Sunday, May 10, 2009

Emirates Standing Strong at Arabian Travel Market


DUBAI, U.A.E., 4th May 2009 – Emirates, the Official Carrier of the 2009 Arabian Travel Market (ATM), will mark 16 years as a loyal participant and supporter of ATM, as it opens its stand to trade representatives from across the globe on Tuesday.

Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President - Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, said: “Emirates is a longstanding supporter of ATM, one of the industry's leading travel and tourism exhibitions. Like Emirates' route network, ATM unites key players from six continents and it is important that we play a role in the meetings, business, seminars, networking and relationship building that the ATM is well known for.

“While the travel industry may have slowed, Emirates continues to push ahead. We are actively seeking growth opportunities and putting in place building blocks for future development. Tourism is an integral part of Dubai, and the ATM is a great platform to showcase the city’s infrastructure, as well as the thriving and diverse travel services available in the marketplace. We look forward to seeing what this year’s ATM has to offer.”

Once again taking pride of place within ATM will be the eye-catching Emirates Globe. At 9.5 metres high and with a circumference of 65 metres, this mammoth rotating structure has been rejuvenated with some impressive new display features.

Showcasing some of the Emirates Group’s most exciting new developments the stand will encompass exceptional displays of the world-renowned luxury Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. The stand will also feature Emirates’ second conservation-based resort, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa which is scheduled for soft opening this October in Australia’s Blue Mountains.

“The Emirates Globe continues to be a standout exhibit at ATM. It has been carefully constructed to reflect Emirates commitment to quality and service. This year we have once again worked hard to ensure the stand is equipped to handle the plethora of visitors it has continued to experienced since the stand was first displayed in 2007,” added Khoory.

The Emirates Globe, located in Hall 3 Stand No., UAE 2600 is fully equipped and will house private meeting and conference rooms as well as full catering facilities. The top floor of the stand will also provide a large VIP area and majlis for hosting guests. An array of audio and visual displays supplement this gigantic exhibit, the result of 22,000 hours of exhaustive creative and technical work. And of course, friendly Emirates cabin crew will be at hand to assist visitors, together with staff from throughout the Emirates family.

Visitors to the stand will also have the opportunity to sample the industry-leading First Class Suites currently onboard Emirates' 777-200LR, 777-300ER and A380 aircraft in a specially recreated cabin area. Due to its popularity, the stand will also continue to take visitors around the world in 30 minutes as the entire three-story structure slowly rotates a full 360 degrees.

Visitors to the stand will be able to find out more information on the following new Emirates initiatives:

Emirates Holidays
Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Emirates airline, has recently unveiled its A World of Choice 2009-2010 brochure. For the first time its extensive range of exciting holidays to over 120 destinations across the world has been consolidated into one comprehensive, easy to use format. All holiday options can now be found within one bumper edition.

In addition, there will be also a dedicated brochure on the UAE, tailored editions for Russia, Mediterranean regions, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Plus, an Arabic language brochure for exclusive distribution in the Middle East and Arabic speaking parts of Africa.

Emirates Hotels & Resorts
This year Emirates' highly-decorated conservation-based resort, Al Maha, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. When it was opened in Dubai in 1999, it set the benchmark for future environmentally sympathetic developments. Emirates has a great deal to be proud of with this facility, which is located within the 225 km2 Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), and it continues to be extremely popular with discerning travellers today.

In addition, the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, is set for its soft opening in October. The Wolgan Valley, on Australia's Great Dividing Range, forms the centrepiece for unique experiences and insights into Australia’s wildlife, history and cultural heritage. Surrounded by two National Parks, this resort offers the ultimate in seclusion, comfort and guest-focused services. The resort boasts 40 individual villas surrounded by private decks, each with its own swimming pool.

Arabian Adventures
Arabian Adventures, the leading destination management company in the Middle East, is tapping into the huge potential presented by the emerging Chinese tourist market with the launch of its tailored brochure, Dubai & Abu Dhabi.

For the first time a comprehensive, tailored brochure is made available for Chinese travellers. The 24-page brochure written in Mandarin reflects the increasing importance of the Chinese tourist segment to the UAE. Featuring information on Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well as hotels and tours overview in both, it aims to communicate the diversity of accommodation options and experiences that make these two destinations attractive. With the brochure, Arabian Adventures hopes to further grow its business in the country and encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the UAE.

Dnata Holidays
Dnata Holidays will also be promoting their 2009/10 brochure, which will follow last year's very popular format but with the addition of extra hotels and destinations.

EmQuest
EmQuest provides electronic distribution products and services to the travel industry, connecting suppliers with resellers and giving them a platform to exchange content and trade with one another. EmQuest manages a large network of brands, content and services that are designed to meet the needs of tour operators, travel agents, car rental companies, hotels and airlines throughout the Middle East and Africa. In January this year EmQuest migrated its existing customers to the Sabre system and has been responsible for launching this GDS within five key African markets including; South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

During this year's ATM, EmQuest will showcase a variety of new products and technologies including; Sabre Traveller Security and Data Suite (TSDS), NetCheck and SabreVirtually.

Khoory added, “Arabian Travel Market is not just an annual event, but an integral part of the travel and tourism industry. It not only allows us to showcase the diversity of travel offerings in this unique emirate but also reinforces Dubai’s status as a world class destination and business hub. As the largest aviation and travel services player in the region, Emirates is proud to play a major role in the success of ATM.”

No comments: