World Travel News

A presentation led by Oman’s Ministry of Tourism and key partners will be held this month to promote the Sultanate’s Eid package options to the ladies clubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The presentation, which gets underway at the Dubai Ladies Club on Saturday September 10th, is part of a regional initiative and aims to bring this fascinating destination to ladies clubs in the UAE providing visitors with that vital face-to-face contact enabling them to make informed choices about travel to Oman. The event is open to ladies only.

Key highlights will feature the display and presentation of some of Oman tourism components including Oman Air, Radisson SAS Hotel Muscat; InterContinental Hotels Oman; Hilton Salalah; Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah; Golden Tulip Resort Khasab. There will also be a prize draw to win weekend breaks and travel prizes to Oman as well as giveaways for all those attending.

Because the old New Orleans is no more, it could resurrect itself as the great new American city of the 21st century.

Or as an impoverished tourist trap.

Founded by the French in 1718, site of the first U.S. mint in the Western United States, this one-time pride of the South, this one-time queen of the Gulf Coast had been declining for decades, slowly becoming an antiquated museum.

Now New Orleans must decide how to be reborn. Its choices could foretell the future of urbanism.

The sheer human tragedy - and the fact that the Gulf Coast is crucial to the nation’ s economy as well as the Republican Party’s base - guarantee that there will be money to start the project. Private corporations, churches and nonprofits will pitch in with the government.

Universitas 21 Global has announced a strategic partnership with The University of Nottingham to offer a Master of Science (MSc) in Tourism and Travel Management incorporating Universitas 21 Global’s Executive Diploma of Business Administration.

Recent figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), reveal that the industry is one of the fastest growing across the Arab World, mirroring similar growth throughout the globe. Across the Middle East, travel and tourism is expected to grow by 4.8%, and account for 9.1% of the region’s total workforce by the end of 2005.

Commenting on the launch of the new program, Vikram Tah, Director of Recruitment, Universitas 21 Global, Middle East and Africa, said: “With the industry experiencing this kind of growth, a demand for managerial expertise in Travel and Tourism which is relevant to this region has been created. Our partnership with The University of Nottingham aims to attract executives who are looking to extend their career opportunities by enrolling in a world class, flexible, program. Being completely online, our program enables students to study anytime anywhere and enhance their educational qualifications.”

More: strategiy.com

Strong travel growth in the UAE is expected to continue to the end of the year, according to Sharjah National Travel & Tourist Agency. SNTTA has seen steady growth in business travel and a 20% surge in leisure travel over 2004. Holidaymakers are increasingly choosing affordable package tours to exotic locations, according to an official.

Source: ameinfo.com

Further underlining the UAE’s reputation as a strong travel and tourism market, a leading travel company has stated that current summer trends signal a further increase above the forecasted growth in airline bookings for the rest of the year, with leisure travel growing beyond expectations.

Pointing to a 25 percent increase in its summer business, Sharjah National Travel & Tourist Agency (SNTTA), one of the leading travel companies in the region and a member of the Dubai-based Liberty Investment Company, said that its sales had exceeded QII 2005 forecast and was boosted mainly by an unprecedented 20 percent surge in leisure travel, over the corresponding period last year.

A top SNTTA official pointed out that while business and corporate travel maintained a healthy growth, leisure travel showed a remarkable recovery with the trend growing popular with families. He added that recent developments in Europe and the Middle East forced leisure travelers to explore alternate destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The rising cost of living continued to dictate travel trends, with passengers preferring affordable packages to exotic destinations, pointed out Zafar Imam, General Manager of SNTTA-Sharjah.

More: ameinfo.com