DAMMAM, 9 April 2005 — SriLankan Airlines has increased flights from Dammam to Colombo, with three weekly flights from March 27. Flights into Colombo have immediate connections to and from Trivandurm, Cochin, Calicut, Madras, Tiruchirapalli, Hyderabad and Bangalore in South India. In addition, the carrier will continue to offer connections to Bombay, New Delhi and Gaya as well as Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Tokyo and the Maldives. This forms part of a three-phase development plan to boost traffic to and through Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami.
Switzerland Expects More Saudi Tourists
JEDDAH — Levels of travel between Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are expected to rise substantially this summer, as a result of meetings between Swiss tourism officials and the local travel trade recently. “The keen interest in the Swiss tourism product displayed by Saudi travel agency representatives reinforces early indications that Europe will rebound as a summer destination for GCC travelers this year,” Federico Sommaruga, director of Switzerland Tourism for the GCC, India and Russia, said. “We’ve been aware that many travelers were heading East rather than West over the past three years, but discussions with our travel industry counterparts during the road show have emphasized the desire for a change this year, and we aim to capitalize on this trend.” While some 70,000 travelers from the GCC visited Switzerland in 2004, the level of growth has stabilized to a certain extent, Sommaruga said, adding that the road show has been conceived to kick-start a new phase of development in the GCC market. Sommaruga emphasized that Switzerland was essentially a family destination that provided both an unpolluted and scenic environment and a range of entertainments suitable for all ages.
Starwood Showcases Latest in Hotel Industry
JEDDAH — Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ annual Middle East Expo in six major destinations across the Arabian Peninsula ended last week. It began on March 21, bringing together 39 experts from Starwood hotels in 19 countries — 27 from the Middle East, 10 from Europe, and one each from Asia and the United States. The special event has provided an opportunity for hotel industry specialists to exchange views and expertise on latest developments in the industry. “The Middle East intra-regional tourism and hotel industry has witnessed significant developments and continued to thrive with a turnover upsurge of 21.1 percent in 2004 compared to 2003,” said Jirayr Kececian, area director of sales and marketing, Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Africa and the Middle East. “The emergence of new trendy tourist destinations has fuelled the industry boom and led to the increase of arrivals by 11.8 percent in 2004, he said, adding that Arab travelers have been instrumental for many of Starwood’s hotels worldwide. “Our hotels have always been their preferred second home thanks to the very customized services and amenities that cater for their specific needs.
Lufthansa’s New Business Class on Saudi Routes
JEDDAH — Lufthansa has introduced its new business class on its Saudi routes. The new business class offers maximum comfort, more space and a diverse information and entertainment program and excellent service on board. The state-of-the-art business class seat converts into a two— meter bed at the touch of a button, a memory function to save favorite seat positions, a built-in massager, a 10.4-inch TV monitor and a laptop power outlet. “We’re very glad to offer Saudi business class travelers this great product,” said Uwe Wilck, general manager of Lufthansa for Saudi Arabia. “Our customers will fly in style on a multi-functional seat which guarantees ideal conditions for sleep, work and relaxation at the highest level. The new business class will be available on all three routes — Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah.
Kandy Voted No. 1 by Travel Website
COLOMBO — Kandy, in the Sri Lankan island’s hills, was voted No. 1 by renowned travel writer Mary Gostelow, editor of the WOWtraveler website. According to Gostelow, the growth in superior hotel accommodation around the island has been almost unnoticed, in many respects, but we can now truly boast some outstanding holiday experiences courtesy of both global groups such as Banyan Tree and Taj Resorts, as well as local companies like the Dilmah Tea family, operators of tea plantation residences. “The ‘Bounce Back Sri Lanka’ campaign will focus on the hill country, spa opportunities, sporting activities, our World Heritage sites and the wealth of scenic attractions and accommodation facilities that remain undamaged by recent events,” he said.
— Compiled by K.S. Ramkumar
WOWtraveler.com is a global guide to luxury and out of the ordinary travel experiences, and its endorsement of Sri Lanka’s hill country as a must-see destination comes at a time when tourism authorities on the island are keen to promote its cultural and scenic attractions as an alternative to beach packages.
Gulf Air Offers Travel Facility for Medical Passengers
BAHRAIN — Gulf Air, which has a legacy of service and a commitment to make travel as comfortable and convenient as possible, has a range of innovative and unique services. One of the lesser known of these services is the Frequent Traveler’s Medical Card (FREMEC), which enables passengers who are permanently or chronically incapacitated to travel without obtaining medical clearances every time they fly. The service also retains an up-to-date report of the passenger’s medical condition and records each patient’s specific needs during flight, whether this involves wheelchair use or dietary requirements. “The reservation and travel process is considerably simplified and speeded up because passengers are immediately accepted for travel subject to the stipulations on the card, and no further enquiry is needed,” said Tariq Sultan, vice president Information Technology at Gulf Air. “A number of elderly and wheelchair-bound passengers already use this free facility and have found it to be immensely useful and time effective.” The application process is simple. The passenger’s general practitioner is required to complete the online FREMEC form or a printed form available from all Gulf Air offices. This medical information is assessed and recorded by the head of medical services at Gulf Air before issuing the card. The card is valid for five years and is easily renewed by submitting a form with up-to-date medical information.
Gulf Air’s Worldwide Contact Center Targets 2 Million Calls
MUSCAT — Gulf Air’s Worldwide Contact Center, the airline’s state-of-the-art centralized reservations office, located in Knowledge Oasis Muscat, expects to handle around two million calls in 2005. According to Aysha Al Ismaily, reservations operations manager, the average number of calls per month is running in excess of 150,000 for the January to March and as a consequence, the 2-million mark in twelve months is a distinct possibility. “The steady and consistent increase in call volume clearly indicates that customers continue to recognize the benefits and value of the service we provide — coupled with the fact that it is a toll free or local call rate charge,” she said. “It also reflects the level of commitment from our team of reservations sales agents— all of whom are Omani nationals.” As the nerve center of Gulf Air, the center provides an unprecedented level of consistent and professional service delivery, as well as convenience for Gulf Air’s customers throughout the world. Using the most advanced technological solutions available for telecommunications and reservations service, the center handles all Gulf Air’s reservations activities, including bookings, ticketing enquiries and customer services. The WWCC supports, Gulf Air, Gulf Traveler, Gulf Air Holidays and the frequent flyer program. Week by week the WWCC center is growing, either in the volume of calls being handled or in terms of staffing levels,” she said.
Qatar Airways Raises Capacity on German Routes
DOHA — Following a successful round of bilateral discussions between the governments of Qatar and Germany, Qatar Airways is adding capacity between the two countries and plans to introduce new freighter services. From the start of the upcoming summer schedule, the airline will increase the number of regular passenger flights from six a week to daily between Doha and Frankfurt. The route will be served with an Airbus A300 in a three-class configuration of first, business and economy. In addition, the Doha — Munich — Vienna route, currently operated five-times-a-week, will be de-linked and replaced by dedicated non-stop services to both European cities. Munich will continue to be served five-times-a-week with an A300 in a three-class configuration, while Vienna will have four flights a week operated by an Airbus A319 configured in business and economy. The changes are all effective from March 27 March. In the first phase, the airline will be allowed to introduce a third destination in Germany during the coming summer and operate a total of 14 direct scheduled flights a week. For the second phase beginning winter, the number of cities served by Qatar Airways in Germany can increase to four, and weekly frequencies raised to 18 flights. In the third and final phase, starting Winter 2006, the number of weekly flights operated by the airline can be increased to 21 and a fifth German city added to the network. From March 27 March, Qatar Airways can operate dedicated freighters four-times-a-week to any point in Germany, rising to seven a week from Winter 2006. Speaking at ITB Berlin, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said he was delighted to see the airline’s five star brand spread its wings across Germany over the next two years.
Lufthansa Adds New Dimension to Personalized Travel
MUNICH — With the start of the summer flight schedule on March 29, Lufthansa has added a new dimension to personalised air travel. The German carrier is offering a unique product, worldwide, to passengers who highly value flexibility and time-saving. Lufthansa Private Jet, exclusively operated by NetJets is the new product that allows passengers to fly by private jet from more than 1,000 airports around Europe to Lufthansa’s Munich hub to board connecting flights there in First or Business Class to destinations around the globe. Passengers arriving on long-haul flights in Munich can conveniently take a private jet to fly on to their final destination. The new private jet service, a further enhancement in the top-end market, can also be used for flights between European airports. “Lufthansa Private Jet” ideally complements Lufthansa’s worldwide network by adding up to 1,000 individualized flight options. The partnership underlying the new and exclusive Lufthansa product was officially signed in Munich recently by Lufthansa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Mayrhuber and NetJets Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Santulli. Wolfgang Mayrhuber. Lufthansa now serves the Beirut-Frankfurt route on a daily basis. “We’re very pleased that we can offer our Beirut-based travelers daily frequencies to Frankfurt,” said Mr. Sarkis Amoghlian, manager passenger sales, Lebanon. “We consistently aim to maintain Lufthansa’s ongoing confidence and loyalty in Lebanon and now have enabled our clients to travel any day to our Hub Frankfurt on board Lufthansa passage.”