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Cathay Pacific Wins ‘Airline Of The Year 2009’ Award
Cathay Pacific Airways has been named Airline of the Year 2009 in the World Airline Awards run by the London-based Skytrax research organisation – the third time it has taken the honour in the past 10 years. The airline was also named Best Airline Asia in 2009.
The awards were presented to Cathay Pacific at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, where Skytrax was celebrating the 10th anniversary of the World Airline Awards. The 2009 awards were based on the annual World Airline Survey run by Skytrax, which was conducted between August 2008 and March 2009.
Skytrax Chief Executive Officer Edward Plaisted said: “In a global study that proved to be our largest-ever passenger survey, it is truly a great achievement for Cathay Pacific to have secured the world's best airline title in 2009. With over 16.2 million completed interviews, drawn from more than 97 nationalities around the world, we pay credit to the fact that Cathay Pacific is clearly delivering a quality of product and service that its customers really appreciate.”
Cathay Pacific has been a consistent winner in the World Airline Awards, taking the Airline of the Year honour in 2003 and 2005 and winning plaudits for its Hong Kong lounges and inflight products. In the 2008 awards the airline took the Best First Class title following the introduction of its groundbreaking new cabins.
Commenting on the latest honour, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler said: “We are delighted to once again be named Airline of the Year in the Skytrax awards. This award is very meaningful because it was voted for by the travelling public and it’s a real tribute to the dedication and professionalism shown by our whole team. At Cathay Pacific we have worked hard to develop a world-class international network from our Hong Kong home, offering passengers top-notch products and the best service in the air, and it’s very pleasing to receive this kind of global recognition.”
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Saudis Aim To Keep Travellers' Dollars At Home
Saudi Arabia is to release a new national tourism plan by the end of the year.
The long term vision for the country's hospitality sector estimates visitor numbers will nearly double from 47 million in 2008 to 88 million by 2020, while the number of hotel rooms would rise from 117,097 to 254,310.
Speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), president and board chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, said, "We have a major programme for human resource development as we see tourism as a major job creator.”
Prince Sultan stressed that development in the Kingdom was responding to demand from the domestic market and that the emphasis in the next two years would be to fulfil this need rather than cultivate overseas visitor markets
"More than US$10 billion is spent by Saudi Arabians on travelling overseas ... but they are now eager to spend a good part of their holidays at home," he said.
"We aimed to capture five percent of this but with the trend to 'holiday at home', this could be bigger - there is a large gap between supply and demand with areas such as weekend traffic showing major growth potential."
To fulfil this demand, Prince Sultan pointed to the major developments already underway in the Kingdom.
"In Jeddah alone, there is a project to redevelop the historic centre while we have 17km of untouched beachfront in the city centre," he said.
"We are working on the historic ports of the Red Sea and the railway connecting western Saudi Arabia to the east coast.
“The Red Sea will be one of the biggest growth areas with up to 21 new destinations – indeed, we will announce at least one or two of these new projects by the end of this year."
To diversify the tourism product, Prince Sultan said other initiatives included the launch of eco-lodges and farm hotels, as well as heritage accommodation:
"We are sure that hotel investment will be one of the biggest growth areas in Saudi Arabia as tourism is accepted on the national agenda," he said.
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Golf Vacation As Part Of Your Asia Holiday
Finding the ultimate dream vacation is like looking for a needle in a haystack, more specifically if you are eyeing for the Asia Holiday vacation or a golf vacation. Every one of us has a subjective idea of what would be a good vacation. It depends on one’s interests, affordability and expectations. Asia, as a wide and sundry continent, offers an extensive array of choices.
China, the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world, is a home to a diverse landscape. Some of the tourist spots include the Forbidden City, Qomolangma (known as Mt Everest in the West), Hainan Island, Huangshan Mountain, Great Wall of China, and the Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.
Found in the heart of South East Asia, Thailand is the world's 50th-largest country in terms of total area, with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km?, and the 20th most-populous country. From the mountains of Mae Hong Son to the islands of the Andaman Sea and dance clubs of Bangkok, Thailand is surely SE Asia's premiere destination.
India, officially the Republic of India, is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. The grandeur of the Taj Mahal, the historical Fatehpur Sikri, the Lotus Temple and the alluring Dal Lake are among the famous places to visit in India.
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south. Its population of 6.9 million people resulted in earning the title of one of the most densely populated areas in the world. From fanciful cultural celebrations to astonishing attractions, Hong Kong is one of the world's hottest destinations. Some of its popular festivals/events are the Chinese New Year celebrations, Bun and Buddha Festival, Hong Kong Shopping Festival and the Mid Autumn Lantern celebrations. Islands like Cheung Chao, Lantau and Lamma are famous for its scenic beauty and exploration activities.
Another mode of enjoying your holiday is planning for a golf vacation. Moreover, Asia is no way running behind in offering the best packages in golf vacation. There is a conglomeration of golf vacation paradise as you may put it. First on the list is the Kabul Golf Club, which offers a high-altitude high-risk desert course where the hazards go beyond the usual roughs and bunkers. Famed not only for its beaches, Thailand is also known for its golf courses, like the Laguna Phuket Golf Club. The 18-hole, par-71 course, was designed by Max Wexler and David Abell and features surging fairways with lagoons and large greens. The Blue Canyon Country Club, probably the most famous golf club in Phuket, is a location to several five-star resorts. In Indonesia, the Ria Bintan Golf Club has a popular 27-hole championship golf course designed by veteran Gary Player, consisting of an 18-hole Ocean Course and a 9-hole Forest Course. An Asian-based golf magazine has named the Ocean Course’s hole 7 the best par-5 hole in Asia. Golf vacation in Asia can give you all the satisfaction of you prerequisites.
Pleasures and leisure do come in a variety of ways. It is only a matter of choice and your ability to expend for it.
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Qatar’s New Islamic Art Museum Opens Its Doors
Its full bloom sunflower straight on sand! Yes, You might have heard of small underdeveloped towns becoming rich, but when a desert town Qatar, better known as tiny oil rich nation transforms itself into a sprawling international city, its obvious to raise eyebrows. You call it miracle or whatever, but believe it or not Qatar only knows its secret.
Keeping everyone awestruck, Qatar has decided to open the door of its new Islamic Art museum, shifting its investment radar towards promoting art and culture. Designed by 91, year old American architect, I.M Pei, this Art museum is the latest initiative by this tiny oil rich nation to compete with rival gulf countries for international attention and investment.
This much-awaited museum of Islamic art is the first of certain planned ambitious projects in the gulf to be realized. The five story stone building sits atop an artificial island like an imposing fortress, just half a mile off the Qatari capital of Doha.
In a statement, Abdulla al-Najjar, the head of Qatar’s museum authority said that ‘the museum of Islamic art will be the starting place for the Qatari cultural experience.’ Abdulla also said that not only the museum boasts of its magnificent exterior, but also its equally inspirational collection inside.
The representatives of the museum agree that Pei’s design was inspired by Islamic architectural history, especially the 19th century mosque of Ahmed ibn Tulun in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Pei’s other designs include the Louvre’s glass pyramid in Paris, China Tower in Hong Kong, and the East Building of National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
The museum’s 800-piece permanent collection includes books, manuscripts, ceramics, and other items brought to Qatar’s capital from all over Middle East including India and Spain.
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The Highest Sky Lounge of Dubai Opens on the 63rd Floor
The hotel has a philosophy of “where life happens.” True to its philosophy, the hotel is situated in a place regarded as the most exclusively developed square kilometer in the world. It was opened in 2008. The Downtown Burj Dubai hosts the 196 room flagship hotel with Neos as the highest lounge in Dubai city. It also introduces a new hotel brand into the world of international luxury and hospitality scene. The 63rd floor Neos offers a breathtaking view of the city.
The “must see” destination for residents and visitors in Dubai portray exclusive designing and play hosts to glamor and luxury, as said by Cora De Conceicao-Stuart, the Manager of the hotel. The interior designs are deeply influenced by the past ages. It has resulted to an Art Deco with a contemporary twist. The floor to ceiling windows offers another landmark view of Dubai. It will be a jaw-dropping sight to catch the sight of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower. The black granite with reflective quartz gives a twinkling starry effect and with the Crystal chandeliers, the Neos is an awesome place to be. This is not the end, the six-meter high mirror-polished columns surrounded with down-lit stainless steel creating a mesmerizing effect. The monochromatic color palette of blacks, silvers and greys with rich wine gives contrast and warmth.
The delicious dishes offered by the hotel include French oysters and Boston lobster. The world caviar selection provides a highlight. Neos also offers homemade delicacies such as Duck Proscuito with Foie Gras terrine and Wagyu beef croquette.
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