IRAN: US Sanctions Boost Iran Tourism

The annual International Exhibition of Halal Industry - Halal Expo - was held as at the end of April in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan as part of the XI International Economic Summit: “Russia - Islamic World: Kazan Summit 2019”.

An Iranian travel agency Persepol, that's registered in Kazan took part in the Expo.

Persepol offers travellers to see Iran in a different light. The company's owner Amir Mousavi said how Russians are interested in visiting Iran, whether halal tourism is attractive to them, what difficulties they have, and how the tourism industry has changed with the introduction of tough US sanctions on Iran.

How long have you been working in tourism? How comfortable is it to promote halal tourism?

Amir Mousavi said: I have been living in Tatarstan for a long time, I have my own carpet business. We've not been in the tourism sector we've so long. For the first time my company has taken part in the Russia Halal Expo.

During the 2018 World Cup a lot of tourists from Iran came to Tatarstan. I must thank the leadership of the republic for creating all the necessary conditions.

Iranians love Tatarstan very much and willingly come here. On the other hand, we noticed that residents of Tatarstan are very interested in Iran, especially when the country is represented in the media in a negative way.

It is for this purpose that we decided to set up a travel agency in order to introduce Russians to the ancient culture of Iran. We are not after big financial gains in tourism; we are rather working to improve the image of Iran in the eyes of foreign tourists.

Taking into account the fact that in Iran there are a number of restrictions for foreigners, in particular with regard to clothing, halal tourism seems to be the most profitable category. More than 50 million Muslims live in the Russian Federation, so halal tours to Iran are in demand.

So you offer tours only for Muslims? Or are there any special offers developed for other tourists?

He said: We also offer basic tours to show a number of the most famous cities in Iran. There are also non-standard extreme tours with special routes.

For example, the desert rally or mountain climbing. We have organised trips for around 500 tourists from Russia in the last two years.

We also offer Iranians tours to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volga cruises (Tatarstan), as well Golden Ring tours. All our clients, especially those who have travelled to Iran for the first time, leave only positive feedback, their attitude towards Iran changes completely after they visit the country.

It is also pleasant that our countries have simplified the visa regime. This makes our work much easier.

How have the US sanctions affected Iran's tourism industry?

Amir responded: The US has failed to paralyze the tourism industry, on the contrary, it made it more attractive to foreigners. As the saying goes, the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest, foreigners want to learn more about the country that the US wants to enslave with sanctions.

In addition, the fall of Iran's national currency has made Iran much cheaper for foreigners, especially if you look at prices in foreign currency euros or dollars.

The image of Iran that has been created in the Western media is very frightening. This has led to the decline of the total number of foreign tourists to Iran.

But those who have previously visited this country, continue to come and travel around it. Therefore, I believe that the sanctions did not have a significant impact on the tourism industry in Iran.

Russia plans to develop tourist relations with Iran, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said.

The advisor at the Iranian embassy in Russia, Hassan Saleh Majd, said that Russia and Iran currently operate 8-9 flights between the countries per week and plan to restore railroad traffic between Moscow and Tehran.

Russia and Iran are also currently developing an agreement on a visa-free regime for tourist groups.

The diplomat also noted that Iran is particularly interested in more and more Russian tourists coming to Iran despite the fact that it is not the easiest direction due to strict religious laws.

The executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, and the Vice-President of ATOR, Alexander Kurnosov, represented Russia at the meeting.


Tourism Observer

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Added New Gateway And Increased Frequencies To The US

Ethiopia’s flag carrier Ethiopian might have thrown a killer punch to competitors Kenya Airways and Rwandair by shuffling its services to the United States.

The carrier has added a new gateway to the US, upped frequencies and made changes to other gateways starting with the 2019 summer season.

The airlines says it is optimising its US network to give its clients better connectivity between the US Africa through shorter routes.

Addis has not secured US FAA Category One Certification and as such all flights inbound to the US go through an intermediate airport that is certified.

As a result of the changes, three new flights will be added to the existing daily service to Washington to bring the weekly number of departures to ten.

But unlike the existing services which route through Rome, the additional three flights will go through Abidjan. The Addis Ababa-Abidjan-Washington flights will depart Addis in the morning and arrive in DC in the evening.

The service to Chicago will grow from the current three weekly flights to five; while four of the planned new daily service to New York will go via Lomé to Newark and three via Abidjan to John F. Kennedy.

Ethiopian is also closing the service Los Angeles and replacing with a new service to Houston, Texas that will also operate three times a week via West Africa.

It is believed Ethiopian is trying to tap into the significant African community in Houston as well as the oil gas companies that are likely to be attracted to the only air service between Texas and Africa.

The U.S. is among our most important markets owing to the presence of a large African community and growing business and tourism ties with Africa says Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.

Our new route structure with additional frequencies to multiple gateways and the opening of new route to Houston are aimed at responding to the market demand and availing best possible connectivity to over 60 African destinations, said Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.

The restructuring of the US service is also likely to complicate business for Kenya Airways which has a direct tri-weekly service to JFK and Rwandair which also plans to mount flights to New York this year.

With the widest route network in Africa and multiple entry points in the US, Ethiopian is diluting the hub effect of its African competitors.

Ethiopian is now the largest operator out of Africa with more than 119 destinations. Asmara, Manchester, Moscow and Mogadishu are some of its recent additions.


Tourism Observer

INDONESIA: Aeroflot Starts Moscow To Denpasar Direct Flights

Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines are to launch direct flights to Denpasar, the capital of Bali, under a codeshare agreement.

Starting from 28 October 2018, the flights on Boeing 777 aircraft will operate three times weekly on the following schedule:

Moscow-Denpasar all times local:

– flight SU 6295 will depart Sheremetyevo on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 15:05 and arrive in Denpasar at 8:20.

– return flight SU 6296 will depart Denpasar on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:05 and arrive at Sheremetyevo at 17:50.

Flights will operate under the winter timetable effective from 28 October 2018 through 30 March 2019.

Ticket sales for the flights have opened.

Denpasar is the largest city on the island of Bali. It is famous for its ancient temples, palaces and museums, and is also the main transit hub for tourists visiting Bali.



Tourism Observer

HONG KONG: Hong Kong Airlines Launches Flights to Moscow, Russia

Hong Kong Airlines has launched non-stop flights connecting Hong Kong with Moscow.

The new seasonal service, which will operate thrice weekly, marks the airline’s entry into Europe.

Hong Kong Airlines Vice Chairman Mr Tang King Shing said: Hong Kong Airlines is proud to be the only Hong Kong based carrier operating a direct service to Moscow.

Hong Kong and Russia have enjoyed a strong bilateral partnership as seen in the visa-free arrangements for travel between the two destinations.

Our new service will provide more choice and greater convenience as more travellers look to Russia for a holiday getaway.

The internationally-acclaimed full-service airline Hong Kong Airlines announced that it will add frequency of its flight service to Osaka to two flights daily and that to Sapporo to one flight daily.

The arrangement is believed to meet the growing travel and trade demand between Hong Kong and the two cities, further strengthening the airline’s network in Japan.

Mr. Li Dianchun, Chief Commercial Officer of Hong Kong Airlines, said, The Japan destinations have been quite popular among Hong Kong Airlines’ passengers.

Satisfying response has been received since the commencement of flight service to Sapporo and Osaka in December, in view of which we have been proactively exploring to add frequency to these routes so as to meet the travel demand of our passengers.

In addition, Hong Kong Airlines will launch its flight service to Yonago soon on 14 September, bringing more travel choices for the passengers.

Hong Kong Airlines currently flies to over 30 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. With the upcoming flight service to Yonago and the additional flight service to Osaka and Sapporo, by then Hong Kong Airlines will operate a total of 60 weekly flights.

The flights between Hong Kong and Japan, including two daily flights to Okinawa, Tokyo and Osaka respectively, one daily flight to Sapporo and five-time weekly service to Kagoshima, as well as twice-weekly flights to Miyazaki, Okayama and Yonago respectively.

Hong Kong Airlines will then have 8 flight destinations in Japan, which represents a further upgrade of its destination network in the country.

Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service airline firmly rooted in Hong Kong with a wide destination network covering over 30 major cities across the Asia Pacific region, including Gold Coast, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Sapporo, Bangkok, Bali and Okinawa.

The current operating fleet is made up of 32 Airbus aircraft with an average age of around 3.9 years, consisting of 27 passenger aircraft and five freighters, being one of the youngest fleet in the world.

Hong Kong Airlines has been awarded the internationally acclaimed 4-star rating from Skytrax since 2011.

Adhering to the concept of Fresh and Very Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airlines is committed to Bringing Greater Journeys Sky High, and is dedicated to providing a pleasant and enjoyable journey to all passengers.

Hong Kong Airlines Ltd, IATA: HX is an airline based in Hong Kong, with its headquarters in the Tung Chung district and its main hub at Hong Kong International Airport.

It was established in 2006 as a member of the HNA Group.

Hong Kong Airlines’ growing network currently covers over 30 cities regionally, including the Gold Coast, Auckland, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Bali, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, Sapporo and Okinawa.

And the newly launched Vancouver and Los Angeles routes in 2017. The airline has a combined fleet of 35 aircraft. The current passenger fleet has 31 aircraft with an average age of about 5 years as of September 2017.

Hong Kong Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:

- Asiana Airlines

- Air Astana

- Air India

- Air Mauritius

- Bangkok Airways

- China Eastern Airlines

- Etihad Airways

- EVA Air

- Fiji Airways

- Garuda Indonesia

- Grand China Air

- Hainan Airlines

- Jet Airways

- Kenya Airways

- Royal Brunei Airlines

- Shanghai Airlines

- Virgin Australia


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa To Operate 85 Additional Flights To Russia World Cup

Lufthansa Group is offering 85 additional flights to Russia on occasion of the 2018 World Cup.

This means that football fans have up to 18,000 additional seats than usual to travel to the tournament and support their teams.

Lufthansa will be increasing its offering to Moscow (Domodedovo), namely flights from Frankfurt will be increased from four to up to six times a day, and from Munich from two daily flights to up to four flights a day.

Starting 1 June until 31 July, an Airbus A330, with flight numbers LH1440 and LH1441 will be operating between Frankfurt and Moscow once a day, except on Fridays.

Depending on the aircraft configuration, passengers will have up to 255 seats to choose from, including 42 Business Class seats for more comfort.

Passengers will have a great in-flight entertainment program to choose from.

More than 160 feature films, over 250 TV options, more than 200 music albums and highlights from the world of football to get in the mood for the tournament.

During the flight you can even watch live World Cup matches broadcasted via the Live TV Channels on your in-seat screen and via your personal electronic device via FlyNet connection.

As a partner of the German Football Association (DFB), Lufthansa will by flying the German national team from Frankfurt to Moscow Vnukovo Airport on 12 June.

For further information or to book Lufthansa flights, please visit LH.com or call the Lufthansa Service Center at (069) 86 799 799, rates may apply.

Flights can also be booked at Lufthansa travel agency partners and at Lufthansa sales counters at airports.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Aeroflot Resumes Moscow To Cairo Flights, After October 2015 Bombing Over Sinai Peninsula Killing 224 On Board

Aeroflot resumed regular flights from Moscow to Cairo on April 11.

Aeroflot’s Airbus A320 aircraft will serve the route thrice per week, departing and arriving from Sheremetyevo International Airport’s (SVO) Terminal F.

Even though air service between Russia and Egypt has been interrupted for such a long time, the load factor on upcoming flights is more than 85%, Aeroflot says.

Aeroflot says that it has booked nearly 3,750 seats from SVO–CAI and over 3,700 CAI–SVO from now until the end of the Summer.

Flight SU 400 – Departs from SVO at 20:50 to arrive in CAI at 00:25. Frequency: it will be operated weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays.

Flight SU 401 – Departs from SVO at 01:25 to arrive in CAI at 06:50. Frequency: it will be operated weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

From June 12 until July 2, Aeroflot will fly daily between both cities due to the increased demand for air transportation while Summer comes to an end.

In October 2015, the bombing of a Russian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killed 224 people onboard. As a result, Moscow suspended all operations to Egypt.

Russia stopped flights to Cairo lasting more than two years.

This has adversely affected Egyptian tourism, which is heavily dependent on Russian travelers.

In December 2017, Russian and Egyptian officials signed a security cooperation protocol in order to restart services.

Since the attack, claimed by the extremist Islamic State group, the northeast African country guarantees it has acquired monitoring cameras, modern baggage-scanning equipment, finger-print security gates, among other features.

Aeroflot serves 1,074 destinations along with its partners in 177 countries across the world and it manages one of the youngest fleets in the world with 232 aircraft, consisting of 76 Airbus A320-200, 38 A321-200, five A330-200, 17 A330-300, 38 Boeing 737-800, 16 Boeing 777-300ER, and 42 Sukhoi Superjet 100-95.

Aeroflot is expecting another 100 aircraft, including six Airbus A320-200, four A321-200, 14 A350-900, 12 Boeing 737-800, six 777-300ER, eight Sukhoi Superjet 100-95 and 50 brand new Irkut MC-21-300.

Last year, the Russian airline handled a total of 32.8 million passengers. 50.1 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including its subsidiaries.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Aeroflot To Commence Moscow To Dublin Flights

Aeroflot, the Russian state-controlled airline, is to launch a direct flight from Moscow to Dublin even as Ireland’s relations with the Kremlin chill following the expulsion of one of their diplomats.

A source at the flagship Russian carrier said a decision had been taken in Moscow to proceed with a direct flight although the company has yet to decide when it will commence and its frequency.

Aeroflot, which is controlled by the Kremlin, has an almost 50 per cent share of the Russia’s domestic market.

A direct flight to Dublin could lead to an acceleration in trade and tourism between the two countries.

Industry sources were unable to say whether the scandal over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and the subsequent diplomatic fallout would affect the timing of the launch.

However, there is confidence that it will not be derailed by the current tensions.

A delegation from the Dublin Airport met senior Aeroflot management in Moscow late last year to seal the deal, and an Irish Government source indicated that an announcement on a flight would be made very soon.

Alexander Bogachev, former head of procurement for Aeroflot, is understood currently to be helping Enterprise Ireland-backed companies win tenders with major airlines.

And GTLK Europe, the Kremlin’s leasing arm in Dublin, has a portfolio of $1.5 billion in assets based out of Ireland and could be tapped to provide Aeroflot with the necessary aircraft .

GTLK, which has raised $1 billion in financing in Ireland over the past two years, says Aeroflot is its biggest client.

Irish government agencies have been lobbying hard in recent years to secure a direct flight to Moscow and will be hoping it helps a recent resurgence in trade with Russia, which was badly hit by sanctions over the Kremlin’s interference in the Ukraine conflict.

The increased focus on Russia appears to be paying off, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade estimating the value of Irish exports to Russia at €500 million last year, an increase of almost 40 per cent.

The direct link will make it easier for Irish investors to see for themselves that Russia is a place where they are welcomed and can make money, provided they don’t check in any political bias with their luggage, said Chris Weafer, the founder of Moscow consultancy Macro Advisory.

Dublin Airport is always in talks with potential new airline customers about launching new routes to and from Dublin, however we never comment on whether or not we are in discussions with a specific airline, said Paul O’Kane, a Dublin Airport spokesman.

Apart from Valletta in Malta, Dublin is the only capital in the European Union not served by a regular direct flight from Moscow.

Aeroflot previously used Shannon as stopover to the US and the hope in Government circles is that an Irish airport can once again become a Russian aviation hub.

In 1978, Aer Rianta approached Aeroflot with a proposal to store Soviet Aviation Fuel at Shannon for use on the Soviet airline’s transatlantic services.

By the early 1980s, more than a thousand Aeroflot flights a year were clocked through Shannon as the Russian carrier routed other transit flights via Ireland.

Aer Rianta’s co-operation with Aeroflot led to the opening of a string of duty-free shops in airports in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Irish investors were among the pioneers during Russia’s new era of perestroika in the 1990s.

Aer Rianta forged the way by opening duty-free shops, bars and hotels in Moscow through a joint venture with the Russian airline Aeroflot.

Many small to medium sized enterprises, involved in everything from hairdressing to butchering, followed to take a chance in what they called the Wild East.

The refuelling at Shannon ended after Aeroflot acquired longer-range aircraft, while the 1998 rouble crash and default by the Russian government forced most of the Irish community to abandon Moscow.

S7, the privately-owned Russian airline, started flights to Dublin in 2008 but scaled back after the economic crisis. The carrier only schedules weekly flights now during summer months.

Ryanair was granted permission by Rosaviatsia, Russia’s federal air transport agency, in 2013 to fly but never exercised the right.

Tourism chiefs will be hoping the start of Aeroflot flights will lead to a bonanza in revenues from Russians, many of whom have fond association with Ireland

Russians have a particular affinity with Ireland, especially since Aer Rianta ran the first foreign currency and the first airport duty free shops.

An Irish bar, the Shamrock on New Arbat, was the first foreign bar to open in Moscow, said Weafer, who has been based in Moscow for 20 years.

If attendance at the St Patrick’s Day parade is a good guide with plenty of Russians dressed in green the new air link should bring a lot of Russians curious about the country they have adopted so fondly at home.

The Russian carrier, which says its classic Soviet emblem of a winged hammer and sickle now represents a smile has undergone a transformation in recent years.

Its fleet is among the youngest in Europe, its business class is considered top-notch, and it has sent its flight attendants back to school to learn to smile.

The company has also been a leading sponsor of Manchester United and the team’s official carrier since 2013.

In April last year, Aeroflot was named number one Business Class globally by TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site.

That gong came just after Brand Finance, the business valuation and strategy consultancy, named Aeroflot the world’s strongest airline brand.


Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: Russian Plane Searched In London, A Blatant Provocation Says Russia

The search was reported on Friday afternoon. The Airbus returned to Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow in the early hours of Saturday after completing a round trip.

Today, we have witnessed another blatant provocation by the British authorities, the Russian Embassy in London said in a statement. This kind of event is extraordinary.

Confusion arose over who did the search. UK police were involved, but the London’s Metropolitan Police denied a role on Twitter.

Russian diplomatic mission later said the plane had been boarded by border force and customs officers, who ordered the crew off in violation of existing rules.

After long talks conducted by an Embassy officer the captain of the plane was allowed to stay, according to the mission.

Russia’s flagship air carrier Aeroflot described the search as a violation of the world practice of carrying out such inspections. It said UK authorities had forced the crew off and isolated the captain in the pilot’s cabin.

After the search was over, the British officers refused to provide any written document that would specify the reasons for their actions, their legal foundation and their outcome, the Russian Embassy said.

The Embassy tried to contact the UK Foreign Office to clarify the incident and inappropriate behavior of British officials but without success.

It then sent a diplomatic note demanding explanations.

The plane’s pilot, who spoke to Russian media shortly after landing in Moscow on Saturday morning, said British officers were looking for illegal items.

Several people turned up with a dog and told us they needed to search the aircraft for items prohibited for carriage by air, Vitaly Mitrofanov told Rossiya 24 television channel.

The pilot said he stayed in the cabin while the officers were on board and was unaware of what they were doing most of the time. This was against common rules that require crew to accompany inspectors.

I wasn’t allowed to see what they were doing. Under our rules, an inspector is to be accompanied by crew members, Mitrofanov said. “

We agreed to this after consulting the consul and air security so that we could proceed with the flight.

The Russian Embassy blamed the incident on UK’s overall hostility toward Russia following a spat over a former spy’s poisoning.

We will carefully analyse what has happened.

At this moment, we have no other explanation but that the incident at Heathrow is in one way or another connected with the hostile policy that the UK government is conducting with regard to Russia, the statement read.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the search was ordered by UK authorities to cover up for their lack of progress in the poisoning probe.

Yulia Skripal
Russia has demanded proof of its guilt in a murder attempt at Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

We cannot rule out this being another provocation by the UK authorities that they need in order to save, by all means, their truly tarnished reputation in connection to the so-called Skripal case, Zakharova said.

Ties between Russia and the United Kingdom soured after a former Russian spy and his daughter were found slumped on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4 with symptoms of poisoning.

London blamed Moscow for the suspected nerve gas attack and expelled 23 Russian diplomats.

Russia denied the claims and reciprocated the expulsion earlier this week.

The UK government is considering allowing Russian officials to visit Yulia Skripal, who is recovering in hospital along with her father Sergei after a nerve agent attack.

Ms Skripal is understood to be conscious and talking after she was poisoned with novichok while visiting her father in Salisbury.

Police are treating the poisoning as attempted murder. The attack has provoked a worldwide diplomatic spat as Western nations have joined the UK in expelling Russian officials in response.

Mr Skripal, a former Russian spy, has been in a critical condition since 4 March.

The Russian Embassy in London said in a tweet on Friday that it insists "on the right to see" Ms Skripal, who is a Russian citizen.

A UK Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are considering requests for consular access in line with our obligations under international and domestic law, including the rights and wishes of Yulia Skripal."

Meanwhile, Russia has told the UK it must send home just over 50 more of its diplomats in the ongoing tit-for-tat row.

Russia has already retaliated against Britain for the UK's expulsion of Russian intelligence agents by ejecting 23 British diplomats over the attack on the Skripals.

On Friday, the UK's ambassador to Moscow was told London had one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.

On Saturday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that meant Britain would have to cut a little over 50 additional diplomats in Russia.

We asked for parity. The Brits have 50 diplomats more than the Russians, she said.

It came after Russia claimed UK authorities searched one of their planes at a London airport in what they called a blatant provocation and threatened to board British planes in retaliation.

The Russian Embassy in the UK said in a statement: Today, we have witnessed another blatant provocation by the British authorities.

Border Force and Customs officers have searched the aircraft that was conducting the Aeroflot flights 2582 / 2583, Moscow - London - Moscow.

This kind of event is extraordinary.

They also alleged British officials had tried to search the plane in the absence of the crew.

The Russian embassy added: "Of course, we will carefully analyse what has happened. At this moment, we have no other explanation but that the incident at Heathrow is in one way or another connected with the hostile policy that the UK government is conducting with regard to Russia."

The Russian ministry of transport later said: "If there is no explanation, the Russian side will deem the actions towards our plane as illegal and also reserve the right to take similar action against British airlines."

Russia is continuing to expel other foreign diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to countries across the world sending home Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain following the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

Russia faces mass expulsions of its diplomatic staff around the world, with more than 150 sent back from 25 countries, and NATO.

Ambassadors from a number of other nations, including Germany, Italy, Poland and France, were also summoned by Moscow's foreign ministry.

Sixty Russian diplomats expelled by the United States were due to return home on Saturday, Moscow's envoy said.

In total, 171 people will leave the country, with two Russian planes being provided with one making a brief stopover in New York to collect 14 families.



Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Qatar Airways Buys 25% Stake In Vnukovo International Airport, One Of The Largest And Busiest

Qatar Airways has bought a 25 per cent stake in one of Moscow’s largest airports for an undisclosed sum as the company attempts to overcome the Gulf blockade of the emirate.

Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, said on Monday that the airline expected the deal on Vnukovo to be concluded within the next eight weeks.

The airport, Russia’s third-largest, served 18m passengers last year and is used by the government for official travel. Businessman Vitaly Vantsev and partners own a 74.9 per cent stake of Vnukovo.

Mr Al Baker did not say whether he was buying from Mr Vantsev, but Russia’s state property management service said it had no plans to privatise its 25 per cent stake.

Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited Moscow on Monday for a bilateral meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, a vital international partner, as the blockade by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries continues to harm the emirate’s economy.

Until the blockade was imposed in June, Qatar Airways had bucked a downturn in Gulf airlines’ performance, posting net profit growth of 22 per cent to $541m in the 2016 financial year.

But the blockade immediately closed off 18 destinations and while Qatar has refused to quantify the impact, it is likely to be incurring huge costs on rerouting aircraft.

The airline has gone on the offensive, acquiring stakes in Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific and Italy’s Meridiana to boost traffic.

Qatar has invested significantly in Russia in recent years. Qatar Investment Authority, its sovereign wealth fund, bought a 25 per cent stake in St Petersburg’s airport in 2016 for €238m together with the $10bn state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund, which co-invests with foreign investors in Russian companies.

Later that year, the Qatar Investment Authority, headed a consortium with commodities trader Glencore that took a 19.5 per cent stake in Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft for €10.2bn.

The consortium then struck a deal in September to sell 14 per cent of Rosneft to mysterious Chinese commodities house CEFC for $9.1bn, with much of the financing coming from Russian state bank VTB.

However, that deal is under threat after Chinese authorities detained CEFC founder Ye Jiaming last month and Chinese state-owned conglomerate Citic, which is wary over US sanctions against Rosneft and its chief executive Igor Sechin, considered taking a stake in the company.

Glencore has said it still expects the deal to close in the second half of 2018.



Tourism Observer

EUROPE: Some Dangerous Cities

Europe expereiences a high level of safety, violence does occur and patterns of where and when it does can appear.

This is measured from a city's its homicide rate, which is defined as the intentional death of a citizen at the hands of another citizen or citizens.

These rates are calculated to be per capita, so although one city may experience a higher number of murders than another, if their population is larger the murder rate will be lower as a result.

Areas such as Central and South America and Africa can see rates reaching 50 murders per 100,000 residents, and the homicide rate of the United States is around 5 per 100,000.

Tallinn, Estonia - 5.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Tallinn is a city in Estonia, situated on the northern coast of the country. With a relatively small population of 443,894, the city experienced 22 homicides in 2010, bringing its rate to 5.5 per 100,000.

This sits lower than the murder rate of Estonia that was calculated between 1999 and 2001, which was calculated as a high of 9.4 per 100,000 people.

The general trend appears to be that the homicide rate in Tallinn is decreasing, as 40 murders were reported in 2005, standing in contrast to 2010.

However, Tallinn's small population size, relatively large amount of murders per capita, and position on a continent where violent crime is highly uncommon gives it a place at the top of this list.

Glasgow, Scotland - 5.1 homicides per 100,000 people

Glasgow is the largest city of Scotland, located in the United Kingdom.

In 2010, the homicide rate of Glasgow was 5.1 per 100,000 residents, calculated from a total of 30 murders that were experienced in the city that year.

30 is a number that appears to be average for the number of violent deaths in Glasgow every year, a number that may be due to organized gangs and turf wars.

Vilnius, Lithuania - 4.7 homicides per 100,000 people

Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, which is located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, Vilnius reported 26 crimes, producing a crime rate of 4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.

This number was, however, actually a decrease from the crime rates experience prior to 2010, which reached a high in 2008 when 58 homicides were recorded resulting in a rate of 10.4 per 100,000 residents.

Despite these numbers of homicides that appear relatively high for Europe, visitors are still much more likely to encounter petty crime such as pickpocketing and credit card theft.

Moscow, Russia - 4.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city on the European continent with 12.2 million inhabitants.

It is a major cultural center of Europe and is located on the Moskva River.

In 2010, there were 483 homicides reported in Moscow, although this was a decrease from numbers seen in 2005, 2006 and 2007, where 766, 767, and 629 murders were reported respectively.

This decrease in murders may be a sign that violent crime in Moscow is decreasing, although other crime such as car theft remains a problem in this major city.

Podgorica, Montenegro - 3.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Podgorica is the largest city of Montenegro, as well as serving as the nation's capital. Between 1946 and 1992, when Montenegro was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia), the city was known as Titograd.

In 2010, there were 7 deaths by homicide recorded in Podgorica.

This is a number that seems pretty on-trend for what is reported for Podgorica, although the year 2006 did see an influx of homicides, with 12 in the year bringing the homicide rate of the time up to 6.5 per 100,000 residents.

Belfast, Northern Ireland - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and located in the north of the island of Ireland.

In 2010, Belfast reported a homicide rate of 3.3, which was calculated from nine murders, given Belfast's relatively small population of 286,000.

This crime rate, however, is part of a trend in the lowering of homicides in Northern Ireland.

During the Troubles of the 1970s and 80s, the crime rate of Northern Ireland was closer to 31 per 100,000, which is similar to the homicide rate that could be found in Colombia or South Africa during the early 2010s.

Riga, Latvia - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Riga is the largest city in Latvia, a country located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, there were 23 murders in the city, resulting in a homicide rate of 3.3.

Although the historic city is known to be relatively safe, public parks and the heavily-touristed Old Town are known to be areas where crime could be more likely to occur, although much of this may be petty crime such as pickpocketing.

2010, however, appears to have been slightly lower than what is average for Riga, as the years 2005-2009 each saw over 30 reported homicide incidents.

Kiev, Ukraine - 3.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Kiev is the largest city and capital of the Eastern European country of Ukraine. In 2010, 118 of Kiev's residents were victims of homicide, creating a murder rate of 3.2

This appears to be a number that is a somewhat annual average for Kiev, where murder rates are about 100 per year.

The public transit system, including suburban trains, have been singled out as potential hotbeds for violent crime in Kiev due to their tendency to be overcrowded and require repairs.

Zurich, Switzerland - 3.0 homicides per 100,000 people

Zurich is the largest city in the central European nation of Switzerland.

In 2010, there were 11 homicides reported in the city, which creates a murder rate of 3.0 when the city's low population of less than half a million is taken into consideration.

2010, however, does appear to be somewhat of an anomaly for this Swiss urban area, as both the years 2009 and 2011 saw only 4 and 1 murders, respectively.

Brussels, Belgium - 2.8 homicides per 100,000 people

Brussels is the largest city in Belgium, located in Western Europe.

It is also well known for being the capital of the European Union (EU).

In 2010, there were 31 murders in Brussels, a number that appears to be average for the city with the year 2008 being a slight exception when 44 homicides were reported.

In 2001, Brussels was the fourth most crime-ridden city in Europe, although this number also took into other crimes such as burglary and assault.




Tourism Observer

IRAQ: Iraqi Airways Starts Flights To Moscow

Iraq’s national carrier Iraqi Airways performed its first flight to Russia after a protracted break on September 17.

A Boeing 737-800, registration code YI-ASV, arrived at Vnukovo airport from Baghdad to airport.

Iraqi Airways received the factory-new airliner earlier this year.

The carrier stopped operating to Moscow 13 years ago, after Russia had imposed a ban on air services between the two countries in 2004 citing security reasons.

The parties began negotiating possible resumption of services back in 2015.

Prior to resuming flights to Moscow, Iraqi Airways launched services to former Soviet republics: first to Baku, Azerbaijan in 2016, and then to Minsk, Belarus this year.

The airline will fly its 737-800s of which it has 14 to Vnukovo from Baghdad and Basra.

The operator’s total fleet comprises 32 aircraft, with an average age of seven years.

Apart from the 737-800s, it also has 737-700s, Boeing 747/767/777s, Airbus A320/321/330s, and Bombardier CRJ900s.




Tourism Observer

AZERBAIJAN: Passenger Traffic At Heidar Aliyev Airport Baku Grows By 36%

Baku’s base airline AZAL was accountable for more than a half of all passenger traffic that passed through Baku in January through April (АZAL)
Passenger traffic through Heidar Aliyev airport in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, in the first four months of this year exceeded 1 million passengers.

In the period from January to April 2017 more than 1,062 million passengers flew from or to the capital of Azerbaijan, which is 36% above the same period last year.

The airport reported that over half of all passengers traveled by Azerbaijan’s national carrier, AZAL.

It was accountable for 594,000 passengers, including 158,000 served on domestic lines to Nakhichevan, Gyandzha and Gabala.

Baku Airport serves 28 airlines, including five low-cost carriers.

Cumulatively they carried 904,000 passengers on international routes, which makes up to 85% of the entire traffic for the period.

In the international segment AZAL generated almost half of the cumulative traffic (48.2%).

The most popular international destinations from Baku were Istanbul, Moscow, Dubai and Kyiv. About 62% of the entire international traffic traveled on these routes.

Other preferred destinations include Teheran, Tbilisi, Doha and St. Petersburg, accountable for 12% of traffic.

Last year Heydar Aliyev Airport handled the record 3.26 million passengers, up 8.7% on the previous year.

The share of international traffic was slightly less than now, 83.5%.

More of this traffic was served by AZAL (51.3%). The number of operators has remained the same.

The surge in passenger traffic was first recorded in the second half of the year.

In November the growth rate was 23% (231,000 passengers), and in October, 19% (265,000 passengers), 29% in September (365,000 passengers) and 27% in July (391,000 passengers).



Tourism Observer

KAZAKHSTAN: SCAT Airlines Migrating Moscow Flights To Vnukovo

Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines is in the process of switching the destination airport for its three Moscow services from Domodedovo to Vnukovo. The carrier performed its first flight into Vnukovo from Aktobe on September 6. By October 29, it will have similarly changed the Moscow destination for its other two routes, from Shymkent and Aktau.

This is our 20th year in operation, and we are currently working to develop our route network,SCAT Vice-President Marketing Alexandra Sytnik said.

At the current stage, we find that Vnukovo offers convenient maintenance options, an appealing price policy, and a chance of concluding agreements with other airlines.

We have also received multiple requests from passengers to transfer to Vnukovo, which is located closer to the city and offers connection flights that are interesting to them.

Sytnik added that moving to Vnukovo should help the carrier keep its current prices despite the weaking Kazakhstani currency.

SCAT is the first Kazakh airline to launch flights to Vnukovo.

The Russian capital city is a key destination for the airline, which expects traffic on its Moscow routes to grow further.

In the first seven months of 2017 the figure stood at 33,800 passengers. up 16.5% year-on-year.

The carrier also plans to develop its route network through interline, code-sharing, and special prorate agreements.

We believe that Vnukovo will help us with this, Sytnik announced at the inauguration news conference for the Aktobe-Moscow route.

We will thus offer a great network of connection flights to Kazakh citizens, whereas Russian citizens will avail of our domestic route network, which is the most extensive in Kazakhstan.

This will give travelers the possibility to reach the farther corners of our country.

Sytnik said that SCAT is currently negotiating a possible interline and special prorate agreement, complete with full baggage transfer, with Russia’s UTair Aviation.

The latter uses Vnukovo as one of its bases, and performs about 160 flights per day from there.

SCAT Airlines currently operates 45 domestic and 22 international routes.

Its international destinations are in CIS countries and Georgia, as well as in China and Turkey.

The airline offers routes to several Russian cities other than Moscow, including Astrakhan, Krasnodar, Sochi, Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody, and Kazan.

At present, SCAT is not allowed to operate flights between Moscow and Kazakhstan’s two largest cities, Astana and Almaty: the current intergovernmental agreements permits the two countries to designate only one operator each for these routes.

For the same reasons, Sytnik said the carrier cannot fly from Astana to Zhukovsky, another airport serving Moscow.

The airline believes that Zhukovsky offers great potential for cargo transportation.

The carrier is considering launching flights to Russia’s Orenburg, Chelyabinsk and St. Petersburg, and might relaunch operations to Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, and Tomsk.



Tourism Observer

KAZAKHSTAN: SCAT Airlines Switching Destination Airport From Domodedovo To Vnukovo

Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines is in the process of switching the destination airport for its three Moscow services from Domodedovo to Vnukovo. The carrier performed its first flight into Vnukovo from Aktobe on September 6. By October 29, it will have similarly changed the Moscow destination for its other two routes, from Shymkent and Aktau.

This is our 20th year in operation, and we are currently working to develop our route network, SCAT Vice-President Marketing Alexandra Sytnik said. At the current stage, we find that Vnukovo offers convenient maintenance options, an appealing price policy, and a chance of concluding agreements with other airlines.

We have also received multiple requests from passengers to transfer to Vnukovo, which is located closer to the city and offers connection flights that are interesting to them.

Sytnik added that moving to Vnukovo should help the carrier keep its current prices despite the weaking Kazakhstani currency.

SCAT is the first Kazakh airline to launch flights to Vnukovo. The Russian capital city is a key destination for the airline, which expects traffic on its Moscow routes to grow further. In the first seven months of 2017 the figure stood at 33,800 passengers. up 16.5% year-on-year.

The carrier also plans to develop its route network through interline, code-sharing, and special prorate agreements.

We believe that Vnukovo will help us with this, Sytnik announced at the inauguration news conference for the Aktobe-Moscow route.

We will thus offer a great network of connection flights to Kazakh citizens, whereas Russian citizens will avail of our domestic route network, which is the most extensive in Kazakhstan.

This will give travelers the possibility to reach the farther corners of our country.

Sytnik said that SCAT is currently negotiating a possible interline and special prorate agreement, complete with full baggage transfer, with Russia’s UTair Aviation.

The latter uses Vnukovo as one of its bases, and performs about 160 flights per day from there.

SCAT Airlines currently operates 45 domestic and 22 international routes.

Its international destinations are in CIS countries and Georgia, as well as in China and Turkey.

The airline offers routes to several Russian cities other than Moscow, including Astrakhan, Krasnodar, Sochi, Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody, and Kazan.

At present, SCAT is not allowed to operate flights between Moscow and Kazakhstan’s two largest cities, Astana and Almaty: the current intergovernmental agreements permits the two countries to designate only one operator each for these routes.

For the same reasons, Sytnik said the carrier cannot fly from Astana to Zhukovsky, another airport serving Moscow.

The airline believes that Zhukovsky offers great potential for cargo transportation.

The carrier is considering launching flights to Russia’s Orenburg, Chelyabinsk and St. Petersburg, and might relaunch operations to Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, and Tomsk.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA; S7 Airlines Opening New Flights From Moscow To Murmans

S7 Airlines, a oneworld® global airline alliance member, announced the opening of new flights from Moscow to Murmansk. Tickets are available now.

Starting 27 August 2017, there will be direct flights from the Moscow airport Domodedovo to Murmansk on Sundays and return flights on Mondays. Flights will depart from Domodedovo airport at 23:50 and arrive in Murmansk at 2:25. Return flights will depart from Murmansk airport at 5:15 and arrive in Moscow at 7:45. The flights will be carried out on modern and comfortable Airbus A319 airliners.

“A lot of people dream of seeing the northern lights. We are pleased to offer our passengers the way for their dreams to come true by taking direct flights of S7 Airlines to Murmansk, the real jewel of the Russian North. Besides, passengers from Murmansk will have the opportunity to travel to the cities of the expansive route network S7 Airlines with the connection at the Moscow airport Domodedovo,” says Igor Veretennikov, the Commerce Director of S7 Airlines.

Air tickets can be purchased at s7.ru, through the iPhone app or the Android app, and at any S7 sales office. You can also learn accurate flight information, book and buy tickets by calling our Contact Centre at 8 8008 700-0707 (free for Russia).

S7 Airlines (“Siberia” airlines brand, s7.ru) is a member of the oneworld® global aviation alliance.

The airline has a wide internal route network, created on the basis of air transport hubs in Moscow (Domodedovo) and Novosibirsk (Tolmachevo). S7 Airlines also performs regular flights to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, the Near East, Southeast Asia and countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2007 the company received an official IATA certificate as an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) operator, becoming the second air carrier in Russia to have successfully passed the full international audit procedure for compliance with operational safety standards.

S7 Airlines is one of the most reliable airlines of Russia, it implements latest achievements of the world's industry in passenger services and develops its own services dynamically.

Today S7 Airlines has the newest and one of the most modern aircraft fleets on the Russian air transportation market. All flights of the airline are performed by the aircraft of the world’s leading manufacturers.

S7 Airlines is in top 100 of the best airlines of the world and ranks third in the Eastern Europe, as indicated by the authoritative international rating Skytrax.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Wings of Russia National Aviation Awards in different categories.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Cannes Lions advertising festival awards for implemented projects, and My Planet National Awards for discoveries in travel sphere.

S7 Airlines won “Best Russian Airline” at 2015 National Geographic Traveler Awards.

At the end of 2016, S7 Airlines became the winner of Skyway Service Award aviation award in three categories: the best airline in category “Economy Class, Domestic Scheduled Services”, “Best Loyalty Program” and “Best Online Customer Services.”

The airline is a member of the S7 Group of companies. In 2016 Group member airlines carried more than 13.1 million passengers.



Tourism Observer

ANGOLA: Luanda Overtakes Hong Kong As Most Expensive City For Expatriates To Live In

Mercer’s annual Cost of Living Survey finds African, Asian, and European cities dominate the list of most expensive locations for working abroad

- Luanda overtakes Hong Kong as the most expensive city for expatriates to live in according to Mercer’s 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey.

- Victoria in the Seychelles ranks 14th most expensive city sharing the same ranking with Moscow.

Cape Town, Blantyre and Windhoek ranks amongst the 15 cheapest cities globally.

In a rapidly changing world, mobility has become a core component of multinational organizations’ global talent strategy. To support the growing number of international assignees working in an increased number of locations, organizations are focusing on evaluating assignments from a cultural perspective, preparing for regional and lateral moves, and modifying compensation approaches to stay competitive.

As organizations grapple with these challenges, they are working hard to accommodate the needs of their workforce and to support employees’ careers. According to Mercer’s (www.Mercer.com) 2017 Global Talent Trends Study, fair and competitive pay as well as opportunities for promotion are top priorities for employees this year – not surprising given the current climate of uncertainty and change.

As a result, multinational organizations are carefully assessing the cost of expatriate packages for their international assignees. Mercer’s 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey finds that factors like instability of housing markets and inflation for goods and services contribute to the overall cost of doing business in today’s global environment.

“Globalization of the marketplace is well documented with many companies operating in multiple locations around the world and promoting international assignments to enhance the experience of future managers,” said Ilya Bonic, Senior Partner and President of Mercer’s Career business. “There are numerous personal and organizational advantages for sending employees overseas, whether for long- or short-term assignments, including career development by obtaining global experience, the creation and transfer of skills, and the re-allocation of resources.”

Mercer’s 2017 Cost of Living Survey finds Asian and European cities – particularly Hong Kong (2), Tokyo (3), Zurich (4), and Singapore (5) – top the list of most expensive cities for expatriates. The costliest city, driven by cost of goods and security, is Luanda (1), the capital of Angola view the Top 15 Cities Ranking here: http://APO.af/hrS2vG). Other cities appearing in the top 10 of Mercer’s costliest cities for expatriates are Seoul (6), Geneva (7), Shanghai (8), New York City (9), and Bern (10). The world’s least expensive cities for expatriates, according to Mercer’s survey, are Tunis (209), Bishkek (208), and Skopje (206).

Mercer's authoritative survey is one of the world’s most comprehensive, and is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees. New York is used as the base city and all cities are compared against it.

Currency movements are measured against the US dollar. The survey includes over 400 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

“While historically mobility, talent management, and rewards have been managed independently of one another, organizations are now using a more holistic approach to enhance their mobility strategies. Compensation is important to be competitive and must be determined appropriately based on the cost of living, currency, and location,” said Mr. Bonic.

Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Only three European cities remain in the top 10 list of most expensive cities for expatriates.

Zurich (4) is still the most costly European city on the list, followed by Geneva (7) and Bern (10). Moscow (14) and St. Petersburg (36) surged fifty-three and one hundred and sixteen places from last year respectively, due to the strong appreciation of the ruble against the US dollar and the cost of goods and services. Meanwhile, London (30), Aberdeen (146) and Birmingham (147) dropped thirteen, sixty-one and fifty-one spots respectively as a result of the pound weakening against the US dollar following the Brexit vote. Copenhagen (28) fell four places from 24 to 28. Oslo (46) is up thirteen spots from last year, while Paris fell eighteen places to rank 62.

Other Western European cities dropped in the rankings as well, mainly due to the weakening of local currencies against the US dollar. Vienna (78) and Rome (80) fell in the ranking by 24 and 22 spots, respectively. The German cities of Munich (98), Frankfurt (117), and Berlin (120) dropped significantly as did Dusseldorf (122) and Hamburg (125).

Despite moderate price increases in most of the European cities, European currencies have weakened against the US dollar, which pushed most Western European cities down in the ranking,” explained Ms. Constantin-Métral. “Additionally, other factors like the Eurozone’s economy have impacted these cities.

As a result of local currencies depreciating against the US dollar, some cities in Eastern and Central Europe, including Prague (132) and Budapest (176) fell in the ranking, while Minsk (200) and Kiev (163) jumped four and thirteen spots, respectively, despite stable accommodations in these locations.

Ranking 17, Tel Aviv jumped two spots from last year and continues to be the most expensive city in the Middle East for expatriates followed by Dubai (20), Abu Dhabi (23), and Riyadh (52), which have all climbed in this year’s ranking. Jeddah (117), Muscat (92), and Doha (81) are among the least expensive cities in the region. Cairo (183) is the least expensive city in the region plummeting ninety-two spots from last year following a major devaluation of its local currency (view the Bottom 15 Cities Ranking here: http://APO.af/4AAhwv).

Egypt’s decision to allow its currency to float freely in return for a 12 billion dollar loan over three years to help strengthen its economy resulted in the massive devaluation of the Egyptian Pound by more than 100% against the US dollar, pushing Cairo down the ranking” said Ms. Constantin-Métral.”

Quite a few African cities continue to rank high in this year’s survey, reflecting high living costs and prices of goods for expatriate employees (view the African Cities Ranking here: http://APO.af/pCXLBW). Luanda (1) takes the top spot as the most expensive city for expatriates across Africa and globally despite its currency weakening against the US dollar.

Luanda is followed by Victoria (14), Ndjamena (16), and Kinshasa (18). Tunis falls six spots to rank 209 as the least expensive city in the region and overall.

Asia Pacific

Five of the top 10 cities in this year’s ranking are in Asia. Hong Kong (2) is the most expensive city as a result of its currency pegged to the US dollar, which drove up the cost of accommodations locally. This global financial center is followed by Tokyo (3), Singapore (5), Seoul (6), and Shanghai (8).

“The strengthening of the Japanese yen along with the high costs of expatriate consumer goods and a dynamic housing market pushed Japanese cities up in the ranking,” said Ms. Constantin-Métral. “However, the majority of Chinese cities fell in the ranking due to the weakening of the Chinese yuan against the US dollar.”

Australian cities have all experienced further jumps up the global ranking since last year due to the strengthening of the Australian dollar. Sydney (25), Australia’s most expensive city for expatriates, gained seventeen places in the ranking along with Melbourne (46) and Perth (50) which went up twenty-five and nineteen spots, respectively.

India’s most expensive city, Mumbai (57), climbed twenty-five places in the ranking due to its rapid economic growth, inflation on the goods and services basket and a stable currency against the US Dollar. This most populous city in India is followed by New Delhi (99) and Chennai (135) which rose in the ranking by thirty-one and twenty-three spots, respectively. Bengaluru (166) and Kolkata (184), the least expensive Indian cities, climbed in the ranking as well.

Elsewhere in Asia, Bangkok (67) jumped seven places from last year. Jakarta (88) and Hanoi (100) also rose in the ranking, up five and six places, respectively. Karachi (201) and Bishkek (208) remain the region’s least expensive cities for expatriates.

The Americas

Cities in the United States are the most expensive locations in the Americas, with New York City (9) ranked as the costliest city, climbing two spots from last year. San Francisco (22) and Los Angeles (24) follow, having climbed four and three spots respectively. Among other major US cities, Chicago (32) is up two places, Boston (51) is down four places, and Seattle is up seven places. Portland (115) and Winston Salem (140) remain the least expensive surveyed cities for expatriates in the US.

Nathalie Constantin-Métral, Principal at Mercer with responsibility for compiling the survey ranking, said, “Overall, US cities either remained stable in the ranking or have slightly increased due to the movement of the US dollar against the majority of currencies worldwide.”

In South America, Brazilian cities Sao Paulo (27) and Rio de Janeiro (56) surged 101 and 100 spots, respectively, due to the strengthening of the Brazilian real against the US dollar. Buenos Aires, the Argentina capital and financial hub ranked 40 followed by Santiago (67) and Montevideo, Uruguay (65), which jumped forty-one and fifty-four places, respectively. Other cities in South America that rose on the list of costliest cities for expatriates include Lima (104) and Havana (151).

Dropping from 94th position, San Jose, Costa Rica (110) experienced the largest drop in the region as the US dollar strengthened against the Costa Rican colon. Caracas in Venezuela has been excluded from the ranking due to the complex currency situation. Depending on which exchange rate is being used, the city would arrive at the top or at the bottom of the ranking.

“Inflationary concerns continued to cause some South American cities to rise in the ranking, whereas the weakening of the local currencies in some of the region’s cities caused them to drop in the ranking,” said Ms. Constantin-Métral.

Up thirty-five places from last year, Vancouver (107) has overtaken Toronto (119) to become the most expensive Canadian city in the ranking, followed by Montreal (129) and Calgary (143). Ranking 152, Ottawa is the least expensive city in Canada. “The Canadian dollar has appreciated in value triggering the major jumps in this year’s ranking,” explained Ms. Constantin-Métral.

LATVIA: airBaltic Planning Eight CS300 Aircraft By End 2017

airBaltic has received the fourth of its 20 Bombardier CS300 jets on firm order. By the end of this year, airBaltic is planning to have eight CS300 aircraft.

The modernized fleet is ensuring growth of airBaltic with at least 13 additional routes and +15% more tickets on sale in 2017.

The fourth airBaltic CS300 aircraft, registered as YL-CSD, arrived in Riga on June 2, 2017. The flight time was 7 hours and 58 minutes and the aircraft covered 6 410 km non-stop distance between the Canadian and Latvian airports.

Thus far, airBaltic has completed more than 1 296 flights and flown over 3 130 block hours with the brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft.

By the end of 2019 airBaltic is planning to have 20 Bombardier CS300 aircraft on its fleet. With an average jet fleet age of only 2 years, airBaltic, as an all-Bombardier operator, will have one of the youngest jet fleets in Europe.

airBaltic CS300 aircraft currently operates on such popular routes as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, Moscow, London, Paris, Vienna, Athens, Madrid and others.

The new Bombardier CS300 aircraft, with a total of 145 seats, offers excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and more.

New aircraft is also much quieter – with four times smaller noise footprint.

Moreover, at the moment, it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20% and 50% respectively.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.

In addition, airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

MALDIVES: Singha Estate And Café Del Mar Partner To Open Mega Project In The Maldives

Thailand-based real estate developer Singha Estate has revealed its latest collaboration with Ibiza beach club operator Café Del Mar to open a mega project in the Maldives.

The Café Del Mar beach club will be the flagship and the largest of its kind in the Indian Ocean with a space of over 5,000 square meters.

The Café Del Mar beach club will be the flagship in the Indian Ocean with a space of over 5,000 square meters.

Singha’s mega project will also feature names such as the Hard Rock Hotel Group, with phase one set for opening next year to include a yacht marina, retail outlets, hotels and stretch of white sand beach.

The club is popular among its fans thanks to its high creativity, said Thiti Thongbenjamas, Chief Investment Officer of Singha Estate.

They have created their own music tailored made for each event or activity. Many of the music creations by celebrity DJs like Roger Sanchez, Dimitri, Boy George and Paul Oakenfold are familiar faces among fans.

While staying true to familiar Café Del Mar components, the new club in the Maldives will also include new elements such as modern cooking technique using only premium local ingredients together with exotic components sourced by Singha Group, Café del Mar’s director, Domenic Zappia, added.

Meanwhile, Russia Hotel Upgrading & Development Forum is scheduled from 17th-18th, May, 2017 Sheraton Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport Hotel, in Moscow, Russia.

The Russian hotel industry is full of optimism, with an increase in domestic trips, high occupancy rates and increasing investments from industry giants such as Hilton, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and IHG.

Meanwhile, many Russian hoteliers are considering upgrading the exsiting infrastructure of their hotels, and investing in improving standards to meet consumers’ expectations, in order to be successful and stay ahead of the competition.

Mykar’s Russia Hotel Upgrading & Development Forum gathers high level executives from hospitality industry developers, investors, Goverment,Developers, Regulators,Construction Companies, Archeticts, Solution providers, Financial Institutes and Associations in a focused 2-day program.

Panel discussions and presentations will elaborate investment strategies, commercial challenges, operational efficiency and updated technologies required for guaranteeing customer satisfaction and success.

SLOVENIA: The Great Museum Of Illusions,

A new museum in Ljubljana promises to be a mind-bending experience. The Museum of Illusions in the Slovenian capital aims to take travellers through a series of optical illusions, holograms and more.

According to its website, visitors will have to have their cameras ready for exhibits that make people look like their head is on a platter, a rotated room where they can walk on the ceiling, an “anti-gravity” room where balls rolls upwards and water flows uphill, and an Ames room that will make visitors shrink and grow like Alice in Wonderland.

There is also the Vortex Tunnel that “will drive you crazy and make you believe you’re heavily struggling just to make a step forward through a rotating cylinder – on a surface so stable and flat”.

But the tricks are intended to do more than just disorient, they are designed to teach visitors about vision, perceptions, the human brain and science. The museum is open every day from 9 am to 10 pm and it located at Congress Square, one of the city’s central squares.

While the museum is new in Ljubljana, it’s not the first of its kind in Europe.

Zadar, Croatia also has a Museum of Illusions, as does Barcelona, Moscow and St Petersburg.

S7 Airlines Flying To Pisa

S7 Airlines announces the addition of Moscow — Pisa scheduled flights to the summer schedule of 2017. Tickets are available now.

Direct flights to the Pisa airport will start on April 26, 2017 and will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Flights will depart from Moscow airport Domodedovo at 08:00 and arrive at 10:55 local time. Return flights will depart at 11:50 and arrive in Moscow at 16:25. The flights will be performed on modern and comfortable Airbus 320 aircraft with economy and business class sections.

Pisa is located ten kilometers from beaches of the Ligurian Sea and it will take you only an hour to get to the Florence, capital of Tuscany, and two hours to get to Rome. The historical heritage and favorable location make the city one of the most popular destinations for both excursions nerds and fans of beach recreation.

“For the last 18 months, there was not direct service between Moscow and Pisa. Although Pisa is not only the world-famous sights but also the proximity to one of the most beautiful Italian cities, Florence. S7 Airlines launches direct scheduled flights to Pisa from where the passengers can begin travelling around the Tuscany with comfort: they can see the Leaning Tower of Pisa with their own eyes or get on a trip to Florence or Livorno”, Igor Veretennikov, Commerce Director of S7 Group, notes.

Pisa is the fifth Italian destination on the S7 Airlines flight map. The airline also performs scheduled flights to Verona, Naples and Turin and, in summer, to Genoa.

Air tickets can be purchased at s7.ru, through the iPhone app or the Android app, and at any S7 sales office. You can also learn accurate flight information, book and buy tickets by calling our Contact Centre at 8 800 700–0707 (free for Russia).