Accor has been saying ‘ALL Thanks To You’ over the month, at a series of appreciation events hosted by the formidable Accor sales teams. Designed to acknowledge and recognise the value its partners, clients and corporate advisors bring to Accor, the events, hosted in Dubai, Riyadh, Abidjan, and Istanbul proved to be a momentous success, with over 1000 travel partners across a wide range of industries, coming together to enjoy the Accor hospitality. The coordinated events were also an opportunity for Accor to showcase its brands, new hotels, and introduce new key executives across the sales and business events teams. The Group’s ALL Meeting Planner programme, where year-round, event organisers can earn points and use these to cover up to 15% off their event bill and access redemption rewards, including world-class experiences, was also highlighted. Continuing the theme of thanks and appreciation, the Sales team, along with representatives from over 80 hotels across Middle East, Africa and Türkiye visited with key clients in each destination to update on the Group’s commitment to sustainability, which includes removing all single-use plastic items from the guest experience and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Hotel refurbishments and new developments. Paul Stevens, Chief Operating Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Middle East, Africa and Türkiye at Accor, said: “Our ALL Thanks to You appreciation events held across key destinations within the Middle East, Africa and Türkiye region were a great success. “The gatherings were a celebration of the strong bonds that unite us with our trade partners and clients acknowledging our heartfelt gratitude for their invaluable support and loyalty to Accor. “In a world where relationships matter more than ever, we look forward to continuing to …

Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) issued the first maritime tourism agent license for cruise ships to “Cruise Saudi”, a Public Investment Fund owned business based in Jeddah, KSA. This step marks a significant milestone in the development of a promising coastal tourism sector, and it falls under SRSA’s enablement roles. Licensing and permitting will help in regulating coastal tourism activities within the geographical scope. This will enable and encourage practitioners and investors in the coastal tourism sector. Whereas the Maritime Tourism Agent’s role includes providing services for marine watercrafts- such as yachts and cruise ships – to practice safe and sustainable marine navigational tourism activities, SRSA will ensure that the licensed maritime tourism agents facilitate marine watercrafts movements within the Kingdom’s waters and their adherence to best sustainable standards and practices. The Maritime Tourism Agent License was handed by the Vice President of Coastal Tourism Operations at SRSA, Eng. Mohammed Bukhari, to the Chief Destination Experiences Officer at Cruise Saudi, Mrs. Barbara Buczek, at the Cruise Saudi headquarters in Jeddah.

Emirates and the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a multi-year extension to their global partnership. The long-standing partnership, already in its third decade, is set to become one of the most established in world sport and extends to 28 ICC men’s and women’s events until 2031, including the Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy. The announcement of Emirates as a Premier Partner comes ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 which will be hosted in the West Indies and the United States next month, an event at which the global airline will be highly visible and active. Emirates will continue to hold the exclusive naming rights to the Emirates ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires and Match Referees, and ICC Match Officials will take to the field in the West Indies and the United States with Emirates’ Fly Better branding on their apparel. The airline will be associated with the Decision Review System and Third Umpire decision announcements in-game, ensuring that Emirates is synonymous with pivotal match moments. Commenting on the partnership renewal, Adnan Kazim, Deputy President, and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates said: “Emirates’ association with cricket has helped us reach new fans around the world and support the growth of the game. Our partnership with the ICC is one of the most established in our global sports sponsorships portfolio and we are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to the sport and to enthusiasts worldwide by extending our association for another eight years. “Cricket is a sport that deeply connects with fans across the world, and we’re pleased to align with the ICC who shares our commitment to provide fans with unique experiences in the coming …

As Eid Al Adha approaches, and summer descends upon us once again, residents of the Gulf countries (GCC) are preparing to jet off with their families and friends to new holiday destinations. For those seeking a blend of opulent shopping, natural beauty, and unforgettable fun, Outletcity Metzingen in Germany introduces itself as the ultimate destination for GCC travellers, now unveiling its latest addition: a chic brand-new on-site hotel and VIP Lounge built to offer an experience beyond shopping for fashion enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Located amidst the picturesque Swabian Alps, adjacent to the renowned Black Forest region, Europa-Park and Baden-Baden, Outletcity Metzingen, with its recent expansions, promises to redefine shopping for its visitors; offering a modern and exclusive physical shopping experience that e-commerce, malls, and retail stores can’t always provide. Complementing this experience, is the charming city of Metzingen, making it an ideal one-day trip destination to nearby cities such as Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurt, and Zurich. Whether for shopping, leisure, cultural exploration, or medical tourism, Outletcity Metzingen and its surroundings promise a memorable and fulfilling travel and shopping experience for every visitor. Attracting over 4.2 million visitors annually from 185 different nationalities, Outletcity Metzingen stands as a global fashion paradise. The decision to enhance the shopping experience with a dedicated hotel and VIP Lounge underscores the destination’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its international clientele, particularly from the Gulf Countries. And the Middle East. The newly inaugurated Moxy Outletcity Metzingen features contemporary elegance and urban sophistication. Nestled amidst luxury boutiques and designer flagship stores, this chic hotel transcends mere accommodation, offering a portal to a lifestyle of an affordable luxury and fashion looks for less. From its …

Last year the four major European airports — Heathrow (London), Charles de Gaulle (Paris), Schiphol (Amsterdam), and Madrid Barajas (Spain) — handled approximately 268 million passengers and this year is predicted to be yet another record breaker. Such high concentrations of passengers along with chronically under-resourced teams at those airports due to labour shortages (even strikes) is very likely to lead to disruption for airport transfers warns Servantrip, the world’s leading B2B transfers platform. For travel agents and tour operators – or indeed other trade sellers – offering transfers this could represent a real operations headache during what will already be one of the busiest summers possibly ever. Manuel Núñez, CEO of Servantrip, comments: “Many leisure travellers expect travel agents and other distributors to organize the transfer for them as part of the trip. By planning ahead travelers can ensure a smooth and efficient private transfer experience at major European airports and avoid waiting times, stress, and bad experiences at the destination.” “When it comes to handling peak transfer periods – as we’ll inevitably see this summer – not only is a large fleet needed to support the demand, but also better operations technology and processes that anticipate well-known challenges to keep problems to a minimum”. To help solve the several complexities associated with providing private transfer services, Servantrip has identified seven key challenges that B2B buyers need to watch out for when taking bookings. 1. Flight delays: real-time flight tracking is essential to ensure timely adjustments in chauffeur schedules. By providing the flight number, the travel operator can ensure a successful service delivery in over 90% of cases. 2. Meeting points: clear communication with passengers about designated meeting points within the …

Qatar Airways announced the introduction of Starlink’s innovative high-speed, low-latency Wi-Fi on three of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft by the last quarter of this year, as part of the initial phase of its rollout strategy. This strategic move solidifies the airline’s commitment to elevating the passenger experience onboard, with plans to progressively extend SpaceX-powered technology across its entire modern fleet within the next two years. The announcement took place on the second day of the Aircraft Interior Expo at Hamburg – Germany, in the presence of Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, and Mr. Mike Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX. As a globally recognised leader in innovation, Qatar Airways consistently delivers advanced technologies to redefine the inflight experience for passengers. By offering an ultra-high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity of up to 500 megabit per second per plane, Qatar Airways’ passengers can use the high-speed and low-latency network with a simple ‘one-click-access’ to enjoy a variety of internet-based services such as video streaming of their favourite entertainment and sports videos, online gaming, enriched web-browsing and much more. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “This exciting collaboration with Starlink is a testament to our customer-first mindset and commitment to elevating our passengers’ experience to unprecedented heights, as we continue furthering our innovative offerings to meet and exceed passengers’ expectations throughout their journey with Qatar Airways.” As the first-ever service of its kind in the MENA region, the collaboration with Starlink, the world’s largest satellite internet constellation engineered and operated by SpaceX, marks a new milestone for the national carrier of the State of Qatar. This strategic initiative will further elevate the airline’s …

Speaking at the Bavel Travel Summit taking place in Spain, Maria Sellar from Terrapay called out gender bias in the travel technology industry. During a speech titled ‘Breaking Barriers: Inclusion and Diversity in Travel Industry Leadership!’, Sellar went on to demand the travel technology industry bridges this gap or risks falling behind. Whilst addressing the 200+ crowd of travel tech professionals at the event in Sitges, Spain – organized by B2B travel payments company Voxel – Sellar shared her own experiences of discrimination and highlighted research seen by Terrapay that proved the stark inequality between males and females in the sector, including that: • Only 28% of tech employees are female, but more worryingly still the percentage of women serving as CEOs in technology companies is only roughly 17%. • There’s some evidence things are going backwards: there was a decline of 2.1% in the representation of women in big tech companies between 2020 and 2022! • Between 2016 and 2022, an average of only 15% of tech startup founders were female, according to Startup Genome, 2023. “You only need to look down the list of attendees at travel technology events to see how male dominated it is, there’s not much statistical analysis to be done – and again, when you look at who is speaking on stage or who are the CEOs, the gap is obvious and worrying” commented Sellar, who at B2B travel payments provider Terrapay is the General Manager for Travel. She continued “For anyone with any doubts about the value of gender equality, consider that it isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic advantage that fosters creativity and a broader range of perspectives, ultimately benefiting the …

Speaking with TravTalkME Lydia Li, Deputy General Manager ITB China shared that one of the key emerging trends seen over the past few months is an increase of outbound travel with Chinese travellers opting for MICE and business travel to the Middle East. According to the recent report by Trip.com, there were destinations that fall in the medium- and long-haul outbound travel categories that witnessed significant growth, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and the Maldives, among others along the Belt and Road Initiative, experiencing high order growth rates, increasing by over 800%, 60%, 40%, and 40% respectively compared to 2019. Countries farther away such as the UK, Argentina, and Norway also saw significant increases, with growth rates exceeding 60%, 40%, and 200% respectively compared to 2019.

Forward ticket data for July and August 2024 indicates that European travellers are increasingly choosing to venture further afield to explore Dubai with a 11 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2023. Highlighted by forwardKeys, Outbound travel from Europe is displaying clear trends, with year-on-year growth in long-haul travel to a diverse range of Asian markets.

Speaking with TravTalkME on the sidelines of ITB China, Abdelkhalek Mostafa – Regional ecommerce Director Pickalbatros Hotels and Resorts shared that Chinese travellers have become one of the main source markets for their hotels and resorts across Egypt over the past few years. The main attraction of the Chinese is their world renown theme park, the largest by the name of ‘Neverland City’ in Hurghada. Ensuring that the source markets are provided all facilities is a key factor for destinations, hence Pickalbatros Hotels and Resorts too have  introduced many facilities to cater to this important clientele. Ranging from family oriented resorts to adult only resorts, Pickalbatros Hotels and Resorts have established a formidable name with their clientele from across the world.