Soltan travels commends TBI for branding their office as a Royal Caribbean cruise sales outlet

Soltan Travel & Tours Limited, the pioneer and leading wholesale cruise agent for Nigeria and Ghana, has congratulated Tour Brokers International for choosing to brand their office as a Royal Caribbean cruise sales outlet.

Soltan that is also the official Representative for Cruises International in Nigeria, said TBI was one of the first agencies to run with their vision of promoting cruise vacations in Nigeria, while their representative participated in their  very first Agents FAM Cruise in September, 2006.

In the letter personally signed by the Managing Director, Victoria Soluade, she said “We are proud of how far they have come and are glad they have found their niche in the market.”

Soltan Travel product offers include over 18 Ocean and River cruise companies. There is such a wide variety to suite every sector of the market. I therefore seize this opportunity to encourage other agents who are yet to sell cruise holidays to join us. For those who prefer to specialize in a particular cruise product or destination, you are welcome so to do. 

Medical Tourism: ABUAD to Partner ADB to Build N10b Medical Facilities

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

Ado-Ekiti-The African Development Bank has indicated its intention to partner with Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti,  in financing  an ultra-modern medical facility in the university with sole aim of saving the nation billions of naira being spent by Nigerians to seek medica treatment abroad annually.

The ABUAD’s founder, Chief Afe Babalola(SAN) made the disclosure on Monday during an interactive session with the ADB delegation. 

The legal Luminary, who frowned at the way Nigerians are spending billions of naira annually to treat various ailments that are supposed to be treated locally, abroad,  said the hospital will not only serve in treating Nigerians of various ailments, but would also serve as a training ground for medical students in various fields of medicine.

Conducting the delegation round the construction site of the ongoing medical hospital in the university,  Babalola said the university is going into such partnership to develop the health sector, the way the university has intervened and pioneered quality university education in Nigeria.

According to Babalola,“just as BUAD intervened in giving Nigerians the best way to run a university education, we are also intervening this time  to develop the health sector .

“We are doing this gigantic medical project  through direct labour. A sum of N2 billion has been spent so far. We need another N6 billion. We are determined to put the best diagnostic equipment in place and this will cost a sum of N6 billion if we are to achieve the dream.

“We also wants to hire the services of the best consultants in Nigeria and abroad to start it and also train our experts here for sustainability. To finish the entire building and to get the best experts will cost another N2 billion making our expenses on this hospital to be N10 billion”, he disclosed.

Speaking on behalf of the ADB delegation, Mr Akinwumi Emmanuel, said

the bank rated ABUAD as one of the best private universities in Africa and globally, saying no amount will be too much to be invested in such a committed university that is striving towards making Africa a force to be reckoned with educationally.

The ADB chief said the International Finance Corporation and KMWD of

Germany, which are arms of the World Bank, have shown commitment  on the possibility of exploring investment opportunities in ABUAD.

“We came here some months ago to see what were on grounds and we filed our reports alongside our proposals to the headquarters and some experts in the financial organization were sent down to validate it.

“If this partnership should scale through, ABUAD will be the first university to be funded by ADB in Nigeria. This is a landmark achievement necessitated by the big dream and vision of ABUAD’s founder”, he said.

AERO’S EASTER FAMILY AND FRIENDS PROMO

 

Aero, Nigeria’s leading e-airline has announced special offer for its passengers ahead of the forthcoming Easter celebrations.

 

The aim of the promo tagged "Family and Friends Promo” is to appreciate and reward the loyal airline customers during the Easter period and to encourage Nigerians to fly more often. To further reward passengers Aero branded T-shirts can also be won in-flight as our passengers travel this Easter season. Any passenger may be lucky to win one.

 

The Commercial Manager of Aero Chima Okereke said: "To participate in the 'Family and Friends Promo,' which will commence today and last throughout the Easter, customers will have to purchase five (5) tickets in a group, and then get one ticket for free. All the five (5) bookings must come under the same booking reference.

"The free sixth ticket can be used at any other time within the validity of the complementary ticket and based on applicable terms and conditions."

 

He urged customers to take advantage of this special promo which will be available online at www.flyaero.com  and across the Sales counters.

He further explained that the T-shirt is a way of rewarding the airline's customers, promising that the airline is working to offer more rewards to its esteemed customers in the coming months. 

 

Chima added: “We are committed to providing world-class flight services at competitive rates for customers who will be travelling to visit families and friends within the Easter period. 

 

"Aero is most delighted to introduce this special promo. We appreciate our customers, and we promise to continue to offer them memorable travel experience, with on-time departures, and commitment to wonderful customer packages. We shall endeavour to introduce more innovative products and services during the year."

 

Aero flies to major cities in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana. It has operated scheduled and charter air transportation for over the last fifty-five years.

 

 

NAHCON distributes 2016 Hajj slots to states, FCT, Armed Forces

 The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced the distribution of the 2016 Hajj slots for 36 States of the Federation, the FCT and the Armed Forces contingent.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by Alhaji Uba Mana, Head of Media of NAHCON.

The statement said that the distribution was sequel to Hajj quota of 76,000 pilgrims approved for Nigeria by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It said that the Kingdom approved 66,000 slots for pilgrims from government quota and 10,000 for pilgrims coming through private tour operators.

According to the statement, NAHCON has earlier issued guidelines for licensing of the state Pilgrims' Welfare bodies; registration of pilgrims, accommodation of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and provision of catering services.

The statement explained that the guidelines were sequel to rules and regulations governing Hajj and Umrah, developed by the commission in line with its establishment Act.

It added that the guidelines were meant to streamline Hajj and Umrah operations with a view to setting standard in the management, conduct and provision of Hajj and Umrah services to Nigerian pilgrims. (NAN)

Emirates rolls out fun activities for all ages at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

Emirates will be once again actively engaging the visitors of this year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature with imaginative on-ground experiences that merge family fun with technology.

Dina Al Herais - VP Commercial , VIP Customer Relations said: “People are constantly interacting with technology, and this year we wanted to connect with visitors in innovative ways. So we built on our latest virtual reality innovations to help create more awareness around Emirates’ history - in keeping with the festival’s theme of time. Our visitors will also have the opportunity to experience the breadth of our destination network in a fun way.”

Augmented reality experiences featuring Oculus Rift will immerse visitors in a journey through time, where they can catch a glimpse into Emirates’ 30 year history.

The airline will also be running an augmented reality competition where visitors can participate by downloading a special App on their smart phones. In the spirit of a “treasure hunt”, clues will be laid out across the festival venue for participants to identify and scan themed floor stickers and use the App to decipher the content that will appear on their phone. Once they have completed the treasure hunt and obtained all the answers, they can visit the Emirates stand and enter to win a prize.

Families will also enjoy interacting with Emirates’ newest range of on-board and lounge toys at this year’s festival. A special ‘’Emirates Fly With Me’ backdrop has been created with cut outs of the new animals. They will be able to have a Polaroid photo taken by Emirates Cabin Crew. Lewis the Lion and Leila the Camel, the latest onboard animals will also be roaming around the festival and children will have the chance to take a photo with them.

Emirates’ on-ground activities will run from 10 March until 12 March at the InterContinental Hotel Festival City.

Emirates has been the title sponsor of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature since its inception in 2009. The Festival is another channel of sponsorship which allows the airline to engage with its existing customers as well as offer an opportunity to support the growth of arts and creative industries in Dubai.

Qatar airline announces 14 new destinations

Qatar Airways concluded a successful appearance at the world’s largest travel and tourism fair, ITB Berlin, having made a significant network announcement whilst debuting its new cutting-edge technology exhibition stand to hundreds of travel professionals from around the world.

On the first day of ITB, Qatar Airways hosted a capacity crowd of more than 200 international journalists and announced a significant network expansion. The airline will soon serve five new cities in Europe: Pisa, Italy; Sarajevo, Bosnia; Helsinki, Finland; Skopje, Macedonia; and Nice, France.

Qatar Airways will also add six new destinations in Africa: Marrakech, Morocco; Windhoek, Namibia; Seychelles, Indian Ocean; Douala, Cameroon; Libreville, Gabon; and Lusaka, Zambia; and three new destinations in Asia and the South West Pacific: Auckland, New Zealand; Krabi and Chiang Mai in Thailand.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways continues to be the fastest-growing airline in the history of aviation, a distinction we wear proudly. We continue to connect the world, one flight at a time, and the public continues to respond to our extraordinary service.

“Two years ago, we predicted we would grow to 170 destinations, and we are right on track. Every employee of the airline has the same mission: to serve our passengers with extraordinary service so they continue to choose Qatar Airways, and tell their friends and family to choose us. With our ever-growing route network, we are making it easy for friends and family to connect and to explore new places for business or pleasure. We want our passengers to have wonderful journeys, and we want to go even more places together with them.”

Qatar Airways also unveiled a new exhibition stand at ITB Berlin this year. The stand offered the signature elements all travel and tourism professionals want to see and experience, such as the Business Class and First Class seat displays, as well as new features including an interactive global route network display and a holographic A350 model controlled through with ‘swipe’ or ‘gesture’ technology. This is the first known use of both technologies together by an airline.

H.E. Mr. Al Baker proudly hosted dignitaries, officials and visitors at the stand for meetings, closed door discussions and even hands-on demonstrations of the Qatar Airways seats on display.

Thousands of travel and trade professionals were hosted in the new exhibition stand over the five-day ITB event.

QATAR AIRWAYS ARRIVES IN SYDNEY WITH DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN DOHA AND SYDNEY

Qatar Airways welcomed dignitaries, local officials and international media to a packed press conference in Sydney on 3 March to mark the launch of direct flights between Doha and the airline’s third gateway in Australia, which is expected to bring an additional AUD$240 million to the local economy each year.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, addressed approximately 80 local media alongside Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Kerrie Mather; Qatar Airways SVP South East Asia and South West Pacific, Mr. Marwan Koleilat and Qatar Airways Country Manager Australasia, Mr. Adam Radwanski.

H.E. Mr. Al Baker said: “Australia is a destination on everyone’s wish list and I hope that by launching our new direct service to Sydney we can help even more visitors discover this spectacular country. With the addition of Sydney, and Adelaide later this year, we will double our capacity to and from Australia in the first half of 2016. This swift and significant increase in service demonstrates our commitment to the Australian market and to our Australian passengers, as we offer them the opportunity to fly in comfort onwards to more than 150 worldwide destinations.

“There are many similarities in our cultures and home countries – Qatar, like Australia, is known for its hospitality, its warm welcome and its forward thinking. These qualities are reflected in the strength of our current trade, totalling AUD$1.56 billion in 2014. We look forward to building on this success and to going places together.”

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (centre left), addressed a packed Sydney press conference in celebration of the opening of the airline's third Australian gateway, alongside Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Kerrie Mather (left); Qatar Airways SVP South East Asia and South West Pacific, Mr. Marwan Koleilat (centre right) and Qatar Airways Country Manager Australasia, Mr. Adam Radwanski (right).

Qatar Airways has been serving Australia since 2009 when it commenced flights from Melbourne, later adding flights from Perth in 2012. The award-winning airline will fly a Boeing 777-300 daily from Sydney to Doha connecting Australian passengers to its global network of more than 150 destinations.

This Sydney route is expected to generate an estimated 3,000 jobs in New South Wales and will contribute millions of dollars in tourism and cargo freight to the local economy. The new service will connect Australia’s leading exporters to Qatar Airways Cargo’s global network of more than 150 stations providing 84 tonnes of cargo capacity per week. Qatar Airways Cargo is the third largest international cargo carrier, already carrying 301 tonnes of freight in the belly hold of its passenger aircraft into and out of Perth and Melbourne per week.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Qatar Airways to Sydney Airport. Qatar Airways is a three-time Skytrax Airline of the Year winner and will provide passengers with more choice, a quality product and seamless connectivity through Doha’s new Hamad International Airport to destinations around the world,” Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather said.

“Qatar Airways’ new daily service will boost tourism, providing an additional 245,000 seats per year, generating an estimated 3,000 jobs and contributing more than AUD$240 million to the Australian economy.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (centre right), alongside Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Kerrie Mather (centre left) at the press conference

“It will also foster trade, providing greater air cargo capacity and access to the Middle East. Australian exports to Doha grew by 23 per cent last year, and the State of Qatar’s high demand for livestock, cereal, meat, dairy products and crops provides a significant opportunity for Australian exporters.”

Qatar Airways’ hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha, offers passengers travelling from Sydney a comfortable and efficient transit with an average connection time of just 90 minutes. The luxurious and modern airport, less than two years old, has more than 40,000 square metres of retail space and restaurants including more than 70 retail and 30 food and beverage outlets, as well as a 25-metre swimming pool, gym, hotel and spa.

Passengers travelling on board the Qatar Airways Boeing 777 to and from Sydney in Business Class can enjoy one of the most comfortable fully-flat beds in the sky with 78 inches of seat pitch. In addition, the on-demand à la carte menu service allows Business Class passengers to order anything from the menu at any time during the flight. The aircraft also features the state-of the-art Oryx One entertainment system, with more than 3,000 entertainment options on individual screens in all classes.