Category: Middle East

The UAE has completed its national sterilisation programme and lifted all movement restrictions effective Wednesday. This means residents can travel freely across the country any time of the day, Khaleej Times has reported. Earlier, they were required to stay home during the national sterilisation programme timings between 11 pm and 6 am in Dubai and 10 pm and 6 am in all other emirates. “Today we announce the completion of the National Disinfection Programme, which covered the country’s public facilities and transportation. However, the public buildings will continue to be regularly disinfected,” said Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, spokesman for National ... Read more

The King Hussein International Airport has resumed domestic flights between Aqaba and Amman after flights were shut down due to travel restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. General Manager of Aqaba Airports Company (AAC) Nasser Majali told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the airport’s preparedness was “completely in accordance with the requirements and approvals of the Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission”. He said that arrangements have been made for the arrival and departure of domestic flights operated by local airlines, including Royal Jordanian, Jordan Aviation and Fly Jordan, stressing that the airport will “stringently adhere” to ... Read more

Dubai will begin allowing tourists in from July 7 and citizens and residents can resume outbound travel from June 23, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday. Here are the new guidelines for air travel, according to the Dubai Media Office. DUBAI CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS ALLOWED TO TRAVEL ABROAD FROM JUNE 23 Citizens and residents are allowed to travel to any foreign destination, according to measures taken by countries regarding foreign arrivals. • Travelers bear full responsibility for their actions and for checking the COVID-19 situation of the country they wish to visit, as well as self-monitoring any symptoms they may ... Read more

Israel has said that travellers coming in from Greece will not have to partake in the 14-day Covid-19 quarantine. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakisis to discuss reopening tourism between the two countries, setting August 1 as the date to open the borders.  “We are thrilled that we have been able to set a date for resuming international tourism, beginning with Greece,” said Asaf Zamir, Isreal’s Minister of Tourism. “This is an important development for the citizens of our two countries and a critical step in restoring the travel industry around the globe, helping to position us ... Read more

Around 8,000 tourism, leisure and commercial facilities and restaurants in Abu Dhabi are eligible for refunds of 20% of the annual rental value, on their commercial property leases, amounting to a sum of Dh1 billion. They will get a refund of Dh200 million as part of the economic stimulus package launched by the Abu Dhabi government within the “Ghadan 21” programme to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on business activities. This was announced by Khaled Mubarak Bani Zama, director of the Industrial Development at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, during a media briefing. The department approved 220 applications ... Read more

Studio One Hotel has launched a staycation deal which only costs Dhs10 per hour. The sole condition is that one needs to stay for at least 24 hours but check-in is allowed at any time of the day. The room price also includes a Dhs150 voucher to spend in any of the hotel’s restaurants, for each night you stay, according to a report in What’s On. The dining voucher is valid at Larte, The Maine Street Eatery, The Irish Village, Mr Miyagi’s and El Chapo’s Tacos. You’ll get three Dhs50 vouchers to spend, so you can split between multiple venues ... Read more

Qatar Airways will soon announce special offers including arranging stay at hotels for quarantine purposes. “Qatar Airways will soon announce special offers that will include price of tickets and stay at 5, 4 or 3 star hotels for the purposes of quarantine,” Salam Al Shawa, Senior Vice President Marketing & Corporate Communications for Qatar Airways said in tweet. The returning passenger can fly Qatar Airways or any other airline, but will have to make the hotel booking directly with Discover Qatar for a stay at an approved quarantine hotel. They can’t book a hotel directly. The assistant foreign minister and ... Read more

Etihad Airways has launched new travel vouchers which are redeemable against future flights, and is currently offering a 50% cash bonus on purchases. The Etihad Travel Purchases can be purchased in increments of US$250 up to a maximum of US$65,000, and once bought are added to a Travel Bank for use by the customer. Note that you must be an Etihad guest member to purchase the vouchers. The current bonus is available for purchases made by June 24, and will see an extra 50% credit added to the Travel Bank – so a customer buying US$1,000 in vouchers will receive a total ... Read more

Dubai-headquartered travel-tech startup Hotel Data Cloud (HDC) has been officially selected for the ‘Healing Solutions for Tourism’ award by The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). HDC was selected for this recognition from among more than 1,000 other entrants from over 100 countries. The startup serves as a centralised global database for hotels to disseminate information including data and images to hundreds of stakeholders. Recently, it introduced a new initiative whereby hotels can communicate their health and safety measures by creating a profile on HDC and filling in the Covid-19 preparedness section. This will then be automatically shared and freely accessible by ... Read more

“Every rising sun brings us closer to when we can see each other again,” states a new video released by Dubai Tourism. The one-minute video, runs you through the various strategies implemented in Dubai during the last three months, ranging from curfews, the sterilisation of roads, and enforcing social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19. “We will welcome you with open doors. We will make your journey extraordinary. We said we needed a moment, and it will only be a moment more. We will see you soon,” said Dubai Tourism in the video. There are reports that Dubai could ... Read more

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) is looking to prepare one of the world’s longest recreational tourist paths – stretching 1,835 km – as part of its ambitious drive to promote domestic tourism. The path would connect the kingdom’s south with the north through the western region, starting from Abha and reaching Tabuk, passing through Al-Baha, Taif, Jeddah, Rabigh Economic City, Yanbu and Umluj or vice versa, said a report in Saudi Gazette. The path is meant only for families and the duration of a single trip will take about two weeks for each family, it said. The path includes shopping ... Read more

Flydubai, the Dubai-based low-cost carrier, has said it will start special repatriation flights to multiple cities in 11 countries with immediate effect. With the UAE government easing restrictions on travel movements and airport operations, Flydubai has launched repatriation flights to select destinations. This includes multiple cities in India. UAE residents and stranded citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Bulgaria, Finland, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine can book their seats on these special repatriation flights on Flydubai website from today. “In light of flight restrictions put in place by countries across the Flydubai network, we are working around-the-clock to help ... Read more

The skydiving centre in Dubai Marina has resumed operations at the Palm Jumeirah drop zone, with strict regulations in place to keep skydivers safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Upon arrival at Skydive Dubai, every visitor and staff member will be temperature screened, and anyone with a high temperature will be turned away, even if they have a paid reservation. Inside the Skydive Dubai venue, there is an enforced two-metre distance between all guests and staff, and face masks are compulsory at all times. Skydivers must keep their masks on until the point that they are ready to exit the aircraft. ... Read more

Etihad Airways has announced plans to link 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia via Abu Dhabi, following the decision of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) to reopen UAE airports for transit flights. Etihad recently launched links from Melbourne and Sydney to London Heathrow, allowing direct transfer connections to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi. Throughout June, transfer connections via Abu Dhabi will be available from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris ... Read more

Arabian Travel Market’s virtual panel has advised hoteliers not to drop room rates, but focus on sanitisation and technology to build consumer trust. Hotels must not drop rates to increase occupancy, instead they should adapt to ‘new normal’ – embracing innovative technologies and being creative with offerings, the panel suggested. Global set of transparent hospitality standards relating to health, safety and hygiene will be key in regaining trust of travellers, industry experts who took part in the panel said on the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market’s inaugural virtual event, ATM Virtual, on Monday. The panel was moderated by ... Read more