Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of Emirates airline, has unveiled its new 600-page ‘A World of Choice 2012-2013’ brochure with the introduction of eight brand new destinations spanning six continents and featuring over 100 destinations.
Holidays to Zimbabwe, Argentina, Denmark, Ireland, and Zambia all make their first appearances in the brochure, which has grown by 20 per cent – from 500 to 600 pages – since the 2011-2012 edition. Holidays to Dallas and Seattle in the USA, along with Vancouver in Canada, have also been introduced this year to coincide with the launch of new routes to these cities by Emirates airline.
In addition to the exciting new destinations, Russia, Morocco, Malta and South Korea have all been reintroduced into the brochure in response to customer demand. Offerings in popular countries such as China, Thailand, India, South Africa and Germany have also been expanded to provide more travel options with a wider choice of cruises, safaris, palace hotels and dedicated wellness retreats.
The once-popular Fly & Drive packages have also been re-launched this year in partnership with various car rental companies to satisfy customer desire for a more diverse range of holidays around the globe.
“This really is a landmark year for Emirates Holidays,” said Frederic Bardin, Senior Vice President, Emirates Holidays. “With the new destinations, travel offers and the reintroduction of some old favourites, ’A World of Choice 2012-2013’ brochure is our best and biggest to date.
“At Emirates Holidays we offer a tailor-made holiday experience to each customer so the changes we have made this year reflect current travel trends and are based on what our customers have told us they want. The expansion of our offering has been driven by the increased demand for a wider choice of destinations around the world. Places that were once considered out of reach are now easily accessible with the launch of new routes by Emirates airline and with the help of our new brochure, the travel opportunities are endless.”
To reach out to its increasingly diverse customer base and to further reinforce its position as the leading holiday expert in the Middle East, Emirates Holidays is also expanding its 3 and 4-star hotel offerings – these are available when booking directly with Emirates Holidays or via travel agents.
As always, excellent service levels, destination knowledge and attention to detail play a core part in providing the impeccable customer service that Emirates Holidays has become known for. A wide network of well-trained Emirates Holidays staff will help bring ‘A World of Choice 2012-2013’ to life for every customer through well-informed recommendations on flights, accommodation and sightseeing – all based on travel experience and extensive research.
EMIRATES Airlines country manager for Zambia Khalid Hassan says the airline is promoting Zambia as a tourist destination throughout its worldwide network in an effort to increase the inflow of international tourists in the country.
Mr Hassan says the airline will work with Zambian and international travel agents by making connectivity easy for the tourists who want to sample the Victoria Falls and other tourist attraction sites dotted around the country.
Preliminary data shows the number of international passengers at Zambia’s major airports grew by 17 percent in the first half of 2010.
He said the airline will continue to market the world-famous Victoria Falls and other tourist attraction areas such as safaris.
“This new Emirates service will further support this growth by bringing leisure and business travellers from points across the airline’s global network,” he said.
Mr Hassan said the airline will engage local travel and international agents to explore the local tourism industry.
He said Zambia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and Emirates sees potential for continued growth in the future.
He said this month (April) Emirates launched its new global brand platform, “Hello Tomorrow”, which positions the global airline as the enabler of global connectivity and meaningful experiences.
“The theme encapsulates life’s potential and embraces the future with all the possibilities it holds,” he said.
The airline flies to 123 destinations across six continents, connecting cities through Dubai.
“These new routes give Zambian travellers new opportunities to explore the world, discover new cultures and connect with people,” he said.
He said the airline is providing an efficient bridge to the Middle East, Far East, North America and the Indian sub-continent; and will open new opportunities for business and leisure travellers both in Zambia and worldwide.
Mr Hassan said the main objective of the airline in Zambia is not only to grow its business but to also invest in the local talent.
He said Emirates currently employs 25 qualified Zambian staff.
The airline currently operates 170 aircraft – a mix of 162 Airbus and Boeing passenger aircraft and eight freighters.
Posted in Africa Victoria Falls Zambia by .
Ethiopian Airlines plans to start flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil, a Latin American Power house, this summer.
Sao Paulo, one of the largest and richest cities in the world, with a population of about 20 million, is predicted to be the 6th biggest urban area by 2025. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), its GDP in 2006 was about USD 2.83 billion. If Ethiopian Airlines opens a flight to Sao Paulo, it would be its first venture into Latin America and the airline’s fifth continent after Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
While the current North American destinations are exclusively located in the US, the airline also plans to venture to US’ northern neighbor with a flight to Toronto, Canada’s largest city, by the summer of this year; accommodating the substantial Ethio-Canadian community.
Ethiopian Airlines is reportedly contemplating the direct route to Brazil because of its emergence as a prominent member of the world’s leading economic block; BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Brazil recently overtook the United Kingdom to become the world’s sixth largest economy.
Ethiopian Airlines expects many travelers to Brazil including a substantial business class. Brazil’s famous historical and beach sites open up great prospects for tourism in both countries.
According to Marcelo A. Borges, first secretary and deputy mission at the Brazilian Embassy to Ethiopia, if the new flight route is opened it could mean a whole new market for business people and tourists.
He also said it could potentially make Addis Ababa Bole International Airport a hub for travelers from Latin America traveling to other African countries and beyond. Currently, no Brazilian airlines fly from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Airlines recently launched flights to the tiny Indian Ocean island archipelago of Seychelles after 32 years of absence. It also aims to start non-stop flights to Cotonou, the economic capital of the Republic of Benin, effective by June 15. Ethiopian Airlines now flies to 65 destinations globally with multiple lines opening soon.
Taking advantage of the growing tourism and travel demands in Southern and Eastern African states, Tanzania’s fast-growing airline, Precision Air, is looking at Zimbabwe as a southern destination.
When implemented later this year, Tanzania’s registered airline will take over the southern route once operated by Air Zimbabwe. Precision Air officials said other than Zimbabwe, the airline will extend its wings from Tanzania’s capital of Dar es Salaam to Lusaka in Zambia and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The airline plans to apply a new Boeing 737-300 to fly the route. From May 18, the airline will launch its first schedule three flights a week between Dar es Salaam, Lusaka, and Lubumbashi.
Other routes the airline is eyeing are Lilongwe in Malawi and Luanda in Angola through its expansion to cover the Southern African region.
Precision Air officials have finalized their business plans with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority to allow smooth operations of the airline.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority executive said the launching of Precision Air flights will boost tourism, trade, and commerce between Southern African member states.
Standing as a strong member of the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern African (RETOSA), Zimbabwe is looking to tourism and trade with Tanzania through regional integration.
The Dar es Salaam to Harare route was previously being serviced by Air Zimbabwe and Air Tanzania Corporation, both of which have since pulled out owing to operational challenges.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority will jointly host the Africa Travel Association’s 37th Annual World Congress in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
About 300 delegates are expected at the Congress, including tourism ministers, industry experts representing tourism boards, tour operators and their product development executives, front-line agents, ground operator companies, airlines, and hotels.
The Congress will be held at scenic Victoria Falls, famously known as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Victoria Falls is a giant waterfall located in Southern Africa, shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Walter Mzembi said his country’s greatest attraction, other than wildlife and the Victoria Falls, is the hospitality and culture of the Zimbabwean people.
Minister Mzembi is expected to assume the presidency of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) during this year’s Congress.
The last ATA congress in Zimbabwe took place in 1988. ATA was established in 1975 and serves both the public and private sectors of the international travel and tourism industry, with membership comprising governments, tourism authorities, airlines, resorts, and tour operators, among others. Its last congress was held last year in Dakar, Senegal.
PROFLIGHT Zambia will in June commence international flights, picking two direct regional flights to Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a start to enhance its business prospects and contribute to the growth of the aviation industry.
The airline company has all along been strictly operating domestic routes and the move to go regional seems to be a chance to take over the routes that were being operated by the grounded Zambezi Airlines.
Harare and Lubumbashi are the first two direct routes in the region that the airline would be operating following its 21 years of existence.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday shortly after the company celebrated its Women’s Day under the theme ‘celebrating women in aviation’, company Commercial Director Keira Irwin said the regional routes would be launched once the company finalised the necessary documentation.
“We plan to open two direct flights to Harare and Lubumbashi, this will be done once we finalise the documentation like acquiring the aircraft operational certificate and hopefully launch them by the end of June,” she said.
The opening of the flights would boost both the tourism and aviation sectors thus increasing business activities between Zambia and the countries the airline would fly to.
Proflight has domestic scheduled airlines with routes from Lusaka to Livingstone, Ndola, Solwezi, Kasama Chipata, Mfuwe and Lower Zambezi.
Proflight sales and marketing manager Hellen Ngwira said, in as much as the business was growing, there was need for infrastructure development at some airstrips in the country.
She said infrastructure development in the aviation industry was cardinal as it would further boost its contribution towards national development.
“As Proflight we have taken it upon ourselves to land in areas where others can’t land because of different reasons and challenges, with the most outstanding being that of poor infrastructure which also in same way hinders fast growth of the industry,” she said.
Air Namibia is set to resume its much-awaited flights to Zimbabwe on May 16 and will be flying into the country four times a week.The airliner, which stopped plying the Zimbabwe route 13 years ago, plans to use a 37-seater — in one-class configuration — all-economy plane for the Windhoek-Harare route.
In an emailed response to NewsDay, head of corporate communications Paul Homateni Nakawa said preparations for the relaunch were at an advanced stage.
“I confirm on behalf of Air Namibia that our first flights to Harare, Zimbabwe, will be on 16th May 2012,” he said.
“Officially, these new routes are starting on the 15th of May 2012.
“Air Namibia will begin flights to Zimbabwe on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays every week, hence our first flight to Harare shall only be on the 16th May 2012, as per the flight schedule.”
Air Nambia’s re-entry comes two months after Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing international airlines, resumed services to the country.
Emirates currently serves 19 passenger and cargo destinations across the African continent.
Several international airlines, including Egypt Air, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Quantas, stopped flights to Zimbabwe because of dwindling passenger numbers as tourists were scared off by political violence and instability.
Regional airlines like Air Malawi, Kenyan Airways and South African Airways are still flying to Zimbabwe.
The Namibian airline has also launched two other regional routes — Ondjiva (Angola) and Gaborone (Botswana). In addition to its growth and expansion plans, the airline hopes to become an independent profit-making entity by the end of 2016.
The Ethiopian Airlines will be the first to operate the 787 Dream-liner in Africa, Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said.
While in Seattle to meet with Boeing executives to discuss delivery of the airline’s first 787 Dreamliner, Tewolde took a special tour of the airline’s first 787 to be delivered later this year, according to a statement Ethiopian sent to ENA on Tuesday.
The statement said Tewolde met with President and CEO of Commercial Airplanes, Jim Albaugh as well as 787 vice president and General Manager, Larry Loftis and other program leaders to talk about the airline’s first delivery and to receive an update on the 787 program and production.
“All of Ethiopia is excited about the delivery of our first Dreamliner and the whole country can be proud of being the first in all of Africa to receive this game-changing airplane,” the statement quoted Tewolde as saying.
Ethiopian Airlines was the first African airline to order the 787 Dreamliner when they placed their order for ten 787s in February 2005.
The airline currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737,757,767 and 777 airplanes in passenger service and a 757, MD11 and 747 in cargo operations.
The first of three steel towers which will enable the Emirates Airline, the UK’s first urban cable car, to fly passengers across the Thames has been completed.
Dubai-based Emirates Airline was named in October as the sponsor for the project in a 10-year deal worth £36m ($55.9m).
The Emirates Air Line will connect north and south London, travelling between two new stations set to be named Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and Emirates Royal Docks with the first passengers set to use the service prior to the Olympic Games.
According to the latest progress report by developer Mace, the first tower – the North Intermediate Tower – stands over 200ft tall and weighs 270 tonnes and is the smallest of the three towers.
It said the North Tower and South Tower are both under construction, were scheduled for completion by late spring.
The structure of each tower will enable up to 2,500 passengers to be carried across the Thames each hour in each direction, it added.
It is anticipated the Emirates Air Line will carry two million passengers per year.
The journey across the River Thames will take approximately five minutes, with 34 cabins arriving and departing every 30-40 seconds.
Each cabin will accommodate up to 10 seated passengers, and will be fully accessible to both wheelchair users and bicycles.
Operating hours and fares, including private cabin hire, are being finalised, the report said, adding that further details will be announced before the launch.
The £36m sponsorship deal with Emirates forms part of the funding strategy to recoup the upfront construction costs provided for the link and provides 80 percent of the overall construction cost.
The consortium of builders behind the project has been led by contractor Mace, whose past projects include the London Eye and the Shard, the iconic pyramid-shaped skyscraper under construction near London’s Tower Bridge.
The race to explore Zimbabwe’s world of wonders, host of this year’s annual Africa Travel Association (ATA) congress, has commenced with the official registration for the event by its members and others expected at the 37thcongress already in progress.
The congress, scheduled for May 18 and 22 at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, is to be hosted by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) under the auspices of the minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Walter Mzembi. The theme of the congress is “African Tourism: Partnering for the Future”.
Delegates for the five-day tourism event, which is ATA’s flagship programme for Africa, are to register online at http://africatravelassociation.org/congress_reg.html. Over 300 participants are expected at the event. These include tourism ministers and industry experts representing tourism boards, tour operators, and their product development executives, front-line agents, ground operator companies, airlines and hotels.
Others are the travel trade media and the corporate, nonprofit, and academic as well as African Diaspora representatives and ATA’s Young Professionals Program participants.
Zimbabwe, host of the congress, presents a world of opportunities for the participants to explore its choice seven wonders, including its people and culture, history and heritage, Great Zimbabwe (grand medieval palace), Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya), wildlife and nature, Eastern Highlands, and Lake Kariba. Delegates will sample some of these wonders during the celebration of Zimbabwe Day and by participating in pre- and post-congress tours.
According to the programme of event, the ATA International Board of Directors meeting is scheduled to hold on Friday, May 18 while Saturday, May 19 begins with sessions focusing on Destination Zimbabwe, followed by an opening ceremony with cultural entertainment.
The next few days will feature ample networking, learning, and professional development panels and workshops addressing industry topics such as community-based travel, agro-tourism, academic travel, faith-based tourism, e-tourism, marketing, branding, private sector investment, women and tourism, sustainable tourism, and African culinary products. Delegates will also participate in roundtables for tourism ministers, a media marketplace, networking events, host country day(s), and gala dinners.
Zimbabwe will also organize a marketplace featuring art, sculpture, and daily excursions in Victoria Falls. The event will close on Tuesday, May 22. Pre- and post-congress excursions and trips will be available to delegates.
South African Airways is the official sponsor and airline for the 2012 ATA World Congress and it offers special discount package for delegates travelling from the different parts of the world. Arik Air, Nigeria, is the media airline for the event and also offers special discounted rates.
Posted in Africa Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Zimbabwe Tourism Board by .
Emirates Airline has launched a new global brand platform and direction, themed “Hello Tomorrow” as the airline embarks on an integrated marketing communications campaign, with a new brand promise.
Under the company’s strategy to evolve from a travel brand to a global lifestyle brand, the platform has been designed for the age of consumer engagement and empowerment.
“Our new corporate image and global marketing campaign both underline the confidence we have in our existing products and services, and the vision we have for the future growth of the airline,” Emirates vice-chairman Sir Maurice Flanagan explained.
“Emirates Airline is not just offering a way to connect people from point A to point B but is the catalyst to connect people’s hopes, dreams and aspirations.”
Emirates airline has grown from its early days in 1985, when it launched with just two aircraft, to its current status as one of the world’s fastest growing airlines with 171 wide-body aircraft including the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s and A380s.
A brand synonymous with luxury and innovation, Emirates was the first to offer in-flight telephony across all classes, individual TV screens on every seat, First Class suites and an onboard Shower Spa on its A380 aircraft. From its home base in Dubai, Emirates is geographically located within an eight hour direct flight of 75 per cent of the world’s population – more distant routes like the Americas are connected to the Dubai hub with long range aircraft that fly the distance direct.
The campaign features print, TV, and digital advertising, including some iconic billboards in New York’s Times Square and Milan’s central train station. Emirates website has also been refreshed to reflect the ‘Hello Tomorrow’ messaging.
Reflecting an effort to target a younger audience, the ‘Hello Tomorrow’ campaign is currently debuting with vignettes of the TV spots on Emirates newly launched Facebook channel. The TV commercials, outdoor and print ads will break today around the world.
Emirates operates flights to Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus on a daily schedule from Malta.
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