ETIHAD

Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan this week visited Bangkok and Singapore for meetings with business leaders, trade partners, and local representatives of the UAE government. At his first stop in Bangkok, Hogan hosted a VIP lunch and cocktail event to commemorate Etihad's seventh year of service to the Thai capital. Mohammed Al-Shamsi, UAE ambassador to Thailand, was among the 400 dignitaries and guests at the event. Hogan, who was accompanied by senior Etihad executives Khaled Almehairbi and Hassan Al-Hammadi on this visit, also held talks with codeshare partner Bangkok Airways President Captain Puttipong Prasartthong-Osoth and Thai Airways President Piyasvati Amranand. Hogan said: "Our seventh anniversary celebrations highlight the significance of Bangkok to Etihad's operations. The Thai capital was one of Etihad's first long haul destinations. When we started flying here on April 3, 2004, Bangkok was only the second in the airline's long haul network, after London Heathrow. "Today, Bangkok is Etihad's No. 1 destination in Asia with the greatest deployment of seat capacity of 824 seats per day." Hogan commemorated the route's seventh anniversary with the launch of two marketing initiatives - a new Thai-language version of the website etihad.com and Etihad corporate logo. "These new brand assets and the Thai-language website in particular recognize the importance of the Thai market to Etihad's business and our enduring commitment to it.
 
GIGASET

Gigaset Communications, one of the world's largest manufacturers of cordless phones, aims to capture a major market share following a steady growth since its entry into Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is an important market for Gigaset as we are enjoying a 35 percent market share at present," said Shahzad Ahmed, CEO of Gigaset (regional headquarter MEA & India, Dubai), a trademark licensee of Siemens AG and a major player in Voice market, particularly DECT phones. Gigaset is represented in 69 countries with a manufacturing plant in Bocholt, Germany. "We aim to increase our market share to 50 percent soon. Despite the ongoing unrest in the region, Saudi Arabian market remained unaffected and we maintained our sales momentum going," Ahmed said. In Saudi Arabia fixed telephone lines stood at 4.17 million at the end of 2009, of which 3 million or 72 percent were residential lines. This represents a household tele density of around 67 percent or 67 residential lines for every 100 households. The population tele density is around 16.3 percent or 163 telephone lines for every 1,000 inhabitants. "We have great future, huge opportunity and full potential to tap this market," Ahmed said while visiting Jeddah. He added Gigaset, which has about 28 percent market share in MEA (Middle East and Africa), has distributor-led business model in the region. Gigaset has aligned with 13 distributors in the region including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon and India. It also entered into new markets like Syria, Nepal, Nigeria, Kenya and Yemen. Ahmed Abdulwahed Co. is the distribution partner for Gigaset in the Kingdom, selling Gigaset products through 42 showrooms in the Kingdom. Gigaset launches four to five new models every year to keep an edge in the competitive market, Ahmed said. "In Saudi Arabia, we launch major promotions to attract customers," he said. "We are also planning to launch a Haj pack soon as Saudi Arabia is a center for Haj and Umrah pilgrims from the world," he said.
 
FERRARI WORLD ABU DHABI

The huge red dome emblazoned with the largest Ferrari logo in the world is proving to be the latest tourist beacon for Saudi visitors to the UAE. Since it opened on Nov. 4, 2010, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, described as the world's largest indoor theme park and only Ferrari Park in the world, is quickly becoming a must-visit destination on any Saudi tourist's itinerary to the neighboring nation. "We were excited to see a large spike in Saudi visitors - mostly Saudi families - coming to the Park since the beginning of the year," said Andy Keeling, Park manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. "During the Saudi school break a couple of months ago, Saudi visitors topped all other nationalities. The twin draws of a prestigious sports car brand and an exciting family-friendly venue makes Ferrari World Abu Dhabi a compelling experience for visitors from across the border," he added. The theme park brings together more than 20 Ferrari inspired rides and attractions, all of which incorporate impressive Ferrari design and technology, in one spectacularly designed air-conditioned space. "The park is unique in the world and we like it very much. I come from Saudi Arabia and came here just for Ferrari World Abu Dhabi," said Nawaf, a Saudi, during his visit to the park. Racing attractions include the state-of-the-art simulators at Scuderia Challenge, which allow visitors to speed around the virtual Yas Marina Circuit, as well as Fiorano GT Challenge, which recreates competitive drag racing between guests.