On the go

Travelers to the Emirates can now earn 5,000 free Air Miles by renting a car from Hertz UAE for seven days or longer. Hertz customers also receive one Air Mile for every UAE dirham spent on pre-paid international reservation vouchers. Hertz has 13 rental facilities in the Emirates; Air Miles can be exchanged for goods from a variety of companies, ranging from airline tickets to spa treatments.

Qatar Airways has expanded its code-share agreement with German carrier Lufthansa. Starting in June, Qatar Airways will have its code on flights between Germany and four US destinations: Houston, New York, Newark and Washington. Qatar will also launch its own flights between Doha and the United States later this year; initial destinations will be to East Coast cities.

The UAE will be home to a new Boeing 737-300 this month, which will be the last of eight planes used to launch RAK Airways at the end of the year. Based out of Ras Al-Khaimah, the new airline will be the UAE’s fourth carrier.

First- and business-class passengers on Emirates can take advantage of the airline’s summer offers. First-class passengers flying to Dubai will receive two nights at the Ritz Carlton, while business-class passengers qualify for a night at the Emirates Towers. Both groups are also eligible for a $100 hotel credit or a dinner safari. Offers end August 31.

Starting July 4, Emirates is also adding another flight between Cairo and Dubai, bringing the airline’s weekly total to nine.

The Sheraton Cairo recently launched Club Level, an initiative aimed at business visitors and offering a range of services and room features. Club Level guests enjoy special privileges including access to an exclusive lounge open from 7am to 11pm; priority check-in and check-out; complimentary continental breakfast served from 7am to 11am; a snack buffet with tea, coffee and soft drinks between 5pm and 8pm; and an extended check-out time of 4pm.

Located between the nineteenth and twenty-second floors of the hotel, Club rooms have been specifically tailored to meet the needs of the Sheraton’s business clients. To distinguish the Club from other accommodation within the hotel, rooms include a large work area, an executive-sized desk and high-speed wireless internet access. The rooms also have the standard Sheraton features, including mini-bar, coffee/tea maker and the signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed.

All Club rooms boast balconies with bird’s-eye views of the city; some overlook the Pyramids at Giza.

In another example of Sheraton’s service initiatives, all travelers — business and leisure — now have access to expanded online booking features. Egyptians and foreign residents can make Sheraton Cairo reservations via the internet at competitive resident Egyptian rates, listed in Egyptian pounds. The website features the Best Rate Guarantee, which serves the best interests of both parent company Starwood and guests. With the offer to match any lower room rate found on the web within 24 hours of purchase, as well as a promise of no hidden fees, the Best Rate Guarantee has helped to ensure accurate booking at the lowest possible rates, while building customer loyalty and cutting out third parties.

Sheraton guests reserving online are also eligible for the ‘random comp’ program, which randomly selects two customers who booked their rooms online for up to a three-night complimentary stay.

Courtesy MA Kharafi Group Plans for the expanded Marsa Alam Airport

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism set off a heated debate last month when it announced an inscription would be removed from a dungeon at the Bodrum Castle.

The Latin inscription — “Inde Deus Abest,” translated as “Where God does not exist” — is believed to have been carved in the stone entryway 500 years ago by the Knights of St. John, who used the dungeon as a torture chamber.

The Turkish Daily News reported that Orhan Düzgün, head of the ministry’s Cultural Heritage and Museums Department, claimed the sign had no historical value, alleging that a former museum director ordered the message carved.

Pat Sullivan

Placards with Turkish and English translations of the inscription have already been removed from the site.

In response to media criticism of the decision, Tourism Minister Atilla Koç said that he would send a new team to investigate the inscription’s authenticity, but the carving would not be removed, regardless of their findings. Koç also claimed the popular translation was incorrect, adding that it really means, “God is far away from here.”

In an interview on Dream TV’s Fil Mamnoo’ (Taboo) program, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Mahdi Akef voiced the Brotherhood’s support for the tourism industry.

Asked to clarify the banned-but-tolerated group’s stance on tourism, Akef praised foreign tourists as being considerate of the cultures of the places they visit.

“Tourists are not barbarians, [even though] some people think that tourism just means alcohol and women,” he said. According to Akef, tourists are free to drink alcohol in their hotels just as Egyptians can drink in their own homes. However, he added, “The general outlook has to be Islamic.”

Cairo will be blessed with 60 self-cleaning, computerized public bathrooms in the very near future, Al-Akhbar reported in mid-June.

The state-of-the-art facilities will be distributed across Cairo, with special emphasis on tourist sites. Patrons will access the Egyptian-made lavatories using the newly minted 50pt coin or a smart card. Once you’ve done your business and left, the stall door automatically locks and the computer activates a two-and-a-half minute cleaning and sterilizing process.

A planned expansion will more than double the capacity of Marsa Alam International Airport within the next five years.

The expansion will lengthen runways to accommodate larger planes and add new restaurants and shopping inside the airport. The project, managed and financed by the MA Kharafi Group of Kuwait, is due to be completed in late 2007.

A new man-made lake in Texas hopes to one day be a big attraction for divers. City officials in the town of Clute plan to flood a soon-to-be-exhausted sand pit, seeding the bottom with dozens of relics at the bottom, including old boats, an F-5 Navy jet and a manufactured stone Mayan mask (shown above) from a now-closed amusement park. Clute Lake, located approximately seven miles from the Gulf of Mexico, will be reserved exclusively for divers.

Abu Dhabi is joining the list of emirates with its own indoor ski slope. The Marina Mall’s new Snowworld attraction will have a 100-meter ski slope, an ice skating rink and a shopping complex. Mall General Manager Nadeem Wajahat says the project is part of a plan to attract more tourists and shoppers to Abu Dhabi. Snowworld’s slopes are due to open by the end of 2006.

The Singapore Food Festival, running throughout July, kicks off with the “Chilli Crab Fiesta” on July 1 and 2. Other special events include the “Singapore Food Ball Festival,” (July 7-9), a FIFA-themed event where every dish is shaped like a ball, and the “Wedding Feast on the Bay” (July 28-30) — a series of wedding banquets featuring Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine.