Category: Top Stories

H H Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, has inspected the specially-designed Etihad Airways’ “Year of Zayed” A380 at Etihad Airways Engineering’s facilities in Abu Dhabi. H H Sheikh Theyab was joined by H E Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, and Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, as well as members of the Etihad senior leadership team. The A380 in “Year of Zayed” livery is just one component of Etihad’s extensive initiatives taking place throughout 2018 which are based on the four “Year ... Read more

Marriott International has opened the first Element-branded hotel in Dubai. The 168-room property features studios and one-bedroom suites. “A recognised industry leader in the eco-space, Element promotes a life in balance with its emphasis on wellness and sustainability and we are excited to debut the brand in a city like Dubai where sustainability remains a key focus across all sectors,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. Marriott International appointed Stuart Birkwood as cluster general manager for its properties in Dubai: Aloft Me’aisem, Element Me’aisem, and Aloft Dubai South. Located in Dubai Production City, ... Read more

AccorHotels has signed an agreement with Mövenpick Holding and Kingdom Holding to acquire Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, for an amount of CHF560 million (€482 million). “With the acquisition of Mövenpick, we are consolidating our leadership in the European market and are further accelerating our growth in emerging markets, in particular in Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. The Mövenpick brand is the perfect combination of modernity and authenticity and ideally complements our portfolio. Its European-Swiss heritage is a perfect fit with AccorHotels. By joining the Group, it will benefit from AccorHotels’ power, particularly in terms of distribution, loyalty-building and development. This ... Read more

Oman Air has unveiled its new and exclusive premium lounge at the Muscat International Airport. Oman Air passengers travelling in First Class and Business Class can now take advantage of the airline’s new premium class lounge. Spread over a two story, the lounge offers guests a wide array of food and beverage services, including dining areas and bars, luggage room, entertainment area, a smoking room, prayer rooms, business centre, kid’s room, nap area, shower facilities, baby changing facilities and a wellness area. Covering 429.35 square metres with an overall capacity of 100 people, the area designated for First Class guests ... Read more

Do you wish to enjoy rain all throughout the year? Then, The Rain Room at Al Majarah, near Buhaira Corniche in Dubai, is your perfect destination. The Rain Room by Random International, uses 1,200 litres of self-cleaning recycled water that provides an immersive experience of continuous rainfall. His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the Rain Room,  in the presence of Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, president of Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF). The Rain Room, is built on an area of 1,460 square metres, will not get you drenched in the rain. ... Read more

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), as part of raising the inbound tourism arrivals to the nation, had opened new tourism office at Toronto in Canada. The main propaganda put forward by TAT is to increase the number of Canadian visitors to Thailand. Previously, there were 238,000 Canadian tourist arrivals were marked annually, in which the authorities aim to increase the number to over 5,00,000 for the coming years. Meanwhile, it is the 28th overseas office of TAT besides America and Europe. Back in 2017, Thailand received over a million visitors from the US, with the continuous efforts from TAT officials. ... Read more

Saudi Arabia, as part of enriching tourism, is planning to open the new state of the art entertainment resort, Qiddiya. The new architecture’s foundation stone ceremony was done by Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Qiddiya, located near Riyadh is spread across 8,400-acre, that makes it twice as big from the size of Disney World. The park consists of six theme park, motor sports, water park, and mice tourism. As per the officials, around 1.5 million tourists are expected to visit the site during the launch of its first phase in 2022. “Today, we invite investors, creators, and ... Read more

Morocco is taking steps to open a tourism office in New Delhi in two-three months and is expecting to double the tourist outflow from the country by 2019. “We received 21,850 Indians and people of Indian origin in 2017. We expect to more than double this number by 2019. For this we are taking a number of steps,” Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mohamed Maliki. He also said that the first step towards promotion of Morocco as a desired tourist destination for Indians is to set up the a full-fledged Moroccan National Tourism Office in New Delhi. “We hope the office will be ... Read more

Mumbai Port Trust, in association with private tour operators, is about to start a new cruise service from Mumbai to Goa. As per media reports, all necessary verification processess are completed by Mumbai Port Trust and are waiting for the government approval. “We have developed the domestic cruise terminal building. Operator is yet to get few permission and also delivery of vessel which operator has ordered from abroad got delayed. But we are hopeful that soon first Domestic cruise will start from Mumbai to Goa,” said Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust. The cruise service is said to start from ... Read more

Eco-friendly tourism concepts are attracting more vacationers worldwide, with the core principles of sustainability. According to a data published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) around 10 per cent of the world’s economy is based on tourism activity with more bookings on eco- friendly hotspots. To qualify for a sustainable destination, Global Sustainable Tourism Council issues a list of benchmarks. It includes encouraging local business practices, conservation, community participation, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification etc. Meanwhile, locations like Vial and Yellowstone national park in US are putting up efforts with the government entities to make ... Read more

Around 126 trekking routes in Uttarakhand will have WiFi network for the ease of tourists travelling to distant parts of the state. The Uttarakhand Information Technology Development Authority (UITDA) said it has prepared a plan to this effect. “All 126 trekking routes would be surveyed for installing towers with required frequency to provide the WiFi connectivity,” said Amit Sinha, the Director of Uttarakhand Information Technology Development Authority. The famous Roopkund trek would be the first to get the facility. Lack of connectivity on the trekking routes had led to tremendous difficulties in locating trekkers who lost their way. The facility would help ... Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi practicing yoga An Islamic University in Iran has approached India to start courses in yoga, ayurveda and unani medicine for its students. In an invitation dated 24 April, the Iranian Embassy in India wrote to National Commission for Minorities chairperson Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi, requesting him to visit the Al-Mustafa International University, which counts “disseminating Islamic teachings” as one its chief activities. Upon receiving the invitation, Rizvi is all set to go to Iran on a five-day visit starting 9 May. He is expected to discuss the logistics involved in starting these courses in Iran. “The university ... Read more

Dubai-based Nakheel is planning a $160 million resort with Austrian hotel giant Vienna House at Dubai’s Deira Islands. The 600-room resort, Vienna House Deira Beach, is Nakheel’s third hospitality joint venture at Deira Islands. The two companies will build a 15.3 sq km master planned waterfront city holiday complex at Deira Islands. “We are delighted to be working with Vienna House on this unique new concept for Deira Islands. Our ongoing strategy is to being new, highly-reputable hospitality brands and concepts to Dubai as part of our commitment to supporting the government in realising its tourism vision. Vienna House at Deira Islands will be a ... Read more

Activists from over 14 southern European cities were grouped together to fight against the mass tourism activities in European cities and staged their protest in Barcelona. The protesters urge the government to “establish limits to the tourist industry” and even promote its “decrease”. The activists demand government to reduce mass tourism programmes, as they create pollution, ecological imbalances and traffic congestion. The activists’ first action was to release a manifesto denouncing how mass tourism causes rents to soar, local shops to disappear, creates low wage jobs and generates pollution. The rising number of International tourist arrivals to the European Union has reached ... Read more

Indian automotive manufacturing company Tata and Singapore Airline’s (SIA) joint venture company Vistara Airlines has joined, International Air Transport Association (IATA). With the new programme, Vistara aims to launch international operations by the end of June. Currently, Air India and Jet Airways are the two Indian carriers who were part of IATA. Authorities with the new membership focus on empowering Vistara to join up with other international airline companies, for providing a seamless global connectivity. Back in September Vistara has finished all the necessary procedures on IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). “We’re extremely proud to join the international community of IATA ... Read more