Hellenic Travelling NEWS July 2012

7/31/2019 Hellenic Travelling NEWS July 2012

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Tel. +30-210-623-4970

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CONTENTS

transportationa) Air AIRLINES & GENERAL SALES AGENTS................. 362-368

AIR SCHEDULES INTERNATIONAL ........................ 369-381

" DOMESTIC ........................................... 382-387

AIR TAXI COMPANIES ..................................................................... 368

CHARTER COMPANIES ............................................................... 368

DECODINGS .............................................................................. 388-390

b) Land BUS SCHEDULESPublic transportation in Athens..................................... 350To the provinces .......................................................... 351-353International .......................................................................... 354RAILWAY SCHEDULES DOMESTIC............................ 355

c) Sea DOMESTIC SEA LINES see on www.travelling.gr/dsl/INTERNATIONAL SEA LINES ............................... 358-360SHIPPING COMPANIES ........................................ 356-357CRUISE COMPANIES ........................................................ 361

www.travelling.gr

51, Pironos Street, 163 41 Athens, Greece8, Douk. Plakentias St., 152 34 Athens, Greece

Tel. 2109940109, Fax 2109936564,e-mail: [email protected]

...........................................................................................................EuroSingle copy .......................................................................................22

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EUROPE ........................................................................................35,5ALL OTHER CONTINENTS ................................................. 70,5

The information contained in Hellenic Travelling issubject to change without notice.The company and Publishers cannot acceptresponsibility for mistakes, changes or printing errors.

MONTHLY TRAVEL GUIDE

H E L L E N I C

CAMPING SITES ______________________________________________________________________________________ 216-226

CHAIN HOTELS _______________________________________________________________________________________ 227-228

CONFERENCE CENTERS ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 229-232

HOTELS _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 41-215

accommodation

ANIMATION COMPANIES 16

CELLULAR PHONE RENTALS 16

CENTRAL RESERVATIONS SYSTEMS 12

EMBASSIES & CONSULATES in Greece 21-24

Greek Embassies & Consulates abroad 24-30

FESTIVALS & FOLK DANCES 15

GOLFING IN GREECE 15

MUSEUMS 31-36

NATIONAL TOURISM

INFORMATION OFFICES 13-14

SKI CENTERS 16

SOUND & LIGHT SPECTACLE 16

INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE CODES 17-20

TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS 12-14

general

CARGO AGENTS 349

LIMOUSINE SERVICES 340

MOTORCOACH COMPANIES 341-344

ORGANIZED TOURS 349

RENT-A-CAR OFFICES 333-340

RENT-A- MOTO 340

RENT-A- RIB 348

TRAVEL AGENTS 235-332

YACHT BROKERS 345-348

agents & servisesInfo Publications Ltd

Ms E. Agyridis, Mr. S. Gianiotis


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[NEWS] 3|

www.travelling.gr 9 www.seteconferences.gr

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

once they have successfully completed the four required courses.

For inquiries call Tel.: 210 800 1029 to arrange a meetingwith a representative of the Athens Training & Development Center,

E-mail: [email protected], Web site: www.athenstrainingcenter.gr

Athens Training and Development Center


5/13

The Greek National Tourism Organisation (G.N.T.O),in its framework of initiatives to change the currentclimate that is impacting the countrys tourism in-dustry in the international travel market, has intro-duced a new tool designed to help reverse thedownward trend.

More specifically, the G.N.T.O. in cooperation withthe interim government, representatives of theGreek Ministry of Culture and Tourism, represen-tatives of the travel industry, and other officials, setforth to integrate a new web-based platform intothe existing current promotional campaign.

The Internet-based initiative aims to further pro-mote the positive publicity of Greece as a tourist

destination on the Internet utilizing social media.

The Internet and social media applications are al-ready being used very successfully by the G.N.T.Oto post news and to communicate the tourismbrand of Greece as a tourist destination.On this basis, it was considered necessary to de-velop an online reputation management mecha-nism and brand monitoring mechanism to overseeand manage the comments, opinions and observa-tions made about Greece as a tourist destination.The initiatives key priorities are:a. The promotion and communication of key ele-ments and competitive advantages of the Greektourism productb. The promotion and dissemination (through so-cial media) of positive messages/opinions that vis-itors have about their experiences (via video spots,web testimonials, reviews, posts, tweets).The aforementioned will focus on three key subjectareas:1. Business as usual2. Value For Money/Affordability3. Safety

The initiative is already being supported by a seriesof government agencies inc luding Greek Radio Tel-evision S.A, the Athens News Agency and the Hel-lenic Foreign Ministry. The agencies will be assist-

ing the effort by tracking and gathering news andother related material as well as working with local,national and international media outlets.To join the effort as a true supporter and to sendnews and information about Greece as a touristdestination found on the Internet, please contact theteam at the GNTO at [email protected].

On June 22 a ceremony took place for

the change of ministers, at the offices

of the General Secretariat of Tourism,

Amalia 12, which is probably also theheadquarters of the Ministry of

Tourism, from the outgoing interim

Minister Ms Tatyana Karapanagioti to

the Minister Ms Olga Kefaloyiannis.The need for an immediate action plan, whichwill renew the country's tourism model andmake it more competitive and productive, saidin her speech, Minister of Tourism Ms Olga Ke-faloyiannis, undertaking her responsibilities ofMinister of Tourism at the ceremony.

The Minister stressed the importance of au-tonomy of the Ministry of Tourism in the effortof developing the national economy andstrengthening of GDP, attracting investment

and creating new jobs.Ms Kefaloyiannis received the portfolio of theMinistry of the caretaker minister of Cultureand Tourism Ms. Tatiana Karapanagioti in the

presence of Tourism Secretaries General MsKonstantina Bey, Culture, Ms Lina Mendoni,Cultural and Tourism Infrastructure, Mr. Pir-gioti K. John, President of GNTO Mr. Zikou andGeneral Secretary Mr. Koletsis and other offi-cials.Olga Kefaloyiannis was born on April 29, 1975in Athens, where she grew up and lives.She is the largest of the three daughters of thelate John Kefaloyiannis, Member of Parlia-ment for Rethymnon & Minister and Helen Ke-

faloyiannis, a lawyer. Since 2010 she is mar-ried with Manos Pentheroudakis.She is a graduate of the Athens University,School of Law, with postgraduate studies at

King's College on Commercial Law & Busi-ness Law and the Fletcher School of Law andDiplomacy of Tufts University in Boston in In-ternational Relations.

She works as a lawyer since 1999 and at thebeginning of her career she worked in NewYork and at the Legal Service of the EuropeanCommission in Brussels.From 2004 to 2006 she was legal counsel tothe Office of the former Prime Minister KostasKaramanlis.In 2007 and 2009 she was elected Member ofParliament for Rethymno with the NewDemocracy. She is the only woman electedMember of Parliament in Crete with New

Democracy.Since December 2009, Ms Kefaloyiannis wasresponsible for covering Travel and Tourismissues for New Democracy.

MS. OLGA KEFALOYANNIS THE NEW MINISTER OF TOURISM

INITIATIVE AIMED AT STRENGTHENING AND PROMOTING

IMAGE OF GREECE AS AN IDEAL VACATION DESTINATION

ANNOUNCED BY GREEK NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION

[NEWS]4 |

NO VISA

REQUIRED FOR

TOURISM FROM

TURKEY FOR FIVE

ISLANDS OF THE

AEGEAN SEAA pilot program to facilitate the process ofgranting visas to nationals of third countriesfrom Turkey, has began and ends on Thurs-day September 30, 2012, in view of empower-ing tourists to visit our country.

As announced by the Hellenic Police Head-quarters, the visa will be on five islands in theEast Aegean Sea and specifically the islands

of Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios and Lesvos, onwhich the necessary infrastructure and ade-quate staff exists for carrying out border con-trols.

The program was established with the con-sent of the European Commission for en-trance authorization to specific places withshort duration.


6/13

Vodafone launched the innovative application for

smartphones "Vodafone Explore Greece", in order to

promote as well as highlight Greece as a tourist des-

tination. The application is free and will be promoted

internationaly through Vodafone's subscriber base so

that smartphones users worldwide can use the ap-

plication.

The application "Vodafone Explore Greece" provides a wide rangeof useful information for those thinking of visiting Greece, or forthose who are already at their destination and want to learn aboutwhat is around them. It features a host of original features thatmake it unique compared to other tourism content. It is simpleto use, while it includs rich and dynamic audiovisual content,which is constantly renewed. It enables GPS location so that theuser can get information on close by entries.Through "Vodafone Explore Greece", users of Vodafone or other

network can find information on all tourist destinations, for ac-commodation, entertainment, dining suggestions, and detailedmaps of the place they want to visit. Moreover, the applicationcontains a presentation of beaches, historical data, sites of his-torical interest but also sites with natural beauty, that one de-serves to learn and visit. For foreign users who do not speakGreek, the application has basic phrases translated, as well aspre-recorded phonetic play back for added convenience. Very

important is the interactive nature of the application, as users canupload photos to Facebook as well as on the app so they canshare their experiences. Especially for subscribers of Vodafonearound the world, Vodafone has secured a series of offers fromwhich they can benefit.To implement the "Vodafone Explore Greece" the cooperation ofthe GNTO and Hotel Chamber of Greece was significant.The application is free and is already available for mobile smart-phone running android and within a couple of days it will be avail-able for iPhone users.

During the presentation of the application, Mr. Glafkos Persia-nis, CEO of Vodafone Greece, said: "The application" VodafoneExplore Greece ", enables us to talk about Greece, to furtherhighlight the unique natural beauty of our culture and our highlevel of service we provide and to contribute through our tech-nology and our international presence, in efforts to develop ourcountry. "The Secretary General of the Greek Tourism Organization Mr.George Koletsos said: "Today's collaboration with Vodafone and

the GNTO is an innovative activity for the GNTO, aiming at tar-geted marketing and promotion of the Greek tourism product.The strategic objective of the GNTO is to create a dynamic net-work of partnerships to maximize the effectiveness of the pro-motion of Greek tourism with zero cost. This partnership rep-resents an innovative approach to public and private sector co-operation to support the national effort , to strengthen tourismand maximize social and economic benefit. "

"Vodafone Explore Greece" the new application for Smart-phones, sets the ground for cooperation between public and pri-vate sector.With the cooperation of the Greek Tourism Organization and theHellenic Chamber of Hotels, Vodafone has implemented an in-novative application for the smartphones "Vodafone ExploreGreece", in order to promote and highlight Greece as a touristdestination.

HELLENIC CHAMBER OF

HOTELS SUPPORTS

VODAFONE'S MAJOR

INITIATIVE FOR

PROMOTING GREEK

TOURISM THROUGH

INNOVATIVE DIGITAL

APPLICATION

The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels congratulates Vodafone on thecrucial support of Greek tourism in these difficult economic times.Vodafone actively supports the Greek economy and highlightsGreece as a tourist destination with the new application "Voda-fone Explore Greece"

[NEWS] 5|

Vodafone Explore Greece

news.travelling.gr

he innovative application for smartphones


7/13

UNWTO AND WTTC CALL

ON THE G20 TO USE

TOURISMS POTENTIAL FOR

JOB CREATION

Ahead of the G20 world leaders meeting in Los Cabos,

Mexico, the UNWTO and WTTC call on the leaders to con-

sider Travel and Tourism as an engine for economic

growth and stimulating the global economy.Increasing travel and tourism demand through visa facilitation canbe central to stimulating job creation, a priority given the high cur-rent unemployment levels.According to a research study conducted by the two organisations,presented at the T20 Ministers Meeting in Merida last month, G20economies could boost their international tourist numbers by an ad-ditional 122 million, generate an extra US$ 206 billion in tourism ex-ports and create over five million additional jobs by 2015 by improv-ing visa processes and entry formalities.Preliminary findings show that of the 656 million internationaltourists who visited G20 countries in 2011, an estimated 110 million

needed a visa, many of whom deterred from traveling by the cost,waiting time and difficulty of obtaining a visa.Facilitating visas for these tourists, many from some of the worldsfastest growing source markets such as the BRICs, could stimulatedemand, spending and ultimately create millions of new jobs in theG20 economies.UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai and President & CEO, WTTC,David Scowsill agreed that: Travel & Tourism has the potential tocreate millions of new jobs and billions of dollars of GDP in G20 coun-tries. We call on the world leaders to take the necessary steps to re-alise that potential through removing unnecessary visa restrictions.We applaud the actions of the Mexican Government in allowing hold-

ers of US visas to enter Mexico and the Obama Administration forcommitting to improve visa processing from emerging markets.Steps like these towards visa facilitation can result in big economicbenefits. By facilitating visas, the G20 countries stand to gain five mil-lion jobs at a time of rampant unemployment across the world.These are in addition to the hundreds of millions of direct and indi-rect jobs already being supported every day by the sector.In an era of globalisation, States have the opportunity to promotetravel and tourism as an economic activity, whilst maintaining na-

tional security and we invite them to consider leveraging new tech-nology, including electronic visa processes and delivery, as appro-priate to the visa regime of each State, to make travel more acces-sible, convenient and efficient.

AZERBAIJAN: CONVENTION &

CULTURE PARTNER OF ITB

BERLIN 2013

Nazim Samadov, Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Culture andTourism, and Dr. Christian Gke, COO Messe Berlin, signing theITB Berlin Convention partnership agreement with Azerbaijan for2013.

Azerbaijan is acting as partner of the worlds largest tourism con-vention and is presenting its cultural attractions as a fascinatingdestination for tourists Prominent panelists will discuss thecountrys economic development at the ITB Berlin Convention2013.As the Convention & Culture Partner of ITB Berlin 2013, Azerbaijanwill be providing a link between Asia and Europe with a variedprogramme. Located between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus,this country is attending the worlds largest travel trade show tointroduce its natural attractions and its rich culture, as well as pro-moting itself as vacation destination with the emphasis on cul-ture, and as an outstanding MICE venue. With some prominent

panelists, Azerbaijan is also strongly represented in the discus-sions about its economic development at the ITB Berlin Conven-tion, the leading think tank for the international travel industry.In addition to the oil industry, which is already a major econom-ic factor, we are also focusing our attention on developingtourism, says Abulfas Garayev, Azerbaijans Minister of Cultureand Tourism, with reference to his countrys high level of involve-ment in ITB Berlin. For us this partnership with ITB Berlin is a veryimportant instrument for effectively promoting the tourism po-

tential of Azerbaijan. This year the Eurovision Song Contest inBaku attracted enormous media attention, presenting our coun-trys modern image around the world. By acting as the conven-tion and cultural partner of the worlds largest travel trade showwe aim to strengthen this image even further. Azerbaijan de-clared 2011 as the Year of Tourism, and the advances being madewith the countrys tourism infrastructure are already evident. Newhotels have been constructed and special laws have been pro-posed to encourage the development of tourism. This year is ex-pected to see the completion of one of the largest tourism projects,the construction of the Shahdag ski region.

INTERRAIL PASS;

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

OF RAIL TRAVEL

Eurail Group G.I.E., hosted a special media event in Leipzig, Ger-many, on the 4th and 5th June 2012, to celebrate 40 years of In-

terRail Pass Travel. The celebration took place at the BayerischeBahnhof which is a former end station built in 1842 and consid-ered the oldest end station in Europe.This event was made possible by working in close cooperationwith the Leipzig tourism board and a wide number of the Euro-pean member railways. International media from seventeen dif-ferent European countries joined the Eurail Group, plus, a numberof guest speakers. Germany is the second largest InterRail Passmarket (after Italy) and Leipzig was elected as the location to cel-ebrate this milestone because of its rich history and famousBavarian Railway Staion (the Bayerische Bahnhof). The station nolonger serves as a terminus station, however, its former glory

has been restored and transformed into a popular restaurant andbrewery. In fact, the famous Leipzig Gose beer is made on the im-pressive premises.During the event, the guests were delighted to witness a sneakpreview of the recently produced InterRail documentary high-lighting the social history of InterRail Pass travel in Europe. Itproved a huge success and was well received by the internation-al audience. Ant nio Nobre, the documentarys producer wasone of the special guests, hes been InterRailing since 1998.

[NEWS]6 |

Nazim Samadov, Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism,and Dr. Christian Gke, COO M esse Berlin, signing the ITB Berlin Con-vention partnership agreement with Azerbaijan for 2013.


8/13

news.travelling.gr

The Eurail Group was also proud to invite Mr. Manfred Weis as aguest speaker; the Guinness Book of Records holder for travel-ling 36,030 kilometres by train in 30 days. He personifies the In-terRail spirit of adventure and is currently InterRailing with hisfamily because he wants his son to take to the rails and continuein his footstepsAlthough Europe has dramatically changed since 1972 when In-terRail was first introduced to Europeans under the age of 21, thespirit and feel of InterRail remains the same. Travelling with In-terRail gives the pass holder more freedom and the opportunity tomeet new friends along the way. Its a rail pass which also offersthe owner an education into the way other cultures live and therich history of Europe.InterRail continues to lay the foundation for many peoples en-thusiasm towards rail travel by acting as a symbolic gateway toEurope and encouraging openness towards other cultures saysAna Dias e Seixas, Marketing Director of the Eurail Group. Letskeep the train going and keep the spirit of InterRail alive for the

next forty years.

ROUBINI: A 1000 TRAVEL

VOUCHER TO BE GIVEN TO

EVERY GERMAN HOUSE-

HOLDSerious warning to the EU not to stopfunding Greece, from Americaneconomist Nouriel Roubini in an ar-

ticle of Bild. Otherwise, he predictsthe collapse of the entire eurozone.

Heavy criticism to the German gov-ernment. "This madness of austeri-ty has to stop. Governments shouldreduce taxes and increase wages.Europe needs growth. The Germangovernment should give every Ger-man household a 1000 travel

voucher to be spent only on holidays in the crisis countries. This willboost the local economy. Moreover, he suggests, when someonebuys a German holiday home in southern countries, to establish atax bonus.Without the euro, Germany compared with the U.S. or China is aneconomic and a political dwarf.As an export nation, Germany needs the euro and the Europeancountries as trading partners. For Germany the saying applies:swim together or sink together. "Source: www.bild.de

GREEK TOURISM RESISTS,

-5%, ARRIVALS IN THE FIRST

FIVE MONTHS OF 2012According to provisional data of the "non-resident arrivals" (inter-national tourist arrivals) in the main airports of our country for theperiod January to May 2012, announced by SETE, despite the cri-sis and the drop in arrivals, it is not catastrophic.Thessaloniki, Corfu, Chania present an increase, Santorini showssteady traffic, while in all other a decline is reported. The biggestdecline is showing for Athens and Zakynthos.However, the picture is expected to improve if action is taken andif Greece produces a stable government following the June 17elections.

CONTINUOUS AWARDS

FROM TRIPADVISOR.COM

& EXPEDIA.COM FOR

AMAZONES HOTELS IN

CRETE.

The AMAZONES HOTELS in Hersonissos, Heraklion

Crete was honored for one more year with the top

awards from world-renowned American and Euro-

pean portals.

TripAdvisor.com awarded the Amazones Villas Apartments *** inStalis Heraklion the Excellence Award for 2012."Our customers consistently with love gave us 4.5 rating for theservices of Amazones Villas Apartments and Tripadvisor.com rec-ognize it as a gr eat achievement."

Only the best hotels are awarded the certificate of excellence.The same certificate was awarded in 2011 to another hotel unit ofthe company, the Amazones Village Suites **** at Piskopiano

Peninsula."The Amazones club accepts with great pleasure the Certificatesof Excellence TripAdvisor", said Catherine Psara, chief executiveof C. PSARRIS SA-Amazones club.

"We try to offer our customers an unforgettable experience andenjoy their holidays in Greece and especially to Crete, and this dis-

tinction is the proof. The hard work translates into our positive re-views on TripAdvisor. Our clients recognize us the uninterruptedeffort on all levels and our reward us "

The Excellence certificate of TripAdvisor is given only to excep-tional businesses worldwide and is a recognition that they deserve"said Christine Petersen, the president of TripAdvisor for business."From top restaurants in Boston to the top attractions inBarcelona! We want to applaud these companies for the continu-ous quality offered to TripAdvisor travelers and reward them,"added Christine Petersen.

Amazones Village Suites *** has been awarded with the ExpediaInsiders RSelect List Award of 2010 & Expedia Insiders RSelect ListAward of 2011.

This exclusive award, is given only to the best hotels and resortson Expedia globally, as rated by the millions of customers andspecialists of Expedia.com.The Expedia is one of the largest and most powerful online touroperators worldwide with millions of customers around the world.

[NEWS] 7|


9/13

SWISSTEL HOTELS &

RESORTS TO OPEN NEW

DELUXE HOTEL IN KAZAN,

RUSSIA: SWISSTEL RIVIERATOWER KAZANSwisstel Hotels & Resorts and Riviera Tower Limited LiabilityCompany have signed a management contract for a new deluxehotel in Russia. The Kazan property will help the international ho-tel group with Swiss roots reinforce its footing in the Eastern Eu-ropean market and is scheduled to open in 2016.The new outstanding hotel will follow the lead of Swisstel Kras-nye Holmy in Moscow, which has successfully gained a superbereputation over the last years, and will offer the Swiss brand abase in another significant Russian city. The Swisstel Riviera

Tower Kazan will have 211 guest rooms and suites to offer busi-ness travellers and individual tourists a combination of high qual-ity and modern design. A Provel Spa & Sport complex covering1500 square metres, numerous indoor and outdoor sports facili-ties, a ballroom, a number of smaller conference rooms and var-ious restaurants will round off the package.The Swisstel Riviera Tower Kazan is in the very heart of Kazan,right on the banks of Kazanka river. The city is divided into twohalves with their own characters. While one part around theKazan Kremlin is more historic with a wide range of culture onoffer, the other part, where the new Swisstel hotel will be locat-ed, is more the business and banking district. With around 1.2 mil-

lion inhabitants, Kazan is situated about 800 km east of Moscowand is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. A unique combina-tion of Western and Eastern traditions adds the city an inimitablecolour. According to the results of an independent Forbes maga-zine research, it is on top of business climate and attractivenessrating for Russian cities. It is also known as an important desti-nation for major sports events, including the upcoming SummerUniversiade 2013, due to a highly developed infrastructure.Our hotel group has had a presence in Moscow for years and wehave established an excellent reputation here, explains MeinhardHuck, President of Swisstel Hotels & Resorts. The new hotel inKazan will join the two deluxe hotels we plan to open in Sochi in2013 and our existing hotel in Moscow, and represent a perfectaddition to what we feel is a key Eastern European market.Ivan Voitko, General Manager of Riviera Tower LLC added: Theinfrastructure of Kazan is improving every day and the new com-plex with the state-of-the art five star hotel under Swisstel brandwill become another significant element in the city strategy of ad-vancement and development, and will contribute to a greater dis-closure of touristic potential of the region.

QANTAS JOYCE IS

THE NEW IATA CHAIRMANThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced thatQantas Airways CEO and Managing Director Alan Joyce has as-

sumed his duties as Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors.Joyce succeeds KLM President and CEO Peter Hartman, whoseone-year term expired at the conclusion of the Associations 68thAnnual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit inBeijing. Joyces appointment is effective immediately and is forone year, ending with the conclusion of IATAs 69th AGM, to be heldin Cape Town, South Africa.A 24-year veteran of the airline industry, Joyce has led Qantassince November 2008. He was CEO of Jetstar from 2003 to 2008.Prior to that, he spent over 15 years in leadership positions at Qan-tas, Ansett, and Aer Lingus. Joyce is the third Qantas CEO to serve

as Chairman of IATAs Board of Governors, following most recently

James Strong (1999-2000).IATA plays a critical role in the industry and I am honored to takeon the role of leading its Board of Governors. The top priorities, asalways, will be safety, security, and sustainability. On top of that, Iwant to see IATA continue to deliver value to its members by be-ing a strong advocate for the industry. Aviation delivers enormouseconomic benefitssupporting some 57 million jobs and $2.2trillion in economic activity. We need to ensure that governmentsunderstand what is at stake when they are making key decisionson taxes, regulation, and capacity expansion, said Joyce.Our Association owes a debt of gratitude to Peter Hartman, for hisresolute leadership of IATA during a challenging year. The Euro-pean sovereign debt crisis put new pressures on the air transportindustry. Along with this, global political tension rose as a result ofEuropes unilateral and extra-territorial inclusion of aviation in itsEmissions Trading Scheme, said Tony Tyler, IATAs Director Gen-eral and CEO. I would also like to thank Peter for his personalsupport and guidance during my first year in office.I am confident that Alan is the right person to lead IATAs Board ofGovernors as the Association strives to deliver even greater val-

ue to our members. Our ambitious agenda over the next year in-cludes developing the foundation standards for a new distributioncapability, pushing forward progress on Checkpoint of the Future,and working through the International Civil Aviation Organizationto achieve a global approach on positive economic measures to

help manage aviations 2% contribution to man made carbonemissions. All of this will be done in an economic environmentthat is likely to become even more challenging, said Tyler.IATA also announced that the Board of Governors appointedRichard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, to serve as Chairmanfrom June 2013, following Joyces term.

LUFTHANSA MOVES TO

NEW OFFICES IN ATHENSLufthansa's offices in Athens are now at 248 Avenue, 152 31 Ha-landri.The move applies both to Lufthansa, the SWISS, and the compa-nies Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Air lines.The telephone numbers and other communication details remainthe same.

CYPRUS AIRWAYS

CANCELS PLANNED

ATHENS LONDON

HEATHROW

SERVICE DUE OCT 2012Cyprus Airways has cancelled its plan to start Athens LondonHeathrow, due to start from October 1, 2012. The airline previous-ly planned to move 1 of 2 daily Larnaca London Heathrow oper-ation to Athens, but this is no longer the case.

[NEWS]8 |


10/13

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS

TO HOST 69TH IATA

AGM AIR TRANSPORT

LEADERS TO CONVERGE INCAPE TOWN IN JUNE 2013

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced thatSouth African Airways will host the 69th IATA Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS).The event will draw the top leadership of the air transport indus-try to Cape Towns International Convention Centre from 2-4 June2013.South Africa will be a great location for the 2013 AGM and WATS.Air connectivity is key to South Africas economic success, con-tributing 2.1% to the countrys GDP. Along with supporting SouthAfricas strong tourism sector, air connectivity plays a critical rolein maximizing growth opportunities arising from South AfricasBRICS membership and the burgeoning African economy, saidTony Tyler, Director General and CEO of IATA.South African Airways accepted IATA members proposal to hostits 2013 AGM. The announcement was made at the close of thisyears meeting and WATS in Beijing, China.We look forward to hosting the global air transport communityin South Africa. Holding the AGM and WATS on African soil will fo-cus the global industrys attention on the tremendous opportuni-ties as trade and tourism links are being strengthened within thecontinent and to new and traditional markets beyond, said SizaMzimela, South African Airways CEO.

The aviation and aerospace sectors contribute about ZAR51 billion(approx USD 6,07 billion) which is equal to 2.1% South Africas GDP.This activity supports over 227,000 South African jobs. The bulk ofthis contribution is driven by commercial airline transport.Along with shining a spotlight on Africas opportunities, the AGMand WATS will provide a forum for discussing its challenges.Growth in Africa is impeded by regulatory burdens and a poorsafety record compounded by the high fuel prices in many parts ofthe continent. IATA is working across the continent with govern-

ments, regulators and airlines to improve safety, sustainabilityand competitiveness. Holding the 2013 AGM and WATS in CapeTown will provide a prominent platform to address these issuesand challenges, said Tyler.This years AGM and WATS in Beijing attracted some 750 airline

industry leaders representing IATAs 242 member airlines. It drewa further 350 journalists representing major media outlets fromaround the world.The IATA AGM and WATS is a unique marketing and publicity op-portunity for our industry, for Cape Town and for South Africa. Sig-nificantly, it takes place at the same time as our country is rollingout a new national infr astructure development programme. Thiswill position South Africa to play a vital role driving trade, busi-ness and tourism on the continent together with current and de-veloping markets in Brazil, Russia, India & China. In turn thispromises to create jobs and tackle poverty and inequality in SouthAfrica, added Ms Mzimela.

This will be third time that the IATA AGM is held in Africa. Previ-ous IATA AGMs held in Cairo, Egypt (1946) and in Nairobi, Kenya(1991).

2013 CHANGE IN

LEADERSHIP AT ERAAfter more than 25 years as the head of the European Regions Air-line Association (ERA), Director General, Mike Ambrose is to re-tire at the end of 2012. The recommendation of a committee* ap-pointed by the ERA Board to find a successor was accepted by the

ERA Board at its meeting in Venice. The Board agreed that SimonMcNamara, currently Ambroses deputy, would take up the postfrom the beginning of 2013.Ambrose took up his current post in 1987 after spending morethan 20 years at British Airways. His first task was to transferERAs office in Geneva to the UK and then, progressively, to buildERA into the energetic and influential body that it is today.Looking back on his time in his current post Ambrose immedi-ately acknowledged the tremendous good fortune that he andERAs members have had in establishing and maintaining such astrong and highly motivated team within the ERA Directorate. Ithas been a privilege and a pleasure to work alongside such tal-ented people within our membership and within the Directorates

small team. Whilst 1992, which saw the final liberalisation of airtransport in Europe, can be viewed as a high point for the region-al sector of the industry, subsequent new regulations have un-derlined the need for constant commitment to protect and pro-mote ERAs members interests he commented. If challengesare to be seen as opportunities, we are now inundated by new op-portunities. I am delighted that the Board has decided to appointSimon McNamara to take on the role to tackle the issues that areso critical for our sectors future well being he concluded.

Mike has played a key role in defending the interests of Europeanregional airlines and, as a result, the regions of Europe that webring together. His hard work and investment over the last 25years have greatly contributed to making ERA what it is today: ahighly regarded association that works constantly to promote theeconomic, social and environmental aspects of air transport. I

would like to express to him the sincere gratitude of all the mem-bers of the Association. Next year, when Simon takes over, it willbe up to him to help the profession meet the challenges it faces.His qualities and his knowledge of the issues will, I am sure, en-able him to champion the cause of the Association. On behalf of allthe members, I wish him every success, said Marc Lamidey,President of ERA.Commenting on his appointment, Simon McNamara acknowl-edged the contribution that Mike Ambrose has made to the Asso-ciation and the exciting challenges ahead for ERA. Mike has de-voted an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm to ERA thathas made it the force it is today, he commented. I am very excit-

ed and honoured to have been given the opportunity to now leadthe Association. Our industry faces huge challenges, but I am con-fident that ERA, as a powerful, relevant and influential Associationcan ensure our sector remains well served in the future and I lookforward to driving that ambition forward.

LUFTHANSA IMPROVES ITS

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

SERVICE

Live TV with Sports 24 enters trial period new Rave

entertainment system

Good news for sports fans: Lufthansas in-flight entertainmentservice now includes a first integrated live TV channel: Sports 24.The signal is transmitted directly on board by satellite viaLufthansas FlyNet broadband Internet service and from there to

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the entertainment system. Unlike the Internet, this service, whichis already available on three recently delivered Airbus A330s, isfree of charge for passengers.Sports 24 has special airline rights for all major sports eventssuch as the UEFA European Football Championship (opening

match, all German matches, finals) and the Olympic Games inLondon. The English-language channel will also broadcast Bun-desliga (as of the 2012/13 season) and Premier League match-es, all Formula-1 races, the NFL Superbowl, tennis with Wim-bledon and the French Open, and golf with the Ryder Cup and USOpen.In addition, Lufthansa is investing in cutting-edge hardware forin-flight entertainment and will equip its long-haul fleet with theRave system by the California-based producer The IMS Compa-ny.As of next spring, passengers on board B 747-400s, A340-600s,A340-300s and A330-300s will successively be able to use the

system with the familiar ease of a tablet.They can navigate simply by stroking or wiping a touch screen(Economy Class) or by using a remote control with so-calledone-finger navigation in First and Business Class. Image reso-lution is higher than that of the existing solutions and the systemreacts much faster to user input. As all the programme contentis stored in each seat display unit, it can even be used withoutconnection to the server.

CHINA SOUTHERN

LAUNCHES LONDON GUANGZHOU FLIGHT

ROUTINGChina Southern Airlines a member of SkyTeam and the largestairline in The Peoples Republic of China announced the launch ofdirect commercial air service from Southern China to LondonsHeathrow Airport.Departing from its worldwide hub at Baiyun International Airport,Guangzhou, the airlines Airbus A330 arrived on June 6,2012 atHeathrow International Airport around 15:25 local time.

This marks the first direct domestic route from Guangzhou to Lon-don and the third direct international route for China Southern Air-lines from Guangzhou to Europe.China Southern will be offering this Sino/UK service three-timesweekly; every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, departingGuangzhou at 9:00 a.m., arriving in London at 15:25.Flights to China will depart Heathrow International Airport at 18:25every Sunday and will arrive in at Guangzhou at 13:25 the follow-

ing day. Flights on Wednesday and Friday will depart at 22:30 inLondon and arrive in Guangzhou at 17:30 the next day. All times lo-cal.This new route is expected to further promote economic and cul-tural exchanges between UK and China, and prov ide sports fans

with an air bridge to attend the Games of the XXX Olympiad in Lon-don this July.The United Kingdom is the largest tourist market from Europe toAustralia and New Zealand. More than one million passengersoriginate from Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Brisbane and Ade-laide, transit in Asia and continue onward to London.In 2011, China Southern Airlines Canton Route to Australia car-ried nearly 600,000 passengers, the largest share between Chinaand Australia. Passengers who traveled to Australia and NewZealand via Guangzhou increased from 148,000 in 2010 to 343,000in 2011, up 132% on the previous year.With its extensive Chinese domestic route network, Asia routes

and new Australia and New Zealand routes, China Southern Air-lines can provides visitors from UK or Europe with more conven-ient travel choices to visit China, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

GERMANWINGS

COLLABORATES WITH

BRUSSELS

Germanwings and Brussels Airlines have announced closer col-laboration having signed an interlining agreement, effective im-mediately.

The agreement enables Brussels Airlines to offer passengersnew Germanwings connections between Stuttgart and Brussels,allowing access to their complete range of flights via Brusselsairport.Passengers flying to Brussels via Stuttgart will be able to takeadvantage of a completely new range of flights made possibleby the agreement. Brussels Airlines, which owns a share in Ger-manwings parent company Lufthansa, flies to numerous des-

tinations worldwide including 20 direct flights to destinations inAfrica, as well as connections to key locations across Europe in-cluding Madrid, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Manchesterand Porto.

KLM LAUNCHES TRIP

PLANNER PLAN A TRIP WITH

FRIENDS VIA FACEBOOK

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has launched a platform for swiftly and

simply organising a trip with Facebook friends. This is the latest

step in KLMs drive towards the integration of social media into its

core activities.

Earlier this year, KLM introduced Meet & Seat, becoming the firstairline to integrate social networks and flight data. KLM has now

supplemented this social seating service with a Trip Planner

platform facilitating social booking.

Planning a trip with friends can be quite a challenge, but KLM Trip

Planner makes this fun and easy. The delegated trip organiser se-

lects a groups of travellers among their Facebook friends.

After choosing a destination, various travel dates and available

ticket prices, the organiser asks the selected friends to indicate

which of the options has their preference. The booking can sub-

sequently be made very simply in a secure section of klm.com,

without having to email, text or phone an agent.The KLM Trip Planner can also help customers find a suitable des-

tination. Based on the groups members and their interests, KLM

offers three suggestions that vary depending on the main purpose

of the trip, whether it be shopping, attending a football match or

some other activity.

Participants Get A Chance To Win Great Prizes Including 10 Busi-

ness Class And 50 Economy Class Return Tickets

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QATAR AIRWAYS

REFLECTIONS

PHOTO CONTEST

Qatar Airways is back with another engaging socialmedia photo contest, Reflections, through which the

airline is giving away attractive prizes Business and

Economy Class air tickets and a total of 1.6 million

Privilege Club Qmiles.

Qatar Airways Reflections Photo ContestEntries may include up to eight photos under the following cate-gories Vibrant Cultures, Magnificent Cities, Breathtaking Natureand Exciting Journeys.Professional to amateur photography enthusiasts may upload pho-

tos, share them across their social network and invite support fromtheir friends, family and followers in the form of votes. They can al-so view, vote on, and share photos submitted by other contestants toaccumulate points. Each point they earn converts into a lucky drawentry.Prizes include 10 Business and 50 Economy Class tickets. Qatar Air-ways Privilege Club programme is offering a mammoth 1.6 millionQmiles to be shared among the winners.Contestants are invited to submit their entries online at qatarair-ways.com/reflections.Once the contest comes to a close, the best voted images will be rat-ed by Qatar Airways panel of expert judges. The winning photo-graphs will be announced on or before July 25.As a bonus, every entrant gets an opportunity to enter a lucky drawfor a chance to win one of 100 exciting prizes.Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said that thiscontest was in line with the airlines continued efforts to connect withits customers.As an aviation industry leader it is imperative that we build a strongrelationship with our customers who use various social media plat-forms to find out about latest promotions at Qatar Airways, he said.

Coming up with exciting promotions to give back great benefits toour passengers is our way of celebrating what we have achievedover the last 15 years to take Qatar Airways to where it is today.For latest updates on Qatar Airways promotions, activities and con-tests, follow the airline on Facebook (facebook.com/qatarairways)and also on Twitter (twitter.com/qatarairways).Qatar Airways is one of the worlds fastest growing airlines, operat-ing a modern fleet of 109 aircraft to 115 diverse business and leisuredestinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, NorthAmerica and South America from its Doha hub.Qatar Airways recently launched daily flights to the Croatian capitalZagreb, the Iraqi city of Erbil, and is gearing up to launch a range ofnew destinations, including Baghdad from June 7; Perth, the airline'ssecond Australian route from July 3; Kilimanjaro in Tanzania fromJuly 25; Mombasa in Kenya from August 15; Yangon in Myanmar onOctober 3 and to the Serbian capital Belgrade later in the year.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS AN-NOUNCES LOYALTY

SCHEME AGREEMENT

WITH ROYAL AIR MAROC

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates,announced a reciprocal frequent flyer agreement with codesharepartner Royal Air Maroc.

This partnership will allow Etihad Guest members to earn and re-deem Etihad Guest Miles when flying on Royal Air Maroc to an ad-ditional 74 destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and NorthAmerica.Members of the Royal Air Maroc Safar Frequent Flyer programwill also earn and redeem Safar Flyer Miles on Etihad Airwaysflights.Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Baumgartner,

said: We are delighted to offer our loyal guests more ways inwhich to earn and burn miles.Royal Air Maroc is a quality airline with an attractive network thatcomplements our own routes seamlessly. Now our Etihad Guestmembers flying with Royal Air Maroc will earn Etihad Guest Miles

which they can exchange for free flights or to make purchasesfrom the vast array of products available in the Etihad Guest on-line Reward Shop.We very much look forward to working closely with Royal AirMaroc over the coming weeks and months to find more innovativeways in which we can reward our most loyal customers.Royal Air Maroc Deputy Executive Officer, Abderrafia Zouiten, said:This agreement between Royal Air Maroc and Etihad Airwaysstrengthens the joint willing of our carriers to extend the cooper-ation field.It expands the opportunities afforded to our customers, notablytowards the Middle East and Asia. Royal Air Maroc is proud to in-

clude Etihad Airways, a leading company in providing exception-al standards of customer service, as a strategic and reliable part-ner.Etihad Guest is an award-winning loyalty program, boasting over1.5 million members to date. The Etihad Guest program offersmembers opportunities to accumulate Etihad Guest Miles whichcan be used to purchase more than 3,800 products in the EtihadAirways Reward Shop, or converted to make cash payments inmore than thirty million retail outlets worldwide with PointsPay an unmatched loyalty proposition.

JAL TO LOWERFUEL SURCHARGES ON

INTERNATIONAL TICKETSJAL to Lower Fuel Surcharges on International TicketsJapan Air-lines has requested approval from the Japanese Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) to apply alower level of fuel surcharges on all its international passengertickets issued between 1 August and 30 September 2012.JAL sets fuel surcharge levels bimonthly based on the 2-monthaverage price of Singapore kerosene-type jet fuel. The price of

Singapore kerosene-type jet fuel during the two month periodof April and May 2012 averaged US$127.75 per barrel. With ref-erence to the benchmark list for fiscal year 2012, this corre-sponds to Zone G of fuel surcharges which from August 2012,will range from 2,200 yen on a Japan Korea ticket to 23,500 yenon a Japan USA ticket per person per sector flown, on ticketspurchased in Japan.This level of surcharge will be applied to all international pas-senger tickets issued between 1 August and 30 September 2012.

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Documents

Hellenic Travelling NEWS July 2012