Qatar Airways and Qatar Aviation Catering Company (QACC) have launched a new waste reduction and recycling programme in Doha, further contributing towards local and international environmental solutions. Qatar Airways has been working to introduce additional measures that will minimise packaging and increase recycling to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Over the past three months Qatar Airways and QACC have recycled 266 tonnes of materials including cardboard, plastic wrapping and a variety of plastic containers. These materials have been collected by two local firms for recycling, along with 6,300 litres of cooking oil which will be converted into biodiesel. QACC operates a state-of-the-art facility providing premium in-flight and lounge catering services to passengers travelling on the national airline’s global network and utilising HIA lounges including the award-winning Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge at Hamad International Airport. Together with the Qatar Airways Group companies QACC is leading ambitious energy and water conservation and waste minimisation programmes to support the environmental pillar of Qatar’s Vision for 2030.

The timeshare industry in Dubai and globally is eagerly awaiting the release of the new Timeshare Law, which will propel the industry on a growth path. This is according to the Chairman of Arabian Falcon Holidays (AFH), the largest independent timeshare player in the Middle East. Chairman of Arabian Falcon Holidays, Mohannad Sharafuddin, said that they are hoping that the Timeshare Law in Dubai will be released as early as end of the year in fairness to all players and stakeholders so that both the company and the consumers are protected whilst contributing to the economy. The core idea of timeshare is ‘Family Vacation’ and Arabian Falcon Holidays alone brings in over 16,000 of its members to Dubai every year. Shared vacation ownership through AFH generates direct turnover between Dh350 million-Dh500 million, which expands to Dh1 billion when indirect and induced impacts are included.  The timeshare industry is expected to add Dh14 billion to Dubai’s economy by 2020. The upcoming Law will unlock the potentials of the industry participants to extend amazing Dubai deals that offer “value-for-money” to timeshare buyers from all across the world. Timeshare is also fast catching up among the millennial generation. A more detailed interview will be available in our September print version on www.travtalkmiddleeast.com.

Millennium & Copthorne, Middle East and Africa has announced the opening of the Millennium Airport Counter at Abu Dhabi International Airport to meet the needs of business and leisure travellers looking to stay at one of their nine properties in the UAE. The Group’s Abu Dhabi hotel General Managers and key executives from the regional corporate office attended the official launch. Managed by the Millennium & Copthorne team, the newly launched counter is conveniently located in the arrivals terminal and offers immediate accommodation and meet and greet services for hotels in Abu Dhabi as well as other properties across the UAE. Francois Kassab, Chief Operating Officer, Millennium & Copthorne, Middle East & Africa commented that with nine hotels currently operating in the UAE as well as an extensive development pipeline including the upcoming launch of luxury hotel Bab Al Qasr, it is a key destination for them. Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport is increasing every year and they hope to benefit from this by delivering first-class service from the moment guests land.

The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has announced that the emirate earned AED200 million in tourism revenues from a total of 272,021 visitors in the first half of 2016. Tourism revenues from April to June 2016 reached AED92 million, 11 percent higher compared to the same period in 2015. Total guests for the period are 129,617 from 119,376 in 2015. Three Furnished Apartments are added to the inventory of establishments during the three month period. Occupancy rate for the second quarter is reported at 63 percent for hotels while hotel apartments has 68 percent occupancy rate. Guest nights for the second quarter reached 293,512 with majority of the guests staying at five- and four-star hotels and superior and standard hotel apartments. Local tourists still top the emirate’s guests followed by visitors from Asia and Africa, other Arab countries and GCC nationals. Europeans, Americans and Russian visitors comprised more than 30,000 of the total guests. With the addition of three Furnished Apartments to the inventory, Ajman has 39 establishments with total 3,392 hotel rooms and units and 5,737 beds.

Dubai-based developer Nakheel released construction tenders for new hotels at Dragon City and Ibn Battuta Mall, adding another 670 rooms to its rapidly-growing hospitality portfolio. Nakheel will build a 295-room hotel at Dragon City, home of the world-famous Dragon Mart retail and trading hub, featuring the one million square foot Dragon Mart 2 shopping, dining and entertainment complex, which opened in February. The developer will also create a 15-storey, 375-room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall, where a 300,000 sq ft extension opened in May. The 3-star hotels are due for completion in 2018; complement existing hotels at the two retail hubs, where further major expansions continue. Nakheel opened a 251-room Accor-operated ibis Styles hotel at Dragon Mart 2 in February, while its 372-room Premier Inn at Ibn Battuta will open in Q4 this year. With a built-up area of over 180,000 sq ft, the new Dragon City hotel will feature a restaurant, coffee shop and gym, while the 280,000 sq ft establishment at Ibn Battuta, located by the Metro entrance, will have an all-day restaurant, gym and pool deck. The Dragon City expansion comprises a 2.2 million sq ft retail component, two residential towers containing 1,120 apartments and a multi-story car park with 6,200 spaces. Once complete, it will bring the size of Dragon City to more than 11 million sq ft. Ibn Battuta’s 4.7 million sq ft expansion features a one million sq ft mall with glass-covered courtyard, a new cinema complex and a 7,000-space multi-storey car park. Nakheel also has hotels under development at Palm Jumeirah and Deira Islands, with more in the pipeline.

The Emirate of Sharjah has registered a 7 percent increase in hotel revenues, reaching AED 378 million ($103m) during the first six months of 2016, according to the latest figures from Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The authority has been targeting markets identified in its strategic marketing plan and says that H1 2016 hotel statistics show a 19 percent increase from those markets, compared with H1 2015. The SCTDA announced its Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021 tourism development strategy in 2015, which aims to attract more than 10 million tourists to the emirate by year 2021. A total of 878,006 visitors booked accommodation in Sharjah during the first half of 2016, compared with about one million visitors registered during the first half of 2015. Sharjah guests stayed a total number of 1.99 million hotel nights from 1st January to 30th June 2016 China is now Sharjah’s fastest growing tourism market. The SCDTA has recently stepped up marketing efforts in China, opening up a representative office, recruiting Chinese staff and adding a Chinese language website to Sharjah’s tourism portal. The emirate saw a 78 percent increase in Chinese visitors during 2015 and, this year, has seen a 73.2 percent increase in Chinese tourist numbers during the first six months. Overall, the largest numbers of visitors during the first six months of this year came from the GCC which accounted for nearly 220,000 hotel guests or about 25 percent of the total. Asia provided the second largest source of tourists, showing a 12 percent increase compared to H1 2015. Meanwhile, 180,768 registered Sharjah hotel guests came from Europe, accounting for about 21 percent of the total.New flight routes to Pakistan also …

Turkish Airlines has inaugurated its direct Erbil, Iraq flights which will be operated from and to Gaziantep Airport. Beginning from August 5th, roundtrip flights between Gaziantep and Erbil will be operated 2 times per week in both directions. Introductory round trip fares are available from Gaziantep to Erbil, Iraq starting at 178 USD (including taxes and fees). Additionally, for the operations to the destinations, there is a special offer for Miles&Smiles members, with a 25% reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.

Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone) has carried out an extensive series of marketing roadshows across India this year, promoting the free zone in key cities and states throughout the country. This week, the free zone presented its proposition to investors in Kolkata in West Bengal, the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. Over the past 20 years, SAIF Zone has become a magnet for Indian investors and entrepreneurs, with 48 percent of the 7,500-plus companies registered in the free zone being of Indian origin. The free zone’s strategic location, free import and export, single-day licence issuance and tax-free status have proved to be a hit with Indian SMEs. India is one of the UAE’s primary trading partners, accounting for about 9.8 percent of the country’s total non-oil trade, buying 14.9 percent of the Emirates’ exports and 8.7 percent of its re-exports. Economists expect the total volume of bilateral trade between India and the UAE to increase from USD 60 billion in 2014 to USD 100 billion by the year 2020. A frequent visitor to India, Sharjah Airport International Free Zone embarked on it’s 2016 Indian road show in January. Organising events in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the zone first targeted Aurangabad and Pune in Maharashtra state and neighbouring Goa, before attending the MSME Business Summit in New Delhi (held with the support of India’s Ministry of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises). Following this, the free zone also held roadshow events in Faridabad in India’s National Capital Area bordering on New Delhi; Chandigarh and Jalandhar in the northwestern state of Punjab; and Gwalior in in Madhya Pradesh. In April, SAIF Zone took its message to Mangaluru …

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi marks the debut of global hotel group Millennium & Copthorne in Georgia. The official unveiling was conducted by Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development signalled the start of the festivities. With an unrivalled location on the famous Rustaveli Avenue, close to the banks of the River Mtkvari, The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi is situated in the heart of the capital. Surrounded by chic designer boutiques, art galleries and a wealth of historical and cultural attractions as well as commercial and governmental buildings, the hotel is perfectly positioned for discerning travellers.

Commercial passenger traffic at Sharjah International Airport increased by 11.55 percent during the first half of this year, compared with the same period in 2015, according to Sharjah Airport Authority. A total of 5.35 million passengers passed through the airport from January to June 2016, compared to 4.79 million in the same period last year. Aircraft movements at Sharjah airport increased by 5.74 percent from 34,270 take-offs and landings during the first six months of 2015 to more than 36,237 during the same period of 2016. The freight handled for the same period of this year recorded 92,000 tons. Sharjah International Airport’s passenger growth is underpinned by the ongoing expansion of Sharjah-headquartered Air Arabia, the largest low-cost carrier operator in the Middle East and North Africa. The airline has expanded its route network to more than 120 destinations, launching five new international routes since the beginning of 2016, including two new routes from its Sharjah hub. Sharjah International Airport is already a hub for a number of international passenger and cargo airlines including Air Arabia, Air India, Air India Express, Jet Airways (India), Qatar Airways, SpiceJet (India) and Sri Lankan Airlines. Turkish airline AtlasGlobal launched a new daily service between Istanbul Atatürk International Airport and Sharjah International Airport earlier this year, while Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will add a new daily route from Mangaluru (Mangalore) in southern India to Sharjah from 7 August 2016. Business aviation services company Gama Aviation has also expanded its fixed base operation (FBO) at Sharjah International Airport, establishing its own executive aviation terminal and investing in a new maintenance hangar. The company’s private aviation services in Sharjah are highly competitive with other hubs …