16 SPECIAL FEATURE
16 SPECIAL FEATURE MIDDLE EAST A Western Touch in the Orient Best Western adds Kuwait to portfolio along with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman Best Western has arrived in Kuwait with a new property… We asked Glenn de Souza – VP for International Operations - Best Western Asia to tell us more about this and the other recently opened properties in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman… Best Western Mahboula opened in summer 2013, offering almost 100 contemporary hotel rooms overlooking the Arabian Gulf. With an international restaurant, swimming pool, fitness center, business center and complimentary Wi-Fi, this hotel offers a range of facilities for the modern traveler. OUR EXPANSION INTO NEW MARKETS WILL GATHER PACE THIS YEAR Kuwait was one of several new Middle Eastern markets Best Western has entered in recent years, with others being Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan. Of course the performance of each hotel differs, but overall Best Western’s Middle Eastern properties are performing well. In Saudi Arabia especially, our recently-opened hotels in Makkah and Riyadh have been very wellreceived by guests, and our Best Western Premier hotel is a great addition to the city. What are your plans for future rollout? This expansion into new markets will gather pace this year, with the launch of Best Western hotels in Glenn de Souza VP for International Operations - Best Western Asia multiple new cities in Saudi Arabia, including Al Qissim, Al Ahsa, Jeddah, Jizan and Dammam, as well as our first ever hotel in Iraq. The Best Western Premier Erbil Airport, in the northern Iraqi region or Kurdistan, is expected to open in Q4 2014, and we are incredibly excited about this milestone in the company’s history. As with Best Western’s hotels in all areas of the world, we work closely with our local offices and development partners in the Middle East to ensure that the products and service we are providing are suitable for the market. We have noticed that the Middle East region seems to appreciate our luxury Best Western Premier products, and we expect these to form a large part of our regional expansion in the coming years. Hall 26 B Stand 201 When the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) partnered with French football team Paris St Germain (PSG), it marked a groundbreaking move to combine two very different destinations via sport. And yet, according to Rashed al-Qurese, Director Marketing & Promotion Department QTA, the collaboration feels right: “When it comes to tourism, excellence, ambition and global attraction,” he said, “where but Paris could be more aligned with our destination ambition?” Choosing Paris as a vessel is particularly shrewd as the French capital is already one of the world’s leading tourist cities, meaning Qatar benefits by association. More specifically, associating with PSG makes Qatar uniquely visible in the global sporting arena. “One should remember that there is only one professional football club in Paris,” al-Qurese pointed out, “whereas there are six in London, and two each in Rome, Barcelona etc.” Thus, Qatar has quickly become synonymous with an iconic and successful French football team. The QTA hopes that once the PSG connection inspires new visitors to Qatar, they will be impressed by the territory’s range Rashed al-Qurese Qatar & Paris – The Perfect Match Football sponsorship gives Qatar tourism boost of attractions “Doha is one of the cultural capitals of the region with symphonies, plays, world-class shows, operas and film festivals taking place regularly,” said al- Qurese, adding: “Qatar is a great leisure place thanks to its 563km sandy coastline with numerous beaches, small islets, sand bars and reefs. There are also historical landmarks such as the Al Zubarah Fort and village which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” As a peninsula in the Persian Gulf Qatar is one of the few places in the world where the desert meets the ocean… and now, in its partnership with PSG, it is also where traditional European sport meets pioneering Middle Eastern tourism. And with the FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2022, a successful partnership with football is clearly the long-term goal. Director Marketing & Promotion Department QTA WHERE BUT PARIS COULD BE MORE ALIGNED WITH OUR DESTINATION AMBITION Hall 22 B Stand 206 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 7 th March 2014 www.itb-berlin-news.com
MIDDLE AFRICA / EAST MIDDLE / AFRICA EAST REGION 17 Stefan Viard General Manager, Vida Hotels & Resorts Accessible, Value for Money Holidays South Africa strives to achieve 2020 tourism targets promoting “authentic travel experiences” Vida: Hospitality Unplugged Modernising the hotel experience at a unique getaway resort in Downtown Dubai While Downtown Dubai is no stranger to luxurious living and impressive state-of-theart buildings, there is something distinct about the Vida Hotel – and this is a deliberate strategy on the part of Stefan Viard, General Manager, Vida Hotels and Resorts. “Serving as a social hub where people can connect, Vida Hotels are differentiated by their modern architecture with a fashion-forward interior concept,” he said. “Vida, meaning ‘life’ in Spanish, is an exciting and refreshingly different hotel concept for the new generation of business executives, entrepreneurs and leisure travellers.” One of Vida’s key innovations is in the integration of Innspire to create “hospitality unplugged.” The way guests can interact with each other and with the hotel itself, whether it’s checking in, booking laundry or ordering food, has been reinvented using tablets and smartphones. “We are delighted to partner with such a dynamic company that offers state-of-the-art solutions and is assisting us in revolutionising the way we interact with our guests,” he said. “For our guests it is as easy as sitting by the poolside and ordering their food and drink from their handheld device. It is an amazing system to play and connect.” Immersed in chic, eclectic interiors and receiving bespoke treatment in a 21st Century way certainly seems to appeal to these guests – targeted as “the younger generation of travellers who seek a getaway experience in the heart of the city”-- early feedback has been positive. “We have recorded robust occupancy rates, and are confident this trend will prevail through 2014” said Viard. Hall 22 A Stand 103 Tourism has been progressing very well in South Africa since the “boost” given by the 2010 FIFA World Cup – a milestone in the journey to be a globally competitive destination. This year, South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom, and international arrivals to South Africa have grown more than 200 percent in those 20 years - from about 3.6 million arrivals a year in 1994 to 13.4 million arrivals at the end of 2012, 9.2 million of whom were tourists. In this exclusive interview, South Africa’s tourism minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk explains why his country has a strong presence at ITB Berlin this year. More people the world over are looking for real human and culturally authentic travel experiences. South Africa has come into its own as a destination that delivers these kinds of experiences… and as a destination that delivers heartfelt connections, too. We are at ITB this year promoting South Africa as a destination that allows one to enjoy the country as locals enjoy it: making friends with the people, exploring the beauty of the land on your own terms and enjoying deeply enriching and memorable experiences. We are promoting South Africa in this way, and also as a destination that’s accessible; that offers wonderful value for money and that delivers a holiday in a destination that prioritises sustainable, responsible and fair tourism practices. Marthinus van Schalkwyk Minister of Tourism, South Africa How important is ITB Berlin for you as a platform for promotion on a global scale? ITB Berlin is an exceptionally important platform for South Africa. This is the world’s biggest global travel trade show. It offers us an outstanding and valuable platform to do business with world. In addition, Germany is one of our most valuable overseas markets, showing consistent, good arrivals growth. German tourist arrivals to South Africa have grown from 195,830 in 1998 to 266,333 in 2012. By the end of October last year, we had welcomed 234,531 German tourists to South Africa. We have exceptional relationships with the German trade. Our (…) A DESTINATION THAT PRIORITISES SUSTAINABLE, RESPONSIBLE AND FAIR TOURISM PRACTICES presence at ITB enables us to affirm those relationships and put plans in place with our trade partners to continue promoting South Africa as an exciting, accessible destination that offers great value for money. Hall 20 Stand 138 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 7 th March 2014
