EK flies high with WGC-HSBC Champions

Shanghai, China, 4th November 2009 - EK airlines, as the Official Airline of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions 2009, is ready for take off at Asia’s first WGC event, which will be held at the Sheshan Golf Club, Shanghai. US$7 million has fixed the eyes of seven of the world’s top-10 golf stars, including world number one Tiger Woods, former winners of the HSBC Champions Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Yang Yong-Eun, as well as Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey and Geoff Ogilvy. The championship is the start of a busy year of golf sponsorships for the Dubai-based international airline. In addition to its partnership with the HSBC Champions, Emirates is the Official Airline to a further 12 tournaments, including the Barclays Singapore Open, Australian Open Championship, Thailand Open, Hong Kong Open, the Australian PGA Championship, Dubai Desert Classic, Malaysian Open, Volvo China Open, BMW International Open, Austrian Open, Hero Honda Indian Open and the Dubai Ladies Masters. “Emirates is delighted to be part of the WGC-HSBC Champions 2009, which has attracted a world-class line-up of golfers including Tiger Woods, said Edwin Lau, Emirates Vice President, Greater China. “As the name suggests, World Golf Championships are played all around the - just like Emirates vast network spanning six continents. Golf sponsorships offer Emirates the opportunity to strengthen our brand awareness and receive international exposure. Golf is a lifestyle preference for many of our passengers and our sponsorship of international golfing events allows us to share and support their interest in the game. Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship, HSBC Holdings, added: “Emirates firm support of the HSBC Champions for second successive year is further proof that the world’s local bank is achieving its aim of bringing world’s top golf events to Asia. “One glance at their sponsorship portfolio whether it’s their Official Partner status with the 2010 FIFA World Cup or the cricket and rugby world cups, or their sponsorship of football teams like Arsenal, AC Milan and Paris St Germain shows that they only associate themselves with the best sports properties in the world. During the tournament, EK airlines be prominent in the course and run a number of promotions in the public area to give spectators the opportunity to win flights to Dubai. Skywards, Emirates frequent flyer programme, is offering golf fans the chance to win 200,000 Skywards Miles - equivalent to two Business Class return tickets to Dubai, with participants required to guess the number of golf balls in a travel pack. Spectators can also try their luck at the “Longest Putt competition where they will have another chance to win a Business Class ticket to the golf capital of the Middle East. Through Emirates Closest-to-the-Pin challenge during the Pro-Am, donations to Project Hope give amateur golfers yet another opportunity to win Business Class return tickets to Dubai. Emirates has more to offer. At the silent auction located at the Emirates booth, all spectators can bid for a range of Emirates merchandise signed by sports stars, including “Fly Emirates T-shirts and caps, golf ball packs, golf towels, gym bags, and an A380 aircraft model. Last prices of the day win and all proceeds will again go to Project Hope. In addition to golf, Emirates sponsors a number of other sports properties, including; FIFA, as an Official Partner; high-profile football teams like Arsenal, Paris Saint German, Hamburger SV, AC Milan and Olympiacos; ICC, as an Official Partner; the IRB as a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011; while it also supports leading horse races around the world. The airline also extends its support of golf to passengers by allowing them to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge - in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance - in any class of service on all Emirates flights. Emirates connects China and Dubai with 13 and 12 weekly passenger services from Shanghai and Beijing respectively, a daily service from Guangzhou, twice-daily service from Hong Kong and seven dedicated freighter services every week from Shanghai. Emirates has received more than 400 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service since its launch in 1985. With a fleet of over a 130 modern, wide-bodied aircraft, the airline currently flies to 101 destinations in six continents, from its international hub of Dubai.

New London Vacation Guide Helps Keep Your Travel Budget Under Control

London, England May 18, 2006

Gareth Owen, the creator of London Vacation Guide (http://www.londonvacationguide.com), built the site after listening to the woes of overseas visitors at his bar in London, ”They told me how much they were paying for their accommodation and sightseeing trips and I knew there were much cheaper and better ways to see London if you knew where to find them

The site includes information, articles, and recommendations written in the style of a helpful friend, or barman, as well as online booking facilities and links to other useful websites. The team of researchers and writers provide insider tips on anything from how to get into sold out theatre shows and members only bars, to booking &163;20 hotel rooms and where Londoners head for their discount shopping.

It took more than six months to research and compile the information before building the site that Owen says, “is aimed at both first time visitors who want to enjoy the major London tourist attractions, and people who have previously visited and are now looking for experiences away from the crowds.

Along with general London travel advice; there are specific sections relating to accommodation, entertainment, eating and drinking, sightseeing, shopping, family travel, gay and lesbian attractions, disabled traveller advice, sporting events and outdoor activities. London Vacation Guide also offers a monthly newsletter to keep visitors informed of the latest openings, special offers and travel news updates before they arrive.

There is also a discussion forum so visitors past and present can post their questions or recommendations to help new or returning visitors on their London vacation.

The site is always growing and keeping up to date with present and future activity in London and ofcourse always advising on how to save money at every opportunity.

Passenger number dropped in February

“We can see that the negative trend experienced over the past few months is continuing. The fall in traffic volume by 18.7% was primarily due to the economic downturn and the resulting fall in travel activity caused by the financial crisis. Moreover, traffic was extraordinarily high in February 2008, one of the reasons being that it was a leap year, said Carsten Nørland, Director of Aviation, Copenhagen Airports A/S. The leap year alone meant that there were approximately 3% more passengers than during a normal February of 28 days.

2009 will be a difficult year
1,307,868 passengers travelled through Copenhagen Airport in February, which was 299,846 fewer than in February last year. International traffic fell by 19.2% to 1,171,006 passengers, and domestic traffic fell by 13.4% to 136,862 passengers.

“We are still not prepared to speculate as to when traffic growth at Copenhagen Airport will pick up again, but we expect that 2009 will generally be a difficult with overall fall in traffic, said Nørland.

NexClub 86 The only event where people from all areas of the industry can meet, network and have fun.

March 16, 2002

Hong Kong &194;– Club 86 is back and the event in Hong Kong on March 6 was first of the many meetings planned worldwide, with new city

added each month.

NexC, the global hospitality network, has revived this relaxed and informal gathering of hospitality industry professionals, much needed in

today&194;’s hectic business environment. &194;“86&194;” is an American slang used in the hospitality industry that means &194;“out of order&194;” or &194;“unavailable.&194;”

More than 100 professionals in Hong Kong from all industry sectors in the restaurant, hotel, travel trade and tourism met on Tuesday night

for a few drinks, snacks and relaxed conversation at 1/5, Elite Concepts&194;’ new stylish bar in Wanchai.

This networking event is the brainchild of Josef Paier, NexC and Paul Hsu, Elite Concepts that met first time in 1986 for the opening of

Shanghai Hilton. Before the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, they had organized networking events behind hotels and

restaurants. With the movements of people in the industry, the get-together faded gradually &194;– much to the regrets of many participants

who valued the friendships and the free exchange of ideas they have made in every event.

In response to numerous requests, NexC has led the revival of this &194;“evening network&194;” in the industry now named &194;“NexClub 86.&194;” The

schedule of succeeding meetings in Hong Kong is every first Tuesday of the month. This will bring together a cross section of personalities

from the hospitality industry, academe and trade organizations.

The gathering will soon include guest speaker or a short presentation, as well as raffle draw to make sure it becomes a winning event. The

April 2 meeting will be held again at 1/5, followed on May 7 in Cyrano at Island Shangri-La, June 4 in Club97 at Lan Kwai Fong, and July 2

at Caf&195;&169; Deco Bar.

But NexC won&194;’t stop there as it plans to lead the creation of similar get-together events in cities throughout the world with the NexClub 86

first kick-off in Manila on April 2.

For the latest updates on upcoming NexClub 86 events around the globe, check out the Web site at http://www.nexc.com/club86 or e-mail the

following addresses at josef.paier@nexc-corp.com and ph@elite-concepts.com.

Related Links:

http://www.elite-concepts.com/
http://www.shangri-la.com/eng/hotel/index.aspid=18
http://www.cafedeco.com/
http://www.nexc.com/club86>.

Emirates airlines provides access to full content through Amadeus for five years

10th March, 2009 - Amadeus, global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, has signed a five year worldwide agreement with Emirates to ensure travel agents have access to the airline’s full range of content. “We are delighted to offer Amadeus travel agents efficient access to our full range of content using Amadeus extensive global network, said Keith Longstaff, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide at Emirates. “We remain fully committed to working with the travel agency channel as we continue to expand our reach, providing a high quality service with the latest routes between Asia, Europe and the Americas. The full range of Emirates fares, schedules and inventory made available through the Amadeus system will be the same, and under the same conditions as that offered through any indirect or direct channel, distribution provider or website. “We believe that Emirates choice to offer agents unhindered access to their content will help agents immeasurably as they continue to service travellers in key growth areas such as Australia, Europe and the Middle East, said Philippe Chereque, Executive Vice President, Commercial, Amadeus. “Offering efficient access to content will help airlines make more sales

Four new European routes

”More competition always benefits passengers, as it means greater flexibility, more flights and, not least, lower prices. Therefore, we are very pleased that Norwegian is once again expanding its Danish base with four new routes says Carsten Nørland, Director of Aviation, Copenhagen Airport.

”Copenhagen has fast become an important base for Norwegian, and we have received a very warm welcome from Danish as well as Swedish passengers departing from Copenhagen. Despite the financial crisis, we are experiencing strong demand and an increasing number of passengers. Passengers have become more price-conscious, and more and more are choosing Norwegian and our low prices, explains Daniel Skjeldam, Commercial Director, Norwegian.

The four new routes will open on 17 August with three weekly flights from Kastrup to Vienna, Rome and Dublin, respectively, and six weekly flights to Warsaw.

New Sichuan Museum to open in May

The new Sichuan Museum will be open to visitors for free on May 9.

Located in South Huanhua Road in western Chengdu, the museum will be the largest province-level museum that houses historical and cultural items in western China. It combines the functions of exhibition, souvenir sales, tourist service, relic protection and cultural exchange.

The museum boasts some 260,000 collections and has 10 theme halls, including the hall of Han Dynasty (206 BC­24 AD) pottery, the hall of bronze articles of ancient Sichuan, the hall of ceramic articles and the hall of Zhang Daqians art works.

The museum offers free admission to visitors, who are asked to obtain tickets at the gate of the museum. The number of visitors will be limited to 4,000 per day.