As Dubai prepares to welcome tourists on July 7, families and residents from across the UAE are busy experiencing the diverse attractions and experiences that have reopened in Dubai following a temporary closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The top family attractions that have been reactivated join the list of tourism, retail and recreational facilities and amenities that have reopened in Dubai including public and hotel beaches, shopping malls, restaurants, swimming pools and golf courses, as well as the resumption of popular activities like water sports and camping. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “As Dubai has reopened, we will reinforce our commitment to not only provide residents and visitors a well-rounded destination experience but also ensure their health and safety remains our key priority. With the initial focus being on reviving demand for domestic tourism, Dubai’s travel and hospitality sectors are now eagerly waiting to welcome visitors from the wider international market. Dubai Tourism is also continuing to work closely with the city’s network of stakeholders across the public and private sectors, and its partners overseas to provide people from around the world the opportunity to enjoy the wide diversity of offerings in one of the world’s safest destinations.” In addition to the standard requirements of social distancing and wearing a face mask at all times, the family entertainment destinations, from those providing indoor excitement to outdoor adventures, have also deployed a wide range of other precautionary and preventive measures to safeguard the health of visitors across all customer facing touch-points in their respective facilities and surrounding environments. The attractions have advised visitors to book or buy their tickets online to facilitate …
Read More »Oman welcomed 3.5 million tourists last year
The Sultanate of Oman welcomed more than 3.5 million tourists in 2019, which reflected an 8.14 per cent increase as compared to the number of visits registered in 2018. The growth can be attributed to the continuing efforts made by the Ministry of Tourism to entice more regional and international visitors to the country and achieve the goals set forth in the ‘Omani Tourism Strategy,’ which also aims to position Muscat as a highly-preferred tourism destination and a city that is interlinked and integrated with other key destinations in the country by 2040. Salem Adi Al Mamari, Director General of the Tourism Promotions Department, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said, “The excellent tourism figures we are seeing now can be attributed to the investments that the government has made in the local tourism sector; the promotion and adoption of global best practices in the hospitality industry and the development of more world class hotel establishments in the country. Through its charming and beautiful nature, hospitality, unique traditions, and rich cultural heritage, the country is able to promote both its natural resources and also sustainability. Over the years, intensified tourism campaigns have been launched to meet the government’s target of over 11 million tourists by 2040.” Al Mamari said, “Several campaigns, programs, projects, and clear strategies have been deployed to drive domestic tourism. Part of our efforts is to diversify our tourism products according to the needs of our visitors. Our aim is to provide them with an experience that cannot be found in other regional destinations. We have successfully established Oman’s reputation as one of the most secure and safest tourist destinations in the world. Furthermore, the Sultanate boasts of impressive …
Read More »Emirates airline adds seven more destinations across EMEA
Emirates will be offering scheduled flights for passengers from seven additional cities in the month of July. These include Khartoum (from July 3), Amman (from July 5), Osaka (from July 7), Narita (from July 8), Athens (from July 15), Larnaca (from July 15) and Rome (July 15). This takes the total number of destinations that Emirates is offering to 48, facilitating additional travel options through a convenient connection in Dubai for customers across the world, while undertaking extensive measures to ensure the health and safety of customers and employees. Customers from Emirates’ network will also now be able to travel to Dubai following the announcement earlier this week that the city will be open for business and leisure visitors from July 7, with new air travel protocols that facilitate travel for UAE citizens, residents and tourists while safeguarding the health and safety of visitors and communities. Customers can book to fly between destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe or the Americas, through Dubai, as long as they meet travel and immigration entry requirements of their destination country. Health and safety first: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers. For more information on these measures and the services available on each flight.
Read More »Tripoto teams up with DCT Abu Dhabi to promote UAE capital to Indian travellers
Tripoto has partnered with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to promote the capital of the UAE as the ideal destination for Indian travellers. As part of the partnership, Tripoto created four Gigapixels – digital image bitmaps composed of one billion pixels each and featuring 1,000 times the information captured by a 1-megapixel digital camera. The images, shot across the city, were then meticulously stitched together, with the end result being high-resolution, 360-degree visuals that offers viewers an immersive, bird’s eye view of the UAE capital and its many attractions. Some of the highlights include family-friendly theme parks, such as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, luxury hotels, shopping malls, beaches, golf clubs, and much more. “This pioneering partnership showcases the way in which tourism is moving, with travellers now being able to zoom right into the city, exploring even the minutest details before they even set foot there. From the grains of white sand on the beaches of Saadiyat Island to the soaring heights of the tallest roller coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi’s Gigapixels really bring the emirate to life, allowing travellers to not only experience the magic of the capital from wherever they are in the world but also plan for their future holidays there,” said Michael Lyngdoh, Founder, Tripoto. Saeed Rashed Al Saeed, Destination Marketing Director at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi is the perfect destination for savvy Indian travellers, offering everything from family-friendly theme parks to stunning natural attractions, luxury hotels, world-class business facilities, high-end shopping, gorgeous beaches, rich culture, and more. India is Abu Dhabi’s top source …
Read More »flydubai resumes flight schedule and opens for sale
flydubai has announced that their flights are available for booking, initially to 24 destinations. More destinations and flight frequencies will continue to be added to the schedule over the summer. Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer of flydubai, said, “flights are available for booking from today and will operate from July 7. We are initially planning to operate to 24 destinations and we will continuously add destinations and flight frequencies to the network and we expect this to increase to 66 destinations over the course of the summer. This, of course, will be dependent on countries being able to open up and accept international travel.” Obaidalla added, “flydubai will be announcing details of its customer journey shortly which will outline what passengers can expect and what information they need to know the next time they need to book. Following the recent announcement we welcome a return to service in a safe and measured way. We have redesigned our passenger journey that is built upon existing high standards to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and we can now bring people together once again. This, along with the clear and simple guidelines set out by the authorities means it’s the perfect time to return to the skies.”
Read More »Travtalk Digital Conclave to be held on Tuesday June 30, 2020 at 10am UAE time
As UAE opens up gradually for residents to return and then for overseas visitors to enjoy the destination from July 7, 2020, Travtalk Middle East will host their maiden Digital conclave on June 30, 2020 at 10am UAE time, themed ‘Re-selling tourism’ this will be a discussion with some of the thought leaders in the industry speaking about the new changes in the travel and hospitality sector. The first session is dedicated to the travel industry is themed as ‘Tourism 2.0; the new restart strategy’ moderated by SanJeet with Jamal Abdulnazar CEO Cozmo Travel, Nasir Jamal Khan CEO Al Naboodah travel and Tarique Khatri EVP Center of Excellence Seera Group. They will discuss challenges during the pandemic, how to prepare for the new normal and the time frame for bounce back in the industry. After that the second session will begin with the hospitality sector leaders under the theme, ‘new league of hotels’. There will be 3 different focus areas for this session one will be the investment aspect as Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer COO of Shurooq will discuss with their strategies for the boutique properties. Alexander Suski, Associate Vice President Sales and Marketing Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA and Turkey will share his views on the new age of hospitality and their stand on how to move ahead amidst the challenges. Speaking about the trends and how the levels of the industry has been will be Philip Wooller – Area Director Middle East & Africa – STR.
Read More »Sharjah to see a 50% return to activities in Tourism and Hospitality sector
Sharjah Government has announced the resumption of the second phase of its recovery efforts, activating different sectors and activities by 50 per cent in the emirate. SCTDA is working towards the gradual return of activities within the emirate’s tourism and hospitality sector. The return, which follows the recent re-opening of beaches within hotels, spas and restaurants, will be implemented in stages and will not contradict with public safety measures already in place such as sterilisation operations and precautionary standards. The SCTDA has shared that the current phase of recovery is focused on domestic tourism and how to attract UAE citizens and residents as the summer season commences. The move is expected to play a key role in bringing the local tourism sector back to life. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “This decision is aimed particularly at bringing life anew to the local tourism and hospitality segments, vital sectors that help support the national economy. Rest assured that we will continue to work in close cooperation with our partners in the public and private sector to overcome this pandemic and help bring things back to normal.” Al Midfa further explained that the release of the new guidelines for hotel establishments in the emirate demonstrates the SCTDA’s commitment to lay the solid foundations needed in the resumption of tourist movement and hotel activity–falling in line with the global best practices on health, safety and security. He also pointed out the significant role played by the new guide in ensuring the stability of the hotel industry while also maintaining the health and well-being of employees and guests. “The SCTDA will be designating special teams to conduct regular inspections and field …
Read More »Finding opportunities with new business partnerships: Orient Travel Group
Asim Arshad –Group CEO – Orient Travel and Tourism Agency LLC Orient Tours LLC Orient Cargo LLC said, “We are focusing on all opportunities that come our way. Having a partnership with CWT and offices in the other gulf countries helped us do some business in the oil and gas segment for customers who needed to be evacuated from different locations in the region. Likewise we service some US government customers in other counties where we helped them move back to the US. We have been working on repatriation flights to some countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.”
Read More »Travellers will book their vacation slightly differently now: Wego
Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director, MENA and India, Wego, said “We will look to more contactless free hotel stays using the smart technology and ensuring the highest safety and health measures are adopted by the operator. The destination they book will also depend on the quarantine rules and COVID-19 cases in the desired attraction. Countries are following travel bubbles which are considered key to get people back into the world. We are more likely to see less demand for leisure and luxury travel. Our latest survey revealed that family trips and flights to visit the family back home ranked the second preferred journey for travellers once measures are relaxed.”
Read More »Sharjah announces 50% return to activities in tourism and hospitality sector
H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA said, “We are pleased to announce the decision to activate 50 per cent of the various sectors and activities in the emirate, which is aimed particularly at bringing life anew to the local tourism and hospitality segments, vital sectors that help support the national economy. Rest assured that we will continue to work in close cooperation with our partners in the public and private sector to overcome this pandemic and help bring things back to normal. The SCTDA will be designating special teams to conduct regular inspections and field visits to local hotels to check on their compliance with the set precautionary requirements. These measures have been implemented to reduce the prevalence of COVID-19. We encourage all employees, workers and tourists to cooperate with us by adhering to the directives in the newly issued operational guidelines, which guarantees safety for all.”
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