Whatever your preconceived notion of Saudi Arabia as a travel destination is, it’s about to be get a major renovation. Imagine Sindalah, for example, a 7-star private-island resort with three ultra-luxe resorts, 38 high-end restaurants and multiple superyacht marinas. Or Qiddiya, a futuristic city of 600,000 people rising from the desert floor, dedicated to e-sports and gaming. How about Trojena, a space-age ski resort built above the high desert? Or The Red Sea, a vast waterscape of 50 luxury resorts and 8,000 hotel rooms spread across 22 islands in a Maldives-style archipelago—powered entirely by wind and solar energy? Also in the works is The Rig, a $5-billion adventure theme park built on an off-shore oil platform. In addition, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a cruise destination, having recently bought a $300-million ship. Across the Kingdom, new roads, airports, golf courses and cruise terminals are rising from the sand. The map is literally being redrawn in real time.
‘A Clear Runway of Opportunity’: Inside Sandals’ 2024 Global Sales Conference
15.01.2024 - 22:55 / breakingtravelnews.com / Edmund Bartlett / Adam Stewart
As the calendar flips to a new year, Unique Vacations, Inc. (UVI) – an affiliate of the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts – inaugurates 2024 as “The Year of More” at an energizing Global Sales Conference designed to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the travel advisor community and reinforce its crucial role within the ecosystem of tourism for the Caribbean at large.
The first of its kind since 2019, the event was held between Sandals Dunn’s River and Sandals Ochi, and united esteemed Caribbean government officials, Sandals Resorts executives, and over 200 members of Unique Vacations global sales force for a weekend of reflection, strategic alignment, and gathering momentum in the direction of selling the coveted Caribbean.
Following an evening of welcome cocktails and dinner at Sandals Dunn’s River, a future-focused business session unfolded at Sandals Ochi on January 5th with a series of inspiring speeches from notable figures, including The Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, and The Hon. Carlos James, Minister of Tourism for Saint Vincent and The Grenadines. They were joined by UVI and Sandals Resorts International (SRI) executive leadership, including SRI Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, who addressed a captivated audience, reflecting on the brands’ foundation and its continued commitment to supporting travel advisors while sharing insights and strategic directions for the future.
“We sit here today on 42 years of legacy – 42 years of a clear runway of opportunity to be the company that is the game changer to rewrite the future history books of what Caribbean tourism is going to look like, and that is what Sandals 2.0 reflects and represents,” said Stewart. “We are committed every day to you and your craft – to doing things that are monumentally bigger than Sandals. This is an ecosystem of Caribbean tourism that only triumphs if we function together as one.”
Tourism Ministers Join Forces to Promote the Caribbean
In his address to the sales force, The Hon. Edmund Bartlett expressed his appreciation for a year of record-breaking travel in Jamaica – four million visitor arrivals in a single year (2023) and 10 consecutive quarters of economic growth, reducing the island’s debt to GDP from 149% to 74% – manifesting “more visitors, more revenue and more love in 2024.”
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“What you are doing for Jamaica means additional exposure and opportunities for our destination, which translates in effect to more arrivals and more earnings. It means more business, more jobs, and more growth,” said The Hon. Edmund Bartlett, adding that innovation and collaboration will be the driving force of ongoing success in 2024 and beyond. “Our way forward in
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See inside Qatar Airways' $20,000-a-year VIP club at the world's busiest music arena — with a floating walkway above the crowd
Qatar Airways announced Wednesday that it has secured naming rights for a premium members club at The O2 in London.
Is My Airplane Safe? What to Know As Boeing 737-9 Max Cleared to Return to Service
The Boeing 737-9 Max was cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week to return to scheduled service for the first time since a harrowing Alaska Airlines incident on January 5 cast doubt on the plane’s safety. Both Alaska and United, the only two U.S. carriers that operate the model, said that flights on the Max 9 will start as early as this weekend. But the question remains: Will passengers also return, or will they steer clear of the troubled jet?
Jamaica to Host 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Tourism Capital
Plans are in full force for the highly anticipated second staging of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Taking place over a two-day period, the Global Tourism Resilience Conference will include panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations and lively debates on matters of building resilience in tourism. This group of experts in their collective fields will gather to collaboratively discuss issues that are central to future-proofing travel and tourism to various disruptions moving forward. Global tourism resilience will once again take centre stage with key experts on building resilience in the industry. As tourism destinations continue to recover, it is critical that tenacity is a focus of planning and development to future proof the industry from any potential shock,” said Founder of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.
I toured Air India's new Airbus A350 — which it hopes will compete with elite competitors like Emirates and Qatar. See inside.
Air India welcomed its new Airbus A350 in December — a first for the nation's flag carrier — and it's an incredible improvement from the airline's notoriously mediocre product.
I stayed in a Disney World suite that can cost over $8,000 a night. See inside the 1,000-square-foot space with 2 bathrooms.
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A student was trapped inside an empty Amtrak train after she fell asleep during the ride and missed her stop
Aria Lockhart boarded an Amtrak train around 3 a.m. out of Carbondale, Illinois, headed for Chicago on Sunday.
Inside The New And Highly Antipcated Ritz-Carlton, Portland
Though I’ve visited Portland, Oregon, so many times I’ve lost count, I won’t soon be forgetting my last trip thanks to a new downtown hotel.
Inside the newest national park in Argentine Patagonia
Hidden beneath an overhang on steep cliff walls above the Pinturas River Canyon are more than 800 stencilled handprints and painted images of animals. Nobody fully understands why Patagonia’s nomadic hunter-gatherers crafted the graffiti, but we do know they were created around 9,300 years ago using mineral pigments mixed with blood and fat, and that they provide a glimpse of early life in the glacier-carved province of Santa Cruz.
Global Hotel Deals to Surpass $58 Billion in 2024
Global hotel dealmaking will speed up in 2024 thanks to a more positive financing environment, exceeding 2023’s unusually low level by 15% to 25%.
Inside: Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa, Stratford Upon Avon
Nestled in the homeland of William Shakespeare, Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa is a 16th-century quintessentially British country house hotel just five miles north of Stratford upon Avon.