Elaf Group unveils new privileges to spice up summer 2008

The summer offerings will be available in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in the Arab region and in Malaysia and Thailand in South East Asia.

'The Arab travel and tourism market has entered a new era of growth, which shows the region's resiliency and flexibility to adjust to the evolving market demands. This presents excellent business prospects to key players within the industry, creating opportunities to address new challenges as the region's tourism sector continues to expand,'

said Ziyad Ahmed Bin Mahfouz, CEO of Elaf Group.

'We have identified key measures to help enhance the tourism climate, including the introduction of innovative programs in the hotel sector, addressing future industry requirements, and regular marketing campaigns such as discounts and special privileges to attract more tourists. These steps will be beneficial both ways as tourists can enjoy optimum value for their money, while tourism-oriented companies will be able to improve revenues,' added Bin Mahfouz.

Tarek Hashem Nabulsi, Deputy CEO of Elaf Group said, 'We will leverage the positive developments within the industry to create more value for our clients. This is in line with our firm commitment to maintain our position as a leading provider of first-class services in the travel, tourism and hotel sectors of the region. We have made substantial investments to develop infrastructures and modern facilities, giving us greater flexibility to provide innovative tourism services. Ultimately, these steps will strengthen our ability to provide a wide range of distinctive offerings in the tourism industry.'

Bin Mahfouz added, 'The region is currently witnessing new trends in the hotel sector, such as the development of hotels that comply with Islamic law, largely spurred by a 10% increase in demand in the global market. The breadth of engagement on the international and regional levels is a clear indication of the momentum gained by the regional tourism sector; it also reveals the diversity of the competitive services within the industry.'

'By taking this leading initiative, we aim to provide tourists with a full range of offerings, such as customised services for the summer season. Furthermore, we look forward to a substantial growth in international tourism, particularly with heavy investments being poured into the industry totalling around SR11 trillion within the next 20 years, including more than SR7.4bn in projects for the hotel sector during the first quarter of 2007,' concluded Bin Mahfouz.