Bupa Arabia has signed an agreement with Dar Al-Tarbiya orphanage to provide free health insurance covering all 111 orphans cared for by the orphanage. The latest partnership agreement is one of Bupa Arabia’s long-term plans, which started by partnering with Al-Rafif Home orphanage last April and Women’s Welfare Center in August. Loay Nazer, chairman of Bupa Arabia, and Sawsan Waheeb, office manager of Dar Al-Tarbiya, signed the agreement. During the signing ceremony, Nazer said: “We are delighted to establish this strategic partnership with Dar Al-Tarbiya as part of Bupa Arabia’s intention to provide all of the Kingdom’s orphans with free health insurance that guarantees them the best health care services. Our vision is to cover all orphans in the Kingdom over the next few years, starting with all the orphans registered under the Ministry of Social Affairs.” As part of its commitment to giving back to the community it serves, Bupa Arabia has also established a number of initiatives that include seminars and awareness seminars on various health topics and on specific orphans health-related issues.
An agreement was recently signed between Phenomenal Group (Saudi Arabia) and PNYG (German and French) for a strategic alliance between the two companies. The agreement took place in the company’s office in Monte Carlo in the presence of a number of French companies and the media. Chairman of the board of directors of Phenomenal Group Shadi Zahid and Director of the offices of the group in southern Europe Abdullah Hamad, as well as Chairman of the board of directors of PNYG Joaquim Simpson and his legal adviser were among those present. According to the deal, Phenomenal Group will represent the PNYG Group in the Middle East in several areas, notably advertising and PR involving many international brands and companies (Italian, French, German and Spanish). In real estate, the alliance will be the general representative for a number of towers and international hotels and the seven Schumacher’s towers, which are located in Abu Dhabi city, Monte Carlo, Russia and other places. Also there are some international hotels including the Ocean’s 11 properties of Hotel of America, designed by the famous actor Brad Pitt with its rate of investments of 250 million euros. Abdullah Hamad, director of Phenomenal in the south of Europe, said: “We have achieved great success with this alliance and we have distributed our activities of the group in Europe, which will hopefully result in a lot of achievements and successes in the years to come.”
The new Toyota Innova 2012 made a grand appearance at its introduction to the public at Aziz and Andalus malls in Jeddah recently, showing how the Japanese auto giant has given its popular passenger car a major makeover with updates to exterior and interior. “The new enhancements to 2012 model are designed to guarantee an even better driving experience for the entire family,” said Faisal Abdallah, VP at Abdul Latif Jameel. “To share the joy of Toyota, the Innova 2012 is to tour the Kingdom, featuring test drives at various malls accompanied by fun activities with giveaways and prizes to be won by Toyota lovers and their families.” The exterior of the new Innova has been given a fresh new look with visible changes to the chin and rear of the car. The previous upright grill is now set more vertically while the fenders have new headlights stretched across. Additional features to the Innova 2012 XL will include fog lights, which are also effective in a sandstorm, and side view mirrors with integrated turn signal lights (TSL). The car’s main focus is an updated interior including new premium materials used for the stylish wood dashboard, a new instruments panel with multi-information display, and enhanced features such as auto A/C. All models are equipped with an MP3 compatible CD player as well as USB and AUX inputs. The Innova 2012 will be available for tests drives in Riyadh’s Khurais and Azizia malls from Oct. 5 to 7, followed by Rashed and Dhahran malls in Alkhobar from Oct. 12 to 14.
Mega show Part 1 from Oct. 20-23 and Mega Show Part 2 from Oct. 27-29 will again take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wanchai, Hong Kong’s premier downtown venue. This year, Mega Show Part 1 will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Gaining traction from more than 4,700 suppliers or some 6,100 stands, Mega Show is dubbed a successful trade show in southern China. The sister-fair each year attracts more than 70,000 global buyers to attend and meet high quality Asian and international suppliers. Besides Hong Kong and China, suppliers from some 30 countries and regions such as Saudi Arabia, the US, South America, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, the UK, the UAE and Vietnam will make their presence at the show. The twin-fair is set to be an “indispensable marketplace” for gifts, premiums, souvenirs, gadgets, electronic gifts, arts and crafts, travel and luggage, fashion apparel and accessories, gift wrap and packaging, house wares and home décor, toys and games, pen, paper and print plus stationery school and office items. On top of this wide array of products in this year’s show are a dedicated zone Giftwrap and Packaging in Part 1, a new corner gift ware for fashion jewelry accessories in Part 2, and an increasing number of eco-friendly products.
Johannesburg recently welcomed its first scheduled Emirates A380 service this week, as flight EK761 from Dubai arrived at O. R. Tambo International Airport. Johannesburg is the first destination for the double-decker in Africa and the 16th destination on the Emirates A380 network. “The demand for Emirates’ services in and out of Johannesburg has always been high, with passenger growth of more than 27 percent over the last year. It is fitting that our A380 is now serving South Africa,” said Jean Luc Grillet, Emirates’ SVP, commercial operations, Africa. “In introducing our flagship aircraft and the extra capacity it offers, Emirates will help to further boost this important partnership,” added Grillet. “Our world-class infrastructure investment in O. R. Tambo International Airport is integral to the continued economic growth of Johannesburg, the primary passenger and freight gateway into Africa,” said Vuwani Ndwamato, director air transport at the Department of Transport. “The introduction of the Emirates A380 exemplifies our efforts to power a world-class city and stimulate investment to strengthen South Africa’s position as a major player in the global economy,” Ndwamato said. On the flight deck of the day’s A380 flight to Johannesburg were Captain Christos Panagiotopoulos and First Officer Kenneth Hubbard, both from South Africa. Emirates employs a total of 176 pilots and 389 Cabin Crew from South Africa.
Michael Prager, senior vice president of sales and marketing EMEA for Hilton Worldwide, and Haitham Mattar, vice president of sales EMEA made the first of many visits to Saudi Arabia on Monday. Over the next two to three years, Hilton views the Kingdom as having significant potential to develop sustainable inbound and outbound travel. "The visit is part of Hilton Worldwide's efforts to strengthen and develop Hilton's KSA national and global sales teams," Prager. A corporate reception, recognising Hilton Worldwide's key KSA partners, is being scheduled soon at the Aromi restaurant in the Qasr Al Sharq, A Waldorf Astoria. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is "the stylish, forward-thinking global leader of hospitality" that welcomes guests in more countries than any other full-service hotel brand. The Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand currently includes more than 530 hotels and resorts in 76 countries, and plans to serve travelers in 80 countries by the end of 2011. By offering innovative products, services and amenities, Hilton Hotels & Resorts enables travelers to be at their best 24/7, whether traveling for business or leisure.
