Diplomat bags Bahrainisation award
The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence and Spa and its owner National Hotels Company have received the award for the “highest Bahrainisation percentage in 2014” by the Specific Council for Training in Hospitality.
National Hotels Company chief executive officer Abdulrahman Morshed and The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence and Spa general manager Panos Panagis received the award during a ceremony held under the patronage of Labour Minister His Excellency Jameel Humaidan.
The hotel also won a number of other awards.
Rehab Salem Khamis won the long service award, Jawher Naseeb Salem won the diligent worker award.
The hospitality of Bahrainis and their culture is what distinguishes them from other employees. They are an integral part of the team and show great accountability.
Mers fears hit flight bookings
Flight bookings to South Korea have plummeted following an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers), according to latest figures from ForwardKeys, which monitors future travel patterns by analysing 14 million reservation transactions each day.
The first case in South Korea of Mers, a virus which produces cold-like symptoms including fever, cough and breathing difficulties, was reported on May 20 earlier this year.
Olivier Jager, co-founder and CEO, ForwardKeys, said: “The Mers outbreak in South Korea seems to be having an immediate impact, creating a climate of panic for those with imminent travel plans. International air reservations reacted within five days of the first reported case of Mers in South Korea. After June 1, we saw steeper drops in bookings and increases in cancellations.”
Hardest hit were flight reservations from Hong Kong, down 102 per cent for the same period last year. ForwardKeys data shows that from May 20 to June 5 total international bookings to South Korea were down 14.9 per cent, while total cancellations were up 21.3 per cent, compared with the same period last year. The most dramatic changes in bookings and cancellations occurred during the first days of June, with bookings down 32.3 per cent and cancellations increased by 27.8 per cent.
Turkey commits to WHTS15
Leading hospitality brands in Turkey have committed to The World Halal Travel Summit & Exhibition (WHTS15) and now form the largest country exhibitor at the event, which takes place from October 19 to 21 at Adnec in Abu Dhabi.
“Turkey remains the leading destination market for many halal tourists and this is reflected in all of the most important halal hotels, resorts and destination management companies confirming their stands,” stated WHTS15 event director Andy Buchanan.
“What makes the summit so compelling for Turkish travel brands is that the WHTS15 delegate audience is made up of senior travel buyers from the most important source markets including the GCC, which remains the number one sales target for the Turkish travel trade,” Buchanan concluded.
Angel’s Peninsula assistant GM Fehmi Durak said, “We are delighted to both sponsor WHTS15 and to play a major part in promoting Turkey’s large participation at the Abu Dhabi summit – the Turkish tourism industry has embraced WHTS15 as it allows promotional access to our core markets.”
Norwegian introduces all-inclusive cruising
Beginning January 2016 all guests sailing aboard Norwegian Sky will enjoy an even more all-inclusive cruise experience with dining, entertainment and now free unlimited beverages included. Whether they choose white or red, shaken or stirred, on the rocks or straight up, Norwegian Sky guests will revel in the freedom and flexibility of the most inclusive contemporary cruise vacation at sea.
Norwegian Sky sails port-packed three- and four-day roundtrip cruises from Miami to the Bahamas year-round. Norwegian Sky guests also have the option to indulge in a variety of extra on-board experiences such as speciality restaurants and pampering Mandara Spa treatments.