Lapita Dubai Parks and Resorts has selected Ravneet Arora as the new Director of Sales and Marketing.

With over 12 years in the hospitality sector, Arora’s experience includes serving as the multi-property Director of Sales and Marketing for a cluster of Marriott hotels.

This portfolio consisted of Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Creek, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, Element by Westin Al Jaddaf, and Courtyard by Marriott, Culture Village, where she spearheaded comprehensive sales and marketing endeavors. In her fresh role, Arora will be responsible for crafting and executing sales and marketing strategies to boost Lapita’s market share, drive revenue growth, and elevate guest satisfaction.

Lapita’s General Manager, Faiek El Saadani, expressed excitement about Arora’s addition to the team, highlighting her luxury hospitality background. Arora, who began her career with Marriott in 2007, progressed through various Sales and Marketing roles, contributing significantly to corporate partnerships and source market expansion. Relocating to the UAE in 2017, Arora’s stint at Ghaya Grand saw her enhance apartment occupancy and secure substantial corporate contracts.

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Le Royal Méridien Doha, Agora Doha Autograph Collection, and Qabila Westbay Hotel, synonymous with luxury and top-tier hospitality, have welcomed two accomplished professionals to their esteemed leadership cadre. Samer Gerges assumes the role of multi-property Director of Sales & Marketing, while Hiba Qalyoubi becomes the multi-property Director of Marketing Communications.

Gerges, with a distinguished 21-year career in hospitality, brings extensive expertise to the cluster properties. He began mastering hotel operations at Lebanon’s Grand Hotel Kadri – Zahle, eventually moving into sales. His trajectory at Marriott International saw him rise from Sales Manager to Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing, overseeing properties such as JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, and Arraya Ballroom.

Gerges’ commitment extended to prestigious Gulf Region properties, including The Sheraton in Bahrain and Oman’s JW Marriott Muscat. His hands-on approach yielded exceptional revenue results and strong international and local partnerships. Since November 2021, Gerges has led JW Marriott Marquis Doha, propelling it to significant milestones.

Accompanying Gerges is Qalyoubi, a seasoned marketing expert known for her creative storytelling and brand elevation skills. With two decades of marketing experience in the hospitality sector, she has successfully led teams for esteemed Gulf region properties and hospitality groups like Anantara, Intercontinental Hotels Group, and Marriott International. Notably, her pre-opening contributions to properties like Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara and Marriott Hotel Al Forsan have set the stage for their success.

Hiba’s role as Area Director of Marketing for Marriott International Middle East & Africa saw her crafting impactful strategic plans and executing initiatives benefiting properties across the region. The multi-property General Manager of Le Royal Méridien Doha and Agora, Doha, Autograph Collection, Gerrit Graef, expressed excitement about Gerges and Qalyoubi joining the team, anticipating their contributions to lead the properties to greater success. These three iconic establishments are poised to elevate guest experiences with their new leadership additions.

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Hilton London Bankside has named Raoul de Souza as its new General Manager, bringing 25 years of global hospitality experience to the role. Having joined the hotel’s opening team in 2015, de Souza worked his way up from Director of Food and Beverage to Hotel Manager before being appointed General Manager.

His responsibilities encompass upholding the hotel’s culture, enhancing guest experiences, and maintaining community relationships. With qualifications from the Henley Business School Strategy Program and a Diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology, de Souza is primed to deliver consistent results.

He expressed enthusiasm for his role, emphasizing innovation and collaboration. Nadeem Boghani, owner of Hilton London Bankside, praised the appointment, highlighting de Souza’s expertise as crucial for the hotel’s continued success within the Splendid Hospitality Group.

The decision to promote from within aligns with the group’s commitment to nurturing its talented staff. The hotel anticipates a seamless transition as de Souza takes the helm.

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Israel is aiming to greet seven million travellers by 2030.

The Minister of Tourism in Israel offered the country’s government with a strategy to witness seven million tourists by 2030. 

The objective will need the building of 12,000 extra hotel rooms to touch a total of 70,000. 3,941 rooms
need to be added to the stock of hotels by 2024. 

The Ministry of Tourism aims to quicken the speed of hotel building by reducing planning processes and the analysis of the building strategies of Tel Aviv.

These steps will increase those taken in 2022 to expand and surge supply, which comprise regulating the loftiness perimeter for hotel creation in Eilat so as to add hundreds of rooms in the resort city, in addition to building devoted camping and ‘glamping’ centers.

A minister from the tourism ministry specified that Israel aims to surge the amount of visitors by nurturing Asian tourism.

The minister also said that Indian tourists can apply for visas online beginning at the conclusion of this year. This move is expected to substantially upsurge influxes from the world’s most populated country.

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Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek has welcomed the latest tourism numbers, saying that tourism revenues will help reduce the current account deficit.

Tourism is booming! Türkiye welcomes a remarkable 7.1 million foreign visitors in one month, marking the best July in history, Şimşek wrote on social media.

Türkiye’s current account deficit is expected to shrink significantly, from a 12-month rolling deficit of $56 billion in June to around $40 billion in December, thanks to a slowdown in consumer loan growth and a sharp rise in tourism revenues, the minister said.

This is supportive of a more stable [Turkish] Lira.

Tourism is one of the major sources of hard currency for the country’s economy.

In July, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 7.3 percent from a year earlier, the data from the Tourism Ministry showed last week.

More than 30 million tourists visited Türkiye in the first seven months of the year, raising hopes that the country may host a record number of holidaymakers in 2023.

Foreign tourist arrivals rose by 16.2 percent in January-July to 26.8 million, while 3.3 million Turkish citizens residing abroad vacationed in the country during the same period.

In the same period of 2019, Türkiye hosted 26.77 million foreign visitors.

As a whole in 2019, Türkiye received a record number of tourists, including more than 45 million foreigners and 6.7 million Turks residing abroad.

Despite the ongoing war with Ukraine, tourists from Russia increased from 2.2 million in January-July 2022 to 3.5 million in the first seven months of 2023.

Germans constituted the second largest group of foreign holidaymakers at 3.2 million, up from 2.99 million a year ago.

Some 2.1 million Britons vacationed in Türkiye in the same period, rising from 1.8 million a year earlier.

Tourism revenues

Türkiye’s tourism revenues amounted to $21.7 billion in the first half of 2023, rising by a strong 27 percent from the January-June period of last year.

The country set a target of attracting 60 million tourists and generating $56 billion in tourism revenues in 2023.

Türkiye posted a current account surplus of $674 million in June thanks to strong tourism revenues and a smaller trade deficit due to a fall in global energy prices after reporting a deficit of $7.84 billion in May.

Travel item recorded a net inflow of $4.2 billion in the month, according to the latest data from the Central Bank.

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SKIL Cabs is excited to announce the appointment of Aman Khupsare as the General Manager – Operations. Aman brings with him over two decades of diverse professional experience, having worked with multinational corporations and startups across industries including Pharma, Telecom, Insurance, Media, Fitness, and Wellness.

His expertise spans areas like Sales and Distribution, Business Development, and Account and Project Management.

Aman is known for his exceptional cross-functional proficiency in both strategic and operational aspects of business. A self-starter and a mindful taskmaster, he possesses a notable ability to manage young and dynamic teams. Aman’s accessibility and social nature play a pivotal role in fostering enduring and profitable relationships.

Speaking about his appointment, Aman Khupsare said, “I am grateful to the SKIL Cabs team for vesting their trust in me to lead the operations. Driven by a holistic perspective and setting ambitious goals accordingly, my leadership helps boost the self-confidence of my team members. I am an avid learner, constantly updating my knowledge by immersing myself in reading, observing, and interacting with high performers. Respect and care for my colleagues are paramount to me. It would be my endeavor to take our operational excellence to new heights.”

Vikash Kejriwal, COO at SKIL Cabs, expressed his excitement about Aman’s arrival, stating, “We are delighted to welcome Aman Khupsare to our team as the General Manager – Operations. His rich and diverse experience, coupled with his leadership acumen, aligns seamlessly with our company’s vision. We are confident that Aman will play a pivotal role in driving SKIL Cabs to new heights of operational excellence and customer satisfaction.”

Aman’s career objectives align with his determination to lead enterprises into new areas of success. He aspires to be recognized as a valuable asset to the organization on the back of his collaborative nature and eye for detail in aiding the brand’s growth in upcoming markets.

On a personal front, Aman Khupsare envisions nurturing young children to lead meaningful lives and become responsible citizens of India.

With Aman Khupsare’s exceptional background and SKIL Cabs’ commitment to innovation, this collaboration promises to redefine industry standards and set new benchmarks for success.

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During the first semester of 2023, Foreign Direct Investment in Tourism (FDIT) in Mexico registered US$1.4 billion, equivalent to 4.9% of the National Foreign Direct Investment, informed the Ministry of Tourism.

Of this total investment, US$699.6 million corresponds to the second quarter of the year, which is equivalent to 12.3% of the FDI captured in the country.

The agency also noted that the entities that captured the largest flow of FDI, from April to June, were: Baja California with US$330.6 million, Quintana Roo with US$150.2 million, Jalisco with US$52.9 million, Nayarit with US$46.4 million and Sonora with US$32.3 million.

The Ministry of Tourism pointed out that during the second quarter of the year, the countries that reported the highest FDI flows in Mexico were: United States with US$447.9 million, Canada with US$126.5 million, Spain with US$48.7 million, Germany with US$10.7 million and France with US$8.5 million.

In addition, he indicated that furnished apartments and houses with hotel services amounted to US$664.6 million and hotels with other integrated services reported US$26.1 million, which together represent 98.7% of total FDI.

Miguel Torruco, head of Sectur, highlighted that these figures represent the confidence that Mexico offers to international investors and businessmen, reiterating that during 2022, FDI in Mexico, was just over US$4.2 billion, that is 245% more than in 2019, and represented 11.7% of the total Foreign Direct Investment captured in the country.

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Qantas has today announced the appointment of a new non-executive director to its board, Dr Heather Smith PSM, as the national carrier maintains its focus on renewal.

Dr Smith had a 20-year career in the Australian Public Service (APS), having most recently held the position of Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science between 2017 and 2020, and was Secretary of the Department of Communications and Arts prior to that between 2016 and 2017.

Dr Smith began her career as an economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia, before going on to complete a PhD in economics at the Australian National University (ANU). Dr Smith later joined the APS where she held numerous senior positions in the departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Treasury, as well as the Office of National Intelligence.

Dr Smith is a non-executive director of ASX Limited, Challenger Limited and a Professor at ANU National Security College. She is also National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Announcing the changes, Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder said: “Heather has had a distinguished career as an academic and in the Australian Public Service, having advised the highest levels of government on national security, economic reform, public policy and innovation. Heather’s extensive experience in these areas, and more recently as a board director, make her an excellent addition to the expertise on the Qantas Board”.

Dr Smith said: “It is an honour to become part of the Qantas board. I’m excited to be joining at a time when Qantas is entering a new phase of growth and renewal, and I look forward to working with my board colleagues and management to support that.”

Dr Smith will sit on the Board from today ahead of a shareholder vote at the company’s 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 3 November.

As announced in May 2023, current Non-Executive Director, Michael L’Estrange, will retire at the AGM after three terms.

Following the November AGM, Qantas will have a nine member board, consisting of five women and four men.

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For the external world, Scottish tourism presents a romantic appearance, projecting stony mountains and unspoiled rivers, fairy-tale citadels and country hotels. However, inside the tourism segment at present, things represent a world of turmoil.

An organization signifying thousands of self-catering trades in Scotland has been cautioning for some time that a new authorizing system slated to come forth from October will make hundreds of people walk out from the sector. This week after a report by the City of Edinburgh Council, it is demanding that its worst dreads have been recognized, as much as the segment in the Scottish capital is concerned.

Last week, Fiona Campbell, the chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers said that the
request of the arrangement as it views would damp down the Scottish tourism segment, stating that the
charges and administration involved are basically too much for several small industries like guest houses to endure.

Campbell’s remarks followed a review of approximately 1,270 businesses by the ASSC. It found that over 60% of workers still had to apply for an authorization in the midst of worries regarding the charges involved. Campbell said that the new arrangement is excessively organizational and costly.

She said that while in some council zones the charges are rational, it is the conflicting in others,
with some small business proprietors being requested to cough up a lot of money to obtain
reflective preparation consent for grounds they have run for years.

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Colliers has released its third EWAA (Eco, Wellness, Adventure, and Agritourism) report, putting particular attention on the UAE and KSA as regional benchmarks for eco-tourism.

Within the MEA region, EWAA tourism’s success stories are abundant in countries like South Africa, Tanzania and Namibia, where they have expertly utilised their natural landscapes and strong cultural influences to deliver unique visitor experiences.

Regional success stories

Emerging tourist hotspots, particularly in the Middle East, are transforming their rural landscapes to create captivating, destination-centric experiences that stimulate local economies.

KSA and the UAE are investing significantly in EWAA, backed by solid governmental initiatives, including financial aid and policy formation. Notable examples include the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve in the UAE, Amaala’s planned Clinique La Prairie, Jayasom, Rosewood resorts – the unveiling of over 40 adventure-related projects in Oman, the ‘Al Khayyat’ farm in Al Ahsa, KSA and the strong ongoing agritourism drive in Al Ahsa Oasis, known for its rare Hassawi rice.

The agritourism in KSA is being promoted through initiatives like the ‘Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’ which supports local farmers and encourages farm visits.

Al Ahsa together with Taif, Abha, Al Ula and Jouf display great potential for this sector.

The Taif region is particularly well-known for its fragrant rose gardens and farms, which not only contribute to the local economy but are also a major tourist attraction.

Al Ula and its rich resource in date palm trees stands at as the heart of the ecosystem by providing shading layers to citrus trees, cereals and aromatic herbs.

How to build an eco-tourism destination

Modular design and construction is an innovative building technique which includes pre-fabrication of modules off-site. Following a standardised construction process, the modules are then transported and assembled into the final product on-site.

This can lower the overall environmental impact on the site and its surroundings, in addition to realising earlier revenue generation, thereby enhancing ROI.

The introduction of EWAA tourism into a previously unaltered, untouched community and landscape can have both positive and negative implications on the host destination.

To reap the benefits and minimise the negatives, planning and management are key.

This could involve implementing strict environmental regulations, offering education programs for tourists, fostering community engagement and ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism are equitably distributed within the community.

The asset life cycle encompasses the journey of a development from concept to re-purpose/ retirement stage.

For EWAA concepts, the concept phase which must include a detailed destination study emerges as crucial for the project success, wherein the story and purpose of the project are defined.

These form the core of development and guide decision-making through a holistic approach.

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