AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, tourism and hospitality briefs

Source: AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesSept.迷你倉 05--MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE INKS MANAGEMENT DEAL FOR 5-STAR HOTEL IN MUSCAT: Millennium & Copthorne Hotels has signed an agreement with Shaza Muscat Co for the management and operation of Oman's first Shari'ah-compliant five-star hotel, Muscat Daily has reported. The new Muscat Grand Millennium Hotel will involve an investment of OR28m and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014.DUBAI SET TO SELL STAKE IN US HOTEL: Dubai World is nearing a deal to sell its 50 percent holding in Miami Beach's landmark Fontainebleau hotel to South Florida developer Turnberry Ltd, Reuters has reported, citing three sources aware of the matter. The sale will mark an acceleration of asset sales by Dubai World, which needs the proceeds to repay debts. The Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach in Florida became famous in the 1960s as a playground for stars such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis. The sale to Turnberry is expected to be signed in a few weeks, one source said. Dubai World paid $375m in 2008 for its stake in Fontainebleau Miami Beach.IFA PARTNERS WITH CAPITAS TO BUILD YOTEL BRANDED HOTELS IN SAUDI ARABIA: Kuwait's IFA Hotel Investments (IFA HI) has signed agreement with Capitas Group International (CGI) to develop YOTEL branded hotels across Saudi Arabia, Saudi Gazette has reported. IFA HI is the majority owner of YOTEL, a specialized international hospitality brand, headquartered in the UK. Under the terms of the deal, IFA HI will invest seed capital in the projects and asset-manage the hotels after development, while YOTEL will be the hotel operator. The YOTEL product will also be customised to local requirements in each market across the kingdom.ABU DHABI HOTELS SEE 21 percent RISE IN VISITORS FROM INDIA: According to figures released by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA-AD), nearly 93,000 Indians checked in hotels across the emirate this year, making India Abu Dhabi's top overseas source market for hotel guests, PTI has reported. The figure represents a 21 percent increase over last year, TCA-AD said. UK and Germany came second and third, with 86,284 Britons and 67,968 Germans, respectively, checking in at hotels, the report said.48 HOTELS SHUT DOWN TEMPORARILY IN EGYPT DUE TO POLITICAL TURMOIL: A total of 48 hotel management companies and owners have decided to temporarily shut down their facilities in Egypt to avoid losses, following a steep decline in the number of tourists travelling to southern Sinai, Daily News Egypt has reported. The cities of Taba and Sharm Al-Sheikh saw the closure of 18 and 30 hotels, respectively, the report said. Hotel occupancy rates in Taba have been steadily decreasing since the outbreak of the January 25 popular uprising, more than two and a half years ago, said member of the Nuweiba and Taba Investors Organisation, Hani Gawish. Occupancy rates for hotels in the region have hovered between 3 percent and 5 percent, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent during the same time last year, he said.WYNDHAM TO OPEN MIDDEAST'S FIRST TRYP PROPERTY IN 2016: Wyndham Hotel Group has announced plans to open its first Tryp by Wyndham property in the Middle East in Dubai by 2016. Set to be the largest Tryp in the world, the 672-room hotel will be located in the Al Barsha South business district, within easy reach of Mall of the Emirates and The Palm Jumeirah and will feature facilities including an "expansive" meeting space, spa, gym, all-day dining and specialty restaurants, coffee shop, lounge area and a bar.SAUDI ARABIA TO ADD 50,000 NEW HOTEL ROOMS BY 2016: Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities has said the number of hotel rooms across the country saw a jump of 54 percent between 2004 and 2012, Arab News has reported. In 2012, the total number of hotel rooms reached more than 185,000 units, representing an increase of about 88,688 rooms, of which 8,105 are in the capital, Riyadh, alone. "There are many projects currently being implemented in major cities and the economic cities, and thus, it is expected that about 50,000 more hotel rooms will be added over the next three years," said vice president of Investment and Tourism Development at the authority, Salah Al-Bakhit.GCC COUNTRIES ADVISE CITIZENS TO AVOID TRAVEL TO LEBANON : Several states, including two Gulf countries, have advised their citizens against travelling to Lebanon as regional tensions grow over a possible US military strike on Syria, Reuters has reported. The countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Britain and France, while Austria told its citizens to contact its embassy in Lebanon before travelling there.UAE TELLS PILGRIMS TO AVOID UNAUTHORISED HAJ TOUR OPERATORS: Muslims in the UAE have been warned by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf against contracting with unaccredited Haj operating missions for their safety and convenience, Khaleej Times has reported. "Those who contract with a Haj tour operator from outside the country shall be fully responsible for all the services to be rendered to them; we cannot guarantee any," said the executive director of the authority, and head of the UAE official Haj mission, Mohammed Obaid Al Mazrouie.OVER 60,000 TRIPS TO EGYPT CANCELLED BY NORDIC TOUR OPERATORS: Major tour operators in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have cancelled at least 60,000 trips to Egypt through the winter season that lasts until April, due to recent unrest, the Associated Press has reported. Last week, charter companies and travel organisers flew back hundreds of Scandinavian holidaymakers from resorts in Egypt and halted all tours there until mid-October. The move came in the wake of Nordic governments' revised travel advisories warning against all nonessential儲存travel to Egypt.SAUDI HOTELS SECURES SR308M LOAN FOR NEW HOTEL IN RIYADH: Saudi Hotels & Resort Areas has announced it has signed a murabaha deal with Riyad Bank for a loan of SR308m, Arab News has reported. The purpose of the loan is to meet the cost of a hotel, which the company plans to construct in Diplomatic Quarter in the Saudi capital.MIDDEAST TOURISM SEEN TO GROW BY UP TO 5 percent IN 2013: The United Nations' World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has said international tourist numbers rose 5.2 percent to nearly half a billion people worldwide in the first half of 2013, beating earlier expectations, Saudi Gazette has reported. In the Middle East, tourist numbers soared by 12.9 percent, but these figures should be viewed "with caution" because of uneven results and limited data, the group said. Growth is expected to continue in 2013 at +3 percent to +4 percent, only slightly below the 2012 level and in line with UNWTO's long-term forecast. The Middle East is expected to register growth of up to 5 percent, it said.EXPATS NOT REQUIRED TO CARRY KSA'S RE-ENTRY VISA PRINTOUT FROM SEPTEMBER 7: The Saudi interior ministry has announced expatriate workers are no longer required to carry a printout of their exit and re-entry visas while leaving or returning to the kingdom from September 7, Saudi Gazette has reported. According to the new directive, the exit and re-entry visa details on the (.passportevisa.com) website will be considered as authentic and final.EGYPTIAN TOURISM SYNDICATE WANTS QATAR, TURKEY DELISTED AS DESTINATIONS: The Egyptian tourism ministry has played down calls by the Independent General Tourism Workers Syndicate to remove Turkey and Qatar as tourism destinations for their refusal to recognise the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi, Ahram has reported. "It's an expected development, as there are currently political tensions in relations between Egypt and both Qatar and Turkey," said spokesperson for the ministry, Rasha El-Azayzi. The call could negatively impact tourism at a time when Egypt seeks to augment tourism, to boost the state's foreign currency revenues. Egypt saw 38,200 Turkish tourists between January and July of 2013, compared with 24,037 tourists in the same period of last year, said El-Azayzi.GCC LIKELY TO IMPLEMENT SINGLE TOURIST VISA FROM 2014: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has said the six-member bloc is currently working on setting up an automatic system for exchanging information online, to facilitate enforcing a single tourist visa system, Khaleej Times has reported. "The issue had been discussed at the joint meeting between the Tourist Cooperation Committee in the AGCC and the GCC Tourist counterpart in the AGCC Chambers of commerce and industry, which was held in Fujairah last year," said assistant undersecretary at the GCC for economic affairs, Abdullah Al Shobaili.OMAN TO HOLD 8TH FOOD & HOTEL FAIR ON SEPTEMBER 2: Oman Expo has announced the eighth edition of Oman Food and Hotel Fair is set to kick off at Oman International Exhibition Centre on September 2, Times of Oman has reported. The three-day fair will feature local and international firms displaying the latest in the field of food and hotel, as well as foodstuff, beverages and equipment of hotel, in addition to equipment of kitchens and restaurants, packaging products, food packaging and techniques of food processing.ETIHAD HOLIDAYS OPENS FIRST VENTURE OUTSIDE THE MIDEAST: Etihad Holidays, a division of Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, has announced the launch of services in the UK to cater to the growing demand from one of the airline's key global markets, Khaleej Times has reported. The UK is Etihad Holidays' first venture outside the Middle East. "It is a proud moment to now take our established Holidays brand internationally to further boost growing tourism numbers into Abu Dhabi and the UAE and to ensure a growing market can benefit from our attractive range of packages," said Etihad Airways' chief commercial officer, Peter Baumgartner.KUWAITIS URGED TO LEAVE LEBANON: The embassy of Kuwait in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has urged Kuwaiti citizens to leave the country due to security uncertainties, in the wake of two bomb attacks in Tripoli which killed and injured hundreds of people on Friday, Kuna has reported. Due to "the state of security instability which killed and injured many people, the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Lebanon" calls on Kuwaiti citizens in Lebanon to leave the country for their own safety, it said.EGYPT INCREASES VISA FEES FOR TUNISIANS: Egyptian foreign affairs ministry has announced its decision to increase the country's entry visa fees for Tunisians fivefold, Mena has reported. The decision is in response to the recent increase imposed by Tunisia on Egyptians to EGP1,000 from EGP200. Egypt's decision will come into effect in October 2013, the ministry said.GULF INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT TO COMPLETE STAR HOTEL IN OMAN BY 2014: Oman-based Gulf International Investment Co has announced its OR7.5m three-star hotel and shopping complex project in Ruwi is to be ready by August-September 2014, while the shopping mall will be ready by October this year, Oman Daily Observer has reported. The hotel, which will have 120 rooms and deluxe suites, will also offer a host of facilities including a sauna and steam bath, a covered swimming pool, five restaurants including a multi-cuisine eatery, traditional Arabic coffee shop, five banquet halls including one collapsible, which can accommodate 800 persons besides two board rooms on different floors and parking for around 200 cars.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) Visit AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) at .ameinfo.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉