Daily updated

World Tourism Organization Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attacks In Amman, Jordan.      10 Nov 05 - The World Tourism Organization (WTO) said Thursday it was "shocked " by the bombings in Amman and strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on three of the city's leading hotels. Read more.

Statement on Grand Hyatt Amman
11/9/05 3:30 p.m --We can confirm that there has been an explosion in the lobby of Grand Hyatt Amman. The hotel has been completely evacuated and local police have cordoned off the area and assumed control of the hotel. We cannot confirm the number of injuries at this time in what appears to be a tragic situation. The hotel's management team is working to assure the safety and relocation of Hyatt guests who have been evacuated and completely cooperating with the local investigative and law enforcement officials. Website: http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/index.jsp

Statement Concerning Explosion At Radisson SAS Hotel, Amman, Jordan
09-NOV-2005 - Rezidor SAS Hospitality, the partner of Radisson Hotels & Resorts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, confirms that an explosion took place on Wednesday evening in the Radisson SAS Hotel Amman in Jordan. This was one of a series of explosions in the city. The extent of the damage and the number of injuries cannot be confirmed at this time. The hotel is working closely with local authorities and emergency workers to provide aid to those who were injured. Guests have been evacuated and the hotel is working to insure their safety and security. We are saddened by this tragic incident and are mobilizing to clarify the facts and assist those who have been impacted.
Website : http://www.radisson.com./

Amman -- Jordan's tourism industry is likely to take a hard hit after bombs ripped through three five-star hotels in central Amman Wednesday, killing at least 67 people and wounding scores of others. Tourism is a vital source of income for the kingdom that, unlike its oil-rich neighbours Iraq and Saudi Arabia, boasts few natural resources. A police spokesman, said: "There were three terrorist attacks on the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels and it is believed that the blasts were suicide bombings."

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that visits abroad by UK residents rose by 4 per cent during the 12 months ending September 2005, from 63.3 million to 65.9 million. Over this period, visits to Western Europe increased by 1 per cent (to 49.7 million), to North America by 9 per cent (to 5.1 million) and to other parts of the world by 19 per cent (to 11.1 million).
In the same 12-month period, visits by overseas residents to the UK rose by 10 per cent, from 27.1 million to 29.9 million. Although visits from residents of North America showed a decrease of 2 per cent (to 4.3 million), there was an increase in visits from residents of Western Europe of 10 per cent (to 19.4 million), and from other parts of the world of 19 per cent (to 6.2 million).

JAL Expands Role in Atmospheric Observation Programme
Tokyo November 10 2005: From mid 2006 five Japan Airlines aircraft will be participating in an expanded global warming observation project to monitor greenhouse gases in the upper atmosphere (troposphere) using specially fitted air sample collection and measuring equipment.
Code named AMATRAS – for Atmospheric Measurement by Airliners for Trace Species - the new observation programme will involve five JAL aircraft measuring the composition of the upper atmosphere on JAL international routes such as between Japan and South East Asia and between Japan and Europe over Siberia.

SEATTLE, Nov. 9, 2005 -- Air Canada today signed a contract with Boeing to upgrade the airline's fleet with up to 36 Boeing 777s and 60 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The conclusion of the order comes six months after the airline announced a widebody fleet renewal plan, subject to a number of conditions.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 -- The Air Transport Association (ATA) is forecasting that 21.7 million passengers will travel globally on U.S. airlines during the 2005 Thanksgiving holiday season (Saturday, November 19 through Tuesday, November 29).
"The airlines have been working closely with the FAA and the TSA to ensure that air travel remains safe and convenient," said ATA President and CEO James C. May. "Even with these cooperative efforts, millions of people will be traveling over a short period of time and passengers should plan accordingly."

Eurostar, le train à grande vitesse qui relie la Belgique et la France à la Grande-Bretagne, continue d'agrandir son bureau belge. Après l'arrivée de Els Buzzi comme Sales Manager, Owen Welch a rejoint l'équipe. Owen, Commercial Manager, sera notamment responsable de la stratégie de vente et travaillera en étroite collaboration avec les divers partenaires d'Eurostar, comme la SNCB. A côté de cela, il s'occupera également de la gestion administrative du bureau belge. Owen peut se vanter de son nombre d'années d'expérience dans le domaine du transport et du voyage.
Owen Welch travaillera sous la direction de Anne-Françoise Piette, Directrice Sales & Marketing Eurostar Belgique.

Continental Airlines wordt de eerste vliegtuigmaatschappij met een non stop dienst tussen de Verenigde Staten en India, met de lancering van dagelijkse vluchten tussen de New York hub op Newark Liberty International Airport en het Indira Ghandi International Airport in Delhi.
De nieuwe non stop vlucht zorgt ervoor dat reizigers tussen New York en Delhi twee en een half uur minder reizen vergeleken met de huidige verbinding met andere maatschappijen tussen de twee steden.

W Hotels To Debut In China - Shanghai Will Welcome World’s Fastest Growing Luxury Hotel Brand in 2008
09 Nov 05 -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), announced today that W Hotels will make its debut in Shanghai with a 400-room hotel in Pudong, Shanghai’s central financial district, that will open in 2008. The newly built hotel will cater especially to upscale business and leisure travelers when it opens, making it the 28th W in the group since the brand’s debut in 1998. Read more.

"German Home Market Crowned With New-Generation Hotels"
Three new hotels have opened in Germany within a few weeks: Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, the first-class hotel group of the European Rezidor SAS Hospitality hotel company, is pulling out the stops. The new hotels in Rostock, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt are packed with surprises. In terms of architecture, design and comfort, they set new standards. Read more.

SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 8 -- Regent International Hotels today announced the opening of its first luxury hotel in China. The Regent Shanghai, with its spectacular architecture and design, premier location and world-class facilities, is Shanghai's newest luxury landmark.
The 511-room hotel is owned by Summit Property Development Co. and managed by Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 8 -- American Airlines and Air Sahara announce a fully reciprocal frequent flyer agreement. Beginning Nov. 15, the two airlines will feature reciprocal frequent flyer privileges that allow members of American's AAdvantage(R) program to earn and redeem miles when traveling on flights operated by Air Sahara, one of the fastest- growing private sector airlines in India. Likewise, members of the Air Sahara Cosmos program may earn and redeem miles when traveling on flights operated by American.

OSAKA, 8 November 2005 - Swissôtel Nankai Osaka has taken comfort levels to new heights by introducing three brand new room categories, 'Premier', 'Deluxe' and 'Swiss Business Advantage'. The new rooms feature deluxe amenities and services to meet the needs of business and leisure travellers.

BANGKOK, 8 November, 2005 - Accor has added the Grand Mercure Park Avenue to the brand's fast growing network in Asia, with a prime location on Bangkok's vibrant Sukhumvit Road.
The 221-room hotel is near the city centre on Sukhumvit Soi 22, close to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and within walking distance to the Phrom Phong Skytrain station. Grand Mercure Park Avenue is also near the popular Emporium Shopping Centre and adjacent to the Benjasiri Park, one of Bangkok's largest green areas.
To celebrate its launch Grand Mercure Park Avenue is offering a special package of 5,999 baht ++ (US$146) baht for two nights - double occupancy - including breakfast, round trip airport transfers, tax and service charge from now until 31 December. Inquiries and bookings can be made direct to the hotel on (662) 262-0000 or on accorhotels.com/asia

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Nov. 7 -- GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, Brazil's low-cost, low-fare airline, today began operating flights four times per week to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (population 8.8 million). Santa Cruz is GOL's second international destination; expansion to Bolivia is in line with the Company's plans to popularize air transportation in South America.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7 -- Mexicana de Aviacion, Mexico's first airline and leader in the international market announced today additional non- stop service from Los Angeles to Guadalajara and Zacatecas. The Los Angeles to Guadalajara route increased offering consists of one additional daily flight to and from Guadalajara, adding to their existing six daily flights. As for Zacatecas, the airline is adding two additional weekly flights. These new flights will operate using state-of-the-art Airbus A320 airplanes with a two- class configuration and Mexicana's signature in-flight service.

Vilvoorde, Belgium, 07 November 2005: Since last Summer, Amadeus was the first to offer Hotel Multimedia to all its Amadeus Selling Platform (Vista) version 2.2 users. This user-friendly application, free of charge and included in the standard offer, has been enthusiastically received by all our customers. Hotel Multimedia offers pictures, logos, descriptive text and maps for over 40.000 Hotels. Read more.

DULLES, Va., Nov. 7 -- FLYi, Inc., parent of low-fare airline Independence Air, today announced that FLYi, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the "company") including Independence Air, have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in order to restructure the company's aircraft leases and other obligations to achieve necessary cost savings.

MONTREAL, Nov. 7 -- Worldspan, L.P. is significantly expanding travel agency access to leisure content through the Worldspan Go! desktop network. In December, Worldspan is releasing its Web-based vacation booking engine called Worldspan VacationSelect(SM), which is being developed with Trisept Solutions' industry- leading VAX VacationAccess(R) technology. In addition, the Web-based Worldspan CruiseSelect(SM) system for agencies has been fortified with the inventories of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. The announcements were made at the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) 2005 World Travel Congress in progress here today.

De kerstperiode in Zuid-Tirol
Brussel, 7 november 2005. Zuid-Tirol heeft zo zijn eigen kersttradities en één daarvan zijn de authentieke kerstmarkten. Kerstmarkten betekenen hier de geur van gepofte kastanjes en glühwein, handwerk en zelfgemaakte Plätzchen (koekjes). Lees meer.

With 5 beautiful Mauritian hotels in its portfolio, including the internationally acclaimed 5* Beau Rivage and the evocative 4*plus Legends, the Naiade Resorts Group is proud to announce the addition of White Sands Resort & Spa in the Maldives, and Desroches Island Resort in the Seychelles to its discerning Indian Ocean collection.

Montréal, Nov. 7, 2005 – The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), in conjunction with its partner ITB Berlin, is pleased to announce the travel industry’s most global and inclusive meeting, THETRADESHOW (Travel Retailing and Destination Expo), an in-depth networking and educational event for all sectors of the travel and tourism industry. Read more.


News from Riga

Riga has the fastest growing airport in Europe
With 83 % increase in passenger traffic during the first 9 months of 2005 Riga Airport is currently believed to be the fastest growing airport in Europe.
Read more

Riga City joins Riga Convention Bureau
On 25 October Riga City Council made a decision to join Inspiration Riga in Riga Convention Bureau. The Ministry of Economy plans to join efforts with the city and private sector from 2006.
Read more.

Hotel Valdemars joins Inspiration Riga
Hotel Valdemars, a newly renovated hotel located in an Art Nouveau building in downtown Riga joined Inspiration Riga in the end of October.
Read more.

airBaltic adds morning flights from Oslo
The Latvian airline airBaltic introduces new morning flights from Oslo and new afternoon flights from Dnepropetrovsk to Riga for its winter timetable.
Read more.

Ryanair expands route network on Riga
Ryanair continues to expand its operations on Riga. In January 2006 the airline will start daily operations from Dublin to Riga thus competing with airBaltic and Aer Lingus that already operate this route.
Read more.

Meet Inspiration Riga at EIBTM
Inspiration Riga - Riga Convention Bureau will be represented at EIBTM - the global meeting & incentive exhibitions at Stand number i110.

Your Domiciliation in Brussels

Dolce Kasteel Vaalsbroek - Pour l'automne ou pour Noël...
Offres fantastiques et envolées culinaires cet automne au Dolce Kasteel Vaalsbroek
Feu crépitant, soirées froides… En bref: l'hiver approche. Et pendant les mois d'hiver rien n'égale l'hospitalité chaleureuse de Dolce Kasteel Vaalsbroek. Les chefs cuisiniers se tiennent prêts à vous gâter, vous, votre famille, vos amis ou vos collègues par de délicieux repas, réunis en 3 menus. Vous désirez partir pour quelques jours ? En savoir plus

EAGAN, Minn. -- (November 7, 2005) - Northwest Airlines today announced a systemwide October load factor of 82.9 percent, 2.6 points above October 2004. Northwest flew 5.9 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 7.1 billion available seat miles (ASMs) in October 2005, a traffic decrease of 4.0 percent and a capacity decrease of 6.9 percent versus October 2004.


Een geslaagd seizoen voor Bellewaerde Park
El Volador en Halloween zijn de absolute toppers van 2005
Ieper - 7 november 2005. Gisteren heeft Bellewaerde Park zijn 50+1e seizoen afgesloten. Ondanks het minder goede weer werd 2005 toch een succes voor het familiepark. Het 3 in 1 concept “dieren-attracties-natuur” spreekt duidelijk tot de verbeelding. De introductie van de nieuwe attractie El Volador bleek een schot in de roos en ook tijdens de Halloween periode was de opkomst weer massaal! Lees meer.

Climate Change Poses Risk To Tourism WTO Warns
MADRID, BEIJING (CHINA), 3 November 2005 – Climate change poses a growing risk to the tourism industry, the tourists themselves and the economies that rely on their spending, WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli told the Technical Conference on Climate as a Resource in Beijing on 1 November. Read more.

With load factor improving by 2.2 points to 81.7%, Air France-KLM posted a further strong performance in October. Activity remained extremely robust with traffic increasing by 8.9% on 6.0% higher capacity. Air France-KLM carried over 6 million passengers (up 5.3%).

PHOENIX, Nov. 4 -- Mesa Air Group, Inc. reported its preliminary traffic figures, on-time performance and completion rate figures for October 2005. Year-over-year available seat miles increased 13.1% in October 2005 to 764 million, compared to 675 million in October 2004. Revenue passenger miles increased 13.0% from 485 million in 2004 to 548 million in 2005. Passenger enplanements increased 8.4% from 1,055,734 in October 2004 to 1,143,970 in October 2005.

Deense mini-eilanden op internet te boeken
Het toeristische samenwerkingsverband van een dertigtal Deense mini-eilanden, Dansk Småø Turisme, stelt liefhebbers nu in staat via internet informatie over de vakantiemogelijkheden ervan in te winnen en desgewenst vakanties te boeken. De website van de organisatie, waarin ook tal van kleine Deense veerdiensten deel uitmaken, presenteert de mogelijkheden nu in het Deens, Duits, Engels, Zweeds en Noors.
Op de site www.oeturisme.dk worden de vakantiemogelijkheden op 26 rijkgeschakeerde kleine eilanden, verdeeld over het hele land, gepresenteerd. Er worden uiteenlopende producten aangeboden, zoals gezinsvakanties, minivakanties, groepsreizen en dagtochten. De nadruk bij de aanbiedingen ligt op natuurbeleving, rust en sfeer.
Meer informatie: Dansk Småø Turisme, Riisvej 11, Venø, DK-7600 Struer, tel. +45 7020 7373, fax +45 7020 7305, e-mail: vf@danske-smaaoer.dk en internet: www.oeturisme.dk

Tignes in de herfst… sneeuw, sneeuw, sneeuw!
Dit jaar kunt u bij de eersten zijn om uw ski's onder te binden. Vanaf 1 oktober geeft Tignes u namelijk rendez-vous tussen 3000 en 3456 m op de Glacier de la Grande Motte! De kabelbaan die werd ingehuldigd in 1993 brengt u van het hart van het wintersportstation tot aan de voet van de gletsjer in nauwelijks 7 minuten. De eerste sneeuw is gevallen en de eerste pistes liggen op u te wachten: Rosolin, Champagny, Corniche… Ook de langlaufpiste, het sneeuwpark en 8 mechanische skiliften zijn open! En weldra 300 km maagdelijk witte pistes… Lees meer.


66th SKÅL World Congress, Zagreb, Croatia
The 4th Annual Skål International Ecotourism Awards were presented by the President of Skål International, Matanyah Hecht and Director of Media and Public Relations, Ms. Hulya Aslantas during the Opening Ceremony of the 66th Skål World Congress held in Zagreb, Croatia, on 17th October 2005 under the patronage of the President of Croatia Mr. Stjepan Mesic. Read more.


Alitalia : Inserting customer contact details during booking
We remind you that any Alitalia booking made by your agency which does not include the customer contact details (or does not state that the customer refused to supply details) will be considered irregular since it does not comply with CEE 261/2004 regulations.
Any payment that Alitalia incurs for non-compliance with the above regulations, due to the lack of information required, will be debited to your agency.

Chapman Freeborn - Aerial Aid Drop Specialist - Comes to The Rescue of Hungry French Trans-Pacific Rower Off North-Western USA Coast!
Chapman Freeborn Airchartering got a very unusual plea for assistance from Eagle Aviation, a French airline whose aircraft we frequently charter. Read more.

Mandarin Oriental International Limited have announced that Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage a new 400-room luxury hotel in the multi-billion dollar urban development "Project CityCenter" in Las Vegas, Nevada. The project is planned by MGM MIRAGE, the U.S. gaming industry's pre-eminent resort and casino company. Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas is expected to open in the first phase of the development, in late 2009.

BANGKOK, November 4, 2005 - The PATA Gold Awards 2006 are open for submissions until December 1, 2005 only. For the first time, both non-PATA members as well as members are welcome for the submission. The objective is to strengthen the PATA Gold Awards as the leading travel industry awards for the Asia Pacific region.
For further information, please contact PATA Manager-Communications, Ms Paveena Olansuksakul. Tel: (66-2) 658-2000 ext 116. Fax: (66-2) 658-2010. E-mail: goldawards@PATA.org.

Emirates Group is expanding its presence in the hospitality sector with the launch of its latest project - the Emirates Marina Serviced Apartments & Spa. Located at the prestigious Dubai Marina development, the five-star property will cater for both leisure travellers and corporate executives who wish to stay for short visits, or require extended stays in Dubai.

oneworld aims for bigger slice of Dutch business travel market 03 November 2005 - The oneworld™ airline alliance today launches a major drive to gain a bigger share of the business travel market from the Netherlands, by offering small and medium-sized companies throughout the country discounts of up to 50 per cent on more than a thousand air fares in return for a more regular relationship with the alliance. These fares are flexible and tailored for business travel. Read more.

SEATTLE, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire -- The Boeing Company announced today that Russia's AirBridge Cargo airline, a part of the Volga-Dnepr Group, has ordered two Boeing 747-400ER freighters.
The airplanes, with a list price value of $450 million, are scheduled for delivery in October 2007 and February 2008 and will be powered by General Electric CF6-80C2B5F engines.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts Newsletter. November Issue

GUANGZHOU, China – November 3, 2005 - China Southern Airlines, - www.cs-air.com/en - with the largest and most technically advanced aircraft fleet in The People's Republic of China, is pleased to introduce its all new in-flight Duty Free Catalogue with an exciting new assortment of products available from China’s largest airline.
New offerings this Fall season from China Southern include newly available products from DKNY, Armani, Body Wave and Folli Follie.

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