Etihad Airways expands Saudi services

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is further strengthening its global reach from Saudi Arabia by announcing a new world leading campaign that caters to the demands of passengers traveling via Abu Dhabi to 19 destinations that cover the North American, European, Australian, African and Far East regions. Etihad’s newly launched frequency flight from the Kingdom now extends its global reach across the world. The national airline of the UAE has set its strategy to enhance its extensive route network around the world and position itself as a serious contender for other major carriers operating in this sector. It recently launched a new promotion from the Kingdom to destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, London, New York, Casablanca, Johannesburg and Manila.

Gulf Air has more flights this summer

BAHRAIN: Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, is adding additional flights and capacity to several of its key destinations this summer. The move follows a prediction by the airline that the summer travel demand to many of its key destinations will be strong despite the current economic climate. The airline has expanded its flights to Frankfurt from 9 to 11 per week while increasing its flights to Kuala Lumpur to a daily service. Asia’s other tourist destinations like Bangkok and Katmandu will see double daily flights from Bahrain during the summer season. Flights to Tehran will become a daily service, while flights to Manila have been increased to 12 per week. Destinations in the Levant region will see bigger planes offering more seats to meet the summer rush. Gulf Air has also expanded its code share agreement with American Airlines so that it now covers more than 40 US cities giving multiple and seamless connections to its customers.

Sabre renews deal with QA

DOHA: Sabre Travel Network, a leading travel distribution provider worldwide, has renewed its airline distribution agreement with Qatar Airways (QA). The deal provides Sabre travel agencies and corporations around the world with access to their content including fares, schedules and availability through the Sabre global distribution system (GDS). “We have always been uniquely positioned to help airlines get the maximum yield for each seat sold through our extensive corporate, online and agency partnerships around the world. This agreement also guarantees Sabre-connected travel agents efficient access to QA’s extensive range of fares,” said Martin Cowley, senior vice president, Sabre Travel Network in EMEA. Qatar’s national carrier said Sabre’s strong growth in the Middle East combined with its extensive global reach made the company an ideal partner to support the airline’s expansion plans, which include its new daily non-stop service between Doha and Houston launched on March 30. The airline said a good growth strategy involved working with a marketing distribution partner to enhance global reach for business and leisure travelers. Sabre currently has a “strong corporate and online customer base around the world.”

Singapore ranked leading destination

JEDDAH: Singapore was the highest ranked country in Asia, and rated 10th globally, for the attractiveness of its environment in developing the travel and tourism industry, according to the latest World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report. The travel and tourism report, which evaluated 133 countries, also highlights the effectiveness of Singapore’s regulations and policies in the promotion and growth of the travel and tourism sector. “Singapore improved by six places over last year’s report. This impressive ranking indicates the strength of our tourism and management infrastructure,” said Jason Ong, area director, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board. Singapore was also awarded the top position in human resources, scoring high in the quality of its education system, level of staff training, ease of hiring foreign labor and its labor laws. In terms of overall prioritization of travel and tourism, Singapore ranked second, up three places from last year. The report cited gauges such as government expenditure on the sector, strong destination marketing campaigns and country-level presence at key international tourism fairs.

IHG offers free hotel nights

RIYADH: Up to April 30, travelers staying twice at participating Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo or Staybridge Suites in Europe, the Middle East and Africa can earn a free night to enjoy at their leisure. With 675 hotels taking part, guests need to register as a Priority Club Rewards member, InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG)) award-winning loyalty scheme, and the industry’s largest with 42 million members to take advantage of this promotion. Once they’ve stayed twice at an IHG hotel, members’ accounts will be topped up with up to 25,000 points, equal to one night’s stay at an IHG hotel. The free nights can be taken any time from June 16. “With Priority Club Rewards, enrolment is free, there is no expiry date on points and members can enjoy the reward night whenever it suits them thanks to the program’s policy of no blackout dates,” Gavin Hawthorn from IHG, said. “Loyalty points are like a form of currency and can really help cash strapped travelers who still want to enjoy a break or treat their loved ones. The great thing with this offer is that our guests can stay on business and redeem at leisure.”

Mosaid Travel signs GDS agreement with Travelport

JEDDAH: Travelport, one of the world’s leading providers of global distribution systems (GDS), has announced that Mosaid Travel, one of the well-established travel agencies in Saudi Arabia, has converted to its Galileo GDS. Under the multi-year agreement signed with Travelport, Mosaid will subscribe to the GDS provider’s world-class Galileo booking platform, tapping into some of the best airline, hotel, and car content on the market to meet the needs of the agency’s growing customer base.

Headquartered in Jeddah, Mosaid Travel & Tourism has built a strong reputation for its extensive group tour services within the Kingdom, with a special focus on providing customized packages for the Haj and Umrah pilgrimages. “We are relying on the efficiency of the Galileo system to source the widest range of travel options for our customers and are confident that this is the right GDS to help support our business in the Kingdom,” Nadir Ali Kazalbash, general manager, Mosaid Travel & Tourism Services, said.

Qatar Airways partners with Global Hotel Alliance

DOHA: Qatar Airways has entered into a new partnership with the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel groups, Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), giving Privilege Club Members the chance to earn Qmiles when staying at any of the groups’ 180 hotels across the world. Privilege Club members will be entitled to 500 Qmiles when staying at any of the 180 GHA hotels across 136 cities in 43 countries. As a special promotion to celebrate the new partnership, Qatar Airways is offering its members the chance to earn double Qmiles, totaling 1,000 per stay, when they stay at any GHA-affiliated hotel between 1 April and 30 June 2009. In order to claim the Qmiles, members will need to provide their Privilege Card number at the time of booking or check-in at their chosen hotel. Qmiles will subsequently be credited to their account following checkout. GHA represents eleven prestigious hotel chains within its portfolio including Anantara Hotels & Resorts, Kempinski Hotels, The Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts, Marco Polo Hotels and Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts.