Air Arabia has announced the resumption of direct flights between Sharjah and Prague, starting September 22, 2021. Customers can now book their direct flights between Sharjah and Prague by visiting Air Arabia’s website, by calling the call centre or through travel agencies. Ensuring the highest standards of safety at every step of the journey by following all health and safety protocols, Air Arabia has also added to the convenience and confidence of passengers by introducing free COVID-19 insurance coverage. The insurance is automatically included as part of the booking and no additional documents are required from passengers.

For the first time in almost 18 months Arabian Travel Market was successfully concluded onsite with exhibitors from 62 countries and travel professionals from over 100 countries. “Putting sustainability at the heart of the future development of the tourism industry in the Middle East will be crucial to meet the expectations of local and international visitors, who are now more socially aware and informed, than ever before. The industry has undoubtedly made huge strides in this area, with a range of initiatives across the sector positively impacting the environment,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market. Another popular seminar was a hotel summit session about the challenges to traditional hospitality, brought on by social distancing and the increased reliance on technology – impersonal by nature. A panel consisting of hospitality leaders, agreed that nothing would replace genuine hospitality, rather guests would decide what level of human interaction they were comfortable with – balancing safety with personal attention while maximising the efficiency of technology without compromising on service excellence. “This week has been a resounding success, we’ve welcomed exhibitors from 62 countries and travel professionals from over 100 countries during the four days of the event,” said Curtis. “Next week, ATM Virtual gives us the opportunity to interact with an even greater global audience. With travel restrictions still in place for many people, for those unable to attend the live and in-person event, the virtual element provides the perfect platform for travel professionals to connect, do business and hear from leading lights within the industry, from anywhere in the world,” added Curtis.

On the second day of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Ajlan & Bros Holding Group and Desert Adventures Tourism have announced the signing of a partnership agreement setting the course to establish a full-service destination management company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Desert Adventures Tourism is the first Dubai-based destination management company to announce its plans to extend into the Kingdom in a joint venture with a well-known Saudi partner. The two companies are joining hands with the aspiration to build the leading destination management company in the Kingdom, based on innovative tourism products, highest quality of service and unique experiences for travellers. “Saudi is an exciting, fast-growing tourism destination that offers the world’s travellers a diverse, culturally-rich experience, redolent of Arabian mystique and grounded in authentic Saudi hospitality,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority. “Despite the challenges of the past eighteen months we have seen considerable growth in visitation and spend across many regions of the country and we are optimistic about the future of tourism in Saudi. This is a great time to welcome Ajlan & Bros Holding Group and Desert Adventures Tourism to the Saudi tourism ecosystem and we look forward to collaborating with them, as well as with our other partners, in bringing new, competitive products and services to the market.” During the virtual signing ceremony, Fahad bin Saad Alajlan, sponsor of tourism and hospitality of Ajlan & Bros, highlighted: “Ajlan & Bros are committed to helping realise Saudi Vision 2030 and increasing the prosperity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Through this partnership, we will not only become a market leader in this sector but also create new jobs and …

Middle East Tourism Investment Summit will be two-fold organised by ITIC in partner-ship with ATM. The in-person summit will be held in Dubai on Wednesday 19 May and will be followed by a virtual summit on 27 May. The theme will be ‘Invest-Rebuild-Restart the tourism industry in the Middle East’. The Middle East is standing out as the region offering the most exciting tourism prospects following the Covid-19 vaccination campaigns that have been successfully rolled out. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC and former Secretary-General of UNWTO stated, “We are delighted to host in partnership with ATM our face-to-face Tourism Investment Summit after 18 months and to regroup industry leaders to discuss the investment opportu-nities, challenges, issues and the way forward for the future. “ For his part, Ibrahim Ayoub, ITIC’s Group CEO, expressed his confidence that the vaccination campaigns will contribute to the rapid restart of international flights. “Dubai has already set the example of the successful reopening of its airspace and country to foreign visitors. We expect that other countries especially in the Middle East which have properly managed the Covid-19 pandemic, to follow”, he added. “Their resilience needs to be commended.” Industry decision-makers such as Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports; Nicolas Mayer, Global Tourism Leader of PWC; Scott Livermore, Chief Economist of Oxford Economics, Middle East; H.E. Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan; HE Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman Sharjah Investment and Development Authority; Raki Phillips, CEO Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; H.E. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General, Ajman Tourism Development Department; Bastien Blanc, Managing Director, IHG Hotels & Resorts KSA; Marc Descrozaille, COO, Accor Hotels, India, Middle East & Africa; …

IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with RIVA Development Company via its wholly owned subsidiary RIVA Hospitality for Hotel Services Company to open at least 7 hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across IHG’s portfolio of brands. The announcement was made at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 in Dubai. The 5-year agreement will add to IHG’s portfolio across key brands in the country in cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Eastern Province, Abha, Hail, Qassim and Tabuk. Most hotels under the agreement are expected to be greenfield projects and will represent the best in class products. The agreement also presents the potential to extend the partnership for another 5 years to develop an additional 12 hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Speaking on the announcement, Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said, “We are excited to partner with RIVA Development Company as we strengthen our offering in Saudi Arabia. We have a strong legacy in the Kingdom and are committed to leveraging the growth opportunities that focus on aligning with Saudi’s vision 2030 and the priority destinations highlighted in the Saudi Tourism Strategy, by expanding our presence across the country through our portfolio of global brands. With a number of recent signings in Saudi Arabia, across our brands such as InterContinental, Holiday Inn, voco and Crowne Plaza, we are growing our presence with best-in-class products, experiences and services, that attract both domestic and international visitors, as well as Saudi talent as part of our support to the government’s “Tawteen” program.  We also look forward to introducing new brands from our global portfolio to the Saudi market, and …

As Saudi Arabia forges ahead with Vision 2030, with tourism earmarked as a key economic driver, tourism and travel leaders from the Kingdom convened at the ATM 2021 Saudi Arabia Tourism Summit on the Global Stage to discuss the strategy’s positive repercussions for the country, its people, investors and millions of global travellers. Addressing a capacity crowd at the in-person ATM 2021, the region’s largest travel and tourism showcase, were Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority, Majed Alnefaie, Acting CEO of Seera, Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), and Dr Afnan Al Shuaiby, Founder and CEO of FNN International and Chair of the Arab International Women’s Forum. The audience heard how Saudi Arabia is preparing to reopen its borders for foreign tourists imminently, and it is well on its way to realising its ambition for attracting 100 million tourists per year by 2030. Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority, discussed the Kingdom’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, having just opened up to international tourism in September 2019: “While the travel and tourism sector was paralysed globally, Saudi Arabia kept moving. Although the priority was to save lives, we were also committed to protecting livelihoods and saving jobs through our successful domestic tourism campaign, which resulted in a 33% increase in spending, hotel occupancy was at 50%, and the number of Destination Marketing Companies (DMCs) within the Kingdom increased from 17 to 93.” Discussing the outlook for SAUDIA, CEO Captain Ibrahim Koshy said, “There are many things taking place in Saudi Arabia that will accelerate a return to profit for the airline. We will come out much leaner and stronger as a business, with expected profitability in 2024, …

Directive from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) mandates that all hotels comply with the ‘Sustainability Requirements for Hotel Establishments’ by the deadline of 1 July 2021, as set by Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an initiative to further enhance Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations. Under the directive, hotels must also resume monthly submission of carbon emission drivers. The system has the long-term objective of advancing sustainability performance across the sector.  Back in 2019 Dubai Tourism led by DST trained 528 hotels on the implementation of these sustainability standards and currently inviting hotels for a refresher webinar ahead of July 2021. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline was extended for an additional 12 month, a decision that Dubai Tourism took to strengthen the foundations for recovery of the hospitality sector. The progress on implementation of the mandatory standards will be tracked by hotels and audited by DST. Yousuf Lootah, Vice Chairman of Dubai Sustainable Tourism, said: “Over the past year, the strength of the city’s tourism industry is reflected in the safe and successful reopening of Dubai to domestic and international visitors. In alignment with the city’s wider carbon reduction strategy, we know that tourism can also be an area where Dubai truly sets the benchmark at a global level with forward-thinking sustainability and corporate social responsibility practices. We strongly encourage hotels to comply with the 19 Sustainability Requirements set by Dubai Tourism and provide Carbon Calculator submissions by 1 July. We know that with the ongoing support of the relevant government bodies these hotel establishments can play a huge part in achieving the overall carbon emission reduction target over …

Air Arabia has announced the introduction of a new service to Sharm El Sheikh with direct flights from Sharjah starting on 29th June, 2021. Customers can now book their direct flights between Sharjah and Sharm El Sheikh by visiting Air Arabia’s website, by calling the call centre or through travel agencies. Ensuring the highest standards of safety at every step of the journey by following all health and safety protocols, Air Arabia has also added to the convenience and confidence of passengers by introducing free COVID-19 insurance coverage. The insurance is automatically included as part of the booking and no additional documents are required from passengers.

German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is participating at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this week, which is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the first international travel trade event to take place in-person since the outbreak. The GNTB wanted to raise awareness of what Germany and in particular Berlin, has to offer city, nature and culture enthusiasts living in the GCC countries, by showcasing the exciting facets and flair of Germany such as customs, crafts, local food and drink, culture and architecture, and the varied countryside and nature on the doorstep of many German cities. Speaking at the press conference at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, said Yamina Sofo, Director Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office Gulf Countries (GNTO) said, “With the success of the national vaccination programmes in the GCC countries, particularly in the UAE where more than 11.5 million doses have been administered so far (over 70% of the UAE population have received vaccines and 40% are fully vaccinated), we remain optimistic that the pre-crisis level of incoming travel from the UAE to Germany can be regained by end of 2022. “It gives us immense pleasure to be here, at ATM, to showcase our unique German culture to not only GCC travellers but outbound tourists across the Middle East. We hope to encourage demand for city and nature holidays coupled with sustainable tourism, which draws attention to the many different ways of discovering Destination Germany with its wide range of traditions and attractions,” Sofo added. Commenting on Berlin’s readiness for the return of inbound tourism, Burkhard Kieker, CEO, visitBerlin, said, “Like no other city, Berlin is poised for yet another new start in 2021 – …

The 28th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the region’s largest travel and tourism showcase, returned to Dubai in-person to shine the spotlight on Tourism For a Brighter Future during the opening session at ATM’s Global Stage. With 2021 ushering in a new dawn for travel and tourism, leading industry figureheads from around the world kicked off the discussion on the ATM Global Stage as they explored factors delivering the sector’s fast-paced recovery. Vaccinations, market segmentation and innovations in tech, travel corridors, marketing and product diversification were all highlighted as drivers for significant recovery by 2023. Addressing the audience this morning, His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said, “To see true recovery in travel and tourism, countries need to accept that COVID-19 exists and that we need to learn to live the new COVID-19 normal. “Since the beginning, Dubai has shown remarkable resilience in dealing with the pandemic. Taking decisive action at the right time, using all the data available to us as a smart city to make decisions, and opening the economy sector by sector, with the right precautions being taken at each stage, has enabled the gradual recovery of the travel and tourism industry and allowed the city to open its borders to both domestic and international travel. “With the number of COVID-19 cases stabilising, due to high vaccination rates and some of the highest testing rates in the world, we can expect to see further easing of restrictions in Dubai in the near future,” he added. Other notable speakers on the panel were Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC & Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization …