Saudi Arabia ramps up infrastructure to accommodate pilgrims

TRAVEL DAILY ASIA
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CRUISE NEWS UK
Monday 15th October 2012
≪ REGIONAL VIEW
≪ APPOINTMENTS
≪ EYE ON EUROPE
Haramain Railway to begin
by 2014...READ MORE
Get an update on
the latest industry
movements...READ MORE
An overview of the
latest developments in
the region...READ MORE
Saudi Arabia ramps up infrastructure to
accommodate pilgrims
▶ P1
Haramain Railway
to begin by 2014
Pilgrimages to Mecca is forecast to rise to 13.8 million by 2019...
T
he need to
provide more
accommodation and
better infrastructure
for growing number
of Hajj pilgrims has
led to a flood of
investment in the holy
cities of Mecca and
Medina.
As per statistics,
the number of people
making pilgrimages
to Mecca each year
is forecast to rise to
13.8 million by 2019,
says John Podaras,
director Middle East & North Africa
for Christie + Co.
Fuelling this rapid growth is
the steady rise in the number of
Muslims worldwide - forecast to
grow by 35% to 2.2 billion in 2030.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah
has launched numerous multi-billion
projects in recent years to prevent
overcrowding during Hajj.
Among the
developments is the
expansion of Jamarat
Bridge in Mecca in
2008; the Mecca
Metro that links Mina,
Arafat and Muzdalifah
with Mecca.
The first phase
opened in 2010, and
authorities say the
automated metro will
carry up to 80,000
passengers an hour
during Hajj this year.
Mecca is also set
to benefit from the
US$11.9bn Haramain High-Speed
Railway project, which will link the
holy city and Medina to Jeddah,
an entry point for many pilgrims, to
relieve road congestion.
Mohammed Bin Zayed inspects Abu Dhabi Airport e-Gate
project
H
is Highness General Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu
Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the UAE Armed
Forces inspected the e-gate
project and the Midfield Terminal
Building (MTC) project at the Abu
Dhabi International Airport.
The new e-Gate system was
launched by early this year and
is in operation since early last
October to ensure faster and
more efficient movement of the
growing number of passengers
into and out of the emirate.
The project will include two key
phases – a four-year construction
phase, followed by the Operational Readiness Assessment phase (ORAT), where during a nine-month period
thorough tests of all aspects of the terminal will take place to ensure operational and efficiency readiness from the
first day of operation. The advanced world-class baggage system is designed to process over 19,000 bags per hour.
Swiss firm plans
underwater hotel
in Oman
IHG prioritises preservation for
Responsible Business Week 2012
S
wiss-based BIG InvestConsult
has announced it is keen to
set up Oman's first underwater
hotel to serve as a showcase of the
country's diverse aquatic wealth,
Oman Daily Observer has reported.
The firm, which represents the
Water Discus concept of underwater
leisure projects developed by
Poland's Deep Ocean Technologies,
said the project is still in the
conceptual stage.
"However, we have planned to
find an exact location within 3-4
months," said Bogdan Gutkowski,
President and CEO of BIG
InvestConsult.
"Then we will start to develop the
project and look for a co-investor,"
he told the daily.
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T
he first train from between
Makkah and Madinah is
expected to start in 52 months
according to Al-Shuala Al-Kabida,
contracting company of Haramain
speed rail project.
“Al-Arab Company will complete
the first phase of the project soon,"
said Osama Adib Salama, the
company's finance director, as
reported by Arab News.
The layover between two stations
is expected to be around seven
minutes to reduce total duration of
rides between Makkah and Madinah
to two and a half hours.
The Haramain project, widely
known in industry circles as HHR,
is a 444-km high-speed intercity rail
transport system that will link the two
holy cities of Madinah and Makkah
via King Abdullah Economic City
in Rabigh and King Abdulaziz
International Airport in Jeddah.
The Makkah-Madinah rail link is
part of the major railway expansion
project, which includes linking
Jeddah with Riyadh and Dammam.
Thailand confirms
airport expansion
plans
T
hailand's government has
confirmed plans to boost the
capacity at both of Bangkok's airports
- Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang.
Local media reported Thailand's
Transport Minister, Jarupong
Ruangsuwan, as saying that
plans to develop Don Mueang's
Terminal 2 are on track and will be
completed next year, while plans to
expand Suvarnabhumi airport are
still in the pipeline.
"Don Mueang will help ease
congestion at Suvarnabhumi,"
the minister was quoted saying
by the Bangkok Post. "We need
to think ahead as construction [at
Suvarnabhumi] will take three to
five years."
I
nterContinental Hotels and Resorts
(IHG) across the Middle East is
now focusing on actively helping
protect and preserve unique and
cultural heritage sites as part of
Responsible Business Week 2012, in
partnership with National Geographic.
In the Middle East, 17
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
are part of the initiative to cleaning
up important heritage sites and local sites. 14 hotels launched clean-up campaigns, from Taif InterContinental
picking litter in the historical Souq Okaz in Saudi Arabia, to Egypt where InterContinental Cairo Citystars cleant
up around the Great Pyramid of Giza.
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Editor: Charmaine Fernz 
Commercial Director: Guillaume Massey 
Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott 
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CRUISE NEWS UK
Monday 15th October 2012
Qatar looks to strengthen
relations with Arab nations
▶ P2
SPARK
Participates at Arab Tourism Ministers Council...
I
n an effort to
strengthen its
relations with
neighbouring
Arab nations,
Qatar Tourism
Authority (QTA)
will participate in
the 15th session of
the Arab Tourism
Ministers Council
(ATMC). The event
is scheduled to be
held from 15th –
18th October in Cairo.
The attending delegation will be
headed by Issa Bin Mohammed Al
Mohannadi, chairman of QTA.
The authority is a member of the
ATMC and its Executive Committee
alongside the Republic of Yemen,
Republic of the Sudan, Libya,
Republic of Iraq, The Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan and the
Going to town on virtual experience
Lebanese Republic.
Al Mohannadi commented
on their participation: “These
meetings are key opportunities to
share knowledge and expertise
and discuss important elements
and challenges that tourism faces
in the Arab world, especially with
the current evolution taking place
in the region.”
Virtual museum at SMD
T
he Sharjah
Museum of Islamic
Civilisation has been
chosen by Sharjah
Museums Department
(SMD) to display its
artefacts on the website
of Museum With No
Frontiers (MWNF) - an
international online
museum project which
uses cultural heritage
to foster intercultural understanding and create opportunities for local
economic and cultural tourism development.
Museum with no Frontiers is also the largest online storehouse of Islamic
art and platform to include all major Islamic art collections of the Arab world.
Sharjah's contribution is part of MWNF's initiative 'Discover Islamic Arts
Collections' designed to expand on its online exhibitions devoted to 'Islamic
Art in the Mediterranean'.
These were chosen by 14 countries to raise awareness about
contribution of Islamic societies to the cultural identity of both Europe and
the Arab world, and create opportunities of multilateral cooperation between
cultural heritage experts from both regions.
We all know there is nothing like experiencing the real thing
when it comes to a destination but if you really needed that bit
more persuasion than virtual reality is the next best option. While
some tourist boards opt to travel around the country in simulators
or display the local culture in one room, others have taken to
technology to do it for them.
This has been the case with Cape Town, which has launched
a Facebook-based travel app as part of its social media strategy
to drive tourists to the city. The app allows users to “send their
Facebook profile on a holiday to Cape Town” by choosing an
itinerary based on their interests and regular updates across five
days. “Anyone signing their profile up for a trip gets a boarding
pass in their profile’s name from their home town and heads off
on a five day virtual trip to Cape Town. Each day they receive an
update with photos of where their profile ate, went, partied or
stayed – with gripping point-of-view photos and videos showing
the full experience,” explained Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of
Cape Town Tourism.
One user will then win a holiday to the city itself, while the
tourism board hopes others will have been inspired to book one
up. Its Facebook specific activity has stemmed from the influence
of recommendation and word-of-mouth, with around 76% of
Facebook users said to post holiday photos to social media when
they return. It also follows the success of Cape Town’s recent
iAmbassador campaign with travel bloggers which is thought to
have reached 36 million Twitter impressions in three weeks.
Global Village gears up for 17th Edition Breast Cancer initiative at Dreamland
Aqua Park
lobal Village is gearing
G
up for its 17th edition.
The event will showcase open
air performances, activities as
well as an all new world first 3D
show especially developed and
commissioned for Global Village.
Additionally, a new bridge has
been constructed linking both
banks of the canal to shorten
the crossing distance and facilitate transit for visitors with special needs
and mothers handling push chairs. Some of the new pavilions this year will
include Brazil and South Africa.
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D
reamland Aqua
Park along with
Pink Caravan’s Wellness
Campaign highlighted the
awareness about breast
cancer.
Visitors to the park
were provided awareness
sessions and examined
by medical practitioners.
Examinations were conducted in separate areas to accommodate both men
and women in privacy.
Editor: Charmaine Fernz 
Commercial Director: Guillaume Massey 
Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott 
TRAVEL DAILY ASIA
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TRAVEL DAILY UK
www.traveldailymedia.com/me
Monday 15th October 2012
Airline passengers prefer to go mobile
A
irline passengers
want more selfservice and mobilebased offerings
to help ease their
journeys, according to
new study.
This year's
Passenger SelfService Survey, jointly
conducted by SITA
and Air Transport
World, found that
70% of passengers now carry
smartphones, which is fuelling
the demand for services such as
self-boarding and flight information
updates.
Self-service is becoming
increasingly popular with
passengers.
Almost two thirds of respondents
used a self-service channel to
check-in on the day of the survey, up
from just over half last year.
Close to 90% of passengers
rated flight status updates on
their mobiles and self-boarding
as the most useful self-service
technologies.
CRUISE NEWS UK
EYEON
EUROPE
▶ P3
Brought to you by
Delta expands Paris service
“What passengers really want
is to avoid delays and to be kept
informed of what is happening.
Nearly everyone surveyed
said they would welcome any
queue-busting services and 89%
voted self-boarding as their top
technology," said Francesco
Violante, CEO of SITA.
"We expect to see significant
growth in technologies aimed at
reducing waiting times.”
Violante added that the industry
was now at a "tipping point", with
mobile services now becoming
essential for airlines and airports.
Click here for full story.
Arrest warrant for Kingfisher's
Vijay Mallya
P hoto by G ir is h M enon
Delta Air Lines will
increase its presence
at Paris Charles de
Gaulle Airport next
summer with new
year-round and
seasonal services
from 11 destinations
in the US.
New direct
services from New
York’s Newark airport
will complement
Air France's JFK service, while a new summer seasonal service from
Boston will also be added, along with an additional flight from Atlanta.
Paramount plans major UK attraction
Hollywood film
company Paramount
Pictures is planning
to build a huge
theme park and
resort complex
the southeast of
England, it has been
reported.
According
to Bloomberg,
The GBP2 billion
(US$3.2bn)
development in the county of Kent is set to include an indoor water park,
theatres, music venues, attractions and hotels. There is no indication
however, of when construction will start.
United boosts UK & Ireland
United Airlines
will launch five
direct weekly flights
between Chicago
and Shannon,
Ireland, from 6
June to 26 August
2013, subject
to government
approval.
A
court in India has issued an arrest warrant for Kingfisher Airlines
owner Vijay Mallya. AFP reported that a court in Hyderabad is seeking
Mallya's arrest following claims that cheques to the operator of Hyderabad
International Airport bounced. Kingfisher is believed to owe the company,
GHIAL, an estimated US$2 million in unpaid airport fees.
Flambouyant businessman Mallya also owns the Force India Formula
One team and Royal Challengers IPL cricket team, but his airline has
been in freefall for the past 12 months and is currently facing a strike over
unpaid salaries.
Haj experience eased with
implementation of SR 1.1 bn projects
N
ew development
projects worth
more than SR 1.1
billion have been
implemented at the holy
sites of Mina, Arafat
and Muzdalifah as part
of the government's
efforts to enhance
facilities for the annual
Haj pilgrimage.
The announcement
was made by Habib Zain Al-Abidine, head of development projects at the
Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, as reported by Arab News.
Prince Khaled urged government officials to put extra efforts to
impress foreign pilgrims. He also stressed the importance of Haj
awareness campaign titled ‘Haj is Worship and Civilized Behavior’ and
urged pilgrims to uphold the noble message and spirit of Haj, following
regulations set by the government for the smooth and successful
management of the annual event.
Haj is scheduled to start on 24th October. More than 1,056,000 foreign
pilgrims have already arrived to take part in the annual event. As many as
1,003,149 pilgrims arrived by air, 42,479 by land and 11,034 by sea.
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The move forms
part of an expansion
of the US carrier’s UK & Ireland services, along with the launch of a third
daily service between Houston and London Heathrow from 30 March
next year. The Shannon flights will operate using a Boeing 757.
Hertz offer mobile Wi-Fi in Spain
Hertz has launched a mobile Wi-Fi
service for customers at Madrid’s
Barajas airport – a first for the Spanish
car rental industry.
With this service, customers will be
able to access the internet anywhere in
Spain using portable, battery-powered
3G units, which are available for EUR10 (US$13) per day.
The move follows the roll-out of a similar Wi-Fi scheme by Hertz in
Australia and New Zealand.
Swiss airline adds Czech flights
Switzerland-based
Darwin Airlines
has announced the
launch of a new
route to the Czech
Republic.
Effective
immediately, the
airline will operate a
direct flight between
Geneva and the
Czech capital
Prague.
The service,
which will be operated using a 50-seat Saab 2000 aircraft, will
complement the Darwin Airlines’ existing services to Prague from the
Swiss city of Lugano.
Editor: Charmaine Fernz 
Commercial Director: Guillaume Massey 
Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott 
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TRAVEL DAILY UK
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CRUISE NEWS UK
Monday 15th October 2012
▶ P4
Bahrain Air, Nasair sign code-share
agreement
B
Transaero to resume services to Jordan
R
ussian carrier Transaero Airlines has announced it will include the Jordanian capital in its winter 2012/13
schedule. Starting from October 28, 2012, the airline will once again operate its Moscow Domodedovo Amman service once weekly on Sundays.
ahrain Air and nasair inked
a code-share agreement on
flights from Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The first phase will be
implemented with sectors from
Dammam to Khartoum and
Dammam to Beirut between the
two airlines.
As per the agreement,
passengers could fly on either
carrier network soon.
Richard Nuttall, Bahrain Air CEO
said: “We see this as the start of a
more extensive collaboration that
will bring benefits to customers of
both carriers.”
APPOINTMENTS
CHRISTIAN HELLOT has been appointed as
director of sales and marketing for Jumeirah
Creekside Hotel. Prior to joining Jumeirah Group,
Hellot worked for Intercontinental Hotels where
he held the post of regional vice president of
sales and marketing for their properties in Florida
and in Beverly Hills.
STEVE THORNE has been appointed director
of sales and marketing for Grosvenor House
Apartments by Jumeirah Living in London.
He brings with him over 20 years of
experience in the hotel, lettings and serviced
residence sectors. Prior to his appointment,
Steve held numerous senior leadership
positions at high-profile global residence operators such as
Oakwood, IHG and Ascott.
MICHELLE KELLEHER has been appointed
Director of the hotel’s BLISS® Spa for W Doha
Hotel & Residences. She is a highly qualified
spa and beauty manager with excellent customer
care and team motivational skills. Her previous
appointments include a role at the five-star W
Hotel in Leicester Square, London.
CORNELIA ERHARDT has been appointed
general manager of the Radisson Royal Hotel,
Dubai. She brings with her almost 35 years
experience in the hospitality industry. In her new
role, Cornelia will further guide and lead her
team to further establish Radisson Royal Hotel
as a successful five-star property.
RABIH EL ZYR has been appointed director
of sales and marketing for Radisson Blu Hotel,
Dubai Downtown. He brings with him over 10
years of experience having worked with Rotana
Hotels, Kempinski’s Julai’a Hotel & Resort
in Kuwait and Grand Excelsior Hotel, Kuwait
among others.
SANDRO GAMBA has been appointed
executive chef at Emirates Palace.
He brings with him over 25 years of experience
in premier hotels around the world.
Gamba will now be based in Abu Dhabi at the
helm of all sixteen restaurants located within
the hotel. In his current role, Gamba will lead
a team across a staggering 128 kitchens, managing all of the
Palace's restaurants.
GUY SNELGAR has been appointed Managing Director for
EMEA with GetThere, Sabre's travel management solution.
Snelgar, who joined GetThere in 2008 as Sales Director, will
now oversee the unit’s sales, service and operations across the
EMEA region.
TAREK SHEHATA has been appointed director of sales and
marketing at Wyndham Grand Regency Doha. He has spent 20
years experience in tourism and hospitality management field at
five starts hotels in Egypt, USA, Europe and GCC.
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LOREDANA BRESCIA has been appointed
director of sales and marketing for Jumeirah
Grand Hotel Via Veneto. Brescia brings with her
over 20 years of experience in the hospitality
industry. Prior to joining Jumeirah, she was
director of sales and marketing for NH Lingotto
in Turin; she has also worked for Le Meridien
and Forte Village Resort in Turin, Rome and Sardinia, and for
various tour operators around the world.
STÉPHANE DE ROBIEN has been appointed
director of sales and marketing for Jumeirah
Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait.
Stéphane brings with him 20 years of sales and
marketing experience for luxury hotels.
JOZEF PESTA has been appointed restaurant
manager for the Spice Market restaurant at
W Doha Hotel & Residences. He brings with
him over 17 years experience. His previous
experiences include restaurant management
roles within Sir Terence Conran’s prestigious
D&D London group, at both Le Pont De La
Tour and Coq D’Argent. At W Doha, Jozef will be responsible for
overseeing all areas relating to the operations of the restaurant.
LUCA CATZOLA has been appointed chief
marketing officer for MSC Cruises.
Catzola is an experienced senior executive
with almost 20 years’ experience and has held
various top positions in leading consumer
goods and retail companies, most recently
as chief marketing officer for the Carrefour
Group, Italy and for Mattel South and East Europe, Middle East
and Africa. In his current role, he is responsible for the overall
marketing and communication activities of the company and its
45 offices worldwide.
PETER BIBBY has been appointed national
director and co-head of Jones Lang LaSalle's
Saudi Arabian operations. He brings over 30
years' experience in the real estate industry. In
his current role, Bibby will manage an evergrowing business which is currently seeing
significant investment into a whole range of
housing and infrastructure projects.
CHRIS CARD has been appointed group
general manager at Troon's championship
courses in Abu Dhabi for Abu Dhabi Golf Club
and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Card brings a
wealth of experience in the golf industry and will
oversee the entire club operations at each of the
award-winning golf clubs, effective immediately.
CHRIS SMITH has been appointed as managing
director at Boeing for its Defense Business in
Saudi Arabia. In his current role, Smith will look
at further strengthen customer relationships and
establish new in-country partnerships. He will
be based in Riyadh and focus on ensuring that
the best of Boeing and industry are brought to
support the Kingdom's defense and security needs.
Editor: Charmaine Fernz 
Commercial Director: Guillaume Massey 
Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott 
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CRUISE NEWS UK
Monday 15th October 2012
▶ P5
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Makkah sees 50%
decline in pilgrim
hotel bookings
QUOTE
OF THE DAY
“We see this as
the start of a more
extensive collaboration
that will bring
benefits to customers
of both carriers”
Richard Nuttall, Bahrain
Air CEO
T
he Makkah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (MCCI)
has said the hotel reservation
levels for this year's Haj season are
"extremely bad," dropping by around
50% compared with last year, Saudi
Gazette has reported.
These levels are likely to fall
even further, especially in areas
with licensed buildings for pilgrims
that were earlier targeted by
citizens and foreign residents from
Gulf countries.
The MCCI tourism and hotels
committee attributed the decline
to the refusal of the Haj ministry
to increase pilgrim quotas for
these countries.
"The market never sunk to these
current levels," said chairman of
the committee, Waleed Bin Saleh
Abu Sabaah.
New boarding gate detects explosives
Sharjah taps into the Asian market
S
harjah received
136,31 tourists
from Asia until
August, visitors
from Singapore
accounted for 7,121
as against 6,197
tourists during the
same period last
year, which is a
15% increase.
Taping into this
potential market, the
Sharjah Commerce
and Tourism
Development
Authority (SCTDA)
will be showcasing
its offering at ITB Singapore.
HE Mohammed Ali Al Noman,
chairman of SCTDA, will be heading
the delegation, which includes
representatives of the Sharjah
government as well as Sharjah
N
ew boarding gate has been
developed that is able to detect
explosives. Japanese electronics firm
Hitachi has successfully prototyped
the new gate, which works by
collecting minute particles which
have fixed themselves to passports,
ID cards or boarding passes.
It can then detect the presence
of explosive compounds in these
particles within just 1-2 seconds,
offering the ability to screen 1,200
passengers per hour.
Pilot tests at public transport
facilities are also planned in the next
financial year.
Click here for full story.
Bangkok Airways adds Premier Class
International Airport,
Sharjah Investment
and Development
Authority (Shurooq),
Hotel Ramada
Sharjah and Golden
Tulip.
Al Noman said
that the number of
Asian tourists to
Sharjah had shot
up in the first few
months of this year.
“We are working
to boost Sharjah's
presence in markets
such as China and
Singapore.
We just concluded a grand road
show across major Indian cities as
part of the initiative by the National
Council for Tourism and Antiquities.”
Kuwaiti cabinet to
issue decree on
KAC privatisation
this week
T
he Kuwaiti cabinet is expected
to issue in the next few days
an emergency decree on the
privatisation of Kuwait Airways Corp
(KAC), Al-Anba Arabic daily has
reported, citing unnamed sources.
The decree will include
stipulations on the need to protect
the rights of the KAC employees,
while the engineers and pilots who
have been in service for more than
20 years will be given the option to
either stay in the job or to retire.
According to the expected
decree, new investors will be
obliged to pay within five years
the same salaries granted to the
airline's employees prior to the
privatisation, the report said.
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 charmaine@traveldailymedia.com
Guillaume Massey – Commercial Director
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B
angkok Airways is adding a new premium cabin on two of its routes. The new Premier Class, which is being
rolled out on the Bangkok-Samui-Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok-Phnom Penh routes, will offer wider seats in a
2-2 configuration, as opposed to the 3-3 in the standard economy class cabin, with the middle seat being converted
into extra table and arm rest space. In total, 12 Premier Class seats will be available per aircraft, each with a pitch of
31 inches (79cm) and a width of 20 inches (50cm). Premium Class passengers will be offered in-flight meals, 30kg
baggage allowance and priority baggage claim.
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Cruise News by Travel Daily Media
Ernie Skalsky - Editor
 ernie@traveldailymedia.com
Guillaume Massey - Commercial Director
 guillaume@traveldailymedia.com
Gary Marshall - Managing Director & Editor
 gary@traveldailymedia.com
Editor: Charmaine Fernz 
Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott 
Commercial Director: Guillaume Massey 
Travel Daily ME is a publication of Travel Daily Media Limited (UK). All content is fully protected by copyright law. Written permission from the Editor-in-Chief Mark Elliott (mark@traveldailymedia.com) is required to reproduce any material.
While every care has been taken in the preparation of Travel Daily Asia no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Content is published in good faith. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Charmaine Fernz.