Hotel gong for Flanagan
MAURICE Flanagan (right), vice chairman and group president of Emirates Airline, has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for services to tourism in Arabia to be presented at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 2007, which runs April 28 to 30 in Dubai.

Flanagan, who is frequently acknowledged by the aviation industry for his role in steering the growth of Emirates, is singled out by the hotel investment sector in recognition of his contribution to the region’s burgeoning hospitality sector.

COTTM sees 50pc growth
THE China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market (COTTM), the only business-to-business event dedicated to outbound travel and tourism in China, has increased by more than 50 per cent since the last show in 2006. This international travel trade show is taking place at the China World Trade Center (CWTC) in Beijing from May 14 to 16, and has attracted over 200 exhibitors from 40 different countries across the world, including first-time destinations Iran, Jordan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania. With 132 countries now having ADS status, the China outbound travel market represents huge opportunities for tourism regions and destinations. COTTM provides the ideal commercial forum for new and established tourist destinations to promote their offerings to the Chinese travel trade as well as to network. More than 2,500 professionals focusing on the Chinese outbound market are projected to attend this year's event, including 400 hosted buyers from throughout mainland China.

$8bn Disney Bahrain a mere fairytale
BAHRAIN-BASED Kuwait Finance House (KFH) has denied a report that it was investing in an $8 billion Disneyland theme park in the country. The report, in Al Waqt newspaper, said that Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was in talks with KFH and other investors to build Disney Bahrain. KFH Bahrain general manager Abdul Hakim Al Khayat said the report was ‘all false’ and that they had nothing to do with the project. Bahrain’s Economic Development Board said it had no knowledge of the project, while the Walt Disney Company also denied talks to build a theme park in Bahrain, according to reports.

New batch for DTCM diploma
THE Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has announced the start of second batch of the widely-recognized Cambridge International Diploma in Travel and Tourism. The DTCM Manager Human Resources and Training, Ibrahim Yaqoot (right), said the second batch was to start at the end of February and will run until the end of the year. The diploma course studies are offered once a week.