Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has launched an automated refund process that handles cash conversion refund requests within just one week, offering travellers an easy way to manage their bookings. The automated process means that for passengers whose flights have been cancelled, based on the option selected by the customer, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will automatically refund 120% of the original fare in airline credit, or provide passengers with the option to receive a 100% cash refund to their original payment method or provide the chance to rebook for free. Passengers can easily request a refund, with just one click in their Wizz Air Abu Dhabi account at wizzair.com or by following the link received via email. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi said, “We are committed to offering our customers the best experience when travelling with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which is why we have invested heavily in automating our refund process and are proud to be able to handle cash refund requests within just seven days. We are continuing to invest in new technologies across our business to make travelling with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi an exceptionally smooth and seamless experience.”

The second edition of the Gulf Travel Show will kick off on March 31st and April 1st, 2021, Tourism Malaysia pledged its partnership once again with some of its key partners in their very own pavilion. Successfully concluded in 2020 with 40 plus exhibitors, 6000 one-to-one meetings, and 2,500 visitors from 59 countries which included travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel management companies and international agencies encouraged the emergence of a second edition. Once again, the show promises some of the key travel, tourism and hospitality experts from across the Middle East share their insights on the industry through one on one sessions and panel discussions. Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Dubai shared, “Tourism Malaysia Dubai, Jeddah & India join forces with major tourism partners to spearhead Malaysia promotion in Virtual Gulf Travel Show 2021. Tourism Malaysia has become the Diamond partner in GTS 2021 to further communicate the ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ brand to the travel industry fraternity in MENA and India markets. This time we are planning to showcase Malaysia with our 10 selected tourism partners who will be engaged with Middle East & India potential buyers during the 2 days virtual show. This a great opportunity for us to interact with the industry players and plan for the New Normal once Malaysia opens its borders to welcome tourists. For this year, we are promoting the hashtag  #WeMissYou to the market indicating that we miss the tourists coming to our beautiful country and can’t wait to see them again at the Malaysian shore soon.” The past one year was a test for survival of the fittest, proactive and wide open minders and those who …

In a few hours, you will be able to learn and discover the beautiful land of Kyoto as they present their offerings online through a webinar titled “Discover the serene beauty of Kyoto prefecture, the must-see sights and unique experiences it has to offer”. During this one-hour session, four partners will share the many areas, sights and offerings that they want the travellers to see online. Koji Kuriyama, Managing Director, Kyoto Tourism Federation will begin the webinar relating the most important information about visiting the destination and checking the health and safety standards as well as reaching out to the Middle East market to keep Kyoto at the top of their wish list when the borders open. Among other partners who will showcase their diverse offerings are Jesse Efron, Overseas Promotion Manager, Kyoto by the Sea DMO who will share the northern side of Kyoto which is by the sea followed by Ken Fujimoto, Representative, Japan Exploration Tours JIN who will focus on woodland Kyoto, Kyoto Infused with Tea & Kyoto Otokuni Bamboo Grove. They have some unique tours not only in Kyoto but other areas in Japan. If your clients are adventure enthusiasts this will be something that they will definitely want to try out. Ayumi Kimba, Director, J-Links DMC specializing in inbound tourism to Japan will be able to share every detail that needs to be known by the visitors so she will take you through the learning process which in turn you can share with the most discerning clientele.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company by a number of properties with over 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries, today announced the debut of its La Quinta by Wyndham brand in the Middle East with a new 100-room property in Dubai. Expected to open in March 2021, La Quinta by Wyndham Dubai Bur Dubai will be centrally located in the historic Bur Dubai district. Dimitris Manikis, President Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA), Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are on a strong growth trajectory for La Quinta by Wyndham, and this latest addition further highlights our commitment to expand the brand in EMEA and around the world. Dubai is one of the most sought out destinations for travellers from all corners of the globe, making it the ideal location to launch La Quinta in the market. This property perfectly complements our portfolio of over 60 hotels in the Middle East and Africa and we look forward to continuing to grow our robust pipeline in the region.”

Ireland tourism is setting their groundwork in place to educate the Middle East travel fraternity on their varied offerings from lush beauty coupled with luxurious lifestyle for the discerning traveller as they meet them virtually on March 8-9, 2021 from 2 to 6 pm UAE time. Two days of networking with the trade will provide a plethora of information as there will be 28 partners from the island of Ireland that will discuss with the travel fraternity in the Middle East. David Boyce – Head of New & Emerging Markets – Tourism Ireland shared, “We are actively planning for the restart and it is a three-phased plan which will happen when the time is right, the idea is that we are keeping Ireland top of mind for the travellers at the moment, we will also present the potential traveller with some great opportunities to purchase again when the time is right and deliver a very clear message to create a demand for holidays across the island of Ireland. We would have liked to be with the audience in person as we know that’s not possible but we have been organizing and running a few virtual roadshows end of last year and early this year. It is a one stop shop for buyers in the Middle East to learn all they need to know about the island of Ireland and to meet with key island of Ireland suppliers who can assist them to get the very best programmes their clients need. The roadshow will support tourism recovery and this is both here in the Middle East and in Ireland. It is a great opportunity to engage with the team from Tourism …

Tourism Malaysia Dubai & Jeddah is launching  Malaysia Specialist Certified Programme (MSCP) to educate travel professionals on destination information to become certified Malaysia travel experts. Conducted by Malaysian destination experts from the state tourism boards of Penang, Melaka, Selangor, Sabah, Sarawak, and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), the programme comprises a series of six webinars, spanning one hour per session from March 9 to 25, 2021, designed specifically for travel agents. The travel agents will go into deep dives on major attractions, local events, and tourist accommodation premises in Malaysia during webinars. Besides that, the MSCP will also be used to promote Sabah and Sarawak as the new destinations for Middle East travellers. Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Dubai, stated, “The MSCP is expected to make a significant headway which will enable us to reach a higher number of travel agents in the Middle East.” Putra Hilmy Elias, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Jeddah, added, “This programme ensures that the travel agents have knowledge of Malaysia and also allows them to grow their businesses by leveraging on Malaysia’s diverse tourism offerings.” The MSCP is a part of Tourism Malaysia Dubai’s initiative born out of the COVID-19 pandemic besides the ‘#WeMissYou’ hashtag strategy to spur the readiness of travel professionals in the Middle East once Malaysia is reopened for business. The participants will be awarded certificates and entitled to enter a lucky draw for the chance to win hotels stay in Malaysia with a validity period until 2022.

The countdown to the Kyoto tourism special webinar will be tomorrow from 11 am to 12noon UAE time focusing on the Middle East market titled “Discover the serene beauty of Kyoto prefecture, the must-see sights and unique experiences it has to offer” with a total of four partners. Koji Kuriyama, Managing Director, Kyoto Tourism Federation; “Middle East has become one of our key markets over the past few years. Over a period of one hour myself and three of our key partners will join in to showcase the beauty of our destination, the different offerings and experiences not to be missed out. We want the travel trade in Middle East to know more about the wide variety of sights in Kyoto prefecture and want to introduce our area to their customers.” Jesse Efron, Overseas Promotion Manager, Kyoto by the Sea DMO shared, “We are a DMO and one of the members of Kyoto Tourism Federation. We cover the northern part of Kyoto prefecture; by the sea. Middle East has become one of our key markets and we want the travel trade in Middle East to learn about the wide variety of sights in Kyoto, its beauty and want to introduce our area to their customers.” Ken Fujimoto, Representative, Japan Exploration Tours JIN stated, “Our main areas will focus on woodland Kyoto, Kyoto Infused with Tea & Kyoto Otokuni Bamboo Grove. We provide unique tours not only in Kyoto but other areas in Japan.  The most famous one is Mount Fuji (the highest mountain in Japan) climbing it is an experience not to be missed out for those who crave for adventure. We have seen a keen interest in the Middle …

Mark your calendars for two days of networking with key partners from 2 – 6 pm UAE time on 8th & 9th March 2021 on Tourism Ireland virtual show. One of the esteemed partners shared what is to be expected at the event. Eoin McGrath – Sales Manager -Hastings Hotels said, “Our demand in 2020, which was short-lived, initiated our plans to reconfigure room categories, to accommodate multi-generational families, a trend which we already see an increase in inquiries for late 2021.  The Middle Eastern market continues to be an emerging market for not only our hotels but Northern Ireland. I usually am in the USA every month for 5-7 days, however, in 2019 and planned for 2020, I had scheduled several visits to the Middle East to further cement relationships created by attending shows in Dubai, Turkey, and Qatar.  I regularly participate in Tourism Ireland-led activities for the Middle East, lately, virtually. I communicate both by telephone and email, on a regular basis with clients that I have met along the way through various programmes.”  

Kyoto tourism will conduct a comprehensive webinar on March 2, 2021 from 11 am to 12 noon UAE time titled “Discover the serene beauty of Kyoto prefecture, the must-see sights and unique experiences it has to offer” with a total of four partners. Ken Fujimoto, Representative, Japan Exploration Tours JIN, “Our main areas will focus on woodland Kyoto, Kyoto Infused with Tea & Kyoto Otokuni Bamboo Grove. We provide unique tours not only in Kyoto but other areas in Japan.  The most famous one is Mount Fuji (the highest mountain in Japan) climbing is an experience not to be missed out on for those who crave adventure. We have seen a keen interest in the Middle East travellers and they have become one of our key markets hence we want to take this opportunity to provide the maximum knowledge of the destination and the many offerings for the travel trade fraternity in the Middle East.”  

Sabre Corporation announced a strategic long-term technology partnership with Louvre Hotels Group, Europe’s second-largest enterprise hotel group counting almost 1,600 hotels across 54 countries and a subsidiary of Jin Jiang International. With this new agreement, Louvre Hotels Group will benefit from SynXis Central Reservations and its industry-leading reach with connections to almost 900,000 travel agents and nearly 700 online channels across the globe, including hundreds of online travel agencies (OTAs) and metasearch engines. Louvre Hotels Group will be able to pursue its ambitious plans to expand its hotel portfolio footprint and global distribution reach while benefiting from improved operational efficiencies. “This partnership with Sabre is a priority to sustain our ambitions, especially in this global context. We constantly develop our network across the world with our brands from 1 star to 5 stars. Therefore, we want to deploy innovative distribution strategies with robust technology solutions, to provide cutting edge solutions to our investors and franchisees while ensuring technical and operational efficiency for our hotels,” said Pierre-Frédéric Roulot, CEO at Louvre Hotels Group. “For us, Sabre Hospitality Solutions is offering the best combination of innovation, platform, security, scale and service.” “In today’s evolving travel and hospitality industry, it is critical that hoteliers have a unified, highly-flexible technology platform that allows them to drive commercial performance, enable operational excellence, and do this on a reliable platform that just works,” said Scott Wilson, president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “Sabre’s industry-leading solutions will extend Louvre Hotels Group’s distribution reach with the speed of innovation, performance, and stability inherent in an industry-leading platform while providing the ability to create highly differentiated experiences for both its brands and its guests.”