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Post # 1
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Join Date: 27 Apr 2010
Location:  KuwaitPosts: 303 |
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Regulations to be placed for air transport market in Kuwait |
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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is preparing a set of regulations for the air transportation market in Kuwait, governoning relations between arlines and travel agents, as well as booking systems and passengers, said an official from the directorate Friday evening.
Deputy Director for Air Travel and Transport Affairs, Nabil Al-Zamel, was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his inaugurationm of the 2010 Boodai Travel Mart (BMT), organized by Boodai Aviation Group. Al-Zamel explained that these regulations aimed at protecting the rights of passengers, noting that at present, many bilateral and bloc agreements were being signed with different countries to boost tourism and travel activity to and from Kuwait. Since the implementation of the open skies policy in Kuwait in 2003, 93 agreements were signed by Kuwait with other countries, he said, the last of which he signed during a recent visit to China. China is new on the tourism map and is attracting many Kuwaitis, and as per the agreement, the number of weekly flights between the two countries will be raised from three to 17, he explained. Al-Zamel added that the Air Transport Association (IATA) will hold a conference in Jamaica next month, on the sidelines of which Kuwait would be signing several agreements. Asked about travel activity this season, he said that growth in air travel activity, in terms of passengers and flights, was up 12 percent in the first four months of this year, compared to last week, which he said was a positive indication. He also expected that many people would be traveling to closer destinations this year due to the early onset of Ramdan. On his part, Vice President and General Manager of Boodai Aviation Group Monzer Najia said that more than 70 participants were present at the BMT, representing hotels, resorts, airlines, and tourism boards, among others. He noted that the timing of the BTM coincided with the time of year when citizens and residents usually started planning for their summer vacations, especially as the holy month of Ramadan would fall close to the middle of the summer holiday this year, which prompted offering suitable vacation options for this holy occasion. This year's BMT is being held under Malaysian and Turkish sponsorship, he said, adding that both Malaysia and Turkey were important in terms of global tourism, and were listed among the 20 largest tourism states in recent years given the growing number of tourists from around the world that visit these two countries. The 2010 BMT will continue through to today |
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