2 | [NEWS]

NEWS contents
Optimistic messages from ITB Berlin 2011 4 Greek life
An increasing number of
Russian media highlight Minister's visit to Moscow 4

European trends in Tourism 2011

Deputy Minister Nikitiadis at Congress for Cruises
5
5 university students in the USA
ses
The Golden Cup Award & the Greek Kitchen
Vedema Wine Exhibition
5
5
are taking Greek language cour
meth-
sig- Greek, in contrast to the classical
Strong investment interest for research of Last month the buzz was about the these
- ods used in Europe, as a result
Geothermal Energy 5 nificance of promoting “Greek Break
ht chairs are on the declining path.
fast”. It seems that people have caug
ed
on to the concept and they have start find it
"Another city is possible": Studies and research a step On the other side, the students
to talk about it and have gone Greek.
for Athens center 6 e of interesting and easy to learn
further to talk about the importanc to un-
Ai Stratis, the first Green Island 6 uct of Some even used this knowledge
gastronomy for the tourism prod dis-
Tour Operators Report 50% decline in derstand the terminology of other
Greece. essive
inbound business for UK in Olympic Year 6 ciplines. What was the most impr
proud
ds of all was the fact that they were
Just last week the annual chief awar g Gree k langu age cour ses and
u- of takin
Amphitrion Group of Companies & Cruisexperts were given to the top chiefs and resta in
the that it gave them a competitive edge
prefered agents for Princess Cruises & Cunard 7 rants in Greece at a event at
the the eyes of their schoolmates!
Award-winning cruise ship Celebrity Solstice Megaron Mousikis. Those who had
the
opportunity to participate had d out
sets sail for Australia 7
taste some exqu isite dishe s. From our research we also foun
chance to majo rity of Amer ican uni-
ntage that the vast
No wonder there is a large perce k Life”.
Fee waivers at public airports 8 with versities have what is called “Gree
of tourists who travel the world taken
More international flights by foreign carriers in say The purpose of “Greek Life” as
gastronomy in mind, and we can , is “to
summer 2011 8 rs ans from “The Florida State University”
that Greece has a plethora of flavo to
13 Low-cost flight companies to some unify and organize groups that seek
aromas – some well known and ote diversity and cohe sion on cam-
hs prom
20 European destinations 8 undiscovered, coming from the dept urage
that pus and in the community, enco
Seasonal development incentive program 8 of ancient Greece. This is an arena mem-
ue cooperation and harmony among
Swiss investments yield environmental benefits 8 Greek tourism would have a uniq niza-
ber organizations and other orga
Turkish Airlines to launch flights to Thessaloniki 8 footage. within
tions on campus, become active
al
alize our community, provide education
Lufthansa Passenger Airline Group expands and Another thing which we can capit ing and servi ce for mem ber
ise programm
and is unique, came as pleasant surpr body”.
sets new goals!! 9 n in organizations and the student
to our attention from an article writte s of all
Qatar Airways Travel Agents Fam Trip to Shanghai 9 an in- Similar are the purpose statement
Kathimerini, and was the fact that
Olympic Air to increase traffic in the Balkans and er of that unive rsity stu- universities that have “Greek Life”.
creas ing numb
the Greek market 9 k lan-
dents in the USA are taking Gree al for
on by This is a major sleeping capit
guage courses. The article went re and
nts. Greece and the Ministry of Cultu
AEGEAN announced results for the full year 2010 10 interviewing both faculty and stude Minis-
Lufthansa Abandons Takeovers 10 Tourism, especially now that the
cam-
that ter Mr. Geroulanos has initiated a
Eastern Med boost for Monarch with new flights to From the faculty side we realized the
conte mpo rary meth ods paign, which started by visiting
Turkey and Greece 10 they are using effort to revitalize the Greek
ledge, State s, in an
and tools to deliver their know the
l me- Spirit and the inflow of tourists from
Gulf Air unveils state-of-the-art ‘Falcon Gold’ lounge such as YouTube and other socia
learn States.
at London Heathrow Airport 11 dia, making it fun and easy to
Air China New Beijing-Munich-Athens Service 11
Hellenic Travelling
Last Chinese evacuees from Libya flown in by
Hellenic Imperial Airways 11
 [NEWS] | 3

Athens Training and Development Center

ACS Athens and

Athens Training and Development Center

will provide students and professionals with the

opportunity to learn online Marketing strategies.

These skills will translate into real life applications.

Additionally, participants are eligible to sit

for the CeMA Certification Examination
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For inquiries call Tel.: 210 800 1029 to arrange a meeting

with a representative of the Athens Training & Development Center,
E-mail: info@athenstrainingcenter.gr, Web site: www.athenstrainingcenter.gr

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Δηλώσεις συμμετοχής και πληροφορίες σχετικά με το 9ο Συνέδριο του ΣΕΤΕ μπορείτε να βρείτε στο www.seteconferences.gr
4 | [NEWS]
OPTIMISTIC MESSAGES
FROM ITB BERLIN 2011
The 45th International Tourism Exhibition (ITB) 2011 triumphantly
closed its doors recording an astonishing number of 170,000 visi-
tors from around the world, of whom 110,791 were employed in the
tourism sector, 60,000 from the public and 7,000 journalists from 94
countries. Based on an exhibition report, this flow of visitors yielded
a total business turnover of 6 billion Euro, injecting a note of opti-
mism for the revival of Greek tourism.
The Greek booth, covering a total area of 2,225 square meters and
covered in blue and white, with images and sensations from every
corner of Greece, welcomed professionals and the general public
from 9-13 March.
The presence of 50 Greek co-exhibitors was a catalyst in promoting
the Greek tourism product, covering a wide range of the country's
tourism industry, represented by different regions, tourism associ-
ations, luxury hotels, travel agencies, tourist publishing houses as
well as airlines and shipping companies.
The Greek delegation was accompanied by Minister of Culture and
Tourism, Mr Pavlos Geroulanos, Deputy Minister of Culture and
Tourism, Mr Giorgos Nikitiadis,
President of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), Mr
Nikolaos Kanellopoulos, the GNTO Secretary, Mr Giorgos Koletsos
and the new Chief of GNTO Germany, Mr Panagiotis Skordas.
Important meetings between the Greek leadership and represen-
tatives of the most powerful German tourist organizations, Dr
Michael Frenzel (CEO TUI International), Mr Volker Böttcher (CEO TUI
Deutschland), Mr Sören Hartmann (CEO REWE), Mr Peter
Fankhausen (CEO Thomas Cook AG), Mr Volker Berlinghoff (Direc-
tor Alltours), Mr Dietmar Gunz (CEO FTI Touristik), as well as impor-
tant representatives of the German tourism market, like the Presi-
dent of the German Travel Federation (DRV), Mr Jürgen Büchy, the
representative of EXPEDIA and the low-cost airline Ryan Air, sealed
the already good working relationship between the two sides and
created new opportunities and possibilities for the future growth of
tourism in Greece.
The meeting with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Or-
ganization (WTO), Mr Taleb Rifai was also very constructive, while
the Greek booth was visited by the German Minister of Economy, re-
sponsible for Tourism, Mr Ernst Burgbacher, accompanied by the
President and CEO of the Berlin Exhibition, Mr Raimund Hosch. The
meeting with 15 representatives of the Tourism Committee of the
Bundestag, who are planning to visit Greece in May, was also im-
portant.
At a press conference at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Mr
Geroulanos, amongst other things, referred to Greece's effort to im-
plement institutional and administrative changes in the restructur-
ing of tourist structures, upgrading of tourism services, lifting of cab-
otage, reduction of VAT for hotel accommodations, reducing the cost
of airport use during the off season and promotion of the Greek
tourism product in new markets like China and India.
RUSSIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHT
MINISTER'S VISIT TO
MOSCOW
The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Pavlos Geroulanos, in an
exclusive interview he gave to the manager of the news agency In-
terfax, Mr Vyacheslav Tichonof, made references to reducing the VAT
that applies to Greek hotels, which already has affected their prices
and resulted in a downward trend, reducing the cost of using Greek
airports, and the matter of new visa centers that will open in Russia.
When asked about the effects of the Schengen Treaty on the tourist
movement from Russia, Mr Geroulanos referred to the creation of
three new visa centers in Kazan, Samara and Krasnoyarsk, and the
shift of advertising from television to the Internet.
Asked about the decreasing interest among Russians to travel to
Greece to buy fur, the Minister said that basically travel preferences
have changed, with many tourists now heading for Crete, Rhodes,
Corfu and other Greek islands. He also stressed the importance of
cultural, religious and urban tourism, and translation of information
materials into the Russian language to inform tourists.
Regarding the number of tourists from Russia, Mr Geroulanos said
that two years ago the figure exceeded 200,000 and in 2010 – amid
the crisis – will be close to half a million.
Finally, the Minister referred to the close historical, cultural and re-
ligious ties between the two nations, and emphasized the fact that
the Year of Greece in Russia will coincide with the Olympic Games
2014 in Sochi.
RIA Novosti: News agency RIA-Novosti, referred to Minister Ger-
oulanou's visit to Moscow and on statements made during the press
conference given at the hall of the Consulate General in Moscow. As
mentioned in the telegram, the minister made note of the visa being
issued within 48 hours from the Greek General Consulate and an in-
crease in the number of multiple entry visas, which will have no ef-
fect on illegal immigration.
Mr Geroulanos referred to the new visa centers to be opened with-
in three months in the cities of Kazan, Samara and Krasnoyarsk,
stressing that "the Greek government views these cities as major
tourist markets, like Russia as a whole,” while highlighting the po-
tential for large travel agencies to take over the Visa Centers.
Finally, the Minister of Culture and Tourism did not fail to recall that
Russia has in Greece an ally within the EU, as it considers it neces-
sary to simplify the visa regime even further.
Komsomolskagia Pravda: The newspaper Komsomolskagia Prav-
da published an article titled 'Holidays in Greece are cheaper', by Yu-
lias Smirnova, which focuses on the reduction of prices at Greek ho-
tels by 5% in 2010, and the expected further discount associated with
the relevant VAT reduction, while noting that the Greek airports won't
impose tariffs on most charter flights from Russia.
All this should help, the columnist stated, in a significant reduction in
the price of package tours to Greece, noting that last year "several
tourists traveled to Greece, because prices were low compared with
those in Turkey."

EUROPEAN TRENDS IN
TOURISM 2011
In Germany and the Netherlands tourism demand is increasing as
well as in Britain, where reservations / package tours increased sig-
nificantly. Having reached its highest level in the last three years at
the end of 2010 / beginning of 2011, the GfK Consumer Credit index
continues to grow. Earnings from the bookings of vacation pack-
ages at German travel agents, as measured by GfK Travel Insight,
are correspondingly high: the cumulative figures up to late January
show an increase of 18% over the same period last year for the sum-
mer season of 2011. A similar trend is observed in the Netherlands,
with holiday bookings showing an increase.
These growth rates show record turnovers in the two markets, sur-
passing the levels of the summer of 2008 before the economic cri-
sis. In Britain, demand has increased by 7%, although profits from
reservation packets haven't reached the high level of the 2008 sea-
son of around 11%.
As for French, Italian and Russian tourists, it is still too early to talk
about their plans for the summer holidays of 2011 as they tend to
book their trips later: only 2-7% of the total package of these summer
holidays markets are booked before the end of the previous year.
Increased profits in the tourist markets of Germany, Great Britain
and the Netherlands for the coming summer period of 2011 are
mainly due to increased demand but also to increased spending on
holiday packages.
Spain is a popular destination for summer vacations this year.
Profits from the packages destined for Spain have increased sig-
nificantly in Germany (+23%), Britain (+16%) and the Netherlands
+14%). Great Britain, Greece, Cyprus, Mexico and Italy are other
highly favored destinations, showing increased profits from holi-
day bookings.
DEPUTY MINISTER
NIKITIADIS AT CONGRESS
FOR CRUISES
The excellent features and great opportunities that exist for devel-
oping cruise itineraries to destinations in Greece were recently pre-
sented by the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Georgios
Nikitiadis, who was keynote speaker at a conference taking place in
Miami, USA, with the theme "Where in the world is the cruise in-
dustry projected to grow?" to a substantial audience of senior exec-
utives from cruise companies and professionals who promote and
sell the cruise product.
Mr Nikitiadis reported extensively on the Greek area stressing that
it is a unique area for cruises. He pointed out that Greece has the
largest number of potential cruise ports throughout the Mediter-
ranean with each port having unique characteristics, so the experi-
ence that the passenger-tourist will have will be one of a kind.
Taking advantage of the positive responses recorded, based on the
results of contacts made and conversations he and Minister of Ma-
rine Affairs, Fisheries and Islands, Mr Giannis Diamantidis, had in
Miami with cruise companies to develop services in the coming
years, Mr Nikitiadis said he is very optimistic about prospects that
exist for Greece.
The Deputy Minister described and gave specific examples of Greek
destinations where the cruise industry can be developed. He also
talked about government efforts to attract specific types of tourism,
of which the cruise industry is a primary goal.
Mr Nikitiadis and Mr Diamantidis gave a press conference to a large
number of journalists of the special press that deals with cruises. At
the conference they stressed the prospects and mentioned the new
legislative framework that has been shaped, pointing out that they
are open for cooperation and await proposals of the cruise compa-
nies.
THE GOLDEN CUP AWARD
& THE GREEK KITCHEN
Awards 2011 ceremony Took place on
Sunday, 20th March
The culinary awards Golden Cup 2011 were presented late March at
the Athens Concert Hall (Nikos Skalkotas room) by the "Athinorama"
magazine and the annual holiday guide "Alpha Guide", which eval-
uates and grades the best restaurants and hotels in Greece. This
year's event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism and the Municipality of Athens.
In its long history, the Golden Cup has contributed decisively to the
emergence of new talent and in the progress of gastronomy in
Athens as well as throughout Greece. It started in 1993 with the aim
of rewarding the top 10 restaurants in Athens, and in 2003 expand-
ed across the country. From 2008 onwards the institution was com-
pleted with a separate award for best Greek Restaurant Cuisine,
helping and significantly highlighting the leading efforts in each cor-
ner of the country.
This year's ceremony, presented by renowned Chef Ilias Mamalakis,
was attended by restaurant and tourism entrepreneurs from across
[NEWS] | 5
Greece. At the reception which followed in honor of the winners, four
prominent chefs inspired by the four most abused dishes of Greek
cuisine presented them in their own unique way.
The Golden Cup is the only established business institution that rec-
ognizes and awards creative gastronomy in Greece and has become
a benchmark for all, as the mass media, public, entrepreneurs, de-
velopers and the state itself all show real confidence in the work of
the "Athinorama" in the field of gastronomy.
VEDEMA WINE EXHIBITION
In anticipation of the commencement of the new tourist season the
Restaurant 'Selini', in collaboration with Iliotopos, recently held an
exhibition of Vedemas wines (vintage) 2010 in the lower area of the
restaurant in Pyrgos, Santorini. Entrance was free and all the island's
wineries participated showing their latest bottling and more. The up-
per area of the 'Selini' was host to an open discussion, titled 'San-
torini, a Gastronomical Destination'.
STRONG INVESTMENT
INTEREST FOR RESEARCH
OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
The international tender opened for the leasing of four areas (Delta
Nestos, Evros, Samothrace, and Chios central and south) offered for
research, where according to the Institute of Geology & Mineral Ex-
ploration (IGME) there are reasonable prospects of rich geothermal
potential/development, has been particularly successful.
The tender was conducted mid-March, with the four sites collecting
a total of 18 bids from six companies or joint ventures. The cash
amount of the bids for all four fields exceeded 350 million Euros.
Analytically, the competition included some of the largest compa-
nies working in the field of geothermal energy, such as Italian ENEL
SA, Israeli-American ORMAT Int. and Canadian interest Hellenic Ge-
othermal Holdings Corp. as well as large Greek companies like DEH
Renewables, Aegean Energy and ITA - Terna Energy SA.
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change
(YPEKA), Mr Giannis Maniatis, said this "was a big step, at both an
investment and an energy level for our country. Attracting some of
the largest geothermal investment companies in the world, with a
total of 18 investment proposals for the four geothermal fields ten-
dered, it opens a large window on the most neglected area of green
energy, geothermal energy – one area in which Greece has a great
comparative advantage and where it can develop serious invest-
ments, both for electricity generation and for use in organic farm-
ing, high-level tourism, income support in the region etc. The case
of geothermal energy proves once again that when our country se-
riously and with documentation shows its comparative advantages,
then the investment interest is high and to the benefit of the nation-
al economy."
news.travelling.gr
6 | [NEWS]
"ANOTHER CITY
IS POSSIBLE":
STUDIES AND RESEARCH
FOR ATHENS CENTER
Athens city center can be transformed into a quality urban environ-
ment with respect for city residents and visitors, said the political
leadership of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate
Change, during the conference 'Athens: Another city is possible',
held in mid-March at the Benaki Museum.
"The problems of the center have cumulatively caused the most crit-
ical change in physiognomy. We chose to approach this complex is-
sue systematically and carefully. We sought the cooperation of ex-
perts with knowledge and experience in the investigation and iden-
tification of often-invisible-characteristics of areas affected by in-
tense weathering. The aim of the present conference is to uncover
these very serious and in-depth findings," stressed YPEKA Minister
Ms Tina Birbili.
"It is obvious that the reconstruction of the region is not the respon-
sibility of just one ministry. It is a political and interdisciplinary prob-
lem whose solution requires a comprehensive plan and careful
handling over a period of time that will involve all stakeholders, the
central government, the municipality, the academia, businesses, and
the Community of Citizens,” stressed Mr Nikos Sifounakis, an YPE-
KA Minister.
At the conference, SARCHA (School of ARCHitecture 4 All) presented
a pilot study for the area of Gerani that included a mapping of the re-
gion's human, material and natural resources. This is a program
that focuses on creating conditions for people to participate in the
shaping and the "joint possession" of the resources of the urban en-
vironment in which they live.
Furthermore, in a study presented at the National Technical Univer-
sity (NTUA) on 'Urban reconstruction of centrality in modern greater
Athens', insiders from the center of Athens who were born and grew
up there, interacted with the new generation of researchers to aim
for a better city for all residents.
Another section of Athens that preoccupied the work of the confer-
ence was Panepistimiou Avenue, as the axis around which the re-
construction of the center can be designed. An NTUA research pro-
gram was presented, which investigated the possible accession of
Panepistimiou Avenue in an urban and architectural ring that will
connect the promenade of archeological sites with the city's great
archeological museums. This includes the recognition of Amalia Av-
enue, the entire area between the Academy and the Stadium, and
Patission Avenue to the Archaeological Museum and the Egyptian
Square, with a clear priority to pedestrians. It is intended for only the
tram line to run on Panepistimiou, terminating at the end of Patission
Avenue, thus absorbing the highest traffic volume of the central dis-
tricts.
The Organisation of Planning and Environmental Protection (ORSA)
presented a systematic collection, recording and evaluation for fu-
ture use of all previous studies on Patissia.
AI STRATIS, THE FIRST
GREEN ISLAND
The groundwork for the project 'Political Support and future needs
- Green Island' have been completed and a call was recently issued
for the funding of the projects in the municipality of Agios Efstratios.
In order to make Ai Stratis the country's first Green Island, where
electricity is generated exclusively from renewable sources, wind,
solar farms and biomass the project had to be designed on a more
sound basis, reducing the technical and economic doubts while
maintaining its innovative character.
The aim of YPEKA, in collaboration with the General Secretariat for
Research and Technology (GSRT) of the Ministry of Education, Life-
long Learning and Religious Affairs, which will be the sponsoring
authority, was to eliminate the bureaucratic obstacles concerning
the Implementing Agencies and Project Management and the fund-
ing process. These obstacles were the main reasons the project was
not implemented. The project budget amounts to EUR 8,903,498.57
and includes the following interventions:
1. Renewable energy projects and energy storage: Installation of 500
kW wind power generators and a photovoltaic park with 100 kW of
power, combined with the storage of excess energy produced in bat-
teries but also in the form of hydrogen.
2. Energy-saving interventions and coverage of thermal and cooling
loads using Geothermal Heat Pumps (GSHP) in public buildings.
3. Independent stationary power production units based on photo-
voltaic and fuel cells, on farms on the island, which do not currently
have access to the electricity grid.
4. Green transport projects (electric vehicles and hydrogen) and re-
spective filling stations. More specifically, a charging station for elec-
tric vehicles will be installed on the island with energy from photo-
voltaic cells and a refueling station for vehicles running on hydro-
gen, which will be the first of its kind being implemented in Greece.
5. Other green measures, such as hydroponic greenhouses, organ-
ic agriculture, fisheries and livestock.
YPEKA designed the project with GSRT funding and implementation
by the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Saving
(CRES), along with the support of academic institutions. The Man-
agement Authority will be established immediately and will involve
the Agios Efstratios Community, DEH, DEH Renewables and CRES.
Ai Stratis, being the first non-interconnected island of Europe with
such a high penetration of green energy will become a model for the
'greening' of all Greek islands. It will help develop Greek knowledge
and experience in implementing integrated island systems with very
high penetration rates of renewable energy, and applications of en-
ergy-saving measures and green transport. Upon completion of the
project, the operator will be financially viable, with resources that
will come primarily from the sale of electricity from renewables.
TOUR OPERATORS REPORT
50% DECLINE IN INBOUND
BUSINESS FOR UK IN
OLYMPIC YEAR
Current Prospects for London 2012
As happens in nearly all Olympic destinations, demand is sup-
pressed during the year of the event. Regular bookings are drying up
and the volume of enquiries is down. According to a survey of BIM
attendees, demand for 2012 is 20% on 2011.
Demand is reduced, but the industry is unable to meet even reduced
levels of demand as there is a dramatic reduction in availability.
The London hotels remain confident that 2012 is going to be a bo-
nanza. This is founded on high rate demand in 2009 and 2010, with
solid demand in the summer months. For the Olympics in particu-
lar they see: 55,000 room reservations placed by LOCOG; additional
requests for accommodation from foreign Olympic Operators; esti-
mates of foreign visitor numbers of 200,000 per night and expecta-

tions of massive domestic demand.
In response to this, additional capacity is being added. There are new
hotels, home-stay programmes and additional cruise capacity. As
LOCOG have secured 40% of the rooms at below market rates, ho-
tels are seeking to recoup their losses by increasing rates and tight-
ening terms for the balance of the rooms. Nearly all non-Olympic
business is being declined.
Outside the immediate Olympic period, there is an assumption that
whatever demand that would have normally come during the first
three weeks of August will be displaced into the surrounding weeks,
making an already crowded time (Farnborough, the Paralympics)
even more densely packed. This is reflected in higher prices
throughout the summer.
Thus the main long-haul origin markets (US and Japan) are finding
it impossible to secure hotel space at viable rates and terms during
the Games period. Even outside the Games period, operators are
facing inflated rates. As London is the gateway town for Britain and
for Europe, clients need two slots to be accommodated: at the start
and at the end of the trip. The closure of three weeks creates a
“crater” of demand in the surrounding period. So the best product
established operators can brochure is: nothing during three weeks
of the peak season, reduced availability and increased prices for the
balance.
This is not a sensible product to beguile flagging demand. Several
operators are effectively dropping London as a tourism destination
for the bulk of 2012. There is not much that can be done to reverse
this. The solutions that have been canvassed (such as “the West
Midlands: a viable alternative to London”) do not work. As London is
removed from the product offer, the rest of the UK goes with it.
According to a survey of the attendees at the British and Ireland Mar-
ketplace, forward placements of business for London 2012 is cur-
rently running at 50% below 2011 levels.
This also means that London will cease to be a default gateway for
Europe in 2012. For many markets this was happening anyway, as
the UK’s position outside Schengen made it a marginal proposition.
But it accentuates a trend: we have invited our regular clients to in-
vest their business elsewhere. There is no guarantee that they will
return quickly.
The irony of this situation is acute. The assumptions, both in the mar-
ket and in the supplier community are wrong. The last two times the
Olympic Games were held in Europe, they were accommodated in
Barcelona (12,000 hotel rooms) and in Athens (15,000 hotel rooms).
Neither cities burst. London has 125,000 hotel rooms, plus all the
additional capacity added for August 2012.
Says Tom Jenkins, Executive Director of ETOA: “Much of this long-
haul business is lost, amounting to over one million clients. That this
loss has occurred because of a misperception is obviously regret-
table. What matters now is to gain an understanding of exactly how
the demand for the Games is manifesting itself. The people who can
most help this process are the organisers who are selling tickets to
the games. How many tickets are actually being sold to foreign vis-
itors? If we have this figure then demand can be assessed. At pres-
ent an industry stands in jeopardy through over-hyped fantasies of
bonanza.”
AMPHITRION GROUP OF
COMPANIES &
CRUISEXPERTS PREFERRED
AGENTS FOR PRINCESS
CRUISES & CUNARD
From left Mr. Kon/nos. Mitsiou, CEO Amphitrion Group of Companies,
Ms Natalie Papoutsoglou, Sales & Marketing Manager and Mr. George
Paliouras, Managing Director Cruisexperts Hellas.
Last month Amphitrion Group of Companies and Cruisexperts Hel-
las joined forces to represent Princess Cruises & Cunard and took
the opportunity to invite the Greek travel industry at a gathering to
make the official announcement as well as inform them of the ex-
ceptional services the two cruise companies have to offer.
Mr. Mitsiou, Chairman and CEO of Amphitrion Group of Companies,
opened the event by making the announcement and handed the floor
[NEWS] | 7
to Mr. Paliouras, Managing Director of Cruisexperts Hellas to con-
tinue with the history of the cruise liners and their exceptional serv-
ice. The event ended with the presentation of Ms Natalie Papout-
soglou, Sales & Marketing Manager, Europe, Princess Cruises and
Cunard, who highlighted the services and opportunities for the Greek
market. Hellenic Travelling wished them both the best of luck in this
new cooperation.
AWARD-WINNING CRUISE
SHIP CELEBRITY SOLSTICE
SETS SAIL FOR AUSTRALIA
One more unique experience awaits lovers of cruises who will board
in the winter of 2012-2013 the award-winning Celebrity Solstice of
Celebrity Cruises to discover amazing Australia and New Zealand.
It would be impossible for a cruise ship like the Celebrity Solstice,
that 'pampers' passengers from 2008, to deprive them of such a
magical destination. "It was natural and inevitable," said President
and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, Mr Dan Hanrahan, "to send the Celebri-
ty Solstice to Australia. With this decision we offer an even more
unique travel experience to our passengers to one of the most at-
tractive destinations in the world."
"Holidays are something valuable to the traveler," adds Mr Hanrahan,
"so we always want to offer even more on our cruise ships, like the
first Lawn Club and Hot Glass Show at sea, the natural and Celebri-
ty iLounge and of course a greater variety of destinations. The cul-
ture and lifestyle in Australia and New Zealand will raise the already
high quality travel experience of the Solstice Class to its peak, leav-
ing our travelers fully satisfied."
The Celebrity Century cruise ship will 'pave the way' with its covet-
ed 1,814 cruise passengers during the winter of 2011. Its subsequent
replacement by Celebrity Solstice and its 2,850 passengers reflects
the ever-growing global presence of the Solstice Class, and the in-
creasing demand and popularity of premium services, activities, de-
sign and cuisine featured on its cruisers.
After completing a summer trip to the Mediterranean, Celebrity Sol-
stice sets sail in early December 2012 for Australia and New Zealand
via the Suez Canal and Southeast Asia before reaching Sydney.
Upon arrival in Australia, the award-winning Celebrity Solstice cruise
ship will present a series of open cruises lasting 12 and 13 days be-
tween Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand.
A series of activities inspired by the destinations in Australia and New
Zealand will take place both on and off the cruise, including visits to
local wineries, local style entertainment options and more.
Travelers who wish to combine holidays on land with a holiday at
sea are the focus of future plans of Celebrity Cruises, which will con-
tinue to offer the program Australia and New Zealand, this time rich
in before and after cruise packages to various areas of Australia.
More details on the new Celebrity Solstice cruise to Australia and
New Zealand as well as the Australia and New Zealand Celebrity
Century cruise were recently made available.
news.travelling.gr
8 | [NEWS]
FEE WAIVERS AT
PUBLIC AIRPORTS
The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Network, Mr Dimitris
Reppas, with a view to strengthening Greek tourism by increasing
flights to the Greek airports, signed a decision for exemption of pay-
ment of fees at state airports, repeating a similar decision last year.
Mr Reppas signed that from 1 April 2011 to 31 December 2011, land-
ing, take off and ground fees for aircraft (light or otherwise) will not
be paid at all public airports in Greece, apart from Athens Interna-
tional Airport Eleftherios Venizelos.
MORE INTERNATIONAL
FLIGHTS BY FOREIGN
CARRIERS IN SUMMER 2011
Despite the country's continuing difficult economic situation, foreign
air carriers continue to develop their activities in Greece, strength-
ening their flight schedules with 7% more international flights for the
summer period (25 March to 27 October 2011).
During summer 2011, 65 airlines will be operating 944 scheduled
flights a week to 77 international destinations (82 airports) in 49
countries. Analytically, the new companies operating regular flights
to Athens International Airport (AIA) Eleftherios Venizelos are:
* TAP Air Portugal, Jetairfly, Belle Air, Transavia Netherlands, while
Air China, Rossiya Airlines, Sun Express and Air One resume serv-
ices to Greece.
Six new destinations have been added to the AIA network:
* Lisbon (TAP Air Portugal), Beijing (Air China), Bologna (Aegean Air-
lines), Pisa (Air One), Edinburgh (easyJet) and Dubrovnik (Croatia Air-
lines)
The eight new destination airports are:
* Lisbon Portela in Lisbon (TAP), Charleroi in Brussels (Jetairfly), Ed-
inburgh Airport in Edinburgh (easyJet), Aeroporto di Bologna in
Bologna (Aegean), Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing (Air
China), Domodedovo Moscow (Aegean), Galileo Galilei in Pisa (Air
One) and Oslo Gardemoen in Oslo (Norway).
For summer 2011, the following carriers added the following to their
program of scheduled flights: * Aegean Airlines to Bologna and
Moscow, Olympic Air to Belgrade, Air Malta to Sofia, easyJet to Ed-
inburgh and Croatia to Dubrovnik.
New flight frequencies to existing destinations:
* Aegean Airlines has added two additional flights to London and
Paris to their daily schedule and an additional flight to Rome and
Brussels. Olympic Air has added nine weekly flights to Tirana and
two to Amsterdam. Brussels Airlines and SAS have doubled their
daily flights by adding an extra flight to Brussels and Copenhagen,
respectively, while Swiss stepped up its daily frequencies to Gene-
va and Zurich. The flight of Middle East Airlines to Beirut is made dai-
ly and Air Canada has increased its weekly frequencies to Toronto
from three to four flights. In addition, another 10 companies in-
creased their frequency of service from/to AIA.
13 LOW-COST FLIGHT
COMPANIES TO
20 EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS
Another feature of this year's summer season is the 14.2% increase
in low-cost flights to Athens airport compared to the 2010 corre-
sponding period. During this year's summer season, 13 low-cost
airlines will link Athens with 20 European destinations, with
Transavia Netherlands and Jetairfly added to the airport's network.
This market represents 10% of the airport's international passenger
movement and 25-30% market share of all foreign airlines operat-
ing at AIA.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT
INCENTIVE PROGRAM
AIA, recognizing the economic downturn in the Greek market, is dili-
gently following its development strategy and support services for
airlines by continuing with its temporary seasonal development in-
centive program implemented from June 2010 to May 2011. The
special program supports companies that show an increase in pas-
senger traffic to international destinations during the period June
2010 - May 2011 in comparison with that of the previous year. Specif-
ically, the Athens airport subsidizes the airline for each additional
passenger to an international destination for the period. In addition,
given the intense political instability in North Africa, AIA supports air-
lines operating scheduled services in the region.
SWISS INVESTMENTS YIELD
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Swiss International Airlines was able to carry out flights in 2010 with
consumption of just 3.73 liters of fuel per passenger per 100 kilo-
meters – about a 3.9% improvement from 3.88 liters in 2009. This
decrease is a result of various environmental efforts on behalf of
SWISS, including billions of Swiss francs to invest in new generation
aircraft.
"Maintaining a responsible attitude towards the environment has
been a cornerstone of our corporate culture for many years," says
SWISS CEO, Mr Harry Hohmeister. "This significant reduction of
kerosene consumption shows how seriously we take our duty to
make the transfer as environment-friendly as possible. SWISS fuel
emissions are the lowest in the industry, and this confirms that our
investment in caring for the environment was worth it."
SWISS has reduced consumption of fuel per passenger over 100 km
by more than 17% since 2002, when it was founded. The airline is al-
so firmly committed to further improving ecological efficiency, in-
vesting in new low-emission technologies and taking all measures
to ensure the highest occupancy on its flights. For example, SWISS
launched a program in 2009 to replace the Airbus A330-200 fleet with
the advanced generation A330-300, which consumes 12% less fuel
per passenger.
Sustainable development, less noise and lower fuel consumption
Approximately two thirds of all SWISS investments will be devoted
to technological innovations in the next few years. These invest-
ments will help to substantially reduce emissions of carbon dioxide
and noise emissions. From 2014 onwards, SWISS will replace its
current short distance aircraft Avro series RJ100 with the new gen-
eration CSeries Bombardier. The standard engine is twice as quiet as
those of RJ100 and burns 25% less fuel. SWISS is the first company
to order 30 CSeries aircraft, thus rendering it a driving force in the
development and introduction of such an advanced new regional
twinjet.
TURKISH AIRLINES TO
LAUNCH FLIGHTS
TO THESSALONIKI
General Manager Turkish Airlines in Greece, Ms Gulay Ozturk with the Mayor of
Thessaloniki Mr. Yannis Boutaris
On 27 May Turkish Airlines will officially launch the line Istanbul -
Thessaloniki - Istanbul with four weekly flights. Part of Turkish Air-
lines' expansion plan for 2011, this operation is a strategic move for
the Greek market aimed at stimulating it by increasing the influx of
tourists from Eastern countries and thus strengthening the coun-
try's tourism.
Thessaloniki will, after 10 years, once again join the extended net-
work of Turkish Airlines, which boasts 172 destinations worldwide.
The start of flights will also mean the commercial, industrial and
economic connection destination with all of northern Greece and the
Balkans. Thessaloniki will be the business centre for all surround-
ing areas, while Greek businessmen in northern Greece will be giv-
en the opportunity to plan their travels around the world through the
direct flights of THY.

LUFTHANSA PASSENGER
AIRLINE GROUP EXPANDS
AND SETS NEW GOALS!!
Back, left to right Mr. Jimenez – Werner Marc, Mr. Tzevelekos Konstantinos,
Ms Nikoli Eleni. In front left to right: Ms Louvrou Theodora, Ms Spaguru Haido and
Mr. Lazarides Alexandros
2011 year of internal restructuring: new duties, same targets:Total
customer satisfaction
Lufthansa AG for more than sixty years now is an aviation compa-
ny with operations worldwide. It comprises of more than 400 sub-
sidiaries and associated companies. The Group currently is active in
five business segments: Passenger Airline Group (strategic core
segment), Logistics, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), IT
Services, Catering.
Lufthansa Passenger Airline Group, that is presented today, consists
of five top airline companies, named Lufthansa Passenger Airlines
(incl. Lufthansa Regional and Lufthansa Italia), Austrian Airlines,
British Midland, Brussels Airlines and SWISS, forming a strong and
qualitative network that connects Greece with 8 main hubs: Frank-
furt/Main, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, London Heathrow and
Gevena. Altogether, Lufthansa Group serves over 274 destinations
in 104 countries and 4 continents, operating 19 daily flights from
Greece. In the year 2010 Lufthansa Group carried more than 90 mil-
lion passengers!!
In Greece the Passenger Airline Group is represented by Lufthansa
and Swiss International Airlines, while Lufthansa is the General
Sales Agent for Austrian Airlines, British Midland and Brussels Air-
lines.
Mr Paulo Yoshikawa, Lufthansa General Manager Greece and
Cyprus, speaks fondly of the company’s positive results: “Undoubt-
edly 2010 has been a year of challenges and crisis in a multitude of
fields. Lufthansa Group has followed a careful and well- planned
policy and today the positive results are evident: the company is
based on a solid financial structure providing results above the av-
erage of the airline industry in Europe. Our declared aim is to main-
tain and extend our position as the leading European quality carrier
even in times of crisis and offer a global product that covers the main
traffic flows from Greece to the World. We need to lay our emphasis
also for 2011: offer improved service for our clients, offer state-of-
the-art technology in aircraft, on board and on ground and high qual-
ity services in all aspects. Alongside our investments into products
and services, we will continue to implement our cost savings and
efficiency program through synergies with our partners, and by im-
proving business processes”.
Newly appointed managers in Lufthansa Athens team
Lufthansa Passenger Airline Group administrative team represents
the group’s, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, British Midland, Brussels
Airlines and SWISS, long lasting targets and goals: excellent serv-
ices, reliable fleet and innovative ideas that enhance the travel ex-
perience. The expansion of Lufthansa Group is followed by internal
restructuring, for the best and more effective results. Old faces, re-
vised duties, enhanced roles. The team is stronger than ever and
ready to face all new challenges.
QATAR AIRWAYS TRAVEL
AGENTS FAM TRIP TO
SHANGHAI
Enjoying a 5-star Experience on
Qatar Airways Premium Cabin & Visiting the
Premium Terminal
From Left to Right Mr Nikos Papanastasiou from Griffin Travel Marine, Mrs Sapfo
Panagiotidou from Qatar Airways, Mr George Fafalios from Aktina Group of com-
panies, Mr George Kyvernitis from Kyvernitis travel & shipping, Mr George Fytillis
from Argo Travel and Mrs Vassia Avdela from Marine Tours.
Qatar Airways, ranked Five Star for service excellence and recently
voted third best airline in the world, following the annual Skytrax
survey, has organized successfully the 1st Shanghai Familiarization
Trip exclusively for Marine Travel Agencies, between the 14th-18th
Mar 2011. Mrs. Sapfo Panagiotidou,Qatar Airways Marine Account
Manager escorted the group formed by Mrs. Vassia Avdela from
Marine tours, Mr George Fytilis from Argo Travel, Mr.George Kyver-
nitis from Kyvernitis Travel, Mr. George Fafalios from Aktina Travel
and Mr.Nikos Papanastasiou from Griffin Travel Marine s.a.The
group was accommodated in the Hilton Shanghai Hotel, the ultimate
expression of style and sophistication in the French Concession area
of the city, renowned for its charm and cosmopolitan energy.Agents
were able to visit the old shanghai Yuyuan Garden with its tradition-
al Chinese park and shop in the old town market. Also they enjoyed
[NEWS] | 9
a traditional tea ceremony for a good Feng Shui!On the next day, af-
ter their morning walk around the famous Bund area, they experi-
enced passing under the Huangpu river via the Tourist tunnel and
climbing on the 100th floor of World’s Financial Center which is the
second tallest building in the world as of 2008.By flying on Business
class of Qatar Airways the agents had the chance to experience at
first hand the World’s Best Business Class, awarded by Skytrax, and
taste the airline’s Business Class catering, recognised separately as
the best in the world, again by Skytrax World Airline Awards 2010.In
Shanghai, which is a bustling port with a pronounced European fla-
vor that lingers from its heyday earlier this century as one of the
world’s great maritime crossroads, all agents had the chance to
walk through Shanghai‘s neighborhoods that reveal a surprising
mix of European architecture and old Chinese facades. During their
stay, they have also explored the gourmet tastes of the famous Wal-
dorf Astoria.On their trip back to Athens, the agents also visited the
Doha International Airport (DIA) Premium Terminal and inspect all
innovative facilities designed to provide the best level of comfort and
hospitality for the premium Qatar Airways passengers.
OLYMPIC AIR TO INCREASE
TRAFFIC IN THE BALKANS
AND THE GREEK MARKET
The Board of Olympic Air, at its first meeting with its new composi-
tion, decided to overhaul the company's strategy by focusing on tar-
geting strategic development for Olympic Air to become a leader in
Southeast Europe by exploiting the competitive advantage of its high
product quality.
The recent decision of the Competition Commission, which disrupt-
ed the plans of creating a single Greek airline with a Europe-wide
range, and the difficult conditions and medium-term prospects of
the market, forced the company to reconsider the timetable and to
form its project so that it matches new strategic planning.
In this context, the domestic flight schedule has added routes in-
cluding Athens - Corfu, Athens - Alexandroupolis, Thessaloniki -
Heraklion, Thessaloniki - Chania, Thessaloniki - Mytileni and Thes-
saloniki - Rhodes. Furthermore, it adjusted its international network
to maintain or expand flights to Amsterdam, Belgrade, Bucharest,
news.travelling.gr
10 | [NEWS]
Cairo, Istanbul, Larnaca, Sofia and Tirana, while eliminating its routes
to Brussels, London, Paris and Vienna.
At the same time, all existing agreements on code share flights with
Delta on flights to the USA and Etihad in Australia and South Africa
will be maintained, while new arrangements for the uninterrupted
service for passengers of the company are being evaluated. Final-
ly, Olympic Air and Aegean will appeal to the European courts
against the decision of the European Competition Commission,
which did not approve the merger of the two Greek airlines.
AEGEAN ANNOUNCED
RESULTS FOR THE
FULL YEAR 2010
AEGEAN announced results for the full year 2010 which are in line
with estimates announced in early February. More specifically, rev-
enue declined 5% to €591m. Net result after taxes posted losses of
€23.3m, burdened by €8m related to the extraordinary social contri-
bution charge.
In the international network, with the addition of new routes, the
company carried 3.06 million passengers, achieving 9% y-o-y
growth. On the other hand, due to weak demand conditions, pas-
sengers carried in the domestic network declined by 16% to 3.17 mil-
lion passengers with a significant reduction in average fare.
Weak domestic demand conditions, the subsequent significant re-
duction in average fare and the rise in the price of fuel were the main
contributors to the loss.
During the last year the Company intensified its efforts to improve
productivity, reduce costs, and restructure its network as well as in-
troduce new systems. Through these initiatives, it has succeeded to
reduce the consequences of the adverse economic environment as
well as to materially protect its cash reserves which settled at €190m
despite the €22.2m income tax outflow (FY09 income tax, income tax
“advance” for FY10, extraordinary social contribution tax for 2009).
For 2011, efforts for further productivity improvements are continu-
ing. In addition, the Company aims to operate for the first time in its
12-year history a one aircraft type fleet of Airbus A320 family, thus
achieving further operating cost efficiencies.
Mr. Dimitris Gerogiannis, Managing Director, commented:
“The challenges of the acute recession of the Greek economy and
the significant rise in the price of fuel, will continue to affect the com-
pany’s results during the current year. Nevertheless, in line with our
long term strategy, we continue to invest in our network develop-
ment in order to support and also benefit from the expected rebound
of tourist traffic flows to our country. Needless to say, our efforts to
further improve productivity and competitiveness as well as to de-
velop new programmes and services will be redoubled.”
During the IATA 2011 Summer period, the Company will
-introduce new routes from Athens to Moscow and Bologna,-in-
crease its frequencies from Athens to London/Heathrow, Rome,
Paris/CDG, Brussels, Barcelona and Madrid.
- strengthen its base at Thessaloniki with new routes to Moscow,
and Paris reaching 18 domestic and international destinations served
from Thessaloniki
- operate out of Larnaca/Cyprus with direct flights to
London/Heathrow as well as 6 Greek destinations
With these additions, AEGEAN will operate 35 international and 24
domestic routes, without taking into account a significant number of
international destinations served by 6 Aircraft on charter operations.
LUFTHANSA ABANDONS
TAKEOVERS
Lufthansa is no longer pursuing any takeovers in Europe. “The pres-
sure to buy something is extremely low,” new CEO Christoph Franz
said at the airline’s annual news conference in Frankfurt.
Franz took over the top job at Lufthansa in January, following Wolf-
gang Mayrhuber. His statement indicates a new phase in the group’s
development. Mayrhuber acquired Swiss, BMI and Austrian as well
as large shareholdings in Brussels Airlines and JetBlue. But Franz
now argues that competition authorities are demanding ever more
significant concessions, making consolidation less attractive. “Our
main focus is on organic growth,” Franz said.
That message will be noticed at Lufthansa’s Star Alliance partners
SAS and LOT Polish Airlines, which have been on the market for
some time. Lufthansa has been tipped as the most obvious buyer,
but that no longer seems to be the case.
Lufthansa emerged well and quickly from the global economic cri-
sis. It achieved a €876 million ($1.23 billion) operating profit and a
€1.1 billion net profit (supported by an extraordinary tax effect). Sales
rose by 22.6% to €27 billion. That’s due to the first-time consolida-
tion of BMI and Austrian. But even on a comparable basis, revenues
would have been up by more than 14%. That growth was mainly due
to the strong recovery of the group’s various airlines.
The airline division—made up mainly of Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss,
BMI and Germanwings—achieved a €436 million combined oper-
ating profit. But of the five carriers, only two (Lufthansa and Swiss)
were profitable. Austrian recorded a €66 million loss, BMI lost €145
million and low-fare unit Germanwings was down €39 million.
While Austrian is expected to return to profitability in 2011, German-
wings will most likely remain in the red this year. And in the case of
BMI, Lufthansa appears to be shifting the turnaround target to the
right: 2012 is now seen as a major challenge when it comes to mak-
ing a profit.
But even Lufthansa is struggling in its European network. “I cannot
imagine anybody who is currently able to make money in European
air traffic,” Franz says. In his view, that is due to intense competition,
but also the increasing tax burden that cannot be passed on to con-
sumers. For Lufthansa, that makes the turnaround of the direct
services unit (flights not linked to the Munich and Frankfurt hubs)
even more difficult. Franz says unit costs have come down by 14% al-
ready, but much more is needed. And if it becomes apparent that
current measures are not sufficient, he is calling for “new ideas.”
That could include Germanwings taking over more mainline flying.
The carrier’s unit costs are little more than half of Lufthansa’s.
EASTERN MED BOOST FOR
MONARCH WITH NEW
FLIGHTS TO TURKEY AND
GREECE
Monarch is boosting its services to the Eastern Med this summer,
with the launch of new scheduled flights to Bodrum in Turkey and the
Greek island of Corfu from May. Flights are available to book now via
www.monarch.co.uk with fares starting from only £68.99 one way
including all taxes and charges.
The new Eastern Med flights will also be joined by a host of addi-
tional services to some of Monarch’s key European hotspots across
the Balearic and Canary Islands plus Cyprus.
The new and additional flights for summer 2011 include:
- *NEW* Luton – Corfu – 3 flights per week (launches 23 May)
- *NEW* Gatwick – Bodrum – 2 flights per week (launches 23 May)
- *NEW* Manchester – Bodrum – 2 flights per week
(launches 02 May)
- *NEW* Birmingham – Bodrum – 2 flights per week
(launches 23 May)
- Gatwick – Palma – 1 additional flight per week
- Gatwick – Tenerife – 1 additional flight per week
- Gatwick – Paphos – 3 additional flights per week

- Manchester – Larnaca – 1 additional flight per week
- Manchester – Paphos – 1 additional flight per week
- Manchester – Tenerife – 1 additional flight per week
Commenting on the new and additional flights this summer, Man-
aging Director of Monarch Airlines, Kevin George said, “Customer
response to the 135,000 additional seats that were added into
Monarch’s summer flying schedule last month has been fantastic
and we have continued to see demand for our services grow. It’s
great therefore that we have been able to respond to this demand
further by boosting our Eastern Med programme with the introduc-
tion of new flights to Corfu and Bodrum, as well as strengthen
schedules on a number of our core sunshine routes. Particularly
pleasing is the addition of extra flights to Paphos from Gatwick and
Manchester, which are not scheduled to start operating until May,
but are already selling strongly.”
In addition to year-round low fares, Monarch also offers a great
range of products and services both on the ground and inflight. All
customers are allocated a seat at check-in but for those wishing to
select where in the cabin they sit to ensure that families and groups
are seated together, seats can be pre-booked from £4.99 per one-
way flight. For customers looking for added comfort, extra legroom
seats are also available offering up to six inches of extra space from
only £14.99.
Customers travelling on scheduled flights can also avoid the queues
at the airport and take advantage of online check-in, which is avail-
able between 18 days and 4.5 hours prior to departure. With a great
range of tasty hot and cold meals that can be pre-booked or pur-
chased onboard from only £3.00, flying with Monarch really could-
n’t be simpler.
In addition to flights, Monarch also now offers a huge range of great
value holidays, accommodation options, car hire and travel insur-
ance.
GULF AIR UNVEILS
STATE-OF-THE-ART
‘FALCON GOLD’ LOUNGE
AT LONDON HEATHROW
AIRPORT
Gulf Air, officially opened its new, premium ‘Falcon Gold’ lounge at
London Heathrow Terminal 4.
The expansive, 6500 sq.ft Falcon Gold lounge – one of the largest in
the terminal – seamlessly combines contemporary design and ar-
chitecture with Arabic influences, creating an environment that com-
bines peace and tranquillity with extensive modern-day business
facilities.
The open plan design of the lounge’s architecture gives a sense of
space and freedom with the central area featuring a bar surround-
ed by well laid out business, dining, lounging facilities, TV areas and
private rooms.
Other features of the lounge include:
* Superb views over the runway and apron through a 4-metre
high glass wall.
* Fully equipped Business Centre comprising of super-fast
IMac computers, printers, fax and other office support functions.
* Wi-fi throughout the lounge.
* Large size plush lounge chairs and sofas
* Central area lit with moonlighting that changes with the light
of the day.
* Self-service buffet with a wide section of a Halal menu
* A prayer room
* Wash rooms and showers
* Two private family rooms that can be combined to 1 large room
* Baby change facilities
* Secure lockers
* An exclusive Illy Café counter serving a select variety of Italian
coffee blends.
Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali said, “Air travel
these days has become savvier and passengers, particularly pre-
mium travelers, have become more discerning. With airports in-
creasingly becoming busier, lounges are no longer just a place to
wait for flights or transit spots between connections; premium pas-
sengers look for an oasis of peace and comfort, expect higher lev-
els of facilities, and personalized service. I am sure it will be a re-
freshingly different experience for our premium passengers.”
“One of the key components of Gulf Air’s new business strategy is to
focus on improving our products and services we offer our cus-
tomers. The lounge is an example of this. As we keep improving
ourselves in our customer service on the ground, we will continue
to add more features and facilities in the air as well, so that our pre-
mium customers enjoy a consistently enhanced experience
throughout their journey” Mr. Majali concluded.
Open from 0600 hours to 2230 hours daily, the lounge can accom-
modate up to 110 persons and all Platinum, Gold and Silver card
holding FFP members of Gulf Air, and premium class ticket holders
of Gulf Air’s code-share partner airlines.
AIR CHINA NEW BEIJING-
MUNICH-ATHENS SERVICE
On May 11 Air China will launch the line Beijing - Munich - Athens
with two weekly flights.
The New Beijing-Munich-Athens Service is as follows
Beginning May 11, 2011, Air China will launch its Beijing-Munich-
Athens route.
Flight No: CA 961 From 9-May-11
every Wed & Sat Beijing dep. 00:40-Munich arr. 05:30, Munich dep. 06:55
Athens arr.10:30.
Flight No: CA 962 From 11-May-11
every Wed & Sat. Athens dep. 11:30 -Munich arr.12:55, Munich dep.14:20-
Beijing arr. 06:15+1
[NEWS] | 11
LAST CHINESE EVACUEES
FROM LIBYA FLOWN IN
BY HELLENIC IMPERIAL
AIRWAYS
The last batch of Chinese nationals evacuated from riot-torn Libya
returned to China Saturday 5 March 2011, according to the Chinese
Foreign Ministry.
The Chinese government these days had continued sending military
and chartered planes, of which two Hellenic Imperial Airways B747
Jumbo aircraft, to bring back those evacuees temporarily staying at
other nations.
Over 3000 Chinese had been evacuated to Heraklion, Crete from
which they were further flown back to China on Hellenic Imperial
Airways aircraft.
When the last flight to Beijing Capital International Airport arrived
carrying the last 435 repatriated Chinese workers who had fled
Libya, accompanied by 13 Chinese government officials, a red car-
pet ceremony was conducted at the tarmac with the participation of
a music-band.
The 13 Chinese government officials were part of a total 19-mem-
ber working group, who had left for Libya on Feb. 23 and success-
fully helped over 30,000 Chinese nationals to evacuate from the
country.
The local authorities headed by the Chinese Vice-Minister of the Min-
istry of Foreign Affairs Song Tao expressed gratitude to Greece and
its people on behalf of his country for the excellent work and support
to his people; furthermore he extended his gratitude and regards to
Hellenic imperial Airways, Captain Koukopoulos and the aircrew in
person.
“We really appreciate the convenience and support offered by the
government and the people of Greece and other nations in our evac-
uation operation,” Song said.
Hellenic Imperial Airways was impressed by the perfectly organ-
ised evacuation and the cooperation it received of the Embassy of
the People’s Republic of China and continues to display its social
sensitivity towards people in need and is also preparing their sched-
uled network servicing several long-, medium- and short-haul des-
tinations beginning June 2011 with flights to the US and Canada.
www.travelling.gr