Tourist arrivals rise in Oman

The Sultanate’s tourism industry has shown resilience in the wake of the global slowdown and the flu scare, according to a Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) study. The report says the number of tourist arrivals over the first five months rose 17.5 per cent as compared to last year. The study also reports a 3.9 per cent rise in revenue. With its economy diversifying, the Sultanate is increasingly banking on its tourism sector. "The diversification strategy of tourism is paying off. Despite the crisis, early indicators are encouraging,” said Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, economist, Standard Chartered Bank. Compared to other GCC nations, Oman is ahead in terms of attracting tourists. "The arrival figures have so far been encouraging. We have managed to retain our share," said Mahesh Ramamurthy, manager, Bahwan Tours.

"The future looks promising as there has been a rise in inquiries for travel in October to December. With Ramadan ending in third week of September, we can expect a lot of tourists by October," he said. The push from the government, especially the Tourism Ministry, has given the sector a boost. The government has plans to spend $17 billion, a 10 per cent increase in public spending, this year. Close to $6 billion, including the $1.17 billion modernisation and expansion plan of Muscat Airport, had been disbursed by May, said the SCB report. Oman Air, the national carrier, has plans to start flights to new destinations across Europe and Asia, including Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Maldives and Colombo, this year. While flights to Frankfurt and Munich is planned to start by end of September, the airline will add Paris, Maldives and Colombo to its global network by October, officials said.

Meanwhile, hotels in the Sultanate have registered a rise in bookings , sources said. Two major projects, long delayed, have been completed recently. "Completion of The Wave will bring back confidence, and should also help consolidate Oman’s image as a destination of choice," said Dauba-Pantanacce. The Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club has opened, albeit five years late. "This milestone will help establish Oman’s image as a high-end destination." Oman’s tourist-friendliness attracts travellers, officials at Dertour, one of Germany’s largest tour operators, said. In Oman, Dertour partners with Zahara Tours. "Despite the crisis, we are sure of a 15 per cent growth in tourism," said Carina Baugmgarner of Dertour. Similarly, Switzerland-based Holiday Maker Tours AG have been selling Oman as a destination for 20 years and claims to have brought in 20,000 visitors.

"As demand for Oman as a tourist destination is rising, the future is positive," said Harsh Abrol, manager, Zahara Tours. In the last quarter of 2008, number of guests rose to 400,000 and revenue reached RO51 million at all hotels in the Sultanate, Ministry of National Economy statistics indicates. According to official data, the four and five-star rated hotels occupancy and revenue have indicated high growth rates in first three months this year. In first quarter of 2009 the number of guests increased to 217,000 compared with 194,000 last year, an average annual growth rate of 12.4 per cent. Total revenue for these hotels reached an annual growth rate of 6.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, according to official data.

Annual TAAI conference to be held in Dubai

Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Travel Agents Association of India for the hosting of the annual conference of India's travel trade body in Dubai from September 29 to October 2. The conference will contribute extensively in promoting and marketing Dubai in India which has been showing signs of strong growth, TAAI President Rajinder Rai said.

Emirates becomes world's largest Boeing 777 operator

Emirates has become the world's largest airline operator of Boeing 777 aircraft with the arrival of its 78th Boeing 777 today. Emirates has another 28 Boeing 777s pending delivery, worth over $1bn at list prices, and it is also the only airline to operate every model in the Boeing 777 family, -200s, -200ERs, -200LRs, -300s, -300ERs and freighters. The newest addition to the Emirates fleet is a Boeing 777-300ER configured for long distance journeys. Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said, 'The 777s form the backbone of our fleet, and we have configured these aircraft to give us maximum flexibility in terms of route deployment. Emirates' 777s today fly to six continents from our Dubai hub, operating routes within a two-hour distance to long-range journeys of 16 hours non-stop. The 777 is an excellent aircraft in terms of operating economics, and importantly, the new technologies incorporated within enable us to fit it out with the latest onboard systems and passenger amenities.

Emirates is committed to maintaining a young and modern fleet, which enhances our passengers' comfort and safety and also makes our aircraft some of the most environmentally-friendly in the skies.''The 777 is the world's most successful twin-engine, long-haul airplane and Emirates has contributed significantly to the program's success, both in becoming the now largest 777 airline customer and through its continued feedback on quality step improvements we've made to the airplane,' said Marty Bentrott, Boeing Vice President of Sales for the Middle East, Central and South Asia. 'With suppliers around the world contributing to and benefitting from 777 production, Emirates' investment toward building the world's largest Boeing 777 fleet has played a role in maintaining and strengthening the global aviation manufacturing industry.'

Emirates recently completed an upgrading programme for its existing 777 fleet, and now all of its 777 aircraft boast its award-winning ice (information, communication, entertainment) system, which offers passengers in all cabin classes an unrivalled choice of up to 1,200 channels of the latest movies, TV programming, music and games on demand. The airline's long-range 777s have also been equipped with its very latest onboard products including private suites in First Class, lie-flat massage seats in Business Class, and ergonomically designed seats in Economy Class. Emirates received its first 777, a Boeing 777-200, in 1996. Its current 777 fleet comprises: three -200s, six -200ERs, 10 -200LRs, 12 -300s, 45 -300ERs, and two 777 freighters. In total, Emirates operates 137 an all-wide body fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft to 99 cities in 60 countries on six continents.

Jet Airways to start Mumbai-Riyadh flight

Jet Airways, the first private airline from India to fly to Saudi Arabia, has announced it will start its Riyadh-Mumbai flight on August 6. The carrier will operate the new route's flights on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Jet Airways has been operating daily Jeddah-Mumbai flights since July 15, and a Dammam-Mumbai flight is in the pipeline, the airline has said.

Air India to cancel Boeing aircraft order

After coming under attack in Parliament over extravagant booking of aircraft, loss-hit Air India is now having second thoughts on acquisition of 111 aircraft, payments for which have added considerably to its financial woes, besides considering a proposal to cancel delivery of six Boeing aircraft, say sources. The proposal, made at a recent Air India board meeting, is seen as an attempt to bring down the annual interest burden. These six Boeing aircraft, likely to be B777’s, are part of the total 68 Boeing aircraft ordered by the national carrier. The list price of a single such aircraft varies from $165 million to $200 million. However, the negotiated price for Air India could be much lower because of the huge size of the order. A top airline official said that the airline was now trying to work out the ‘cost economics’ of cancellation of the order. "Since these are firm orders, there are likely to be huge penalties, and the airline has already made some advance payments for acquisition of these aircraft," said the official.

SpiceJet reports improvement in passenger traffic in July

Budget air-carrier SpiceJet said it has witnessed a healthy improvement in demand and expects to post a 10 per cent rise in passenger traffic this month but low yields still remain a cause of concern. "After being constantly on the decline for quite some time now, demand for air travel grew by 12 per cent in June and we expect it to grow by 10 per cent in July," SpiceJet Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Aggarwal said. Demand for air travel is witnessing an upward trend after a long interval and this is a "silver lining" for the beleaguered industry, he said. SpiceJet has posted a healthy performance in Q1FY'10 clocking a 15 per cent jump in its revenues, Aggarwal said, adding "however, low yields remain a cause of concern." The airline, which declared its Q1 results on Monday, posted a net profit of Rs 26.34 crore against a loss of Rs 129.22 crore in the year-ago period. Describing the air-carrier posting a profit as a creditable achievement, he said, "We have been able to squeeze out a profit (even) in this time of gloom and doom." However, for the industry to sustain its business, yields need to improve significantly, he added.

Kingfisher flight aborts take-off at Mangalore

The 9.30 pm Kingfisher flight to Mumbai from Kochi via Mangalore airport, was about to gain speed after taxing for take off, when it was directed to return to the tarmac to pick up a lady passenger, who had been left behind on Sunday, July 26.It is said, that a lone lady passenger, who was waiting at the VIP lounge of the local airport, ensured that she was picked up by the flight that was about to take off. Reportedly, the woman, who is a member of the advisory committee of Airports Authority of India, came to know about the departure of the flight late, and immediately confronted local head of Kingfisher Airlines, Rishi Mehta. He thereafter asked the Air Traffic Control officials to summon the aircraft back, which was done.

The flight took off after a delay of about an hour. The incident was reported by the pilot, as per rules, to the Director General of Civil Aviation and an investigating team arrived at the local airport to investigate the incident. Kripa Amar Alva, who was the passenger in question, said that her bags had been loaded on to the aircraft and that she was unaware that the flight had left. The airport officials, while providing her a seat in the lounge, had promised that she would be informed when the flight is ready, she claimed. When she came out to check as to why the flight, scheduled to leave at 7.45, had not yet departed, she found to her dismay that the flight was on its way, she explained. Alva said, other passengers in the flight were furious, thinking that she had caused the delay, but asserted she was not to be blamed for the incident.

Deccan 360 to launch express cargo operations

Deccan 360 is gearing up to launch express operations "in a few months", according to its founder and managing director, Captain G R Gopinath. According to the captain, "we will provide guaranteed, fast, reliable, integrated, on demand, worldwide, door to door movement of shipments which are tracked and controlled throughout the journey." "The solutions will essentially be customised to ensure that the varied logistics needs of verticals like electronics, automobiles, textiles, manufacturing, banking and pharmaceuticals are catered to." Deccan 360 is currently in the process of finishing off its express cargo hub at Nagpur in central India. This will be the core of the company’s hub and spoke distribution model.Agreements have also been signed to set up express cargo facilities at Delhi and Hyderabad airports. Deccan 360 plans to deploy three Airbus A310 freighters with a capacity of 35 tonnes each, along with six smaller ATR aircraft for use on internal routes in India.

Air Astana to organise FAM trips to Almaty

In an effort to promote Almaty in Kazakhstan as a leisure destination in India, Air Astana’s India office will organise familiarisation (FAM) trips for the travel trade and media from India to Almaty in the coming months. This is the first time the airline is hosting a FAM trip for media to Kazakhstan’s second biggest city and commercial capital. The trip will be organised in association with the Kazakhstan Tourist Association (KTA), the national body of Kazakhstan for the promotion of tourism. Chander Mulchandani, Manager – Sales & Marketing, Air Astana in Delhi, informed that two FAMs will be organised separately.

"The trade FAM is almost finalised and is scheduled for next month, while the media FAM will be held some time in November this year. Dates will be announced once we receive confirmation from the KTA office in Almaty," he said.Air Astana is looking at hosting ten delegates as part of each FAM. Further elaborating on the FAMs, Mulchandani said, "We are trying to promote Almaty as a leisure destination in a big way big way with the support of the Kazakh Embassy in Delhi as well as hoteliers in Almaty." At present, the leisure traffic from India to Almaty is just two per cent of the total traffic, and according to Mulchandani, promotional activities are also aimed at enhancing the awareness level about the destination in the Indian market besides promoting Almaty as a leisure destination.

Jet Airways and KSTDC launch 'Golden Jet Escapes'

Two of India’s premium luxury travel brands, The Golden Chariot South India’s first luxury train by Karnataka state tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Jet Airways, India’s premiere international airline have joined hands to offer unique holiday packages that combine luxury with convenience. ‘The Golden Jet Escapes’ offers a flight to Bangalore and onward journeys on Karnataka’s famed Golden Chariot Train, was launched in Bangalore today by Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development, Sri G Janardhana Reddy amidst an audience of media and tour operators. These new holiday packages will target both international and domestic travelers from metro destinations such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Goa and Kochi in India, while on the international front, the offer is valid from New York, New Jersey, Toronto, London and Brussels.

Specially packaged fares have been provided by both the Golden Chariot and Jet Airways to offer a seamless travel experience that combines the air travel from a gateway city with the Golden Chariot experience that will showcase Southern India’s historic regions and sights such as Kabini, Mysore, Sharavanabelagola, Belur, Halebid , Hampi, Badami Caves, Pattadakai and Goa.The holiday packages have been especially created around the concept of time travel. Starting with 21st century Bangalore, travelers will be taken back in time to the 6th century Badami Caves, each destination offering chapter in history of this region.The Golden Jet Escape packages will be available on Jet Airways and The Golden Chariot websites. Bookings can be made on the websites www.glodenjetescapes.com and www.jetairways.com from Monday, July 27th, 2009.

These packages can also be availed through GSA’s of the Golden Chariot and travel agents. Jet Airways with its extensive network in India and in key gateway cities in the US, UK and Europe will also market this to new target audiences encouraging them to experience and relive the rich cultural diversity of Karnataka’s heritage. This offer that is available for both Premiere and Economy class on Jet Airways. Tourism Minister Sri. G. Janardhana Reddy, said, "The Government is interested in coming up with more such initiatives where marketing is jointly done with leading private sector players. Especially when the partners are popular and accepted it augurs well for the destination. With this initiative, Karnataka has spread its marketing initiatives firmly on the international and national markets."

According to Mr. Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, "Jet Airways has always sought to promote tourism both internationally, as well as within India, by leveraging its unmatched pan-India and growing international network. We are delighted to partner with KSTDC to launch the ‘Golden Jet Escapes’ initiative, as part of our ongoing efforts to boost domestic travel and tourism. We are confident that the compelling value proposition on offer will spur more travelers to visit Karnataka this year." On this occasion, Sutradhar, The Golden Chariot’s on board magazine was launched by Sri. Siraj Sheikh, Chairman, KSTDC. Speaking on the occasion he said that Karnataka is a land full of exciting stories and they can be seen and heard at every turn, in every destination. "Sutradhar, will narrate the stories of this land in an exciting manner that will be presented by the Sutradhar of ‘The Golden Chariot’. This will be yet another piece of showcase literature for travelers to Karnataka to read."

Jet Airways announces special fares to Bangkok

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline announced an amazing special economy class return fare of INR 4388 to mark the launch of its Mumbai - Bangkok service 9W 68, a second frequency to the Thai capital, effective 16th August, 2009. Jet Airways’ guests may avail of this fare, specifically introduced for them, applicable only on outbound travel on 9W 68, from Mumbai to Bangkok, with an option to choose any other flight on the return Bangkok – Mumbai sector. This fare is valid for sale with immediate effect until August 05, 2009, whilst outbound travel must commence on or before October 15, 2009. Jet Airways has also re-introduced a special Premiere fare of INR 25000 (one way) valid for sale and travel with immediate effect until September 30, 2009, on this second frequency. With the introduction of this flight, Jet Airways’ leisure and business travelers now have a choice of flights to Bangkok either late at night or in the afternoon and return in the evening or the following morning. Taxes and surcharges extra.