Planitair.com brings online travel booking to the region
While flight operators in the Arab world have embraced online-ticket purchasing, there is a still a lack of a comprehensive, regional site allowing travelers to arrange their other trip-related bookings online, such as hotels, car leases and tours. Planitair, one of the first online booking engines in the region, is hoping to fill this gap. Launched in early September 2012, Plainitair — part of Jaz Tours and Jaz Travel Management, both of which plan and organize travel for various purposes — has a database of more than 200,000 hotels and 90 airlines, which the company says will enhance customers’ chances of getting their desired bookings, season pending. Payment is made through Planitair’s online system, operated by Bank Audi. Though this is a fully automated service, there is a 24-hour hotline for those facing any difficulties.
Qualco construction and Beit Misk
Beit Misk, among the recent residential communities popping up on the outskirts of Beirut, is entering phase two of its development. For the construction of two of its blocks, Beit Misk has appointed Quality Construction Company SAL, Qualco. According to Elie Chidiac, general manager of Qualco, “long-term partnership with clients has always been our driving force. What drew us to this project was the modern architecture and amenities in the secluded residential community of Beit Misk, allowing us to highlight our emphasis on detail and quality which we deliver in all our project undertakings.” Qualco has several residential projects in its portfolio, and is currently working on Level 27 Tower in Ashrafieh, a project which features 23 433-square-meter apartments.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October was international breast cancer awareness month, when it is customary to see the pink ribbon worn by supporters. This year, Lebanon’s presidential palace was lit pink for a ceremony launched by the Ministry of Public Health for its awareness campaign, dubbed “Get a Mammogram, and Take the Burden off Your Chest”. The campaign mainly offers free mammograms from public hospitals and reduced fees for the procedure at participating private hospitals. Mammograms will be available until the end of the year, and the campaign will also include public lectures in order to reach a wider audience. The participatory level in this initiative is continuously increasing, according to the ministry’s statistics, and has reached 55 percent of targeted women this year. Breast cancer currently makes up 41 percent of all cancer cases in Lebanon, according to the National Cancer Registry in Lebanon, with 40 percent of the cases occurring in women under 50 years of age.
Coca-Cola and INJAZ Al Arab team up
The Coca-Cola Foundation and INJAZ Al Arab, a nonprofit organization for business mentorship, have teamed up for the corporate social responsibility program “Ripples of Happiness”. Now in its second phase, “Ripples of Happiness” trains university students to identify opportunities in their cities and develop projects that would positively impact their communities. Students will receive training and mentoring from a team of volunteers from Coca-Cola in the Middle East and volunteers from the INJAZ Al-Arab network. “This project helps showcase the talents of today’s youth while opening students’ minds to the possibilities and benefits entrepreneurship provides to both individuals and communities in the region,” says Soraya Salti, regional director of INJAZ Al Arab and senior vice president of Middle East/North Africa for Junior Achievement Worldwide. Towards the end of the program, a judging panel will select the top community project in each market, with the winning project receiving a supporting grant to implement the project on a wider scale. Participating universities from Lebanon are the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University. Countries participating in this program are Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
