Travelers Upset by Credit Card Commissions for Payments Abroad
Frequently traveling abroad and using credit cards to pay for most of the expenses is easy and pain-free in theory. If we put aside the once in a while incidents when certain cards just don’t work, with no apparent reason, there are still currency conversion fees and other such extras added by card issuing companies and banks for payments abroad.
Those who feel the strongest effects of such additions are business travelers who spend the most time on the road and rely both on personal and business cards to pay for their abroad expenses. Typically, the added costs can reach about 3% or the paid amount, with about 1% charged by Visa, MasterCard and other credit card providers, and another 1.5 to 2% added by banks. Read more…
Most business travelers use mobile technology to plan trips
With smartphones and tablets being part of every businessman’s inventory these days, the results of the report released today by Travelport don’t come as a shock to anyone. The worldwide business travel service provider surveyed over 600 business travelers, agents and industry professionals. The outcome indicates a clear growth in usage of mobile technology when it comes to hotel research and booking with more than fifty percent of business travel buyers using their mobile devices when planning their trips. Read more…
6,000 New Hotels Opened for Business in Oman in 2010
Tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman have significantly more options in choosing a hotel. In 2010, 6,000 new Oman hotels opened for business, bringing the Sultanate’s grand total to 16,000. The data was released by the organisers of an upcoming travel event in Dubai, Arabian Travel Market. This travel and tourism event exploring the business potential within the Middle East will run from May 2 to 5 at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Th event is one of the highlights of an ongoing promotion campaign of Oman and high-quality leisure and business tourism credentials, said Mark Walsh, group exhibition director of organisers Reed Travel Exhibitions. Read more…
48 Hour Leisure Stopover Promoted by Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism
A new 48-hour leisure layover hub for long-haul flights is being promoted by Qatar, as part of its effort to develop heritage tourism. “Experience Qatar in 48 hours – our business is your pleasure” is the name of the new campaign that has been promoted in London at the World Travel Market by the Qatar Tourism Authority.
“We organize itineraries for many groups that travel between the UK and Asia on the way from London to Singapore, Hong Kong, or Australia,” said Val Rozario, operations manager of Take Flight Travel.In UK, we find that many know Qatar as a nation prosperous in oil and gas, but they are learning about Qatar as a travel destination.” Read more…
Swissotel to Open Six New Hotels in India in the Next Five Years
Fairmont Raffles Holdings International plans launch six new hotels under its Swissotel brand in India in the next five years to capitalize on the ever increasing demand for business travel in the country. According to its officials, half of Swissotel’s revenue is made in this region.
“India is a huge and important market for us,” Aiden McAuley, vice president of Asia-Pacific region for Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, said. “It is such a big player in the global market. We see business increasing here not just in terms of inbound travel but also Indians traveling.”
Businesses Travelers Don’t Trust Regional Airlines
More than half of the US commercial flights are flown by regional airlines that partner with larger carriers like United, American, Delta. As major airlines have begun to rely more on smaller carriers, business travellers become worried by matters of safety and security according to LA Times.
Last week’s hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board has this issue marked as a main concern. Other items on the list were practices and arrangements between the major airlines and the regional carriers. Read more…
Business men are flying “lowest fare”
For the past two years most North American companies have changed the way they see business traveling. A staggering 75% of those companies are discouraging and even forbidding their employees to book first or business class seats. An increasing number of companies insist on their staff buying non-refundable fares, or at least booking the “lowest logical fare”, meaning paying for the lowest-priced fare that doesn’t cause them to take detours, incur an extra night in a hotel or lose business. Read more…
