Amadeus appoints Regional Business Development Director to oversee MEA operations

Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced the appointment of Nasser Batha as Regional Business Development Director for Amadeus in Middle East & Africa.Batha will lead the development and execution of sales and account management strategies for Amadeus’ operations in Saudi Arabia and will oversee expansion of market share, bookings and drive the company’s growth objectives in the region. Batha’s new role will also involve working with the sales team in identifying new business opportunities and supporting them with the sales cycle process.He will report into Fernando Cuesta, Executive Director, Amadeus Middle East and Africa.Batha has more than 25 years of travel industry work experience including successful stints at Emirates Airlines, where he was the Area Manager for Dubai and Northern Emirates, and at KLM as Director of Marketing for Middle East, Central and South Asia. Prior to joining Amadeus, Nasser worked with Al Shamel Holding in Dubai where he was the Chief Operating Officer.“Batha’s broad experience in the regional travel and tourism industry and his commercial drive combined with operational capabilities will strengthen Amadeus presence and its ability to deliver the right products and solutions to our valued customers. We are confident that with his background and leadership skills Amadeus will be able to identify potential growth opportunities and further diversify our business and revenues in the region,” said Fernando Cuesta, Executive Director, Amadeus MEA.Nasser holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and is fluent in English, Arabic, and Hindi.

Go-Green.ae Launches Site with 41 international Languages

According to Sharad Agarwal, CEO of Go-Green.ae, “What started off as a local ‘Green’ community site has now gone global in 41 international languages. We have had a terrific response to our portal from over 60 countries worldwide. Our daily e-newsletter reaches out to over 12,000 subscribers interested in going green. We have suitably upgraded the contents of our site to include a blog, eco-sustainable products information, interface to Facebook Connect, Twitter and LinkedIn, international eco-events guide, ‘Green’ success stories and an electronic guide to ‘Practical Ways To Go Green’.Go-Green.ae recently launched an online directory for ‘Green’ products and services. Organisations interested in showcasing their products/services can add their information online. Go-Green.ae will also shortly be launching an online eco- store where consumers can shop online for eco-friendly and energy efficient consumer products.Go-Green.ae has become an extremely popular site on the web and receives an average of 120,000 visitors per month. With the launch of multilingual content, the web traffic is likely to increase exponentially.Go-Green.ae features ‘Green Stories’ that demonstrate the steps taken by corporations as part of their commitment to preserve the planet. Global organisations such as Sony, Panasonic, Lexmark, Orange, Toshiba, Cisco, Nokia, Discover, Dell, HSBC, Google, Emirates Airlines, Marriott, Hotels and Resorts Intercontinental Hotels, Grand Hyatt, McDonalds, Zipcar, Nissan, Mercedes and Mazda share their ‘Green Innovations’ online.The ‘Green Heroes Program’ gives credit and encouragement to individuals who have contributed in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability.Go-Green.ae is updated 24/7 with information relating to news, events, technologies, videos, web resources and success stories in the field of energy conservation, sustainability and environmental protection.Go-Green.ae recently won the Alternate Energy Award at ADIPEC, in recognition of its contribution to promoting environmental awareness and also featured on CNN for its coverage on Dubai’s participation in Earth Hour. For more information:

Email: green@go-green.ae
Website: http://www.go-green.ae

Emaar Hospitality Group and ’A Helping Hand’ raise AED 165,000 for Medecins Sans Frontieres

Emaar Hospitality Group joined hands with ’A Helping Hand,’ a group of students from The American School of Dubai, to host a fund-raising dinner for Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The annual event, ’Dinner on the Greens’ was held recently at The Montgomerie Dubai with the support of the Red Crescent and raised AED 165,000 to fund medication for an epidemic in West Africa. Médecins Sans Frontières will vaccinate over seven million people for free in Chad, Niger and Nigeria, in one of the worst meningitis epidemics in five years, as reported by United Nations.Mr Marc Dardenne, Chief Executive Office, Emaar Hospitality Group and Emaar Hotels & Resorts said: "A Helping Hand is a model charity organization led by students and through this event they not only contribute to society but also further strengthen their personal development and societal commitment. Emaar Hospitality Group is privileged to partner with such a noble initiative that touches the lives of people across geographies."The JMH Group, the owners of Fosroc, the construction chemicals brand, and of Fitriani, Kilgour and Ray Ward, the exclusive womenswear, men’s bespoke tailors and gunsmiths brands, respectively, was the main sponsor of the event.’Dinner on the Greens’ featured two components – a sponsored 18-hole golf tournament, and a gala dinner with a silent auction held overlooking the greens of The Montgomerie Dubai golf course.Several prizes were on offer throughout the event including the silent auction grand prize sponsored by Emirates Airlines which included two business class return flights anywhere on the Emirates network valued at AED 50,000.Eighty-five per cent of proceeds raised from the event at The Montgomerie Dubai went to the humanitarian and medical assistance work, and the rest was contributed to the general emergency fund of MSF.

Etisalat Has The Highest Global Customer Base For In-Flight Mobile Service

Etisalat, the UAE-based Telecommunications Services Provider, announced that over 56,000 of its customers have experienced the in-flight mobile service, by using their mobiles phones in the air, since the service was first introduced by Etisalat a year ago through the AeroMobile system. According to Aeromobile, this represents 27% of the total users across the world, on the Aeromobile network, making Etisalat a leader in the in-flight Mobile service, with maximum number of customers for this service.

The service enables passengers to safely make and receive calls and SMS text messages while in-flight. The service was first operated by Etisalat in the UAE on an Emirates flight between Dubai and Casablanca, a year ago. The system has since been installed on 32 of the Emirates airline’s fleet, and is available on around 25% of its Aircrafts. Emirates presently operates over 60 Aeromobile equipped flights in a day to various global destinations.

Mr. Essa Al Haddad. Etisalat’s Chief Marketing Officer said “Etisalat’s In-flight mobile services target a niche audience who prefer to be virtually connected all the time. Since its launch last year, Etisalat’s in-flight mobile services have been a huge success and have received tremendous positive appreciation from its customers. We are proud to be leaders in this niche market, providing connectivity even in the sky. “

“Being a leading service provider in the region, Etisalat can relate to the necessity of the customer to remain connected with their business, family, and colleagues whilst they’re travelling, and we’re delighted to make this possible for them through our association with Emirates Airlines and Aeromobile, while they are in the air, ” added Al Haddad.

“GPRS data services are also available for our customers in air, enabling them to surf the internet, download their emails, or enjoy multimedia services, while flying,” he further commented.

Etisalat customers can benefit from the in-flight mobile services while traveling on the Emirates airlines to 60 selected routes including London, Casablanca, Cairo, Sydney, Damascus, Khartoum, Karachi, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Perth, Melbourne, Paris, Rome, Milan, Munich, Nice, Bombay and Kuala Lumpur. Standard international Roaming charge applies for both Wasel and GSM customers, while calling on board.

For more information, visit www.etisalat.ae or call the toll free Number 101

To Commemorate Earth Day on 22 April, Go-Green.ae Launches Community Guide

To Commemorate Earth Day on 22 April, Go-Green.ae Launches Community Guide entitled ’10 Practical Ways to Go Green’.

Several countries are celebrating Earth Day to express their commitment to preserving the planet and its limited resources. Under the umbrella of The Green Generation, thousands of events are currently being planned in schools, communities, villages, towns and cities around the world.

Go-Green.ae is promoting awareness through an online campaign to highlight the fact that every individual action should be responsible for sustainable consumption. The community guide entitled ’10 Practical Ways to Go Green’ can be downloaded from http://www.go-green.ae/greenresources/10waystogogreen.pdf. ’Go Green’ web portal was launched in July 2008 to remind people to be mindful of and sensitive to the natural environment in our daily life

Go-Green.ae features ’Green Stories’ that demonstrate the steps taken by corporations as part of their commitment to preserve the planet. Global organisations such as Panasonic, Orange, Toshiba, Cisco, Discover, Dell, HSBC, Google, Emirates Airlines, Marriott, Hotels and Resorts Intercontinental Hotels, Grand Hyatt, Zipcar, Nissan and Mazda share their ’Green Innovations’ online.

The ’Green Heroes Program’ gives credit and encouragement to individuals who have contributed in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability.

Go-Green.ae is updated 24/7 with information relating to news, events, technologies, videos, web resources and success stories in the field of energy conservation, sustainability and environmental protection.

Go-Green.ae is a Cyber Gear initiative and is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility Program. Go-Green.ae recently won the Alternate Energy Award at ADIPEC, in recognition of its contribution to promoting environmental awareness.

For more information, contact:

Sharad Agarwal
Cyber Gear LLC
P.O. Box 53735
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +9714 3312627
Email: gogreen@cyber-gear.com
Website: http://www.go-green.ae

Dubai International Airport

Dubai International Airport serves more than 110 airlines from 160 countries. It has two terminals, with most international flights scheduled out of Terminal 1 (a free shuttle connects the terminals). Emirates Airlines is based here. The airport code is DXB. Dubai International Airport has excellent duty-free shops in the Departure and Arrivals halls, as well as restaurants, carrental agencies, hotel and visitor information desks, and exchange services.

A dedicated lounge for unaccompanied minors and passengers with special needs is available in the Arrivals hall. The fivestar Dubai International Hotel is also located in the Arrivals hall. A second airport, Al Maktoum International, will open in phases starting in 2008, although it will initially handle only cargo. (www. dubaiairport.com)

Dubai in December

Dubai Rugby Sevens
Sponsored by Emirates Airlines, this 3-day event starting at the beginning of the month is the first round of the International Rugby Board Sevens World Series. More than 1,750 players take part. The event is enormously popular with Western expatriates living in Dubai, and is accompanied by “Rugby Rock” concerts that liven up the crowd. www.dubairugby7s.com

Dubai International Film Festival
This weeklong cultural event in mid- December showcases full-length feature movies, shorts, and documentaries from around the world, with an emphasis on Arab cinema. The event continues to grow in prominence and takes place at venues across the city. www.diff.ae

Islamic New Year’s Day
This holiday celebrates the Prophet Mohammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina to create the first Islamic state. December 29, 2008, and December 18, 2009.