gategroup announced important changes to realign its extensive global services and product lines into two major businesses: Airline Solutions and Product and Supply Chain Solutions. To support these new lines of business, gategroup is realigning its leadership team and its Executive Management Board (EMB). The changes are effective March 1, 2012.
gategroup brands Gate Gourmet, Gate Aviation Services, Gate Safe, eGate Solutions and Performa, will become part of gategroup’s new global Airline Solutions business. The business also will include the Gate Retail Onboard platform, formed in 2011 to consolidate gategroup’s extensive experience in onboard retail services to customers in both the traditional and low-fare carrier segments.
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Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts broke ground for a resort on 145 acres on the southern coast of Sri Lanka on 25 February 2012. Shangri-La's Hambantota Resort and Spa, Sri Lanka will complement Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, which is currently under construction in the capital. The resort is due to open in 2014 and the two properties mark the entry of the hotel group into Sri Lanka, often referred to as “The Pearl of the Indian Ocean.’ The southern coast of Sri Lanka is renowned for its natural beauty and is rich in cultural heritage.
Shangri-La's Hambantota Resort and Spa, Sri Lanka will be surrounded by an 18-hole golf course, coconut plantations and sand dunes to the south. Built along the shoreline, the resort will offer 315 rooms including 24 suites ranging in size from 50 square metres (538 square feet) to 250 square metres (2691 square feet). All rooms will offer balconies of the ocean breezes.
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Mercator, the Dubai-based provider of business technologies to the aviation industry, has announced that AviancaTaca Holding, has now gone live with its’ SkyChain cargo solution. The group’s airlines - TACA, Aerogal, TAMPA Cargo, and Avianca´s international cargo operations will now be able to seamlessly share cargo information across a single system.
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The Balmoral’s Executive Chef, Jeff Bland, has been crowned ‘Chef of the Year’ at the Scottish Restaurant Awards 2012.
The announcement comes as the iconic Edinburgh hotel’s fine-dining restaurant – number one – celebrates its 10th year of Michelin star status with Jeff Bland at the helm.
The Chef of the Year winner was decided by a hand-picked panel of judges who were looking for a chef with style and innovation; a leader who promotes Scottish produce and who helps set trends in the restaurant world as well as developing new talent. Jeff was presented with his title at the glittering award ceremony in Glasgow.
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gategroup demonstrated its resilience once again in the face of continued global economic uncertainty and uneven performance within the airline industry, its major customer base.
Carriers in gategroup’s core markets in Europe and North America trimmed capacity in an effort to firm up pricing and to contain climbing costs amid slackening demand. Other external factors that impacted gategroup in 2011 included the strength of the Swiss Franc, our reporting currency, against the Euro and US Dollar, and the earthquake and ensuing events in Japan.
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global traffic results for January showing a 5.7% rise in passenger demand but an 8.0% decline in air freight compared to the same month in 2011. The occurrence of Chinese New Year in January (rather than in February as in 2011) exaggerated the increase in passenger demand and the fall in air freight. Stripping this out, the underlying trend was for stronger passenger growth, while stabilized weakness in cargo markets continues.Total January passenger demand rose 5.7% compared to January 2011 a slight acceleration from the 5.6% year over year increase recorded for December 2011. With January passenger capacity up 4.2%, average load factor rose 1.1 percentage points to 76.6% compared to the same month a year ago.Freight markets stood at 8% below January 2011 levels. The decline in air freight stabilized in the fourth quarter of 2011, at levels 4% below the 2008 pre-crisis peak. There was a 2.5% fall in global freight markets from December to January, but this is almost totally attributable to the impact of factory closures due to the Chinese New Year. Freight capacity contracted by 0.6% year over year, and freight load factor fell to 41% (from 44.3% in January 2011) as deliveries of new widebody passenger aircraft offset measures to reduce freight capacity.
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Shelter Island will soon have an identifying marker to welcome its guests. A new entrance sign is being installed this week in the center median of Shelter Island Drive near Anchorage Lane.
On Friday, March 2, 2012, City of San Diego Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer, Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Lou Smith, San Diego Port Tenants Association President Sharon Cloward and Shelter Island business owners will celebrate the new sign at a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. The event takes place in the parking lot of the Brigantine Restaurant, located at 2912 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego.
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The latest economy seating from Acro Aircraft Seating (left) and Pitch Aircraft Seating Systems will be on display in Hamburg. A host of innovative approaches to seating and airline galleys will be on display next month when Aircraft Interiors Expo returns to the Hamburg Messe from 27-29 March.Following interest in its pre-production concept at the 2011 exhibition, Pitch Aircraft Seating Systems has rapidly advanced its design for a new light weight seat, due to be showcased at this year’s show. Developed in conjunction with Intier Automotive for single aisle short-haul flights, the innovative seating solution weighs less than 25kg and features a backrest moulded from lightweight composite materials. A number of airlines have already expressed significant interest in Pitch’s sophisticated design and, having successfully passed the landmark 16g dynamic test, the company is on track to deliver the seats at the end of the year.
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Malaysia Airlines reported an unaudited net loss of RM1.28 billion for the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2011, bringing the Group’s full year results to a net loss of RM2.52 billion for the financial year ended 31 December 2011 on the back of a marginal increase in Group revenue (up 2% to RM13.90 billion) and carrying 1.3 million more passengers (totalling 17 million) compared to the previous year.
“The bottom-line Group losses for 2011 underscore the imperative need for Malaysia Airlines to immediately adopt strong measures to stop the bleeding. These include staff redeployment, increasing productivity and efficiency, relentless cost control and making further route reviews. We are also implementing an aggressive sales & marketing strategy”, said Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer.
KeyLime Cove®, Chicagoland’s largest indoor waterpark resort, was named the 2011 eMarketer of the Year at Adrian Awards gala in New York City. Awarded by TravelClick®, the leading provider of revenue-generating solutions for hotels, together with Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), eMarketer of the Year recognizes the hotel that best demonstrates success in attracting and converting guests through the web. This year’s presentation gave a nod to the role of social media and the Twitter hashtag in digital marketing with an “#ILoveBookings” theme. In addition, TravelClick was recognized for excellence in digital marketing with 13 of its customers in HSMAI’s annual Adrian Awards competition. With more than 1,000 entries, the program is the travel industry’s largest and most prestigious competition honoring outstanding achievements in advertising, public relations, and digital marketing.
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gategroup Holding AG announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, gategroup Finance (Luxembourg) S.A. (the “Issuer”), intends to offer up to € 350 million of Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Notes”).
The Notes will be senior obligations of the Issuer and will be guaranteed on a senior basis by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. Interest will be payable semi-annually. The interest rate, offering price and other terms will be determined at the time of pricing of the offering, subject to market conditions.
Mandarin Oriental, Paris announced that just six months after its opening debut, its signature restaurant, Sur Mesure by Thierry Marx has been awarded two stars in the 2012 Michelin Guide, the French guide to gourmet dining. “I am delighted to celebrate this fantastic culinary award with Thierry Marx and his team”, says Philippe Leboeuf, General Manager at Mandarin Oriental, Paris. “To receive two stars from Michelin is an impressive achievement, particularly only six months after opening. Thierry Marx possesses great humility, energy and style and this accolade will serve to motivate us further in our pursuit of culinary excellence,” he added.
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agoda.com announced great new features that make booking a family-friendly hotel easier than ever. Family trips can produce the fondest of memories, both for kids and adults, and agoda.com now makes it simpler than ever to plan a great family vacation. With deals at more than 170,000 properties on offer through agoda.com, it's reassuring to know there are helpful site features that make it easy to find great-value deals in the right hotels.
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The Westin Hilton Head Island was recently recognized with three different awards of distinction. AAA presented the prestigious AAA Four Diamond award to the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. This award marks 18 years that the AAA Carolinas has honored The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa for superior quality, service and excellence in the state. "AAA’s requirements for a Four Diamond rating are rigorous, and those that win it are among the best hotels and restaurants in the world,” said Dave Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. "Only 3.4 percent of the more than 58,000 annual inspections conducted nationally result in a Four Diamond rating.”
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There’s no such thing as the Sunday blues at One&Only Cape Town. With an enviable position in the heart of the ever-busy V&A Waterfront and a constant to and fro of guests, there’s always something happening at this world-class hotel. At in-house restaurant Nobu Cape Town, recent Top 10 achiever in the 2011 Eat Out Dstv Food Network Restaurant Awards, Sunday evenings are about winding up the weekend with a platter of the best sushi in the city.
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Network Rail is to look at three alternative rail solutions as part of its continued efforts to deliver a better value-for-money railway.
Tram and train, community rail initiatives and more innovative ways of replacing diesel traction with electrically-powered trains will all be studied in more detail as part of the company’s alternative solutions route utilisation strategy (RUS).
To further develop the strategy an invitation is being made to all of Network Rail’s partners, customers and other interested industry parties to submit their ideas.
Join the Adirondack Museum for the 2012 Cabin Fever Sunday series. The series hits the road again with the fifth program, the “Adirondack Civilian Conservation Corps: History, Memories and Legacy of the CCC.” The program will held in North Creek, N.Y. on Sunday, March 11, 2012.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public works program that operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. In the Adirondacks, enrollees built trails, roads, campsites and dams, they stocked fish, built and maintained fire towers, observers’ cabins and telephone lines, fought fires, and planted millions of trees. Learn about camp life and Adirondack projects with author Marty Podskock.
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The new well-being offer from the Spa Cinq Mondes combines three expert skills for a complete, balanced and long lasting formula. The “Slimness Goal” allows you to reconquer your figure and to learn and retain good eating habits using the chrono-nutrition method. This unique program has been devised not only to help you regain an ideal figure, but also to keep it under control using the benefits of chrono-nutrition. You can choose either a one week program or an intense weekend program and discover a new way of eating without restraint that allows you to perfectly manage your weight and figure.
This complete service combines a consultation with nutritionist Patrick Leconte, a tailored, invigorating exercise program with Jeremy Peltier and introduction to the Spa Cinq Mondes treatments and method. The program starts with a consultation with Patrick Leconte, expert nutritionist in chrono- nutrition, qualified from Dijon University and trained by the method creators. Mr Leconte understands each and every one of our eating habits, takes in consideration each life pattern and personal relationship with food. With the help of questionnaires and a discussion, Mr Leconte can map your profile, enabling him to design a personalised plan.
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ITB Berlin will conduct a session on 'Taxes, Levies and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Steering Effect or Burden for European Economies?' on March 9 from 12:30 - 13:30 at Hall 7.1a, Auditorium New York 3.
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Jonathan Gaffney, president and CEO of the National Aeronautic Association, presented Boeing (NYSE: BA) with two certificates confirming the official status of the two world records earned by the 787 Dreamliner in late 2011.
The airplane earned records for completing the longest flight for an airplane in its weight class (440,924 to 551,155 lbs.) with a 10,336 nmi (19,142 km) flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh. This record had previously been held by the Airbus A330 with a 9,126 nmi (16,901 km) flight in 2002.
Following refueling in Dhaka, the crew continued eastbound and returned to Seattle 42 hours and 26 minutes after their initial departure, completing the fastest around-the-world trip for the same weight class at 470 knots (871 km/h). There was no previous around-the-world speed record for this weight class.
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TravelClick announced the launch of its Rate360 hotel rate shopping product. Rate360 seamlessly integrates ten billion hotel rates from more than 400 sources onto a simple, easy-to-use platform to enable hoteliers to best manage their property’s pricing strategy and ensure rate parity across multiple channels.
Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta has launched a new series of Fitness and Wellness daily activities to encourage guests towards achieving peak physical, mental and emotional performance. The extended list of workout exercises which are available throughout the year include relaxing Morning Yoga Salutations by the pool, Taebo, Aqua Yoga; and for those seeking a more vigorous work out, a range of Plyometric, Aerobic and Core Ball training programmes are also available. In-house guests can enjoy these new programmes on a complimentary basis, while local visitors to the hotel are welcome to join the experience for USD 20 (nett) per class dependent on availability.
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TravelShark announced that it has chosen Oceana, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and People in Crisis United as the charity partners who will receive donations from the company’s new socially enabled photo-sharing application, TravelSharkPix. These three organizations secured the most user votes in the SharkPix Charity Hunt – during which users from around the world supported their favorite charities.
SharkPix allows travelers to share their favorite trip photos with other travelers on the application. TravelShark displays the best SharkPix pictures across its global network of travel sites – including LasVegasHotels.com, SingaporeHotels.com, HotelLondon.com, VancouverHotels.com, and more – with attributions to the photographers. For every photo accepted by SharkPix, the company will donate between $0.10 and $0.25 to its new charity partners.
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Due to joining the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), Estonian Air adds to air fares 50 cents as from 28 February.
The ETS tax is shown separately as a different tax. The amount of the tax will be reviewed every three months and re-calculated in a transparent manner. The rate depends on the price of the emission credits and flown passengers.
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Historic images of the original architectural drawings of the Forth Bridge, Paddington station and even Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s signature have been captured and published for the first time on a new Network Rail virtual archive, bringing together 19th century engineering and 21st century technology.
The website www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive celebrates the heritage of today’s railway infrastructure and provides public access to view a special selection of the Network Rail archive, which holds over five million records.
Visitors to the site can chart the history of the railway’s most significant structures and stations including the Forth Bridge, the Tay Bridge, Box Tunnel, and many main line stations. The archive holds records by the most famous railway engineers including Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Robert Stephenson, Joseph Locke and William Henry Barlow.
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GHM is launching its third decade with plans for new boutique properties in locales well beyond its traditional geographic base. Over the next four years, as the new hotels come online in China and Switzerland, in India and the United Arab Emirates, GHM expects to double the size of its portfolio. The developments include the following:Two properties, in Suzhou, China and Andermatt, Switzerland, are now under construction and expected to open in late 2012 / early 2013 and the winter of 2013, respectively. In Kona, Hawaii GHM is collaborating with Pritzker Architecture Prizewinner Tadao Ando on the development of a new 32-villa property situated on a hardened flow of lava.Also in China, GHM has launched a new hotel brand, Ahn Luh, in collaboration with China’s largest tourism group and a prominent real estate developer. The first two Ahn Luh properties are scheduled to open in two-to-three years.
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Transaero Airlines announces its operating results for the first month of 2012 which indicate steady growth of the carrier's business during the period. In January 2012, passenger turnover reached 2.94 billion RPK (17.7% increase in comparison with the first month of 2011).
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Rainwater Grill on Main Street in Hastings has become the 200th restaurant to sign-up as a participant in Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, March 18-31, 2012. A neighborhood restaurant with modern dcor and eco-friendly design, Rainwater Grill is making a name for itself as a good place for American and Italian comfort food.
“This will be our third year as part of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week,” says Tony Fortunate who opened Rainwater Grill with Ken Lauro in 2009. “We find it brings us a lot of new patrons from outside the immediate area and that’s really good for building our business.”
The Seychelles Tourism Board has confirmed that the first Chinese delegation participating in the 2012 Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Carnival hosted by Seychelles and La Reunion had arrived in Seychelles and were met at the airport by Marymonde Matatiken, the Manager of Celebrate Seychelles Events Department of the Tourism Board.
Both Seychelles and La Reunion are working on opening up the Chinese tourism market for their respective islands and this large Chinese delegation at their carnival will give the Seychelles Tourism Board and the IRT (Ile Reunion Tourisme) the opportunity to strengthen their contacts. Chinese Press are set to land in Seychelles in the next couple of days to be in time for the official opening of the carnival on Friday afternoon.
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KiwiRail’s core business of rail freight has experienced an 11 percent increase in revenue to over $220 million contributing to an overall business revenue increase of over five percent for the half year. The stand-out performer for freight was the Import Export (IMEX) division which recorded an increase in volume of 16 percent and a revenue increase of over 12 percent to over $61 million.
According to Chairman John Spencer, while this outcome is encouraging, there has been a reduction in EBITDA due to lower results from other parts of the business.
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Transaero Airlines announces its operating results for the first month of 2012 which indicate steady growth of the carrier's business during the period. In January 2012, passenger turnover reached 2.94 billion RPK (17.7% increase in comparison with the first month of 2011).
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Japan specialist travel agency, KIE/Kintetsu International, in partnership with Japan Airlines, announces an extremely affordable air and land package from Boston’s Logan airport to Tokyo, with the first ever direct non-stop flight from Boston to Asia.In celebration of Japan Airlines April 2012 inaugural non-stop flight service from Boston to Tokyo, this value-priced travel package is being offered by Kintetsu with the cooperation of Japan Airlines.
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The Datai Langkawi is delighted to welcome UK celebrity chef Rick Stein as guest chef for three special nights - April 13, 14, 15. The Datai Langkawi guests will indulge in a five course dinner prepared by Chef Rick Stein, and the affable chef will charm guests with his wonderful anecdotes from his amazing global food travels during dinner. A memorable night is assured!
Rick will join The Datai Langkawi's Executive Chef Conny Andersson in creating this fabulous dinner, which promises to include some of Rick's favourite seafood dishes, inspired by his love of Malay cuisine.
TIME Hotels Management, a new Dubai-based hospitality company has announced that it has successfully secured the management contracts for six hotel properties in the UAE.
The properties include two hotels: TIME Oak Hotel & Suites in Al Barsha, and TIME Grand Plaza Hotel in Al Qusais, and four hotel apartments: the Opal, Topaz and Crystal Hotel Apartments in Dubai, and the Ruby Hotel Apartments in Sharjah. The properties comprise a total of 745 rooms, and employ over 385 staff.
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The Registry Collection programme, the world’s largest luxury exchange programme, 2012 is a milestone year marking the brand’s 10th anniversary. The Registry Collection portfolio has grown and developed substantially over the last decade, now boasting affiliated properties on six continents.
“The Registry Collection programme appeals to a growing group of vacationers who want to experience new and exotic destinations while maintaining a high level of quality and luxury in all of their accommodations,” said Gregg Anderson, global vice president of The Registry Collection programme. “With this anniversary, we now have 10 years of success to celebrate and a portfolio of impressive affiliates that continues to grow each year.”
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Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) recognized VISIT FLORIDA with one Gold and three Silver Adrian Awards. The awards were given for public relations and digital marketing excellence for VISIT FLORIDA’s winning entries in the 55th Annual Adrian Awards Competition, the world’s most recognized and prestigious advertising, public relations and digital marketing competition for the hospitality, travel and tourism industries. This year’s total of four awards marks VISIT FLORIDA’s largest number of winning Adrian entries ever received.
“The past 18 months have been nothing short of transformational for the Florida tourism industry,” said Chris Thompson, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. “I am extremely proud of the VISIT FLORIDA team, whose creativity and innovation have resulted in these four remarkably successful efforts being recognized by our tourism marketing peers at HSMAI.”
VISIT FLORIDA’s winning entries were showcased on digital displays during the annual HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala, a black-tie dinner reception and awards presentation attended by more than 1,000 hospitality, travel and tourism marketing and communications executives on Feb. 27, 2012 at the New York Marriott Marquis. This year’s contest attracted nearly 1,000 entries from over 30 countries, judged by more than 200 top advertising, public relations and digital marketing experts and leading members of the travel community.
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The Honourable Peter Kent, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, along with Mr. Fred Green, Canadian Pacific (CP) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), announced that successful teams were awarded research grants to further mitigate rail-related grizzly bear mortality in Banff and Yoho national parks. Projects will be supported by robust monitoring to determine effectiveness and begin in spring 2012 pending approval of animal care protocols.
“Grizzly bears have long served as a Canadian icon, both within our boundaries and around the world,” said Minister Kent. “The University of Alberta and the Western Transportation Institute are proven experienced academic powerhouses respected for their research. We believe their teams will help us continue to protect and better understand this sensitive species.”
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Ken Rosen, renowned practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is bringing his 20 years experience to offer holistic treatments to guests at One&Only Reethi Rah this Easter. TCM is based on five interdependent branches: exercise, nutrition, acupuncture, herbal medicine and massage and acupuncture is the most widely recognized branch within TCM. It is renowned for solving a variety of chronic and acute health conditions. Ken will be offering private sessions for guests taking an initial diagnosis using traditional Chinese methods, which will include palpation, pulse taking and signs on the tongue. Depending on the diagnosis, points will be selected along the main meridians to normalize the flow of Qi with the practice of acupuncture.
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Union Pacific Railroad was named Logistics/Transportation Provider of the Year at the 2012 American Metals Market (AMM) Steel Tube and Pipe Conference. This award recognizes a transportation or distribution company that best meets the needs of the tube and pipe industry. Union Pacific was recognized for its Pipeline Express Product.
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The Biathlon North American (Nor Am) Cup competition will be held, Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, 2012, at the Mt. van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid. Biathletes from across the United States and Canada will compete in this exciting winter sport that combines cross country skiing and rifle marksmanship.
The schedule includes sprint and pursuit format race events for men and women in senior, junior, youth, master, and grand master classes. Skiing distances vary per event and class.
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Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts broke ground for its new hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24 February 2012. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will be located between the Galle Face green promenade and Beira Lake, with uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean. The Hong Kong-based group announced the purchase of 10 acres of government land in January 2011 and is targeting to open the property in mid-2015.The hotel will be easily accessible from Colombo International Airport in 45 minutes by car. Shangri-La is also developing a second property, a 315-key city resort on approximately 145 acres of land in Hambantota, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
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ITB Berlin, a B2B-Platform for business planners has always been a perfect medium to access an array of excellent opportunities including meeting business partners and carrying out business. For everyone, ITB Berlin stands as a great opportunity to explore a new world within a short span of time. As a driving force in the travel industry, ITB Berlin gives important impulses to a continuously growing market. The much awaited 2012 ITB Berlin is going to have its majestic presentation in Berlin, Germany from March 7 -11.
This year, once again TTW had an opportunity to have an exclusive parley with David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin on various attractive travel arrangements at the ITB Berlin 2012.
Union Pacific Railroad is enhancing Missouri's transportation infrastructure by investing $38.2 million in the rail line that runs between Labadie and Jefferson City. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.
The project includes replacing nearly 66 miles of rail and renewing the surfaces at 55 road crossings. In addition, crews will be replacing 14 switches – the machines that move a train from one track to another.
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