TAT Hotline Internet Call Centre, Another Option To Get Tourism
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TAT Hotline Internet Call Centre, Another Option To Get Tourism
Brand new Malév destination: Belgrade! Malév launches its new destination to Belgrade in Serbia from 14 December 2009. The Hungarian carrier will operate daily flights between Budapest and Belgrade; all services from Serbia are timed to provide smooth connections through Budapest to and from Malév’s network. Belgrade (its name means White City) is one of the oldest cities in Europe, famous for its extraordinary position, turbulent history and fantastic nightlife. It lies at the confluence of cultures, where east meets west, and the Sava flows into the Danube River. Without doubt, Belgrade’s greatest asset is its warm-hearted and hospitable residents. Serbian cuisine is particularly exciting at this time of the year. The scent of baked peppers wafting through the streets will tempt you to try them in different meals (aivar, baked pepper salad or stuffed peppers). And don’t forget sarma (sour cabbage rolls with minced meat and rice) whatever you do. They are among the many things that make life worth living there. Enjoy Belgrade! Mandarin Oriental’s Starstudded Restaurant Line Up Mandarin Oriental hotels have long been renowned for their excellence and innovation in food and beverage, and the Group’s passion for creating memorable dining experiences has once again been recognised, with no fewer than nine diverse restaurants from around the world being honoured in the 2010 Michelin Guides. In Europe, Rasoi by Vineet has been awarded the coveted one star status by Michelin’s 2010 Guide for Switzerland. It is the first time for an Indian restaurant to be recognised in Switzerland by the prestigious Michelin guide. Opened in June 2008 after a multi-million Swiss Franc renovation of the hotel’s public areas, Rasoi by Vineet offers the cuisine of London-based Michelin starred chef, Vineet Bhatia, who specialises in deliciously spectacular “evolved” Indian food. In Munich, Restaurant Mark’s at Mandarin Oriental, Munich retained its coveted Michelin star status. The restaurant’s Chef Tobias Jochim delights diners with predominantly French dishes that have been inspired from travels around the Mediterranean. In Asia, the Group’s flagship property, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong is now home to two Michelin starred restaurants. The Mandarin Grill + Bar, a Hong Kong dining institution, where artistic Executive Chef Uwe Opocensky serves a modern interpretation of grill classics and the city’s finest seafood, has been awarded its first Michelin star. The restaurant joins Pierre on the top floor of the hotel, which retained its Michelin star, and features the bold cuisine of multi award-winning, three Michelin starred chef, Pierre Gagnaire. In Macau, Tung Yee Heen, the distinguished Cantonese restaurant at the recently renamed Grand Lapa Hotel, also retained its one-star Michelin status. Meanwhile, Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, maintained its coveted two Michelin star status. The restaurant features the innovative and exhilarating cuisine of talented Chef Richard Ekkebus. In Japan, Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo is the only hotel in the capital to have three Michelin-starred restaurants in the latest Japanese guide. Signature (serving contemporary French), Sense (Cantonese) and the creative Tapas Molecular Bar (serving innovative molecular cuisine) each received a single star: Signature for the third time, and Sense and the Tapas Molecular Bar for the second time. “We are truly delighted to receive these prestigious accolades,” said David Nicholls, the Group’s Corporate Director of Food and Beverage. “It speaks volumes about the dedication to fine dining excellence that all of our hotels offer.” The Group also continues to be acknowledged for its ability to appoint enthusiastic culinary talent. Recent announcements include Chef Heston Blumenthal, who has won international acclaim for his unique and multi-sensory approach to cooking. Blumenthal will open his first restaurant outside of the village of Bray, at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London in 2010. The restaurant will feature the chef’s inimitable style of culinary alchemy with a menu heavily influenced by his ongoing research and discovery of historic British gastronomy. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London will also introduce the award-winning cuisine of Lyon-born chef Daniel Boulud to the UK when Bar Boulud – a French inspired bistro and wine bar – opens in the hotel in Spring 2010. In addition, Pierre Gagnaire has opened his first US restaurant, Twist at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas which opened on 4 December 2009. While in Spain, Chef Carme Ruscalleda has been appointed Director of the newly opened Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona’s signature restaurant, Moments. Ruscalleda is one of only a few women in the world to be awarded a total of five Michelin stars. About The Michelin Guide Michelin has been in the business of evaluating and recommending restaurants and hotels for over a century. They employ full-time professional inspectors who anonymously visit restaurants and hotels, and evaluate them on a range of criteria, using an evaluation process that has been honed over time to identify consistently high-quality establishments to suit a range of budgets and across a range of styles and cuisines. About Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, resorts and residences. Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, 41 hotels representing over 10,000 rooms in 25 countries, with 17 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and 10 in Europe and North Africa. In addition, the Group operates, or has under development, 13 Residences at Mandarin Oriental, connected to the Group’s properties. www.mandarinoriental.com. Sunny Cars garandeert laagste all-in prijs op Belgische markt Sunny Cars, internationaal bemiddelaar in autoverhuur, introduceert de laagste all-in prijsgarantie op de Belgische markt. Waar anderen spreken van een laagste prijsgarantie, kiest de broker voor een andere aanpak en garandeert het laagste all-in tarief. Bij een laagste prijsgarantie gebeurt het vervolgens maar al te vaak dat een dergelijke prijs duurder uitpakt door niet inbegrepen extra’s. Het geweldige aan de Sunny Cars garantie is dat er geen verborgen kosten roet in het eten kunnen gooien. De all-in prijs is inclusief ongelimiteerde kilometers, een extra BA-verzekering van € 7,5 miljoen, een schade-en diefstalverzekering zonder eigen risico en de dekking voor schade aan glas/banden/bodem. Vaak zijn zelfs een extra bestuurder en gratis adresaflevering inbegrepen. En uiteraard houdt Sunny Cars woord, want vindt de reisagent een product inclusief al deze diensten elders goedkoper, dan biedt Sunny Cars dezelfde prijs. Suzanne Al, Marketing Manager van Sunny Cars hierover: “Wij vinden dat de reisagent gerust prijzen mag vergelijken. Vaak bestaat de illusie dat het elders goedkoper is, maar wij dagen uit om het te testen. De reisagent zal zien dat wij in de praktijk het meeste waar voor de beste all-in prijs bieden. Bovendien bewijst hij er zijn professionalisme mee, en de klant is verzekerd van een all-in product aan de laagste prijs.” Sunny Cars is in 1991 in Duitsland opgericht en behoort al jaren tot de grootste bemiddelaars in autoverhuur in Europa. De broker is actief in België, Nederland, Duitsland, Oostenrijk, Luxemburg en Zwitserland en biedt haar klanten huurauto’s in alle soorten en maten aan in alle belangrijke toeristische markten. Sunny Cars bemiddelt wereldwijd in huurauto’s op meer dan 5.000 vakantiebestemmingen in meer dan 90 landen en werkt exclusief met contractpartners samen die voldoen aan de internationale kwaliteits- en service-eisen. Kijk voor meer informatie op www.sunnycars.be Rhenus Svoris is “Best Freight Forwarder in Lithuania in 2009” Rhenus Svoris was awarded the prize for being the best freight forwarding company in Lithuania by a national commission of experts at the end of November. Arunas Bertasius, Managing Director of Rhenus Svoris, accepted the prize from Vytautas Levickas, the President of “Lineka”, the Lithuanian Freight Forwarders Association, at a special ceremony. The award is presented every year at a conference, which is organized by the “Lineka” Lithuanian Freight Forwarders Association (Lietuvos nacionalinė ekspeditorių asociacija), the “Linava” Association of Transportation Companies (Lietuvos nacionalinė vežėjų automobiliais asociacija), Association of logistics and the “Transportas” trade journal. Rhenus Svoris was able to beat off a challenge from three rival companies this year. The jury based its decision on the fact that the company had continued to develop despite the difficult economic conditions in the market place. Another important criterion in reaching their decision was the company’s success in joining the System Alliance Europe cargo network at the beginning of 2009. “The award means significant recognition by experts in our sector,” Arunas Bertasius said after the prize-giving ceremony. “It reinforces our image as a strong, growing, innovative company, which is therefore attractive to our customers.” Rhenus Svoris was already awarded a prize for its “logistics services in 2008” by the Lithuanian Logistics Association or LLA (Lietuvos Logistikos Asociacija) at the 10th Baltic Logistics Conference in 2008. At that time, the prize related to a project, which involved Rhenus Svoris in disposing of 2,000 tons of hazardous waste from former storage depots in Lithuania. About Rhenus Svoris Rhenus Svoris UAB, with its headquarters in Lithuania, provides logistics services in the Baltic States with the renowned Rhenus levels of quality. Rhenus Svoris is part of the Rhenus Group, which has annual turnover amounting to EUR 3.1 billion and is one of the leading European logistics services providers. Rhenus employs 17,700 people at 290 locations. Press Contact Details for the Rhenus Group. Rhenus AG & Co. KG Anna Ozeretskaya Corporate Communications Rhenus-Platz 1 59439 Holzwickede Germany Phone +49 (0)2301 29-1492 Fax +49 (0)2301 29-17862 [email protected] www.rhenus.com IHG Appoints Nick Barton Vice President of Sales & Marketing Greater China Shanghai, 10 December 2009 – IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world’s largest hotel group, today announced the appointment of Nick Barton as Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Greater China, effective December 1st, 2009. Upon Barton’s assuming office, his initial focus will be on developing a strategy for Greater China Sales & Marketing with an emphasis on growing the domestic market, leveraging the IHG system in China, and working to develop the China sales and marketing team. Before taking on this new position, Barton worked as Vice President of Communications & Planning of IHG’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Accumulating experiences from his over ten years of servicing the company in different markets, he initially led the Holiday Inn Express brand in the United Kingdom, which expanded from 30 hotels to almost 100 in over three years; started a direct marketing campaign for Holiday Inn in United Kingdom and Ireland, which successfully built sales and increased the profitability of customer stays; and participated in setting up IHG’s global Performance, Planning, Insight and Integration function. “Nick has extensive sales & marketing management experience in the hotel industry as well as a strong record of applying innovation and creativity into the IHG systems,” said Keith Barr, managing director, IHG Greater China. “I am confident that his past experience and proven leadership will help him guide the sales & marketing sector in Greater China, as we continue to grow our leadership position in this market. We are very pleased to welcome Nick to work together with us.” IHG has experienced rapid growth in Greater China in recent years, where IHG is the largest international hotel company, with over 120 hotels open and more than 100 in the development pipeline. Notes to Editors: About IHG InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, nearly 4,400 hotels and over 640,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with 47 million members worldwide. IHG has 1,500 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 140,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. Abacus continues to launch new travel solutions to give Travel Agencies a competitive head start Taiwan, 10 December 2009 – Abacus International, Asia Pacific’s leading travel facilitator, today announced the introductions of four innovative solutions – ButterFly, Web Office, Bargain Finder Max and eServices in Taiwan to give Abacus-connected agencies a head start in the recovering travel industry. With the recent economic downturn, Abacus looks to provide its customers with tailored solutions to help boost productivity; manage costs and offer ease of use as well as handle complex travel bookings. Two of the newly introduced solutions, ButterFly and Web Office, were custom made to meet the increasing need for mobile and internet services in the Taiwan travel market while Bargain Finder Max and eServices offer agencies a strong competitive edge in fare and route offerings as well as 24/7 agency support from Abacus. Although there is a general cutback in research and development costs by technology firms over the past year, Abacus continues their investment in Asia Pacific through the development of new solutions for their customers. As explained by Abacus International, President and CEO Robert Bailey at the annual Abacus Taiwan conference today, the company had sustained its innovation and development efforts to help give the industry a much-needed lift from declining travel demand. “Earlier this year, Abacus, along with many other technology companies, needed to juggle the balancing act of managing business costs and answering the industry’s call for tailored products to meet the shift in travellers’ demands. However, as an innovative company, we are always looking to fulfill our long-standing mission of delivering world-class solutions and services for our customers, as well as leading industry transformation, even during difficult times.” Mr David Wu, Chairman, Abacus Distribution Taiwan added, “We are very pleased in particular with the two bespoke solutions, ButterFly and Web Office, which were a result of field marketing by our team in Taiwan. The Taiwan market is extremely advanced when it comes to newsrelease the use of mobile and internet services; consumers are constantly going onto these channels to look, shop and purchase products and services. ButterFly and Web Office were hence created to fill these gaping needs in the travel market.” Taiwan, considered by many to be one of the most dynamic travel markets in North Asia, is further boosted by crossstraits deregulation with China in the past year. This step-up in the offering of internet and mobile based solutions, as well as competitive travel content from Abacus, is warmly welcomed by the travel agents’ fraternity. ButterFly ButterFly is a graphical based booking and ticketing solution that was developed to cater to the emerging trends in the mobile and internet landscape in Taiwan. Offering customer profile management capabilities, this advanced web-based solution facilitates targeted e-marketing through a solid customer database. Web Office Also specially created for the Taiwan market, this web-based solution efficiently integrates an online booking tool with a back office feature into one system. Highly productive, travel agents can choose to display the fares that they prefer via the ‘Easy Fare’ booking tool. In addition, this allencompassing solution includes useful office and marketing solutions to ensure seamless front-to-end work processes and customer relationship management. Bargain Finder Max Bargain Finder Max is one of the premium services offered under Abacus WebConnect and is the most widely used global shopping platform offering hundreds of low fare options and calendar-based shopping. This advanced low fare search service increases customer satisfaction and agency productivity as it generates a diverse range of low fares and flights in one single transaction. Abacus eServices Abacus eServices is Asia’s only GDS online customer support portal. Aimed to provide Abacus-connected agencies with 24/7 access to the GDS’ full range of business services and market information, this web-based service allows agencies remote access to travel tools, solutions and information to help them sharpen their marketing and operational skills. About Abacus International Singapore-based Abacus International is Asia-Pacific’s leading travel facilitator with more than 20,000 travel agency locations in 24 markets. With over 21 years of experience in fusing international best practices and local expertise with global and local partnerships, Abacus provides travel information and reservations specifically tailored to the Asia-Pacific region. Abacus International is owned by Sabre and a consortium of Asia’s leading airlines including Malaysia Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Dragonair, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir and Singapore Airlines. Sabre is the global leader in the electronic distribution of travel and travel related services. More information on Abacus can be found at www.abacus.com.sg. Angie, héroïne de l’année! Wavre, le 9 décembre 2009 – Angie De Lamper, 8 ans, de Moerzeke (Hamme) a été élue héroïne de l’année 2009 du parc Walibi. Avec plus de 1.500 voix, Angie remporte ce concours et c’est à elle que revient l’honneur d’obtenir une statue à son effigie à Walibi ! Elle gagne également une journée à Walibi avec 100 amis, ce qui lui permettra de venir admirer sa statue avec tous ses amis. Le concours Big 7 Tout a commencé en avril 2009. Michel, le papa d’Angie, a participé au concours photos Big 7, organisé par Walibi. Angie a posé sur le stand de l’attraction « Challenge of Tutankhamon », une de ses attractions préférées. Ayant été élue « héroïne Big 7 de la semaine », elle est venue à Walibi avec 6 amis pour réaliser son propre petit film Big 7. En tant qu’héroïne de la semaine, elle a automatiquement été sélectionnée pour participer à la grande finale du concours. Et c’est ce qu’elle a fait avec succès ! Ces trois dernières semaines, plus de 1.500 personnes ont voté pour le petit film d’Angie sur www.big7.be. Elle a ainsi vaincu les 24 autres concurrents et c’est elle qui est élue « Héroïne de l’année 2009 » ! « Cela fait 3 semaines que l’on se bat pour récolter un maximum de votes », raconte le papa d’Angie. « La compétition a été passionnante car la différence de votes avec Suzy était très faible, tout s’est joué dans un mouchoir de poche, jusqu’à la dernière seconde ». Inauguration de la statue d’Angie le 3 avril 2010 La statue jour de la d’inviter assister à d’Angie sera officiellement inaugurée le premier saison 2010 (3 avril). Angie aura alors l’occasion 100 proches, membres de sa famille ou amis pour la cérémonie. La statue d’Angie ira rejoindre celle de Casper, « héros de l’année 2007 » et celle de Freija, « héroïne de l’année 2008 », toutes deux situées au centre du parc. WORLDHOTELS Expands in South Korea Welcoming Seoul Palace Hotel Korea’s Seoul Palace Hotel, will join WORLDHOTELS as a First Class Collection affiliate from 1 January 2010. The upscale 4-star hotel has a prime location near the COEX, a world-class exhibition and convention venue in Gangnam, Seoul’s business and financial hub. It overlooks the Han River and is conveniently located next to the Express Bus Station and subway station. Seoul Palace Hotel opened in 1982 and has remained competitive through continuous renovation and outstanding service, including a recent contemporary design renovation of all public areas, restaurants and ballrooms. It features 280 elegant rooms and suites, which are all being refurbished from next year to 2012, including a traditional “Ondol” suite. Dining and entertainment includes two signature restaurants – the authentic Kyoto-style Ta Bong Japanese restaurant and Suh Goong Chinese Restaurant, specialising in spicy Sichuan cuisine – plus international buffet The Goong, lounge style bar TWOTONE and a bakery-CozyBox. Eleven private dining rooms and banquet halls accommodate from 10 to 1,000 guests for all leisure and business needs. Extensive leisure facilities include a health club, Finlandstyle sauna, sports massage center, indoor golf driving range and outdoor jogging track around the hotel. “As the hotel business motto implies, Seoul Palace takes meticulous care in service, treating guests and welcoming back regular customers like family,” said Roland Jegge, Vice President for WORLDHOTELS Asia Pacific. “Rates are highly competitive and banqueting facilities for the MICE market are extremely flexible and impressive.” Seoul Palace General Manager Mr. Jhong-Bae Lee added “We consider our personal service and convenient location our greatest assets. We look forward to extending our hospitality worldwide through our partnership with WORLDHOTELS’ state-ofthe-art distribution and global marketing network.” Seoul Palace Hotel’s address: 63-1, Banpo-Dong, Seocho-Gu, 137-804 Seoul For further information visit worldhotels.com. Boeing Statement on United Airlines Selection of 787 Dreamliner Boeing [NYSE: BA] is delighted that United Airlines has selected the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the replacement and expansion of its twin-aisle fleet. “United’s selection of the Boeing 787 continues the 80-year partnership between our two companies,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 787 is the first new airplane of the 21st century. Its advanced technology and unprecedented improvements in fuel efficiency will help United achieve its business objectives and enhance its leadership position among the world’s top airlines.” Boeing looks forward to working with United to finalize the order at which time it will be posted to the Boeing Orders and Deliveries Web site (http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/index.cfm). Brussels Airlines joins Star Alliance BRUSSELS, Belgium – December 9th, 2009 – At an official ceremony held in Brussels’ historic “Grand-Place” today, the CEOs of the Star Alliance member airlines welcomed Brussels Airlines to the family. Brussels Airlines is the Belgian airline offering the widest choice of flights to and from the “capital” of Europe. With a fleet of 51 aircraft the airline operates some 200 daily flights to 55 European airports and 14 African destinations. With the addition of Brussels Airlines, customers on the Star Alliance network can now choose from more than 19,700 daily flights to reach 1,077 destinations in 175 countries. New to the network are more connections from Brussels Airport, which has now become a Star Alliance hub. These include four destinations in Africa which are presently not being served by other Star Alliance member carrier: Bujumbura, Burundi; Conakry, Guinea; Kigali, Ruanda and Monrovia, Liberia. Eleven Star Alliance member carriers serve 81 destinations in 40 countries across Africa. Belgium has now become a home market for the Star Alliance network, thereby improving the customer proposition for both business and leisure customers. Hence, Star Alliance can now offer an enhanced portfolio of flight connections from Brussels, including a large increase in nonstop flights, to the advantage of many multinational companies as well as the various political institutions residing in Belgium. On the fares side, Brussels Airlines is participating in three of the alliance’s fare products: the Round the World fare, Europe Airpass and Africa Airpass. For the Star Alliance Round the World fare, customers can make use of Brussels Airlines flights when creating their itineraries, especially for flights within Europe and to and from Africa. For visitors to Europe, the extensive network from Brussels creates new possibilities to travel on the Europe Airpass. For the Africa Airpass, Brussels Airlines provides numerous connections to Africa, from where customers can commence their travel. Last but not least, Frequent Flyer benefits have also been enhanced, with customers from all member airlines now able to earn and redeem miles on more flights than ever before. Brussels Airlines HON Circle and Senator cardholders have been given Star Alliance Gold status while Brussels Airlines Frequent Traveller cardholders have Star Alliance Silver status. All other Star Alliance Gold and Silver status holders will be given the appropriate benefits when travelling on Brussels Airlines. Gold status privileges include access to 980 lounges across the network.