JEDDAH, 23 October 2004 - The Moroccan food festival recently ended at Albilad Hotel on a successful note. The festival attracted many food connoisseurs and guests who took advantage of the presence of Moroccan chefs cooking some of the most authentic dishes. Present at the festival was Salah Eddine Benhammane, director of Amadil Beach Hotel, Agadir, Morocco. The hotel has 312 customized large rooms and 16 suites, including two royal suites. They are all equipped with modern amenities and have a large veranda fitted into a private terrace. The hotel boasts Moroccan architecture and has specialized restaurants. Littoral restaurant serves international delights, Dar Fes specializes in Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine, and La Vague offers seafood specialties and Italian pasta. The hotel has a business club with is 250-seat conference room and communication rooms. Its other attractions include a spa, a solarium swimming pool and extensive facilities for sports like tennis, table tennis, volleyball, soccer, water polo and aerobics. It also has a breathtaking beach for divers and lovers of water sports.
SriLankan Wins Global Inflight Awards
COLOMBO, 23 October 2004 - SriLankan Airlines has won three global awards for excellence for inflight entertainment, at the World Airline Entertainment Association's Avion Awards 2004. The most prestigious prize was "Best overall inflight entertainment," for an airline with a fleet size of 20 or less aircraft. It was the second year in succession that the airline won this title from the WAEA, the global airline entertainment industry's premier organization, with a membership of more than 90 airlines and 250 airline suppliers and related companies that range from aircraft manufacturers to movie producers. The award is made in three categories based on the size of an airline's fleet - 1-20 aircraft, 21-50 aircraft, and more than 50 aircraft. SriLankan also cemented its position as having some of the world's finest inflight entertainment in both short haul and long haul air travel, winning the awards of "Best inflight video programming" in both short haul and long haul categories over stiff competition from some of the world's largest and most prestigious airlines. "SriLankan is very proud to accept these awards in recognition of its investment in this important aspect of customer service," airline CEO Peter Hill said.
Gulf Air Announces New Appointment
BAHRAIN, 23 October 2004 - Gulf Air has announced the appointment of Mr. Houssam Weiss as general manager for Kuwait. With a track record of successfully driving profitability and load factors in key markets, Houssam's focus in Kuwait will be in developing Gulf Air as the airline of choice, particularly for business travelers. "Houssam's appointment comes at an exciting time, given the dynamic initiatives that are underway to meet the challenges of today's competitive climate," said John Butler, vice president marketing and sales at Gulf Air. Weiss has moved from the Gulf Air London office where he was a key account manager responsible for building and maintaining key accounts in the leisure, business, diplomatic, marine and offshore sectors. He played an integral role in increasing traffic and revenue from the UK to the Gulf and promoting Abu Dhabi as the gateway to Dubai. He was particularly successful in turning around the marine and offshore sector and growing the revenue by more than 600 per cent. Prior to joining Gulf Air he held managerial positions in he Swiss airline in Abu Dhabi and London. Meanwhile, the national airline of Bahrain, Oman and Abu Dhabi, announced that it is to be a platinum sponsor of the second annual Bahrain Garden Fair, which will take place at Bahrain International Exhibition Center in March 2005.
Emirates Wins Best Regional Airline Award
DUBAI, 23 October 2004 - Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, has been voted 'Best Middle East/African airline' at the TTG Asia Travel Awards. Readers of TTG Asia and TTG China, publications for the travel trade in the region, have awarded the top accolade to the airline in this category for the second successive year. The 15th annual TTG Awards took place in Bangkok recently. "This prestigious award endorses Emirates' efforts to constantly redefine top quality service in air travel," Soonthorn Suree, the airline's manager for Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos said. Inaugurated in 1989, the TTG Travel Awards are divided into 50 categories, including airlines, hotels, travel agencies and best national tourism organization. Readers of TTG Asia and TTG China nominate all winners, and the TTG Travel Group editorial team selects the two outstanding achievement awards - travel personality of the year and destination of the year. Since its launch in 1985, Emirates has received more than 260 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service. Meanwhile, the airline has announced its plans for a second daily service between Dubai and Perth, operating the advanced A340-500 aircraft. The airline has also increased its Dubai-Melbourne service from 13 to 14 times a week.