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Seychelles Tourism Board joins forces with Turkish Airlines in Montreal, Canada

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) alongside its partner Turkish Airlines brought some sunshine from Seychelles to a group of tourism professionals in Montreal, Canada in November 2019 through a joint marketing initiative.

The destination training and product awareness sessions, which took place at the Turkish Airlines head office in Montreal were held for two consecutive days, on Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29, and saw the participation of 36 tourism professionals from the cities of Montreal and Quebec respectively.

The session provided an opportunity for the participants to learn more about Seychelles as a destination and the various offers available for travelers through the Turkish service provider network including Turkish Airlines, and Turkish DMC, Turkish Concepts.

Mr. David Germain, STB Regional Director for Africa and the Americas, was present in Montreal for the event to represent the destination. Whilst on the Turkish Airlines side Mr. Ibrahim Hakki UNAL, the Sales & Marketing Manager of Turkish Arline’s in Montreal, and Ms. Maryam Rezaie, the airline marketing representative represented the company.

Mrs. Duygu Kuskulu, the Managing Director of Turkish DMC, Turkish Concepts, was also present and gave a destination presentation about Turkey and the services of Crystal Concepts.

As part of the joint efforts, updated destination information about Seychelles and Turkey were provided to the participants, as well as the flight schedule available with Turkish Airlines for travelers from Montreal, Canada, to Turkey and thereafter to Seychelles.

Speaking about the collaboration with Turkish Airlines, Mr. Germain mentioned that the airline proves to be a valuable and key airline partner for Seychelles, serving the archipelago from its hub in Istanbul three times a week.

“Such joint marketing collaboration and partnership are essential, a collective marketing initiative with the potential of increasing the attractiveness of Turkey and Seychelles in the marketplace. A combined (two countries) package option, as a “choice” holiday destination for the Canadian Traveler” said Mr. Germain.

He further mentioned that the project executed with the collaboration with Turkish Airlines is in line with the STB’s mandate to promote the destination and increase visibility for the destination.

Seychelles Tourism Board joins forces with Turkish Airlines in Montreal, Canada

Some Montreal and Quebec based Canadian Tourism professionals will have the chance to visit Turkey and Seychelles in 2020, as participants in agent’s familiarization visits being organized jointly by the Seychelles Tourism Board, Crystal Concepts and Turkish Airlines.

The project also promotes the creation of packages for Canadian travelers to consider exploring two countries as a one-holiday option, which will consist of visiting Turkey and Seychelles, with Turkish Airlines as the airline carrier.

Seychelles continues to obtain a consistent increase in yearly visitor arrivals to the archipelago from North America, with an 8% increase in arrivals, as of October this year, compared to the same time last year.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, [email protected]  www.seychelles.travel

Japan’s first domestic passenger plane since 1960s to challenge Boeing and Airbus

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Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, an aviation unit of Japanese industrial giant, is planning to start deliveries of Japan’s first domestically-produced passenger plane since the 1960s as soon as next year.

The 88-passenger jet has a flight range of about 2,000 miles, while a smaller variant can fly up to 76 people for about the same distance. The MRJ (Mitsubishi Regional Jet) made its maiden flight in November 2015 with the first deliveries slated for mid-2020.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation initially planned the first deliveries of the jet for 2008. However, the date was pushed back five times due to production difficulties. Orders for the aircraft that once totaled 474 units from US and Japanese carriers have been reportedly reduced to 407 jets so far.

The Japanese conglomerate, a longtime supplier of aircraft components to Boeing, invested over 600 billion yen ($5.36 billion) into MRJ as of March 2018 with another 200 billion yen ($1.8bn) expected to be pumped into the project by the end of 2020. In October, Mitsubishi announced plans to invest an extra 170 billion yen ($1.5bn) in capital into its aircraft unit, canceling 50 billion yen ($446mn) of the debt owed by the division.

The long-anticipated MRJ, which is designed for local air transportation, may become a peer competitor for such mainstays as Canada’s Bombardier, whose C Series regional planes are marketed as the Airbus A220, after the 2017 acquisition of the unit by the European aerospace giant. The Japanese jet is also expected to provide keen competition to Brazil’s Embraer that announced plans to create a joint venture for Embraer’s airliners in 2018.

The newcomers in the sector of regional air service, such as the Russian Sukhoi Superjet-100 and the Chinese Comac ARJ21, which are currently undergoing test flights, may also challenge Airbus and Boeing.

Mitsubishi is currently involved in legal proceedings with Montreal–based Bombardier. In October, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer filed a lawsuit, accusing the Japanese corporation of stealing secret information and causing Bombardier “to suffer irreparable financial loss.”

Mitsubishi counter-sued, saying that the Canadian aircraft producer had violated antitrust regulations through “a multifaceted scheme to expand its power within the regional jet market by impeding the entrance of a new competing aircraft.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

New team member at The Pod Hotels

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The Pod Hotels is striving to address the rapidly-increasing demand for affordable lifestyle hotels targeted at progressive-minded and budget-conscious travelers who are creative and ambitious and who maintain high expectations when it comes to authentic experiences, smart design and intuitive technology.

As part of this progress, BD Hotels today announced the appointment of Rani Gharbie as the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, BD Hotel’s highly profitable micro-hotel concept to replicate this successful business model in even more key markets including Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Mexico City, amongst others.

Gharbie formerly oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels where he actively contributed to grow the brand’s footprint in key markets.

As Head of Acquisitions & Development working closely with BD Hotels owners Richard Born and Ira Drukier, Gharbie will be responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and bringing together strategic partners and investors to fund future projects in numerous markets. He will leverage BD Hotels’ expertise in hotel development, investment and operations to expand The Pod Hotels brand across the country and eventually globally.

“Rani joins us at a pivotal time as we scale The Pod Hotels portfolio exponentially in North America” said Richard Born, Owner of BD Hotels. “He will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset as he brings over 20 years of experience in hotel acquisitions, development and operation.”

“I’m looking forward to expanding the profitable model Richard and Ira created to key markets nationwide,” said Gharbie. “I see great growth potential for the brand as there is an increased desire from today’s travelers to stay at smart, innovative brands like The Pod Hotels.”

Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Gharbie was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel and real estate assets, as well as regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). In addition, Gharbie is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches the spring course Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. He holds a Masters Degree from the program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University in New York.

The Pod Hotels currently has five properties in the portfolio, three of which opened over the past two years (the brand’s flagship Pod Times Square opened in January 2018; Pod DC and Pod Brooklyn opened in 2017), with the brand recently announcing two more hotels in the direct pipeline (Pod Philly opening in fall 2019 and Pod LA slated for 2020). With its functional guestrooms, vibrant communal space and flexible design, The Pod Hotels presents superior investment returns when compared to legacy hotel brands of similar positioning.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Austrian Airlines launches new Montreal-Vienna route

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Austrian Airlines announced the launch of a year-round flight service to and from Montreal/Vienna beginning April 29th, 2019.

The long-haul flight will be operated by the airline’s Boeing 767 aircraft.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Four Seasons Hotel Montreal opens May 8, 2019

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The new luxury centrepiece of Montreal’s Golden Square Mile, Four Seasons Hotel Montreal will officially open on May 8, 2019.

In this update, Four Seasons Hotel Montreal and the onsite MARCUS – the debut Canadian restaurant by visionary Chef Marcus Samuelsson – are confirming reservations for dates beginning May 8, 2019.

“We can’t wait to receive our local community, as well as world travelers, into our luxury ecosystem for the full Four Seasons experience, right in downtown Montreal,” says Four Seasons General Manager Gonçalo Monteiro. “With summer and all its great festivals and events just around the corner, spring is the perfect time for us all to enjoy Montreal’s trendsetting style and culture.”

Travel News | eTurboNews