Airlines & airports Emirates awards LONG-serving Emirates employees were recently honoured by the airline's senior management at an in-house ceremony held at its Cairo head office. Emirates' Senior Sales Executive Gamal Riad, Emirates Holidays' Sales Executive Gehan Neseim, and Manager Ticket Office Helene Akladious, have been working with the award- winning airline since it began operations in Egypt in 1986. Adel Al-Ghaith, Emirates' Egypt area manager, presented each of the three employees with a certificate of appreciation for completing the 20-year career milestone. "I am delighted today to be honouring Gamal, Gehan and Helene with accolades, and rewarding them for their loyalty and special efforts they have put into their daily work," Al-Ghaith said. "As we enter a new and exciting phase of our operations in Egypt -- Emirates is expanding its capacity and introducing a new flight on the Cairo-Dubai route, I am confident that they will continue to work with enthusiasm, diligence and a go-getter attitude, characteristics that have marked their two-decade career with Emirates." Emirates Egypt staff now totals 100 employees, as opposed to only four in 1986. British Airways top agents BRITISH Airways Cairo recently honoured its top travel agents and to thank them for their continuous support. The event took place in Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel in the pool area overlooking the Nile. Top ten travel agents were awarded in recognition for their contribution in achieving the best revenue results for the previous two years. The top "Best Achiever" award for 2006/07 went to Astra Travel and the best achiever award in 2005/06 went to Thomas Cook Travel. "Cairo is vitally important to British Airways' operations in the region and I feel very proud that we can play a role in recognising the hard work and major achievements of the travel agents with whom we cooperate," said Mervat El-Alfi, commercial manager for British Airways Egypt. British Airways operates seven flights a week between Cairo and London, four a week between Alexandria and London and operated by franchise partner BMED, and three a week between the Red Sea Riviera and London, operated by franchise partner GB Airways. Hotels & resorts Go Japanese in Nile Hilton IF YOU are a Japanese cuisine fan, you might enjoy the Nile Hilton's new Japanese dining experience at the Sushi Café in the food court from 12 noon till 11pm. You can enjoy traditional Sushi, Sashimi, Maki Roll, California Roll, Miso Soup and Teppenyaki at the Sushi Café. If you are a late night visitor, you can go to Latex restaurant and enjoy the same menu from 11pm to 3am. Summer escape FOUR Seasons Sharm El-Sheikh Resort offers a lucrative summer escape where accommodations start from $125 per night, including luxury accommodation in a superior room for two persons inclusive of service charge and tax in addition to a sumptuous buffet breakfast for two in Arabesque restaurant. The offer is valid until 9 September 2006 for only Egyptians and foreign residents and is subject to availability. New MTF openings THE UPCOMING session of Mediterranean Travel Fair (MTF), opening in Cairo from 5 to 7 September 2006, and organised by UK Reed Travel Exhibitions, is set to be a key forum for new announcements. Recognising the value of the event as a main business enabler, many participants are currently fine-tuning their announcements and initiatives for the exhibition. The InterContinental Hotel Group in Egypt is poised to use the exhibition to promote the opening of its new asset, Holiday Inn Citystars. The new hotel, which adds up to 330 rooms to the portfolio of InterContinental Hotels in Egypt, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2007. The Four Seasons Hotels in Egypt, another frequent participant in MTF, will celebrate the introduction of its fourth property in Egypt during MTF 2006. Four Seasons Alexandria is a stately crescent located on the corniche. The 120-room property will offer a multitude of resort-like services. Spring Tours Egypt's participation comes as part of ongoing efforts to approach new markets. "We have been loyal participants since 2000 and we can recognise the value of MTF in terms of strengthening relations and expanding the cycle of contacts," said Andreas Harter, general manager of Spring Tours Egypt. Art at Four Seasons Nile Plaza IN ORDER to promote the unique art collection at Four Seasons Nile Plaza, reputed to be one of the most significant Egyptian contemporary collections around, the hotel organised an art discussion group followed by a tour, presented by renowned Egyptian artist Farghalli Abdel-Hafiz whose art pieces are prominently displayed throughout the hotel's lobby, restaurants, and suites. In attendance were local art connoisseurs and other avid collectors who engaged in in-depth discussions about the history, importance and movement of the Egyptian art scene. The tour, which started off in the Royal suite and worked itself down to the hotel's ground floor, highlighted some of the most influential artists including Farouk Hosni, Effat Nagi, Gazibia Sirri, Mohamed Abla, Salah Hammad, Omar El-Nagdi and Zeinab El-Sageni to name a few, and covered all types of art mediums including paintings, photography, sculptures and pottery. The collection took the hotel's interior designer Frank Nicholson and general manager Olivier Masson three years to display. New outlets in InterContinental Citystars THE ARCADE, Al-Bustan and The Lounge are three new outlets recently launched by InterContinental Citystars. The Arcade is designed with candlelight and soft chillout music while Al-Bustan has its own unique identity offering snacks, light main courses, seafood and steak barbecue. On Fridays and Saturdays you can also enjoy a weekend brunch including cooking at the pool area with entertainment and children's activities. The Lounge is an impressive outdoor lounge with an Asian style charm described as the hottest place this summer. New opening in Sharm El-Sheikh MIRABEL Beach Resort, the eighth hotel to be managed by Iberotel and Sol Y Mar Hotels & Resorts, opened in mid-July in Sharm El-Sheikh. Ideally located on the shores of a beautiful lagoon in Nabq Bay, Mirabel consists of four resorts: Mirabel Beach Resort, Sol Y Mar Mirabel Club Resort, Sol Y Mar Park Mirabel Resort and Sol Y Mar Mirabel Garden Resort. The 645-room Mirabel Beach Resort consists of 117 superior rooms, 45 deluxe rooms, 480 deluxe family rooms and three luxurious suites all overlooking the Red Sea, swimming pools and the garden. It also has a variety of restaurants and bars including Zen, an Asian food restaurant with a modern kitchen, La Piazza, an Italian restaurant that provides an authentic dining experience, Tarbouch, an Oriental restaurant and two lobby bars as well as poolside bars. More luxury in Sheraton Montazah SHERATON Montazah Hotel recently opened its Club Floor where businessmen and guests are accorded more comfort and special privileges. According to General Manager Atef Wilson, guests staying at the Club Floor will enjoy sleeping on the new highly comfortable Sweet Sleepers Beds, perform check-ins and check-outs through a special desk on the floor itself and will have special amenities in rooms. A Club Floor lounge is also being set up, providing complimentary breakfast, tea and coffee throughout the day and afternoon tea with snacks, along with a business centre, a concierge and Internet services. Honeymoon specials GRAND Rotana Resort & Spa Sharm El-Sheikh has recently introduced a special honeymmoners programme with some special romantic treatments & exceptional privileges at the city of peace. The honeymooner programme entitles all newlyweds at the Grand Rotana to be upgraded to a sea front suite, get a 20% discount on all resort outlets, a 20% discount on all "Zen" Spa treatments especially the couples treatment in the Zen Spa, free transportation from and to the airport in a personalized pick-up, as well as daily VIP surprise treats in the room to make their first wedding days memorable. "Many honeymooners were coming to the resort for the privacy, romantic atmosphere, luxury accommodation and excellent service. Newlyweds have been here on honeymoon and they've had the most superb time, but the demand became so great that we felt it was time to offer various packages in that regard. We promise honeymooners the ultimate holiday experience - the happiest possible start to a long and happy marriage," Karim El-Ghazzawi, the resort general manager said. New menu at Conrad CONRAD Cairo's Italian restaurant Ville D'Este has introduced a new menu by the new Italian chef Domenico Acampora. Acampora hails from Milan where he headed the one-star Michelin restaurant Ama. With previous experience in Italy and the US, Domenico's cuisine combines legendary Italian elegance with international taste and flair. His culinary delights are of a worldwide reputation, having cooked for Hollywood celebrities and former US presidents. For more information call +202 580 8000. Le Méridien agreement with Airotel STARWOOD Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc and Airotel for Hotels & Tourism have announced the signing of a management agreement for the 350-room Le Méridien Cairo Airport which will be developed at the airport's new Terminal 3 currently under construction. Starwood, who acquired in November 2005 the Le Méridien brand and all of its affiliated companies, has announced aggressive plans for the brand's expansion. This is the third announcement of a new addition to the brand in the last 60 days, following the announcement of the opening of the Le Méridien San Francisco and the signing of the contract for Le Méridien Grand Ikoyi Towers in Lagos. "We are very proud of the trust given by Airotel for Hotels & Tourism to our Le Méridien brand. This hotel is not only a great addition to our brand portfolio, but also another step forward in expanding our brand footprint with quality assets in strategic locations," said Roeland Vos, president of the Europe, Africa and Middle East division of Starwood. News Official visits EGYPTIAN Tourist Authority head Ahmed El-Khadem recently received an Indian press delegation and a US Congressional team. In his meeting with the Indian media, El-Khadem highlighted the importance of the Indian market to Egyptian tourism, stressing that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism is now paying more attention to that market, as witnessed in its participation in the various exhibitions and trade fairs in India. Moreover, Egypt last year opened a tourist office in Bombay to carry on promotional campaigns in the Indian market. Many issues were discussed during the meeting, including the importance of increasing direct flights from India to Egypt highlighting the role of Gulf airlines in flying tourists from India to Egypt. The meeting also discussed the possibility of the reopening of the Indian airline's route to Egypt closed since the 1970s. According to El-Khadem, the Indian tourist market is developing rapidly. The number of Indian tourists around the world will reach seven million by the end of 2006. Egypt received 54,000 Indian tourists in 2005, an increase of 18.5 per cent. The tourist movement from India also recorded an increase in the first half of 2006, reaching 30,000 tourists. At a meeting with a US Congress delegation, El-Khadem reviewed the development of the Egyptian tourist movement during the past year. He also expressed his optimism over the development in the US market. Egypt received 200,000 American tourists in 2005 with an increase by 15 per cent compared to 2004. Moreover, there was an increase in the movement in the first half of 2006 by 20 per cent. Officials also discussed means of cooperation between the two countries in tourist training. New programmes on MTC EGYPT'S Travel & Entertainment satellite channel MTC recently introduced new programmes including the 20-minute weekly Magazine which includes artistic, sports and lifestyle issues. Magazine also has a honeymooners programme suggesting places honeymooners can travel to, and Marhaba, which includes various tourist offers on hotels, car rentals, airlines and restaurants. A food programme will also be shown where dishes from Arab and foreign countries will be presented, in addition to that Konoz programme that deals with archaeological sites. A tourist news bulletin presents the most important tourist news from around the world. If you want to win a free trip to Egypt or abroad, you can take part in the daily tourist contests.
