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The Lean Camp Launching |
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Peaks Resort and the Nutrition & Diet Center joined their assets, expertise and professionalism to launch “The Lean Camp”, a unique diet and health establishment, dedicated to overweight children and teenagers in summer time and then to adults as of next fall. Sessions of 2010 take place in July and August in Lebanon. Every session lasts 13 days with personalized menus, nutrition and cooking classes, indoors and outdoors sports and recreational activities.
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International Jordanian Association honored Nouhad Dammous |
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Said Sawalha, president of the Golden Helmsmen of Tourism, honored Nouhad Dammous, editor in chief, Hospitality News Middle East, with a trophy and certificate of merit during an annual ceremony at Regency Palace Hotel, Amman. The distribution of the travel and tourism expert awards took place under the patronage of Nader Al-Dahabi, the club’s first president (1996 – 2000) and its founder Faiq Bisharat.
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Lebanon Holiday Inn Dunes - Hotel awarded the 2009 Quality Excellence Awards |
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“The Quality Excellence Award recognizes hotels that excel in guest experience and satisfaction, and show all the hard work and team effort we’ve put in this year. We’re constantly striving to go the extra mile so guests can expect a consistently good service when visiting our hotel and we’ll continue to work together to keep delivering the same high quality hotel experience each year,” said Jamil Bakhos, Holiday Inn Dunes , manager, as he accepted the award. As one of 39 hotels to be chosen, Kirk Kinsell, IHG's president EMEA said, “IHG is committed to supporting and developing our staff, because our hotels are only as good as the people working in them. We strive to give them the right environment, support and inspiration they need to fulfill their capability and these awards are a reflection of the fantastic talent we have working in our hotels across Europe, Middle East and Africa.”
www.hidunes.com
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Jordan Mövenpick - The first two hotels to achieve HACCP certification |
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Always concerned with the quality offered to their customers, Mövenpick Resort & Residence Aqaba and Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay were the first two hotels in Jordan to be awarded the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) certification for their food safety management program. According to Peter Hoesli, Aqaba general manager, HACCP has become a widely accepted production control system for the food industry worldwide. Hubert Klemenz, Tala Bay general manager, pointed out that both the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture use HACCP program as an effective approach to maximize food safety and protect public health.
www.moevenpick-hotels.com
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Dubai is installing sleeping boxes |
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No time to go to a hotel, then how about sleeping in a box when you are just passing through a large city and need a place to sleep? Not as crazy as it sounds; sleeping boxes designed to be installed at train stations and airports, and central public places or cities where accommodation is fully booked are slated to be found soon at Dubai airport.
They come in sizes of approximately 2 m x 1,40m x 2,30m to sleep in comfort and security. In tropical climate countries the sleeper box can be installed outdoors in main streets. The space includes bed, linen, ventilation system, alarm. LCD TV, WiFi, space for laptop and rechargeable phone. Under the bed and floor there is a cupboard for luggage. Payment is made at the terminal and clients will receive an electronic key that can be purchased for 15 minutes or for as many hours as needed.
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France Master Baker 2010 |
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Three bakers were awarded the highly coveted title of Master Baker 2010 in this year’s first Bakery Masters competition. The winners were Pao-Chun WU from Taiwan in the Bread category, Thomas Planchot from France in the Viennese Pastry category, and François Brandt from the Netherlands in the Artistic Piece category. This latest competition organized by Europain, Ekip and Lesaffre under the aegis of the prestigious Europain show at Paris-Nord Villepinte. Over four days, 24 candidates of 17 nationalities competed on an individual basis. The candidates met the challenge, producing exceptionally creative and subtle results. Various embassies actively supported their countries’ candidates, while the public appreciated the chance to get close to the candidates and to taste the products.
www.coupelouislesaffre.com
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Le Royal Hotel Beirut - Leading the way in medical tourism |
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Medical tourism in Lebanon is on the rise and Le Royal Hotel Beirut is planning to be on the forefront of this flourishing tourism sector. Le Royal Hotel launched a complete health tourism package by partnering with the sophisticated Bellevue Medical Center, a general hospital in the vicinity, as well as Nakhal Travel and Middle East Airlines. The package is aimed initially at Arab travelers who visit Lebanon for plastic surgery and dental care to intestinal bypass operations, yet, it is set to attract a growing number of European tourists seeking excellent value for money. There are also partnerships with other specialized medical centers that will bear fruit in the near future.
Potential growth in medical tourism is enormous. Lebanon is well known for its advanced medical services and internationally trained doctors. With the country having received a record number of tourists last year, there is no doubt that non-seasonal medical tourism is set to increase and boost the hospitality industry.
www.leroyalbeirut.com
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All Jordan hotels to be assessed under new system |
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The new classification system for hotels was officially launched at an industry-wide event held under the patronage of the Jordanian tourism and antiquities minister Maha Al Khatib. The ministry and the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II, in coordination with parties from the public and private sectors, have developed the new hotel classification system. “This is key to improving Jordan as a competitive tourism destination as accommodation is a vital part of the visitor experience,” pointed out Khatib. The new classification system focuses on services rather than facilities. It is split into basic standards, which are mandatory, and optional standards. The new classification standards began being applied at all existing hotel establishments in Jordan from February 2010. Assessors from MoTA, JHA and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority have been undergoing intensive training over the past few months to learn new standards and how to use the automated inspection system that has been developed for the new classification system. The new system will be continuously revised and upgraded in response to new trends in the tourism industry.
www.usaid.gov
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Number of global tourists to reach close to 1bn in 2010 |
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GCC tourism experts feel that tourism sector managers in the region should consider new strategies to close the gap in terms of cultural and customary differences among people of the world. Tourism, according to experts, is entering an era of increased growth, and one should take into consideration that tourism can be used as a way to fight terrorism by spreading awareness of world peace, and by creating mutual respect among people, with everybody living in harmony.
These ideals have come forth after the World Tourism Organization (WTO) announced that tourism rates will increase significantly in 2010 after two tough years, with an expected increase of 3-4% in the number tourists. This is the same as the decline rate seen last year, when the number of tourists dropped to 880 million according to WTO statistics. According to the latest report issued by the Tourism and Travel Council on the performance of the tourism sector in 2009, the travel and tourism sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world - attracting a large of number of clients and offering 219 million job opportunities, equaling 6.7% of the international job market. This number is expected to grow to 275 million [job opportunities] by 2019. Reports by the WTO and the World Tourism and Travel Council for the current year denote a possible increase in the number of tourists to close to 1 billion by the end of 2010. These expectations are supported by the decline in the number of crises that have hit the world during the last two years, including the global financial crisis and the spread of the H1N1 virus.
www.world-tourism.org
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