News

"VISA ON ARRIVAL AT QATAR"

Expatriates working in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) member countries can come to Qatar and obtain a visa on arrival provided their profession is one of the 188 mentioned in the list released by the Ministry of Interior, says a report published in a local Arabic daily.

The granting of the visa is subject to conditions, including the validity of the visitor’s passport and the residence permit in his country of residence should be for more than six months on the date of his arrival in Doha. Initially, the visa on arrival will be issued for one month with a charge of QR100. The stay can be extended to 90 days on a charge of QR100 per month.

Apart from doctors, engineers, and businessmen, the revised list of professionals include journalists, businesswomen, military officers, medical equipment technicians, opticians, broadcasters, marketing agents, bankers, quality monitors, teachers and lawyers.

List of professions that allow the visa-upon-arrival:

1. Aquatic specialist

2. Statistics specialist

3. Agricultural specialist

4. Gardening specialist

5. Medical analysis specialist

6. Speech specialist

7. Breeding specialist (animals/birds/bees)

8. Medical X-ray specialist

9. Nutrition specialist

10. Zoology specialist

11. Psychiatrist

12. Lab specialist

13. Sports medicine specialist

14. Sociologist

15. X-Ray specialist

16. Media specialist

17. Customs specialist

18. Medical therapy specialist

19. Writer

20. University professor

21. Media person

22. Secretary or director of library

23. Staffs at embassies in GCC (except support services jobs)

24. Archeological researcher

25. Administrative researcher

26. Legal researcher

27. Professor

28. Trader

29. Geologist

30. Quantity enumerator

31. Referee (sports)

32. Finance/Economics expert

33. Law expert

34. Information Systems expert

35. Diplomat (Members of diplomatic corps)

36. President/CEO

37. President or director of a university

38. Chief Justice

39. Head of Prosecution

40. President or director of a club

41. Weather expert

42. Earthquakes expert

43. Captain of Ship/Cruise/Carrier/Steamship

44. Businessman

45. Religious person

46. Architectural draftsman

47. Business lady

48. Executive secretary

49. Journalist

50. Pharmacist

51. Jeweler

52. Army officer

53. Police officer

54. University student

55. Physician (All specialisation)

56. Surgeon (All specialisation)

57. Veterinary

Dusit announces DSS package at 3 hotels

Dusit International has announced a shopping festival package for visitors to Dubai, to coincide with Dubai Shopping Festival 2011 which runs from January 20 to February 20.

The three Dusit hotels participating in the ‘Tale of Three Hotels’ Shopping Promotion which will end in February, are Dusit Thani Dubai Hotel, Dusit Princess City Centre and Pearl Coast Premier Hotel Apartments.

The annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) has emerged as a mega tourist event in Dubai since its start in the year 1996. Tourists can enjoy tax free shopping as well as heavy discounts during this 32-day event on a wide range of items including jewelry, cars, perfumes, textiles, handicrafts and electronics items as shops and malls try to outdo each other in sales.

DSF is also known for its colourful events ranging from Jazz to cartoon shows and circus to dance shows offering wholesome family entertainment.

Dusit Thani Dubai is a 5-star hotel located a few minutes from the World Trade Center, Dubai’s International Convention Center, Dubai International Financial Center, Burj Dubai, Dubai Mall and is a short drive to Dubai’s International Airport and major shopping malls. The Dubai Metro Financial Center Station is a short 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Dusit Princess City Centre offers 120 well-appointed rooms and suites and is situated in Deira. The property is ideally located minutes away from Dubai International Airport, and a short walk from Deira City Centre Mall and Deira Metro station.

Pearl Coast Premier Hotel Apartments are fully furnished, spacious, serviced hotel apartments providing all the facilities and amenities required for short or long stays. Situated directly behind Mall of the Emirates, the Mall of the Emirates metro station is located in the Mall.-TradeArabia News Service

Korea gaining popularity among Arabs

FIVE years since the opening of the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) office in Dubai, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have become the two key inbound markets from the Middle East, where traditionally the largest regional arrivals were Turkey, Egypt and Iran.

Korea received 7.8 million tourists in 2009, an increase of 13.8 per cent over the previous year. Arrivals from the Middle East were estimated at around 69,000 with Gulf visitors recording a remarkable growth during the summer months.

Arrival figures from Middle East and CIS countries have increased by 35 per cent with GCC arrivals growing at 25 to 30 per cent compared to last year. July arrivals from the Gulf region surpassed all previous records with growth of more than 146 per cent compared to last year.

Speaking to TTN, Hwang SeungHyun, regional director KTO Dubai, said: “We have witnessed excellent trends from the Middle East because Korea was nowhere in the GCC leisure map five years ago and it was purely a business destination. Leisure travel started evolving two years ago and today we are not only enjoying double-digit growth but are also receiving educational groups and year-round travel.”

Seoul Tower...in a winter wonderland

Korea is regarded as an excellent value-for-money destination as the country is safe and clean and the people are friendly.

“When it comes to tourism, we have a diversified range of products such as 24-hour shopping, modern theme parks, ski resorts, wellness and spa, 5,000-year history, a beautiful beach destination and several Unesco sites and Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures are due to open their theme parks within the next few years” added SeungHyun. “Apart from that, the country itself is at the forefront of technology. Therefore, for a tourist experiencing Korea, it is a fusion of technology versus traditions.”

Visit Korea 2010-2012 is an ongoing campaign by KTO, with the objective of targeting 10 million visitors to Korea by the end of 2012.

Several initiatives are in progress to achieve this target from the Seoul Grand Sale to festivals such as the Hallyu Dream Festival, Busan Fireworks Festival, Korean Food Festival, Jeju Ole Trekking Festival, Tae-an Environment Festival, DMZ and Tourism World Peace Music Festival and World Culture Festival all taking place during this period.

The KTO office in Dubai is aggressively marketing this campaign in the Middle East region with a series of promotional activities such as the launch of an Arabic website (www.elakorea.com), tailor-made tourist brochures and a food guide for Muslim visitors.

The organisation has also launched a specialist programme for travel agents in the GCC and other Middle East countries, an e-learning training programme for agents. SeungHyun adds: “We realised the urgent need for a specialist training programme that could be done from the comfort of your office or home.

“Korea Specialist Programme was carefully designed to incorporate the necessities of local tourists while travelling on a holiday. It consists of five modules covering various aspects of the tourism industry with a multi-choice questionnaire. Since Korea is positioned as a new destination, the focus of the programme was centred on major cities.”

To encourage maximum participation, KTO has equipped agents with some trendy gadgets since Korea is known for technology.

“For Saudi agents, we have teamed up with Qatar Airways to offer free tickets and free nights in Seoul for a lucky winner,” said SeungHyun. “We have also picked some travel professionals with medical tourism and Mice backgrounds from the GCC region to travel to Korea for an international expo happening this month.

“Above all, Etihad is due to launch its flights to Seoul on December 10 and we are working together to host a group of travel agents on the first flight.”

70 % of ATM exhibition Space Already Sold Out !

ARABIAN Travel Market (ATM) has revealed that 70 per cent of exhibition space for its 2011 event has already been sold after unveiling a new format to its four-day event. An additional day of business focus has been introduced while still maintaining a dedicated session for consumers.

So far confirmed exhibition space totaling around 15,000 sq m has been secured, which is a five per cent increase over the same marketing period last year. Indeed, despite a fragile global economic recovery, retention rates for ATM have been particularly impressive with a 63.6 per cent average over the last three years, which rises to 72.6 per cent for companies which have participated for two consecutive years or more.

“To sell 70 per cent of our exhibition space at this stage of the marketing cycle with such consistent retention is a testimony to the strength of our brand,” said Mark Walsh, group exhibition director, Reed Travel Exhibitions. “It also highlights the fact that we deliver our promise, our extended business sessions are a good example of that.”

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the show, which is approaching its 18th year, takes place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

In 2011 the event will open a day earlier running from Monday to Thursday (May 2 to 5), with new opening times creating an extra day of business on Thursday followed by a dedicated consumer session later the same day between 3pm and 9pm.

ATM has grown to become the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world. The 2010 show attracted 2,236 exhibitors covering more than 20,000 sq m and attracting 22,000-plus visitors.

Underscoring the strength of the brand throughout the region, Rotana Hotels Management Corporation, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East and North Africa, has agreed to sponsor the pre-event registration process and the onsite registration area at the show.

“Rotana is a well respected, dynamic hospitality brand with ambitious expansion plans, having already grown from from two properties in 1993 to 42 today, exemplifying the extraordinary growth throughout the region over the past 15 years,” said Walsh.

The agreement is an exclusive sponsorship opportunity with high brand visibility on all registration collateral material as well as high-impact onsite exposure including registration staff in Rotana-branded uniforms.

Omer Kaddouri, COO of Rotana, said: “Our overall objective at the show is to strengthen our regional presence and to support our expansion plans for 70 properties by 2014. Sponsoring the pre-show and onsite registration at a premier event such as Arabian Travel Market will assist us greatly in promoting our brand and showcasing the products within the Rotana portfolio.”

“In addition, all participants who pre-register for Arabian Travel Market 2011 will be eligible for a 10 per cent discount on their airfare from Emirates,” said Walsh.

Mideast set to become ‘global travel hub’

The Middle East is on the brink of becoming the world’s dominant travel hub, said a report.

The report, Securing the Prize for the Middle East launched by Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor, sets out what the region should focus on to fulfill its potential as a dominant global hub.

The survey warns against complacency and exposes the risks posed by a lack of coordinated pan-regional policies in regulation, investment and business operation.

Commissioned by Amadeus, the study was developed by Insights Management Consultancy, a leading business consultancy headquartered in Abu Dhabi, and h2c, a specialist consultancy in hospitality marketing and distribution solutions.

The factors enabling the Middle East to underpin the next wave of globalisation created by emerging economies such as China, India, Latin America and Africa are analysed in Amadeus’ report.

These include the region’s geographic position at the centre of the major air routes; its continued economic growth compared with the G8 countries; and the major investments planned in the travel industry, including $86 billion for airports. The region’s approach to innovation and technology adoption is also highlighted.

Investment in the travel, hospitality and aviation sectors will enable the Middle East to diversify its economy with plans to expand international, intra-region and domestic tourism. The number of tourists travelling to the Middle East is projected to double to 136 million by 2020 compared with 54 million in 2008.

Religious tourism is likely to be a major new factor with Saudi Arabia generating more than $7 billion in 2009 from visitors to Muslim pilgrimage sites and projecting visitor numbers to grow from over 12 million in 2009 to 15 million in 2013, the study said.

The emergence of a new range of low cost carriers will also support this trend, it added.

The potential of innovation and new technology to underpin future growth is also discussed in the report. Strategic investment by the region’s airlines in new aircraft technology has already paid off strongly and the critical role of IT infrastructure is also considered.

The report also issues recommendations focused on the need for integration and transparency. This includes the creation of a common regulatory framework across the region covering visa regulations, immigration and air control.

A call for greater financial transparency is made, particularly the need for the airline carriers to show their independence from government subsidy. The benefits for the major carriers to become members of global alliances, or to establish a Middle Eastern based code sharing agreement is also addressed.

“The Middle East already connects more major global destinations via a single flight than any other hub. This has been the result of aspiration, dedication and innovation from business and political leaders,” said Antoine Medawar, vice president, Mena, Amadeus.

“This approach to strategic planning, ambitious investment and early technology adoption continues and the region is now poised to take an even greater competitive leap forward enabling it to lead the next wave of globalisation. The aim of becoming the world’s dominant travel hub by 2025 is within reach, but obstacles remain, the chief one being complacency,” he added.

Mona Faraj, managing partner, Insights Management Consultancy, said: “From a global perspective, the stagnation of existing global hub developments necessitates the development of new ones, and the Middle East would be the best choice to create them.”

“However, while the region benefits from assets such as strategic geographical location and strong GDP growth, it will still need to work hard to attract new business and leisure travellers to the region. This report sets out clear factors that need to be addressed if it is to take hold of the significant opportunities and reach its goal of becoming the dominant global travel hub,” Faraj concluded. – TradeArabia News Service