Category: Middle East

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday held wide-ranging talks with her Bahrain counterpart Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al Khalifa during which they discussed ways to expand cooperation in a number of fields including tourism, oil and gas, petrochemicals, security, defense and intelligence training. In a joint statement after the meeting they said that “The wide-ranging discussions were held in a friendly and forward-looking atmosphere, with useful exchanges of views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest,” The two sides discussed in detail various aspects of bilateral relations. Expansion of cooperation of in the fields of tourism,  education, ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: IG/nuchienuchiee The UAE has announced a change in visa rules for tourists and free transit visas to all passengers flying through Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Emirate has introduced a new two-month exemption for dependents of tourists travelling to the country on holidays. Now, tourists can also obtain a fee-free visa for children under the age of 18 years during the summer period from 15th July to 15th September of each year. The UAE government has also announced that it will be setting up several express counters at the passport control halls at airports across the Emirates to allow ... Read more

Emirates has unveiled its 42nd dedicated lounge across its global network at Cairo International Airport (CAI). The lounge is now open to Emirates First Class and Business Class customers as well as Platinum and Gold members of Skywards, the airline’s loyalty programme. Reflecting the airline’s ongoing commitment to Egypt, the Emirates Lounge in Cairo represents a US$ 3.6 million investment to provide premium customers with a seamless and enjoyable journey. Catering to three daily flights, the lounge offers customers even greater levels of comfort, hospitality and convenience as they start their Emirates experience in Cairo. Located at Departure Terminal 2, ... Read more

The Green Planet is Dubai’s own man-made tropical rain-forest. With more than 3,000 species of plants, animals and birds, this green oasis is a sanctuary of exotic flora and fauna. Aiming to educate guests about the important role the tropical forest plays in the future of our planet, The Green Planet exposes Dubai to another world within its glass dome. Responsibly sourced species include sloths, snakes, sugar gliders, spiders and a vast array of birds. Appealing to visitors of all ages, this spot is perfect for a family outing. The bio-dome is made up of four levels: the Canopy, the ... Read more

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, is reviewing its route network with a view to further expanding its destinations in Africa. The airline already flies to Cairo in Egypt, Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar, and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Recently it has launched a four times weekly service to Casablanca in Morocco. The Network and Planning team is working hard to assess the viability of other new routes. Khartoum in Sudan is considered to be a potential addition. Considering the large number of Sudan migrants in Oman, Khartoum is a strong favourite to be amongst the new additions ... Read more

Around 387,000 tourists visited Red Sea in June this year, in which 300,000 were foreign tourists, according to the Red Sea governorate’s statistics. German tourists recorded the highest number among other nationalities with 110,655 tourists. Egyptians came second with 82,640. Czech tourists came third with 27,852 visitors, while the British came fourth with 22,527 and the Polish ranks fifth with 20,238 tourists. As per records, tourists from the Arab countries show a downward trend. Only 1506 tourists from Arab countries visited Read Sea during this period. Domestic tourism in Hurghada hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 100 per cent, despite ... Read more

Sahara Center – Sharjah Armed with a rich trading history, Sharjah now teems with shops and markets. ‘Souks’ have been restored and modernised to suit the needs of tourists, as well as the locals. Along with these developments, the emirate also offers many modern malls with a range of top brands and entertainment options such as multiplexes, amusement rides and play centres. To suit every taste and budget, Sharjah offers everything from traditional markets to state-of-the-art malls. Let’s have a look at the shopping experiences it offers… Sahara Center, situated at Al Nahda street, is the biggest mall in Sharjah. Besides ... Read more

Travellers who are yet to decide on summer plans can take advantage of attractive holiday packages to Dubai by simply flying with Emirates. Upon booking, passengers can avail exclusive rates at world-class hotels, enjoy outstanding entertainment and experience theme parks across Dubai, including tickets to some of the city’s world-class shows and attractions. Customers can experience Dubai starting at USD $49 a night, applicable to two guests per room, at Rove Dubai Marina – located in the city’s stylish waterfront district. The package also includes two complimentary tickets to visit Dubai Parks and Resorts – the largest integrated theme park ... Read more

Dubai Tourism welcomes tourist to have a walking tour along the historical district of Al Fahidi. This culturally-themed walking tour will take you around Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood and Dubai Creek. Starting from Al Fahidi Street in Bur Dubai the tour will end in Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek. The major attractions on the way are Arabian Tea House, SMCCU, XVA Gallery, Textile Souk, Gold Souk, Spice Souk, Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek. Arabian Tea House The walking tour can start with a cup of local ‘karak chai’ – a strong tea blend with a dash of milk ... Read more

The iconic Burj Khalifa by global developer Emaar Properties in Dubai, which has the world’s tallest LED panel installed on its façade, is now the world’s highest Football Live Scoreboard. With the finals drawing close, visitors and residents can keep up to date with the scorecards of the matches at the world’s most popular football championship that are now relayed on to the LED screen of Burj Khalifa. Featuring the flag of the goal-scoring nation as well, the scoreboard is updated in real-time for football lovers to catch up with the action set against the backdrop of The Dubai Fountain, ... Read more

Kuwait International Airport has opened a new terminal building (T4) with an aim to increase capacity to 25 million passengers by 2022. Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah launched the new terminal earlier this week. T4, which was planned and built within two years, is a 14-gate facility which is designed to handle an extra 4.5 million passengers annually. “Passenger numbers are expected to each 40 million annually by 2037, creating annual income of no less than $800 million and about 40,000 jobs,” Sheikh Salman  Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, director general of the country’s civil aviation authority. The new ... Read more

The world’s first Angry Birds World entertainment park has opened its doors to residents and visitors to Qatar. Located in Qatar’s largest fashion, dining and entertainment destination, Doha Festival City, the 17,000 sq.m park comprises an indoor space of 6,500 sq.m. The park also has an educational attraction, the Big Tree, intended for children to learn about science and express themselves creatively and musically. There is also the world’s first indoor and outdoor, multi-level karting track. An impressive 261 meters long, the track is modeled after “Angry Birds GO”. The tree also houses “Own the Sky”, a 106-metre zip line that ... Read more

Around 300 million photos get uploaded on Facebook every day and every second, at least 26 Instagram uploads. This photography bug seemed to have catch hold of everyone. Thanks to mobile phones or smartphones, every other person you meet on the road, or on the cafe, or anywhere for that matter, seem to be capturing one or the other moment around them. Privacy has become a strange term once you are in public space. But, if you are in any chance anywhere in the UAE, don’t try to focus your camera on others. If you do, it will end you ... Read more

National Advisor Bureau Limited, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) firm, has launched an official website for a project to tow icebergs from Antarctica to the UAE coasts during the first quarter of 2020 “to leverage them as new sources of water in the region”. The National Advisor Bureau Ltd put forward the UAE-Iceberg Project to highlight the upcoming stages and benefits in environment and economy. The project is estimated to cost $50-60 million. The pilot phase of the project will kick off during the second half of 2019 towards the coast of Perth in Australia, or the coast of Cape Town ... Read more

Emirates will be operating extra flights to Jeddah and Medina to help facilitate travel for pilgrims heading to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Hajj. Emirates will be operating 33 additional flights to Jeddah and Medina from 6 to 31 August to support the journey for pilgrims expected to travel to the Holy City of Mecca during Hajj this year. The services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah and Medina. These additional flight services are available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa. This year, top inbound destinations Emirates is expecting Hajj pilgrims to ... Read more