EU blacklist gains momentum as Belgium, France name banned airlines

Mosta, 29/08/05 - Following France's example, Belgian and Swiss authorities announced plans to publish a list of airlines and aircraft that are banned from serving their airports, writes Cathy Buyck in Air Transport World.

The Belgian blacklist is expected to be on the website of the Ministry of Transport. The ministry also is considering the publication of other data, including a list of aircraft that have had technical problems.

The Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation said a list of airlines forbidden to land at Swiss airports owing to safety issues will be on the Internet as of 1 September.

Switzerland is not a member of the European Commission.

The Netherlands will not follow suit for the time being but intends to await European guidelines defining when an airline is deemed unsafe and criteria describing when a carrier can be removed from the blacklist.

EC VP Jacques Barrot welcomed the actions by France and Belgium. "This is a good step towards the consolidated European list which the commission proposed on 16 February of this year," he said. He added that he is looking forward to working closely with the European Council and Parliament in the coming months to secure final adoption of the proposal as soon as possible, thereby ensuring that information on the situation in all member states is available to the public and allowing extension of a ban to the whole EU.

Meanwhile, ICAO, in a carefully worded statement issued on Friday, appeared to criticize unilateral action, noting that it has a "unified strategy to resolve safety-related deficiencies." It added that it reminded member states of the framework for addressing such deficiencies: "Last week, procedures for the application of Article 54 j of the Convention on International Civil Aviation were communicated to all contracting states in order to deal with states having significant compliance shortcomings with respect to ICAO safety-related standards. Article 54 j stipulates that if a state fails to carry out a recommendation of the ICAO council, the organization can communicate the shortcomings to all other contracting states."

The organisation concluded, "Given the forecast for sustained growth of air transport in the coming years, it is essential that all contracting states of ICAO cooperate in reducing the rate of accidents worldwide. Effective safety oversight systems and transparency in the greater sharing of information is how we can best achieve this objective."

Starwood signs agreement to buy Le Méridien brand

White Plains, New York, 25/08/05 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide today announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire the Le Méridien brand and all related management and franchise business for the brand's more than 130 hotels and resorts.

Separately, affiliates of Lehman Brothers and Starwood Capital Group Global LLC are forming a joint venture that is expected to acquire the owned and leased hotel portfolio of Le Méridien.

Closing of the brand purchase transaction is subject to certain significant terms and conditions including completion of employee consultations and the closing of the real estate sale. Subject to satisfying the conditions to closing, the deal would close towards the end of the third quarter at which time Starwood Hotels & Resorts would assume control of the Le Méridien brand.

In Malta, Starwood will own and operate Le Méridien Phoenicia in Floriana but manage for the respective owners the Méridien St Julians, due to open next February, and the Westin Dragonara Resort in St julian's.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, meanwhile, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 750 properties in more than 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood corporation is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton and W, Hotels and Resorts as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, developers and operators of timeshare resorts.

See also Starwood to buy Le Méridien (28/04/05)

Special deal for Maltese at Ramla Bay Resort

Marfa, 25/08/05 - The four star, beach front Ramla Bay Resort is offering Maltese nationals a special deal.

Spend a minimum of two nights at the recently refurbished hotel for Lm11 a person per night on half board basis. There is a Lm2 room supplement if the stay includes a Saturday night and another Lm2 for sea view accommodation. Infants up to five years old sharing with their parents stay free, kids between six and 12 sharing a room with two adults pay Lm5.50 a night.

Cruise passengers 30% up on 2004

Valletta, 24/08/05 - The number of cruise line passengers arriving in Malta in July went up 11.4 per cent over the same month in 2004. Last month 41,425 cruise liner passengers  - 4,242 more than 12 months ago - arrived in Grand Harbour, the National Statistic Office reports.

Italians were, once again, the leading nationality with 10,924 liner passengers, up 7,531 from 3,393 in July last year. Other increases in arrivals were recorded from Germany (+2,727), Greece (+700), the US (+620), France (+349), Canada (+266), the Netherlands (+265) and Switzerland (+230). The catch-all 'others' segment also rose by 1,155 passengers.

On the downside, the number of Britons arriving on cruise liners plummeted to 862 in July from 8,236 in July 2004. There were also fewer Spaniards (-1,213), Austrians (-246), Irish (-199) and Swedes (-133).

Meanwhile, in the first seven months of the year, the number of cruise passengers that visited Malta rose 29.5 per cent to 147,806 - an increase of 33,670 over the January to July period last year.

In the period under review, the major markets were Italy (37,981), Spain (25,701), Germany (24,474) and the US (14,586).

ASTA partners with homosexual travel association

Mosta, 24/08/05 - The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) announced today that it has partnered with the Ft Lauderdale-based International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) - of which Ta' Xbiex-based TravelTrade is a member - for enhanced member education and joint-marketing opportunities.

"We are extremely excited to forge this partnership with IGLTA," says ASTA president and CEO Kathryn Sudeikis. "As the premier gay and lesbian travel association, IGLTA brings with it a new dimension to membership in ASTA and a new opportunity for our members to enhance their niche education and expertise. The gay and lesbian travel market is one of the fastest growing areas in the travel industry. With improved access to IGLTA's membership of gay- and lesbian-friendly tour operators, cruise lines, destinations and travel agents, ASTA members interested in pursuing this niche have even more ways in which to grow their business and assist their clients.

"Last year gay and lesbian travellers spent over $54 billion (Lm18.6bn) on travel in North America," says IGLTA president Andrew Stokes.

As part of the agreement, ASTA and IGLTA will exchange reciprocal complimentary memberships and offer members of both groups 'member-only' rates to ASTA's World Travel Congress in Montréal (6-11 November) and the IGTLA-Symposium 2005 in Lisbon (22-25 September). ASTA and IGLTA will each have a presence at their respective annual meetings, and IGLTA supplier members will have a special section on the Montréal Congress trade show floor.

ASTA also will arrange with its chapters the chance to offer a GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender)-specific education course for its members. This three-hour certification course would be conducted by IGLTA at no cost to ASTA members. Additionally, IGLTA will offer speakers who can attend ASTA chapter meetings for the purpose of educating members on the GLTB travel niche.

Founded in 1983, with 25 members, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association is today a 1,000-plus member strong and growing organisation of gay, lesbian and community-friendly travel corporations and professionals. IGLTA is the world's leading travel trade association committed to growing and enhancing its members gay and lesbian tourism business through education, promotion and networking.

Global summit to debate tourism industry response to terrorism

Mosta, 24/08/05 - In response to recent terrorist bombings, the programme of the third Global Summit on Peace through Tourism is being adjusted to include a special plenary session to debate a "strategic tourism industry response to international terrorism."

The summit is being held from 2 to 5 October at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Conference Centre in Pattaya, Thailand.

A plenary session to be moderated by Akel Biltaji, special advisor to Jordan's King Abdullah II, will focus on the experience of destinations that have successfully recovered from terrorist attacks and the actions and strategies that they employed.

More significantly, the panel will share its insights on protecting against terrorist attacks - and the challenges to the travel and tourism industry in addressing the root causes of terrorism in contributing to a long term solution to international violence in all its forms. Invited speakers for this special session include travel and tourism industry leaders from countries that have experienced terrorist bombings.

Theme of the summit is "One Earth One Family: Travel and Tourism - Serving a Higher Purpose". Its aim is to develop a 21st Century agenda for peace through tourism that addresses key global issues of our time including: poverty reduction; healing the wounds of conflict; promoting international understanding, tolerance and cooperation; environmental enhancement and preservation of biodiversity; and a sustained travel industry response to the social and economic revitalization of tsunami affected countries.

World leaders and statesmen in the travel and tourism industry will be featured as keynote speakers, as well as leaders from the areas of culture, environment, sport, poverty reduction and sustainable development. Concurrent sessions and workshops will be held on a range of topics related to the aim and goals of the summit.

The summit is being organised by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, supported by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau and with the support of the World Tourism Organisation.

For more information, log on to: www.iipt.org.

Malta-based travel up 16% in June

Valletta, 17/08/05 - In June 19,125 Malta residents travelled abroad; 16,280 of these left the country by air, an increase of 15.9 per cent over the same month last year, the National Statistics Office reports.

In the first six months of the year, meanwhile, 87,100 Malta residents travelled abroad, an increase of 4.4 per cent over the January to June period of 2004.

In the period under review, the most popular destination with Malta-based air travellers was the United Kingdom, which accounted for 24.8 per cent of the total travel pie. This was followed by Italy (23.2 per cent), Tunisia (8.2 per cent), Germany (6.1 per cent), France (3.8 per cent), the Netherlands (3.0 per cent) and Spain (1.3 per cent).

Compared to the same period last year, Maltese departures to the United Kingdom increased by 4.1 per cent. Other increases were also registered in departures to Germany (8.5 per cent), Italy (1.7 per cent), Tunisia (29.6 per cent), the Netherlands (22.6 per cent) and to the catch-all 'other' destinations (9.6 per cent).

KM announces Q2 results - same as 2004

Luqa, 17/08/05 - Air Malta carried 501,662 passengers on its network during Q2, just about the same number as in the corresponding period last year, the airline announced today.

The split up of traffic between April and June was:

• Schedule traffic to and from Malta remained at par with last year.
• Scheduled operations traffic on non-Malta routes more than doubled.
• The seat load factor on scheduled services dropped from 68 per cent to 66 per cent as a result of the airline having increased the number of seats on its scheduled network.
• There was a decrease of 21,000 passengers on Malta bound charter services.
• There was a 24 per cent increase in passenger traffic carried on aircraft based in the UK flying charter flights to other European destinations.
• Punctuality at its Malta base improved from 74 per cent last year to 81 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, reporting on its performance for the first six months of the year, the airline says it carried five per cent, or 43,000, more passengers than in the first half of last year.

"These results produce a mixed bag of indicators. They show that our diversification strategy of participating in the intra-European market is yielding positive results. We have managed to exploit to our advantage the opportunities of EU membership since this has helped us to diversify our activity. The drop of 21,000 passengers in charter traffic to and from Malta is the result of a shift, with some charters operated on French and UK provincial routes being converted to scheduled services. It is important that these results are seen in the light of stronger competition with new airlines and products which came on line at the start of this quarter", comments Ernst Funk, KM's chief executive officer.

"We are moving on some fronts but it is certainly a struggle on some others. These are traffic figures that give an indication of the activity, but one needs to analyse the financial data to take a realistic view of the business. In the chairman's recent press briefing he mentioned the fact that in the second quarter of this year our operating loss has been reduced from Lm2.3 million last year to Lm1.48 million this year an improvement of Lm859,000. This needs to be seen in the context of spiralling fuel and navigation costs compounded further by a stronger dollar and a weaker euro and sterling", Funk continues.

Funk insists that progress is being achieved but is cautious about the immediate future. "We have to look at facts realistically. This is a highly volatile business and we have to recognise that there are significant threats ahead. We need to remain vigilant to contain and, where necessary, decrease our costs. We need to keep on improving our offer, keep track of competition and above all we need to remain close to our passengers to understand their requirements. In other words we need to retain our focus on cost efficiency and we need to use our resources and skills to continue to grow the business. Our main challenge over the next years is on improving our revenue streams and our yields. As part of our strategy to reach this objective, we are taking initiatives amongst which, the introduction of a number of system applications such as a revenue management system, an improved and more efficient internet booking engine and also a revision of our distribution strategy".

February '06 opening for St Julian's Méridien

Mosta, 15/08/05 - Le Méridien St Julians is now expected to open on Monday, 27 February 2006. The property was due to open last year, but then it was announced it would be operational by 14 February 2005; however, that was put back to summer.

Sources tell Island Travel Trader Online Le Meridien's regional managing director will visit Malta in September to asses progress and confirm the property's hand over - scheduled for December - and end-February opening.

Overlooking Balluta Bay in St Julian's, the 280 room hotel is located in the grounds of the 19th century Villa Cassar Torregiani, which is being fully renovated. Guests may opt for either for sea view accommodation or rooms facing the valley.

Facilities are to include a business centre, shops, a spa, indoor and rooftop pools, beauty treatment rooms and exercise studios plus a conference centre on one floor with 14 rooms including an amphitheatre. The largest room has a capacity for up to 315 delegates.

Renovation of the villa, built in the late 1800s, will create five lavish suites in Méridien's signature Art + Tech design concept.

India to shoot down hijacked aircraft

New Delhi, 15/08/05 - The Indian government has cleared a proposal to shoot down hijacked passenger aircraft if security agencies are convinced it would be used as a missile, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reports.

The decision is part of tough new measures to prevent hijacking and the use of hijacked aircraft as bombs as in the 11 September, 2001, attacks in the United States, the news agency says quoting official sources.

The new anti-hijacking policy, cleared by the cabinet committee on security last week, also rules out negotiations with hijackers on their demands, the report says.

Talks will be held only to help prevent loss of life or end the incident and hijackers would face the death penalty, it says.

Government officials were not available to comment on the report.

The new policy comes nearly six years after Kashmiri militants hijacked an Indian Airlines aircraft flying from the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, to New Delhi in December 1999.

The aircraft was taken to Afghanistan and the hijack ended after India freed three pro-Kashmiri militants from jail. One passenger was killed in the incident.

The incident caused widespread embarrassment to New Delhi and authorities were blamed for not acting in time to prevent the aircraft from leaving India after it landed for refuelling.

The new policy reduces bureaucratic procedures to get permission for armed intervention and the Indian air force has been given the authority to scramble fighter jets to guard and guide the hijacked plane and force it to land at an Indian airport, PTI says.

Cruise passengers up 38% in six months

Valletta, 15/08/05 - In June the number of cruise passengers arriving in Malta went up by 31.3 per cent - an increase of 7,614 over the same month a year ago - to 31,956, the National Statistics Office reports.

Compared to June 2004 the major source of the increase was the Italian market, with the number of cruise passengers increasing by 7,610 to 10,457. In June 2005, passengers from Italy accounted for 32.7 per cent of the overall passengers who visited Malta on a cruise ship. The reason for this upsurge from Italy is Costa Cruise Line's Costa Magica liner, which calls at Malta on a weekly basis.

Other major improvements in June were registered from the German (+3,123), the Spanish (+2,843) and the US (+523) markets.

On the other hand, cruise passengers arriving from the UK dropped by 5,522 to 2,360 from 7,882 in the same month last year. Other drops were recorded from the Austrian (-891), Swiss (-460), French (-231), Norwegian (-214), Swedish (-175), Irish (-186) and Danish (-142) markets.

Meanwhile, in the first six months of 2005 the number of cruise passengers visiting the islands went up by 38.2 per cent to 106,381, an increase of 29,428 persons over the same period last year.

In the period under review, the best performing markets were Italy (27,057), Germany (21,013), Spain (13,508), and the US (10,965).

Australia is the world's best brand

Mosta, 15/08/05 - Whilst Malta is busy scratching its head figuring out how to brand itself, Australia has just been ranked by thousands of international consumers as the world's best brand.

Everything Australian has caught the eye of people in other countries such as the United States, Sweden and Japan.

Australia was the number one ranked country of 25 as part of a brand index compiled by Seattle-based marketing research firm Anholt-GMI.

One thousand people in 10 nations were asked to rank countries on a series of criteria, ranging across tourism, exports, investment, culture, heritage and people.

Australia replaced Sweden as the world's strongest nation brand. Index co-founder Simon Anholt says everything about Australia seemed to be perfect in the eyes of people in other countries.

See Features for details on
• The Land of Oz is the world's best brand
• Key findings in the Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index
• Complete ranking of all 25-nation brands

Golf course for Preluna rooftop

Mosta, 15/08/05 - This winter the four star Preluna Hotel & Spa in Sliema plans to make its clients' stay "more enjoyable and healthier".

A rooftop nine-hole mini-golf course is being laid out and will be ready for play in October. Moreover, the roof of the hotel's tower block is being converted into a garden with a heated, al fresco whirlpool.

Radisson SAS properties offer free broadband

Mosta , 15/08/05 - The Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort in St Julian's and the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa, which will be opening in a few weeks, will be offering free broadband to customers from 1 September.

Radisson SAS Hotels and Resorts, the upscale brand of Rezidor SAS Hospitality has announced that free broadband is now one of its service offerings. Radisson SAS is the first international hotel chain to offer free broadband as part of its E@syConnect service concept across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Free broadband comes with easy-to-follow instructions. The service includes high-speed as well as wireless internet access. Since most Radisson SAS hotels are wired, all guests can access the internet from anywhere in the hotel: rooms, meeting facilities or public areas, by using their name and room number.

"Once again, Rezidor SAS has proven that it is a step ahead of the competition and has cemented the reputation of Radisson SAS as a full service hotel chain," says Kurt Ritter, president and CEO of Rezidor SAS Hospitality. "Free broadband as a service is what guests want from hotels today. This service underscores the commitment Rezidor SAS has made to continue to meet the new expectations of contemporary business and leisure travellers."

Rezidor SAS believes that broadband services, wired or not, are soon going to be what guests expect at a first class hotel; along with a bathroom, a bed, a telephone and television, free high-speed internet access will be part of standard guestroom amenities.

The Island Hotels Group represents Rezidor SAS locally under franchise agreements at both the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort and the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa.

Early Christmas offers at Westin

Mosta, 15/08/05 - It may be the middle of summer, but the five star Westin Dragonara Resort in St Julian's is already marketing a special Christmas offer that is only bookable online.

The offer, requiring a minimum stay of three nights, is subject to availability and is valid if booked online by 30 September for stays from 1 to 27 December.

The deal includes complimentary dinner for two at Palio's Restaurant plus the choice of "an amenity that you would like to find in your room on arrival".

To book log on to www.westinmalta.com.

15% discount from Air Malta's Flydrive partner

Luqa, 15/08/05 - Air Malta passengers can now get a 15 per cent discount on already reduced rates when renting cars from its Flydrive partner Europcar.

Says an airline spokesperson: "This is more good news for Air Malta customers. Air Malta's partnership with Europcar is ongoing and this latest offer adds value to our product".