NewsBits    By   Amira Salah-Ahmed

The first bricks have been laid for the Vocation Training Center in Sixth of October City, a project initiated by the ETF aiming to prepare people for jobs in the tourism industry. The training complex is to be built on some five acres of land, and is scheduled for completion in 24 months time.

Skywalk/Associated Press Skywalk, a 160-meter circuit running around the Sydney Tower with glass platforms in two places, opened this past October. The first adventurers to take on the mighty tower — New South Wales Tourism Minister Sandra Nori (left) Everest conqueror Peter Hillary (center) and James Fulford (right) — found themselves on a very lofty walkway perched a dizzying 268 meters up a landmark downtown tower in Sydney, Australia.

By late next year, European air passengers will be allowed to use their cell phones onboard planes, according to eTurboNews. Cell phones are currently prohibited because they interfere with planes’ navigation systems.OnAir, a company that provides commercial airline passengers with personal communications services during flights, has created a new system that is based within the plane, ensuring that mobile devices will operate at a lower transmission power, which avoids interference with avionics.

Francois Mori/Associated Press The Grand Palais’ dome of glass and steel is one of the architectural jewels of Paris. The Grand Palais, which first opened in 1900, reopened its doors this past September after a dozen years of renovations.

The world’s first permanent museum devoted to James Bond has opened on Naoshima, a small island in Japan that provided the setting for a major part of Raymond Benson’s 2002 Bond novel The Man With the Red Tattoo. The museum will introduce visitors to other 007 stories, feature information on authors who have contributed to the legacy, and exhibit material and memorabilia related to the novels and films.

Sergio Dionisio/Associated Press A range of transparent backpacks and bags has been designed for travel on public transport. A London-based manufacturer is hoping the new range of Freedom Bags will “give the public back the confidence to travel on public transport” in the wake of this summer’s London bombings.

According to eTurboNews, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it is planning to introduce a permanent visa waiver program for Taiwanese tourists visiting Japan for up to 90 days, in an effort to promote tourism between the two countries.

The Government of Thailand has announced plans to build a memorial commemorating the December 2004 tsunami, which claimed over 100,000 lives across South and Southeast Asia. A Tsunami Memorial Design Competition is now open to architects, designers, artists and laypersons from all over the world, with the goal of gathering and developing ideas and concepts to build the interactive memorial. The Thai government has selected a site in Khao Lak–Lamru National Park in Phangnga, the hardest hit province in Thailand, to house the permanent tribute to those who lost their lives.

Grand Canyon West, a destination offering panoramic experiences on the Grand Canyon’s western rim, is currently building its latest attraction: The Skywalk glass bridge, where visitors will be able to walk around the first-ever glass bridge. It will be suspended more than 4,000 feet above the Colorado River and extend over the edge of the Grand Canyon and will open to the public in January 2006.

Everyone’s abuzz about Dubai’s newest tourism development project: Palm Islands, the largest project of its kind anywhere in the world. Along with the port of Jebel Ali and the Great Wall of China, officials say the landmark will be visible to the naked eye from space. The three man-made islands will be named Deira, Jumeirah and Jebel Ali, and, when completed, will add 120 km of sandy beaches to the Dubai coastline. The first island will include 2,000 residential villas, up to 40 luxury boutique hotels, shopping complexes, cinemas and the region’s first marine park. The other two will be modeled on similar plans. Government officials say both islands are planned to take between 3-4 years to complete, and will be connected to the mainland by bridges.

According to the new issue of the WTO’s World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 460 million international tourist arrivals were recorded worldwide in the first seven months of 2005, representing a 5.9 percent growth compared with the same period for 2004. “In terms of consumer behavior, it is quite evident that travelers have been undeterred by external threats [with] leisure tourism once again outperforming business tourism,” WTO officials say. Africa and Asia-Pacific are the best-performing regions of the world so far this year (up 9 percent each). while the Americas are enjoying another good year, with region-wide growth averaging 7 percent. Growth for Europe in the same period is estimated at 5 percent and that for the Middle East at 3 percent.

American Airlines and Emirates have launched interline electronic ticketing (IET), bringing the number of domestic and international airlines providing IET in cooperation with American Airlines to 30, and with Emirates to five. Customers can use a single electronic ticket when their itineraries include travel on American Airlines and Emirates. Interline e-tickets can be issued by American Airlines and Emirates through their respective reservation centers, airport locations, ticket offices and travel agencies.

Kuwait’s first international budget airline, Jazeera Airways, will take off on its maiden flight in mid-November. Jazeera Airways CEO Marwan Boodai said the airline’s operation will include daily flights to Dubai, Beirut, Damascus and Manama, and three flights a week to Amman. There are also plans to initiate service to Egypt, India and Southeast Asia in the near future.

Lufthansa added eight additional flights to its winter timetable, responding to increasing demand for services from Asia-Pacific to its European hubs of Frankfurt and Munich. The airline added four weekly flights to its Delhi–Munich route, increased its Bangalore–Frankfurt flights from five to daily services and introduced two extra flights between Hong Kong and Munich.

Qatar Airways will begin a new route to Nairobi in November and to Madrid and Berlin in December, bringing the number of destinations it serves from Doha to 69.

The Barr Al Jissah Resort, a luxury tourism resort located on Oman’s coastline, plans to open for guests by the New Year. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, an Asian hotel group, will manage the property comprising three exclusive hotels offering 680 rooms in total. Set amidst 124 acres of landscaped gardens, the resort will house an Omani Heritage Village featuring a 1,000-seat amphitheater as well as activities and exhibits that reflect the local culture.

Millennium and Copthorne Hotels announces the opening of its first property in Egypt, the Coral Beach Diving Hotel. The four-star property is also the first resort to open in Port Ghalib, a new leisure tourism destination on the Red Sea. Situated on the promenade of the Port Ghalib International Marina, the 206-room resort is ideal for scuba divers and snorkelers, offering its own PADI-registered on-site dive school, underground classroom with observation windows, dive boats, equipment and a dive shop.

Four Seasons was voted the number one hotel chain in Egypt by readers of Dear Guest Magazine. The celebrations were held at Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza this past September, with General Manager Olivier Masson receiving the award.

Wireless Internet was recently installed throughout the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, offering guests the opportunity to ‘log on’ at the click of a button in the Royal Suites, the Business Center, the Kingdom Ballroom and all meeting rooms, as well as the food and beverage outlets.

Lovers of the Hard Rock Cafes will soon be able to enjoy the same ambiance and service at Hard Rock Hotels, lifestyle accommodations with a defined musical edge. The new hotel brand offers travelers exclusive four-star boutique hotels located in key gateway cities, exotic vacation destinations and mountain resorts.

The InterContinental Bethlehem, better known as the Jacir Palace, is back in business after being closed for five years. Located in the heart of Bethlehem on the Jerusalem-Hebron Road, the history of the Jacir Palace dates back to 1910, with the return of the Palestinian Jacir family to their homeland Bethlehem.

The world’s largest hotel company also celebrated the soft opening of the InterContinental Jericho this past September, offering 181 deluxe rooms.

Tanzania’s port city of Dar es Salaam recently witnessed the reopening of Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski following a $40-million, three-year renovation. The legendary “Kili” hotel boasts 180 rooms and suites, each offering magnificent views over the Indian Ocean. A second property, the Zamani Kempinski Resort, is scheduled to open by the end of this year on the island of Zanzibar.

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental has opened in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district. With 113 rooms, the boutique hotel provides the largest average room size of any hotel in Hong Kong, LCD televisions in every room, advanced home entertainment technology and a comprehensive range of wellness facilities.

The Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai, recently unveiled a 36-floor glass tower featuring 375 rooms and suites following a $138-million expansion program. The new structure also comprises a range of designer restaurants and bars, a grand ballroom, CHI Spa, a Health Club and glassed-in outdoor swimming pool.

The W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Residences, part of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, is scheduled to open in 2008, just 500 meters east of the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel will embrace the signature comforts of the W brand including striking architecture, multiple restaurants, exhilarating nightlife and a destination spa. The development will be the brand’s flagship property in Las Vegas and its first with a casino.

Westin Hotels & Resorts, another Starwood brand, rolled out its WestinWORKOUT fitness concept across its 21 hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Brand-new treadmills, cycles, elliptical trainers, yoga mats and core boards have been installed in gyms and bedrooms across the region. Westin has also partnered with Runner’s World magazine to design certified maps that outline recommended five- and eight-kilometer jogging/walking routes in the hotel’s vicinity in every city.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has also announced a new Westin Hotel in central Paris, its fifth property in France. The 438-room property offers a breathtaking view of the Tuileries Gardens and many of the city’s most recognized landmarks. tt