Airlines & airports Jordanian charters CHARTER operator Jordan Aviation JATE has commenced three flights a week to Alexandria and one flight to Assiut. The new service is the result of a contract recently signed between Jordan Aviation and Travia, a subsidiary of Travco Group. JATE also plans to expand to more tourist destinations such as Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, Beirut, Lebanon and Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with a few more nearer to its base in Aqaba to follow. First private airline STARTING 30 October, the first private airline in Kuwait, Al-Gezirah, will launch operations in five stations -- Dubai, Beirut, Damascus, Oman and Bahrain. Future expansions will include Egypt, India and Southeast Asia. Board Chairman Marwan Marzouk said the new airline provides a variety of reservation options. "The passenger can choose the seat while booking the ticket, can buy his meal on board, and can use the various entertainment options." New BA management WILLIE Walsh has been appointed chief executive for British Airways succeeding Sir Rod Eddington. Walsh stressed his determination to realise his predecessor's goals of a 10 per cent operating margin and a smooth relocation of the airline's Heathrow operations to Terminal 5 in 2008. "We must re-double our efforts to make this airline more efficient, more focussed and better able to serve our customers. British Airways has a world renowned reputation for premium travel and my aim is to move on the agenda to make us the number one for all airline customers," Walsh said. He added that his top priority was to ensure a successful move to Terminal 5 in March 2008. Walsh also made clear his commitment to establishing new working practices with the cooperation of trade unions. "I am confident we can work with the trade unions to do business in a professional manner. We will be clear in explaining the challenges we face, and what happens if we don't meet them. I believe we will meet them." Hotels & resorts Honeymoon deal LOOKING for an exclusive honeymoon escape? Renaissance Alexandria Hotel offers honeymooners a lucrative deal. For LE222 per person per night you can indulge in total romance. You will stay in a junior suite, a honeymooners breakfast will be served in your room and both of you will enjoy a 30-minute relaxing massage. You will also be offered a heart-shaped cake and late check out. This package is available for Egyptians and foreign residents and is valid from September to the end of May 2006. For more information call (+203 549 0935). Virgin in Heliopolis VIRGIN, the global retail chain, launched its first Megastore in Egypt, at Citystars Heliopolis. The chain held a press conference attended by senior Egyptian and Middle East press people and TV stations at InterContinental Citystars Cairo Hotel. The conference was followed by a concert at the Stars Centre parking lot attended by over 3,000 people who were entertained by the famous Flamenco band followed by a star- studded event and a reception around the swimming pool at InterContinental Citystars. Virgin Megastores feature music, DVDs, books, multimedia, IT, mobiles, electronics, games and a café. The retail chain has come to Egypt to develop the local market and support the local music industry. Environmental awareness A COMPREHENSIVE awareness campaign was recently launched by Starwood for Hotels & Resorts for its properties in the Middle East and Africa, for energy conservation. Michael Wegner, director of Six Sigma for Starwood in the Middle East, says pollution is worsening throughout the world and that the earth is getting hotter, leading to rising waters levels which results in floods, the spread of mosquitoes, and consequently more chest diseases. "Therefore, we had to all start taking action towards energy conservation measures in order to maintain the earth's temperature," Wegner said. "Our goal in this project is not only to save money and resources but mainly to help eliminate pollution factors to provide better health and life for our families and the whole world," added Wegner. The project with its hundreds of guidelines is to begin in more than 50 Starwood hotels in the Middle East and Africa. Sheraton Montazah quickly reacted to the new conservation procedures. Alaa Abu Ali, director of engineering and Mohamed Gamal, director of training at the hotel, started to hold intensive training sessions to enable hotel employees to reduce electricity, water and gas usage. Contemporary Egypt SEMIRAMIS InterContinental is currently hosting a painting exhibition by architect Amr El-Khashab at the Ambassador Club. An accomplished graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts, El-Khashab shows building perspectives in "A tribute to contemporary Egypt". It comprises 12 paintings including the historic Semiramis Hotel. The exhibition will open until 10 November and is considered the first in a series of exhibitions organised by the hotel. Ramadan at Four Seasons FOUR Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza offers a variety of festive arrangements during the holy month of Ramadan where guests can enjoy a real Oriental ambiance. At the Lebanese restaurant Zitouni, mouth watering Lebanese delicacies is on offer. As a special treat, the restaurant introduces Turkish culinary influences in both Iftar and Sohour buffets prepared by executive sous- chef Mehmet Gok who recently joined the hotel from Four Seasons Hotel in Istanbul. "Iftar buffet includes 11 main courses, a variety of famous Lebanese hot and cold appetisers as well as a mixed grill platter preset on the table," chef Fadi Al-Reweissati said. The pool grill offers an Oriental ambiance with a range of Oriental delicacies, traditional drinks and a broad assortment of shisha flavours while you are enjoying live music of the Oriental takht. Within the secluded roof top setting, you can enjoy an Arabic setting where you can have a variety of Ramadan drinks while watching your favourite Ramadan programmes. Safaga marathon SAFAGA city recently organised the first festival for the promotion of tourism as well as a four-kilometre race starting from Holiday Inn Hotel to the headquarters of the city's local council. Ian MacDonald, a British traveller staying at the InterContinental Abu Soma, won the race and received an award from the head of the city council, a medal and a prize. Jolie Ville Sharm wireless OFFICIALS at Jolie Ville Mövenpick Resort & Casino Neama Bay recently announced that all the hotel's public facilities and guest rooms have been connected to a wireless LAN network. By connecting to the wireless network, guests will be able to access at a high speed Internet connection without the hassle of searching for a data point. If the laptop is not fitted with a wireless PMCIA access card, then the hotel will provide the guest with it during his stay. News Pharaohs Rally AS A RESULT of its success in previous years, the Pharaohs Rally Egypt 2005, which concluded its activities early this month, has been listed among the World Cup Championships for Rallies, helping boost Egypt's position as one of the international sites for desert sports. One hundred vehicles and 100 motorcycles took part in the rally in addition to 850 participants from France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Hungary, Russia, Egyptian and other Arab participants. The rally, 2,882km, consisted of six phases starting from the Pyramids of Giza to the Egyptian oases in Bahariya, Siwa, and the Great Sand Sea. Fifth year THIS MONTH marks intoegypt.com's fifth anniversary. www.intoegypt.comwww.intoegypt.comwas launched in December 2000 as Egypt's first booking engine and travel portal powered by a state-of-the-art online reservation system, enabled with 360 degrees virtual tour facilities and supported by digital images to better present Egypt's travel and tourism suppliers of hotels, Nile cruises, diving, safari, car and boat rentals. The portal has listings for more than 200 local and international chains and is promoted through an extensive network of distribution, including leading mobile networks in Egypt, magazines and local and international websites in addition to specialised TV channels. www.intoegypt.comwww.intoegypt.comserves an average of 2,000 travellers per year and is visited by an average of 35,000 users. The website also covers every destination within Egypt with information about the city, digital maps, sightseeing spots, national parks and landmarks. It is also powered by directories covering banks, embassies, ATM machines, gas stations, transportation facilities and other key contacts, thus offering its users a complete online solution for their travel plans and booking requirements. Sinai festival TEN Commandment Tours USA/Egypt is organising a global tourism event that will be held in Mount Moses in Sinai from 22 to 26 April 2006. The event, entitled Sinai Festival, features major world and religious leaders along with top choirs that will be broadcast to five continents and covered by major television networks around the world. World figures expected to participate are Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa, Jimmy Carter and the Rev. Jesse Jackson from the US, Mahatir Mohamed from Malaysia, Al-Sadeq Al-Mahdi from Sudan and Noble Prize winner James Soroor in addition to Egyptian church leaders, the Egyptian tourism minister and Sinai governor. The event is expected to attract between 8,000 and 10,000 tourists who will come to pray for peace in the Holy Valley of Mount Moses. Visit all IF YOU want to visit most Egyptian tourist sites at one go, then the itineraries offered by the Visit All Egypt Red Sea cruising company might be the right choice for you. Starting from March 2006, the company will introduce a unique cruising route through the Red Sea that will pass through the most outstanding Red Sea cities in Egypt -- Ain Al-Sukhna, Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh -- and which will end in Aqaba, Jordan. The company also offers optional tours to visit sites in Cairo, Luxor, Dahab, Taba, Nuweiba, Ras Mohamed and Saint Catherine. For more information contact +202 267 5427 or log on to www.visitallegypt.com. Sharm El-Sheikh rooms FIVE-thousand new hotel rooms will open in Sharm El-Sheikh by the end of 2005. Hisham Ali, head of the Association of the Investors of South Sinai, said investment projects are proceeding normally and that the bomb attacks in Sharm El-Sheikh in the summer had had no effect on the city's investment projects. Ali added that occupancy rates in Sharm El-Sheikh was currently between 45 to 50 per cent. He predicted that the tourist movement would return to normal by the second half of October. Fayoum on the map THE EGYPTIAN government recently announced plans to turn the Wadi Hittan (Whales Valley) nature reserve in the Rayan Valley of the Fayoum Governorate into a viable eco- tourism destination. The aim is to initially place Wadi Hittan on the UNESCO list of the world natural heritage sit before carving a niche for it on the international tourism map. A recent report by Minister for Environmental Affairs Maged George confirmed that the area houses several geological components, water springs and rare fossils. Published reports also claim that the area contains fossilised skeletons, dating back over 40 million years, depicting the evolution of whales from land-based to water-based mammals. The skeletons are of a whale species in the last stage of losing its hind leg.
