After successfully launching its range of A World of Choice 2007-08, Emirates Holidays has outlined its ambitious plans for the coming year and beyond.The largest tour operator in the Gulf and the Middle East, Emirates Holidays last year 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 revenues 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 35 per cent growth in 2007-08.

Emirates Holidays also inspired phenomenal brand loyalty, with repeat custom to the tne of around 45 per cent. While the UAE was number one, responsible for 41 per cent of its total holidaymakers, the Middle East provided 28 per cent, Africa nine per cent, Russia and Australasia seven per cent each, and Europe eight per cent.

The tour operator also successfully leveraged technology to bring a high-level of effectiveness and sophistication to the supply chain with its web-based system SupplierNet. Built in-house, SupplierNet facilitates and streamlines communication between the supplier and Emirates Holidays. Currently more than 100 suppliers in 12 countries are using the application with great success. Tradenet, the B2B portal launched a couple of years ago, helps travel agents create speedy quotations for clients, conveniently reserve customers’ flights and hotel accommodation online, creates tailor-made vacations and directly communicates with Emirates Holidays, all in real time.

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.

p> Hans Haensel, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Destination & 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. In the last decade, we have invested in training for the travel industry, notably during our three-day brochure launch event, and this has indisputably raised the standards of the industry locally. We have also set up a strong distribution and supplier network that makes our holidays popular and accessible to our consumers and provides us with important feedback on customer needs and holiday trends.”

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 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 an Arabic language brochure for the Middle East, a Russian language brochure, a dedicated brochure for Saudi Arabia and Iran, and 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, 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.
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