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Arabian Travel Market launches 2022 exhibitor awards

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, 31 March 2022: Arabian Travel Market 2022 exhibitors will pull out all the stops to showcase their business flair as they vie for ATM’s Best Stand Awards 2022.

The awards will recognise the creative design, people skills and the business-friendly appeal of exhibiting companies’ stands at the annual showcase, which will be taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 9 to 12 May 2022.

Arabian Travel Market, Exhibition Director ME Danielle Curtis said: “Arabian Travel Market would not be the huge success it is without the incredible amount of effort and investment that goes into creating and manning the exhibitor stands at the show.

“Since its inception, the award programme has not only recognised exhibitor’s efforts but has also encouraged exciting, fresh and creative stands.”

This year, the five categories will be – Best Stand Design, Best Stand for Doing Business, Best Stand Feature, Best New Stand, Best Stand at ATM Travel Tech, and the People’s Choice Award.

Judging will take place on day two of the show (Tuesday 10 May), with the winners announced on day three (Wednesday 11 May), with the panel comprising journalists and industry speakers, such as Paul Clifford, ITP Hospitality Group Editor and Philip Wooller, Area Director MEA at global hospitality research company STR.

“With more than 2,000 exhibiting companies spread across 10 exhibition halls, the judging panel will have a lot of ground to cover,” added Curtis.

Now in its 29th year and working in collaboration with the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) – formerly the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) – ATM show highlights in 2022 will include, among others, a destination summit focused on the key source market of India, as well as Saudi Arabia.

Previously called Travel Forward, the revamped and rebranded ATM Travel Tech event will take place on the ATM Travel Tech Stage, hosting seminars, debates and presentations, as well as the inaugural ATM Draper-Aladdin Start-up Competition.

The dedicated ARIVALDubai@ATM forum, meanwhile, will cover current and future trends for tour operators and attractions, focusing on growing business through marketing, technology, distribution, thought leadership and executive-level connections.

ATM will once again play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, a festival of events dedicated to enabling travel professionals from all over the world to collaborate and shape the recovery of the Middle East travel industry through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events.

Dubai’s Sevens Stadium goes greener

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, UAE, 31 March 2022: Community sports, world-class tournaments, and international teams hosted at The Sevens Stadium are now even more planet-friendly, with the opening of the region’s first and largest solar carport at a sporting facility, owned and managed by the Emirates Group.

Officially launched by Emirates Group Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the solar carport provides shaded car parking for over 550 vehicles, including four charging lots for electric cars. It will also generate sufficient clean energy to power all of the Stadium’s operations throughout the year, except during the week of the Emirates Dubai 7s when supplementary power will be required for the city’s biggest sporting and lifestyle event.

The new solar carport at the Sevens Stadium is the latest commitment to reducing carbon footprint, in line with Dubai’s vision to transform into a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

The Sevens Stadium’s other environmental initiatives include modern watering systems that utilise non-potable water, a waste reduction which saw 52% of waste generated at the 2021 Emirates Dubai 7s diverted from landfill through recycling, and the use of biodiesel to power events. At the 2021 Emirates Dubai Sevens, nearly 30,000 litres of biodiesel was used to power activity and amenities, including the World Rugby Broadcast, registration and referee tents, changing rooms, the HSBC lounges and ATMs in the village, and the lights and x-ray machines at the main entrance.

The Sevens Stadium hosts an active calendar of community sports which sees over 10,000 people per week during the winter months alone enjoying cricket, football, rugby, netball, and other sports at its various courts, fields and pitches. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, as sport struggled worldwide, The Sevens Stadium safely and successfully hosted international teams and events such as Olympic preparation training and matches, two editions of the Emirates Dubai 7s tournaments in 2021, and most recently, the Rugby World Cup Qualification Tournament. When the UAE recently hosted the IPL and T20 Cricket World Cup, The Sevens Stadium also played host to a number of the leading cricket teams and countries. www.thesevensstadium.com

For more information visit: www.emirates.com

(Your Stories: Emirates)

UNWTO seeks out best tourism villages

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TTR WEEKLY
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MADRID, 31 March 2022: The Best Tourism Villages awards by the UNWTO  will return for a second year as it seeks to establish itself as the world’s leading network focused on tourism for rural development.

Launched in 2021, Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO promotes the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages, along with their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, knowledge systems, and local values and activities, including gastronomy. At the same time, the initiative also promotes transformative approaches to developing tourism in rural destinations that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“All member states are invited to present candidates that are examples of villages working to realize tourism’s unique potential to foster sustainability and create opportunities for all,” said the UNWTO media statement.

The pilot project in 2021 featured 40 villages from more than 30 countries (170 applications) gained recognition as Best Tourism Villages. A further 20 villages were selected to participate in the Upgrade Programme.

UNWTO members states are invited once again to present candidacies through their National Tourism Administrations. Applications will be open until 28 June 2022, and the chosen villages will be announced at the end of the year.

Philippines strengthens tourist security

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TTR WEEKLY
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QUEZON CITY, the Philippines, 31 March 2022: As Philippine tourism gears up for recovery, the Department of Tourism (DOT) joins hands with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to beef up security in tourist destinations.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat commented: “We welcome this latest collaboration with our country’s police force and drug enforcement agency to provide greater protection against the illicit trafficking of dangerous drugs in tourist destinations.”

Branded as Tourism Operation Protection Against Illegal Drugs or the TOP-AID, the latest partnership between the DOT, PDEA and PNP is a follow-through to the TOPCOP programme, the tourism security force assisting in maintaining peace and order in areas that attract high tourism traffic. TOPCOP was established in 2011 and has trained 5,457 tourist police and put up 365 Tourist Police Assistance Centers (TPAC) in strategic locations across the country.

Under the new TOP-AID MOA, between the DOT, PDEA and PNP, the parties agree to cooperate and assist in ensuring the safety and security of tourists in DOT identified tourist destinations.

On the part of PDEA, they have agreed to deploy an appropriate workforce to TOP-AID centres in DOT identified tourist destinations.

Tourist assistance and complaint desks will focus on drug-related concerns. They will also lead an information drive on the “Drug-Free Workplace Programme” while assisting in drug clearing operations, including apprehending anyone engaged in illegal drug activities in coordination with the PNP and concerned local government units.

(Source: DOT Philippines)

Amadeus and Microsoft redefine corporate travel

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 31 March 2022: Amadeus, in partnership with Microsoft, is taking the first step to redefining corporate travel through a new online booking and expense management tool; Cytric Travel & Expense.

The Amadeus online booking and expense management tool is now embedded in Microsoft 365 – introducing Cytric Easy. Users can plan trips and share travel details with colleagues without ever leaving their day-to-day applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Teams. Booking business travel will be faster and easier than ever before:

Travellers can use one app to search, compare or book a hotel, flight, or car rental – without ever leaving Microsoft Teams.

Also in the pipeline, Outlook Calendar Invites will populate relevant data before starting the search process, such as preferred departure location, destination based on meeting location and dates. Flight search results will show recommended options based on flight convenience, price, and users’ preferences (for example, stopover airports to avoid). The shortest, cheapest, and greenest options will be highlighted.

Teams will send users prompts to visualize unassigned receipts, complete their expense reports, and file them on time. All of this will be done using Microsoft’s Single Sign-On service across your workplace ecosystem to access all travel and expense needs.

” With Cytric now embedded into Microsoft 365, toggling between applications will become a thing of the past, leading to improved productivity and easier compliance with travel and expense programmes. Most importantly, this collaboration with Microsoft simplifies decades-old processes that impact departments across finance, procurement, and travel. This is just the first step in our joint vision to transform the travel and expense experience,” says Amadeus Cytric Solutions executive vice resident Rudy Daniello.

Singapore Sevens is back

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 30 March 2022: Following a two-year hiatus, the international rugby Singapore Sevens is happening on 9 and 10 April 2022, marking the spirited revival of the country’s events sector.

Founded in 1976, the original Sevens in Hong Kong hasn’t faired so well. Branded the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, it rescheduled to 4 to 6 November 2022 due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. It had earlier scheduled the Sevens for the first week of April 2022.

In Singapore, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, the official hotel partner for the HSBC Rugby Sevens 2022 confirmed Pan Pacific Singapore would be hosting 16 teams that will compete at the country’s National Stadium.

To celebrate the occasion, the hotel group rolled out a line-up of promotions and savings for all Singapore Sevens ticket-holders at participating properties and dining outlets.

Ticket-holders can stay close to the action at Pan Pacific Singapore, Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay and Parkroyal Collection Pickering.

Open for bookings from now to 10 April 2022, Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens 2022 offer includes:

● Up to 28% off the best available room rate;
● Complimentary daily breakfast for one adult, additional breakfast available at a preferential rate;
● 20% savings on total restaurant bill (excluding alcoholic beverages) at participating hotel-operated outlets;
● Access to the hotel’s gym, swimming pool and other recreational facilities;
● Complimentary Internet access;
● Late check-out until 1400, subject to availability.

Emirates takes a look back

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, UAE, 30 March 2022: In 1992, Emirates decided to install TV screens in all seats across all cabin classes throughout its fleet, a revolutionary move that shaped traveller expectations and the inflight entertainment industry in the UAE for decades to come.

Take a trip down memory lane and watch Emirates’ ad when the airline introduced personal in-seat video systems in all seats back in 1992.

Emirates has not looked back since, constantly introducing new innovations that drove advancements in entertainment and connectivity at 40,000 feet. Large, ultra-high-definition 4k screens with faster and improved Wi-Fi connectivity are among the exciting developments Emirates has planned for its new generation IFE systems that will be delivered with its future fleet on order as the airline continues to improve its inflight offering. Not only that, Emirates is constantly updating its extensive library of content on ice, with over 100 movies and 200 episodes of TV being added each month.

Track the highlights of Emirates’ journey to provide the best inflight entertainment and connectivity experience through this timeline.

Patrick Brannelly, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Retail, IFE & Connectivity, said: “When Emirates introduced personal screens on every seatback in 1992, it was considered a massive industry innovation. Other airlines questioned the sense of this huge investment, estimated at about US$15,000 per seat at that time.

“But we quickly realised that our customers loved being entertained throughout the flight. It made their journeys feel shorter and fostered customer satisfaction and loyalty. Within a year, we were working on expanding the content choice to 20 channels on Emirates’ Boeing 777s, which were to join our fleet in 1995.

“We’ve never stopped improving our product. Emirates is constantly adding the best content from over 40 world regions to ice, our IFE system, and making sure that amazing content is experienced on the largest personal screens in the industry and through quality headphones and audio systems. Emirates has led in the inflight connectivity space, too, from the introduction of satellite phones in 1993 to becoming the first to install systems that enabled mobile phones to be used on aircraft. Today every Emirates aircraft has connectivity – and we have already placed orders for the next generation of connectivity.”

Emirates’ award-winning ice inflight entertainment system, originally launched in 2003 with 500 channels, today offers every passenger over 5,000 channels of on-demand movies, music, TV shows, box sets and documentaries in over 40 languages. The total accumulated hours of entertainment includes over 3,900 hours of movies and TV and over 3,300 hours of music and podcasts. An Emirates passenger would have to fly over 500 times from Dubai to Sydney in order to consume the entire library.

The success of Emirates’ IFE investments and strategy is demonstrated by the loyalty and positive feedback from its customers across all cabin classes, as well as through the numerous industry awards, including ‘Best Inflight Entertainment at the 2022 APEX Passenger Choice Awards, and ‘Skytrax World’s Best Inflight Entertainment’ every year since 2005.

In addition to entertainment, Emirates ice offers a range of other practical features, such as the ability to check the status of your flight while en route; a real-time view of the sky during take-off and landing from cameras that are fixed on the aircraft’s nose, tail and underbelly; a helpful travel guide about Emirates’ hub Dubai; EmiratesRED; the world’s first inflight TV shopping channel; and a range of personal development content including LinkedIn Learning.

Emirates customers can browse the extensive range of content available on ice, create their very own playlist in The Emirates Mobile App, then sync it on board for a more personalised travel experience.

For more information, visit Emirates/inflight-entertainment

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Indian travel firms promote vegetarian tours

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TTR WEEKLY
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MUMBAI, 30 March 2022: Indians are at heart food enthusiasts and exploring dining diversity plays an important role, especially when travelling and even more so for vegetarians.

Thomas Cook (India) and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, are identifying opportunities to tap India’s vegetarian segment through a range of special vegetarian tours that combine the best of cuisine and cultural experiences in destinations favoured for summer travel.

Thomas Cook (India) president & country head – holidays, MICE, visa Rajeev Kale said: “Indians love their food! And for vegetarians, the choice of vegetarian dishes is critical. The significant and growing number of Indians preferring vegetarian food offers us a strong opportunity, and therefore we have designed exclusive vegetarian tours that incorporate the best of local specialities that are unique to the region.”

A Thomas Cook and SOTC consumer survey showed over 85% of respondents are keen to travel during the upcoming summer season, and more than 60% prefer vegetarian meals when on tour.

SOTC Travel president and country head, Daniel D’souza, noted: “Our data indicate a significant shift in food preferences. Indians are switching to vegetarianism, not just for religious but also for health purposes.”

In response, the two companies have curated vegetarian tours that celebrate local delicacies like Kashmir’s signature Kashmiri saag, Nadru Yakhni – Lotus Stem Curry; Himachal’s Babru – black gram stuffed bread and Aktori – a traditional pahadi sweet; Ladakh’s Thukpa, Tingmo – Tibetan steamed buns; Sikkim’s Khapse – a Sherpa biscuit Bamboo shoot curry; Darjeeling’s Phambi – popular street snack; and Sri Lanka’s Kottu roti, Wambatu moju – eggplant pickle, polos – green jackfruit curry, and more.

The exclusive vegetarian seven-day food tours have been curated to include favourite summer destinations in India, such as Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Sri Lanka.

Special Tours

• Himachal Veg special tour to Shimla, Manali, Chandigarh costing INR30,900.00

• Ladakh Veg special tour to Leh, Nubra, Pangong, Leh at INR36,990.00

• Sikkim with Darjeeling Veg special tour to Gangtok, Pelling, Darjeeling at INR47,990.00

• Kashmir Veg special tour to Gangtok, Pelling, Darjeeling at INR 47,990.00

• Sri Lanka Veg special tour to Nuwara Eliya, Bentota, Ahungalla, Colombo at INR54,689.00

Additionally, the companies have included local and outdoor experiences to offer a holistic holiday experience:

• Ride atop the Gondola ride at Gulmarg and ATV quad bikes in Ladakh

• Shikara ride at Dal Lake in Kashmir and a boat ride at Lake Gregory in Sri Lanka

• Adventure lovers can experience white water rafting at Kitulgala in Sri Lanka

• Wildlife enthusiasts can visit the Madu River Safari, the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and the Turtle Hatchery & Farm in Sri Lanka

To strengthen customer confidence in travel, Thomas Cook & SOTC’s “TravShield” is India’s only safety commitment – with only vaccinated staff and co-passengers among many other precautions, building on their “Assured” travel safety protocols – developed in association with Apollo Clinics.

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited

Set up in 1881, Thomas Cook (India) Limited. (TCIL) operates leading B2C and B2B brands, including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Asian Trails, Allied T Pro, Australian Tours Management, Desert Adventures, Luxe Asia, Travel Circle International Limited (TCI), Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, Distant Frontiers, TC Tours, Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), Go Vacation, Private Safaris East & South Africa.

Penang welcomes first fam trip

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TTR WEEKLY
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GEORGE TOWN, Penang, 30 March 2022: Tourism Malaysia’s Singapore office organised the first familiarisation trip from Singapore to Penang after the recent launch of a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL).

The trip saw 15 invited guests, including six media representatives and four travel agents, plus representatives from Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia.

During a press conference held at The Prestige Hotel, Tuesday, the Penang state EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE), YB Yeoh Soon Hin welcomed the group after a long absence of international flights due to restrictions and lockdowns in Malaysia.

“Covid-19 pandemic plunged the global economy into a severe contraction, and the tourism sector was one the most drastically affected sector…After a close to a two-year pause, there is a need to gradually revive the industry and initiatives to generate economic activities need to be in place to ensure the substantivity of the tourism industry.” Yeoh told members of the fam trip. 

Since restrictions eased, there has been a spike in domestic travel to Penang, showing the island remains one of the top preferred destinations. The first batch of international visitors, including 60 Singaporean travellers, arrived on the 16 March inaugural VTL flight.

Yeoh noted that Singapore is the second-highest source of international tourists after Indonesia mainly due to its multi-ethnic community and its diversity of food, culture, heritage, art and natural surroundings.

“Every one of these categories stands out among the rest, making Penang a destination that travellers do not want to miss.”

Penang is the first state in Peninsular Malaysia to own two UNESCO sites; the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site and the newly recognised Penang Hill UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Yeoh encourages “visitors to explore the century-old Street of Harmony along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling where four places of worship are a stone’s throw away from one another.

“Nature lovers can discover the beauty of nature in the Penang Hill UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The “Seven Wonders of Penang” attractions that are equally attractive will cater to the different needs of travellers who opt for Penang.”

Lufthansa reconnects Bangkok and Munich

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 30 March 2022: Lufthansa reintroduced daily flights between Bangkok and the Bavarian capital Munich beginning with this year’s summer schedule, effective 27 March.

The Munich flights replace services on the Bangkok-Frankfurt route featured in the airline’s winter timetable from October 2021 to March 2022.

Latest flight schedule

  • Bangkok – Munich; LH773 departs 1100, arrives in Munich 0520.
  • Munich – Bangkok; LH772 departs 1045, arrives in Bangkok 1410.

Lufthansa deploys an Airbus A350-900 with 48 seats in business class, 21 in premium economy and 224 economy class seats.

In addition to the Munich flights on Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines will offer flights to Zurich and Vienna. Together they will offer 20 flights weekly between Bangkok and Europe. In the summer schedule, SWISS will offer six weekly between Bangkok and Zurich, while Austrian Airlines will fly daily between Bangkok and Vienna.

“The reopening of Thailand, our most important Southeast Asian market, will boost demand to perhaps the most popular leisure destination in all of Asia Pacific,” said Sabrina Winter, Lufthansa Group Airlines’ Head of Sales for Southeast Asia and Pacific. “A good reason why we are operating all of our three premium carriers to Bangkok.”

Lufthansa Group Airlines’ general manager for Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines & the Mekong Region Stefan Molnar added that nonstop flights to Munich using the A350 gave passengers access to Europe’s first five-star airport, voted the best in Europe 14 times.

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