16 NEWS IATA strengthens
16 NEWS IATA strengthens connections with tourism industry at ITB Berlin IATA has also announced global passenger traffic results for January 2015, showing traffic growth (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) of 4.6% compared to January 2014. This represents a slower start to the year compared to 2014 full-year growth of 5.9%. However, results likely were affected by the timing of the Lunar New Year in Asia, “Berliners”, the beloved local pastry, were very popular with visitors to the IATA booth For the second consecutive year the International Air Transport Association (IATA) exhibited at ITB Berlin with great success. IATA’s presence at the show highlighted its services for the non-air travel industry, including distribution and payment solutions, certifications and training for hotels, railways, travel agents and more. Visitors to the booth were treated to Berliners, the beloved local pastry. This year, IATA also hosted a cocktail reception at the Grand Hyatt Berlin on 4 March 2015 where travel agents interacted faceto-face with their IATA representatives in a relaxed atmosphere. IATA staff from various departments chatted with the dozens of attendees about the many services IATA currently offers, as well as the initiatives it is actively pursuing to support the travel agency community. As an expression of IATA’s appreciation, reception attendees received a threemonth free trial of the Agent IS data product and a free IATA / IATAN ID Card. IATA welcomed this unique opportunity to dialogue with travel agents and is already which occurred one month later this year compared to 2014. January capacity rose 5.2% and load factor slipped 0.5 percentage points to 77.7%. While domestic markets drove growth in the latter part of 2014, international traffic was stronger in January. “January traffic did not maintain the rate of growth attained in 2014; looking forward to next year. To stay informed about future IATA events for the tourism industry, email imc@iata.org. January Passenger Demand Signals Solid Start to 2015 nevertheless, we are seeing healthy albeit slightly slower growth in the demand for air services. While January was a relatively positive start for the year, we cannot look ahead without seeing some significant risk factors in the macro-economic and political environment,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. Thomas Langner Marketing Communications Officer, Cathay Pacific New Düsseldorf – Hong Kong Service Cathay Pacific announces an increase in frequency to two flights a day to the Asian hub Cathay Pacific leveraged ITB Berlin to announce a new long haul flight from Düsseldorf to Hong Kong – the company’s second non-stop flight from 1st September 2015. Cathay will be running a Boeing 777-300ER with four travel classes on board. According to Marketing Communications Officer, Thomas Langner, the reaction at ITB Berlin was very positive: “Having a second daily flight to Hong Kong means the people who live in and around Düsseldorf, but even from the Netherlands, will have greater flexibility in transport options.” Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific has announced a new partnership for… coffee! The airline has in fact partnered with illy to serve premium coffee to First and Business Class passengers. Freshly brewed coffee from the renowned Italian coffee roasting company is already being served on flights, while illy’s espresso, café latte and cappuccino will be gradually introduced onboard beginning from March 2015. Numerous tests were conducted to ensure that a “rewarding multisensory coffee experience” could be enjoyed by passengers, despite the sense of smell and taste buds being reduced by travelling at such a high altitude. Mediumand dark-roasted beans from illy have been carefully selected to serve onboard as the darker roast and heavier body allows for the full release of the coffee’s aroma and taste in the air, ensuring passengers can get the same enjoyment from drinking coffee in the aircraft cabin as they do on the ground. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 17 th March 2015 www.itb-berlin-news.com
NEWS 17 The Rising Emirate Etihad Holidays leverages ITB Berlin to raise awareness of new tour ideas in Abu Dhabi… and beyond With Etihad Airways this year sharing a booth with Air Berlin at ITB Berlin, the airline’s subsidiaries, Etihad Holidays / Hala Abu Dhabi DMC had a stand all to themselves. We spoke to Gurdeep Singh Shinji – Manager Etihad Holidays for the UK and German markets, and asked how this helped present new products. This has given us an opportunity to showcase holiday destinations in a much more friendly, less ‘corporate’ way than in previous years. It has to be said, the quality of the audience has been outstanding. There have been a number of great inquiries, as people know more and more about the destination. We’re talking to TOs, TAs as well as conference organisers. It’s a great springboard for us to meet with people from all over the world, not just Germany and Europe, to introduce our destination and our products in such a way that is just not possible at other events. What are your star products this year? Key products this year are the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which is the last F1 race of the season, taking place at the end of November. We are also promoting summer packages in Abu Dhabi itself, as well as other beyond-points such as the Seychelles, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. For this show, we developed a special promo code, giving visitors to the stand a discount of up to 100 Euros off package prices. We are also talking about MICE. We have a PCO (professional conference organisers) team, and we are talking about bringing events to Abu Dhabi as well. Is the idea of Abu Dhabi as a destination changing in the minds of the public? It’s true that most people in the past, when thinking of the UAE, thought about Dubai, but many people have discovered Abu Dhabi, thanks to the tourism authority that has a big presence in European markets now. It all comes down to education and awareness about the destination. There are already many great attractions in the Emirate, and in December this year there will be the opening of the Louvre. All these things add up to making Abu Dhabi a great destination in its own right. Gurdeep Singh Shinji – Manager Etihad Holidays for the UK and German markets (centre) with the promotional team at the Etihad Holidays stand. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 17 th March 2015
