After successfully launching its range of A World of Choice 2007-08 brochures last week, Emirates Holidays outlined its ambitious plans for the coming year and beyond at the Arabian Travel Market.
Last year, Emirates Holidays, the largest tour operator in the Gulf and the Middle East, launched its services in Hong Kong, Moscow, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, and is all set to launch specialist services in India and China later this year. In India, the tour operator will appoint highly-skilled specialist staff who will operate out of Emirates’ offices in Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, to support the travel trade.
Emirates Holidays enjoyed a growth of 22 per cent in sales revenue in the financial year 2006-07, crossing the AED 500 million milestone in sales revenue for the first time in its history. More than 100,000 passengers chose to book their holidays with the tour operator and the business unit is poised for a 35 per cent growth in 2007-08.
Emirates Holidays has also inspired phenomenal brand loyalty, with repeat custom to the tune of around 45 per cent. While the UAE was number one, responsible for 41 per cent of its total number of holiday-makers, the Middle East provided 28 per cent, Africa nine per cent, Russia and Australasia seven per cent each and Europe eight per cent.
The top 12 destinations on Emirates Holidays’ network in passenger numbers were: the UAE, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, the UK, Mauritius, Maldives, Egypt, Singapore, France, India and Australia.
Hans Haensel, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Destination and Leisure Management said: “Emirates Holidays had an excellent financial year 2006-07, and we have set our sights even higher at 35 per cent growth this year.”
He added: “Our A World of Choice brochures, which we launch annually in April, keep getting bigger and better every year. This year we are confident of tasting success with the new destinations on offer in our brochures – from Sao Paulo and Rio to Bangalore and Nagoya – all different, nevertheless offering magical travel experiences.”
In its 17th year, the latest Emirates Holidays brochures feature the largest-ever range of holidays in four volumes covering The Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean; Europe and The Americas; Asia and Australasia and the brand-new Dubai and the Emirates. On offer are flexible, affordable and quality holidays to more than 120 stunning leisure destinations in 39 countries and a choice of more than 1,000 accommodation options.
The range includes a destination-specific brochure for the Mediterranean, which is distributed in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Malta. In all, nearly 400,000 brochures will be distributed through travel agents in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, to thousands of potential travellers.
The new Dubai and the Emirates brochure features leisure options including dining and nightlife, sporting activities ranging from sand-skiing to go-karting and golf, spectator sports, shopping, desert and wadi activities, and an array of 32 accommodation options, including the entire range of Emirates Hotels & Resorts’ properties in Dubai.
New exciting destinations include Brazil and its two major cities – Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Seefeld in Austria, romantic Verona via Venice, Nagoya in Japan, Kolkata and Bangalore in India and twin cities in Tunisia – Tunis and Hammamet. The brochures also feature nearly 140 new hotels and resorts and many more magical tours through captivating cities and landscapes.
Emirates currently operates five flights a week between Malta and Dubai via Larnaca in Cyprus, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on the new Boeing 777-200. The Malta route gives a convenient connection to outgoing and incoming passengers from Australia and the Far East.