.


"We are already seeing Egypt fighting back and Greece and Turkey coming in with


highly competitive pricing. Dubai has had a good start to 2011," he added. Longer term, Scully emphasised that the Dubai hospitality sector had to look at the massive potential of the Chinese and Eastern markets, building products that appealed to those travellers. "In many respects, their demands are similar to those of the regional GCC market with the emphasis on family travel, culture and theme parks, rather than sunshine."


Visit stand HC500


growth in passenger traffic at Beijing Capital International Airport


13% Source: Airport Council International


SAUDI ARABIA UNVEILS ITS AMBITIOUS TOURISM PLANS


show. These are Madain Sallah and Drayah the latter having particular significance as an ancestral home of the royal family.


Abdullah S. Al-Jehani


year with an impressive-sized stand capturing some of the Kingdom's rich history and plans to expand its tourism industry. High on the agenda, according to Abdullah S. Al-Jehani, the Commission's vice


Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities is participating at the Arabian Travel Market for its 8th


president for marketing and media, has been to concentrate on the hotel sector and introduce a revised star ratings system. "We are working with other tourism authorities to enhance standards within the region," he noted.


Two particular destinations are being promotewd at the


Visit stand ME2500


While Al Jehani acknow- ledged the hurdles of past visa restrictions, these have been eased for business tourism. "Things are now much easier for corporate travel to conferences and events, in the form of a special business visa," he reported.


One particular target area is health tourism. Saudi Arabia has the largest healthcare sector in the Middle East with a 2010 budget of US$16.3bn last year and huge investments planned within coming years. The commission is working with health institutions in the Kingdom to raise its medical tourism profile.


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