Accor is opening its first Raffles Resort in the Middle East, on the iconic Palm Jumeirah. Set to open in the last quarter of 2021, Raffles the Palm Dubai will be the first ultra-luxury addition to Accor’s existing diverse portfolio in Dubai. The group is partnering with Emerald Palace group (EGP), which has been successfully developing and constructing residential projects in Ukraine, UAE and Russia since 1996. At present, EGP has 8 new developments under construction, with a further 10 at project stage. “We are pleased to partner with Accor to establish the first Raffles resort in the Middle East. Our international expertise in developing and constructing hotel and residential projects combined with Accor’s knowledge, presence and prestigious brand portfolio set the grounds to open the best hotel in town!” mentioned Dr. Nver Mkhitaryan, Owner of EGP Group. Raffles the Palm Dubai will be situated within 100,000 sqm landscape on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island and archipelago. Its privileged location boasts panoramic sea views and vistas of the Dubai’s iconic skyline while offering a tranquil and private escape, just a short drive away from the city’s vibrant attractions. Once open, the resort will offer 389 luxurious rooms – starting from 65sqm- , suites and villas, each of them featuring a balcony and terrace showcasing unparalleled sea views. Not only will this new property offer unrivalled hospitality, it will also go beyond expectations by providing the legendary Raffles butler service and offering eight new unique lifestyle food and beverage experiences. Guests looking to relax during their stay will be able to indulge in Cing Mondes Spa, an award winning 3,000sqm Parisian brand with an iconic …

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, General Directorate of Residency & Foreign Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA-D), said the department was able to continue its work to translate the visions of the wise leadership in developing government services and their service channels in a way that contributes to enhancing the quality of life and achieving happiness for the customer. In his welcome address at the Airport Security Forum at the Dubai Airport Show 2021, Gen Al Marri said, “Recently, we launched a new fast-track passport control service that uses face and iris-recognition technologies.  The new biometric systems deployed at 122 smart gates at arrival and departure terminals in Dubai airports enable passengers to complete passport control procedures between 5 and 9 seconds depending on the movement and steps of the passenger. This system contributed to enhancing travellers’ confidence in the emirate, as such precautionary measures in light of the pandemic formed a safety umbrella for them.” He highlighted the UAE’s efforts in protecting and security of its ports and providing an exceptional experience for the travellers. The UAE has provided a unique model to be emulated in various fields until it becomes the most wanted living, residency, and work destination, in addition to the list of competitive indicators including safety and security index. “Without the determination of the UAE’s wise leadership and its continuous endeavor to establish the country’s leadership in providing happiness and security for all, it would not have been possible. Today’s aviation sector is considered one of the most critical sectors that achieved a quantum leap over the past years, as it is considered a major engine for economic growth in the world. The country’s efforts …

Cathay Pacific has announced the continuation of its recently relaunched flights between Dubai and its hub, Hong Kong, following its first flight which took off on 21 May 2021. The first resumed flight was positively received by customers and the trade alike. Departing Dubai International Airport at 16:25 on Friday (21 May), passengers were welcomed on-board by a vaccinated cabin crew. The airline also received an overwhelming response for cargo with a full load on the flight. The weekly flight, operated by an Airbus A330-300, will continue to follow the same schedule as May, providing UAE residents and visitors with convenient connections to Hong Kong and onwards across Cathay Pacific’s network. “On announcing the resumption of our passenger services from Dubai, we received a favourable response from the passengers and trade partners. Not only was it humbling to welcome back our guests as we took to the skies again, but also extremely encouraging as we look to scale up our global network operations” said Vishnu Rajendran, Area Manager – Middle East, Cathay Pacific.

Sharaf Travel Services and Amadeus have set a new milestone to drive forward New Distribution Capability (NDC). Together with Sharaf Travels, Amadeus has successfully issued a Singapore airlines ticket on 4th March 2021 with NDC content via Amadeus Travel Platform. Sharaf Travel has thus laid the foundation to deliver modern retailing, with new, richer and more innovative content and advanced servicing for its travelers. NDC is an integral part of the Amadeus Travel Platform which brings together travel content from multiple sources (EDIFACT, NDC and other APIs), allowing travel agencies to easily search and compare offers on one screen. Through Amadeus’ NDC-enabled solutions, travel agencies like Sharaf Travel are able to shop, order and pay for airline travel offers via NDC in their usual booking environment. Additionally, Sharaf Travel has access to the main servicing capabilities that an agency requires once a booking via NDC has been made, such as changes, cancellations, or adding ancillary services such as preferred seats, meals or checked baggage. Jayaram Vaidyanathan Iyer, Managing Director, Sharaf Travels, said, “Our travel business was established to provide quality travel and tour services to the rapidly expanding population in the UAE. To meet that aim, we firmly believe in the value of NDC to address the industry’s need for modern retailing as well as travelers’ changing needs, offering our customers access to rich content as well as a transparent shopping experience.” “We are thrilled to have processed our first booking via NDC in the UAE with Sharaf Travel. As we roll-out our NDC-enabled solutions and make content via NDC available, we are opening up a world of opportunities for agencies and travelers in the region,” said Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing …

RAKTDA announces a strategic partnership with national carrier Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) that will activate direct commercial flights from Ukraine to the Emirate from 25 June 2021. The move will see Ras Al Khaimah welcome twice weekly flights from capital city Kyiv to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, opening up the Emirate to another key international market – the largest all-European country – as travel restrictions continue to ease. With flight frequency set to increase in the near future, UIA will be the first airline from Ukraine to fly into Ras Al Khaimah and the latest in a series of strategic aviation partnerships established by RAKTDA to drive growth into a dynamic and developing destination. Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, commented, “Ukraine has emerged as a growing market for Ras Al Khaimah, with our partnership with Ukraine International Airlines demonstrating our resolve to restart tourism by re-energising our aviation collaborations.  Our relationship with UIA is a particularly special one as it is not only the second commercial airline to fly into our Emirate but it also marks the first airline from Ukraine and its national carrier. It marks a key step in the recovery of international tourism and aligns with our wider strategy to investigate new routes across core, secondary and emerging markets and to diversify our portfolio with both charter and commercial flights.” “We invite our Ukrainian visitors to experience the authentic Arabian hospitality of our Emirate, in addition to the wealth of unique attractions – from beach and adventure to culture, retail to nature – that offer the ideal international getaway appealing in one way or another to each and every …

flydubai announced today the launch of two new summer routes. The carrier will operate three weekly flights to Mykonos International Airport (JMK) and Santorini (Thira) Airport (JTR) between 18 June and 29 September. The launch of flights to the two Greek islands brings the number of seasonal routes served by flydubai to six destinations including Bodrum and Trabzon in Turkey, Batumi in Georgia and Tivat in Montenegro. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said, “we are excited to grow our network and give passengers more options to travel this summer.  Demand for travel has started to increase as more countries gradually lift restrictions on international travel. The UAE has recently added Bahrain, Greece and Serbia to the safe travel list which has encouraged more people to start planning their summer holidays. Mykonos and Santorini will be popular choices for travel from the UAE and GCC.” Commenting on the announcement, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said, “we are pleased to offer our passengers convenient travel options this summer to some of the most popular holiday spots. Whether flying in Business or Economy Class or opting to purchase a flexible holiday package that includes flights, hotels stay and other add ons, flydubai is committed to making travel this summer more flexible and a little less stressful.’’

Experience Hub, the trade and promotion arm of Yas Island Abu Dhabi, has enrolled more than 7,000 travel agents into its distinguished ‘Yas Expert’ programme – a destination training and certification program for travel professionals and agents. Among the 7,000 enrolled, more than 5,000 travel agents have already received certification and been recognised as a Yas Expert, joining an elite team of specialists with enhanced knowledge of the destination and all it has to offer. Throughout the pandemic period, Experience Hub has been virtually engaging with travel trade in key source markets including UK, Russia, China, India and GCC, and training them online to assure continuous product knowledge in preparation for gradual market re-openings. In the GCC, which has seen more than 500 agents enrolled, Yas Expert works with entities such as Seera, Jumbo Travels, Fursan Travel and many more to create Yas Island Brand Ambassadors, a network of people who are able to drive visitation to the island globally. Commenting on the programme, Liam Findlay, General Manager, Experience Hub said, “Experience Hub continues to show its commitment to global partners by refining and enhancing its valuable trade programmes such as Yas Expert. Our top priority through the travel slowdown has been to support our industry and evaluate how we can improve our offering ready for the travel rebound. We look forward to helping more agents globally to become Yas Experts and showcase a destination like nowhere else”.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, opened the 20th edition of the Airport Show, the world’s largest B2B airport industry exhibition, that had generated an overwhelming response in its new physical and digital format due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The three-day exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s (DWTC) Halls 7 and 8 has the participation of more than 95 exhibitors from 21 countries, 100-plus Hosted Buyers from over 20 countries and 36 exhibitors at five country pavilions by Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and the UK. These numbers are overwhelming given the prevailing travel restrictions across the globe following the 21st century’s second pandemic and the massive impact it has on the airports and airlines businesses on the planet. The response to the Airport Show is a clear indication of a possible journey of the aviation industry on the road to recovery and its unfaltering confidence and tremendous efforts to revive and restore the lost business levels and the growth momentum. After formally opening and visiting the stands and pavilions at Dubai’s MICE landmark facility’s and interacting with the exhibitors about challenges and opportunities, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed said, “The aviation industry has a history of successfully bouncing back from crises and the Covid-19 pandemic is no different. The setback is temporary and we will again be on the tracks of transformation. The overwhelming response to the Airport Show is an indication of the aviation world’s strong confidence in Dubai and its global efforts.”  “I am happy to see all the industry players working together for a remarkable …

As the growth of the airport sector in the Middle East was highly disturbed since the Covid-19 pandemic, plans to expand airports in all related sectors specialize in: air freight, aircraft construction and business aviation.  Business France will bring together a delegation of French companies to join the In-Person experience and benefit from face-to-face networking sessions with airport professionals from the Middle East. Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the show will host a French pavilion focused on airport modernization & new construction projects. In line with France’s commitment to take action in favor of a sustainable world and respond to social and climate issues, exhibiting companies will introduce how their solutions, empowered by a strong technological expertise, can reduce the environmental footprints, and how they tackle many current and future challenges. Internationally, these values, are instigated across the French industry thanks to la French Fab, THE label whose mission is to renew the industrial sector and committed to an eco-friendly approach as well as concerned about the common good. In the region, the French airport industry is particularly recognized in the following sectors: –              Ground Support Equipment (GSE) –              Air traffic detection and tracking devices –              Provision of software packages and dedicated IT solutions – technical training services (MRO, ground operations, pilots and cabin crew, etc.) –              Airport access control – identity control, video surveillance, alarm system, image analysis, etc. –              Dismantling and recycling of parts, modules and components Willing to provide a wide range of advantages to middle eastern players, French companies will …

Travelport announced a multi-year agreement with Business Travel Partners, through e-Business Travel, one of the largest consortiums of independent IATA travel agencies in the Netherlands. The win will see Business Travel Partners members migrate to Travelport+, Travelport’s newly-launched next-generation platform that creates a simplified, capability-rich, marketplace for travel retailing. The coalition of 11 specialist travel agencies which form Business Travel Partners has wide-ranging expertise in business, marine travel and individual travelers. Travelport is providing tailored solutions for each member, catered to their individual needs and, crucially, integrated into various existing third-party software already in use. These solutions will all be built on the Travelport+ platform, which will see the agencies benefiting from a broad range of multi-source travel content, an ever-broadening array of new merchandising capabilities designed to improve the traveler experience while maximizing revenue and customer loyalty, and enhanced value generation. To date, more than half of the Business Travel Partners agencies have migrated or are in the final stages of migrating to Travelport+, with other consortium members set to migrate in the coming months. “We found Travelport offered the best combination of advanced and agile solutions, along with dedicated consultancy and support that really made a difference to a consortium with diverse needs,” said Cees Bas, Chairman of Business Travel Partners and CEO of e-Business Travel. “Major technology upgrades are seldom easy, but Travelport’s implementation process was a remarkably seamless transition, with their team effectively acting as an extension of our own.” Alistair Rodger, Group Vice President of Agency Sales for Europe at Travelport said, “Being able to meet the needs of such a diverse collection of agencies really showcases the strength of the Travelport+ platform, as well …