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DNA Health Corp to boost medical tourism in Abu Dhabi

user — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:24:13 +0000

US-headquartered integrative health and wellness specialists, DNA Health Corp, is set to open its first overseas flagship center on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island in June, targeting both the region’s residents and visitors looking for a different approach to personalised health and wellness.
The DNA Center for Integrative Medicine & Wellness, which will be inaugurated by HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE minister of culture, youth & community on May 14th was showcased during a press conference at Arabian Travel Market, where a panel of senior executives, led by DNA Health Corp chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf, introduced the company’s 21st century model for preventive healthcare.
“Abu Dhabi is the first step of our phased five-year plan for global expansion, and we are looking at opening similar DNA Centers in Saudi Arabia and Turkey within the next 12 to 18 months. “We chose to launch in the UAE capital as it is a hub for the region, is well served by numerous international carriers and an emerging destination of distinction for health and wellness tourism,” said Dr Ashraf.

According to hospitality research consultancy SRI, the global wellness tourism market is estimated to be worth more than US$106 billion. DNA Health’s philosophy is to deliver the highest standards of US healthcare protocol based on integrative, functional and lifestyle medicinal approaches for the treatment of chronic disease, healthy aging and lifestyle management.

The centre will offer personalised lifestyle medicine programmes based on a holistic approach uniting leading-edge Western medicine, advanced diagnostics and clinical therapies, complemented by centuries-old Eastern healing traditions and philosophies.

“Our main target markets are the GCC countries, with a strong focus on Saudi Arabia, followed by inbound business from Russia, the former CIS countries, Germany and China; and we are already seeing strong advance interest in the UAE,” said Ashraf.

“We are committed to establishing a centre of excellence for health and wellness in the region, and proactively complementing the local healthcare infrastructure, by providing the highest standards of US healthcare protocols for the treatment of chronic diseases, lifestyle management, bio-aesthetics and healthy aging,” he added.

The name behind the center’s exclusive collection of non-invasive bio-aesthetic therapies and anti-aging treatments, this is the first time that Jamie Sherrill’s range of signature treatments and beauty products has been available in the region.

DNA’s portfolio of foundational ‘DNA 4 Life’ personalised lifestyle medicine packages, which include five-star hotel accommodation, are based on each individual guest’s genomic and DNA profiles, and key laboratory tests, giving a comprehensive assessment of each guest’s current state of health.

Around the World with Four Seasons

user — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:01:18 +0000

Luxury hotel brand The Four Seasons has announced an ‘Around the World’ travel itinerary that touches down in Hawaii, Bora Bora, Bali, Sydney and Mumbai aboard a private luxury jet that comes with a personal chef and onboard concierge. Built around Four Seasons properties around the world, the 23-day itinerary for 2014 includes stops in Bali, where guests will take part in Balinese cooking classes and in Chiang Mai, where they’ll ride elephants in the Thai jungle.Guests on the Around the World Tour will be shuttled on a Boeing 757 which will come with a private chef, a physician, and an onboard concierge who will help build personalized travel itineraries such as spa appointments, sightseeing tours, and anniversary dinners for couples celebrating a special occasion.

The price tag for this once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world? $87,950 USD for double occupancy and $8,950 USD for additional guests. Four Seasons’s Rediscover the Americas itinerary, meanwhile, takes guests on a tour of the American west coast and South America with stopovers in Miami, Nevis, Buenos Aires, Carmelo, Costa Rica, Punta Mita and Beverly Hills.

On the Americas tour, the travel itinerary may include a beachfront yoga session in Mexico, for example, or a horseback ride through the grasslands of Uruguay. Double occupancy on the Americas tour is $62,950 USD while the single supplement is $7,650. The Four Seasons Rediscover the Americas tour is scheduled for February 24 – March 13, 2014, while the Around the World tour kicks off March 14, 2014 for 23 days.

Royal Caribbean’s ship Quantum of the Seas

user — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:59:07 +0000

Royal Caribbean has released details on the newest addition to its fleet set to sail next year, the Quantum of the Seas, an 18-deck ship that can carry 4,180 guests. Among some of the innovative features are a controlled chamber that can simulate the sensation of skydiving; a glass-walled lift that carries guests 90 meters above the sea; and a space that doubles as a bumper car attraction and a roller skating rink. Here’s a virtual tour that gives an artist’s rendering of the newest generation of luxury liners, pitched as a game-changer in the industry.

North Star
One of the star attractions of the new Quantum of the Seas, the glass capsule can lift guests to heights of 90 meters above sea level.

Bumper to bumper
Touted as a first, guests will also be able to go bumper to bumper at the SeaPlex, a multi-functional entertainment space.

RipCord
Another exclusive: skydiving in a controlled chamber.

Two70°
Named for the panoramic 270° views offered by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Two70° room is meant as a meeting and relaxing room for guests.

The Royal Loft
The Royal Loft Suite is a luxurious two-level suite with a spacious dining room and living room area for entertaining, a private deck and views of the ocean.

Kenya to host World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony

user — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:56:48 +0000

Kenya’s profile as a preferred tourist destination has received a boost with the Kenya Tourism Board winning the bid to host this year’s World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony. The event will take place on October 16th. The WTA nominations will recognise excellence in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, thus encouraging nominees to uphold constant improvement in products and delivery of service.The decision to host the event in Kenya comes hot on the heels of KTB’s award as Africa’s Leading Tourism Board by WTA in December last year. “World Travel Awards is coming to Kenya at the right time after a successful and peaceful general election under a new constitution. “This has further raised the country’s profile as a safe destination,” said KTB managing director Muriithi Ndegwa.

“That WTA has chosen Kenya for the African region ceremony as part of the world grand tour, is an endorsement of the country as a preferred tourism destination in the world.” Kenya is located in East Africa and boasts white sandy beaches bathed by the Indian Ocean as well as the majestic snow-capped Mount Kenya.

It is increasingly emerging as an Adventure destination offering activities from hot air ballooning, to authentic cultural interactions with the local ethnic communities, as well as visits to the world renowned Masai Mara, with breath taking safaris and wildebeest migrations, supported by a miscellany of unique superior class accommodation.

WTA president Graham Cooke added: “The selection of our hosts is fundamental to the success of our awards programme, and Kenya as a nation has all the ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Africa Ceremony – a warm, vibrant and progressive nation, brimming with enthusiasm and creativity.

“Tourism is vital to Kenya’s economy, contributing 12 per cent to its GDP and sustaining one in ten jobs. “The future is bright for Kenya, given the nation’s overwhelming natural resources, its unrivalled wildlife experiences and pristine beaches.” For further details, including entry forms and closing deadlines for nominations, visit the official website.

The ceremonies are widely regarded as possibly the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media. The 2012 WTA Grand Tour ceremonies were attended by more than 3,000 guests from 92 countries, as well as media from 194 TV channels and publications.

Amphibious tourist buses put into service in Tokyo

user — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:19:41 +0000

Tokyo’s first amphibious tourist buses were put into service Sunday, carrying 40 passengers through the city’s low eastern side by road before taking to the Naka river during a 100-minute “Tokyo Splash Tour.” The two buses, dubbed “Sky Ducks”, departed from Tokyo’s new landmark Skytree, the world’s tallest communications tower at 634 metres (2,080 feet).

Tickets are priced at 2,800 yen ($30) apiece for an adult and 1,400 yen for a child under 12. The bus, 12 metres long and 2.5 metres wide, moves up to 100 kilometres per hour on the ground and up to 13 kilometres per hour in the water.

Similar amphibious sightseeing buses have been in service in the western city of Osaka and a few other tourist spots in Japan.

World’s first underwater spa at Huvafen Fushi, Maldives woos guests with new packages

user — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:15:39 +0000

Few things in the world are as relaxing as the sound of gushing water. And what better way to rejuvenate your tired self than at an underwater world. While bars, staying at a resort, or even fine dining underwater in not new anymore, the Maldives is all set to get a taste of such luxury. After Ithaa Hilton brought a fine dining option, the LIME spa at Huvafen Fushi is making its presence felt at the island paradise now.
Located inside a private lagoon, the LIME spa offers, the resort’s underwater spa, uses water-based therapies “that restore, relax, detox, balance, and refresh mind and body”. Resulting treatments make way for lymphatic drain massage, traditional Thai massage, Shirodhara ayurvedic head massage, one-on-one power yoga and nutritional consultation.

Not just therapies, but you can rent out a room at SUBLIME for “pre and post-treatment relaxation with sauna, steam, onsen shower, and mist shower, ice room, and a relaxation lounge with panoramic views of the Indian Ocean”. If you are feeling up to it, head over to the Lonu Veyo, a salt-water floatation pool that is rich with minerals.

As for pricing, packages including a fitness program called Lose It, Tone It; Cellulite Therapy; Stress Buster; each costing $350 for 3 days, while a traditional Thai massage package called Un-Thai Me worth $295 for 2 days.

RV Pegaso is the perfect superyacht for scientists

user — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:39:21 +0000

Breaking Bad fans would get a kick out of this superyacht. For all those who fancied the idea of converting an RV (in this case, Recreational Vehicle) into a meth lab and cook up the finest meth, the RV Pegaso superyacht is meant for you. RV Pegaso, and RV here means Research Vessel is a superyacht that also doubles up as a scientific laboratory for marine biologists and scientist and comes with a 14-ton submarine that lets you explore profound depths of the ocean. Of course the yacht comes with its share of luxury offering amenities that you would find on any other superyacht with 6 suites, flat-screen TVs, designer furniture and en-suite bathrooms, an eight-person spa pool, bar, cinema, gym and extensive observation lounge: basically the whole 9 yards.

The 74 meter RV Pegaso is owned by an accomplished diver and marine preservationist who wishes to keep his identity private.What used to be the superyacht’s dining room has now been converted into a research lab that is equipped with apparatus capable of everything from tagging endangered marine life to monitoring water pollution levels.

The 14-ton, 5-person submarine that can go to depths of up to 170 meters will allow both researchers and guests on board the RV Pegaso dive deeper and explore uncharted territories. It’s the world’s only privately owned diver-lockout sub, allowing divers to enter and leave underwater via different chambers and explore depths few others have ventured before.

With all the necessary gear required for diving, including a unit that produces high-quality oxygen, deep-sea divers as well as diving enthusiasts can rest assured that their diving needs are taken care of. Not letting research take over luxury, the RV Pegaso includes superyacht comforts such as cinema, spa, and helicopter pad. All this along with 6 suites can accommodate up to 12 guests. The number of scientists that onto this boat depends on the number guests there in the first place. Although we aren’t fighting over space on the yacht are we?