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Positive Traffic Trend Continued
Revenue Passenger Kilometers: +23,5 %
Load Factor Scheduled Services: +6 percentage points reaching 72,6 %
Traffic result of the Austrian Airlines Group for February 2006
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KLM Open - Three More Years
AMSTELVEEN, March 15, 2006 - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has associated its name as chief sponsor of the KLM Dutch Open Golf Tournament for another three years. This will keep the prestigious tournament on the European Tour calendar for 2007, 2008, and 2009. This year, the KLM Open will run from August 10 to 13 at the Kennemer Golf & Country Club. The KLM Ladies Open will run from June 2 to 4 at the Eindhovensche Golf.
United Airlines Announces Investment in Premium Cabin International Travel Experience
Selects B/E Aerospace for Premium Class Seating Program Initially Valued at up to $165 Million Over Two to Three Year Period
As part of its ongoing strategy to provide differentiated products and services to its customers, United Airlines today announced its initial investment in upgrading the international first and business class travel experience for United's customers. Read more.
AVIAREPS with new client Air Madrid
Air Madrid has appointed AVIAREPS its General Sales Agent in France. The airline representation will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities. General Manager of the French unit is Jean Michel Bohn.
Air Madrid was founded 2003 and operates long haul flights to the Americas from Barcelona and Madrid. The fleet maintains 3 Airbus A330-200, 1 A340-300, 1 A310-300 and will add 1 A330-300 soon. By the end of March the airline is going to launch feeder flights from the European key airports of Frankfurt, Paris and Milan in order to strengthen Madrid as a hub for connections to long haul services. Passengers arriving from Paris will have the choice between routes to Buenos Aires, Mexico City and other destinations.
SEATTLE -- Alaska Airlines announced that the Alaska Air Group Board of Directors has authorized a plan to transition the airline to a fleet of all-Boeing 737 aircraft by the end of 2008. The board's action will accelerate the retirement of the airline's MD-80 fleet.
Thomas Cook Airlines
Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium fête aujourd'hui son quatrième anniversaire. Durant ces quatre dernières années, la compagnie aérienne a assuré des vols-vacances pour 3,69 millions de vacanciers belges. Au cours du dernier exercice (novembre 2004-octobre 2005), Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium a à nouveau réalisé un excellent résultat financier. La flotte s'enrichira prochainement d'un sixième appareil, ce qui générera des emplois supplémentaires au niveau du personnel de cabine et de cockpit. En savoir plus.
Agreement with BAA Heathrow paves way for co-location of oneworld airlines from four to two terminals
-- Passengers to benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and smooth transfers
-- Deal provides for alliance growth at its biggest European hub
13 March 2006 -- The member airlines of the oneworldTM alliance and BAA Heathrow have signed an historic agreement which will ensure a world-class passenger experience for their customers following the opening of the London airport's Terminal 5 in March 2008. Read more.
JAL & Korean Air to Expand Code Share Partnership
Tokyo, Thursday March 13, 2006: Japan Airlines (JAL) and Korean Air (KAL) have agreed to expand their code share partnership from March 26, 2006. As a result, the total number of code share routes operated by the two airlines will increase from 7 routes and 104 flights per week to 9 routes and 266 flights per week (on a one-way basis). Read more.
Financially embattled Malaysia Airlines unveiled last week its turnaround plan, which should transform the loss-making carrier into a profitable airline again. A major strategic shift will be the transformation of the airline from a point-to-point carrier into a strong hub carrier, a probable requisite for MAS if it wants to become a member of the Skyteam alliance with Air France/KLM. The three-year plan envisages axing unprofitable routes, including numerous European/Middle East cities like Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, Manchester, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna and Zurich, as well as a few Indian and Chinese cities. In Europe, MAS would like in turn to build up its frequencies to four points, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and Paris, and offer connections to the rest of the continent. The arrival of the giant Airbus A380 should accelerate the trend to network consolidation in order to maximise its investment in the new aircraft.
ITB looks at the Middle East impact on air transport
Booming air transport in the Middle East was the focus at one of the many interesting sessions at the ITB Convention's Aviation Day. Air transport in the region is currently showing double-digit growth rates high-quality local airlines are offering more and more frequencies to a growing number of destinations around the world. Read more.
Air One to challenge Alitalia ?
Does Air One's order for 30 A320 aircraft mean it is getting ready to challenge Alitalia as Italy's leading airline in Europe? Unfortunately, it is not yet clear - but there are some indicators:
- AO's A320s will have two classes of cabin (apparently ending Air One's flirtation with low-fare airline prices), and will replace its B737s. Neither AO nor Airbus provide the planned schedule for this - but it is believed that the replacement programme could start this year.
- AO says it will add new routes to its existing 23. None have been named, although the airline has recently pulled off some international routes.
Will US air carriers turn the corner ?
The US airline industry has been the most affected since 2001. Traffic collapsed to unprecedented low levels after 9/11, as security and fuel costs soared. According to the Air Transport Association of America (ATA), 19 carriers have filed for bankruptcy court protection or have been liquidated since 2000. Low-cost airlines have also been affected: Independence Air and Song recently stopped operating. Traditional network carriers have simplified and shrunk their fleets. Read more.
NEW YORK, March -- Baltia Air Lines, a New York based U.S. startup airline, is continuing its preparations for the start of service later this year with one B747 aircraft. The airline will operate out of Terminal Four at the JFK airport in New York.
Baltia's objective is to operate in a niche market flying nonstop with a Boeing 747 from JFK to St. Petersburg, Russia and to other cities within the Baltic region. The B747 aircraft enables Baltia to provide spacious three class seating layout and it also provides the cargo capacity necessary for this market.
Lufthansa sees further growth potential in Asia and the Middle East
Lufthansa broke several records last year: 51.3 million passengers, 660,000 flights and a load factor of 75% made history for the airline in 2005. In 2006, quality and innovation will continue to be Lufthansa's two major engines of growth, according to Thierry Antinori, President of Passenger Traffic for the German carrier, during a press briefing at ITB. Read more.
Berlin's airports experienced a record year in 2005 with 17.2 million passengers. “ With a traffic jump of 15.3%, we grew three times faster than German airports overall,” said Dieter Johannsen-Roth, outgoing CEO of the airport company at a breakfast organised for the media at ITB. In 2006, Berlin expects passenger throughput to exceed 18 million and additional capacity will be needed to cope with a further surge in traffic demand. A new terminal opened last December at Schönefeld airport and another will be constructed in Tegel.
President of Air Berlin's Board of Directors, Joachim Hunold, announced at ITB that its airline will go public by the end of the year and become Air Berlin plc, registered in London. “We will then have the right structure to pursue our continued growth and assure our future”, said Hunold. The airline carried 13.5 million passengers in 2005 (+12.5%) and increased turnover to EUR1.22 billion (+24.6%). The airline sees growth beyond Germany. Last year, Air Berlin launched domestic flights from London to Glasgow and Manchester. This year, it plans to base one aircraft in Amsterdam and another in Zurich. It is Germany's largest carrier to Palma de Mallorca with over 4.5 million passengers.
Lan Airlines To Increase Flights Between Sydney and Santiago de Chile
CHILE - LAN Airlines will add a sixth weekly flight from Sydney to Santiago, Chile, from July 2. The new service will operate every Sunday and is now available for sale. The carrier presently offers Sydney-Santiago flights every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday morning
Finnair To Offer More Flights To Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou
HELSINKI - Helsinki-based carrier Finnair is boosting frequencies to Chinese destinations. The service to Hong Kong will be raised from three times a week to four times a week from July until the end of October. Flights to Shanghai will be boosted from five times a week to seven as of July and services to Guangzhou will increase from three times per week to four.
Continental Introduces Inline Check-In Departing Hong Kong & Beijing
HONG KONG - Continental Airlines has made available an online check-in service for passengers departing from Hong Kong and Beijing international airports. Passengers can check-in via the internet anytime between 60 minutes and 24 hours prior to scheduled departure. Hong Kong and Beijing passengers with e-tickets need to logon to www.continental.com or www.continental.com/hk/hke and follow the instructions. The airline has also announced a fare promotion to mark the fifth anniversary of its Hong Kong-New York flight. Until May 15 passengers can fly to any US destination from Hong Kong and return for HK$5,900 (US$760).
 
Eva Air Increases Frequency To Los Angeles, San Francisco & Seattle
TAIPEI - Taiwan carrier EVA Air will increase flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, with its summer schedule from March 26. From March 27, EVA is boosting its Los Angeles-Taipei route from 14 to 17 services per week. On June 6 EVA will offer a dedicated Seattle-Taipei flight. And from June 14, the airline is increasing flights between San Francisco and Taipei from 11 to 12 per week.
United Airlines To Reopen Incheon-San Francisco Route Next Month
SEOUL - United Airlines will resume direct flights between San Francisco and the South Korean destination of Incheon. From April 4, the carrier plans to offer a daily flight to San Francisco from Incheon International Airport west of Seoul at 1 p.m. The recommencement will boost United's flight frequency to South Korea from the present 14 to 21.
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Royal Caribbean International Announces Fleet-Wide Revamp Of Bedding Program
MIAMI, March 14, 2006 -- Sleeping on a cruise ship never felt so good! Guests cruising with Royal Caribbean International will soon experience the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation with the introduction of a new fleet-wide bedding program. The program, designed to enhance the sleep experience, includes an extreme makeover from bed frames to covers and includes:... Read more. |
Sister Ship to Popular Pacific Princess and Tahitian Princess to Enter Service in Spring 2007
SANTA CLARITA, Calif., March -- Princess Cruises today announced that it will expand its fleet with a sister vessel to the line's popular Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess. The 680-passenger ship will be named Royal Princess, taking the name of a much-beloved Princess ship which had long been cruising in Europe and other exotic worldwide destinations. Its new successor will take over a similar deployment when she enters service in spring 2007.
Nevada : Rural Tourism Development Grants Awarded
LAS VEGAS – A joint Nevada tourism and economic development committee awarded $200,000 in rural grants Tuesday for 15 projects statewide that include creating a visitor trail through a historic railroad museum in Ely, finish converting an old school in Fallon into a first-rate community arts center and installing plaques describing landmarks in Goldfield. Read more.
UK outbound travel goes from strength to strength
Europe's second largest travel and tourism source after Germany, the UK has nonetheless been a much more dynamic market over the past ten years than its continental European neighbour. Come rain or come shine, regardless of the unemployment level, inflation, interest rates or declines in disposable income, the British seem determined to go on holiday at least once a year. And many make multiple trips, even if a lot of it is done on credit. Travel now, pay later seems to be a motto for many within the lower to middle socio-economic groups. Read more.
Nepal launches its new branding at ITB
Nepal took the opportunity to launch its new branding 'Naturally Nepal - Once is not Enough' at ITB in the presence of Yangkla Sherpa, Hon State Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Read more.
Top 10 New Things For Florida's Beach
The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area
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« La Liguria à Bruxelles » du 20 au 26 mars 2006:
un soupçon de riviera italienne fleurie en Belgique
Faire découvrir la Ligurie, les grandes attractions touristiques, la richesse culturelle, les spécialités gastronomiques et le potentiel économique d'une petite perle italienne. Voilà le principal objectif de « La Liguria à Bruxelles » organisé par la région du même nom du 20 au 26 mars 2006 à Bruxelles. En savoir plus.
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Slow-down in Chinese visits to Hong Kong
Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong increased by 7% in 2005 over 2004 to 23.4 million - a less-than-remarkable performance for this dynamic destination. The main reason for this modest growth was that, contrary to past years, the increase in visitors from China slowed to just 2%. Excluding China, visits from all other destinations to Hong Kong rose by 13%. Read more.
New Orleans tourism pleads for a return to normality
Since hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau with the government and business leaders have vowed to put New Orleans back on the tourism map. In fact, historic structures around the French Quarter and tourist areas like the CBD, Warehouse and Arts District, Garden District and Algiers have remained dry and suffered the lightest damage. Read more.
Augmentation des nuitées de 2,7 pourcent - Retour de la croissance pour le tourisme suisse.
En 2005, la Suisse, pays de vacances et de congrès, a vu le chiffre de ses nuitées en hôtels et maisons de cure augmenter de 2,7 pourcent. Près de la moitié des quelque 32,9 millions de nuitées enregistrées en 2005 en Suisse est imputable aux touristes suisses. Le résultat global positif pour l'année 2005 a été obtenu grâce aux hôtes étrangers, dont les nuitées ont augmenté de 6,8 pourcent. En savoir plus.
India at ITB - more space, more exhibitors, and a bigger budget
An upbeat India with 8.1% growth of the economy and a record 3.92 million over¬seas arrivals in 2005 is making its largest ever presence at ITB 2006. Participating in the India pavilion in a new location - Hall B - with over 10,000 square feet of space will be more than a dozen of the Indian states, 35 tour operators and 20 hotel companies. Leading the pack is the Secretary of the Tourism Ministry, A K Misra, Assistant Director General, Ms Meenakshi Mehta, and heads of the government tourist offices from Europe and North America. Read more.
Summer 2004 Olympics boosts Greece's tourism success
In honour of this year's ITB partner country, Greece, a special forum of the ITB Convention was dedicated to the country to talk about Greece's tourism attractions, its strengths and weaknesses, and its likely future growth as a world-class tourism destination. Reed more.
'Visit Malaysia Year' planned for 2007
In his first public appearance at ITB, the new Minister of Tourism Tengku Adnan said he hoped Malaysia would attract over 17 million tourist arrivals in 2006, generating US$11 billion in revenues. Last year, Malaysia recorded 16.4 million international arrivals, a growth of 9.5% compared over 2004, with revenues reaching over US$ 9 billion. Read more.
Uganda anticipates healthy growth in ecotourism
As a six-month US$1 million advertising campaign with CNN draws to a close, the Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) authorities at ITB are optimistic that it will spark an increase in ecotourism this year. The TV campaign, which brands the country as 'gifted by nature', highlights its exceptional ecotourism resources. Read more.
Getting to grips with the Russian outbound travel market
The subject of one of the ITB Convention's many workshops and seminars this year, Russia is a particularly exciting topic as it has been one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the last couple of years. In 2004, thanks to a 22% increase in spending, according to World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) statistics, it rose to ninth position in UNWTO's world spenders' ranking. And preliminary estimates for 2005 (+11%) suggest the market may have climbed another rung in the ladder. Read more.
Operafestival in Aalborg
De Deense stad Aalborg organiseert van 9-19 maart een groot internationaal operafestival. Op het programma staan onder meer uitvoeringen van Turandot door de staatsopera van Kiev in de Oekraïne en van de Rosenkavalier door de staatsopera van het Poolse Gdansk. Ook staan er in dit Mozart-jubileumjaar verscheidene werken van deze grote componist op het programma, zoals Figaro en de Zauberflöte, uit te voeren door Deense gezelschappen.
Het festival is zeer breed opgezet. Zo zullen er ook kinderconcerten en zangoptredens zijn. De uitvoeringen vinden plaats in het grote Aalborg Congress Center, maar ook in kerken en café’s.
Meer informatie: Aalborg Opera Festival, Godthåbsgade 8, DK 9400 Nørresundby, tel. +45 9931 4166, e-mail: bft-kultur@aalborg.dk en internet: www.aalborgoperafestival.dk
Valencia - seizing the moment
With the opening of several major new iconic buildings, a rapid escalation in low-cost direct air services from around Europe, and as host to the America's Cup in 2007, this is the biggest ever marketing opportunity for the Spanish city of Valencia, says Valencia Tourism. “We have to go for now it now - we've got an increased budget, and the eyes of the world are on us,' says Valencia Tourism at ITB. Read more.
Dresden celebrates its 800th anniversary
Saxon capital Dresden is again one of the most popular destination in Germany and is already among the top 30 cities in Europe in terms of accommodation capacity - on a par with cities like Venice or Nice, according to data released by European Cities Tourism. Dresden is an important cultural magnet, especially as old historic buildings, destroyed during the Second World War, have come back to life one after the other. Read more.
Second year of growth for the Philippines
The Philippines' Department of Tourism Secretary, Joseph Durano, is satisfied with the country's tourism performance in 2005. Last year, international arrivals grew for the second consecutive year, reaching a record of 2.6 million. We are on track to reach 5 million in 2010”, Durano says. Read more.
Indonesian exhibitors at ITB quadruple at ITB 2006
“I am very proud of the fact that there are so many Indinesian exhibitors at ITB this year, considering the problems everyone has faced in the past 12 months,” said Jero Wacik, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism. 2005 was certainly a tough year for the country's tourism, impacted by the tsunami, bird flu and the Bali bombings. The initial target of 6 million international arrivals in 2005 turned into an impossible dream. Read more.
A 'Royal' invitation to Thailand
Thailand hopes that 2006 will definitely put tourism back on track as the December 2004 tsunami had a major impact on 2005's performance. Announcing first official figures here at ITB yesterday, Juthamas Siriwan, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said that international arrivals in Thailand totalled around 12 million last year, a slight increase over the 11.6 million arrivals recorded in 2004. Read more.
South Africa is aiming for 10 million international visitors by 2010 - the year that it hosts the Soccer World Cup - representing a 30% increase on 2005's estimated total of 7 million, said Moeketsi Mosola, CEO of South African Tourism at ITB. Signs for South Africa's tourism sector - dubbed the 'new gold' industry in terms of earnings - are good. International tourism arrivals grew 2.6% in 2004 over 2003 to 6.8 million, according to UNWTO data, and year-to-date figures for 2005 indicate a healthy increase of 11%. As for earnings, tourism receipts for the first three quarters of 2005 were very positive, increasing by 14% over the same period in 2005. The appreciation of the rand has meant that South African Tourism (SAT) has had more to spend on marketing and promotion abroad in the past year, and this has really paid dividends, says SAT. But one cloud on the horizon is a need for more hotel beds to accommodate the World Cup spectators in 2010 - there could be a shortfall of as many as 180,000 beds.
Algeria's comeback
Algeria is back on the Maghreb tourism map. According to the ministry of tourism, this is due to the end of the past decade of violence, which shook the whole country. “It is wonderful to see tourism finally pick up,” said Abdelkader Gouti, Communications Director at the Ministry. Read more.
Shopping in 2006, culture in 2007 and 2008 for Germany
Since the beginning of the 2000s Germany has enjoyed consistent growth in both arrivals and overnights culminating last year in a record 120.6 million arrivals, a growth of 3.6% over 2004. International arrivals grew even more quickly, up 6.8% to 21.5 million. The growth in overnight volume was more modest, at 1.6% to 344 million. Read more.
Het fietsparadijs SalzburgerLand!
De Mozartstad Salzburg wordt dit jaar het centrum van de wielerwereld. Hier vindt namelijk het wereldkampioenschap wielrennen 2006 plaats. Als voorbereiding hierop organiseert de Oostenrijkse regio SalzburgerLand in samenwerking met het organisatiecomité van het WK Wielrennen 2006- Salzburg de Ronde van Vlaanderen in Brugge. Wielerland België, met de huidige wereldkampioen Tom Boonen als nieuwe superster, is voor het fietsparadijs SalzburgerLand een van de belangrijkste markten voor het toerisme op twee wielen. Meer dan 5.500km mooie fietspaden, perfecte bewegwijzering en een uitstekende infrastructuur maken België tot een uitstekend wielerland. Lees meer.
A idyll of sun, spring and winter
Alpine sports in the morning, Mediterranean-style leisure pursuits in the afternoon: visitors to South Tyrol in the Italian Alps can enjoy two holidays in one.
In the central valleys spring is already in full blossom while in the high mountains the glistening sun-drenched slopes attract late-season skiers. Read more.
Progress for 'new-look' Glasgow
A series of renovations and upgrades in Glasgow that come on stream this year give strong endorsement to the Scottish city's re-branding as 'Glasgow: Scotland with style'. Read more.
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Evasion France 2006
La nouvelle édition d’Evasion France regorge d’idées de week-ends ou de courts séjours pour l’année 2006. Maison de la France et ses partenaires ont sélectionné soigneusement le meilleur des formules de séjour dans le Nord, la Manche, le Calvados, l’Aube en Champagne, le Bas-Rhin, la Charente-Maritime et à Antibes. Toutes ces régions vous invitent à découvrir leurs spécialités locales et leurs trésors cachés.
Nouveauté en 2006 : Evasion France ne se concentre désormais plus sur le nord de la France mais élargit ses horizons en 2006 en accueillant le département de la Charente-Maritime ainsi que la ville d’Antibes. Ceci est dû à l’extension de l’opération à des destinations proches "en temps", accessibles par l’avion ou par le train |
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Tout le charme de la Louisiane chez nos cousins Cajuns
Laissez les bons temps rouler !
Un séjour en Louisiane peut être l’occasion de rencontrer nos chaleureux cousins francophones : les Cajuns. Toujours ravis de « parlailler » en français, ils accueillent chez eux les visiteurs français et belges avec beaucoup de bonheur et de spontanéité. En savoir plus.
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Malta ideale bestemming voor zonnige short break
Mediterrane eilandengroep ontdekt als 'city trip'
De diverse en zonnige vakantiebestemming Malta legt steeds meer ook de focus op de 'short breakers', een snel groeiende markt voor de eilandengroep. Een lang weekend of midweek naar de eilandengroep komt steeds vaker voor en is uitstekend te doen. Malta is een diverse vakantiebestemming met van een enorm cultureel erfgoed, een zeer gastvrije bevolking en een subtropisch klimaat. Lees meer.
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ITB Insights
“ITB is the most exciting show in Europe. Not only it does bring the whole world to Berlin but it also exposes Berlin to the whole world.” Klaus Wowereit, Lord-Mayor of Berlin.
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Opening ceremonies of the ITB Berlin 2006
Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit welcomes the guests attending the International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin 2006
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International Tourism Heads to China Next Month
Beijing, 09 March 2006 -- BITTM, the Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market taking place 3-5 April this year, is announcing the participation of exhibitors from South America and the Caribbean. The China outbound tourism event is welcoming nearly 40 countries from around the world. Read more.
Condor Ferries and Active Hotels sail into collaboration
10 March, 2006 -- Condor Ferries announced today it has signed a partnership deal with Active Hotels as part of its new ‘Condor Xtras’ service. Condor Xtras offer Condor Ferries customers additional services such as car hire, breakdown cover, travel insurance and hotel bookings. Its ‘Stopover Hotels’ booking service is now powered by Active Hotels, a Priceline Europe company and one of the leading online hotel reservations providers in Europe. Read more
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Le Diplomat Hotel à Prague a un nouveau Sales Manager. Il s'agit de M. Jiri Skarka qui occupait précedemment le poste de Sales Coordinator.
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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide annonce que Guido De Wilde, General Manager du Sheraton Algarve Pine Cliffs Resort et Area Manager Portugal, a été récemment promu Vice-Président et Directeur Régional du Moyen-Orient pour Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Dans sa nouvelle fonction, Guido De Wilde sera responsable pour l'exploitation de tous les hôtels Starwood dans la région (actuellement 50 hôtels et resorts) et pour le développement de Starwood dans cette région en pleine croissance.
Familievakanties zonder zorgen:
Sheraton Algarve in Pine Cliff Resorts
De Sheraton Algarve in de Pine Cliff Resorts onderscheidt zich door zijn ligging. Dit 70 ha grote resort van een uitzonderlijke natuurlijke schoonheid, ligt boven een aantal rode klippen die zo typisch zijn voor de Algarve. Het geheel torent boven een goudkleurig strand en het azuurblauwe water van de Atlantische Oceaan. Met de Porto Pirata Children's Village bezit de Sheraton Algarve een belangrijk instrument voor geslaagde familievakanties. Lees meer.
India's Sarover Hotels, a recently created mid-market chain with 38 properties across the country, is showcasing its 'value for money' accommodation at ITB. Marketing vice president Pradeep Kalra says he is tapping into the growing German interest in the ancient Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda, by offering a choice of wellness stays at various Sarover properties, including the Poovar Island Resort in Kerala. Sarover Hotels which already has some 2,400 rooms in operation, plans to open at least ten hotels a year over the coming years. In three years time, the group's portfolio will include 75 hotels with around 5,000.
Canadian group Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is being bought by Kingdom Hotels (it already had a stake in Fairmont) and Colony Capital, and will be merged with Raffles (which was bought by Colony last year). The merged Fairmont and Raffles deluxe group will comprise 120 hotels in 24 countries. At ITB, both groups are insisting that the brands will remain intact (and for Raffles, there is also its Swissôtel brand to consider as well). Both groups also say that their respective headquarters - in Toronto and Singapore - will be kept. Others suspect that this might just be a short-term solution while the logistics of the merger are sorted out. And then, who knows ?
Despite InterContinental's much-publicised policy of selling off its real estate, there are a handful of hotels in locations where re-entry would be impossible, and these will be retained, says InterContinental's Richard Hartman, speaking Berlin on Tuesday. The elite list includes London, Paris, New York, Boston and Hong Kong. But, aside from these, says Hartman, who was a speaker on the first day of the 9th International Hotel Investment Forum 2006, the group hopes to have completed its disposal programme by the end of 2006. Meanwhile, the volume of new management and franchise deals has been growing fastest than ever. This week at ITB InterContinental says it has 108,500-rooms in over 880 hotels in its global pipeline, with 50,000-60,000 of these due to be operational by the end of 2008.
India's first Crowne Plaza to open in New Delhi
InterContinental Hotels Group has signed an agreement with Today Hotels Pvt Ltd to manage the Crowne Plaza Gurgaon New Delhi, scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2006. This latest signing reflects InterContinental Hotels Group's strengthening commitment to India. Read more.
Healthy results for NH Hoteles
The Spain- and Amsterdam-listed company NH Hotels has just announced operating profits (EBITDA) for its hotel business of EUR127.2 million - up 8.5% on 2004. Read more.
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Four Seasons' 2005 operating performance looks good, but overall revenues down
Another luxury tier group currently enjoying the surge in luxury travel is Four Seasons. Full-year 2005 figures released today show US$248 million revenues, down 5% on 2004. However, the overall result masks a big difference between the performance of owned properties (down over 2004) and managed hotels (a good increase). Read more.
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Le Crillon inspires a new luxury brand
New investment group, Starwood Capital, is launching a new international luxury hotel brand, inspired by the recently acquired Le Crillon hotel in Paris. The iconic Parisian hotel came to Starwood Capital as part of its acquisition of the Société du Louvre (whose controlled affiliates also include such high-profile brands as Taittinger champagne, Baccarat and Annick Goutal) in a deal which was completed in January this year. Starwood Capital says its new brand of sophisticated, European-style Crillon Hotels is to be represented throughout the world's top capital cities - everywhere from Beijing, Shanghai and Mumbai to Rome, London and New York. It is already in negotiation with potential partners in several destinations, says a spokesman. Read more.
Rezidor SAS Hospitality: 2005 And 2006 On Course For Explosive Growth
Rezidor SAS Hospitality is on course for success: in 2005 the company generated Group earnings of Euro 587 million, up 17.7% from the year 2004. Some 37 new sites were opened, including the architecturally unique Radisson SAS Hotel Frankfurt, which was been furnished by star designers Matteo Thun and Adam D. Tihany. Another of the year’s high points was the licence agreement with the Italian fashion house Missoni, with whom a new brand of lifestyle hotels called “Hotel Missoni” will be developed. Rezidor SAS Hospitality will be continuing its expansion in 2006 with a special focus on Russia, the rest of the CIS, and Eastern Europe. The Group intends to be operating a total of 700 hotels throughout the world by the year 2015. Read more.
Rezidor SAS Announces First Three Missoni Hotels
BRUSSELS, March -- Rezidor SAS Hospitality, the Brussels- based, multi-brand hospitality management company, is pleased to announce the first three Missoni hotels -- Kuwait, Edinburgh and Dubai. Rezidor SAS signed a license agreement with the Italian fashion house Missoni in November 2005 to develop the Hotel Missoni brand worldwide. These three new properties are the first step by Rezidor SAS toward achieving the goal of having 30 Missoni hotels in operation or under development by 2010. Read more
The first hotel in Russia for Rezidor SAS's mid-market Park Inn brand opened this week in Yekaterinburg - Russia's third largest city, which stands at the gateway between Europe and Asia in the Ural Mountains. The 160-room new-build property will serve as a prototype for further expansion of the Park Inn brand in Russia. “We aim to have 20 Park Inns within the next five years,” said Rezidor SAS's President and CEO Kurt Ritter at ITB. “Aside from Moscow and St Petersburg, we have sites under consideration in Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, possibly Kaliningrad, and there are so many other cities with a population of over 500,000 people which would merit a Park Inn.” The mid-tier brand was only launched three years ago with the opening of the Park Inn Berlin Alexanderplatz, but it has already grown to over 60 hotels in Europe and Africa.
Top luxury and lifestyle hoteliers in the spotlight at ITB's Hospitality Day
ITB's first ever Hospitality Day drew a large audience to listen to Ritz Carlton's president and COO, Simon Cooper, Sir Rocco Forte of Forte Hotels, and Claus Sendlin¬ger, President and CEO of Design Hotels, who discussed the fast-growing luxury sector and changes in their customer's preferences. Read more.
Maritim Hotels soon on the Costa del Sol
Bad Salzuflen/Berlin. The international expansion of the Maritim Hotel Company is continuing. HMS International Hotel GmbH, an associated partner of Maritim, has just signed the management contract for a new 4-star-plus hotel in Estepona on the Costa del Sol in Spain. Under a franchise agreement between HMS and the German hotel group this project will be operated as a Maritim hotel.
The Maritim Beach Resort & Suites in Estepona will be constructed within the next two years and is scheduled to open in summer 2008. It is surrounded by 75.000 m 2 of subtropical gardens and situated directly on the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. With this resort Maritim will for the first time be present in one of Spain's most popular holiday regions.
Maritim Hotels on Expansion Course
Bad Salzuflen/Berlin. In spite of a weak national economic situation, Maritim Hotels have improved their results during the year 2005. With 337 million Euros the total turnover was some 11 million Euros above the previous year's figure. At the same time and in spite of drastically risen energy prices, the GOP improved by 1.7 million Euros, thus underlining overall stable returns for the year 2005 for the second-largest German hotel company. The 44 hotels operated by Maritim - eight of them outside Germany - were able to stabilize their occupancy at 56 %. At the same time the average room rate was raised to 78,35 Euro (previous year 76,70). The RevPAR consequently rose by 1.65 Euro on the previous year. According to a Deloitte & Touche study, Maritim was able to increase its room rates contrary to the general market trend.
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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: HOT) and Shanxi Anye Group Co. Limited have announced an agreement whereby Starwood will manage the Sheraton Taiyuan Hotel in the Shanxi province of China. The newly built 400-room Sheraton Taiyuan Hotel is scheduled to open in January 2009.
L'hôtellerie de luxe « made in » Massachusetts
Le plus chic des états américains joue la carte du design en développant les « boutique-hôtels »
Depuis une dizaine d'années, le nombre de « boutique-hôtels » est en pleine expansion dans les grandes métropoles internationales. Dans ce domaine, la ville de Boston, ville sophistiquée de la côte Est des Etats-Unis, n'est pas en reste. Apparu au début des années 90, à une période où l'hôtellerie était un secteur très concurrentiel, le concept de « boutique-hôtel » se démarque par une recherche d'originalité et de style. Read more.
Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai Launches a New "Interaction" Dining Experience
Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai has announced the launch of "Interactions" a new dinner-time experience aimed specifically at individual business travellers looking for lively conversation and company over dinner, relaxed networking and a local expatriate's insider tips on one of the Middle East's most dynamic cities. Read more.
HONG KONG - InterContinental Hong Kong has created a 7,000 square feet, 5-bedroom Presidential Suite which can house up to 36 for seated dinners and 60 for cocktails. Costing HK$87,000 (US$11,211) per night, it includes 24-hour personal butler service, roundtrip airport limousine service, access to Club InterContinental (Executive Lounge), wireless high speed broadband internet access and personalized concierge services.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Launches Enhanced "Value Rate"
HONG KONG - Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has enhanced its "Value Rate," providing benefits to guests paying non-discounted room rates, available throughout the year with no restrictions. The concept has also been launched at the group's four-star Traders hotels. "Value Rates" start at US$252 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, "Value Vacations" start from US$149 at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort in Malaysia while "Traders Smart Deals" start from US$163 at the Traders Hotel, Dubai.
Westcord Hotels geeft VIP kaarten
Robbie Williams weg
Amsterdam, maart 2006 -Meetingplanners die nu een conferentie, meeting, incentive of personeelsfeest boeken bij WestCord Hotels maken kans op 2 VIP kaarten voor het uitverkochte concert van megaster Robbie Williams op 24 juni 2006. De hotelketen biedt een uitgebreid scala van geschikte locaties voor het houden van zakelijke bijeenkomsten. De nabijgelegen steden en de omgeving bieden diverse mogelijkheden voor een aanvullend en interessant programma. Lees meer.
Countdown for Maritim Hotel Dresden
Bad Salzuflen/Berlin. Soon it will be accomplished: in 67 days, on the 15th of May 2006, the new Maritim Hotel Dresden will open. 18 months of extensive building operations and alterations of the 90 years old listed Erlweinspeicher will come to a close. The 45th hotel of the Maritim Hotel Company, situated directly on the banks of the river Elbe in close vicinity to the old town centre, will then establish itself as prime address in the meeting and convention segment in Dresden and Saxony. Read more.
UNWTO and the Opentravel Alliance (OTA) Collaborate To Help Reduce The Digital Divide
MADRID, 14 March 2006 – The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the OpenTravel™ Alliance (OTA) - the business leaders framework for information and communications technologies (ICT) standards in the sector, have joined together to strengthen the common language for electronic travel interactions at the recently concluded ITB travel show in Berlin.
The Travel Industry of America (TIA) recently released its latest report on internet use by US travellers. The report says that 34% of online travel bookers claim to make all of their travels purchases online. Some 82% of travellers who plan their trips online now also book reservations online, representing roughly more than 64 million Americans who bought or reserved an airline ticket, hotel room, rental car or package in 2004. This number is up from 70% in 2004.
UNWTO calls for a Europe-wide tourism policy to boost integration
“While tourism can play a major role in European integration,” said Francesco Frangialli, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), “countries need a joint tourism policy to face the continuing tests that confront the industry.” Read more.
The World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO's) meeting yesterday at ITB on the implications of an Avian flu pandemic for the travel and tourism industry brought home the fact that, while all sectors of the economy would be affected, the implications for travel and tourism would be particularly serious if the H5N1 virus causing the current outbreak were to mutate into a human influenza virus. Most importantly, since tourism is based on the transport and movement of people, it would be dramatically curtailed by any closing of borders.
TOURCOM goes to Georgia
Following WTO's successful staging of TOURCOM in three countries last year - in Bali, Indonesia; Amman, Jordan; and Riga, Latvia - there appears to be lots of interest among the World Tourism Organizations' member countries to host similar events in 2006. And one of the first to issue an invitation - warmly received by UNWTO's Director of Press & Communications, Rok Klancnik - was Georgia. Read more.
Tourism Helps Boost European Integration
"Tourism today has to cope with newly emerging large-scale challenges, including terrorism, unpredictable natural disasters or spreading epidemics," they agreed. Read more.
Pata takes Charge Of "Profit In The Pacific"
NADI, FIJI, March 15, 2006 -- The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will organise and manage PROFIT in the Pacific 2006 in Vanuatu. PROFIT in the Pacific 2006 has received the support of ProInvest-CDE, a programme of the European Union that promotes investment in the Pacific. Read more.
PATA Releases India Outbound & Russia Reports
BANGKOK, March 10, 2006 - The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) today releases two reports: India Outbound Tourism - A PATA Snapshot, and Total Tourism Russia. Read more
Eurail Reports Positive 2005 Results Despite Tough Year For Tourism Industry
Utrecht, Netherlands, March 10, 2006- The EURAIL GROUP G.I.E. released full-year results for 2005 showing a EURAIL traveller's traffic growth of 24%. This despite various events such as acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and oil price raises, strong exchange rate fluctuations and economic and political uncertainties - that faced the international tourism industry in 2005. Read more.
A good year for Abacus
In 2005, there were more than 54.3 million bookings on the Abacus GDS, an increase of 6% on 2004 and 36% on 2003. Bookings increased every month except February, which fell 7%, following the Lunar New Year travel surge in Asia. Read more.
UNWTO and the Opentravel Alliance (OTA) Collaborate to Help Reduce the Digital Divide
MADRID, 14 March 2006 - The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the OpenTravel Alliance (OTA) - the business leaders framework for information and communications technologies (ICT) standards in the sector, have joined together to strengthen the common language for electronic travel interactions at the recently concluded ITB travel show in Berlin. Read more.
Amadeus-Sabre Deal Good for Travel Agents, Corporate Travel Managers
WASHINGTON, March 9 -- The Business Travel Coalition (BTC) and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) strongly support the just- announced agreement between the Amadeus and Sabre global distribution systems (GDSs) to provide customer-responsive, backup content access to one another should a major airline totally withdraw from one GDS. BTC and ASTA encourage other GDSs to consider protecting their customers' interests in a comparable manner. Read more.
Faites plus que des photos, avec ces deux compacts numériques design et surprenants !
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Nikon Corporation, l'un des principaux fabricants de matériels photo - appareils et objectifs photo - argentiques et numériques, vous présente ses deux dernières créations : le COOLPIX S5 et le COOLPIX S6. Séduisants dans leurs boîtiers ondulés en aluminium disponible en 4 couleurs ; silver laqué, bleu laqué, noir mat, ou gris laqué pour seulement 20 mm d'épaisseur. Conçus pour attirer les regards, le COOLPIX S5 et le COOLPIX S6 n’en sont pas moins des bijoux de haute technologie avec leur zoom optique 3x, un écran confort de 2,5 pouces pour le COOLPIX S5 et 3 pouces pour le COOLPIX S6. En savoir plus.
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Putting Europe into Phocus
PhoCusWright, the internet research company, has published the European findings of its research study at ITB. Some of the main highlights of the report include:
- The online market is estimated to have increased from a 4% share of Europe's total Europe market in 2002, to 6% in 2003, 9% in 2004, 14% in 2005, and an estimated 20% in 2006. Read more
The launch of the dot.travel (.travel) domain name from the start of this year is going as planned, according to Ron Andruff, president and CEO, speaking at ITB for Tralliance - which runs the domain name. Tralliance wanted to attract 15,000 companies to register under dot.travel during the 12-week launch period, and it surpassed that by 1,500. A directory of names has already started, and Tralliance hopes that this directory will eventually become a much more efficient search engine for travellers. Promotion to consumers to create awareness of the directory is due to start next year.
Les réservations pour la Turquie reprennent lentement - Thomas Cook Vacances en avion lance une action spectaculaire pour la Turquie!
L'été dernier, un client sur trois qui est parti en vacances par avion avec Thomas Cook a pris la direction de la Turquie. Une offre de haute qualité est à la base de ce succès: des hôtels modernes et particulièrement confortables offrant un large éventail d'activités de sports et loisirs, une cuisine soignée et variée, une animation hyperprofessionnelle pour petits et grands, le tout à des prix avantageux. De plus la majorité des hôtels est offerte en all inclusive, une formule avantageuse pour les familles avec enfants. En savoir plus.
German tour operating group Thomas Cook wants to speed the development of its airline subsidiary Condor. Munich will be the centre of Condor's new low cost activities with the launching in April of flights to ten European cities: Brussels, Genoa, Istanbul, Marseille, Naples, Pisa, Prague, Rome, Turin and Venice. Fares will start from € 29 one-way. All flights will be served by Airbus A320. If Condor succeeds in its new low cost strategy, it already considers opening other basis in Germany.
Les dernières promotions Thomas Cook
Vacances en avion
Vacances en voiture
Citytrips
Luang Prabang, Laos's ancient royal capital, prepares to welcome the first Mekong tourism investment summit from 28-30 March. The summit should attract 200 delegates and will be hosted by the Lao National Tourism Administration in co-operation with PATA and the Asian Development Bank. The objective of the summit is to encourage investment in tourism projects throughout the Mekong River region.
Panellists at the Berlin session on 'Sustainable Ecotourism Tourism
Development: Lessons from Dominica' included the Honourable Yvor Nassief, Minister of Tourism for Dominica, a successful private sector entrepreneur who has taken up the position of Minister of Tourism (at a peppercorn fee of EC$1 per year or EUR30 cents) because of his commitment to develop the tourism sector and the people of Dominica. Minister Nassief wishes to help other nations develop their own ecotourism programmes by sharing the knowledge and insights we gained through our experiences. Read more.
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Un déjeuner de presse suivi d'un workshop s'est tenu le 6 mars au Stade Constant Vanderstock à Anderlecht (Bruxelles). Ce fut l'occasion de rencontrer plusieurs exposants venus en ligne directe de Floride. En savoir plus.
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Le traditionnel workshop du Visit USA s'est également tenu le 6 mars à Bruxelles. A cette occasion il a été procédé à la réélection du Comité qui se compose de la manière suivante (voir photo) : Bernard Guisset, Président , Oliver Frey, Vice-Président, Geert Raes, Trésorier et Yolande Alvoet, Secrétaire. En savoir plus.
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Support Taiwan entry into the UN
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