Tourism and Hospitality

SriLankan launches 'island breaks' package
SriLankan Holidays plans to expand its presence in the Middle East with the launch of a series of special holiday packages, the company said in a statement. The first promotion is the 'Island Breaks' offer, a three-month campaign up to April 30 2008, to visit tropical Sri Lanka. The offer includes airfare and star-class hotel accommodation with an international buffet breakfast, for two nights and three days.
Middle East: Sunday, March 23 - 2008 at 08:43

Emirates Palace signs tour deals
Emirates Palace has attracted tour operators in four European countries to sign a deal to send individuals and groups of leisure travelers to stay in Emirates Palace in the next tourism season. The hotel got the deal during the recently held International Travel Bourse in Berlin.
United Arab Emirates: Saturday, March 22 - 2008 at 10:10

Women only hotel opens in Saudi Arabia
A hotel catering just for women has opened in Riyadh. The Luthan Hotel & Spa has 25 rooms and aims mainly at businesswomen in the region. Owned by a group of 20 Saudi princesses and businesswomen, facilities include conference rooms and health and beauty treatments. Once inside the hotel, women do not need to be covered head to toe, as all employees are female.
Saudi Arabia: Thursday, March 20 - 2008 at 12:17

Rixos to open Palm hotel
Rixos Hotels Group is entering the Middle East market, with a hotel on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Owned by Zabeel Investments, it will have an ethnic theme, the company said.
United Arab Emirates: Thursday, March 20 - 2008 at 10:24

UAE hotels produce double CO2 emissions
Five-star hotels in the UAE are producing twice as much CO2 compared to similar hotels in Europe, according to an award-winning study on hotel carbon emissions. The study, undertaken by Dubai-based facilities management company Farnek Avireal, found that on average, a 5-star hotel in Dubai produces 6,500 tonnes of CO2 annually, while a similar hotel in Europe produces only 3,000 tonnes a year. Furthermore, Dubai hotels on average consume between 275 to 325kw/h of power per guest, compared to 100kw/h per guest in a similar hotel in Germany, a difference of 225%.
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, March 19 - 2008 at 13:39

Region's tourism potential far from realised
The Middle East's tourism growth potential is far from realised, according to Jonathan Worsley, conference co-organiser of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference. 'Although the Middle East is pegged to be the fastest-growing region by 2020, with estimated growth of 7.1% per annum, 69 million tourists arrivals and almost $4tr in tourism investments announced, there is more to come,' he said. Dubai's hospitality sector, driven by growth in tourist arrivals, had a solid 2007 with the first half alone reporting 97% occupancy in five-star hotels and guest room nights rising by more that six per cent over 2006, said Marc Dardenne, CEO, Emaar Hospitality. The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference will run from May 3-5 at Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah Convention Centre and is jointly organised by The Bench and AME Info's sister company, Meed.
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, March 19 - 2008 at 13:31

Starwood to open 4 hotels in ME
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide plans to open four hotels in the Middle East this year, the first of 16 hotels that the company will open by 2011, reported Gulf News. The four new hotels are the Four Points by Sheraton on Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai; Westin at Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina Dubai; W in Doha, Qatar; and Le Meridien Makkah Towers, Saudi Arabia. Together the four hotels will add 1,635 rooms and 154 apartments to the hotel industry in 2008.
Wednesday, March 19 - 2008 at 07:02

Coral Hotels opens Fujairah property
Coral Hotels and Resorts, the UAE's home-grown hospitality chain, has announced that it has opened a new hotel in the emirate of Fujairah. Coral Residence Tower, Fujairah features 176 fully-furnished apartments. The units range from studios (60 units) to two-bedroom apartments (56 units) and two-bedroom apartments with maid's rooms (58 units). The hotel also provides dining, conference and banqueting facilities.
United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, March 18 - 2008 at 11:00