News & Stories

Sharjah. The third largest Arabian Emirate, Sharjah, is focussing on culture and families in an attempt to set itself apart from the glitz and glamour of neighbouring Dubai. But in Sharjah too, all signs point to growth. The number of hotel rooms and apartment complexes is to grow from 8,500 to 12,000 by 2013. This is also to include the construction of ten new luxury hotels. Up to now, the 3-star hotels are dominating. At the four-day "Arabian Travel Market" commencing next Tuesday in Dubai, Sharjah will present its most recent projects.

Frankfurt/M. At short notice, a strong run-up to the opening of IMEX 2010 on May 25th has seen a significant number of new exhibitors, also hotels deciding to take space at the Frankfurt trade show plus an upturn in stand increases from existing exhibitors.

Frankfurt. Airlines have too large a scope when setting their fares. This lack of transparency leads to higher travel costs and is the result of a study, which should be interesting for hotel managers who travel frequently.

Oberursel. Thomas Cook is streamlining its organisational structure. At the same time, Gisela Soekeland, the longstanding Distribution & Marketing Director, will withdraw from operations on May 1, 2010, switching to the company’s supervisory board.

Wiesbaden. In year one after the economic crisis, all-inclusive offers are experiencing an enormous boost. Tour operators have to react to individual customer demands more flexibly than ever. "Theme vacations" such as health are in high demand. One thing is for sure: hotels that offer a substantial product are at an advantage. This year, German foreign tourists are mainly attracted to Spain, Egypt and Turkey. However: the number of undecided people is still high. A survey among large operators in Germany and Switzerland.

Salzburg. On an international level, tour operators score with massive bonuses for early bookers. Apart from that, providers try to attract customers with last-minute offers. There is almost nothing in between: medium-term business was plummeting say Austrian tour operators. However, it seems that Austrian hotels have not realised their chance: there are only very few early booking offers. The situation before this year’s summer season.

Hamburg. Today, travel directives are the norm in most large companies' travel departments. Generally, they serve as a means of cost control, determining not only the number of business trips made but also their type, the form of travel and the selection of travel or accommodation provider. All this plays its part in reducing travel expenses. Similar to travel directives, Gerhard Bleile, President of the Federation of German Event Organisers, has put together event directives in order to simplify the reservation process by companies and to bring more transparency into the event business. This is all welcomed by the hotel industry.

Wolfurt. In Austria's tourism industry, cables cars, as well as hotels, give a good indication of the buoyancy of the tourist economy. The world's biggest cable car builder is an Austrian company and it must now shed jobs.

Berlin. The mood was great. More positive than last year. Full stop. This is the brief conclusion of this year's ITB as there was no revolutionary news. Everybody was glad to have survived a difficult year, and the rising figures in January and February 2010 have been considered indicators for the emerging upswing for the entire year. However, the industry, keen to celebrate, surpassed itself with parties and events mainly on Wednesday evening. The 44th ITB Berlin counted a total of 180,000 visitors – with a slight increase in the number of exhibitors and a constantly high number of experts. A top performance in difficult times. The ITB Berlin Convention is attracting a growing number of people: with 12,500 participants, the number increased once again. 1,400 of them participated in the "ITB Hospitality Day", which were 200 more than last year. hospitalityInside was media partner and responsible for the content of the forum. The hotel convention thus had the most visitors of all conventions - together with the CSR Day.

Frankfurt. Three cities may call themselves "European Cultural Capital" simultaneously in 2010: Istanbul in Turkey, Pécs in Hungary and the Ruhr district in Germany. However, the latter sticks out, as the German "Cultural Capital" is not a single city, but a region consisting of 53 cities. A very unique situation. The region's image so far means a lot of work for external marketing. In addition, Duesseldorf, a fierce competitor in the hotel sector, is only a few kilometres away. A look at the Cultural Capital from a hotelier's perspective.