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International Happiness Day: How Abu Dhabi Airports celebrates

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In celebration of International Happiness Day on March 20, Abu Dhabi Airports has announced the results of the Abu Dhabi Airport’s “happiness index” for 2018. The company’s happiness indicator revealed that 82% of passengers were happy with their experience at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) last year. In addition, 89% of passengers reported their happiness with the airport’s services in March 2018, and 88% in October 2018, which are exceptionally high monthly figures for an international aviation hub.

Abu Dhabi Airports also measures its customers’ satisfaction through its implementation of the Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airports Service Quality (ASQ) survey program since 2006. The company officially started measuring happiness in October 2017 with the implementation of the Interactive Feedback system and additional surveys, where both results are combined and averaged with the aim of achieving a passenger happiness rate of more than 75% by 2019.

Abu Dhabi Airports records the happiness of its customers by requesting their input at feedback mounts installed throughout Terminals 1 and 3 at AUH, in addition to conducting monthly surveys in the terminals. Both the feedback mounts and surveys ask passersby if they are happy or unhappy with their overall experience at the airport.

Bryan Thompson, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Providing our customers and passengers with an exciting experience and making sure they are happy with our services and their overall travel experience is among our foremost priorities. We continue to launch initiatives to ensure the happiness and comfort of our passengers and staff, as this is an important part of our commitment to excellence and forms a part of our vision of becoming the world’s leading airports group.”

Abu Dhabi Airports is committed to enhancing its customer experience by celebrating national holidays, providing travellers with special services and the opportunity to win prizes, and making available exceptional offers at its retail and food and beverage outlets. Furthermore, the company launched last year its Customer Happiness Ambassador Program designed to showcase Abu Dhabi’s unique brand of Arabian Hospitality.

In addition, Abu Dhabi Airports continues to ensure a seamless travel experience through the provision of premium and exclusive services such as ultra-fast Super-Fi internet access, remote check-in, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance services, available exclusively in the region at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

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The Seychelles Tourism Board to host the first Digital Marketing Fair in Seychelles

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Digital Marketing team once again brings in its ‘avant-garde’ touch to the industry as  it instigates the first ever Digital Fair for tourism Stakeholders.

The fair, which will be held on Tuesday March 26, 2019 at Eden Blue on Mahé and Thursday March 28, 2019 at Pirogue Restaurant & Bar on Praslin targets at creating a platform for local service providers to interact with their clients.

The first digital marketing fair will be an opportunity given to all to meet various exhibitors in a central location to discuss about the available digital services and experience new digital trends available on the local market.

The fair will also provide the local tourism trade representatives attending with the opportunity to meet the STB digital marketing experts for further interaction regarding how to maximise on digital resources to enhance their business growth opportunities.

The exhibitors include representatives from Intelvision, Hoffman Business Consultancy, Com & Click, CTF Consultancy, Kokonet, Maven, Hotel Link Solutions, VCS Group, K-Radio, Vision 360, Rockit, Multimedia Seychelles, Airtel, Sales & Marketing Seychelles Pty Ltd.

Speaking of the importance of the fair, STB Digital Marketing Director Chris Matombe mentions the necessity to facilitate interaction between stakeholders and digital service providers.

“The aim of this digital fair is for us to have a stronger collective digital presence. Through our interaction with various small partners in the industry, we have noted that there is a lack of communication between the local tourism trade and the digital service providers. Our objective as an organisation is to bridge the gap and open doors for our stakeholders to increase their online presence,” Said Mr. Matombe.

STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to see the fair being concretised; she commended the team for their efforts and expressed her desire to see more exhibitors join the project in the future.

“Our aim as the STB is to continuously raise the standards when it comes to the quality of service we provide. The fair is a perfect opportunity for all our partners to find a way to better their services. It adds to our marketing value as a destination and creates more visibility for their products and services and Seychelles as a whole,” said Mrs. Francis.

The digital marketing fair will be opened from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on Mahé and Praslin, the public is invited to visit the various stands to see the various products and services on display.

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Hilton University of Florida Conference Center at Gainesville joins Benchmark Resorts & Hotels portfolio

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Benchmark has added the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center at Gainesville to the company’s Benchmark Resorts & Hotels brand portfolio. The recently renovated, 248-guest room property is located on the University of Florida campus, close to Gainesville’s Central Business District. The property serves a growing market of visiting alumni, parents and students, academics, and guests affiliated with the university. Its IACC-approved conference center, with 25,000 square feet of meeting space, attracts a significant number of meetings and events. The Hilton University of Florida Conference Center at Gainesville is Benchmark’s tenth property in Florida, and the third hotel located on a major college campus within the United States.

“We are honored to be chosen by Hilton Hotels & Resorts to manage this exceptional property,” says Benchmark CEO Alex Cabañas. “We are also delighted to again expand our presence in Florida, where both our Gemstone Collection and Benchmark Resorts & Hotels brands are represented throughout the Sunshine State,” he said. Benchmark recently added two hotels in St. Pete Beach to its portfolio, expanding its presence to Southwest Florida.

Mr. Cabañas also noted the growing importance of conference center hotels to a university. “These hotels serve as a campus ‘guest house’, providing an authentic, on-campus experience while sharing ideas and resources,” he said.

The non-smoking, pet-friendly hotel includes 248 guest rooms and suites featuring HDTV, desks for work/study-related activities, and complimentary WiFi. Guests can enjoy the property’s outdoor pool and whirlpool and a 24-hour fitness center.

The University of Florida is a prominent research university, set on 2,000 acres in Gainesville, in North Central Florida. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in law, medicine, business and engineering.

The University of Florida campus offers an array of services and attractions, including an art museum, concerts, lectures, theater, libraries and sports events. Guests can enjoy collegiate football at the nearby Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators. Other local attractions include the Butterfly Rainforest, the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Gainesville Raceway. The surrounding region offers opportunities for biking, canoeing, paddle boarding, swimming and wildlife viewing at one of seven nearby Florida State parks.

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Fraport 2018 Fiscal Year: Revenue and Earnings Increase Significantly

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Fraport

Boards propose dividend increase to EUR2 – Outlook remains positive
In the 2018 fiscal year (ending December 31), Fraport AG continued on
its growth path, achieving new records in revenue and earnings.
Supported by strong passenger growth at its Frankfurt Airport home
base and its Group airports worldwide, revenue climbed by 18.5
percent to nearly EUR3.5 billion. After adjusting for revenue related
to capital expenditure for expansion measures at the international
Group companies (based on IFRIC 12), revenue rose 7.8 percent to over
EUR3.1 billion. About two-thirds of this increase can be attributed
to Fraport’s international portfolio – with the airports in Brazil
and Greece, in particular, making a significant contribution.
Fraport AG’s executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte said: “We
are pleased to look back on another very successful year, especially
for our Group airports around the world. Here in Frankfurt, however,
2018 presented challenges due to the constraints in European airspace
and the strong traffic demand. For the medium and long term, we are
very well positioned both at Frankfurt Airport and in our
international business. Moreover, we are laying the foundations for
further long-term growth by implementing our expansion projects.”
Revenue and earnings targets achieved
The operating result (Group EBITDA) climbed markedly by 12.5 percent
to over EUR1.1 billion. The Group result (net profit) rose even
stronger, by 40 percent to EUR505.7 million. This includes earnings
gained from the sale of Fraport’s stake in Hanover Airport, which
contributed EUR75.9 million. However, even without the positive
effects from the Hanover transaction, Fraport already achieved its
revenue and earnings targets. Operating cash flow slightly dipped by
2.0 percent to EUR802.3 million. This was mainly due to changes in
the net current assets related to the reporting date. After adjusting
for these changes, operating cash flow rose by 18.8 percent to
EUR844.9 million. In line with expectations, free cash flow fell
sharply by 98.3 percent, because of more extensive capital
expenditure for Frankfurt Airport and Fraport’s international
business, while remaining in positive territory at EUR6.8 million.
Given the positive business development, the Executive Board and
Supervisory Board will propose to the Annual General Meeting that the
dividend be raised to EUR2.00 per share for the 2018 fiscal year
(2017 fiscal year: EUR1.50 per share).
Passenger traffic rises noticeably at FRA and internationally
Serving some 69.5 million passengers, Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
achieved a new passenger record in 2018 and growth of 7.8 percent
compared to 2017.
CEO Schulte commented: “We are pleased that the airlines have
significantly expanded their flight offerings at Frankfurt Airport
for the second year in a row, thus improving connectivity and
prosperity for businesses far beyond the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region.
Until the first pier of the new Terminal 3 opens in late 2021, we
will focus on maintaining a high level of service quality at
Frankfurt Airport – while dealing with the constraints affecting the
entire aviation industry. In particular, enhancing the situation at
the security checkpoints will be a top priority for us.”
In response to strong passenger growth, Fraport hired over 3,000 new
staff members at Frankfurt Airport in 2018. Despite the constraints
experienced at some central process points in the terminals during
peak periods – particularly at the security checkpoints – global
satisfaction of passengers with Frankfurt Airport was at 86 percent
in 2018 – thus even posting a slight increase compared to the
previous year (2017: 85 percent). To provide additional space for
security checkpoints, Fraport is investing in an extension to
Terminal 1 for installing seven extra security lanes in the summer of
2019.
Fraport’s international portfolio also posted a significant gain in
passenger traffic during 2018. In Brazil, the two airports of Porto
Alegre and Fortaleza reported a 7.0 percent increase to 14.9 million
passengers in 2018 – Fraport Brasil’s first year of operating these
airports. At the 14 Greek airports, traffic rose by almost 9 percent
to 29.9 million passengers. Antalya Airport in Turkey grew by a
significant 22.5 percent to 32.3 million travelers, a new historic
passenger record.
Outlook: Growth expected to continue
Fraport is forecasting sustained growth at all of the Group airports
in fiscal year 2019. At Frankfurt Airport, passenger volume is
expected to rise between around two and roughly three percent.
Fraport expects consolidated revenue to increase slightly up to
around EUR3.2 billion (adjusted for IFRIC 12). Group EBITDA is
expected to reach a range of around EUR1,160 million and
approximately EUR1,195 million, despite the non-recurring revenue
from the sale of Fraport’s stake in Hanover Airport. The application
of the IFRS 16 accounting standard – which changes the accounting
rules for leases – will not only make a positive contribution to
Group EBITDA, but will also lead to much higher depreciation and
amortization in fiscal year 2019. As a result, Fraport expects Group
EBIT to be in the range of about EUR685 million and around EUR725
million. The company also expects to post a Group result (net profit)
of around EUR420 million and about EUR460 million. The dividend per
share is expected to remain stable at the higher level of EUR2 for
the 2019 fiscal year.
Fraport’s four business segments at a glance
Revenue in the Aviation segment increased by 5.5 percent to slightly
over EUR1 billion. This was due partly to higher revenue from airport
charges resulting from increased passenger traffic at Frankfurt
Airport. At EUR277.8 million, segment EBITDA increased by 11.3
percent year-on-year, while segment EBIT rose 6.5 percent to EUR138.2
million.
Revenue from the Retail & Real Estate segment dropped 2.8 percent
year-on-year to EUR507.2 million. A major reason for this drop was
significantly fewer proceeds from the sale of land (EUR1.9 million in
the 2018 fiscal year versus EUR22.9 million for the same period in
2017). In contrast, parking income (+ EUR8.3 million) and retail
revenue (+ EUR0.8 million) grew. Net retail revenue per passenger
fell 7.4 percent year-on-year to EUR3.12. Segment EBITDA increased by
3.4 percent to EUR390.2 million, while segment EBIT climbed 2.8
percent to EUR302.0 million.
Revenue in the Ground Handling segment rose by 5.0 percent
year-on-year to EUR673.8 million. The strong growth in passenger
traffic resulted, in particular, in stronger revenue from ground
services and higher infrastructure charges. On the other hand,
passenger growth also led to higher personnel expenses at the
FraGround and FraCareS subsidiaries. Accordingly, segment EBITDA
declined by EUR7.0 million to EUR44.4 million. Segment EBIT dropped
considerably by 94 percent, but at EUR0.7 million still remained in
positive territory.
At nearly EUR1.3 billion, the International Activities and Services
segment significantly advanced by 58 percent compared to the previous
year. After adjusting for the EUR359.5 million in revenue related to
IFRIC 12, the segment’s revenue rose by 20.1 percent to EUR931.4
million. This revenue growth received major contributions from the
Group subsidiaries in Fortaleza and Porto Alegre (+ EUR90.9 million),
as well as Fraport Greece (+ EUR53.2 million). Segment EBITDA
increased a noticeable 28.3 percent to EUR416.6 million, while
segment EBIT jumped 40.7 percent to EUR289.6 million.
You can find our 2018 Annual Report and the presentation from the
press conference on our financial statements (as of 10:30 a.m.) on
the Fraport AG website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Fraport AG, Torben Beckmann, Corporate Communications, Media Relations, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany, E-mail: t.beckmann@fraport.de

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New cruise ship touches the sea for the first time in Turku

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Costa Crociere celebrated the technical launch of the new flagship Costa Smeralda at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland.

During the ceremony, the ship officially touched the sea for the first time. The celebration, which saw the participation of the top management of Costa Cruises and the Meyer shipyards, followed the protocol established by the maritime tradition, with the flooding of the basin where the ship has taken shape in recent months.

Costa Smeralda technical launch Costa Smeralda, which will enter service from October 2019, will be the first Costa ship powered by liquefied natural gas (Lng), the cleanest fossil fuel in the world. Its use represents an environmental change that will improve the quality of the air, almost totally avoiding the emissions of particulate matter and sulfur oxides, both at sea and in port.

Lng will also reduce nitrogen oxide and CO2 emissions. In this way Costa Smeralda and its twin, which will be delivered in 2021, will contribute to achieving the sustainability objectives set by Costa Crociere and Carnival Corporation & plc, which provide for a 25% reduction in the carbon footprint by 2020.

“It is with great enthusiasm that we celebrate such an important moment,” said Neil Palomba, general manager of Costa Crociere. “Costa Smeralda represents a great innovation for the international market and an important step towards the definition of new standards for the entire sector. It is a new generation ship and will be a tribute to the best of Italy and our excellence. It was designed with passion and attention to detail to offer an unforgettable holiday experience.”

The name of the ship recalls one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Sardinia. The names of bridges and public areas are dedicated to famous places and squares in Italy.

Costa Smeralda will also have its museum, the CoDe – Costa Design Museum, dedicated to the excellence of Italian design. “Designing and building Costa Smeralda together with Costa Crociere’s colleagues is an exciting experience,” commented Jan Meyer, CEO of the Meyer shipyard in Turku. “I believe it will be a unique and innovative ship, both from an engineering and design point of view, I am convinced that guests will appreciate all the attractions and services on board.”

The technical launch is the moment when the ship reaches its natural element, water. Construction will continue with the final phase of interior fittings ».The sister ship, also built at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, is scheduled for 2021. The Costa Smeralda debut is scheduled for October20, 2019.

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Sexually assaulted by hotel staff? TripAdvisor tells woman leave a review

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TripAdvisor is the largest travel site in the world, with 456 million people visiting the site every month to search for accommodation and other hospitality sites ranked according user reviews.

Two women alleged they were raped by staff employed by businesses currently promoted on TripAdvisor and said the company is failing its “duty to public safety” in the way it handles such complaints. They said they fear others are at risk without information about prior alleged incidents being made visible on the business page. These hotels are continuing to be promoted on TripAdvisor.

One woman said she was raped by a tour guide whose business was being promoted on the TripAdvisor. After contacting the hotel where he worked and reporting him to the police, she wanted to warn other tourists.

TripAdvisor’s response was to tell her to leave a first person review detailing her sexual assault on the website.

“I was in disbelief. Am I seriously being asked to recall the humiliating details of my own sexual assault? Was this global company pushing me to relive my trauma on their forum for everyone to see and comment, or worse of all for the perpetrator who is still out there, to respond to me, troll me?,” she said. “It left me feeling shattered, hopeless and alone.”

TripAdvisor told her that they do not remove a business from their site if a staff member was accused of sexual assault or rape, even temporarily to conduct an internal review. The company then shared 5 links with her of reviews detailing sexual assault and rape, allegedly committed by staff at different hotels, as examples of how she might write her own review.

In one review that TripAdvisor shared with her in an email dated November 2018, an 18-year-old woman said she had her drink spiked and was raped at a resort in Jamaica. She claimed the hotel hired lawyers to mount a case against her, even after undergoing a rape test at a local hospital.

The resort currently has a 4.5-star rating out of 5. There is no flag on the hotel’s TripAdvisor page to suggest any such attack has ever occurred. The only way to know would be to scroll through and read more than 5,000 reviews.

TripAdvisor ranks hotels based on the star rating given by users, but individual reviews are presented chronologically on listing page for the hotel. A review which detailed allegations of sexual assault could easily be overtaken by more recent reviews and be harder to find.

There are 40 examples of reviews describing sexual assault, rape, and groping committed by staff members of highly-rated hotels and other travel businesses on TripAdvisor. In only 14 of those cases, the hotel or travel business – such as tour guides – had replied to the review, with just one review indicating whether disciplinary action had been taken against the staff member in question.

TripAdvisor left this woman’s review as pending, because she did not write it as a first person account and it remains unpublished. She told the company she did not want to publish “first hand experiences” in fear of being contacted and identified by people whose attention she did not want to attract, including the alleged perpetrator. TripAdvisor suggested she created a burner account under an anonymous name to leave the review.

TripAdvisor has previously attempted to grapple with complaints of sexual assault. In November 2017, it said it would add a warning tags to hotels where “health, discrimination, and safety” issues have been reported – but would not explicitly say what the business has been flagged for. The decision came after the company deleted a review detailing a rape case in a hotel in Mexico because the language used breached its guidelines.

The amount of time a badge remains on a business listing is determined on a case-by-case basis, but the company uses a period of 3 months as a guideline for re-evaluation. TripAdvisor said there are currently 4 flags up on business listing pages. None of the flagged hotels or travel businesses have any warning on the business page of prior allegations made about staff.

Complainants believe a red flag on a business for 3 months to evaluate the ongoing safety of the listing is not enough, especially when little to no action is taken against the alleged attackers still employed at hotels and businesses.

Another woman, Christine, 44, from Toronto, Canada, alleged she was raped in a hotel in the Caribbean while on holiday with her family. She said the process of leaving the complaint of sexual assault as a review was futile as reviews were routinely “buried” by other reviews, making it difficult for users to find.

She added that the reviews detailing sexual assault attacks should not be lumped alongside other 1-star reviews complaining about “bed sheets.”

“They definitely should have a different kind of review system, for these types of incidences so they’re not buried in with everyone’s reviews about you know, the quality of the towels or the sheets. Especially if it’s a safety issue, particularly for women.”

Christine decided to go public with her story because, she says, “TripAdvisor has a major platform and really they have a duty for public safety, because it is a big problem. I’m not overstating it when I say it’s widespread.

“Many women contacted me and said this has happened to them, too, by a different staff member at another hotel. And we need to be aware of it.”

TripAdvisor said while the company was unsure if the reviews complaining of rape would have an impact on a business, it believed reviews were “very helpful” to travelers to inform them about where to stay or visit.

TripAdvisor added it had a team of hundreds of people working on content moderation focused on “maintaining the integrity” of the site, and that thousands of reviews on the website described health and safety issues, including sexual assault and other crimes.

The company said it took into account a number of issues before giving a business a flag, including whether a staff member of a business listed was implicated in the review complaint. The company adds a flag to listings where there are media reports of the issue or when a first-hand review is not “readily accessible.”

It said its notifications are not confirmation of the events but were there to “encourage consumers to do additional research outside of TripAdvisor” of the safety of the businesses. However, the company claimed most businesses that had received a flag had taken steps to address the issue that caused the media coverage.

In a statement to the Guardian, TripAdvisor said: “It is terrible that some travelers endure serious issues such as assault or rape, and we hope our platform can be used by them to help warn and protect others. It is important that reviewers follow our publishing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of our reviews, and when these reviews are not readily available and news reports exist that detail recent and pervasive health and safety matters, TripAdvisor’s notification process helps alert travelers about potential issues at a location.”

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