The tower will be situated in the heart of Istanbul, on an 11-thousand square meter plot, landscaped and replete with a full range of amenities to ensure utmost comfort and visual appeal. Additionally, the development is placed strategically to maximize connectivity in the bustling city: The tower has a heliport on its roof, while it will stand in close proximity to the planned Bomonti-Dolmabahçe tunnel that is expected to cut the time a typical journey takes from 45 minutes to a mere four minutes once it is complete. The tunnel will connect the centrally located Bomonti District to the historic Dolmabahçe, which is situated along the banks of the Bosphorus.
Further addressing the lifestyle offering of the development, Rixos Hotels will provide each resident with personal concierge services. For residents wishing to unwind after a stressful day, Rixos Residences Bomonty will have a landmark 2500 square meter Spa area managed by the Rixos Health Club. Furthermore, the project will include a multi-purpose sports area, a mini-golf course, a café, a restaurant, a hairdresser and a dry cleaning service.
The US $137.2 million project is being developed with Rixos Hotels’ esteemed partners Ayaydın Group, İpek-Çakırkaya, Maslak Yapı and Merttaş Yapı.

This latest addition follows the recent announcement of the purchase of 30 Airbus planes to the Turkish Airlines fleet in line with its expansion plans. Turkey’s flag carrier aims to acquire a total of 105 new aircraft over the coming few years. This rapid expansion positions Turkish Airlines as one of the fastest growing carriers in the world.

By the end of 2015, the number of single aisle jets in the fleet of Turkish Airlines will increase to 155, and the number of twin aisle aircraft will rise to 36. The total number of aircraft in the Turkish Airlines fleet will reach 196, 5 of them cargo airplanes.

For information on Turkish Airlines flights and fares please visit www.thy.com or contact Turkish Airlines Sales Offices. Information about the Frequent Flyer Program is available at www.thy.com/smiles

Dusit International has announced the opening of Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai located near Deira City Centre, adding a new facet to one of the most exciting and popular locations in Dubai with its legendary Thai brand of hospitality. The opening of Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai, the first Dusit Princess hotel outside Thailand, coincides with encouraging travel and tourism prospects brought about by the UAE’s top ranking in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 and the country’s positive long-term growth forecast of up to 2.8 per cent within the next 10 years.

The four-star hotel has 120 tastefully decorated rooms and suites along with exclusive meeting rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality café, a gymnasium, a swimming pool with Jacuzzi and a juice bar. Developed to be an attractive choice for both budget-conscious business and leisure guests, Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai is just five minutes away from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Airport Expo Centre, the Ernie Els-designed Dubai Creek golf course, and is just a walking distance from the landmark Deira City Centre, one of the biggest malls in the UAE.

Chanin Donavanik, Chief Executive Officer, Dusit International, said: “The UAE is a strategically important market for Dusit as the country remains the leader in travel and tourism across the Middle East. The success of our new venture in the UAE will help set the tone for the rest of our projects in the region and provide the impetus to pursue new growth opportunities in other markets. Furthermore, our distinct, world-renowned brand of Thai hospitality has captivated thousands of tourists and travellers from the Middle East, particularly the UAE. The opening of Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai is an exciting opportunity for us to bring Dusit’s legendary brand and unique Thai hospitality right in the heart of Dubai.”

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009, which covered 133 countries, ranked the UAE as the number one travel and tourism destination in the Middle East and Africa, moving up seven places from the previous report, while securing the 33rd spot in the world. The UAE likewise ranked first among all 133 countries in destination-marketing campaigns, third in government prioritising the sector, and fourth in air transport infrastructure.

“The launch of the new Dusit hotel is in line with Dubai’s growing reputation as a dynamic metropolitan society that embraces a spectrum of cultures and nationalities. Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai likewise complements efforts to further diversify and enrich the value-added offerings of the emirate’s hospitality sector, in accordance with the vision of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015,” added Donavanik.

In addition to the Dusit Princess City Centre Dubai, Dusit International is also poised to launch Dusit Abu Dhabi in 2011. Five other hotel developments in key international markets will also soon join the Dusit family: Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo, Dusit Thani Sanya in China, Dusit Devarana New Delhi, and DusitD2 New Delhi.

ITCA Dubai Conference Helped Set the Direction for 2010

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Leading industry executives have hailed ITCA Dubai, the only travel catering and in-flight services exhibition for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, as the year’s ‘must attend industry event’ following three days of impressive business and networking.

More than 45 companies from 18 different countries met at the new Sheikh Saeed Halls of Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) to develop new business opportunities in the travel catering exhibition and help set the agenda for future trends in the industry.

Leading companies including Aire Inflight, Chatsford, Emirates, Fit Fresh, Gourmet House, Hobart, Johnson Diversey and Medstar were among those participating in ITCA Dubai.

“Emirates was extremely pleased to participate in ITCA Dubai,” said Robin Padgett, Vice President Aircraft Catering, Emirates. “This event is now firmly placed in our calendar as the must attend travel catering show in the region. It provides us with a unique opportunity to network with existing suppliers, meet new ones, to see innovative new products and to hear about the latest trends in on-board service – all in one place!”

“We have received a number of very good enquiries, and instigated a lot of enquiries for the future,” said Bhavik Shah, CEO, Al Salem Trading Enterprises, which supplies disposable, food and non-food products. “We were able to show that a UAE company can have a global presence by highlighting that we manufacture everything in-house and build confidence in our brand.”

ITCA Dubai has rapidly expanded in recent years to bring together the entire travel catering market, representing Airline, Cruise, Ferry and Railway hospitality industries from across the Middle East, Africa, and Indian Subcontinent.

“ITCA Dubai offers the international travel catering industry a one-stop-shop to generate new business in one of the only growing regions in this sector,” said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions, Dubai World Trade Centre. “The exhibition has developed into the focal point of the year for companies looking to generate and strengthen business ties in the region.”

“ITCA Dubai provided us with the perfect opportunity to meet with our customers in person,” said Adel El Menshawy, Export Manger, Medstar, which produces plastic meal trays for the travel industry. “We have been able to confirm a number of deals and meet with key people in the industry who we have been trying to contact for a long time.”

“ITCA Dubai 2009 is a beautiful show,” said Sawsan Darwish, Operation Manager, Ghraoui, manufacturers of luxury chocolate. “We have been able to promote our chocolate and have generated good business which will lead to deals being confirmed.”

The show also included the prestigious ITCA Dubai Conference, organised by the International Catering Association (ITCA). Key speakers included Terry Daly, Division Senior Vice President, Service Delivery, Emirates; David Young, President, ITCA; Neil James, Executive Director, Corporate Sales & Product Management, Panasonic and Basel Arrar, Chairman & CEO, Royal Wings Aviation Services, who delivered their speeches to more than 80 delegates.

The fifth ITCA Dubai will take place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 31 October 2010 – 2 November 2010. For more information, please visit www.itcadubai.com

Photo Caption: ITCA Dubai hailed as the ‘must attend’ travel catering event of the year

Air Arabia’s latest achievement came in acknowledgment of its proven excellence in the aviation industry, its value for money and overall customer satisfaction, echoing the strong of similar regional and international honours. Earlier this year, Air Arabia also was earlier ranked first on TPC chart as World’s best LCC in 2009 by Aviation Week.

At the CAPA award ceremony in Beijing, officials explained that it has been an unconventional and challenging year for the aviation industry. The award sought to highlight those who have excelled and proven themselves in the Asia Pacific’s competitive aviation industry and rewarded them for their outstanding achievements.

The Doha Aviation Summit awards recognises Air Arabia as an airline that not only provides value for money to its customers, but one that has consistently delivered quality products and services, innovative programmes, timely services, excellent customer satisfaction and one that has a strong business model with high productivity and profitability.

“On behalf of everyone at Air Arabia, I am honoured to accept these prestigious awards,” said Adel Ali, Board Member and Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “I would also like to offer my gratitude to the more than three million passengers who have chosen to travel with Air Arabia this year alone, and who continue to inspire us to offer the most reliable value-for-money air travel options in the wider region”.

During both conferences, global aviation leaders came together to discuss and share real business issues and challenges, collaboration and partnership strategies, technological and operational improvements and initiatives to successfully navigate their aviation business through a period of changing economic and market paradigms.

The 1.6 million-square-foot, 57-story Vdara is distinguished by its slender profile and curvature, which respond to Harmon Circle and the interlocking arcs of ARIA Resort & Casino located across the shared circular drive.

Three parallel, offset arcs rising to varying heights comprise the crescent-shaped skyscraper.  The volumes are distinguished by the colors of their striped surfaces, and are further articulated by deep recesses between them.  The horizontally-striped curtain wall frames the vistas of Las Vegas and the expansive desert landscape beyond.  Alternating bands of reflective vision glass and light-diffusing, acid-etched spandrel glass in black and white are set off on different planes to achieve a unique shimmering texture on the façade.  Modern, light, and devoid of graphics or ornaments, Vdara presents a distinctive contrast to the themed buildings of the Las Vegas Strip.

A curved pool deck located over Harmon Circle shelters a generous porte-cochere and main lobby.  The lobby’s focal point is Bar Vdara, a lounge and bar with covered outdoor seating that segues into Silk Road restaurant.  Other amenities include the two-level Vdara Health & Beauty – a full-service wellness spa, salon and fitness center.  Sky Pool & Lounge, the south-facing pool deck which enjoys long hours of sunlight exposure, offers private spa cabanas and semi-secluded plunge pools.  The program also includes a conference center with meeting rooms, a sub-divisible 4,000 square-foot ballroom, a boardroom, and a pre-function/registration area – serviced by Vdara’s kitchen.

Vdara’s 1,495 suites are wide and shallow when compared to most hotel rooms and residential apartments, maximizing views and daylight penetration.  An additional benefit of the staggered three-arc floor plan is the creation of six corner rooms compared to four in a more conventional building.

In keeping with the sustainable focus of the overall CityCenter development, Vdara Hotel & Spa was designed to meet and has achieved LEED Gold certification.  Sustainable features include the use of ecologically friendly construction materials (local and low-VOC) and the use of light-colored surfaces on the pool deck and roof, which reduces the urban heat island effect.  Additionally, construction materials were carefully managed to minimize waste.  Because of the project’s Mojave Desert location, measures to reduce water consumption were used, which include low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-efficient, native landscaping.

About CITYCENTER

The 67-acre CityCenter is located on the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15, and is bordered by two other MGM properties: Bellagio to the north and Monte Carlo to the south.  Seeking to build a new resort and lifestyle destination, MGM MIRAGE, with a master plan created by Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, decided to forgo the typical theme-based resort, instead choosing contemporary architecture and high-density, mixed-use urbanism as the unifying characteristic of the development. Accordingly, it sought internationally renowned architects, each to design one of the six buildings that comprise the overall plan.  Rafael Viñoly was approached by MGM MIRAGE to design Vdara, and after an RFP submission, the commission was awarded to Viñoly and staff from Rafael Viñoly Architects PC, working under the name RV Architecture, LLC.

In addition to Vdara, the final scheme includes ARIA, the resort & casino by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Crystals, a retail, dining and entertainment district by Studio Daniel Libeskind;  Veer Towers twinned residential towers, by Helmut Jahn;  Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, a hotel and residences by Kohn Pedersen Fox;  and The Harmon Hotel, designed by Foster + Partners.

CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World.

About Rafael Viñoly Architects

Founded in New York in 1983, Rafael Viñoly Architects has offices in London, Los Angeles and the United Arab Emirates. Internationally known for architectural projects around the globe, the firm has designed many landmark cultural and civic complexes as well as institutional buildings and master plans. Over the past quarter century, the practice has continually demonstrated its ability to reinvent institutional typologies and integrate the public realm into civic buildings.

The unusually diverse work the firm has completed includes award-winning courthouses, museums, performing arts centers, convention centers, athletic facilities, banks, hotels, laboratories, hospitals, recreational venues, residential commissions, and commercial, industrial and educational facilities. Projects range in scale from laboratory casework to urban design and master planning. The firm has also completed several projects involving the restoration and expansion of large-scale buildings of significant historical and architectural value.

The firm’s staff of over 150 design professionals, including architects, structural engineers, interior designers, computer visualization specialists, model makers, artists, and fabricators, has the capacity, structure, and experience to assume complex projects of any scale.

Coverage in the British media focused on the activities at the Sharjah stand, and shed light on the emirate’s tourism attractions, particularly its distinct culture and heritage, which are particularly important to European tourists in general, and British tourists in particular.

Speaking to the British media, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), said that Sharjah’s tourism sector is expected to bounce back after a period of decline arising due to the global financial crisis in mid-2008, and continue to grow rapidly.

Said Al Qassimi: “The tourism sector in Sharjah experienced four percent growth in Q3 2009 compared to Q1 of the same year. This increase in growth will help the emirate achieve great returns that will contribute to a further increase in growth rates and make up for the losses resulting from the global depression”.

He added, “Sharjah will continue to establish tourism oriented projects and developments to attract tourists and investors, despite the global financial crisis. The first of these projects will be announced in Q1 2010”.

Al Qassimi noted that the tourism sector is one of Sharjah’s most active sectors, attracting the attention of numerous international organisations and institutions due to its diversity and depth. In addition, Sharjah’s historical attractions, moderate climate and beautiful natural environment continue to attract tourists and investors, and hotel occupancy in the emirate during Q3 2009 reached 75 percent, which is approximately the same as that attained last year.

Al Qassimi believes that the attention drawn by Sharjah’s stand at WTM exhibition, one of the biggest tourism-oriented exhibitions in the world, reflects the importance of Sharjah’s tourism product, which led to the number of tourists visiting the emirate doubling in the last five years. “The emirate of Sharjah, under the wise leadership of H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, takes a special interest in the tourism sector, as the emirate tries to strengthen the interactive relation between infrastructure development and the diverse factors that attract visitors, which will result in greater returns for the national economy.”

“The SCTDA has gone to great lengths to achieve its goals and promote the emirate of Sharjah through participation in international events such as WTM, in which we are participating for the sixth consecutive time. We are confident that these efforts will lead to economic development for Sharjah, which is regarded as a fine example of a new tourism experience that combine the modern and the historical to create a rich and unique tourism product,” he added.

Al Qassimi concluded by saying: “The success we have achieved today in this world-class event motivates us to work even harder for the sustainable growth of Sharjah’s tourism sector, which is one of the main contributors to the emirate’s Gross Domestic Product.”

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An Australian national, Demeiter brings with her over 20 years of hospitality experience having worked for a number of international hotel chains around the world including Hyatt International, Hilton, Carlson Hotels and Anantara Resorts & Spas.

Having completed Hospitality Management & Tourism studies at both the College of Tourism & Hospitality (QLD) and Victoria University in Australia, Demeiter started her hospitality career in Hong Kong where she was part of a successful team that opened the Conrad Hotel.

Prior to joining Six Senses, Demeiter was based in Bangkok with Anantara Resorts & Spas where she held the position of director of sales international.

Commenting on her new role at Zighy Bay, Demeiter said: “I am thrilled to be a part of a great team of people and to have the opportunity to work with such a luxurious and beautiful property. I am looking forward to throwing myself into my new role and to tackling all the challenges that come with it.”

Zighy Bay general manager, Rochelle Kilgariff said: “Demeiter has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry and joins us at a very exciting time of growth and development. She is a great asset to the team and her expertise will be essential in the success of our resort.”

In her new role, Demeiter will head up the sales and marketing team with overall responsibility for driving and increasing sales and overseeing marketing initiatives. Demeiter will be reporting directly to general manager, Rochelle Kilgariff.

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Under the MOU, the two will co-operate on the staging of workshops and seminars for Abu Dhabi industry stakeholders and will share best-practice procedures and research capabilities.

“The Asian and Chinese markets are increasing important to us particularly as the UAE now has the key Approved Destination Status from the Chinese authorities which allows its main operators to proceed with group bookings to this country. Over the past year we have laid the promotional infrastructure to penetrate China’s outbound sector with the opening of three ADTA offices within the People’s Republic and successful showings at its leading travel and business tourism shows.

“The needs of the Asian traveller are specific and must be addressed if we are to reach our potential in attracting this segment and we want to ensure that all within the destination are better equipped to fulfil these exacting requirements,” said His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA.

“HKPU is one of Asia’s leading hospitality education institutes and in it we have a partner with the relevant experience and pedigree to assist us in meeting our goals throughout the region. This MOU marks another major step forward in ADTA’s advancing professional development programme which is aimed at delivering an industry of distinction serving a destination of distinction.”

The educational strategies, which also include custom-made executive development programmes for the ADTA’s own management and employees, will be formulated with HKPU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management which provides education up to doctorate level.

“This MOU demonstrates Abu Dhabi’s confidence in our ability to deliver to exacting standards and we intend to respond by living up to the authority’s highest expectations,” said Professor Kaye Chon, Chair Professor and Director, HKPU.

“Abu Dhabi has all the right qualifications for resonating well with the Asian traveller – the natural assets, cultural attractions, quality accommodation and, above all, reputation for safety – it is now a question of knowing how to fine tune the product offering to this target segment and ensuring message dissemination reaches the influential decision-makers.”

ADTA’s China campaign began just over a year ago and was rewarded recently by the authority being voted in the influential Travel Weekly China magazine as having produced ‘Best Destination Marketing’ for 2009.

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