Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/624751
42 Events maltatoday, Sunday, 10 January 2016 Emirates to launch daily service to Cebu and Clark in the Philippines Emirates will launch a daily cir- cular service from Dubai to Cebu (CEB) and Clark (CRK) in the Phil- ippines, starting March 30, 2016. Utilising a Boeing 777-300ER air- craft, this new route will strength- en international connectivity to two of the Philippines' fastest- growing international hubs. The island of Cebu lies in Visa- yas, one of the three principal ge- ographical divisions of the Philip- pines. Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located on Cebu's Mactan Island, is the second busiest air- port in the Philippines, after Ma- nila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philip- pines, and continues to evolve as a key hub for furniture-making, business processing services and heavy industry. With Cebu and the surrounding islands' rich tourism offering, which includes white sandy beaches and pictur- esque diving spots, central Visa- yas attracted a total of 1.6 million foreign tourists last year. Cebu is also an ideal base for explor- ing the nearby Chocolate Hills of Bohol and idyllic islands such as Boracay. Clark is based in Pampanga, a province in the Central Luzon re- gion in the Philippines and a well- known hub for business processing services and tourism. Pampanga is served by Clark International Airport which is in Clark Freep- ort Zone, a redevelopment of the former Clark Air Base, previously a United States Air Force base in the Philippines. The two-class configured Boe- ing 777-300ER which Emirates will operate on the route offers 42 seats in Business Class and 386 seats in Economy Class. In terms of cargo, up to 14 tonnes of capac- ity will be offered in the bellyhold on this service. Popular Philip- pine exports on this route are ex- pected to be perishables, such as dairy products, fruit and vegeta- bles, meat, seafood and electronic equipment. Emirates flights to Cebu and Clark will depart daily from Du- bai as EK338 at 02:55hrs arriving at Mactan–Cebu International Airport at 15:50hrs. The service will then depart from Cebu at 17:25hrs and arrive at Clark Inter- national Airport at 18:45hrs. The return flight will depart Clark at 20:20hrs, arriving at Dubai Inter- national Airport at 01:25hrs the next day. Timings of the new service have been scheduled to allow for seam- less connections to many Europe- an and GCC routes, via a conven- ient stopover in Dubai. Passengers travelling on Emir- ates' Boeing 777-300ER will be able to enjoy the airline's award- winning ice system with more than 500 channels of on-demand entertainment to choose from, including Filipino movies and music. Emirates flights to and from the Philippines also cater to the needs of the Filipino market with Filipi- no-speaking cabin crew on board, and inflight cuisine options with popular Filipino dishes. As with all Emirates flights, passengers travelling on the Cebu and Clark service will enjoy the generous Emirates baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class and 40kg in Business Class. Emirates operates a daily sched- uled flight between Dubai and Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus on an A330-200 aircraft. For further information and flight schedules, one can visit the site: www.emir- ates.com/mt GasanMamo Insurance revamps Paola branch GASANMAMo Insur- ance opened the doors of their newly refurbished branch in the heart of Paola. The current look and atmosphere of the branch has been done to enhance the experi- ence of the customers. The outlet now offers an enhanced layout which features new office space together with the very latest technology and an upgraded IT system. "Paola is a commercial hub to the Maltese com- munity and our branch is strategically placed right in the heart of the town to provide customers with top class insurance services. The branch re- furbishment is the latest in a series of investments that the company is ded- icating toward improv- ing its operations" said Mark Mamo, General Manager of GasanMamo Insurance. The Paola branch situ- ated at 124, Antoine de Paul Square, Paola of- fers continuous service from Monday to Friday between 08:00am to 12:30pm and 2:30pm to 7:00pm as well as on Sat- urday between 08:30am to 12:00pm and can be reached on +356 2166 2815 or on +356 2766 2815. Carisma Spa and Wellness nominated for World Luxury Spa Awards 2016 CARISMA Spa and Wellness at Intercontinental Malta has been nominated for the prestigious World Luxury Spa Awards 2016. With approximately 500 of the best luxury spas worldwide putting their professional and luxurious reputations head-to-head and competing for the award annu- ally, the entry of Carisma Spa and Wellness is in a league of its own. The spa will be positioned among globally renowned spas such as The White Spa in Sri Lanka and Remede Spa in Indonesia. Carisma Spa and Wellness at In- tercontinental Malta, along with its presence in another two hotels – Seashells at Suncrest and Qawra Palace – is home to the only Turk- ish hammam in Malta, an ancient, traditional Turkish spa, known for its soothing and cleansing nature whose health benefits have been recognised and practised since the days of ancient Rome. The ham- mam acts as a sacred space which houses a cleansing ritual, where warm water is used as the main component of the procedure for the physical and emotional detox. The advantages of gaining a position as one of the official spa participants among 144 countries for the World Luxury Spa Awards are plenty. Firstly, participants are given a year-long spotlight from the World Luxury Spa Awards, consequently creating maximum awareness through online market- ing, newsletters, e-brochures and international exhibitions. The institution also supplies a set of quality management criteria to evaluate and improve the busi- ness on a continuous basis in order to instigate growth of brand and service excellence. The awards will help raise standards, inspir- ing spas to ensure they deliver the absolute best spa experience. The winner of the prestigious award is decided through an an- nual voting process by spa guests. The votes are based on service delivery. In addition to the World Luxury Spa Awards' marketing campaigns, in order to gener- ate votes, each spa will also be required to conduct voting cam- paigns amongst spa guests to en- courage them to cast their votes during the voting phase. This is a significant step forward for both the spa and Maltese tour- ism, attracting anyone specifically looking to intertwine the glamor- ous cleansing ritual into their visit, while boosting the confidence and ultimately improving the service of Carisma Spa employees. The traditional cleansing ritual offered within the walls of Caris- ma Spa and Wellness is known to not only have a cleansing effect on the body, but also a parallel effect on the mind and soul, ultimately letting you exit the hammam feel- ing thoroughly purified. Carisma Spa and Wellness offers this hammam experience at a price of only €59. The price includes the use of the spa facilities – heated pool, steam bath and sauna, and as much detox tea and Turkish cof- fee as your heart desires. one can make use of the hammam either as part of a group or individually.