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Emirates welcomes world’s top cricket officials to Dubai
The Emirates Elite Panel of International Cricket Council
(ICC) Umpires and Referees, held their annual seminar from April 4 to 6 at
the Royal Meridian Beach Resort and Spa in Dubai. The sixteen delegates
arrived in Dubai from ten different counties, including Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe,
South Africa, England, Jamaica, India, Guyana, Pakistan, Australia and New
Zealand.
Maurice Flanagan, Emirates Group Managing Director, said,
“We were delighted to welcome the members of the Emirates Elite Panel of
Umpires and Referees to Dubai for their annual seminar. Emirates’
sponsorship has funded the day-to-day operation of this new, full time
system of umpires and referees and we are pleased that our association with
the game at the highest level is helping to play such a significant role in
the development of the Panel and the overall standard of officiating.”
A year since the Emirates Elite Panel was convened; the
leading officials looked at the playing conditions for Test Match and One
Day International cricket as well as the ICC’s Code of Conduct with a view
to promoting a consistency of interpretation.
The three-year multi-million dollar sponsorship agreement
grants Emirates naming rights for the international panel of umpires and
referees, and use of the title as the Official Airline of the ICC. Emirates
is the official carrier for all ICC travel, where direct flights are
available to the required destination.
Royal Cliff Beach Resort rewards top Russian agents
At a recent ceremony, the Royal Cliff
Beach Resort’s top-producing Russian travel agents were rewarded for their
efforts and production over the course of 2002. Attending the ceremony were
the three top producing agents along with the executive management of the
resort. The Russian market currently contributes a sizeable portion of the
European business for the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
From
left to right: Andrew J. Wood, Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s general manager;
Vladimir Yanovsky, general manager of Songklod Tour Group; Surapol Sangsopol,
managing director of IYO Service; Ivan Antipovsky, general manager of
Teztour (Thailand), Panga Vathanakul, managing director of the Royal Cliff
Beach Resort; and Victor Kriventsov, the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s
director of sales.
Air-India to curtail flights to Gulf & S.E. Asia
Air-India has, in the wake of the Gulf war and the spread
of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the South East Asia region,
assessed the load factors recorded by flights on various routes and has,
since lesser number of passengers is traveling, decided to cancel the
following flights:
Flight AI-803/802 operated on Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai sector
on Tuesdays;
Flight AI-873/872 operated on Mumbai-Bahrain-Doha-Mumbai
sector on Tuesdays;
FlightAI-709/708 operated on Chennai-Dubai-Chennai sector
on Tuesdays/Wednesdays;
Flight AI-304/307 operated on
Mumbai-Delhi-Bangkok-Tokyo-Bangkok-Delhi-Mumbai sector on
Wednesdays/Thursdays.
Flight AI-310/311 operated on Mumbai-Delhi-Hong
Kong-Delhi-Mumbai sector on Thursdays.
While the above flights to the Gulf will be discontinued
till the end of April 2003, the India-Bangkok-Tokyo flight was withdrawn
from April 16 till the end of May 2003.
Air-India will continue to operate three weekly services
instead of four to Bangkok-Tokyo and four instead of five services per week
to Hong Kong.
Air-India, which has continued to operate its flights to
Kuwait even after the Iraq war has, in view of reduced loads, decided to
curb flights to Dubai and Kuwait.
Domestic tourism flourishes as war and SARS put pay to foreign travel plans
Trang’s domestic tourism industry has received an
unexpected boost from the war in Iraq and scare over Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), as Thais stayed at home for the Songkran
holidays, rather than traveling abroad, according to the president of the
province’s Chamber of Commerce.
Salil Tothapthieng said that the war and SARS had caused
several Thais to shelve their plans to travel abroad over the Songkran
period, and that as a result Thais turned to domestic locations, including
Trang, over the holiday season.
The Chamber president expressed confidence that this year
tourist numbers in Trang would reach the targeted figures, with the war and
SARS having little impact as 80 percent of visitors to Trang were domestic
tourists rather than from the United States and Europe. On the contrary, he
said, the current situation was causing a boom in the province’s tourism
industry, resulting in annual cash circulation of 5 billion baht in the
province from tourism alone.
Pornsak Kliengchuay, manager of the Le Trang Restaurant
and Resort, said that accommodation and restaurants were booked to full
capacity, with no cancellations.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand )TAT) has warned that
Thailand’s tourism industry could come out severely dented due to the twin
effects of the war in Iraq and SARS, and is pinning its hopes on an increase
in domestic tourism and an influx of tourists from Asian markets to
compensate for cancelled bookings from the US and Europe. (TNA)
Charm of the southeast Asian triangle still offers travelers a unique experience
The “Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle”
covers an area of 180,100 square kilometers, spanning three Southeast-Asian
nations. It comprises Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatera and the Riau
provinces of Indonesia; the four northern states of Malaysia namely Kedah,
Penang, Perak and Perlis; and in Thailand, Satun, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Yala,
and Pattani make up the entire growth triangle
Langkawi Island, Penang Island and Pangkor Island in
Malaysia, Pattaya, Phuket and Hat Yai in Thailand, are already established
tourist destinations on the global tourism map.
However, there are many other less-known and
less-explored attractions in the region which offer travelers a unique
experience: breathtaking natural beauty, serene beaches, traditional
lifestyles and customs, historical sites, awe-inspiring architecture,
religious sites, exotic cuisines, theme parks as well as great shopping.
Traveling to and within the triangle has been made easier
with the increasing number of international and domestic air services,
highways and well-paved roads and railways systems traversing the region.
The wide choice of accommodations ranging from 5-star
hotels to home-stay adventures on farms and in fishing villages creates
great variety and provides something for everyone.
Delicious local and international cuisines are available
at most tourist spots and the friendly and hospitable nature of the locals
will ensure visitors a pleasant experience. Discovering the fascinating
kaleidoscope of interesting and colorful places, people, customs, festivals,
arts, tasty food and a magnificent variety of flora and fauna are part of
the wonderful adventure of traveling through this part of the world.
SWISS modifies aircraft orders
In view of the currently unfavorable economic projections
for 2003, Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) has revised its ongoing fleet
renewal program. The company is reducing its firm orders for EMBRAER 170 and
EMBRAER 195 aircraft from 60 to 30, with the first deliveries rescheduled to
2004. The number of option held on the new types is also being reduced, from
100 to 20 aircraft. SWISS is also in negotiations with Airbus. The first
seven A340s will be delivered as planned. Talks aimed at rescheduling
delivery of the final five A340s are currently in progress with Airbus.
New
Swiss A340 Aircraft
SWISS is responding to the continuing crisis in the air
transport industry by modifying its current fleet renewal program.
Adjustments are being made to both the number of EMBAER aircraft ordered and
the timetable for their delivery. At the same time, however, SWISS has
expressly confirmed its commitment to its chosen fleet concept and its
partner EMBRAER; and the aircraft ordered remain and cornerstone of the
company’s future business strategy. In view of the current economic
situation and the presently far-from-favorable business projection, SWISS
and EMBRAER have agreed to modify the carrier’s order with the
manufacturer from 60 to 30 aircraft (15 EMBRAER 170s and 15 EMBRAER 195s).
The number of options is also being reduced, from 100 to 20 aircraft.
Delivery of the first aircraft has also been rescheduled
to one year after August 2003, the original handover date.
The simulator for the 70-seat EMBRAER 170 will, be stalled in Basel this
summer according to plan, enabling SWISS Aviation training to offer
corresponding training services to its customers. Delivery of the 108-seat
EMBRAER 195 remains unchanged from 2006 onwards.
Doctors to accompany all THAI flights from 4 nations
Thai Airways International announced that two doctors are
accompanying all flights coming to and from China, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Taiwan, and Vietnam, and that a doctor has been posted at these countries’
international airports.
THAI has introduced these measures as part of a plan to
ensue confidence among its passengers that the national airline is doing
everything to deal with the situation.
“THAI has also posted medical personnel at the
international airports of these countries believed to be most affected by
the deadly pneumonia outbreak. They will check the health of all passengers
before allowing them to board THAI flights,” the airline’s president
Kanok Abhiradee said. He added that THAI is also now checking all postal
parcels being sent to Thailand from these countries.
“Although these measures may lead to a fall in
bookings, the safety of our passengers comes first,” Kanok said.
Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, who has taken a tough
stance on the issue, said Thailand will quarantine all passengers in any
aircraft for 14 days if even just one of them is found to have the deadly
flu.
“Passengers who arrive in Thailand from these countries
must go through a special area away from the main terminal for a check-up
before they can be allowed to enter the country,” Sudarat said. (TNA)
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