Antalya Jewel of Turkey

Mardan Palace Won “Europe’s Leading Luxury Hotel”

Turkey is one of the tourism success stories of the millennium. In the first four months of this year alone, tourist numbers rose 21 percent from the comparable period of 2010. Fuelling the growth is the country’s tourism jewel of Antalya, and its incredible beaches, hotels, history and climate.

The region is also forging a reputation as a hub for meetings, with its congress centre able to accommodate more than 50,000 delegates. The latest high-power event to be hosted in Antalya is the 2014 ICCA Congress, with the announcement made at IMEX-Frankfurt in 26th of May 2011.
The announcement follows news that Antalya is to host the World Travel Awards 2011 Europe Ceremony for the second in succession. On 2 September, Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa will step up to host the prestigious event, dubbed by the media as “The Oscars of the Travel Industry”. The luxury resort is located next to the beautiful beach of Iskele Mevkii.
The event follows the success of last year’s World Travel Awards, which was hosted at the nearby Rixos Premium Belek.
The industry’s top brass – including CEOs and directors of leading travel companies, government ministers and tourist board chiefs – all gathered to battle it out at the most important evening of the year in European travel and tourism.
It proved a great year for Turkish travel and tourism companies. Turkish Airlines picked up the award for “Europe’s Leading Airline Business Class” following 12 months in which it posted record profits, grew market share and continued its global expansion.
Two of Turkey’s brightest hospitality stars, both in Antalya, picked up top awards – Mardan Palace won “Europe’s Leading Luxury Hotel” and Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa collected “Europe’s Leading Luxury Resort”.  And there was even more good news for the Turkey, which also walked away with “Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel” for Rixos Sungate, “Europe’s Leading Tourist Board” for the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office and “Europe’s Leading Destination” for Istanbul.

Missoni Hotel opens in Kuwait

First Mideast Missoni Hotel Opens in Kuwait
The Rezidor Hotel Group, a leading hotel company, in collaboration with major Italian fashion house Missoni, opened the region’s first Hotel Missoni in Kuwait yesterday (May 25).
Hotel Missoni Kuwait offers 169 sea-facing rooms with breakfast, laundry, high-speed wireless internet, free local calls, movies on demand, and the entire contents of the minibar, inclusive in the cost of the room, a statement said.
The hotel also features a meeting space, gym, steam room, sauna and a pool deck overlooking the city, it added.
“The Middle East is a key market for us in terms of development; Hotel Missoni Kuwait is a wonderful addition to the growing Rezidor portfolio,” said Kurt Ritter, president and CEO of Rezidor Hotel Group.
“We have a long history here so it seems fitting that our first Hotel Missoni in the Middle East should open in this location. We are committed to the long term development of this brand and will continue to focus on opening in key cities and beach front locations,” he added.
Rezidor Hotel Group’s subsequent collaborations with Missoni include Hotel Missoni Jebel Sifah in Oman scheduled to open in 2013, Hotel Missoni IIha de Cajiba in Brazil and the recently signed Hotel Missoni, Antalya in Turkey.

Prayer Room at Munich Airport

Munich Airport Opens Muslim Prayer Room at Terminal 1
Munich Airport has officially opened a newly completed Muslim prayer room in Terminal 1.
Last year alone, routes to the Near East accounted for some 870,000 arriving and departing passengers at Munich Airport, and the traffic continues to increase.
Serving as a gateway to the Middle East is Module C in Terminal 1, where airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Oman Air offer flights to major centres in the region.
In addition to signage in German, English and Arabic, the food services in departure area feature halal menu selections. The prayer room now completes the facilities.
“We are very pleased to see the increasing numbers of guests from Arab countries and are proud that we are able to address their needs and wishes in this way,” said Munich Airport CEO, Dr. Michael Kerkloh.
Dr. Kerkloh also thanked the General Consul of the United Arab Emirates for the support with the furnishings of the new room, where men and women can pray separately. The decor in the prayer room includes carpets from Dubai and paintings by a Jordanian artist.
In his speech, General Consul Mohammed A. Al Romaithi emphasized the symbolic dimension of the new prayer room at Munich Airport, saying that it is “emblematic of religious tolerance and a deeper understanding among nations.” He added that this will not only foster mutual understanding between religions, but will also go a long way to make Bavaria even more appealing to the Arab world.

AA flights at DFW hub

Bad Weather forces American Airlines to cancel flights at Dallas hub
American Airlines has cancelled approximately 200 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in the past two days (about 130 on Monday and 70 on Tuesday) because of storms.

An airline spokeswoman told the Associated Press that 25 planes needed to be inspected for possible damage after hail storms on Monday.   She said two planes with minor damage were repaired.

Royal Banquet at Buckingham

Royal Banquet at Buckingham Palace
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge welcomed Barack Obama to Buckingham Palace in their first major engagement as a Royal couple.
Fresh from their Seychelles honeymoon, the newlyweds spoke to the US President and his wife Michelle in a 10-minute private meeting.
There were smiles all round moments earlier when the Obamas arrived at Buckingham Palace and were met by the Queen and Prince Philip.
The Obamas, who arrived half a day ahead of schedule to avoid any disruption from the volcanic ash cloud, laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey and attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
The president flew into Stansted, in Essex, with wife Michelle after leaving the Republic of Ireland, where his week-long tour of Europe began. They spent the night at the US ambassador’s residence Winfield House, in London’s Regent’s Park.
The state visit – only the third by a US president to the UK in 100 years – comes at a time of close co-operation between Britain and America on issues ranging from Libya to Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and the Middle East peace process.
After he was welcomed there by Prince Charles and his wife, the president’s cavalcade made its way to Buckingham Palace where he joined the Queen.
The Obamas met Prince and Princess William before moving to the palace gardens for a ceremonial welcome on the lawn of Buckingham Palace, followed by a private lunch with the Queen.
Security is tight during the three-day trip which comes ahead of the G8 summit of world leaders in France.
In the evening they attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, where they stayed overnight.
On Wednesday Obama will meet Prime Minister David Cameron for talks.
There will be a news conference, before the president departs for the Houses of Parliament, where he will give a speech about US foreign policy to MPs in Westminster Hall.
The visit will end with a return banquet at Winfield House, where the Queen will say farewell.

Ash Cloud Alert

Ash cloud moves towards Europe and Russia
Ash cloud from Iceland’s largest volcano is moving towards the UK and mainland Europe, and is expected to reach the eastern coast of Ireland and northern Russia by the end of today, but authorities say they are not expecting it to disrupt flights.
Icelandic authorities closed the country's international airport on Sunday following an eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano which was described as "bigger and more intensive" than the Eyjafjallajokull eruption that led more than 63,000 flights being grounded April last year.
However, authorities say the latest eruption is not likely to cause as much disruption as there is little wind to spread the ash. Also, as it is coarser than the Eyjafjallajokull ash, it is falling back to the ground quicker rather than floating long distances.
Eurocontrol, Europe's air traffic control organisation, said airlines were being kept informed of the situation but it was not expecting the eruption to have any impact on European or transatlantic flights, at least for the rest of today.
The Civil Aviation Authority said it was monitoring the situation and working closely with colleagues at NATS (UK air traffic control) and the Met Office to ascertain where the ash clouds are heading.
"We will be discussing matters with UK airlines during the course of the day and updating the travelling public on the situation," said a spokesman.

Free Airport Lounge at T3

Free Airport Lounge in T3 of Beijing Capital International Airport

Air China will provide complimentary airport lounge services to passengers arriving at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport from June 01. Passengers will be able to relax, take showers, use the Internet, and print and fax documents in the lounge for free by making reservations at Air China's transfer counter upon arriving at Beijing International Airport. Complimentary beverages will also be provided in the lounge.

Air China's airport lounge will be officially opened on June 1. The trial period will last from June 1 to June 15. Each passenger will be able to enjoy services in the lounge for up to three hours free of charge. During the trial period, first class and business class passengers on flights CA932, CA992 and CA966 will have priority in use of the lounge. The lounge will be made available to larger groups of passengers in the near future.

Air China's new airport lounge will be 115 to 225 square meters in area, and will be located on the second floor of Terminal 3. There are three independent rooms with bathrooms and business functions. Each room is about 15 square meters. Two of the rooms are equipped with sofas and the other with beds. All three rooms are carpeted and decorated with wallpaper. Each room has showers, televisions, a refrigerator, a clothes rack, a tea table and free Wi-fi Internet access. Beverages and fax and copy services are also complimentary.

The construction of the new, exclusive lounge will allow Air China to provide its passengers with more diversified and comfortable services.