Asia’s most popular spa destination

Thailand’s Spas heading for World Travel Awards

In recent years, Thailand has emerged as one of Asia’s most popular spa destinations, with its traditional ancient healing techniques that draw visitors from all over the world.
At the World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia gala ceremony set to place in Bangkok on Wednesday, Thailand’s leading spa operators will be amongst leading travel organisations who are recognised for their achievements. 
With such a great diversity in spa services – which range from destination, hotel and resort spas to medical and day spas, Thailand is now firmly established as the spa capital of Asia.
In recent years, the spas services available have developed significantly, as evidenced by the number of spa resorts that have been nominated by the World Travel Awards. 
Raising the bar for the global spa industry, the following resorts have been nominated in the category of Thailand’s Leading Spa Resort: Amanpuri, Anantara Resort Hua Hin; Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa; Banyan Tree Phuket; Chiva-Som International Health Resort; Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket; Evason Phuket; InterContinental Hua Hin Resort; Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort and The Evason Hua Hin Resort & Spa.
Meanwhile four of Thailand’s spas resorts have been named in the nominated in the category of Asia’s Leading Spa Resort, including: Amanpuri, Thailand; Anantara Phuket; Layana Resort & Spa, Thailand and The Evason Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Thailand.
Thailand has set itself out as a one-stop spa destination where visitors can select treatments ranging from traditional techniques, to more cutting-edge technology as well as the old fashioned, indigenous Thai spa treatments that are so unique to Thailand.
Authentic Thai treatments range from Thai massage, Thai herbal steam, Thai herbal compress and indigenous herbal ingredients that constitute the real Thainess in the Thai spa experience.
Thai-style spa treatments find their origins as ancient Siamese health and beauty therapies in healing traditions that have been practised by local people for centuries.
But in recent months, there has been more emphasis on evidence-based treatments. According to the Thai Spa Association, ‘Thailand’s spa operators are looking to prove the scientific merits of their folk wisdom’.
According to reports, traditional Thai doctors, are being consulted for some of the treatments as spas look to integrate into the health care industry.
In a bid to further raise its profile, the Thai Spa industry has rolled out a number of spa-related Thai products, such as oils, scrubs, body lotions and shower gels. The ASEAN countries, China, India, Russia and Europe are being targeted for these.
On September 28, a distinguished line-up of travel industry professionals, senior executives from renowned travel companies representing Asia & Australasia’s leading hotels, as well as media from 60 countries will gather at the luxurious Dusit Thani Bangkok in Thailand to find out who will take home the coveted awards. 

Paris Welcomes Luxury Mandarin

Paris Welcomes Luxury Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental, Paris celebrated its entry into Paris society  with a glamorous gala attended by more than 500 celebrities, dignitaries and society guests.
Located on rue Saint-Honoré, one of the most fashionable streets in the world, surrounded by haute couture and only a few steps away from the city’s famous attractions, the red carpet event drew a stellar crowd. Celebrities included: Alain Delon; Liam Neeson; Maggie Cheung; Vanessa Mae; Kenzo Takada; Helene Grimaud; Bruno Frisoni; Pierre Gagnaire; Mireille Darc; Patricia Kaas; Frank Leboeuf; Aurélie Dupont and Julie Depardieu to name a few.
Guests were treated to a delightful evening of entertainment which included a performance from internationally renowned virtuoso violinist Vanessa Mae, an amazing display by the award winning Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe of China and a “dance of the fans” invoked by choreographer Blanca Li, whose show was inspired by Mandarin Oriental’s fan symbol.
The menu was designed by celebrity Chef Thierry Marx, the hotel’s resident chef, while music was provided by renowned French sound designer Béatrice Ardisson.
“This chic gala was the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of our luxury brand to Paris,” said Edouard Ettedgui, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Chief Executive. “We look forward to welcoming guests to our newest address, and to establishing the hotel as a benchmark in the city for service excellence, elegance and style,” he added.
About Mandarin Oriental, Paris
Mandarin Oriental, Paris has a premier location on Rue Saint-Honoré, surrounded by history and fashionable shopping. Mandarin Oriental, Paris offers the ultimate in service and design, with a strong sense of place, and a style and personality of its own. The hotel's 138 rooms and suites are among the most spacious in Paris, incorporating state-of-the-art technology. A vast inner courtyard will offer outdoor dining, with a choice of restaurants and bars under Executive Chef and Culinary Director Thierry Marx. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Paris brings relaxation in a peaceful, modern setting. An indoor pool and a fully-equipped fitness centre complete the hotel's leisure facilities. The project's architect is the internationally-acclaimed Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Decoration in the rooms, spa and public areas is by the interior designer Sybille de Margerie at SM Design, and in the bars and restaurants by Jouin-Manku. The General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Paris is Philippe Leboeuf.  
Mandarin Oriental, Paris

Philippine Airlines cancelled Flights

Typhoon hit major damage to Manila

Typhoon Nesat has hit the Philippines, severely disrupting the capital Manila where many businesses have closed and many flights have been cancelled.
The BBC is reporting that the Philippine Stock Exchange and the US embassy have been forced to close. At least four people, all fishermen, are believed to have been killed, according to media reports.
Philippine Airlines has cancelled all its flights today, although it attributed that to an illegal strike by ground crew rather than the typhoon. Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific reportedly cancelled a number of flights due to the storm.  
The typhoon with winds of up to 170km/h is expected to continue in the Philippines today, moving towards southern China on Thursday.

Dubai Passengers top 4 Million

Dubai International Passengers top 4 Million

Dubai International passenger numbers topped four million for the sixth time in eight months according to traffic statistics released today by Dubai Airports.
August traffic numbers reveal that Dubai International handled a total of 4.02 million passengers in August compared to 3.9 in August 2010, a year on year increase of 0.8 per cent.
Year to date traffic reached 33.3 million up 8 per cent compared to 30.8 million in the same period in 2010.
“It’s clear four million passengers per month is the new standard at Dubai International,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “We are on track to meet our projection for 51 million passengers by year end.”
The largest regional traffic growth in August in terms of total passenger numbers was recorded on routes to and from AGCC (+42,385), North America (+26,465), the Indian Subcontinent (+14,363) and Russia & CIS (+10,143). 
Passenger numbers on Middle Eastern routes were down (-65,000) due to the affects of Ramadan along with ongoing instability in some destinations in the region.
Western European traffic, which usually offsets the drop in Middle Eastern traffic during the month of Ramadan, remained flat (+102) resulting in a modest year-on-year percentage increase in traffic. On a country level, the largest gains were seen on traffic to and from Saudi Arabia (+52,407), USA (+26,735), Bangladesh (+16,156), Thailand (+11,482) and Ethiopia (+10,549).
August air freight volumes dropped 7.9 per cent as Dubai International handled 182,781 tonnes of freight compared to 198,543 tonnes during the same period in 2010.
Year to date Dubai International has handled a total of 1,433,270 tonnes of cargo, compared to 1,451,048 tonnes during the same period last year, a slight contraction of 1.2 per cent. Air freight traffic, which is widely considered as a leading indicator of economic well-being, has been affected by economic uncertainty in the U.S. and Europe.
Aircraft movements during August totalled 25,845 up 2.6 per cent from the 25,202 posted during the same period last year. Year to date aircraft movements numbered 212,383 up 5.5 per cent from 201,362 posted during the first eight months of 2010. 

A380 Celebrates National Day

Emirates’ A380 Celebrates Saudi National Day in Riyadh

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport welcomed Emirates’ award-winning A380 last night, in celebration of Saudi Arabia’s 81st National Day.
The celebratory A380 flight, touched down to a water cannon salute before Captain Ali Kashwani and First Officer Yousuf AlShamsi, both UAE Nationals, waved the Saudi flag from their cockpit windows in honour of the country’s National Day. The 489 passengers on-board were then welcomed by key officials including; His Excellency Mohammed bin Saeed Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Al Anqari, Vice President KSA Civil Aviation General Authority and Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates Vice President Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Travelling on the flight from Dubai was Senior Emirates executive Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Iran. Emirates also played host to a number of key UAE based officials including; Mohammed Al Marri, Director General, Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs and Salah Rashid Al Ansari, Director of Dubai Tourism.
“It is fitting that on the occasion of the country’s 81st National Day we have landed our flagship aircraft in the country’s capital. For Emirates our A380 is symbolic of our determination to succeed in much the same way that the Kingdom’s National Day embodies the passion of this great nation. Today’s A380 service to King Khalid International Airport reinforces the strong bond that Emirates shares with Saudi Arabia and we congratulate the country on their National Day” said Ahmed Khoory.
“I deeply thank our brothers in the UAE and Emirates airline for sharing our celebration of Saudi National Day. Emirates’ A380 to Riyadh is the first time this incredible aircraft has touched down here and is a unique way of celebrating this important day,” said Abdulla Al Tassan, Director General of King Khalid International Airport.
On arrival Emirates and King Khalid International Airport held an airport reception for around 80 VIPs and media. Guests were then invited on a guided tour of the aircraft’s interior, gaining an appreciation for its incredible design and aesthetics.
“Since our first operation to Jeddah in 1989 we have worked closely with the Saudi Government to increase our services, now operating to four gateways across the Kingdom. Cementing our commitment to the country even further we have most recently signed a sponsorship deal with the Zain Saudi Professional League, a sponsorship that reaches the Saudi public through their innate love of football,” added Khoory.
With 15 A380s currently in its fleet, Emirates is the largest operator of the environmentally friendly double-decker aircraft, operating services from Dubai to London Heathrow (double-daily), Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Jeddah, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland. Additional A380 destinations that have been announced include; Rome, Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg and Munich.
Emirates currently operates to four cities within Saudi Arabia including; Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Al Medinah al Munawarah.  

New Travel Agents Website

Virgin Atlantic Launches new Travel Agents Website

Virgin Atlantic recently revealed that it has launched a new travel trade website dedicated to travel agents and tour operators in the UAE.

The new website offers a one stop shop for agents looking for information on Virgin Atlantic. It features information on the airline’s policies, products, destinations and news with areas designed to delight the agent with competitions and special offers.

In line with the launch the UAE site Virgin Atlantic is offering all agents the opportunity to win attractive shopping vouchers.

Country manager, Virgin Atlantic – UAE, Brad West commented: “We are delighted to launch this new website and it really underlines Virgin Atlantic’s longstanding commitment to the trade.  

“We recognise that the trade are an essential part of the whole customer journey and want to provide them with as much information and as many tools as possible to help them.”

The new website is designed so agents can find out information quickly and simply at the click of a button. The Knowledge Bank section is an easy access A to Z directory including everything agents need to know including aircraft, baggage and clubhouses in an easy to read format.

The website also aims to allow agents to tailor information to their needs. Agents can ‘favourite’ pages, and see which pages are most commonly viewed by other agents. Agents can also create scrapbooks of content from the site, personalise them with their logo and send them directly from the site straight to their customers or download them as pdf files.

Four Seasons Education

Four Seasons Education

The trend for learning a skill while on holiday is nothing new, with painting and cooking classes being the norm. Now, Four Seasons takes it up a notch, with opportunities to learn skills from mahout training to surfing like a pro.
Mahout training at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand is a one-of-a-kind program that provides hands on experience in bathing and feeding elephants, as well as learning the basic commands needed to drive these majestic beasts.
From land to sea Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa provides countless tools for guests to take on the ocean and enjoy some of the world’s most consistent and warm swells with the Surf School. There are also a PADI Five-Star Gold Palm Dive Centres at both Kuda Huraa and sister resort Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. The Marine Discovery Centre is also the perfect solution for those wanting the ocean experience without getting wet.
Especially for kids, Four Seasons Resort Nevis offers the sea turtle conservation education program. As ambassadors of the sea these junior Four Seasons guests will leave the Resort with a one year sea turtle adoption certificate, allowing them to track the turtles and continue their education at home.
Meanwhile, teens at the Karokan Club at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita can learn to mix their own music in the Resort’s DJ booth – securing their place as resident DJ for one of the discos.