Dnata Agencies, the wholesale and retail travel company and a member of the
Emirates Group, has won an exclusive general sales agreement (GSA) covering
12 countries in the Middle East and West Asia from the luxury cruise line
Silversea.
Silversea will start operating its cruise liners into Dubai in 2003 when
Silver Wind arrives in February at the end of a 17-day cruise - The Glory
of the Pharoahs - from Athens via Egypt, Jordan, the Red Sea, and Oman.
The following month, the Sheikhs and Sultans cruise starts from Dubai for a
seven day cruise to Kuwait, Doha and Abu Dhabi before returning to Dubai.
Yet a third cruise starts in Dubai and sails for Singapore.
Silver Wind's luxury sister ship, Silver Shadow, made an appropriate setting
for the signing of the GSA by Maurice Flanagan, Group Managing Director, for
Dnata Agencies, and Aris Zarpanely, Senior Vice-President International
Markets, for Silversea. The agreement appoints Dnata Agencies sole Silversea
GSA for Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Syria, the United Arab Emirates, India and Pakistan.
The gala event was attended by the founder and owner of Silversea, Dr
Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Aris Zarpanely, Silversea's Senior
Vice-President International Markets, senior managers of Dnata and Silversea
and leading hotels in the region. They were joined by Judith Chalmers, the
celebrity host of "Wish You Were Here", the UK's top TV holiday
programme.
Welcoming guests, Mr Zarpanely revealed that the agreement had its origins
at The Daily Telegraph Travel Awards in 2000 when Silversea was named Best
Cruise Company and Emirates was named Best Airline. On meeting Mr Flanagan
at the event, he had realised the potential for a partnership between the
two companies.
Welcoming the agreement, Mr. Flanagan said that Silversea was a
quality-driven company with an uncompromising commitment to service,
qualities that matched the Emirates Group. The agreement is a recognition of
the networking and distribution ability of Dnata Agencies and AXIS Holidays
World-Wide, its wholesale arm. Dnata recently moved into a new,
purpose-built Dubai Airline Centre which boasts a dedicated Cruise Centre in
order to actively promote the Dubai Government's aim of making Dubai a port
of call for top class cruise lines in the future. |
