16


NEWS


FIRST YEAR SUCCESS FOR PLAYNATION


FAIRMONT GROUP SHOWS OFF REGIONAL HOTEL LAUNCHES


Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is promoting its upcoming properties including hotels and mixed-use projects. Located worldwide, these properties will be introduced over the next few years and include hotels in Oman, Jaipur and the Philippines. In 2011, the properties set to open include the 324-room Fairmont Baku, located on a prime site next to the Azer- baijan parliament buildings and overlooking the Caspian Sea in the coastal city of Baku. In what is being hailed an iconic complex called the Flame Towers, the property will incorporate hotel, residential and commercial space and will be linked by centrally located retail and leisure facilities Also opening in 2011, the Fairmont Jaipur will offer 248 guest rooms, a variety of restaurants and bars, including


a poolside bar, a 930-square- metre Willow Stream spa, a 465-square-metre health club and a 4,500-square-metre Convention Centre, while the Fairmont Residences, Zama- lek Island, Cairo will offer 21 two- and three-bedroom resi- dences, each with a terrace and elegant finishes throughout. The development is in the highly sought-after Zama- lek District, located on the banks of the Nile River on Gezira Island, between modern downtown Cairo and Giza. Projects planned for 2012 and beyond include the 88-room Fairmont Mina Al Fajer, Fujairah; the 300-room Fairmont Makati, Philippines; the 350-room Fairmont Hyderabad, India; the 382-room Fairmont Palm Jumei- rah; the 702-room Fairmont Haitang Bay Resort in Sanya on Hainan Island; the 371-room Fairmont Nanjin; and the Fair-


Visit stand HC950


CHEAPERSKIES.COM SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS


Cheaperskies.com, the recently launched online booking site, is set to partner with more than 50 airlines by the end of 2011. The Dubai-based firm current- ly works with 13 airlines includ- ing Etihad, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. By the end of the year it plans to add Thai Airlines, Malay- sian Airlines and Air India to its list of operators.


Mohammed Abduraqeeb, business development manager at Cheaperskies.com, said: "We expect to have 50 plus airlines on board by the end of the year.


"We are already working with key regional airlines and we are now looking at working with several airlines in the Far East."


He added: "We offer the cheapest air fares in the world. The high volume of our sales means we get good rates with airlines. We are currently targeting the Middle East, but we are also getting good inter-


est from travel agents and corporates in the Far East." The company, which caters to both businesses and consum- ers, plans to target the European market and will attend WTM in London in November.


Visit stand HC1330


mont Residences, Shock Hill, Colorado offering 87 one-, two- and three-bedroom condomini- ums and penthouse residences. Additional properties planned for the Middle East include the Fairmont Abu Dhabi, Fairmont The Wave, Muscat and Fair- mont Riyadh, Business Gate. The latter is slated to open in 2012 featuring 287 rooms and 4,000 square metres of convention space.


"Riyadh is currently undergo- ing tremendous development, becoming a key financial and business destination for not only Saudia Arabia, but the Middle East," said Chris Cahill, presi- dent, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. "The influx of both public and private investment is creating a great opportunity for business and leisure travel and Fairmont Riyadh, Business Gate, will be an exciting addition to our own brand's growth in the region."


Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Enter- tainment is celebrating the first year of operation at Playnation Ð the entertainment destination at Mirdif City Centre in Dubai. Playnation includes the indoor skydiving tunnels of iFLY Dubai, the Soccer Circus Dubai training academy and edutain- ment centre Little Explorers. Over the last 12 months, iFLY Dubai has seen 40,000 flights, 12,000 people have braved the Sky Trail climbing wall and more than 300 birthday parties have been celebrated.


"Playnation is a destination that prides itself in offering something for everyone," said


Arnaud Palu, chief operating officer for Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment. Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment owns and oper- ates Ski Dubai, the region's first indoor ski resort at Mall of the


Emirates and ten Magic Planet family entertainment centres across the MENA region. It has recently given the region its first temperature controlled indoor/ outdoor water park Ñ Wahooo! at Bahrain City Centre.


Visit stand UAE230


ROYAL CARIBBEAN ACHIEVES FAIRYTALE ANNUAL GROWTH


Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) has reported 56 percent growth in Middle East business for 2010 compared to 2009, with one trav- el agent generating a huge 1080 percent year-on-year growth in sales for the cruise line.


Saudi Arabia's Al Faisaliah Trav- el & Tourism was one of nine top- performing travel agencies Ð all of whom achieved treble- or quad- ruple-figure growth - recognised at an awards ceremony staged by RCCL at its stand yesterday. Other agencies who received an award for their 2010 sales performance were Bahrain's Al Kaatib Travel; Egypt's Thomas Cook Travel; Jordan's Aminka- war Travel; Kuwait's Barakat Travel; Lebanon's The Travel Club; Qatar's Qatar Tours; and the UAE's BCD Travel.


RCCL has staged travel agent awards initiatives for several years but at this year's Arabian Travel Market, introduced two new accolades Ð the regional award for best sales perfor- mance and the cruise sales agent of the year.


The former was won by two agencies - Kurban Travel, Lebanon and Transworld Travel, while Emily Habaybe from Hashweh Corporation, Jordan, received the "Cruise Sales Agent of the year 2010" for her "outstanding performance." "Cruising is one of the few segments of the travel industry that has continued to grow throughout these challenging trading times," said Dr Abdulaziz Al Oshban, principal and manag- ing director of Safeen Tourism, the international representative of RCCL in the Middle East.


"A vital component in ensur- ing the regional cruise industry's long-term growth is honoring parties whose contributions are laying the foundations of its future success."


Helen Beck, regional director, international representatives, EMEA, for RCCL, stressed that the travel trade community was "very important" to the cruise line. "The majority of this success- ful business is sourced through our travel agency partners," she added.


This week has seen RCCL announce an extended third winter season in the Gulf for 2011-2012 following the high


demand for the Brilliance of the Seas Gulf and India itineraries for the 2010-2011 season. Having signed a deal with renowned film studio Dream- Works Animation, the cruise line is also introducing The DreamWorks Experience on board Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas sailing in the Caribbean and Liberty of the Seas on her seven-night Mediterranean itin- eraries sailing from Barcelona. To flag up this new initiative, which will see iconic DreamWorks characters meet and greet cruis- ers, Shrek is manning the Royal Caribbean stand at the show.


Shrek and Helen Beck Visit stand HC930


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