Category: Middle East

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

dnata has bagged two prestigious awards at the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony 2018 – for the fifth year running. dnata secured the accolade of ‘UAE’s Leading Travel Agency’ and ‘The Middle East’s Leading Business Travel Agency’. The World Travel Awards Middle East, presented at a gala dinner in Ras Al Khaimah, in front of the region’s leading travel groups, are voted on by travel and tourism professionals worldwide. They recognise commitment to service excellence which organisations receiving awards have demonstrated during the past twelve months. “It’s particularly gratifying to know our hard work and dedication to our ... Read more

Emirates has introduced Home Check-in, a new service which allows customers to check in for their flights from anywhere in Dubai. The service is available for customers across all classes travelling on Emirates flights. The new service enables Emirates passengers to complete the security check and check-in from the comfort of their home, hotel or office and have their luggage transported to the airport prior to their flight. An Emirates check-in agent will arrive at the preferred location to weigh and tag the bags as well as check-in the customers and issue boarding passes. Customers can then make their own ... Read more

The Dubai International Airport has retained its world coveted standing on top of world airports in terms of the number of international travellers, according to the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2018. The airport has retained the award for several successive years in recognition of its premium travel services, including catering, entertainment and retail not to mention seamless travel procedures, says WAM. The awards celebrate the region’s best in business travel and hospitality and the ceremony was attended by key travel industry executives in Dubai. The award was received by Eugene Barry. EVP Commercial and Anita Mehra, Senior Vice President ... Read more

According to the new fare structure, all trips will now be subjected to a fluctuation in base fares at all times, depending on the time of day or if it is a public holiday. “These changes will result in higher fares on some trips, while fares will be lower on other trips. The fare breakdown can be seen in the upfront pricing displayed prior to booking a ride,” said Uber. Currently, the static base fare is Dh8, but with the new system, users will be subject to a new dynamic static base fare of Dh5.4, Dh6.7 or Dh10.6 (varying on the ... Read more

Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Africa and Sherin Francis, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board. Emirates has announced its renewed support to Mauritius and the Seychelles by extending its global marketing agreement with the respective Tourism Boards of the two countries. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the 2018 Arabian Travel Market, by Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Africa and Sherin Francis, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board and Devi Seewooruthun, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, in the presence of the Minister of Tourism of ... Read more

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is stepping up efforts to consolidate the emirate’s position as an ideal global tourist destination with the recent launch of its new website, VisitSharjah.com. The new website will allow local, regional and international tourists to learn more about what Sharjah has to offer, from essential destinations to exciting activities catering to all types of travellers. “The new website will help increase awareness about the emirate’s tourism infrastructure and services, which will reinforce its reputation as a highly preferred destination. We are proud to announce the launch of the VisitSharjah.com website, consolidating Sharjah’s ... Read more

MGallery has signed two agreements with Khamas Group of Investments to open MGallery Dubai Business Bay and  MGallery Bur Dubai in Dubai. The 144-room MGallery Dubai Business Bay is scheduled to open in 2021. The hotel will be situated adjacent to the upcoming Marasi Business Bay development. The hotel will feature four F&B options including a rooftop bar and restaurant, rooftop pool bar, all-day dining restaurant and executive lounge. “We are delighted and proud with this partnership for two hotels with MGallery, a brand within the luxury and upper upscale portfolio of AccorHotels,” said Bader Mohamed Yousuf Bukhamas, chairman of Khamas ... Read more

Emirates and flydubai revealed strong passenger numbers for the first six months of their partnership, illustrating tremendous positive response from customers, and the successful start of the expanded codeshare partnership which was announced in July 2017. The first code-share flights began at the end of October 2017. Between November 2017 and March 2018, over 400,000 passengers have taken advantage of the partnership and more than 250,000 passengers have already planned their trip for the year ahead. The partnership initially began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, and this has quickly expanded to meet growing demand as customers realise the benefits ... Read more

Dubai Cruise Tourism, a department of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), hosted a ceremony at the Dubai stand at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) officially launching the Dubai Cruise Committee. This ceremony confirms the implementation of a collaborative framework designed to consolidate the city’s position as ‘cruise hub of the region’. The Dubai Cruise Committee is a strategic network of leading industry partners; Dubai Tourism, DP World UAE Region FZE, Emirates Airline, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, and Dubai Customs. This newly-signed MoU ... Read more

Oman Air unveiled the new First Class Mini Suite of its Dreamliner 787-9 fleet, on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event concludes on April 25. H E Maitha al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Tourism unveiled the Mini Suite at the Oman Air stand on Sunday. The First Class suite offers unparalleled levels of comfort and ultimate luxury with one of the longest lie-flat seat available on any commercial airliner, electronically controlled privacy divider, à la carte dining as well as an in suite minibar. H E Maitha said, “It ... Read more

Etihad Airways has announced its extensive Year of Zyed initiatives which are scheduled to be launched throughout 2018. Etihad’s initiatives are based on the four Year of Zayed themes, which are wisdom, respect, sustainability, and human development. The company’s initiatives are: 1) Humanitarian freighter 2) Zayed A380 & Abu Dhabi Experience 3) Abu Dhabi Birdathon 4) Zayed Campus & Young Aviators “The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, was a visionary leader whose determination, wisdom and guidance enabled the UAE to become the prosperous, modern and harmonious nation it is today. His vision and ... Read more

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and First Deputy Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, has opened the silver jubilee edition of Arabian Travel Market at the Dubai World Trade Centre today. The ATM Dubai 2018 will witness more than 2,500 exhibitors and 40,000 industry professionals from 150 countries. The 4-day event features more than 100 new exhibitors from Finland, China, Hungary, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, UAE, India, Kurdistan, Japan and Indonesia are set to make their ATM debut this year. ATM Dubai showcases latest trends and technologies in hospitality and aviation markets.   Over ... Read more

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board launches ‘L.A. Insider,’ a online training tool for travel trade professionals in the Middle East. The mobile and tablet-friendly programme is the first of its kind for L.A. Tourism. The programme, developed by TravPRO, has been designed to help travel trade better sell the city and stay up-to-date with its latest offerings. A record 48.3 million tourists visited L.A. in 2017, and is expected to reach 50 million by 2020. “We’re proud to launch such an advanced training programme, one that will help our clients discover L.A. like an insider and sell L.A. like an expert. ... Read more

Emirates has unveiled its new Boeing 777-300ER First Class Private Suite exhibit at the Arabian Travel Market 2018 (ATM), the region’s leading travel and tourism exhibition will run from 22 – 25 April. The Emirates stand will offer visitors a chance to experience the airline’s recently-launched products and service enhancements. The game changing, fully enclosed First Class private suites on exhibit have floor to ceiling sliding doors, soft leather seating, high-tech control panels and mood lighting. Incorporating cutting-edge technology, the suites also feature several world-firsts, including: ‘virtual windows’ using real-time fibre-optic camera technology, a NASA inspired ‘zero-gravity’ seating position, and ... Read more