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Archive for June, 2009

29 Jun, 2009

Hotel Occupancies Falling Worldwide

With a few exceptions, hotels worldwide are reporting significant decreases in occupancies, average daily rates (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) with major tourism destinations like Bangkok, Phuket, Dubai and New York among the worst hit, according to STR Global, a lodging industry benchmarking and research company. The company’s statistical comparative analysis figures for […]

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22 Jun, 2009

Melbourne Set To Give Sydney A Run For The Money

MELBOURNE: Barely a few months after the February 2009 bushfires, and in spite of reports of a swine flu outbreak, Melbourne has hosted a highly successful Australian Tourism Exchange and announced a slew of new developments designed to help it overtake key rival Sydney as Australia’s Number One city. The early June 2009 opening of […]

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21 Jun, 2009

The day Lee Kuan Yew cited the problematic role of the U.S. Jewish lobby

Originally Published: 21 Jun 2009 Aviation industry conferences are not usually where one expects to hear political statements, so it was pleasant surprise, nay, shock, to hear former Singapore Prime Minister and now Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in a meeting of airline leaders in Kuala Lumpur cite the role of the U.S. Jewish lobby in […]

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15 Jun, 2009

Kuala Lumpur Hotel “Converts” to Sharia Compliance

KUALA LUMPUR – After 15 years of being run by conventional rules of management and hospitality, the De Palma Hotel in Kuala Lumpur has “converted” to Islamic sharia compliance, and business is booming. The bar is gone. One of the function rooms is now a prayer hall. Prayer mats are available in all rooms, and […]

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8 Jun, 2009

First Global Road Safety Conference to Convene in Moscow

The First Global Ministerial Conference on road safety is to convene in Moscow on November 19-20, 2009 in an attempt to find ways to reduce the thousands of deaths and injuries occurring on roads and highways every day.

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7 Jun, 2009

In Cairo speech to the Muslim world, Obama promises much, but will he deliver?

Originally Published: 07 Jun 2009 Had he given anything close to his June 4 speech prior to his election, Barack Hussein Obama would not have become the 44th President of the United States. Never in the history of modern geopolitics has the world’s most powerful man made one religion and its worldwide followers the subject […]

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1 Jun, 2009

PATA Financial Clean Up Continues

Facing another tough financial year in 2009, the Pacific Asia Travel Association is pushing ahead with internal financial clean-up and administrative overhaul in preparation for formal approval of the changes at the next board meeting in Hangzhou, China, this September. Also under way is a re-writing of the by-laws that will change the structure, role […]

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