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Jamaica Secures Airlift arrangements Post Thomas Cook – Bartlett

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has secured airlift arrangements with Condor Airlines as part of efforts to lessen the impact of the recent collapse of Thomas Cook.

Following a meeting with Oliver Feess, Manager announced that ground will be broken in Hanover for the 2000 room Princess Hotel and Resort by year end. The Announcement follows a meeting with chairman of the hotel chain, Mr. Robert Plana yesterday at World Travel Market in London.


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“Today we met with Chairman of Princess Hotels who will be in Jamaica next Monday for meetings to finalize arrangements for ground breaking and commencement of construction within the shortest possible time.

We are anticipating that construction will begin in the first quarter of next year given that all the developmental approvals have been completed and 18months after, the first 1000 rooms will be ready to be opened,” said Minister Bartlett.

Princess Hotels & Resorts is a hotel chain specialising in holiday and urban hotels in top class tourist resorts. Founded in 1967, it is ranked eighth in the Spanish market, with 3.700 employees and 19 establishments, offering 7.140 rooms. Earlier this year, the Spanish hotel chain committed to investing US$500 million in the construction of 2,000 rooms in Hanover.

Minister Bartlett added that, “We have been in dialogue with Princess for quite a while and my last visit to FITUR in Spain culminated in the announcement then, that they had acquired the properties in Green Island in Hanover and that they were ready to start construction as soon as possible.

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Time elapsed and the necessary approvals have been sought through our local authorities and planning agencies and we are satisfied now that they are fully ready to begin operations.” 

Currently, Jamaica’s room stock is 32,000. Under the 5x5x5 growth strategy, the aim is to have 15,000 additional rooms by 2022.

Speaking on the significance of the addition of these new rooms, Minister Bartlett says that “Hanover will have, when we add the component in Negril, along with the Grand Palladium, Round Hill and Tryall, close to 6000 rooms.

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

Minister Bartlett: Jamaica recovered all lost seats from Thomas Cook collapse

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that Jamaica has recovered all the lost seats following Sunday’s collapse of Thomas Cook, which flies a significant number of visitors to the island from Manchester, England.

“Today Jamaica became the first country to conclude fully, all the arrangements to recover the loss airlift occasioned by the collapse of Thomas Cook,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister, who is currently in London for the Jamaica Travel Market, also noted that all partners have responded positively to Jamaica and his Ministry is projecting an increase in flights from the region for the upcoming winter season.

“We have met with all our key partners, our three major airlines – TUI, Virgin and British Airways and we have completely restored all the seats that would have been lost for the period and we are expecting additional arrivals for the winter,” said the Minister

He also noted that Jamaica will increase rotations but the exact number of new seats for the winter season will be announced when he returns to the island.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, the Minister stated that Thomas Cook was expected to fly 16 charters to Jamaica between now and March 2020. Those charters represent 7,300 visitors to Jamaica and a potential loss of US$10 million in tourism spend.

“The fallout that we expect will be minimal in terms of the six rotations that are immediate. The way we look at it is that they will be re-booking with some of the other carriers like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and so on. That would minimize that fallout, so instead of the 1,800, we could recoup about 900,” said Minister Bartlett during the briefing.

The Minister and the Director of Tourism, Mr Donovan White, will return to the island on September 30, 2019.

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

Seychelles highlighted in Reunion Senior Trade Fair

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The destination was featured in Reunion’s 3rd edition of the distinguished Senior Trade Fair held in Reunion between May 31 to June 2, 2019.

The Seychelles Tourism Board’s (STB) participation in the 3-day consumer event focused on reinforcing Seychelles as a leisure destination for group travelers. The event, which regrouped over 100 exhibitors including service-providing experts in leisure, travel, and technologies under one roof, is viewed as the fundamental event in Reunion.

The Senior Trade Fair designed for group travelers – 50 and above – remains an opportunity for the STB to make its presence significant in increasing the number of tourism arrivals from the Reunion territory.

In their approach to the Reunion public, STB and Thomas Cook did not only share a co-branded stand to promote Seychelles as a holiday destination, the Reunion Travel Trade professional partner also proposed to all visitors special promotional offers for Seychelles. The features of the promotion custom-made a package specifically for this segment of travelers.

In addition, Thomas cook collaborated with its Destination Management Company in Seychelles, Mason’s Travel offering 2 nights at Indian Ocean Lodge and 2 nights at Carana Beach hotel in a draw held during the 3-day stand. Mason’s Travel also offered other prizes such as excursions and transfers.

Speaking about  the importance of STB’s participating to the Senior Trade Fair, STB Senior Marketing Executive based in Reunion, Ms. Bernadette Honore mentioned the remarkable turnout which will provide increased visibility for Seychelles as a destination that can be explored by group travelers for leisure

“Firming up our continued collaboration with Thomas Cook on this annual consumer trade fair highlighted the desire of Reunion Travel Trade professionals to grow this segment market to Seychelles. Reunion elderly population continued to be on the increase. Travelling is also one of their preferred hobbies. STB plans to continued working with this group travelers for leisure ensuring Seychelles capture part of this business,” said Ms. Bernadette Honore.

The STB representative also mentioned presence of important media such as Le Quotidien and Reunion Première at the Seychelles stand providing added visibility to the destination.

According to information gathered on an annual basis, 50 years and above are among one of the key potential travelers for leisure in Reunion, representing one quarter of Reunion population or around 62,000 people.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Mediterranean Resort & Hotel Real Estate Forum returns to Greece

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Now in its fifth year, the Mediterranean Resort & Hotel Real Estate Forum (MR&H) will return to Greece for the second year in succession this October. The event, hosted by Questex, is dedicated to the investment, development and operation of resorts and hotels within the Mediterranean region. This niche, but highly specialized area, comprises various elements; hotel, residential, marinas, health clubs, children’s activities, retail, sports facilities, F&B, all of which need to be carefully woven together with seamless operation to create a successful resort.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Athens on the 29-31st October 2019. A fitting venue for Hilton’s celebration of 100 years in hospitality and the continuation of the premise that the group was founded on; “travel can make the world a better place”.

The dynamic growth of tourism in Greece continues to boost investment activity throughout the country and throughout the wider Mediterranean region. Speaking at MIPIM last month, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development George Tziallas said; “Half of all funding under Greece’s 2016 development law has been channeled into tourism ventures, while more than 400 investment plans have been submitted in the last three years to the tourism ministry for approval.”

This statement is supported by data recently released by Horwath HTL during the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) which revealed Greece is a prime investment opportunity for international hotel chains as only 1.7% of total units currently operate under an international brand. Results from the joint investor sentiment survey from Tranio and IHIF showed Greece listed as one of the European countries that is most attractive for hotel real estate investment.

Stakeholders from leading operators including Thomas Cook, Club Med and Nobu attend the event alongside investors from KSL, Starwood Capital Group and Dolphin Capital all recognizing the value of coming together as a collective to debate, converse and discuss.

Registration for MR&H 2019 is now open and delegate tickets can be purchased at the best value Early Bird rate until the end of May.

Enterprise Greece have pledged their continued support for MR&H and Grigoris Stergioulis, Chairman & CEO at Enterprise Greece said in relation to the ongoing collaboration; “Building on the success of the event last year, the positive working relationship with Questex and the significant opportunities that exist for investors in the Greek hotel market, we’re thrilled to once again partner with MR&H and look forward to welcoming the event to Greece for the second year.”

Alexi Khajavi, Managing Director of EMEA Hospitality + Travel Group, Questex said; “The tourism and hospitality prosperity that Greece is enjoying is leading to significant activity from serious investors and developers. As a conference host, our role is to facilitate these meetings, connections and interactions in an environment that is educational and energizing. With the continued support from Enterprise Greece, Hilton providing the setting, and amongst very encouraging industry data, we’re confident that MR&H will prove to be an event not to be missed for those currently active or keen to do business within the Mediterranean resort and hotel space”.

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Thomas Cook selling its travel business: Chinese investment fund interested

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Thomas Cook is the world’s oldest tour operator and was founded in Market Harborough in 1841 by businessman Thomas Cook. It started off with organized railway outings for members of the local temperance movement.

The travel company received approaches for parts of its business and the company as a whole, according to reports. The business put its airline up for sale in February and it said last month it would close 21 stores across the country and cut more than 300 jobs.

Chinese investment firm Fosun International could be a bidder for the company’s tour operating business, which runs a joint venture with Thomas Cook in China. It could be months before any formal offer is lodged, and there is no guarantee one will be made.

Thomas Cook now has annual sales of £9bn, 19 million customers a year and 22,000 staff operating in 16 countries.

In September, Thomas Cook said profits would be hit after the summer heat wave saw many take their holidays in the UK. It issued a second profit warning in November, when it said winter bookings were also down.

The shop closures will take the number of Thomas Cook outlets down to 566. It said a consultation with staff and unions had begun.

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