Thailand-based hospitality company Dusit International has signed a hotel management agreement with Al Manzil Hospitality Group to operate dusitD2 Seef Bahrain, its contemporary leisure and business hotel, scheduled to open in Manama 2018. The new hotel will be the company’s first hotel in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The opening will help to position Dusit for further expansion within the GCC region, where it already operates five hotels, with another five confirmed in the pipeline. Located in close vicinity of Bahrain International Airport, the contemporary upscale hotel will comprise 195 spacious units with sea view. Amenities will include meeting facilities, a kids’ club, an expansive health and fitness centre with spa and rooftop pool and a multitude of restaurants.

Etihad Airways has recently replaced the three-class Boeing 777-300ER for the overnight service between Abu Dhabi and Paris with an Airbus A380 aircraft. Right now it has been done to meet the increased seasonal demand between July 1, 2017 to October 28, 2017 and then between December 15, 2017 to February 15, 2018. However, from March 15, 2018, the aircraft will be run permanently on this route. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Executive Vice President Commercial, Etihad Airways, said, “Paris is one of Etihad Airways’ most sought-after destinations, popular with both leisure and business flyers alike. The global capital of style and gastronomy deserves us to fly our flagship product to town, offering world-leading and award-winning in-flight hospitality experiences in the skies.

Dubai International Airport welcomed 6.8 million customers during May, according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. In May 2017, passenger numbers at DXB rose by 1.9 per cent to 6,850,052 compared to 6,721,995 recorded in May 2016. During the first five months of 2017, DXB welcomed 36,969,594 passengers, a year-on-year growth of 6.7 per cent compared to 34,649,748 passengers recorded during the same period last year. “Considering that we’ve had some record breaking months earlier in the year, including the rush of travellers during the summer holiday and Eid break last week, we are looking forward to a robust growth in the first half,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports.

Emirates will introduce an additional daily flight from Dubai to Brussels from 29 October 2017, providing a double-daily service to customers on the route. The new scheduled flight is to meet the growing demand for travel on the route – Emirates has carried over half a million passengers between Dubai and the Belgian capital since launching operations on 5 September 2014. Further, this second daily flight, offering additional cargo capacity in the belly hold of the wide-body Boeing 777-300ER, will enhance trade links between Brussels and Dubai, transporting pharmaceuticals, perishables such as chocolates, and automotive parts from Belgium to the UAE and beyond. With the launch of the new flight, inbound tourism is also expected to receive a significant boost, creating an anticipated 50,000 more tourist arrivals.

Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways have all been cleared to allow customers to bring electronic devices, including laptops, tablets and e-readers, on flights from the Middle East into the United States. The ban on electronic devices that was implemented on ME flights travelling to the United States since March 25, 2017 ended on July 5, 2017.

Thomas Cook is set to open its first own-brand hotel in UAE, the smartline Ras Al Khaimah Beach Resort, on November 1, 2017. It will be a contemporary beach resort featuring 253 chalets, a 700-metre private beach, three pools, four bars, a coffee shop, a buffet restaurant, a spa with sauna and Jacuzzi, inclusive of WiFi. Apart from this, Thomas Cook and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority have extended their major co-operative marketing agreement which aims to raise the profile of the UAE emirate as a premier leisure destination for European tourists. The partnership, which started in 2016, enters its second phase in August 2017 and seeks to further develop Ras Al Khaimah as a year-round destination for holidaymakers through inspiring marketing content delivered via Thomas Cook’s multi-channel media offering.

Owing to the continuously increasing number of women travellers in the kingdom, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is bringing back its Women’s Journey Thailand campaign in August, with a vast spectrum of activities, special deals, discounts and privileges, especially for the female tourists, for one whole month. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Asia and the South Pacific, says, “Today, women have become the decision makers and quite powerful, with high spending power. They expect and deserve optimum luxury and variety in holiday products and services. Thailand can prove to be the perfect destination for each of these holiday elements. This is why we have brought back the Women’s Journey Thailand campaign as it is a platform to showcase our woman-centric holiday products and services of unparalleled quality and variety, at unbelievable prices.” Some of the highlights of this season of Women’s Journey Thailand campaign include the Lady Golf Challenge, Lady Celebrities to Thailand, Thailand through Her Eyes, Lady in Thai Fabrics and Lady Bloggers.

Air Arabia recently launched a direct flight to another destination in Turkey — its historic port city Trabzon. The flight is scheduled to operate on five days a weekly — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the flight departs from Sharjah International Airport at 21:45 and arrives at Trabzon International Airport at 00:20 local time the next day. The return service departs from Trabzon at 01:00, landing in Sharjah at 05:15 local time. On Tuesdays, the flight departs from Sharjah at 13:15 and arrives at Trabzon at 15:50; then the return flights from Trabzon are scheduled to take off at 16:30 and land in Sharjah at 20:45. Finally, the flights on Sundays are scheduled to depart from Sharjah at 16:35 and land in Trabzon at 19:10, and then the return flights are to take off at 19:50 from Trabzon and arrive at Sharjah at 00:05 the next day.

Emirates’ inaugural double-decker A380 service from Dubai to Nice recently landed at Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport, marking officially the replacement of Boeing 777-300ER used on this route with A380. The flight timings will remain unchanged. The passengers of the premium class in the A380 will get flat-bed seats as well as the Emirates Onboard Lounge to have a completely relaxed and enjoyable ride. First-class passengers can unwind in their very own private suite and leave all their travelling stress behind in the Emirates A380 Shower Spa.

At the glamourous Arabian Travel Awards held a few hours ago in Dubai, the dynamic and globally acclaimed Kulwant Singh, Founder and Managing Director, Lama Group, was felicitated with the Face of the Future award. Singh, with his hard work, business acumen and conviction, nurtured a small company of a few people to grow into an empire of 500 professional and skilled employees, spread across Europe, Russia, China, India, the Philippines and the CIS countries. Even within the GCC, he has offices in Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Taking his business beyond core travel and tourism, he has now successfully ventured also into marketing, representations, hotels and restaurants. Recently, his company has launched new products, namely, Luxury Yacht Cruises, Dhow Cruises, Hummer Safaris and Explore Arabia – a day long encounter in true Arabian style.