- 3rd ENOC Open UAE Snooker Ranking Tournament
- Info2cell.com records 120,000 users for World Cup 2002 SMS alerts Arabian Travel Market 2002 Attracts Best-Ever Trade turnout from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait
India -Turkey to resume Direct Airlinks soon
Istanbul: (Keralamonitor.com ) Shahnawaz Hussain, Civil Aviation Minister called on Dr. Oktay Vural, Turkish Minister of Transport to discuss cooperation in civil aviation sectors and proposed for resumption of direct air links between India and Turkey, at Istanbul in Turkey, today. For further discussion on the resumption of flights between the two countries a Turkish delegation will be visiting India shortly.
Shahnawaz Hussain is at Istanbul, Turkey to participate in International Civil Aviation Equipment Exposition 2002 (AIREX 2002) which was inaugurated by Dr. Oktay Vural, Turkish Minister of Transport, yesterday. Speaking on the occasion Shri Hussain, offered to initiate a dialogue with Turkey to further strengthen the cordial relation between India and Turkey in view of the fact that India has a huge tourist potentials due to its rich history, cultural heritage, and diversity. Mr. Hussain informed that India has also initiated action to use the satellite technology in communication, navigation, surveillance at par with the latest in the development of global civil aviation through implementation of satellite based augmentation system.
This new system would help the aircraft to increase air space capacity, and reduce congestion in the high density air space and also the aircraft would take a straight route from origin by saving flying time and precious fuel to the airline. Mr. Hussain also stated that with the aim to realise the dream of an advanced civil aviation set- up in India, government shall be developing to world standards all the four major international airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai through long-term leasing.
Mr. Hussain said that in India aviation has been recognised as an important engine of growth for the economy through facilitation of international trade, foreign direct investment, tourism, import and export, and private investments from Non Resident Indians. Mr. Hussain further said that Government of India in its conscious consideration to meet the increase in demand on the infra-structure requirements has drawn an ambitious long term plan in a phased manner to keep pace with the ever increasing air traffic and rapidly advancing aircraft technology. India has initiated the implementation of International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) satellite- based "Communication and Navigation Air Traffic Management System" (CNS-ATM) at all Indian airports.
Dr. Oktay Vural, Minister of Transport of Turkey stressed the need for upgradation of civil aviation infra-structure at par with international standards with safety and security on top most priority. AIREX 2002 the single "civil only" aviation exposition is intended to establish a business platform to satisfy the need of the tremendous potential of the region which extends from Eastern Europe to the Turkish Republics of Central Asia and even the South East Asian regions which is among the fast growing civil aviation markets in the world.
3rd ENOC Open UAE Snooker Ranking Tournament
8.6.2002 (Day 8): Simha ousts Sharif, Shabbir Hussein continues run.
Dubai: Deepak Simha outwitted the wily Obaid Al Sharif in the second round of the 3rd ENOC Open Snooker Ranking Tournament at Dubai Snooker Club. Sharing the first two frames proved to be a nervous affair for both players despite their considerable experience in UAE ranking events. Simha was the one who used the first two to settle down, however, as a stronger display in the last two saw him cruise through to a third round pairing with Eissa Al Hindi. Twenty year old Al Hindi, practicing hard this week and keen to edge his way into the UAE National Team, will be a tough nut to crack, even for the older and wiser Simha. The slender Indian will have to be at the peak of his potting powers to dislodge the determined Al Hindi from his aim to represent the UAE.
Mohd Hussein Ali was both pleased and disappointed in his second round match that failed to materialise. Magdy Lutfi, unavoidably delayed due to work commitments, had to cancel the contest by phone at the last minute, leaving Hussein Ali to brood on his loss of match practice. Hussein Ali also felt relieved at securing his place in a showdown with ex-UAE National Team member Rashid Al Mazroei for a place in the last 32.
Third round pairings in the 3rd ENOC Open saw Abu Dhabi based BMW top salesman Hani Housni beat enthusiastic Khalid Juman 3-0. Juman learned that no amount of work and devotion to the game can overcome sheer potting power, as his car dealer opponent accelerated away to the chequered flag at the speed of three frames an hour.
This meant all eyes in the house fell onto match table two at Dubai Snooker Club to see the climax of player-referee-table engineer Shabbir Hussein's contest with player-referee Saleh Beer Muhammad. Smelling blood at 2-1 up, Hussein ruthlessly killed off the match in the last with his traditionally swift style. He plays Roshan D'Souza in the only India-Pakistan clash of the last 32 stages.ENOC, whose 23rd company opened in March this year, is a vertically integrated petroleum company engaging in crude production, refining, LPG processing, product trading, shipping, terminalling, petroleum sales and also owns the chain of Eppco petrol stations and Tasjeel center in Al Barsha.
Info2cell.com records 120,000 users for World Cup 2002 SMS alerts
SMS service keeps subscribers in 8 countries in the Middle East updated with latest World Cup events
June 8, 2002
Dubai: Info2cell.com, the first wireless information service provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has in collaboration with leading regional telecom operators in the UAE, Syria, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, launched its World Cup 2002 SMS (Short Message Service) alerts in English and Arabic to provide sports enthusiasts with updated scores and news of World Cup 2002. More than 120,000 users in eight countries have subscribed to the service. This innovative facility, which is available for the entire duration of the World Cup, allows mobile phone subscribers to get SMS flashes of the latest news, match schedules, team standings, match results of all games, live reports and a free team logo, which can be downloaded on the handset."We have always believed in introducing pioneering and ground-breaking services that add value to the lives of our esteemed customers. With World Cup mania sweeping the region, we felt that it was highly appropriate to introduce the SMS World Cup alerts for the benefit of football fans," said Bashar Dahabra, Founder and CEO of Info2cell.com. "Our editorial team, made up of hand-picked sports journalists in partnership with feeds from top news agencies, will be reporting and editing World Cup 2002 news items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," he added.
"This initiative, by Info2cell.com is indeed perfect for sports fans who cannot watch the World Cup live due to the fact that most of the matches are played between 9.00 am and 2.00 pm when most people are still at work, school or university. It provides updated and immediate information, keeping them aware of news and results," said Ken Campbell, Mobinil, the leading telecommunications operator in Egypt. "Match results, schedules, world cup news and live scores will ensure that the subscriber is constantly updated. An added bonus is login facilities to Info2cell.com World Cup 2002 web site www.worldcup2SMS.com which has a host of exciting information, lined up for users," he added.
"We are immensely delighted to be part of this venture with Info2cell.com. We have currently recorded a staggering number of 75,000 registered users in Jordan, which in itself is a major achievement," said Bashar Arafeh, Data Group Director, Fastlink, the leading telecommunications operator in Jordan. "In addition to the World Cup 2002 mobile alert service, we are also taking the opportunity to introduce a trivia game, which will be made available to all registered users. The game entails answering a question that will make the user eligible to win superb prizes of 100 Jordanian Dinars per day with a grand prize of a BMW 318i series car, which will be awarded to a lucky winner at the end of the trivia game," he added.
"Technology has made significant inroads in today's world as witnessed by the latest inventions that go a long way towards facilitating the lives of the users," said Fadi Agha, Spacetel, the leading telecommunications operator in Syria. "The World Cup update SMS service is a perfect example of this as without physically logging in or connecting to any technological device, sports enthusiasts can continue to receive constant updates on the World Cup."
"This initiative highlights our commitment to providing quality services to our customers," said Ahmad Al Hosani, Etisalat, leading telecommunications operator in UAE. "The service, available to all Etisalat users, involves an effortless subscription procedure that will provide sports fans with access to the World Cup 2002, within the comfort of their homes or offices." The new initiative of Info2cell.com ensures that the latest scores of the matches played in Japan and Korea will be flashed on the subscribers' phone screens, keeping soccer lovers up-to-date wherever they are.
The World Cup 2002 mobile alert service will enable subscribers to receive customizable end of match result, World Cup news and updated live scores from the World Cup stadiums. Info2cell.com has launched a regional website on the Internet at www.worldcup2sms.com. The site provides a listing of the countries where the World Cup 2002 SMS service has been launched and provides details on how to subscribe in each of the respective countries. Subscribers to the World Cup 2002 SMS service will receive a confirmation message in SMS format. Once registered to the service, the users will also automatically be subscribed to the default channels, which provides them the choice of keeping the current settings.
Over 11,000 Attend Arabian Travel Market 2002
Best-Ever Trade turnout from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and KuwaitJune 8, 2002
Dubai: Final figures released by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), organisers of the annual Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East's premier travel and tourism show, reveal that 11,418 visitors from 69 countries attended the 2002 event staged earlier this month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Of the total some 5,643 were trade visitors, 600 were media and 5,175 were consumers.
"Overall the figures are fractionally up on 2001 by 1.4% driven largely by an increased turnout of media and consumers," said Matt Thompson, RTE's Group Exhibition Director, Overseas Events. "Though trade visitors slipped by 11% on 2001, there was a significant turnout of 2,035 international travel professionals and increased industry attendance from Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which is highly encouraging."
Trade visitors from Kuwait increased 22.6%, from Qatar by 16.8% and 3.8% from Saudi Arabia. Thompson believes several factors contributed to the slight downturn in overall trade visitor turnout. "This reflects consolidation within the industry, the challenge of managing expectations with a move to a new venue and the fact that many previous visitors, particularly from within the Gulf, have since been converted into exhibitors. Nevertheless this was the first international travel show to have demonstrably held its own since September 11th last year. Other shows have witnessed visitor falls of around 25%. "The main thing is that business was most certainly still being done."
Among deals concluded at the show were 10 wedding party packages for Dubai's Taj Palace Hotel, an incremental 12,000 room nights for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts' 10 properties in Asia, GCC summer business for the Holiday Inn Downtown Dubai and US$ 2.9 million worth of business for Meridien Hotels. In addition, for Hotel Leelaventure Limited of India, ATM brought the chance of major conference business for 2004.
"It came from a European company wanting to organise medical conferences," said Vanita Saexa, Deputy General Manager Sales & Marketing. "These are people we haven't worked with before. At ATM we were in the right place at the right time. We are now pitching for the business, let's hope we get it." Cedar-wood log cabin producer, Shore and Mountain Resorts of Lebanon took trial orders worth US$ 2.18 million from hotels in the UAE and Jordan and expects another US$ 550,00 in follow-on orders.
"The show was extremely successful, well worth our while," said Nicholas Mobayed, Chairman, Shore & Mountain Resorts. "We have also received interest from a French buyer who is looking to order 100 cabins."
RTE says it is now actively reviewing exhibitor and visitor feedback to assess how it will now drive the show forward. "This could include recommendations on the floor space layout," said Thompson. Media attendance at ATM 2002 hit a show-record and surpassed the 2001 event by 36%.
"The media corps spanned 36 countries and the international coverage achieved should help further build the show's global profile which could translate into a wider geographic exhibitor and visitor footprint," said Thompson.
Consumer turnout soared by 17%. "This is a clear indication that the public within the United Arab Emirates is still intent on travel and is looking for new tourism options," said Thompson. Just over 70% of trade visitors were of managerial status - 11.1% were managing directors and 13.3% either company chairmen or owners and partners.
"There's no doubt that the show is attracting key decision-makers, hence as a business forum it is fulfilling its mission," said Thompson. The main groups represented by trade visitors were hotels, outbound tour operators, business travel agents, group travel organisers, travel retailers and incentive organisers.
The most sought-after exhibitors for the trade buyers were airlines, hotels, car hire providers, tour operators, tourist attractions, MICE suppliers, health resorts and spas as well as cruise and ferry companies. Trade visitors polled at the show also placed the Middle East, Asia, Europe, the CIS countries, North America and Southern Africa as their prime business targets.
Despite the difficult industry trading conditions of the previous nine months, Arabian Travel Market 2002 attracted over 700 exhibitors from 56 countries - a result RTE believes firmly demonstrated the resilience of the travel sector. "We were particularly encouraged that the show managed to expand both its geographic exhibitor spread and product range," said Thompson. Covering 8,500 square metres - a growth of 2.4% on 2001 - the show featured 212 stands, 68 of which were show newcomers. It also had first time official participation from Algeria, South Africa, Mauritius, Korea and Greece.
And there are optimistic signs that next year's show, which takes place at Airport Expo Dubai from May 6-9, will more than hold its own with a flurry of early commitments being received. One of the first to contract was Saudi Arabian Airlines, which has pledged to increase its stand size by 30%.
"We had a very successful show and negotiated deals with two Malaysian tour operators in readiness for our increased flight schedule to the country," said Mohammed Amin Turkistani of the carrier's marketing department. "We also concluded business with hotels and tour operators from Germany and Austria."
Also rebooking was Hotel Napoleon of Paris, which signed US $75,000 worth of room nights at ATM 2002. "A highlight for us was the high quality Saudi visitors we met which were new, important contacts for us," said Olivier Hanout, Room Division Manager, Hotel Napoleon.
The Dubai-headquartered Ramee Group of Hotels was also quick off the mark confirming it has doubled the size of its 2003 participation. "We are expanding and need to raise our profile more and this is the show to do it," said Preetham Sharma, Group Business Development Manager, Ramee Group of Hotels. "This year's show enabled us to tie up with numerous travel agents from around the GCC who bought in bulk."
ATM official ground handler Net Tours is also boosting its participation for 2003. "Thanks to this show we are now negotiating around a dozen new contracts with buyers from Iran, Turkey, South Africa, India and Belgium," said Matthew Kurian, Sales and Marketing Manager, Net Tours. Official country group organisers from Mauritius, Malaysia and Greece also predicted bigger national pavilions at next year's show. "We need at least 400 square metres next year because of the overwhelming response we received," said Aminuddin A. B. Hamid, Deputy Director Marketing Middle East, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.
Greece says it will double its presence in 2003. "We will mount a big stand to promote the Olympic games," said Ioannis Patelis, President, Greek National Tourism Organisation.
Among visitors to this year's show were hosted MICE buyers from France, Germany, India, The Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and USA. They were joined on a hosted buyer programme by some of the top purchasers in Saudi Arabia. All hosted buyers were provided with complimentary accommodation at the Fairmont Dubai hotel.
Next year RTE is aiming to recruit 50 international MICE buyers to its hosted programme as well as 20 buyers from the Gulf, in particular Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. ATM 2002 visitors dubbed the show an unparalleled networking opportunity.
"I came to arrange corporate packages for Japanese tourists wishing to visit Dubai," said Yoshito Kumazki, of Tokyo's Pollux Tourism. "It was a great chance for me to meet the key local and regional players." Qatari visitor Dr. Ahmed M.A. Al Mulla, Assistant General Manager of Doha's Al Mulla Travels said for him the key attraction of the show is its accessibility. "GCC agents find this a very affordable show to attend and it's very beneficial for us for networking," he said. Mossa Al Buloshi of Oman National Transport said he and his colleagues visited the show as part of a business mission for a new company project.
"We are studying the launch of a new tourism and travel agency in Muscat and met with potential travel agency and tour operator partners from around the world. We've had a promising response. Interestingly enough, those from Europe and the Far East were also interested in launching business tours to Oman," he said.
RTE, which is part of Reed Exhibition Companies (REC), organises 11 events worldwide, including World Travel Market, Arabian Travel Market, C.I.S. Travel Market, EIBTM, British Travel Trade Fair, PATA Travel Market, International Golf Travel Market, Mediterranean Travel Fair, Top Resa, AIME and ICCA Exhibition in association with ICCA Congress.
Courtesy: Deshabhimani
