NIGER: Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey Now Open

Radisson Hotel Group opens the Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey – the first and only 5-Star international brand hotel in Niger.

With 189 rooms and suites, eight meeting rooms and a dedicated conference center, the hotel boasts unparalleled views of the city from its city center location near to the Parliament and the Presidential Palace.

Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, said: We are delighted to open our first hotel in Niamey, the capital and largest city of the West African country Niger.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey will enhance the local hotel landscape as the country’s first and only five-star internationally branded hotel.

The hotel is a perfect addition to our Radisson Blu portfolio, the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa and our fast-growing African portfolio.”

Designed with modern business and leisure needs in mind, the rooms and suites offer the latest in contemporary design, keeping with local aesthetics for an authentic Nigerien ambience.

The room types range from standard rooms, junior and executive suites to presidential and royal suites.

With over 1,150sqm of space, the conference center is the city’s first and the largest of its kind. Equipped with the latest audiovisual equipment and standards in mind, this spectacular ballroom echoes both the business and social life of the city.

Along with the only conference center in town, the hotel offers another eight meeting rooms – ideal for any type of event hosting up to 2,500 guests.

The hotel offers exceptional dining experiences to suite all tastes and appetites. Guests can enjoy local and international flavors prepared by a team of international chefs at the on-site Al Mina restaurant, which offers convenient all-day dining.

The Lobby Lounge provides the perfect location for a quick tea or coffee catch up, whether business or pleasure. For those seeking a taste of international cuisine, the New York Restaurant & Bar and its pool terrace are open 24/7.

Guests can also bask in the views of the Niger River, with the Zaxi Rooftop Lounge & Bar providing a spectacular setting.

The grand and expansive 870sqm Lotus Spa Health & Beauty Center provides a space for our guests to relax and unwind, with facilities including a sauna, Turkish bath and a large jacuzzi.

The spa features six massage rooms, with special treatments designed to cleanse the body. Simply relax and soak up the sun at the outdoor pool or keep fit at the fitness center, furnished with the latest equipment and an aerobics area where classes are provided for in-house guests.

Be pampered with a manicure or have a haircut by internationally awarded hairstylists at the hotel’s Beauty Center.

Mr. Selim Bora, President of Summa Group, said:“Today, the city of Niamey witnesses a grand hotel opening, the first branded hotel in the city, Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey whose presence contributes to the financial development of Niamey, and of Niger.

This is an important day for everyone who worked to make this great project a reality. With an overall investment of 38m EUR and another record registered in terms of speed.

Summa Construction Group has built this shiny jewel in only 11 months. Regardless of the challenges that we’ve faced along the way, today we are looking at the most unique, upper scale and high-quality hotel in Niger.

Mr. Husnu Tayanc, the Vice-president of Summa Hospitality and the General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center Niamey, said: We are proud to open the first and only international brand hotel in Niger and to bring Radisson Blu to the country.

This is the fifth hotel that Summa Group has successfully realized and the third project in partnership with Radisson Hotel Group – a relationship that we absolutely enjoy and appreciate.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey is, without a doubt, a landmark project for Niamey, and one that will redefine the area’s tourism map.

The hotel combines a palette of natural colors and design inspired by West African motifs, creating an elegant hub for the contemporary traveler, while the innovations and modern technologies make it a unique offering for the Nigerian market.

With our “Yes I Can!” service philosophy, we’re seeking to tailor the services to our guests needs and create the best experience, both for business and leisure travelers.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey will shine like a star in West Africa, pleasing the eyes of its guests.

Tourism Observer

AFRICA: Radisson Blu Is The Leading Individual Hotel Brand In Africa

Radisson Blu has for a second year in a row, secured the leading position as the hotel brand with the most hotels under development and the most hotel deals in its pipeline in Africa, according to the recently published 2019 W Hospitality Pipeline Report.

Radisson Blu, part of the Radisson Hotel Group™ took over as the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa last year and has for a second year claimed the title with the recent release of W Hospitality Pipeline Report 2019, the most authoritative source on the growth of the hotel industry in Africa.

The report has ranked Radisson Blu as the leading individual hotel brand with the highest number of hotel deals and within this pipeline, the largest number of rooms and proportion of its pipeline actually under construction, in Africa.

The Group's upper midscale brand, Park Inn by Radisson, has also entered the same top 10 brand list, securing the fifth position.

We are thrilled to see our flagship brand, Radisson Blu, continuing to lead the way in Africa with the most hotel deals signed and the most hotel rooms under construction, than any of the other 120 hotel brands it was ranked against.

This is a true testament of our agility as a hotel group, as we can move quickly from deal signing to hotel opening. As referenced in the report, we had several hotels which were signed and opened within the same year.

This is aligned with our development strategy, as we expect our future growth to arise from existing hotel take-overs and new build hotels.

With economic headwinds in some African markets, we have identified further opportunities to exploit our vast knowledge and experience in converting unbranded, underperforming hotels, offices or apartment buildings and re-position them to the right brand and market segment within the Radisson Hotel Group brand portfolio, says Andrew Mclachlan, Senior Vice President, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa, Radisson Hotel Group.

This growth has spiked Radisson Hotel Group's portfolio in Africa to 99 hotels (20,500+ rooms) in operation and under development across 32 countries.

We aim to add a further 12 hotels to our African portfolio this year, which will take us well over the 100 hotel mark by year end and confidently on our way to securing 130 hotels by the end of 2022.

Our five-year development strategy focuses on creating scaled hotel growth in key cities and resort locations across Africa.

With a focus on scaled growth in key locations across Africa, we can offer guests multiple hotels across different brands and market segments, at various price points and improved local hotel performance with strong local procurement and cluster select services in the same city.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos are our three gateway cities in sub-Saharan Africa where we aim to have scaled growth and an ambition of up to ten hotels within the same city.

Dakar, Abidjan, Douala, Luanda, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa are cities where we aim to have between three and five hotels due to the size of the economy, market, long-term fundamentals and supply and demand opportunities.

In addition, we are not ignoring the smaller cities and larger towns across Africa where we've identified potential to penetrate the market with either our midscale Park Inn by Radisson brand or upscale Radisson, concludes Mclachlan.

KENYA: More Hotel Rooms Expected In Kenya

Kenya is set to get an additional 4,000 hotel beds in the next five years as per an estimate of international and upcoming brands that have announced plans of setting up in the country.

Ms Keziah Odemba,Director of Tourism said the coming of the international brands portends good tidings for the industry and for the country’s economy as the established brands will directly source for tourists from their niche markets thereby adding to the total visitor numbers.

Speaking during the World Tourism Day fete in Nairobi, Ms Odemba said the expected multi-billion shilling investments among them by Swiss Lenana Motel, Radisson Blu, Villa Rosa Kempinski, Golden Tulip, Amber, Ibis Styles.

Upcoming brands such as the 64-storeyed Hilton Upper Hill among others across the country show Kenya’s tourism projections are positive.

Last year Kenya received 1.1 million tourists mainly entering Kenya for business and leisure, with 2017’s projects currently set at 1.4 million.

About 937,000 tourists were hosted on holiday, 78,000 were business travellers and a further 136,000 tourists visiting for other reasons.

Online travel marketer Jumia Country Manager Cyrus Onyiego urged passenger airlines and tourist hotels to introduce special rates to cater for local travellers.

Mr Onyiego said Kenyans were keen to travel locally but were discouraged by exorbitant fees charged by the hotels.

It is cheaper to fly from Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam to Kigali in Rwanda than it is to fly from Nairobi to Mombasa.

Hotels also need to come up with an innovative pricing model that embraces cheaper pricing for advance family bookings for locals, he said.

Ms Odemba said Kenya continues to record high tourism arrivals due to the relative peace that has continued to prevail even after the Supreme Court annulled the August 8 presidential election results.

Tourism expert Carmen Nibigira reiterated her call to African governments to open up borders for intra-Africa travel, saying affordable air fares could be realised if governments eased all charges levied on incoming airlines as well as zero-rating of visa charges like Europe and America had done.


Tourism Observer

RWANDA: Rezidor Opens A Four-star Park Inn In Kigali

The Rezidor Hotel Group, which operates Radisson Blu and Park Inn, will create 160 jobs in the country as it plans to open its second hotel in Kigali.

The country’s local supply chain, which ranges from coffee roasters to vegetable growers will also benefit as the hotel contracts their services.

The four-star Park Inn, which is operated by Radisson Blu, will open next week. It will serve the mid-level traveller in Rwanda. Radisson Blu has become associated with meetings and conventions, especially given that it is linked to the Kigali Convention Centre.

“Guests need more choices and that is what we are providing with the opening of Park Inn,” Thomas Stene, the general manager of Park Inn Kigali told Rwanda Today.

The hotel is located in Kigali’s upscale Kiyovu neighbourhood and initially it was supposed to be operated by Holiday Inn. It was developed by Rwandan construction entrepreneur Joseph Mugisha.

The new Park Inn facility adds 161 rooms to hotel accommodation in Kigali. It joins a competitive market where besides its sister property the Radisson Blu, other big brands such as the Serena and Marriot are already established.

Park Inn will also expand opportunities for local producers such as Question Coffee and the Akilah Institute of Women. Mr Stene said wherever possible, the Park Inn will buy local produce.

“It is to our benefit to buy local supplies of eggs, fruits, meat and vegetables because we want to support local farmers,” he said.
There has been an increase in investment in Rwanda’s hospitality sector in recent years, which has seen the number of beds rise from just 680 beds in 2003, to an estimated 10,000 beds currently.

Mr Stene, who has been with the Rezidor Group for 25 years, said Rwanda is fast becoming a hub for international conferences especially with the new RwandAir flight routes.

“I think there is a need for more international hotels in Kigali because the Rwanda Development Board is doing a fantastic job of attracting large conventions and the new RwandAir flights to Guangzhou in China, Mumbai in India and London in the United Kingdom will also attract more business,” he said .

More than 30 regional and international conferences including the second edition of the African Hotel Investment Forum and the congress of the Africa Travel Association ATA, are scheduled to take place in Kigali over the next seven months.

The number of conference visitors has grown from 15,441 people in 2013, to 25,932 people in 2015 while 1.3 million tourists visited in 2015 bringing in $318 million.

Rwanda’s tourism sector has been bullish, thanks to high-level meetings held in Kigali in 2016.

About 20,000 visitors attended events in Kigali, giving the sector a much-needed boost. It also helped new international hotel brands and the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) get a foothold in the market.

While the global hotel brands Marriott, Radisson Blu and Park Inn opened their doors to the public, the game-changer was the KCC.

Between June and November, the country hosted 16 big conferences.

They included the World Economic Forum, the African Union Summit, Transform Africa, the Global Africa Investment Summit and the African Nations Championship.

According to data from the Rwanda Development Board, (RDB), the 27th African Union Summit pumped an estimated $4.2 million into the economy while some $2.4 million was received from the WEF.

The government aims to earn $150 million per year from meetings, incentives, conferences and events (Mice). As such, Kigali targets to increase the number of hotel rooms from 8,000 currently to 13,800 in 2017.

The Mice concept is geared towards boosting tourism earnings. In 2013, the country earned $49 million from hosting international meetings. Tourism on the other hand, earned the economy some $340 million in 2015, an increase of 10 per cent from 2014.

The boom in conference tourism comes at a time the country’s export receipts are falling while imports are burgeoning due to massive capital investments in construction coupled with a depreciating Rwandan franc.

The government has invested heavily in infrastructure including building inter-city roads, renovating the airport, facilitating the construction of five-star hotels and inking a deal to build Bugesera Airport, 25km outside Kigali. The airport is expected to handle 4.5 million passengers a year, which is seven times the current traffic.

The aviation industry is critical to the growth of tourism and hospitality. The government has been investing in the national carrier RwandAir, and still continues to do so. In 2016, RwandAir acquired two airbuses and a Boeing 737-800NG, bringing its fleet to 11 aircraft.

As all eyes are on Nairobi for the July 24-26 Global Entrepreneurs Summit that will be graced by US President Barack Obama, Kigali, Rwanda is quietly but steadily building its reputation as a choice destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).

And things seem to be looking up for Rwanda’s MICE sector. Later this year, the country will host the Interpol General Assembly and next year the annual Africa Hotel Investment Forum, the World Economic Forum on Africa and the African Union Summit.

Since 2007, tourism has been Rwanda’s top foreign-exchange earner, generating up to $303 million in 2014 for the exchequer.

Rwanda is currently world famous for its gorillas tracking tours and over the past decade, growing number of tourists have been visiting on the Volcanoes National Park in the Northern Province to see the primates.

In the region, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have established tourism sectors but this has not deterred Rwanda from developing its hotels and conference centres to competitive standards.

Itching to grab a slice of the regional conferencing pie, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is now moving to make meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions the base of its tourism sector as the country looks to events as one way of diversifying its tourism products and economy.

“We have recently noticed a growing trend of interest in holding international meetings in Rwanda. So, we now have a strategy to promote meetings, conferences and exhibitions in the country,” said Francis Gatare, the chief executive of RDB.

Today, Rwanda can proudly say that it has successfully hosted top international meetings and conferences, including the Transform Africa Summit in October 2013 (which was attended by 1,500 delegates), the African Development Bank Annual General Assembly in May 2014 (2,500 delegates), the Africa Insurance Summit in June 2014 (800 delegates), and the ICTs World Export Development Forum in September 2014 (800 delegates).

“MICE is not only a very powerful marketing tool for the country but also a big revenue generator,” said Yamina Karitanyi, the chief tourism officer at RDB, at a press briefing on July 8 to announce the annual Africa Hotel Investment Forum to be held next year.

Karitanyi’s remarks were based on RDB’s statistics, which show that the MICE sector has become a big boost for Rwanda’s tourism industry in the recent past. In 2014, Rwanda received 1.17 million tourists, of which 19,085 were conference visitors, accounting for 1.6 per cent of the total figure.

And even though leisure remains a vital part of Rwanda’s tourism industry, statistics show that conference visitors spend many times more than leisure tourists. Last year alone, the MICE sector earned Rwanda $50 million, accounting for 16.5 per cent of the total revenues generated from tourism, according to Karitanyi.

Today, Rwanda is ranked 13th most sought after MICE destination on the continent by the International Congress and Convention Association and, according to Frank Murangwa, head of the MICE division at RDB, the country’s MICE sector is growing at a rate of 12 per cent per year.

Rwanda’s MICE appeal lies in the country’s “good security and its record of getting things done,” said Mathew Weihs, managing director of Bench Events, the United Kingdom-based events company that is organising next year’s Africa Hotel Investment Forum.

“Security and the ability to get things done are key issues event organisers consider when choosing a conference venue,” Mr Weihs said. “Now all Rwanda has to do is to make sure that it paints the picture that this is for the long term.”

Increased air connectivity over the years is also one of the factors that have boosted Rwanda’s MICE sector by making the country easily accessible.

The number of international airlines operating in the country has increased from five in 2010 to nine in 2015. South African Airways, Qatar Airways, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Kenya Airways, flydubai, Emirates Cargo and Ethiopian Airlines are all currently operating in Rwanda.

And with the steady revival of RwandAir, the national carrier, things are looking up for the country’s aviation industry. RwandAir is currently connecting up to 18 hubs in East Africa, West Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Moreover, Africans coming to or transiting through Rwanda don’t need visas prior to travel; they can get them on arrival in the country.

Last year, in a bid to fuel the growth of the sector, the government upgraded the Kigali International Airport, increasing its annual capacity to 1.6 million passengers, up from 600,000 before last year’s expansion works, according to Tonny Barigye, Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority’s communications manager.

The upgrade, which included building new terminals, gates and a VIP lounge, earned the airport the number seven spot in Africa and number one in East Africa in UK-based consultancy firm Skytrax’s airports rankings.

But the government embarked on the expansion of Kigali International Airport only as a short-term solution to the problem of insufficient aviation infrastructure as passenger numbers increased.

For a long-term solution, there are plans to construct a new international airport in Bugesera — 20 kilometres south of Kigali — which is expected to provide both extra capacity for passenger transport and also develop the cargo freight business.

Rwanda’s MICE sector has also been boosted by the fact that English and French are two of its three official languages, which makes the country more international than its East African neighbours, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, which have only English as the official international language.

As the country seeks to establish itself as a quality MICE destination, the government has put in place a number of strategies to satisfy international event organisers who seek luxury conference facilities, one of them being the construction of the Kigali Convention Centre.

The multimillion dollar conference facility, which will have 11 conference rooms with a seating capacity of 2,600 people, a hotel and several bars and restaurants, is expected to open in the first half of 2016.

The RDB believes that the new conference facility will position Rwanda as the leading MICE destination in East Africa.

“With the Kigali Convention Centre, we will be able to bid for bigger conferences that we are not able to host right now,” Mr Murangwa said.

The Kigali Convention Centre aside, a good number of international hotel chains have also set up in the country, including Radisson Blu, Serena, Marriot, Park Inn, Sheraton, Zinc, Protea and Golden Tulip.

All these hotels have the capacity accommodate more than 3,000 people, Mr Murangwa said.

Still, according to industry players, there are still some hurdles to be overcome before the country can realise its target of generating at least $150 million annually in MICE revenues by 2017.

While infrastructure is a major concern, the country cannot ignore competition from neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania that have established themselves as MICE destinations long before Rwanda joined the fray.

“There is no doubt Kampala and Nairobi will give Kigali a run for its money because their MICE sectors are well established. Even though I am optimistic the Kigali Convention Centre will add significant value to our MICE tourism, one cannot compare it to, say, Kenya’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre,” said Darius Dossantos, proprietor of Kings Tours and Travel in Kigali.

However, the tour operator believes that to keep up with neighbouring destinations the RDB shouldn’t completely shift focus to MICE tourism and ignore other segments of the tourism industry.

“You don’t invite a visitor to your house to smile at only you; he should smile at your entire family,” he said. “RDB should make sure that when conference visitors come to Rwanda they also visit our tourist attractions. If they are impressed by what they see outside the conference halls, the chances are that they’ll come back.”

If Rwanda is to be ahead in the game, Mr Weihs said that it should avoid comparing itself with its regional neighbours and focus on competing with more established MICE markets in Europe and Asia.

“By competing with established global markets in the MICE sector, Rwanda will be able to get ahead of its neighbours,” he said.

Away from competition, lack of a skilled labour force in the hospitality sector also poses a major challenge to Rwanda’s MICE ambitions, noted Francine Havugimana, the proprietor of Impala Hotels and current deputy chairperson of the tourism chamber at the Private Sector Federation.

RDB’s Murangwa concurred that skilled labour is a challenge, but said the country will be setting up colleges dedicated to hospitality training. “We have some investors who are interested in investing in hospitality training so we are optimistic that this problem will soon be addressed,” he said.

QATAR: Qatar Airways Offering Free Luxury Hotel, Visa To Passengers Stopping Over In Doha

Qatar Airways has launched a unique stopover package in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) to promote and market Qatar as a destination of choice for international travellers, offering transit passengers the opportunity to discover Doha with free luxury hotel stays and complimentary transit visas.

The unique offer is part of a broader campaign called +Qatar which looks to encourage all transit passengers to consider adding Qatar to their itinerary.

This unique offer from QTA and Qatar Airways allows passengers travelling through Doha to experience a taste of the Middle East for free.

Throughout the summer, the national carrier, with the support of QTA, will give passengers the chance to turn a layover into a stayover by offering four and five star hotel accommodation at no charge to those transiting through Doha.

The promotion invites all Qatar Airways passengers to add Doha to their vacation by taking advantage of a free one-night hotel stay from a selection of the country’s best four- and five-star hotels in Doha.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is more than just a national flag-carrier for Qatar; we are proudly patriotic and want to share Qatar’s many exciting attractions with our passengers from around the world. This exclusive initiative provides the opportunity to add an extra element to our passengers’ existing travel plans with a complimentary hotel stay in some of Doha’s finest hotels.

We want to ensure that our passengers have a memorable experience every time they travel with Qatar Airways, and now, we’re going even further to make sure that we exceed their expectations.”

Chief Tourism Development Officer, Qatar Tourism Authority, Hassan Al Ibrahim, said: “It was a great source of pride for all of us in Qatar when we launched the transit visa last November. We have already seen a surge in stopover passengers, with a 53 per cent increase recorded in March 2017, compared to the same month last year.

With the launch of +Qatar today, we aim to convert a larger portion of the 30 million passengers passing through Hamad International Airport into stopover visitors. We are delighted to make Qatar more accessible to people from around the world and invite them to discover our country, our cultural heritage and our natural treasures.”

Passengers transiting through Doha can extend their stay to make the most of their journey taking in the sights of Doha with a completely free night courtesy of Qatar Airways and QTA or stay a little longer with a second night’s stay for a modest $50 booking fee.

Passengers can choose from hotels such as The Four Seasons, Marriott Marquis, Radisson Blu and Oryx Rotana.

The free hotel accommodation, available throughout the summer, will offer passengers the opportunity to explore Doha and experience city tours, desert safari adventures or a dinner cruise aboard a traditional dhow, giving visitors a taste of authentic Arabian hospitality, courtesy of Discover Qatar.

To be eligible for this offer, passengers simply book their flight on www.qatarairways.com, select ‘multi-city’ and choose their hotel once they receive their flight confirmation. The online transit visa application is also free and is eligible for those in transit between five and 96 hours.

This ground-breaking offer is available for all Qatar Airways passengers, both Premium and Economy, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to its brand ethos of ‘Going Places Together’.

To maximise their time in Qatar, visitors can explore additional stopover packages offered by Discover Qatar.

This unique offer with QTA has been launched by Qatar Airways' newly created destination management company, Discover Qatar, and is just one of many new initiatives that will be launched over the coming months to generate awareness of, and visits to, Qatar.

It was designed to kick off the newly launched campaign ‘+Qatar’ from Qatar Tourism Authority and is aimed at supporting the growing demand for tourism in Qatar.

This exciting and innovative announcement comes as the airline celebrates its 20th year of operations, marking two decades of growth, industry leadership and innovation.

This year, Hamad International Airport (HIA) was also ranked the Sixth Best Airport in the World by the 2017 Skytrax World Airport Awards, as well as having been named Best Airport in the Middle East for the third consecutive year, and recognised as having the Best Staff Service in the Middle East for the second year in a row.

Known for introducing industry firsts, Qatar Airways is one of the fastest-growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 197 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents. Exciting new destinations being launched in 2017 include Nice, Chang Mai, Dublin and Skopje.

Qatar Airways invites passengers to start planning their next trip with amazing discounts on flights across all cabin classes. With the airline’s Global Sales Campaign, which starts on April 26 and lasts through May 3, families, friends and couples can book flights to any destination across the airline’s network of more than 150 destinations across the globe, with validity to travel until June 21, 2017.

Travellers can now avail offer of up to 40% off on all-inclusive fares. To take advantage of this offer, travellers should visit their travel agent, any Qatar Airways sales office or qatarairways.com/travelnow.

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Ehab Amin said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our passengers such a wide variety of choice in choosing a destination. With this new promotion, passengers can easily choose where to go next with amazing offers across all of our cabin classes. Travellers are truly spoilt for choice with Qatar Airways’ extended network of more than 150 destinations.”

Recently the airline revealed its latest premium class product “Qsuite,” a fully transformable suite of seats that allows parties of two, three or four to create their own unique space within the Business Class cabin.

This game-changing patented design is set to transform the face of aviation and Business Class travel by bringing a First Class product to the Business Class cabin. Qsuite also features the first ever double bed in Business Class, another ground-breaking innovation brought to passengers by Qatar Airways.

The airline was named the World’s Best Business Class by Skytrax in 2016, and its home hub, Hamad International Airport, was also recently given five stars at the Skytrax World Airport Awards, as well as being named the World’s Sixth Best Airport.

Qatar Airways is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, with a network of more than 150 destinations. The airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2017, including Chiang Mai, Yanbu, Dublin, Nice, Skopje and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of 195 aircraft.

Tanzania, Uganda And Kenya November Deadline To Complete Classification Of Hotels, Lodges And Restaurants

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have until November to complete classification of their hotels, lodges and restaurants using the agreed upon East Africa Community criteria.

The uniform classification of hotels and the single tourist visa will make it easier for marketers to promote the region as a single tourist destination and to offer multi-destination packages.

In Kenya, hospitality facilities in 41 out of the 47 counties have been classified by the Tourism Regulatory Authority.

Only five hotels received five-star rating. No hotel in Mombasa County, a popular tourist destination, was rated five-star.

Popular brands like Serena Beach Resort, Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort, Voyager Hotel and English Point Marina were ranked as four-star.

- Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have until November to complete classification of their hotels, lodges and restaurants using the agreed upon East Africa Community criteria.
- The ranking of hotels differs from country to country and there is no international standard of ranking hotels, as each country’s ranking system is established by its authorities.
- However, the East African region in 2009 came up with common criteria to classify hotels, lodges and restaurants across the member countries.

Industry players are waiting for classification of the remaining six counties — Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, Makueni and Kajiado.

Nairobi is home to international hotel brands like Radisson Blu, Villa Rosa Kempinski, Hilton, Serena, The Tribe, Sankara and Hemmingways.

Hotels in Kampala were classified in November last year, with 78 hotels assessed and 26 receiving star ratings, ranging from two to five stars.

Kampala Serena Hotel, Kampala Sheraton Hotel and Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort got five-star rating.

The Ugandan Tourism Board will continue the classification process for hotels and accommodation facilities in other major towns such as Jinja, Entebbe, Mbarara and Gulu.

Commenting on the rating of hotels in Mombasa County, Mohammed Hersi, chief executive officer of Heritage Hotels, said missing the five-star rating was not a concern because four-star hotels tap into the middle-class market, which is bigger than the upper middle-class.

Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism last week announced a plan to review and rank all hotels to meet international standards.

Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ramo Makani told the media that this is part of initiatives to boost the county’s tourism.

“Most hotels are not doing well; some of them are ranked as five-star, but do not meet the standards, and this cheating has been frustrating tourists,” he said, adding that the ministry has been receiving complaints over poor services offered by the hotels.

The ranking of hotels differs from country to country and there is no international standard of ranking hotels, as each country’s ranking system is established by its authorities.

However, the East African region in 2009 came up with common criteria to classify hotels, lodges and restaurants across the member countries.

Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority director general Kipkorir Lagat said hotels that feel underrated have the option of reclassification at a cost of $500 — after they have addressed the concerns raised by the rating authority.

“A five-star rating will tell the whole world that you will get exceptional services in that particular facility, that is why we were strict on giving this rating to hotels that do not tick all the boxes. Some hotels lacked insurance cover, some were not Kenya Revenue Authority compliant, others lacked fire extinguishers, at others we had to check with the hotel’s human resource office to determine the qualification of staff, and so on other details,” Mr Kipkorir said.

The EAC criteria encompass close to 200 classification areas to be checked, ranging from obvious checks like quality of service, cleanliness, sewerage system, refuse handling system, occupational permits for the buildings and details on how often fumigation is carried out, among many others.

But even with the detailed checks, industry players have welcomed the classification, saying the ranking has come at an opportune time when the country is seeking to hosts international conferences.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers chief executive Mike Macharia said the requirement that town hotels have a presidential suite for them to be rated five-star will give the country an upper hand when being considered to host international conference.

“Look at TICAD, we are have many presidents attending, but do we have enough hotels in the city that have a presidential suite, to accommodate these guest.” said Mr Macharia.

The agency that did the classification said a number of the hotels dropped in the ratings because they had not improved their facilities from the time when they were last rated as five-star more than a decade ago.

Big hotels located in the major cities in East Africa target delegates attending conferences, experts have been calling for attractive packages for the locals, to cover them during low meeting season.

KENYA: Why Radisson Blu Is In Kenya

Global hotel chain Radisson Blu officially opened the doors to its first East African establishment last month. This has set into motion the hotel’s advance across the region.

The hotel is managed by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which already has 31 hotels across the continent, and is planning on doubling this number. At least three of these are set to be operational in Kenya by next year.

According to Jens Brandin, Radisson Blu’s general manager for Kenya, the country’s relatively developed hospitality sector and rapidly growing consumer class provides great opportunities for growth.

“Kenya has a big safari attraction and leisure is a big market in tourism, but our main offerings are to business travellers. The growing number of multinationals in the country and an expanding consumer base make this the right time and place for us to be,” he told Business Beat.

Kenya is ranked the fifth-most competitive tourism and travel market in sub-Saharan Africa, but it lags far behind regional leaders South Africa, Mauritius and Seychelles.

According to a recent report from the World Economic Forum, Kenya ranks 78th in the global tourism market out of 141 countries, with its strengths being natural resources (11th globally), brand visibility online (10th globally), and it leads Africa in the number of known species of mammals, birds and amphibians.

The country is also home to one of the largest diplomatic communities in Africa.
However, growth has been slow, and according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya’s bed capacity in 2010 stood at 17,161. By 2014, this number had only grown marginally to 19,877.

Of this capacity, 20 per cent is in Nairobi, 46 per cent at the beach and hinterland areas of the Coast, 11 per cent in Central Kenya, and the rest distributed almost equally in the Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza.

However, Kenya has one of the highest ticket taxes, a factor that dampens prospective visitors’ interest, giving Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda the upper hand.

But Mr Brandin says the business travel segment of the industry has not been fully exploited and could reap big returns for the economy.

NIGERIA: All Is Set For "Akwaaba" Travel Exhibition Lagos, 22 Nov 2015

West Africa's premier travel market and tourism trade show, held annually in Lagos, is about to kick off this weekend at the Eko Hotel & Suites on Victoria Island in Lagos.Alongside this year is Africa’s largest street party carnival, Carnival Calabar is unveiling its 2015 theme in Lagos on Sunday 22nd November which happens to be the opening day of the biggest travel exhibition in West-Africa-Akwaaba.

At the unveiling, Akwaaba delegates from all over the world will have a taste of what to expect in Calabar come December. The carnival unveiling in Lagos will be hosted by the Executive Governor of Cross-River state-Prof. Ben Ayade supported by Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa- Chairman Carnival Calabar Band Associations. The event will bring delegates from all over the world to witness the unveiling which is part of the vision of the Governor to internationalize the peoples Carnival.

With the large numbers of international visitors to Akwaaba 2015, Akwaaba has chosen First Business Logistics Ltd a subsidiary of Sky Blue Services Nigeria to offer visitors a better travel and logistics experience when they touch down at the Lagos Airports. Skyblue will handle airport protocol for international visitors arriving Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos for this year’s event.

First Business Logistics Ltd, a travel and aviation services solution provider offers a wide range of services including flight ticket & Hotel Reservation, Travel Concierge/protocol and Logistics services as well as aviation services. As the D-Day approaches, top brands are scrambling for the few available spaces due to the space constraint for this year. Kenya Tourism Board, Rwanda Development Board, Rwandair, Air Maroc, Golden Tulip Hotel, First Business Logistics, Radisson Blu, Sierra Leone, Ethiopian Airlines, Whispering Palms and others have joined the list of exhibitors for Akwaaba 2015.

The Kenyans will be arriving with a cultural troupe to showcase Kenyan culture. The Atunda ENT promoted by La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort will also be entertaining guest at Akwaaba this year. This year’s event will be held in the same venue as last year’s event which is smaller than the usual venue, so most exhibitors had to be dropped. But enough space is being provided for the 2016 edition. The 2016 signup forms will be available during the events to enable more exhibitors’ signup early and prevent last minute delays as many exhibitors could not be accommodated this year.

The Executive Governor of Sokoto state in Nigeria and the former Speaker of the Nigerian National Assembly Honorable Aminu Tambuwal will be the Chairman at the African Travel Awards and Dinner. The African Travel awards is one of the high points of the 3day Travel event and comes up on the 1st day, 22nd Nov from 7pm. He would be accompanied by the Hon. Commissioner of Commerce, Industries and Tourism, Sokoto State- Alh. Aminu Bello.

As repeat exhibitors at Akwaaba, Sokoto state would be showcasing her rich Tourism Products to both international and local audience which is what Akwaaba as a platform offers. Some of the Awards to be presented at the event include Best Hotel in Africa, Airline of the Year-Africa, Best Resort in Africa, Africa most friendly City, and Best Airport in Africa, with Waturi Wa Matu presented with the African Legend Award for her role in promoting Tourism in East-Africa. Meanwhile the DG NCAA, Capt.

Usman Mukhtar, MD, International Services of Ethiopian Airline along with the Head of IATA Middle East and Africa, will be headlining this year’s Aviation Day at the 11th Akwaaba. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in line with its, objective to bring increased connectivity to Africa has partnered with Akwaaba to organize the Aviation day. The event will hold on the 23rd of Nov, the 2nd day of Akwaaba from 10am.

The event aims to stimulate valuable discussions by renowned industry players to address the lingering issue of connectivity in Africa. It will feature presentations of papers by notable individuals in the industry on issues concerning the sector. Adefunke Adeyemi, IATA Regional Head for Member (Airline) and External Relations for Africa and the Middle East will be sharing a recent study by IATA on connectivity in Africa at the Aviation Day.

The event is themed “National Carrier, Open Skies and Connectivity in Africa”. Managing Director, International Services, Ethiopian Airlines, Esayas Woldemariam will also be making a presentation, while the Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Muhtar Usman will be the Chairman of the day.

The moderator for the day will be Aviation Consultant Mr Chris Aligbe.Already the President, Nigeria Association of Tour Operators, Nkereuwem Onung and the President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents, Alhaji Aminu Agoha have accepted to be among panel members at the event which is for Travel Trade Professionals.

Amb. Bianca Ojukwu will be cutting the tape to declare the Wedding & Spa Show open and formally opening the Akwaaba Travel Market. Bianca Ojukwu, the wife of the former Nigerian leader Chief Odumeugwu Ojukwu is also a former beauty queen who has since moved into Diplomacy, as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain & UNWTO. Other VIP’s lined up to declare other Sessions open at the 3day Travel Trade Event.

The Wedding show is sponsored by Dubai Tourism in partnership with Emirates and will feature over 10 countries showcasing amazing Wedding & Honeymoon destinations, Weekend Getaways and Spa Sanctuaries. Travelstart Nigeria which would be exhibiting at Akwaaba for the first time, hopes to extend its reach across Africa.

According to the Head of Communications for Travelstart Nigeria, Oluwakemi Ojo said, “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this year’s AKWAABA African Travel Market Expo, to build on our existing affiliations, acquire competitive advantage for Travelstart and stay up-to-date with latest development in the travel industry.

Also, Samsung West-Africa a leading Technology company, in its bid to increase brand visibility especially amongst Hoteliers and Resort Owners will be showcasing its Professional Displays, Hotel TV ranges, Smart Signage & IT products at Akwaaba 2015. As sponsors of the Hospitality Day event, Samsung West-Africa will be sharing with Hotel & Resort Managers how they can improve their guest experience.

According to Mr. Anu-Rotimi Agboola (Head, Samsung Enterprise Business Solution -SMART Signage & SMART Hospitality Displays) “our participation at Akwaaba is more about brand visibility and we will be giving gifts to the Top 5 Hotel Winners of the Travellers top 100 Hotels in Lagos Polls. However, these Hotels must use Hotel TVs not consumer TVs. The advantage of Hotel TVs over Consumer TVs is that they give better guest experience by allowing guests personalize their experience”.

Other Guest Speakers are Mr. Sanjo Bamgboye- Director, Current Links Systems Ltd on “Facilitating Payment Innovation in Hospitality” and Mrs. Lilian Obinna-Igwe, Country Manager Travelstart Nigeria on “Online Booking in Africa and how it works”. There will also be a panellists made up of Top Hotel GMs across Africa to deliberate on the issues raised.

The Hospitality Day at Akwaaba seeks to create a platform that would help provide knowledge about burning issues and raise Hotel standards in Africa. The Travellers top 100 Hotels in Lagos Polls winners will also be announced and receive their certificate at the event. The Wine Tasting event follows immediately after from 4pm.

Wine Tasting Event at the Hospitality Day presents an opportunity for Wine Producers from all parts of the World to Network and Market to over 50 Wine distributors from across Nigeria. It also offers wine distributors the opportunity to deal directly with wine producers eliminating the middle men. This event is open to all Hotel and Hospitality Professionals. Hospitality Day holds on the 24th Nov, 2015. Attendance is by registration. The paper ‘How to Know Your Wine’ will be anchored by Chief J.A Rowlands.

NIGERIA: Eko Hotel, Intercontinental, Wheat Baker, Emerge As Best Ranked Hotels in Lagos

Winners for the Top 100 Hotels in Lagos organized by Travellers Magazine, West African’s foremost travel journal have emerged after a 2 month long survey of Travellers and Travel trade practitioners in Nigeria.

Eko Hotel, emerged as the best ranked hotel in Lagos, while Intercontinental and Wheat Baker emerged second and third best ranked hotels respectively.

The survey for the top 100 hotels was done over two months through personal questionaire survey of Hotel managers and secret vote by Travel Journalists in Lagos and online voting.The online voting was done via the largest travel news website in Africa www.atqnews.com. Questionnaires were delivered as newsletters to over 25000 people globally and the votes were collated using the Survey Monkey software. Each voter was asked to rank the top 15 Hotels out of all the leading hotels in Lagos giving reasons for the ranking.

At the end of the survey, the hotels were now arranged according to the number of high ranks they had garnered. Eko hotel had the highest number of number one votes in all the collated votes while other hotels on the top 25 list did well as number 2 and number 3 ranked hotels. Other hotels that did very well in the ranking includes Oriental Hotel, 4 points by Sheraton, Southern Sun hotel, Sheraton Ikeja hotel, Federal Palace hotel, Radisson Blu,Bogobori Hotel Westwood, The Protea hotels and Golden Tulip Festac.

The ranking for these hospitality providers were based on the perceived service rendered, Location, facilities, and capacity of the hotels. The not so popular new players on the Top 25 list include The George in Ikoyi, Genesis Sojourner in Ikeja , Fahrenheit Maison in Victoria Island, Ibis Hotel Toyin street, The Best Western hotels, Welcome centre and Admiralty Hotel Lekki.

The Full results for the Top 100 hotel in Lagos will be published in the next edition of Travellers magazine, and will be carried on www.atqnews.com, It will also be shared on different social media platforms.

Travellers Magazine will be presenting certificates to the Top 100 Hotels at the Hospitality Day on the 24thNovember 2015 at the 11th AKWAABA Travel Market at Eko Hotel.

The presentation of certificate is a mark of Recognition and to encourage the hotels to maintain their standards and also to encourage other hotels not so choosen to up their games in the hospitality business and improve their appeal to the public.

Travellers Magazine started the Top 100 Hotels survey in 2001 and stopped the annual survey in 2006 when the then DG of NTDC Dr.Eborieme set up the national Hotel Classification committee to grade hotels in Nigeria. Because the Publisher of Travellers Mr. Ikechi Uko was co-opted as a member of the committee it suspended it’s annual survey in order not to confuse the public with it’s survey. Considering the new reality and the need to guide travellers and hotel guests aright Travellers decided to reintroduce it’s annual survey . It carried out the survey as part of its social services to travellers in Nigeria.It is the first travel Magazine in West Africa Published since 1996.The journal serves as a one stop shop for airlines, Hotels, Restaurants, Tour operators, Travel Agents, State Tourism Board etc. Travellers’ magazine is set to be the in-house magazine of over 100 hotels in Nigeria and Ghana. Already Guests of Holiday Inn Airport hotel Accra and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Accra and Southern Sun hotel Lagos will be served copies of Travellers for their Reading comfort.

It is now an inflight magazine for Africa World Airlines that flies between Ghana and Nigeria and also within Ghana. AWA was voted as the best Domestic Airline in Ghana. AWA is the strategic partner to South African Airlines on the Accra/Washington DC route.

AWA is expected to carry all SAA passengers between Nigeria and Ghana. This partnership provides a huge opportunity for visibility. It was the inflight magazine for Virgin Nigeria before it stopped operating.

NIGERIA: Top 25 Ranked Hotels In Lagos

Travellers Magazine, West Africa’s foremost travel journal has released the Top 25 most ranked hotels in Lagos.

The ranking for the top 25 hotels was released after a 2 month long survey of Travellers and Travel trade practitioners in Nigeria.

The survey for the top 100 hotels was done through personal questionnaires, survey of Hotel managers and secret vote by Travel Journalists in Lagos and online voting. The online voting was done via the largest travel news website in Africa www.atqnews.com.

Questionnaires were delivered as newsletters to over 25000 people globally and the votes were collated using the Survey Monkey software. Each voter was asked to rank the top 15 Hotels out of all the leading hotels in Lagos giving reasons for the ranking.

At the end of the survey, the hotels were now arranged according to the number of high ranks they had garnered. Eko hotel had the highest number of number one votes in all the collated.

Other hotels that did very well in the ranking includes Federal Palace, Oriental Hotel, 4 points by Sheraton, Intercontinental Hotel, Southern Sun hotel, Sheraton Ikeja hotel, Wheat Baker, Golden Tulip Festac, Protea Ikeja (Bon Hotels). Others in the pact include, De Renaissance, Moore House, VCP, African Sun (Golden Tulip), Welcome Centre, Parkview Astoria, Radisson Blu, Lilygate, Westwood, Stop Over Motel, Protea Leadway, Bestwestern VI, Protea Kuramo, The George and Bogobori.

The ranking for these hospitality providers were based on the perceived service rendered, Location, facilities, and capacity of the hotels.

The Full results for the Top 100 hotel in Lagos will be published in the next edition of Travellers magazine, and will be carried on www.atqnews.com, It will also be shared on different social media platforms.

Travellers Magazine will be presenting certificates to the Top 100 Hotels at the Hospitality Day on the 24thNovember 2015 at the 11th AKWAABA Travel Market at Eko Hotel.

The presentation of certificate is a mark of Recognition and to encourage the hotels to maintain their standards and also to encourage other hotels not so choosen to up their games in the hospitality business and improve their appeal to the public.

Travellers Magazine started the Top 100 Hotels survey in 2001 and stopped the annual survey in 2006 when the then DG of NTDC Dr. Eborieme set up the national Hotel Classification committee to grade hotels in Nigeria. Because the Publisher of Travellers Mr. Ikechi Uko was co-opted as a member of the committee it suspended it’s annual survey in order not to confuse the public with it’s survey. Considering the new reality and the need to guide travellers and hotel guests aright Travellers decided to reintroduce it’s annual survey. It carried out the survey as part of its social services to travellers in Nigeria. It is the first travel Magazine in West Africa Published since 1996.The journal serves as a one stop shop for airlines, Hotels, Restaurants, Tour operators, Travel Agents, State Tourism Board etc.

Travellers’ magazine is set to be the in-house magazine of over 100 hotels in Nigeria and Ghana. Already Guests of Holiday Inn Airport hotel Accra and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Accra and Southern Sun hotel Lagos will be served copies of Travellers for their Reading comfort.

It is now an inflight magazine for Africa World Airlines that flies between Ghana and Nigeria and also within Ghana. AWA was voted as the best Domestic Airline in Ghana. AWA is the strategic partner to South African Airlines on the Accra/Washington DC route.

AWA is expected to carry all SAA passengers between Nigeria and Ghana. This partnership provides a huge opportunity for visibility. It was the inflight magazine for Virgin Nigeria before it stopped operating.

OMAN: Quorvus Collection Continues Its Expansion In Oman

Carlson Rezidor, one of the most dynamic hotel groups worldwide, announces a new member of the luxury Quorvus Collection: the existing Hormuz Grand Hotel in Muscat (Oman). The property with 231 guest rooms will join the collection in late 2015. Quorvus Collection is a new generation of expertly curated luxury hotels inspired by the lifestyle and sensibilities of the contemporary global traveller.

“We are delighted to add one of Oman’s flagship hotels to the Quorvus Collection. The hotel ideally complements our Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson properties in the city, and allows us to offer an additional segment to our national and international guests and to create operational synergies”, said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President and CEO of Rezidor.

“The Middle East is a core market for Quorvus Collection. We already have one member in the region – the Symphony Style Hotel Kuwait – and will further expand our network of carefully selected properties together with our partners”, added Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer of Rezidor.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Carlson Rezidor for such an exciting project. With its iconic architecture and ideal location, we are confident that the Hormuz Grand will fast become the first choice of travellers looking for world-class luxury and hospitality in Oman”, commented Khadim Awadh, Chairman of Hormuz Grand.

The Hormuz Grand features 231 elegant rooms and suites, and is located 4km away from Muscat International Airport and 20km away from the city centre. It is situated at one of the premium locations in Oman that is a hub for governmental and academic institutions, shopping centre and golf courses. The hotel offers two restaurants (all-day-dining and a celebrated Indian venue; a third seafood restaurant is under development), modern conference rooms including a 390 sqm ballroom, a pool, an outstanding spa managed by ISpa (Thailand), and a gym. With the ever expanding business and leisure tourism into the city, the Hormuz Grand promises to meet the needs of business and leisure travellers alike.

Quorvus Collection was launched in 2014 to unite individual and inspiring luxury properties offering distinguished experiences. Different in scale, architecture, ambiance and design, the portfolio aims to include historic landmarks, contemporary residences, classic boutiques and urban retreats. All hotels offer a range of essential services perfectly tailored to the guests’ needs. The “Q24” concept comprises six core lifestyle elements – wellness, replenishment and style encompassing the body; and inspiration, entertainment and connectivity to meet the needs of the mind.