10 News
QATAR AIRWAYS TO LAUNCH 12 NEW DESTINATIONS
Marking further worldwide expansion, Qatar Airways announced 12 new destinations for 2018 at ATM, including one in the United States. The Doha-based carrier will launch services
to San Francisco next year, as well as routes to Cardiff, the United Kingdom; Utapao, Thailand; Chittagong, Bangladesh; Mykonos, Greece; Málaga, Spain; Accra, Ghana; Lisbon, Portugal; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Prague, Czech Republic; Kiev, Ukraine and Mombasa, Kenya. The network expansion comes after 14 new
destination launches already announced for 2017- 2018, and will take its total route count to more than 150 destinations by the end of next year.
Speaking at the airline’s ATM press confer-
ence, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker addressed recent criticism from US carriers over Gulf airline expansion in the country, and remained upbeat about the carrier’s US business. While passenger numbers to the US have dipped, the impact has been “very small”, he said. “We didn’t have a massive decline so we will
continue our commitment to our passengers in the United States,” Al Baker added. Al Baker also revealed the airline will launch high-speed broadband on flights this summer. ——— Visit stand ME1540
COLLIERS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIAL OF ASIAN COUNTRIES
Opportunities to boost GCC tourism receipts were outlined in a new white paper during an engaging panel session at ATM yesterday. Entitled Capitalising on Experiential Travel: China and India Mega Source Markets, the paper, published by commercial real estate firm Colliers International, outlined the scope for harnessing growth markets in India and China. Yesterday’s session, which took place on
the ATM Global Stage, saw a panel of experts delve into the report’s landmark findings, with Filippo Sona, Director, Head of Hotels MENA region, Colliers International; Azeez Narain, Associate Vice President – Development, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces; and Debrah Dhugga, Managing Director, DUKES Collec- tion taking part.
According to the report, the growing middle
class and cheaper flight options are transform- ing the outbound travel landscape for India and China, which have a combined 146 million pass- port holders and have been recognised as mega source markets for outbound tourism globally. “Indian visitors are hugely attracted by value
for money, translating to all-inclusive deals. At the moment, Ras Al Khaimah is leading the all-inclusive market,” said Sona. Discussing the importance of tailoring tourism offerings to each specific market, he added: “China, like any country in the world, has regions and each region has its own culture.” The report outlines suggestions such as visas-on-arrival, which is now available to Chinese visitors to the UAE.
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