JEDDAH, 25 September 2004 - Mohamed El Emam, the new district sales manager of Qatar Airways in Jeddah, yesterday said the airlines is introducing more innovations to attract even the smallest of passengers. "Saudi Arabia is the airline's main focus. The market looks very promising and we see so many golden opportunities from Jeddah," Eman said. To please children passengers, he said, the airline has introduced children's meals, goodies and a new range of toys. He also said that on Nov. 26, Qatar Airways will introduce daily non-stop direct flights operating Airbus 330 to London/Gatwick from Doha. "A lot of British nationals and Saudis prefer London/Gatwick and we expect a very good demand on this sector from the Kingdom," explained Emam, who has been in the travel industry for the last 10 years. He started in New York working as operations manager for an American travel company. After four years there, he moved to Alexandria in Egypt as sales manager of American Express, where he served for three years. His last assignment was also as sales manager for a Gulf carrier in Doha.

Colombo Hosts Tourism Mart for 2nd Time

JEDDAH, 25 September 2004 - More than 300 global buyers are expected to attend the "Sri Lanka, Gateway to South Asia," a major tourism mart and exhibition in Colombo from October 2-5 this year at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. It will be open to the public on Oct. 2 and 3 and buyers on Oct. 4 and 5. The event, which was held for the first time last year, is aimed at promoting Sri Lanka as the natural gateway to other South Asia nations such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan and the Maldives which will also be showcased. "The response to this year's event has been overwhelming. Last year we had about 80 buyers, so we are exceptionally pleased with this year's outlook," Udaya Nanayakkara, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB), said. "This demonstrates that the international tourism industry is beginning to realize our potential, not just as a destination but as an ideal gateway to other exciting destinations in the region," he added.

Le Gulf Meridien's New Appointments

ALKHOBAR, 25 September 2004 - Le Gulf Meridien Alkhobar has appointed Yahya Koutub as deputy general manager, Muhammad Osman as director of sales and marketing and Sriniwas Valluri as training manager. Koutub, an Egyptian, has been in the Kingdom for a couple of years. Prior to his new assignment he was based in Riyadh Meridien' sales office as regional director of sales for the Kingdom. Osman, also an Egyptian, was at Makkah Meridien as DGM and DSM. Valluri, an Indian national, was the training manager at Taj Krishna Hyderabad in India. Michael Nugent, general manager of the hotel, along with other heads of departments and team members have formally welcomed the three new incumbents as "best additions" to the existing team, said Prashant Sharma, assistant director of sales and marketing at the hotel.

Gulf Air Names General Manager

BAHRAIN, 25 September 2004 - Gulf Air has announced the appointment of Ali Qannati as regional general manager for the Asia Pacific region. "The market in the Asia and Pacific region is undergoing significant changes with the entry of several low-cost entrants. In the changing circumstances, a careful market segmentation and excellent customer relationship management will be important to distinguish Gulf Air from its competitors," says John Butler, vice president marketing and sales. "Ali's appointment will ensure that our vision of excellent customer service is implemented across the various regions in which we operate." Ali was formerly the sales development manager for the Gulf and has held numerous senior sales positions over the last 22 years.