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Ghana Tourism makes money on selfies

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Ghana Tourism is a big business and full of surprises. This is also true for  Mr Guru, Ghanaian,  a comedian who went to Facebook after being asked to pay GH¢4.00 , what is a little less than a US-Dollar when he wanted to take a photo when crossing Kwame Nkrumah bridge.


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In his Facebook message he addressed the Ghana President: “Your Excellency Mr. President, this is the receipt given to me today 19th April 2019 at Adomi bridge as a fee for pictures I wanted to take as a Ghanaian on the bridge Kwame Nkrumah built and which Mahama renovated.

The people in charge told me that the order is from the President, that even if you want to take selfie it’s 2gh per person. Your Excellency if indeed you authorized this God forsaken tax then am disappointed in you. How much do Ghanaians pay when they travel to Dubai, China, American, etc yet those countries are 100× developed. Even China’s world’s longest 30 miles sea bridge to Hong Kong is free, what is happening? What a shame!!!!

It’s said; there is no free lunch anywhere. Henceforth, you may have a good phone with a good front camera but you may have to pay between GH¢2.00 and GH¢4.00 to pose for a picture on Kwame Nkrumah’s Adomi Bridge.

One of the longest bridge on the Volta Lake in Ghana built some decades ago was recently renovated to avert any possible danger to the lives of motorists.

The government instituted the levy as a measure to rake in some revenue to sustain its numerous projects hence a levy on the bridge.

Tourists have taken to social media to cry over the levies expressing disappointment at the move by government.

Johannes Nartey Mr Guru, Ghanaian comedian took to Facebook  to lament after being asked to pay GH¢4.00

 

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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.

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Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engine achieves 10 million flying hours

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The Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engine, which entered service in 1987, recently achieved another incredible milestone by reaching 10 million flying hours in nearly 5 million flights. The engine powers a range of Gulfstream’s highly successful large-cabin business aircraft, such as the Gulfstream GIV, GIV-SP, G300 and G400, and has established a reputation for outstanding dependability, efficiency and low noise generation.

The performance of the Tay 611-8 enabled the Gulfstream GIV to revolutionise the business aviation market with its high cruising speed and the intercontinental range of about 4,300 nautical miles. Over the past three decades, the Tay 611-8 has achieved numerous records for speed and range. These achievements have been perpetuated by its successor, the Tay 611-8C, powering the Gulfstream G350 and G450. There are over 1,700 Tay 611-8 and -8C engines in service today, with many of these supported by Rolls-Royce’s market leading CorporateCare®.

The background to the first Tay order contract is part of aviation history. In December 1982 the basic details – engine price, quantity, payment terms – were written on a napkin in less than 10 minutes by Sir Ralph Robins, who at the time was the company’s Managing Director, and Allen Paulson, Gulfstream’s founder and then Chairman and CEO. The deal was formally settled in March 1983.

Dirk Geisinger, Director Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “Reaching 10 million flying hours is an impressive milestone and we are very proud of this achievement. With its legendary reliability the Tay 611-8 became the benchmark for ultra-reliable long distance business aircraft and perfectly illustrates why Rolls-Royce is the leading engine manufacturer in Business Aviation.

“The Tay family with its proven performance has been very successful for us and has propelled our market leadership in this sector. Combining this engine with our latest aftermarket programme CorporateCare Enhanced raises the bar for the whole industry by introducing uncapped troubleshooting, coverage for mobile repair team travel costs and nacelle coverage on later engine models.”

He adds: “CorporateCare Enhanced provides our customers with a global support infrastructure which includes Engine Health Monitoring, a worldwide network of Authorised Service Centres and globally distributed spare parts and engines, all managed by our dedicated 24/7 Business Aircraft Availability Centre. Our customers benefit directly from this investment in proactive care, an in most cases are prevented from missing a planned trip.”

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister: Use art for community renewal

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Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has challenged the local art community to take art out of the educational institutions and art galleries and into Jamaica’s inner city communities as a vehicle of social and economic renewal.

“We need to consider new and innovative approaches to bring art out of Edna Manley into the wider community and bring art out of the Nation Gallery into Trench Town and into Barret Town and Granville and some of the harsher inner city areas,” Minister Bartlett said.

He was speaking at the closing ceremony for internationally acclaimed Jamaican artist Bryan McFarlane’s “New Beginnings” exhibition and the official launch of the Gene Pearson Gallery at The R Hotel, New Kingston, on the weekend.

Internationally acclaimed Jamaican artist Professor Bryan McFarlane (2nd left) discusses his abstract “Like The Weather When It’s Gray” with (l-r) Canada’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Laurie Peters; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith; R Hotel owner Evan Williams; and Head of Chancery, Nigerian High Commission in Jamaica, Mrs. Anthonia Akunne. The occasion was the closing ceremony for Professor Bryan’s “New Beginnings” exhibition and the opening of the Gene Pearson Gallery at The R Hotel, New Kingston, on Saturday, April 13.

Reiterating a commitment given earlier this month to disburse J$300 million to 63 communities across the country to boost Community Tourism, Minister Bartlett encouraged Jamaica’s artists to use some of the money to develop creative placements in these communities.

Expanding on the idea, he said, “The concept of creative placement might be something that we can borrow. The United States does it quite well by utilizing relic buildings, underused and abandoned playing fields and almost every facility that seems lacking in its asset value within communities to become creative placement centers. It gives a sense of pride and creates a feeling of cultural connection.”

Minister Bartlett said he would like to see the transforming effect that art and culture has on the lives of people demonstrated. “While we reflect on the beauty of this exhibition and the aesthetics that will fill our hearts as we move around, I want us to use this opportunity to think beyond the art. Let us think development, let us think transformation, let us think innovation and see if there is another remedy for the social disruptions that we are having in our communities across Jamaica,” he concluded.

Paraphrasing French poet Gaston Bachelard, Professor Bryan McFarlane said there is immensity in minuteness and “Jamaica, the place where I have most been inspired throughout my life, is immense.”

He encouraged patrons to look at his art and see the “immense kind of spaces and ideas and metaphors and images that are there and try to read them with your heart and institution.”

Professor McFarlane teaches at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in the United States. He has exhibited his work at numerous museums and lectured as a visiting artist at universities throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and has won numerous awards.

The 14 pieces exhibited, constituting watercolors and oil on linen, were from McFarlane’s collections and touched on themes when he lived in China, Turkey and Africa.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

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Genting Cruise Lines welcomes Explorer Dream to its fleet

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Genting Cruise Lines welcomed the third member of its Dream Cruises’ fleet with the christening and inaugural homeport deployment of Explorer Dream in Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal. Explorer Dream is the first newly-launched cruise ship of the post-recalibration period in the Chinese cruise industry and her arrival also marks Dream Cruises’ debut in Eastern China, with the cruise liner purposely-built and recently renovated for the Asian and Chinese luxury market. Leveraging on the deployment of Explorer Dream, Dream Cruises’ first 200,000-tonne Global Class ship, set to debut in 2021, will also celebrate her inaugural deployment in Shanghai as the largest cruise ship to homeport in the Asia-Pacific.

Honorable guests Mr. Su Ping, Vice Magistrate of Shanghai Baoshan District Government and Mr. Hui Lim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Genting Hong Kong were joined by management executives and over 500 guests at the ceremonial launch event. The christening ceremony featured Ms. Grace Chen, the godmother of Explorer Dream and one of the most influential fashion innovators in China. The innovative christening was activated by her magic wand of dreams and aspirations and the spirit of exploration was symbolised by a majestic unicorn that led the iconic Dream Cruises’ mermaid out of the ocean and into a new realm, where she will embark on the quest to discover new horizons across the seas. With the traditional breaking of the champagne bottle against the bow of the ship, Explorer Dream officially begins her journey with Dream Cruises.

“Dream Cruises is the most recognized cruise brand in Southern China due to World Dream being positioned in the dual homeports of Guangzhou and Hong Kong. However, as we all know, the Eastern and North Chinese market is five times larger than the south and Dream Cruises will be building two 204,000 gross ton “Global Class” ships to be launched starting early 2021 in Shanghai and Tianjin to accommodate this market. These two ships, being built in our own shipyards Germany, are also designed to be the most advanced and intelligent cruise ships ever to be constructed,” said Mr. Hui Lim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Genting Hong Kong. said, “In order to prepare the foundations and increase Dream Cruises’ brand awareness in East and North China, we are pleased today to welcome “Explorer Dream” in Shanghai as the third ship in our Dream Cruises fleet.”

Explorer Dream is the second cruise ship of Genting Cruise Lines to homeport in Shanghai, made possible by the tremendous support of the Shanghai Baoshan District Government. Mr. Su Ping, Vice Magistrate of Shanghai Baoshan District Government said, “In July 2017, Genting Cruise Lines launched the Golden Sea Route 7-night itinerary in Shanghai, which garnered the Best Itinerary Award during the Shanghai Cruise Tourism Festival. In October 2018, a strategic Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Baoshan District Government and Genting Cruise Lines to forge a new partnership. Now, the inaugural arrival of Explorer Dream, the newest member of Dream Cruises in Shanghai, will bring forth distinctive and premium cruise travel products to propel the optimal development of the cruise industry in China.”

After the inaugural ceremony, Grace Chen presented a spectacular fashion show at sea aboard the ship. Eighteen models showcased her Voyage collection and walked the runway on the Palace Pool Deck, where guests enjoyed a visual feast inspired by the spirit of exploration and discovery, both of which are the brand essence of Dream Cruises.

Since its launch two years ago, Dream Cruises has garnered numerous accolades for its two cruise ships, Genting Dream which debuted in 2016 and World Dream in 2017, including Star Performer Top Ten Ratings in the Large Resort Category, “Most Popular Family Cruise Brand in China 2018” by Global Times, Top 5 Cruise Lines in the Large/Medium sized cruise ship category by Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List and more.

Built with German craftsmanship, Explorer Dream measures 268 meters in length and 32 meters in width. She has a total gross tonnage of 75,338 tons, 928 cabins and lower berth capacity of 1,856 passengers. The signature, luxury “ship within a ship” enclave of Dream Cruises – The Palace, provides an unprecedented “True Asian Luxury” experience to discerning travelers in China and Asia, boasting an industry leading staff to guest ratio, a majority of its suites at over 40 square meters, as well as Proprietary Butler Training endorsed by affiliated company Crystal Cruises – The World’s Most Awarded Luxury Cruise Line.

A generous variety of culinary options will also be available to cater for every taste – from inspired Asian flavours to exquisite Western delicacies. Acclaimed Australian Chef Mark Best will extend his influence on to Explorer Dream with his Seafood Grill by Mark Best serving up the ocean’s bounty in a spectacular al fresco setting. Signature Dream dining favorites will also take pride of place on the new ship including Umi Uma for Japanese delights, Silk Road for traditional Chinese fare, Blue Lagoon for Southeast Asian comfort food and Palm Court for informal refreshments and breath-taking views. For adventurous foodies, the all new Mozzarella Ristorante e Pizzeria will tantalize with a modern fusion of classic Italian dishes and pizzas with a Japanese twist.

Guests of Explorer Dream can also enjoy thematic programs on their journeys at sea including “The Connoisseurs Circle” bespoke enrichment program, featuring inspirational talks and events that are especially curated for guests of The Palace, such as a fashion talk by Grace Chen, the godmother of Explorer Dream.

As the fastest cruise ship in Asia, Explorer Dream offers a great variety of itineraries and flexibility. Sailings from Shanghai homeport will take guests on cruises to popular destinations in Japan that range from 3-night to 6-night itineraries, such as the 3-night cruises to Kyoto, Osaka or Kobe, or the 2-night round-trip cruise to Okinawa. In the month of April, when cherry blossoms in Japan are in bloom, guests can enjoy the dazzling floral display on shore, complemented by authentic Japanese experiences on the cruise, such as specialty dishes featuring Japanese Wagyu beef and pork, tuna cutting performances, Yukata trials, poolside festivals and more.

Starting from 1 July, Explorer Dream will begin her homeport deployment in Tianjin with more summer cruise options for family travelers, who will enjoy the renowned stage productions of Kaixin Mahua at sea. Taking the first step to evolve Dream Cruises into “Asia’s Global Cruise Line” by sailing outside Asian waters, in October 2019, Explorer Dream will homeport in Sydney and Auckland where she will embark on a variety of seven-night weekly itineraries to “Down Under” destinations.

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