JEDDAH: Elaf Group, one of the premium entities in travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has announced that it expects the tourism and travel sector to perform well in 2008, based on the remarkable economic growth achieved by the Kingdom in recent years. Elaf pointed to reports and surveys affirming an economic boom throughout the Gulf due to high oil prices, which in turn have boosted the volume of private and public investments in religious and leisure tourism, infrastructure and real estate.
Landmark to launch 10 Shariah-compliant hotels
DUBAI: Landmark Hotel Management LLC, one of the UAE’s major hotel management companies, is launching 10 world-class Shariah-compliant hotels and serviced apartments in Saudi Arabia and the UAE by the end of 2010. The move is in line with the company’s strategy to cater to the increasing demand for Shariah-compliant projects in the Middle East. Six of the 10 upcoming projects will be in Dubai, two in Abu Dhabi, a four-star hotel in Fujairah and one in Jeddah. All the projects will operate on Islamic principles, which means that they are alcohol-free, serve halal food, and provide a percentage of their profit to charity, S.M. Sadique, managing director, Landmark Hotel Group, said. According to the World Tourism Organization, travelers from the GCC spend over $12 billion annually on leisure travel.
IHG walks away with six accolades
JEDDAH: InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which claims to be the world’s most global hotel company, has walked away with six accolades across multiple categories at this year’s Business Traveller Middle East Awards held in Dubai recently. The Group was honored with one of the most prestigious awards — ‘Best Hotel Chain in the Middle East’. The group also secured the accolade for ‘Best Loyalty Program’ for Priority Club Rewards, which boasts 37 million members globally. In addition, four of the group’s properties located in major business cities around the region were recognized for their outstanding performance including InterContinental Riyadh — ‘Best Business Hotel in Riyadh Award’, InterContinental Jeddah — ‘Best Business Hotel in Jeddah Award’, InterContinental CityStars — ‘Best Business Hotel in Cairo Award’ and InterContinental Phoenicia — ‘Best Business Hotel in Beirut Award’. It is the fifth time the InterContinental Riyadh and InterContinental Phoenicia hotels have been honored, having won the awards from 2003-06.
SriLankan responds to fuel hikes
JEDDAH: SriLankan Airlines introduced a fuel surcharge on all airline fares from beginning of July. The decision to increase fares is due to the unprecedented rise in world fuel prices, a spokesman for the airline said. At this juncture of volatility and soaring prices, the most practical way to respond to the sharp increase in cost (fuel consists of 52 percent of the airline’s cost as compared to 27 percent of the total cost last year) is by way of a fuel surcharge based on the distance. The surcharge differs according to the destination from $25 to $80 one-way, on short, medium and long haul sectors.
