MIDDLE EAST, HOSPITALITY

Boeing delivers 777-300 aircraft to Saudia

SAUDI ARABIA. First Boeing 777-300ER delivered to Saudia with three-class cabin configuration; Airline has backlog of 21 Boeing airplanes. Read More | View Original Article

جامعة الباحة تدشّن فندقاً سياحياً بمساحة تتجاوز الـ 85000 متر2

باشرت جامعة الباحة السعودية في إنشاء فندق سياحي بمننزه جبل شهبة الواقع وسط مدينة الباحة، حيث يتكون من 14 طابقًا ويحوي كافة المرافق الفندقية والأجنحة، ويطل الفندق الذي بلغت تكلفته الإجمالية نحو 255 مليون ريال، ويعد الأكبر في منطقة الباحة، ويبلغ 14 طابقًا ويقع على مساحة إجمالية تتجاوز 85000 متر2، بتكلفة إجمالية تصل إلى 255 مليون ريال، مضيفًا: إن العمل بدأ في إنشاء الفندق منذ بداية السنة الهجرية الحالية، ويتوقع الانتهاء من كامل المشروع خلال 30 شهرًا، وقد شرعت الشركة المنفذة في إنشائه وأن نسبة الإنجاز في المشروع بلغت حتى الآن 5 في المائة، كما أن الفندق يحتوي على جناح ملكي واحد، و10 أجنحة خاصة، و10 Read More | View Original Article

Dubai's Atlantis seeking $850m loan

Dubais iconic island resort Atlantis, The Palm, is raising an $850m syndicated loan to refinance existing debt and provide new funds, Reuters has reported, citing banking sources. The hotel is refinancing a $700m, 12-year term loan that was signed in July 2005, which backed the construction of the luxury hotel resort and aquatic theme park. Syndication is expected to be completed by mid-June and the loan is expected to be signed by the end of June, the sources added. The property is owned by UAE holding company Istithmar and managed by Kerzner International Resorts. Read More | View Original Article

Dubai's Atlantis Hotel said to seek US$850 million syndicated loan

UAE. It would replace a US$700 million 12-year term loan raised in 2005 to fund construction of Atlantis, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Read More | View Original Article

Qatar Airway 787 Dreamliner resumes London Heathrow service

QATAR. Doha-based airline remains first and only carrier to fly Boeing 787 scheduled services to and from the UK. Read More | View Original Article

Kuwait Airways signs deal with Airbus to buy 25 planes

KUWAIT. Kuwait Airways is buying 15 A320neo and 10 A350-900 planes with options for 10 more, five from each, chairman Sami al-Nasef said. Read More | View Original Article

Qatar Airways to codeshare with Bangkok Airways

QATAR. More access to destinations across Thailand And alternative flights to Myanmar and Cambodia through new agreement. Read More | View Original Article

Royal Rose Hotel appoints Gianni Malerba as General Manager

(MENAFN Press) The Royal Rose Hotel, owned by the Bin Ham Group and managed by the City Seasons Group of Hotels, announced the appointment of Gianni Malerba as General Manager of the property which ... Read More | View Original Article

Emirates Holidays Ties up With TUI India and Le Passage to India

(MENAFN Press) Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Emirates airlines, and TUI India, the tour operating arm of Le Passage to India , India's leading Destination Management Company, signed a ... Read More | View Original Article

Palm Jumeirah to get new $1bn hotel

Dubai-based SKAI Holdings has announced plans to build a $1bn hotel on the Palm Jumeirah. The company said construction of the hotel, which will be operated by Viceroy Hotels and Resorts, has already begun and is scheduled to be completed in late 2016. Viceroy Palm Jumeirah will have 481 rooms and suites, plus 221 signature Viceroy Residences. The beachside property will also host ten restaurants, as well as a gourmet market and bakery. Viceroy Hotel and Resorts, which is half-owned by Mubadala, already operates one property in the UAE the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi. Read More | View Original Article

Abu Dhabi- Rotana to open 20 hotels in India

(MENAFN) The coming 10 years will witness 20 openings in India by Abu Dhabi's hotel operator Rotana, reported Arabian Business. Last year, the company opened a representative office in India with ... Read More | View Original Article

لاند مارك تخطط لإنشاء 10 فنادق ستي ماكس جديدة في الخليج

أعلنت مجموعة "لاند مارك" عن نيتها لافتتاح أكثر من 10 فنادق تحت علامتها "ستي ماكس"، وذلك على مدى السنوات الأربع إلى الخمس المقبلة، حيث قال برافين باتناغار الرئيس التنفيذي لقسم الضيافة في "لاند مارك" إنه سيتم تشييد الفنادق الجديدة في الإمارات والسعودية والبحرين وقطر، حسبما نشرت صحيفة الخليج الإماراتية. وأضاف باتناغار: "لدينا خطط لبناء نحو 10 إلى 15 فندق خلال 4 إلى 5 سنوات، وفي الوقت الراهن لدينا معدل إشغال في فنادقنا تفوق نسبته 90%، وهذا ما يمنحنا الثقة للتوسع والبحث عن مزيد من الفرص في منطقة الخليج". Read More | View Original Article

سكاي القابضة تطرح مشروعها الفندقي في دبي بقيمة 3٫7 مليار درهم

أعلنت شركة سكاي القابضة عن طرح مشروعها الفندقي الجديد، بالإضافة إلى مجمع الشقق الفخمة المفروشة في نخلة جميرا بدبي، بقيمة 3٫67 مليار درهم (مليار دولار)، حيث من المقرر أن تتولى فايسروي للفنادق والمنتجعات إدارة المشروع، ليكون بذلك أول مشاريعها في دبي، وثانيها على مستوى الدولة، بعد "ياس فايسروي" في أبوظبي، حسبما نشرت صحيفة الاتحاد الإماراتية. Read More | View Original Article

SKAI Holdings plans $1b hotel in Palm Jumeirah

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) SKAI Holdings, the Dubai-based real estate investment firm, on Wednesday announced its plans for a new $1 billion hotel and furnished residences project on the Palm Jumeirah ... Read More | View Original Article

Saudi- Maids rush to rectify status

(MENAFN - Arab News) Hundreds of Filipino domestic workers are flocking to their consulate here to rectify their status. They are not part of the group of 2,000 Filipinos camped outside the ... Read More | View Original Article

Saudi- Indian minister to discuss Nitaqat during visit

(MENAFN - Arab News) Key bilateral and regional issues including the welfare of Indian workers, within the framework of the new Saudi labor policy, will top the agenda of talks later this month ... Read More | View Original Article

'KSA moving ahead on heritage preservation'

(MENAFN - Arab News) Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, told an audience at a UNESCO conference that Saudi Arabia is investing in its national ... Read More | View Original Article

Dubai's SKAI Holdings to open USD1b Viceroy Palm Jumeirah hotel in 2016

(MENAFN) SKAI Holdings CEO, Kabir Mulchandani, announced that the property investment company will open the USD1-billion Viceroy Palm Jumeirah hotel during the fourth quarter of 2016, reported ... Read More | View Original Article

500 hotels needed in Madinah to avoid hospitality crisis

Saudi Arabias Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has said the city needs 500 hotels to be built within five years to avoid a hospitality crisis, Arab News has reported. Around 33,000 visitors come to Madinah everyday, which amounts to almost 1 million tourists per month. According to these figures, we will have a serious predicament unless we prepare ourselves in advance, said MCCI member, Abdul Ghani Al-Ansari. Madinah has 17% of the total number of hotels in the kingdom, in addition to 30 furnished apartment units, according to a report released earlier by the MCCI. Read More | View Original Article

SKAI Holdings announces US$1 billion Viceroy Hotels and Resorts on Palm Jumeirah

UAE. The development will offer its guests 481 large rooms and suites, and 221 signature Viceroy Residences all with breathtaking views of the Arabian Sea made possible by innovative architecture and design. Read More | View Original Article

Turkey's Tourism Development Needs To Be Holistic

(MENAFN Press) Regional hospitality and tourism experts gathered recently to discuss Turkey's dynamic tourism sector ahead of this month's CATHIC (The Turkey & Neighbours Hotel Investment ... Read More | View Original Article

أكثر من 233 ألف زائر لمدينة البتراء الاثرية العام الحالي

أظهرت الاحصاءات الرسمية الصادرة عن محمية البتراء الاثرية، أن عدد زوّار مدينة البتراء الاثرية خلال الثلث الاول من العام الحالي بلغ 233 الفا و 833 زائراً من مختلف الجنسيات، حسبما نشرت صحيفة الدستور الأردنية. ووفق احصاءات المحمية الاثرية, فقد زار المدينة الوردية منذ بداية العام الحالي وحتى نهاية شهر نيسان الماضي, 196249 زائراً أجنبياً, و23065 زائراً أردنياً, و1565 زائراً عربياً, و1000 زائر من ضيوف الدولة الرسميين, و11954 زائراً من طلبة الرحلات المدرسية والجامعية. كما بلغ حجم ايرادات البتراء من رسوم التذاكر لذات الفترة من العام الحالي وفق الاحصاءات الرسمية 4 ملايين و289 الف و404 دنانير. Read More | View Original Article

Egypt saw 20% rise in March tourist numbers

Egypts government statistics agency CAPMAS has said that some 1.1 million tourists visited the country in March 2013, up 20.5% on March of last year, Ahram has reported. However, figures are still lower than the March 2010 level of 1.3 million tourists, the agency said. Tourists spent a total of 11.9 million nights in the country in March, 17% more than in March of last year, the report said. Read More | View Original Article

Dubai-based Landmark to launch up to 15 Citymax hotels

(MENAFN) Landmark Group's hospitality division CEO, Praveen Bhatnagar, announced that over the coming 5 years, the Dubai-based retail giant will launch between 10-15 new Citymax hotels, reported ... Read More | View Original Article

No visa changes for Saudis traveling to Indonesia

(MENAFN - Arab News) The Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah has announced that there has been no change in the visa policy for Saudis and that they can still obtain their visas on arrival in ... Read More | View Original Article

Saudi- BRJ's Makkah hotels program to boost youth skills

(MENAFN - Arab News) Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative launched by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI), has started the Makkah hotels program in line with the efforts of the Ministry ... Read More | View Original Article

Saudi- SCTA seeks S. Korean tourism cooperation

(MENAFN - Arab News) Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is currently visiting South Korea to seek further cooperation on tourism ... Read More | View Original Article

Saudi- Hundreds of Filipinos still camping outside consulate

(MENAFN - Arab News) About 2,000 Filipino workers are still camped outside the Philippine Consulate here under difficult conditions as they wait for their emergency travel documents to go home or ... Read More | View Original Article

Ritz-Carlton looking for expansion in Makkah and Jeddah

(MENAFN - Arab News) Pascal Duchauffour, area vice president of the Ritz-Carlton Europe, Middle East and Africa, is a reputable name in the hospitality industry. His name was among the most 50 ... Read More | View Original Article

Saudi Arabia 'needs more three-and four-star hotels'

(MENAFN - Arab News) Onyx Hospitality Group, which aims to become one of Asia's leading hospitality providers within five years, has lined up a number of new hotel signings and openings for 2013 at ... Read More | View Original Article